Thermally insulated container

Abstract

To provide a heat insulating container capable of easily maintaining a space between an inner container and an outer container at a bottom part of the heat insulating container.SOLUTION: According to the present invention, there is provided a heat-insulating container including a container main body, in which the container main body includes an inner container and an outer container disposed so as to cover the inner container, the outer container includes a cylindrical body portion and a bottom portion that closes a lower end of the body portion, a depressurized space is provided in a portion including the bottom portion between the inner container and the outer container, a recessed portion is provided in a corner portion that is a boundary between the body portion and the bottom portion, and the recessed portion has a portion extending in an oblique direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an insulated container. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a heat-insulating container in which an inner container and an outer container are integrally joined together with a gap therebetween. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-68324 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In Patent Document 1, pads are intermittently arranged between the inner container and the outer container, thereby providing a vacuum-evacuated gap between the inner container and the outer container.

[0005] In the configuration of Patent Document 1, pads are arranged to maintain a space between the inner container and the outer container at the body of the container, but it is also necessary to maintain a space between the inner container and the outer container at the bottom of the container.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an insulated container in which the space between the inner container and the outer container at the bottom of the insulated container is easily maintained. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to the present invention, the following inventions are provided. [1] An insulated container comprising a container body, the container body comprising an inner container and an outer container arranged to cover the inner container, the outer container comprising a cylindrical body and a bottom that closes the lower end of the body, a reduced pressure space being provided between the inner container and the outer container in a region including the bottom, a recess being provided at a corner that is the boundary between the body and the bottom, and the recess having a portion that extends in an oblique direction. [2] The insulated container according to [1], wherein the outer container is a direct blow molded product. [3] The insulated container according to [1] or [2], wherein a plurality of the recesses are provided at the corner portion so as to be spaced apart in the circumferential direction. [4] The insulated container according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the recess is provided so as to extend in a radial direction. [5] An insulated container according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the recessed portion includes or is adjacent to a maximum diameter portion where the outer diameter of the container body is maximum. [6] An insulated container according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein R1 / D is 0.28 or more, where D is the outer diameter of the maximum diameter portion where the outer diameter of the container body is the largest, and R1 is the length from the center of the bottom to the recess. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] After extensive research, the inventors discovered that if the corners that define the boundary between the body and bottom of the outer container are insufficiently rigid, the bottom of the outer container will move closer to the inner container, narrowing the space between them. Furthermore, the inventors discovered that providing a recess with a diagonally extending portion at the corners can prevent the outer container from moving, leading to the completion of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention provides an insulated container that easily maintains the space between the inner and outer containers at the bottom of the container body. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]1A and 1B are a front view and a bottom view, respectively, of a heat-insulating container 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1B is a perspective view of the vicinity of the bottom 3e of the outer container 3 of the heat-insulating container 10 of FIG. 1A, seen obliquely from below. [Figure 3] 1C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1B. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are a front view and a bottom view, respectively, of a heat-insulating container 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] Fig. 5A is a perspective view of the vicinity of the bottom 3e of the outer container 3 of the insulated container 10 of Fig. 4, seen obliquely from below. Fig. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the bottom 3e of the outer container 3 of Fig. 5A, taken along the same cross section as Fig. 3. [Figure 6] Fig. 6A is a perspective view of the area near the bottom 3e of the outer container 3 of the basic form, seen obliquely from below. Fig. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the area near the bottom 3e of the outer container 3 of Fig. 6A, taken along the same cross section as Fig. 3. [Figure 7] Fig. 7A is a perspective view of the vicinity of the bottom 3e of the outer container 3 of the comparative example, seen obliquely from below. Fig. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the bottom 3e of the outer container 3 of Fig. 7A, taken along the same cross section as Fig. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The following describes embodiments of the present invention. The various features shown in the following embodiments can be combined with each other. Furthermore, each feature can be an invention independently. Furthermore, in the following embodiments, elements not specified in the claims are optional elements and can be omitted. Any number of "0"s (for example, one or two) may be added to the end of numerical values ​​disclosed in the following description. For example, one or two "0"s may be added after "1.4" to make it "1.40" or "1.400."

[0011] 1. First embodiment 1 to 3, a description will be given of an insulated container 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The insulated container 10 is preferably a refillable bottle that can be repeatedly filled with contents. Examples of contents that can be contained in the insulated container 10 include water, tea, soft drinks, carbonated drinks, etc.

[0012] The insulated container 10 comprises a container body 1. The container body 1 comprises a mouth 1a, a body 1b, and a bottom 1c. The container body 1 is preferably bottle-shaped. Unless otherwise specified, "upper" or "lower" in the following description refers to "upper" or "lower" when the container body 1 is held upright with the bottom 1c facing downwards.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 3, the container body 1 includes an inner container 2 and an outer container 3 disposed so as to cover the inner container 2.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 3, the inner container 2 is cylindrical with a bottom, and contains the contents. The inner container 2 has a mouth 2a, a body 2g, and a bottom 2f. The mouth 2a becomes the mouth 1a of the container body 1. The mouth 2a is provided with an engagement portion 2c to which a cap (not shown) can be attached. The cap may be a screw-type or a stopper-type. The outer diameter of the mouth 2a is, for example, 20 to 50 mm (33 mm in this embodiment), preferably 25 to 45 mm, and more preferably 30 to 40 mm.

[0015] The body 2g has a larger outer diameter (in this specification, "outer diameter" means the diameter equivalent to a circle when the cross section is not circular) than the mouth 2a. The body 2g is cylindrical, and the bottom 2f is provided at the lower end of the body 2g and closes the lower end of the body 2g. The body 2g has a shoulder 2g1 whose outer diameter increases with increasing distance from the mouth 2a. The body 2g also has a body main body 2g2 on the bottom 2f side of the shoulder 2g1. The body main body 2g2 has, for example, a shape in which the outer diameter is approximately constant toward the bottom 2f, or a shape in which the diameter decreases toward the bottom 2f.

[0016] The outer container 3 is cylindrical with a bottom, and the body main body 2g2 and the bottom 2f are housed inside the outer container 3. The outer container 3 has a cylindrical body 3d and a bottom 3e that closes the lower end of the body 3d. The shoulder 2g1 and the body 3d form the body 1b of the container body 1, and the bottom 3e forms the bottom 1c of the container body 1.

[0017] The bottom 3e is provided with a central recess 3e1 provided in a region including the center of the bottom 3e, and a peripheral edge 3e2 surrounding the central recess 3e1.

[0018] The inner container 2 and the outer container 3 are preferably made of a thermoplastic resin such as PET or polyolefin. The inner container 2 and the outer container 3 can be formed by blow molding. The blow molding may be direct blow molding or injection blow molding. In direct blow molding, a molten cylindrical parison extruded from an extruder is sandwiched between a pair of split molds and air is blown into the parison. In this case, a long and narrow cut-off portion 3j is formed in the bottom portion 3e when the parison is sandwiched between the pair of molds and cut off. As shown in FIG. 2 , the cut-off portion 3j is provided across the central recess 3e1. Both ends of the cut-off portion 3j may reach the peripheral edge portion 3e2. In this case, a peripheral recess 3e3 is provided in the peripheral edge portion 3e2 to accommodate the cut-off portion 3j so that the cut-off portion 3j does not protrude below the contact surface 1d. As shown in Figure 3, the contact surface 1d is a surface formed by the part that comes into contact with the horizontal plane P when the container body 1 is placed upright on the horizontal plane P. In injection blow molding, a test-tube-shaped, bottomed parison called a preform is formed by injection molding, and blow molding is performed using this parison.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 3, a joint 3b that airtightly joins the outer container 3 to the inner container 2 is preferably provided near the open end 3a of the outer container 3. When the inner container 2 and the outer container 3 are made of a thermoplastic resin, they are preferably joined by welding. Examples of welding methods include ultrasonic welding and laser welding.

[0020] By joining the inner container 2 and the outer container 3 at the joint 3b, a sealed space 4 is formed between the inner container 2 and the outer container 3. By joining the inner container 2 and the outer container 3 in a reduced pressure environment or by evacuating the air in the sealed space 4, the sealed space 4 can be turned into a reduced pressure space 8. The reduced pressure space 8 is located in a region including the bottom 3e. By providing the reduced pressure space 8, the heat insulating properties of the container body 1 can be improved.

[0021] The pressure in the reduced pressure space 8 at 25°C is, for example, 0.5 atmospheres or less, preferably 0.2 atmospheres or less, and more preferably 0.1 atmospheres or less. This value is, for example, 0 to 0.5 atmospheres, preferably 0.0001 to 0.2 atmospheres, and more preferably 0.001 to 0.1 atmospheres. Specific examples of this value include 0, 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 atmospheres, and may be in the range between any two of the values ​​exemplified here or less than any one of them. If this value is too large, the heat insulation is likely to be insufficient.

[0022] The trunk body 2g2 of the inner container 2 is provided with an expanded diameter portion 2g3, which expands in diameter toward the shoulder 2g1, at a position adjacent to the shoulder 2g1. The inner container 2 and the outer container 3 are preferably joined at the expanded diameter portion 2g3.

[0023] If the corner 3f, which is the boundary between the body 3d and bottom 3e of the outer container 3, is insufficiently rigid, the force generated by the pressure difference between the reduced pressure space 8 and the external space may displace the bottom 3e of the outer container 3 toward the inner container 2, potentially narrowing the space between the inner container 2 and the outer container 3 at the bottom 3e. To prevent this problem from occurring, in this embodiment, a recess 3i having a diagonally extending portion is provided in the corner 3f. The recess 3i strengthens the corner 3f, preventing the bottom 3e from approaching the inner container 2 and making it easier to maintain the space between the inner container 2 and the outer container 3 at the bottom 3e. When the outer container 3 is a direct-blow molded product, the corner 3f, where the blow ratio is likely to be high, is likely to have a small wall thickness and insufficient rigidity. Therefore, the technical significance of applying the present invention is particularly evident when the outer container 3 is a direct-blow molded product.

[0024] 1, if the outer diameter of the container body 1 at a maximum diameter portion 1e where the outer diameter is greatest is D and the radius of curvature of the corner 3f at a portion where the radius of curvature is smallest is Rc, then Rc / D is, for example, 0.02 to 0.26 (0.11 in this embodiment), preferably 0.05 to 0.21, and more preferably 0.08 to 0.16. Specifically, this value is, for example, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.05, 0.06, 0.07, 0.08, 0.09, 0.10, 0.11, 0.12, 0.13, 0.14, 0.15, 0.16, 0.17, 0.18, 0.19, 0.20, 0.21, 0.22, 0.23, 0.24, 0.25, or 0.26, or may be in a range between any two of the values ​​exemplified here. The outer diameter D is, for example, 40 to 160 mm (80 mm in this embodiment), preferably 50 to 120 mm, and more preferably 60 to 100 mm. Specific examples of this value include 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, and 160 mm, and may be within a range between any two of the values ​​exemplified herein. The radius of curvature Rc is, for example, 3 to 21 mm (9 mm in this embodiment), preferably 5 to 17 mm, and more preferably 7 to 13 mm. Specific examples of this value include 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21 mm, and may be within a range between any two of the values ​​exemplified herein.

[0025] The maximum diameter portion 1e, where the outer diameter is greatest, is preferably provided at a corner 3f. The recess 3i is preferably provided so as to include or be adjacent to the maximum diameter portion 1e. When the outer container 3 is a direct blow-molded article, the wall thickness tends to be thinner at portions with larger outer diameters. Therefore, by providing the recess 3i so as to include or be adjacent to the maximum diameter portion 1e, displacement of the bottom portion 3e can be further suppressed. The recess 3i is preferably provided so as to extend in the radial direction. In this case, displacement of the bottom portion 3e can be further suppressed.

[0026] It is preferable that a plurality of recesses 3i are provided at the corners 3f so as to be spaced apart in the circumferential direction. In this case, displacement of the bottom 3e can be further suppressed. The number of recesses 3i provided at the corners 3f is, for example, 4 to 16, preferably 6 to 14, and more preferably 8 to 12. When the outer container 3 is a direct blow-molded article, it is preferable that the plurality of recesses 3i are arranged symmetrically with respect to the notched portion 3j. Furthermore, since the thickness of the corners 3f becomes thinner with increasing distance from the notched portion 3j, it is preferable to arrange the recesses 3i on a straight line 3j1 that passes through the center of the bottom 3e and extends perpendicular to the direction in which the notched portion 3j extends, or at a position adjacent to the straight line 3j1. Since the thickness of the corners 3f is relatively large on an extension line 3j2 of the notched portion 3j, it is not necessary to arrange the recesses 3i on the extension line of the notched portion 3j. 1B, the proportion of recesses 3i in region Q, which is at an angle of 45 to 135 degrees relative to the direction in which cutting portions 3j extend, is preferably 30% or more, and more preferably 40% or more. In this embodiment, six out of ten recesses 3i are in region Q, so this proportion is 60%. This proportion may be, for example, 30 to 100%, and more specifically, may be 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100%, and may be a range between any two of the numerical values ​​exemplified here or any value greater than or equal to any two of them.

[0027] The recesses 3i may be provided only at the corners 3f as in this embodiment, or may be provided over a wide area including the corners 3f and the bottom 3e as in the second embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5. However, according to CAE analysis described below, the latter case tends to be less effective in suppressing the displacement of the bottom 3e than the former case. If the length from the center of the bottom 3e to the recesses 3i is R1, then R1 / D is preferably 0.28 or more (0.37 in this embodiment, 0.19 in the second embodiment). In this case, the effect of suppressing the displacement of the bottom 3e is enhanced. R1 / D is, for example, 0.28 to 0.43, preferably 0.31 to 0.41, and more preferably 0.34 to 0.39. Specific examples of R1 / D are 0.28, 0.29, 0.30, 0.31, 0.32, 0.33, 0.34, 0.35, 0.36, 0.37, 0.38, 0.39, 0.40, 0.41, 0.42, and 0.43, and may be in a range between any two of the values ​​exemplified here.

[0028] The bottom surface 3i1 of the recess 3i has an inclined surface 3i2 extending obliquely. The inclination angle α of the inclined surface 3i2 with respect to the ground surface 1d is, for example, 25 to 65 degrees (45 degrees in this embodiment), preferably 35 to 55 degrees, and more preferably 40 to 50 degrees. In this case, displacement of the bottom 3e can be further suppressed. Specifically, the inclination angle α can be, for example, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, or 65 degrees, or may be in a range between any two of the values ​​exemplified here.

[0029] The depth of the recess 3i is, for example, 1 to 10 mm (3 mm in this embodiment), preferably 1.5 to 7 mm, and more preferably 2 to 4 mm. Specific examples of the depth include 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 mm, and may be within a range between any two of the values ​​exemplified here. The length of the recess 3i is, for example, 5 to 40 mm (14.5 mm in this embodiment), preferably 8 to 30 mm, and more preferably 11 to 20 mm. Specific examples of the length include 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 mm, and may be within a range between any two of the values ​​exemplified here. The width of the recess 3i is, for example, 4 to 25 mm (12 mm in this embodiment), preferably 6 to 20 mm, and more preferably 8 to 16 mm. Specific examples of the width include 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, and 25 mm, and may be in a range between any two of the values ​​exemplified here.

[0030] 1A, if the height from the contact surface 1d to the upper end 3i4 of the recess 3i is H, H is, for example, 5 to 20 mm (11 mm in this embodiment), preferably 7 to 17 mm, and more preferably 9 to 14 mm. Specifically, H may be, for example, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20 mm, or may be in a range between any two of the values ​​exemplified here.

[0031] 2. Second embodiment A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. This embodiment is similar to the first embodiment, and the details described in the first embodiment can also be applied to this embodiment as long as they do not contradict the spirit of the first embodiment. This embodiment differs mainly from the first embodiment in the shape of the recess 3i. The following description will focus on these differences.

[0032] In this embodiment, the recess 3i is provided in a wide area including the corner 3f and the bottom 3e. The bottom surface 3i1 of the recess 3i includes an inclined surface 3i2 provided at the corner 3f and a horizontal surface 3i3 provided at the bottom 3e. Even with this configuration, the recess 3i can increase the rigidity of the corner 3f and suppress displacement of the bottom 3e.

[0033] 3.CAE analysis CAE analysis of the deformation amount of the bottom portion 3e was performed using CATIA V5 (manufactured by Dassault Systèmes) for each of the outer containers 3 of the first and second embodiments, the basic form shown in Fig. 6, and the comparative form shown in Fig. 7. The basic form has a shape in which the bottom portion 3e does not have a portion corresponding to the recess 3i. The comparative form has a bottom portion 3e formed with a recess 3i extending in the horizontal direction, and the bottom surface 3i1 of the recess 3i has only a horizontal surface 3i3.

[0034] In the CAE analysis, the thickness of the body 3d of the outer container 3 was set to 1.35 mm, the thickness of the corners 3f to 0.68 mm, and the thickness of the bottom 3e to 1.5 mm, and the magnitude of displacement of the center of the bottom 3e was investigated when a load of 0.1 MPa was applied inward to the outer container 3. The maximum deformation amounts obtained by CAE were as follows. The larger the maximum deformation amount, the more easily the bottom 3e was displaced. First embodiment: 3.74 Second embodiment: 5.00 ·Basic form: 5.61 Comparative form: 8.69

[0035] The first and second embodiments have smaller maximum deformation values ​​than the basic embodiment, indicating that providing recesses 3i at corners 3f can suppress displacement of bottom 3e. The first embodiment has a smaller maximum deformation value than the second embodiment, indicating that R1 / D is preferably 0.28 or greater. The comparative embodiment has a larger maximum deformation value than the basic embodiment, indicating that recesses 3i must be provided at corners 3f and have portions extending in an oblique direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1: Container body 1a: Mouth 1b: Body 1c: bottom 1d: Ground plane 1e: Maximum diameter part 2: Inner container 2a: Mouth 2c: Engagement part 2f: Bottom 2g: Body 2g1:Shoulder 2g2: Body 2g3: Expanded diameter part 3: Outer container 3a: Open end 3b:Joint part 3d: Body 3e: bottom 3e1: Central recess 3e2: Periphery 3e3: peripheral recess 3f: Corner 3i: Recess 3i1: Bottom 3i2: Inclined surface 3i3 :Horizontal plane 3i4 :Top edge 3j: Cutting part 3j1: Straight line 3j2 :Extension line 4: Closed space 8: Decompression space 10: Insulated container D:Outer diameter P: horizontal plane Rc: Radius of curvature α: Inclination angle

Claims

1. A thermally insulated container comprising a container body, The container body includes an inner container and an outer container arranged to cover the inner container, the outer container has a cylindrical body and a bottom that closes the lower end of the body, a reduced pressure space is provided between the inner container and the outer container in a region including the bottom; a recess is provided at a corner that is a boundary between the body portion and the bottom portion, The recess has a portion extending in an oblique direction.

2. The insulated container according to claim 1, The outer container is a direct blow molded product.

3. The insulated container according to claim 1 or claim 2, The corner portion has a plurality of recesses formed therein, the recesses being spaced apart in the circumferential direction.

4. The insulated container according to claim 1 or claim 2, The recessed portion is provided so as to extend in a radial direction.

5. The insulated container according to claim 1 or claim 2, The recessed portion includes a maximum diameter portion where the outer diameter of the container body is maximum, or is provided adjacent to this portion.

6. The insulated container according to claim 1 or claim 2, An insulated container, wherein R1 / D is 0.28 or more, where D is the outer diameter of the maximum diameter portion of the container body and R1 is the length from the center of the bottom to the recess.

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