Container instrument for freezing target object

Abstract

To objectively indicate that a frozen state of a freezing object 210 is maintained.SOLUTION: The rack 100 includes an object-to-be-frozen storage portion 110 having at least one storage-space side SP110 for storing the object-to-be-frozen 210 in a manner allowing the object-to-be-frozen 200 to be freely taken out, and an index-member holding portion 120 provided so as to correspond to the storage-space side SP110 and having a holding-space side SP120 for holding the index member 161 in a manner allowing the index member 300 to be visually recognized from the outside of the freezing vessel. The indication member 161 is held in the holding-space SP110 when the freezing target object 210 is housed in the housing-space SP120, and moves out of the holding-space SP110 when the freezing target object 210 housed in the housing-space SP120 is moved along the extracting direction by a prescribed length or more.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for storing objects to be frozen. [Background technology]

[0002] Some medicines, specimens, and various samples (hereinafter referred to as "frozen objects") are transported and stored in a frozen state. For example, some regenerative medicine products, such as immunosuppressants, are transported to and stored in a frozen state at medical facilities and are thawed before use at the medical facility. For transporting and storing frozen objects, for example, a storage device that stores multiple frozen objects so that they can be freely removed, and a freezing container that maintains the frozen objects in a frozen state by storing the storage device in a storage space, are used. The storage device is, for example, a metal rack. The freezing container is, for example, an insulated container equipped with a storage space for the storage device and a refrigerant chamber for storing a refrigerant such as liquid nitrogen, and the temperature of the storage space is adjusted to an extremely low temperature by the refrigerant.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a metal container for storing objects to be frozen (cell cryopreservation container). In Patent Document 1, multiple metal containers each containing an object to be frozen are stored in a storage device (metal rack). The storage device is then stored in the storage space of the freezing container, and the frozen state of the objects to be frozen is maintained. The metal container of Patent Document 1 comprises a container body for containing the object to be frozen, a fixing part for fixing the container body to the storage device in a detachable manner, and a gripping part that is integral with the fixing part and is gripped when the metal container is removed from the storage device. When removing the metal container containing the object to be frozen from the storage device, the metal container is released from the fixing portion and then removed by gripping the gripping portion.

[0004] The object to be frozen needs to be kept frozen until it is used. Therefore, it is desirable to objectively show that the frozen state of the object to be frozen is maintained in the freezing container for unused objects. However, the configuration of Patent Document 1 does not provide any means for objectively showing that the frozen state of the object to be frozen is maintained. Therefore, if a metal container containing an object to be frozen is temporarily exposed to room temperature and then returned to the storage device inside the freezing container, it is not possible to distinguish between the object to be frozen that has been exposed to room temperature and the object to be frozen that remains frozen. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-124234 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As described above, with conventional storage devices, it has been difficult to objectively demonstrate that the frozen state of the object to be frozen is being maintained within the freezing container. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to objectively show that the frozen state of an object to be frozen is being maintained. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a storage device for a frozen object to be stored inside a freezing container, comprising: an object storage section having at least one storage space for storing the frozen object so that it can be freely removed; and an indicator member holding section provided corresponding to the storage space and having a holding space for holding an indicator member so that it can be seen from outside the freezing container, wherein the indicator member is held in the holding space when the frozen object is stored in the storage space, and moves out of the holding space when the frozen object stored in the storage space is moved more than a specified distance in the removal direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to objectively demonstrate that the frozen state of an object to be frozen is being maintained. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a freezing container with a rack stored therein. [Figure 2] 1(a) is a plan view of the rack as seen from the top opening of the freezing container, and FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view of the rack containing the objects to be frozen. [Figure 3] 1(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a part of the object to be frozen has been lifted up to a freezing space, and FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a part of the object to be frozen has been lifted up to a non-freezing space. [Figure 4] (a) is a plan view of the rack as seen from the top opening of the freezing container, showing the state in which a portion of the object to be frozen has been lifted up to the non-freezing space and then returned to the storage position, and (b) is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the indicator member has been received in the receiving container. [Figure 5] FIG. 1(a) is a cross-sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the freezing container, and FIG. 1(b) is a plan view of the container body with the lid member removed. [Figure 6] (a) is a perspective view of the object to be frozen, (b) is a perspective view of the holder, (c) is a perspective view of the object to be frozen held in the holder, and (d) is a side view of the object to be frozen held in the holder. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of the front portion inside the rack. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating the structure of the front portion inside the rack. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of the rear portion inside the rack. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating the structure of the rear portion inside the rack. [Figure 12] 1A is a partially enlarged perspective view illustrating a storage space for an object to be frozen, and FIG. 1B is a partially enlarged perspective view illustrating a holding space for an indicator member. [Figure 13] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the rack showing a state in which a receiving container for the indicator member is pulled out. [Figure 15] (a) is a diagram explaining the process of lowering the object to be frozen and the holder toward the object storage section of the rack, and (b) is a diagram explaining the process of storing the object to be frozen and the holder in the storage space and then holding the indicator member. [Figure 16] (a) is a diagram illustrating the state in which a rack containing frozen objects is lowered toward the storage space of the container body, and (b) is a diagram illustrating the state in which the lid member is lowered toward the upper space of the container body after the rack has been stored in the storage space of the container body. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a rack according to a second embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view illustrating a receiving container for the indicator member, and FIG. 1B is a view illustrating an alignment unit. [Figure 19] 1A is a plan view showing a state in which an index member is held in each of the holding spaces, and FIG. 1B is a diagram for explaining the movement of the index member that has dropped into the receiving container. [Figure 20] (a) is a plan view showing the state in which the third object to be frozen from the left is pulled up to the non-freezing space of the freezing container and then returned to the storage position, and then the fifth object to be frozen from the left is removed from the freezing container, and (b) is a diagram explaining the indicator members aligned in the alignment section. [Figure 21] 10(a), (b), and (c) are diagrams illustrating a rack according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] <Features of Rack 100> First, we will explain the features of rack 100 (a storage device for objects to be frozen). Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of freezing container 300 storing rack 100, Figure 2(a) is a plan view of rack 100 as seen from the top opening 316a of freezing container 300, and Figure 2(b) is a cross-sectional view of rack 100 storing objects to be frozen 210 (e.g., regenerative medicine products). Figure 3(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a portion of the object to be frozen 210 has been pulled up to the freezing space SP336, Figure 3(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a portion of the object to be frozen 210 has been pulled up to the non-freezing space SP337, Figure 4(a) is a plan view of the rack 100 seen from the upper opening 316a of the freezing container 300, showing a state in which the object to be frozen 210 has been returned to the storage position after a portion of the object to be frozen 210 has been pulled up to the non-freezing space SP337, and Figure 4(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the indicator member 161 has been received in the receiving container 130.

[0011] 1 stores the rack 100 in the storage space SP334 of the freezing container 300. The storage space SP334 is maintained at an extremely low temperature by the refrigerant LQN (for example, liquid nitrogen) stored in the refrigerant chamber SP333. As shown in Figures 2(a) and (b), the rack 100 is provided with an object storage section 110 having a storage space SP110 for storing and freely removing the frozen object 210, and an index member holding section 120 having a holding space SP120 for holding the index member 161. Further, a receiving container 130 for receiving the index member 161 is provided adjacent to and below the object accommodation unit 110. The receiving container 130 is configured as a box-shaped member with an open top.

[0012] In this embodiment, the object 210 to be frozen is stored in a packaging box 211 (see, for example, FIG. 6(a)), and the packaging box 211 held by the holder 220 is stored in the storage space SP110. The object 210 to be frozen stored in the packaging box 211 is not removed from the packaging box 211 until immediately before use. For this reason, in the following description, the object 210 to be frozen will include the packaging box 211. A tag with a string 230 is attached to a holder 220 that holds the object to be frozen 210. The tag with a string 230 includes a tag body 231 to which various information related to the object to be frozen 210 can be attached, and a string member 232 that has one end fixed to the holder 220 and the other end fixed to the tag body 231 and is resistant to extremely low temperatures.

[0013] 1, the middle portion of string member 232 is routed through the gap between container body 310 and lid member 320 of freezing container 300, and the other end of string member 232 and tag body 231 are pulled out to the outside of freezing container 300. Therefore, a user can remove lid member 320 from container body 310, check tag body 231, select the desired object 210 to be frozen, and pull string member 232 corresponding to the selected object 210 to be frozen, thereby removing the object 210 to be frozen stored in storage space SP110 from container body 310. 2(a) and 2(b), an indicator member 161 is held in the holding space SP120. The indicator member 161 is a member for objectively indicating that the frozen state of the object to be frozen 210 contained in the storage space SP110 is being maintained. The indicator member 161 is, for example, a steel ball, but is not limited to a steel ball as long as it has resistance to extremely low temperatures and is free to roll under its own weight.

[0014] 2(a), the index member 161 held in the holding space SP120 can be seen from the outside through the upper opening 316a of the container body 310 by removing the lid member 320. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2(b), the bottom surface 120a of the index member holding part 120 is inclined downward toward the accommodation space SP110. When a user removes the lid member 320 from the container body 310 and pulls the string tag 230 (string member 232) corresponding to the desired object to be frozen 210 from outside the container body 310, the object to be frozen 210 moves upward (in the direction of removal) together with the holder 220 from the storage space SP110, as shown in Figure 3(a). Note that Figure 3(a) shows the state in which the object to be frozen 210 is moving within the freezing space SP336 in the freezing container 300, in other words, within a space at a temperature that can maintain the frozen state of the object to be frozen 210.

[0015] As shown in Figure 3(b), when the user further pulls the string member 232 from the state shown in Figure 3(a) and the upper end of the object to be frozen 210 reaches the non-freezing space SP337 (a space with a higher temperature than the freezing space SP336) within the freezing container 300, in other words, when the object to be frozen 210 is moved more than a specified distance along the removal direction, the contact between the indicator member 161 and the object to be frozen 210 (holder 220) is released. As the indicator member 161 is released from contact with the object to be frozen 210, it rolls on the bottom surface 120a of the indicator member holding portion 120, moves out of the holding space SP120, and is received into the receiving container 130 through the storage space SP110.

[0016] For example, as shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), although the third object to be frozen 210 from the left is contained in the storage space SP110, the corresponding holding space SP120 does not hold an indicator member 161, and the indicator member 161 is received in the receiving container 130, which indicates that the third object to be frozen 210 from the left has been pulled out to the non-freezing space SP337 and then returned to the storage space SP110.

[0017] On the other hand, for the other objects 210 to be frozen, the indicator members 161 continue to be held in the holding spaces SP120, which indicates that these objects 210 to be frozen have continued to be placed in an environment of freezing temperature. Therefore, according to the rack 100 of this embodiment, it is possible to objectively indicate that the frozen state of the object to be frozen 210 is being maintained based on the fact that the indicator member 161 continues to be held in the holding space SP120.

[0018] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, unless otherwise specified, the components, types, combinations, shapes, relative positions, and the like described in the first embodiment and other embodiments are merely illustrative examples and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

[0019] <Freezing container 300> Prior to describing the rack 100 according to the first embodiment, we will first describe the freezing container 300 in which the rack 100 is stored. Fig. 5(a) is a cross-sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the freezing container 300, and Fig. 5(b) is a plan view of the container body 310 with the lid member 320 removed.

[0020] As shown in Figures 5(a) and (b), the freezing container 300 includes a container body 310 having an internal storage space SP334. The container body 310 has a circular cross section and a bottle-like shape with the diameter of the upper end portion smaller than the diameter of the remaining portions. The container body 310 has a double-wall structure including an outer peripheral wall 311 and an inner peripheral wall 312. The space between the outer peripheral wall 311 and the inner peripheral wall 312 is sealed, forming a sealed space SP331. The sealed space SP331 is decompressed, and forms a heat insulating structure between the outer peripheral wall 311 and the inner peripheral wall 312 that makes it difficult for heat to be transmitted. An inner space SP332 is formed inside the inner circumferential wall 312. A rectangular cylindrical partition wall 313 is provided in the lower half of the inner space SP332. The partition wall 313 divides the lower half of the inner space SP332 into a refrigerant chamber SP333 located on the outer circumferential side of the partition wall 313 and a storage space SP334 located on the inner circumferential side of the partition wall 313 in a liquid-tight manner. The partition wall 313 is made of a material that has high thermal conductivity and can be used even at extremely low temperatures. In this embodiment, the partition wall 313 is made of a stainless steel plate, but it may be made of other materials.

[0021] The refrigerant chamber SP333 is a space in which a refrigerant LQN such as liquid nitrogen (see FIG. 1, etc.) is stored. Wave-dissipating plates 314 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the partition wall 313, extending laterally from the partition wall 313. The wave-dissipating plates 314 are members for suppressing rippling of the refrigerant LQN when the freezing container 300 is moved, and are provided in multiple stages (for example, three stages) spaced apart in the vertical direction. A refrigerant supply pipe 315 is disposed in the refrigerant chamber SP333 to supply the refrigerant LQN from outside the container body 310. An upper portion of the refrigerant supply pipe 315 is bent sideways, and an upper end portion of the refrigerant supply pipe 315 protrudes to the outside from an opening 316 provided at the upper end portion of the container body 310. A connecting fitting 315a is provided at the protruding portion of the refrigerant supply pipe 315 to connect to a pipe from a refrigerant supply unit (not shown) when the refrigerant LQN is supplied to the refrigerant chamber SP333. Further, in the refrigerant chamber SP333, a detection unit 317a of a liquid level gauge 317 that detects the liquid level of the refrigerant LQN in the refrigerant chamber SP333 (amount of refrigerant LQN stored) is disposed.

[0022] The storage space SP334 is a space in which the rack 100 is stored, and is cooled to an extremely low temperature by the refrigerant LQN stored in the refrigerant chamber SP333. An upper space SP335 is provided between the storage space SP334 and the mouth portion 316 of the container body 310. The upper space SP335 is a space into which the lid body 321 provided in the lid member 320 is fitted. The lid body 321 is made of a cylindrical insulating material, and when the lid body 321 is fitted into the upper space SP335, a temperature rise in the storage space SP334 is suppressed. The lower half of the upper space SP335 is a freezing space SP336, which is adjusted to a temperature that allows the frozen state of the object to be frozen 210 to be maintained by the refrigerant LQN stored in the refrigerant chamber SP333. The upper half of the upper space SP335 is a non-freezing space SP337 that has a higher temperature than the freezing space SP336, in other words, a temperature that is not suitable for maintaining the frozen state.

[0023] Although not shown, a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the storage space SP334 is provided in the container body 310, and a detection signal from the temperature sensor is input to a temperature monitoring unit. The temperature monitoring unit acquires and stores the temperature of the storage space SP334 in chronological order. The temperature of the storage space SP334 also changes depending on the insertion and removal of racks 100. For example, when a rack 100 is stored in an empty storage space SP334, if the temperature of the rack 100 before storage is higher than the temperature of the storage space SP334, the temperature of the storage space SP334 will rise due to the storage of the rack 100.

[0024] <Freezing Object 210 and Holder 220> Next, we will explain the object to be frozen 210 and the holder 220. Fig. 6(a) is a perspective view of the object to be frozen 210, Fig. 6(b) is a perspective view of the holder 220, Fig. 6(c) is a perspective view of the object to be frozen 210 held by the holder 220, and Fig. 6(d) is a side view of the object to be frozen 210 held by the holder 220.

[0025] The frozen object 210 is a medicine, specimen, various samples, etc. that are transported and stored in a frozen state, and in this embodiment, a regenerative medicine product is taken as an example. The frozen object 210 shown in Fig. 6(a) is stored in a packaging box 211. The packaging box 211 is a box-like body that has a vertically elongated rectangular shape in a side view and is narrow in the left-right direction, and stores the regenerative medicine product inside. The regenerative medicine product stored in the packaging box 211 is not removed from the packaging box 211 until immediately before use. For this reason, in this specification, the packaging box 211 is also referred to as the frozen object 210.

[0026] The object 210 to be frozen is accommodated in the rack 100 while being held in a holder 220 shown in Fig. 6(b). The holder 220 is made of a channel material that is resistant to extremely low temperatures, and includes a holder front part 221 that fits onto the front lower part of the object 210 to be frozen, a holder bottom part 222 that fits onto the bottom of the object 210 to be frozen, and a holder rear part 223 that fits onto the rear part of the packaging box 211. In this embodiment, the holder 220 is made of a stainless steel plate, but it may be made of other materials as long as they have resistance to extremely low temperatures and a predetermined strength. 6(c) and (d), the vertical length of the holder front part 221 is shorter than the vertical length of the object to be frozen 210, the front-to-rear length of the holder bottom part 222 is approximately equal to the front-to-rear length of the object to be frozen 210, and the vertical length of the holder rear part 223 is slightly longer than the vertical length of the object to be frozen 210. Note that the holder 220 is not limited to the form shown in FIG. 6(b) as long as it can hold the object to be frozen 210. For example, the vertical length of the holder front part 221 may be approximately the same as the vertical length of the holder rear part 223.

[0027] A tag with string 230 is attached to holder 220. Tag with string 230 includes a tag body 231 to which various information related to object to be frozen 210 can be attached, and a string member 232 that has one end fixed to holder 220 and the other end fixed to tag body 231 and is resistant to extremely low temperatures. In this embodiment, one end of the string member 232 is fixed to the upper end of the holder rear part 223, but one end of the string member 232 may also be fixed to another part of the holder 220, for example, the upper end of the holder front part 221.

[0028] <Rack 100> Next, the rack 100 (a storage device for storing the objects to be frozen 210) will be described. FIG. 7, the rack 100 has a vertically long rectangular tubular shape with an open top. The rack 100 is made of a material that is resistant to extremely low temperatures, such as a stainless steel plate. However, the rack 100 may be made of other materials as long as they have resistance to extremely low temperatures and a predetermined strength.

[0029] The upper half of the rack 100 is provided with an object storage section 110 having a plurality of storage spaces SP110 (see Figure 12(a), etc.) for freely storing and removing frozen objects 210, and an index member holding section 120 having a plurality of holding spaces SP120 (see Figure 12(b), etc.) for holding index members 161. A receiving container 130 is provided below the object storage section 110 adjacent to the object storage section 110 so as to be freely removable. The receiving container 130 is provided for the purpose of preventing the index member 161 that has moved from the holding space SP120 from moving outside the rack 100. The receiving container 130 is provided above the rack bottom plate 101, and a space is provided between the receiving container 130 and the rack bottom plate 101 for receiving liquid air LQA (see FIG. 1) that has accumulated at the bottom of the storage space SP334.

[0030] The rack 100 comprises a substantially rectangular rack bottom plate 101, a rack left side plate 102 rising upward from the left edge of the rack bottom plate 101, a rack right side plate 103 rising upward from the right edge of the rack bottom plate 101, a rack back plate 104 rising upward from the rear edge of the rack bottom plate 101, and a rack front plate 105 covering the upper half of the front surface of the rack, with its left edge joined to the front edge of the rack left side plate 102 and its right edge joined to the front edge of the rack right side plate 103.

[0031] A sliding handle 140 is provided on the front side of rack front panel 105 so as to be movable up and down. Slide handle 140 is used to store rack 100 in storage space SP334 of freezing container 300, or to remove rack 100 stored in storage space SP334 from freezing container 300. The slide handle 140 is formed by bending a round bar made of, for example, stainless steel, and includes a left slide portion 141 that extends in the vertical direction along the left edge of the rack 100, a right slide portion 142 that extends in the vertical direction along the right edge of the rack 100, and a handle portion 143 that is provided between the upper ends of the left slide portion 141 and the right slide portion 142 and is held by the user's hand. A lower end portion 141a of the left slide portion 141 and a lower end portion 142a of the right slide portion 142 are bent toward the center in a substantially L-shape.

[0032] A pair of holding fittings 144 for slidably holding a left sliding portion 141 and a right sliding portion 142 are attached to both the left and right sides of the upper part of the rack front panel 105 . The slide handle 140 is pulled out upward when storing or removing the rack 100 in the storage space SP334. When the slide handle 140 is pulled out and the lower end portion 141a of the left slide portion 141 and the lower end portion 142a of the right slide portion 142 are hooked onto the respective holding fittings 144, the entire rack 100 can be moved while holding the slide handle 140.

[0033] <Object storage unit 110> Next, a description will be given of the object storage unit 110. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of the front portion inside the rack 100, and Fig. 9 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating the structure of the front portion inside the rack 100. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the front portion of the rack 100 is provided with an object storage section 110 having a plurality of storage spaces SP110 for storing objects 210 to be frozen in a freely removable manner. The object storage section 110 includes three front partition units 111 fixed at intervals in the left-right direction. Each front partition unit 111 is made, for example, by bending a single rectangular stainless steel plate into a generally U-shape in plan view, and includes a pair of front partition pieces 111a and a front connecting portion 111b between the front partition pieces 111a.

[0034] The left-right distance between the pair of front partition pieces 111a is determined based on the left-right width of the object to be frozen 210, and is, for example, determined to be slightly wider than the width of the object to be frozen 210. The front-to-rear length of the front partition piece 111a is determined to be shorter than the front-to-rear length of the object to be frozen 210, and the up-to-down length of the front partition piece 111a is determined to be slightly longer than the up-to-down length of the holder 220 that holds the object to be frozen 210. With this configuration, a storage space SP110 for the objects to be frozen 210 is defined between the pair of front partition pieces 111a. Both the upper and lower ends of each storage space SP110 are open.

[0035] The front connecting portion 111b is fixed to the inner surface of the rack front plate 105. The front connecting portion 111b can be fixed to the rack front plate 105 by, for example, welding. Note that a fixing method other than welding may be used as long as it is resistant to extremely low temperatures. The left-right distance between adjacent front partition units 111 is also determined based on the left-right width of the object 210 to be frozen, and is determined to be, for example, slightly wider than the width of the object 210 to be frozen. With this configuration, storage spaces SP110 for the objects to be frozen 210 are also defined between adjacent front partition units 111 in the left-right direction. In the example of Figures 7 to 9, the object storage section 110 defines six storage spaces SP110 in the left-right direction using three front partition units 111. In Figure 12(a), the boundaries of each storage space SP110 are indicated by dotted lines. The upper end of the object storage section 110 is open so that the object to be frozen 210 can be freely put in and taken out, and the lower end of the object storage section 110 is open so that the index member 161 can pass through.

[0036] <Indicator member holding portion 120> Next, the index member holding portion 120 will be described. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of the rear portion inside the rack 100, and Figure 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating the structure of the rear portion inside the rack 100. As shown in Figures 7, 10, and 11, the rear part of the rack 100 is provided with an index member holding section 120 having a holding space SP120 for holding an index member 161, an object guide section 121 for guiding the rear of the object to be frozen 210, and an object support section 122 for supporting the bottom of the object to be frozen 210 from below. The index member holding portion 120, the object guide portion 121, and the object support portion 122 are configured by a plurality of rear partition units 123 and a guide plate .

[0037] Similar to the front partition unit 111, the rear partition unit 123 is made, for example, from a single rectangular stainless steel plate bent into an approximately U-shape when viewed from above, and is equipped with a pair of rear partition pieces 123a and a rear connecting portion 123b between the rear partition pieces 123a. The left-right distance between the pair of rear partition pieces 123a is determined in the same manner as the front partition unit 111, and is determined to be, for example, slightly wider than the width of the object to be frozen 210. Furthermore, the front-to-rear length of the rear partition piece 123a is shorter than the front-to-rear length of the front partition piece 111a, and the up-to-down length of the rear partition piece 123a is also shorter than the up-to-down length of the front partition piece 111a.

[0038] The rear connecting portion 123b is fixed to the upper part of the inner surface of the rack back plate 104. The rear connecting portion 123b can be fixed to the rack back plate 104 by, for example, welding. Note that a fixing method other than welding may be used as long as it is resistant to extremely low temperatures. The left-right distance between adjacent rear partition units 123 is also determined based on the left-right width of the object to be frozen 210, and is determined to be, for example, slightly wider than the width of the object to be frozen 210. As a result, for example, as shown in Figure 12(a), the left-right position of each rear partition piece 123a is aligned with the left-right position of the corresponding front partition piece 111a.

[0039] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the guide plate 124 has an upper plate portion 124a that slopes downward toward the front, a main plate portion 124b that is formed by a rectangular plate-like portion extending downward from the lower end of the upper plate portion 124a, and a bottom plate portion 124c that is formed by a rectangular plate-like piece that extends forward from the lower end of the main plate portion 124b. The upper plate portion 124a is provided with a plurality of slits 124d spaced apart in the left-right direction, through which the rear partition pieces 123a of the rear partition unit 123 are inserted. The upper plate portion 124a, together with the rear partition unit 123, constitutes the indicator member holding portion 120. Specifically, the surface of the upper plate portion 124a is the bottom surface 120a of the indicator member holding portion 120, and when the partition pieces 123a are inserted into the slits 124d of the upper plate portion 124a, a plurality of holding spaces SP120 are formed by the partition pieces 123a and the upper plate portion 124a.

[0040] In the examples of FIGS. 7, 10, and 11, the index member holding portion 120 forms six holding spaces SP120 along the left-right direction by three rear partition units 123 and the plate upper portion 124a. In Figure 12(b), the boundaries of each holding space SP120 are indicated by dotted lines. From Figures 12(a) and 12(b), it can be seen that each accommodation space SP110 and each holding space SP120 are provided continuously and correspond one-to-one (to each other).

[0041] 11, the top surface of plate upper portion 124a is bottom surface 120a of index member holding portion 120, and causes index member 161 to roll toward storage space SP110. Plate main portion 124b is object guide portion 121 that guides the rear portion of object 210 to be frozen (in this example, holder rear portion 223 of holder 220 that holds object 210 to be frozen), and plate bottom portion 124c is object support portion 122 that supports the bottom portion of object 210 to be frozen (in this example, holder bottom portion 222 of holder 220 that holds object 210 to be frozen) from below. 13, the distance L110 between the inner surface of the plate main portion 124b and the inner surface of the rack front panel 105 is approximately equal to the length in the front-to-rear direction of the holder 220. Therefore, when the object to be frozen 210 is stored in the storage space SP110, the front panel and the plate main portion 124b determine the range of movement of the object to be frozen 210 in the storage space SP110 in the front-to-rear direction. Furthermore, the length L124c in the front-to-rear direction of the plate bottom 124c is set to a length that can prevent the object to be frozen 210 accommodated in the accommodation space SP110 from falling. Therefore, when the object to be frozen 210 is accommodated in the accommodation space SP110, the plate bottom 124c prevents the object to be frozen 210 from falling from the accommodation space SP110.

[0042] 2(a) and 2(b), after the object to be frozen 210 is accommodated in the accommodation space SP110, the indicator member 161 is held in the holding space SP120 corresponding to the accommodation space SP110. The indicator member 161 held in the holding space SP120 can be seen from the outside through the upper opening 316a of the container body 310 when the lid member 320 is removed. The indicator member 161 held in the holding space SP120 attempts to roll toward the storage space SP110 due to the downward slope of the bottom surface 120a (upper surface of the plate upper portion 124a) of the indicator member holding portion 120, but abuts against the object to be frozen 210 (rear portion 223 of the holder) and is held within the holding space SP120.

[0043] <Receiving Container 130> Next, a description will be given of the receiving container 130. Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the rack 100 showing the state in which the receiving container 130 for the index member 161 is pulled out. 14, the receiving container 130 is a low, box-like body with an open top, and includes a rectangular container bottom plate 131, and a container front plate 132, a container back plate 133, and container side plates 134 that rise from the front edge, rear edge, and left and right side edges of the container bottom plate 131. In this embodiment, the receiving container 130 is made of stainless steel plate, but it may be made of other materials as long as they have resistance to cryogenic temperatures and a predetermined strength. The left-right width of the receiving container 130 is aligned with the distance between the inner surface of the rack's left side plate 102 and the inner surface of the rack's right side plate 103, and the front-to-back length of the receiving container 130 is aligned with the front-to-back length of the rack 100 (the width of the rack's left side plate 102 and the width of the rack's right side plate 103).

[0044] A container-side notch 132a for inserting an operator's fingers is provided in the left-right center portion of the upper edge of the container front plate 132. A rack-side notch 105a for inserting an operator's fingers is also provided in the left-right center portion of the lower edge of the rack front plate 105. In this embodiment, the container-side cutout 132a and the rack-side cutout 105a form a substantially circular insertion opening FO (see FIG. 7).

[0045] 14, a left rail 151 configured as an L-angle is provided slightly below the center in the height direction on the inner surface of the rack's left side plate 102. Similarly, a right rail 152 configured as an L-angle is provided slightly below the center in the height direction on the inner surface of the rack's right side plate 103. The left rail 151 is a member that supports the left end of the bottom surface of the receiving container 130 from below, and the right rail 152 is a member that supports the right end of the bottom surface of the receiving container 130 from below.

[0046] The receiving container 130 is stored so that it can be freely pulled out by a left rail 151 and a right rail 152. As shown in Figure 7, when the sliding handle 140 is lowered while the receiving container 130 is stored, the left sliding portion 141 and the right sliding portion 142 of the sliding handle 140 are positioned in front of the container front plate 132. In this state, the receiving container 130 cannot be pulled out. 14, when the slide handle 140 is pulled up until both bottom ends 141a, 142a of the left rail 151 and the right rail 152 are positioned above the receiving container 130, the receiving container 130 can be pulled out. In this way, the slide handle 140 in this embodiment allows the receiving container 130 to be pulled out, and also functions as a locking member that restricts the pulling out. 3(a) and 3(b), the receiving container 130 receives the index member 161 that has moved out of the holding space SP120. The index member 161 received in the receiving container 130 cannot be removed unless the rack 100 is removed from the freezing container 300 and then the receiving container 130 is pulled out from the rack 100.

[0047] <Usage Instructions> Next, the procedure for using the rack 100 will be described. Figure 15(a) is a diagram illustrating the state in which the object to be frozen 210 and the holder 220 are lowered toward the object storage section 110 of the rack 100, and Figure 15(b) is a diagram illustrating the process of storing the object to be frozen 210 and the holder 220 in the storage space and then holding the indicator member 161. Figure 16(a) is a diagram illustrating the state in which the rack 100 containing the object to be frozen 210 is lowered toward the storage space SP334 of the container body 310, and Figure 16(b) is a diagram illustrating the state in which the lid member 320 is lowered toward the upper space SP335 of the container body 310 after the rack 100 has been stored in the storage space SP334 of the container body 310.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 6(c), first, the holder 220 is attached to the object 210 to be frozen. The attachment of the holder 220 is performed at extremely low temperatures. Information (product name, serial number, lot information, etc.) for identifying the object 210 to be frozen to which the holder 220 is attached is attached in advance to the tag body 231 of the string tag 230 attached to each holder 220. For example, a sheet of paper bearing the identification information is inserted into the internal space of the tag body 231, or the identification information is written on the surface of the tag body 231. Next, the object to be frozen 210 with the holder 220 attached is stored in the storage space SP110 of the rack 100. The operation of storing the holder 220 is also performed at extremely low temperatures. For example, as shown in Fig. 15(a), the object to be frozen 210 is lowered toward the corresponding storage space SP110, and after the object to be frozen 210 is stored in the storage space SP110 as shown in Fig. 15(b), the index member 161 is held in the holding space SP120.

[0049] After all of the objects 210 to be frozen have been accommodated in the accommodation space SP110 of the rack 100 and the index member 161 has been held in the holding space SP120, the rack 100 is stored in the storage space SP334 of the freezing container 300 (container body 310). The operation of storing the holder 220 is also performed at extremely low temperatures. For example, as shown in FIG. 16(a), the rack 100 is lowered toward the storage space SP334 of the container body 310. At this time, the operator grasps the slide handle 140 and inserts the rack 100 into the storage space SP334. 16(b), after the rack 100 is stored in the storage space SP334, the lid body 321 of the lid member 320 is fitted into the upper space SP335 of the container body 310. At this time, the upper end of the string member 232 and the tag body 231 are positioned outside the container body 310, and the middle part of the string member 232 is sandwiched in the gap between the container body 310 and the lid body 321. The frozen state of the object 210 is maintained when the lid body 321 is fitted to the container body 310. Then, the freezing container 300 can be moved while the frozen state of the object 210 is maintained.

[0050] When removing the object to be frozen 210, the lid member 320 of the freezing container 300 is removed from the container body 310, and then, as shown in Figure 3(a), the string member 232 corresponding to the desired object to be frozen 210 is pulled from the outside of the container body 310 to move the object to be frozen 210 upward (in the removal direction). As shown in Figure 3(b), when the upper end of the object to be frozen 210 reaches the non-freezing space SP337 of the container body 310, i.e., when the object to be frozen 210 is moved more than a specified distance along the removal direction, the indicator member 161 rolls along the bottom surface 120a of the holding space SP120 toward the storage space SP110 and is received into the receiving container 130 through the storage space SP110. Thereafter, the object to be frozen 210 is pulled out from the container body 310 and used.

[0051] It is possible that after the object to be frozen 210 is lifted up to the non-freezing space SP337, it may be returned to the storage space SP110 for some reason, but when the object to be frozen 210 is lifted up to the non-freezing space SP337, the corresponding indicator member 161 is received in the receiving container 130, and the indicator member 161 in the receiving container 130 cannot be removed unless the rack 100 is pulled out from the container body 310. Therefore, when the object to be frozen 210 is pulled up to the non-freezing space SP337 and then returned to the storage space SP110, the indicator member 161 is not held in the holding space SP120 corresponding to the object to be frozen 210 pulled up to the non-freezing space SP337, as shown in Figures 4(a) and (b).

[0052] On the other hand, the fact that the indicator member 161 continues to be held in the holding space SP120 indicates that the object to be frozen 210 has continued to be maintained at a freezing temperature. Therefore, according to the rack 100 of this embodiment, it is possible to objectively indicate that the frozen state of the object to be frozen 210 is being maintained based on the fact that the indicator member 161 continues to be held in the holding space SP120.

[0053] Here, it is also possible to pull out the rack 100 itself and remove the index member 161 from the receiving container 130, but as mentioned above, the container body 310 is provided with a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the storage space SP334, and the detection signal from the temperature sensor is input to the temperature monitoring unit (neither is shown). When the rack 100 is then pulled out from the container body 310 and then returned to the storage space SP334, the temperature of the storage space SP334 changes as the rack 100 is taken out. Therefore, when the rack 100 is pulled out and the index member 161 is removed from the receiving container 130, it can be determined that the rack 100 has been pulled out based on the time-series temperature data stored in the temperature monitoring unit.

[0054] Second Embodiment In the rack 100 of the first embodiment described above, it is possible to objectively show that the frozen objects 210 have been maintained at freezing temperatures, but no particular consideration is given to the order in which the frozen objects 210 are removed. Here, it may be advantageous to know the order in which the frozen objects 210 were taken out. For example, if the frozen objects 210 are immunosuppressants and the order in which they were taken out can be known, the serial numbers of the immunosuppressants can be associated with the patients who used the immunosuppressants even after the fact, and it may be possible to deal with unforeseen circumstances such as forgetting to record information. A rack 100A according to a second embodiment, which allows the order in which the objects 210 to be frozen are taken out to be known, will be described below.

[0055] FIG. 17 is a perspective view illustrating a rack 100A of the second embodiment, FIG. 18(a) is an exploded perspective view illustrating a receiving container 400 for the index member 161, and FIG. 18(b) is a view illustrating an alignment section 430. Figure 19(a) is a plan view showing the state in which an index member 161 is held by each of the index member holding portions 120, and Figure 19(b) is a diagram schematically explaining the movement of the index member 161 that has dropped into the receiving container 400. Figure 20(a) is a plan view showing the state in which the third object to be frozen 210 is pulled up to the non-freezing space SP337 of the freezing container 300 and then returned to the storage position, and then the fifth object to be frozen 210 is removed from the freezing container 300, and Figure 20(b) is a diagram explaining the indicator member 161 aligned in the alignment section.

[0056] 17, the rack 100A of the second embodiment is characterized by the configuration of the receiving container 400. Since the other configurations of the rack 100A are the same as those of the rack 100 of the first embodiment described above, the same members as those of the rack 100 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. As shown in Figure 18(a), the receiving container 400 comprises a box-shaped receiving container body 410 with an open top, a guide member 420 that fits into the upper opening of the receiving container body 410, and an alignment section 430 that is provided inside the receiving container body 410.

[0057] The receiving container body 410 is a low, box-like body with an open top, and includes a rectangular container bottom plate 411, and a container front plate 412, a container back plate 413, and container side plates 414 that rise from the front edge, rear edge, and left and right side edges of the container bottom plate 411. In this embodiment, the receiving container body 410 is made of stainless steel plate, but it may be made of other materials as long as they have resistance to cryogenic temperatures and a predetermined strength. The left-right width of the receiving container body 410 is aligned with the distance between the inner surface of the rack's left side plate 102 and the inner surface of the rack's right side plate 103, and the front-to-back length of the receiving container body 410 is aligned with the front-to-back length of the rack 100A (the width of the rack's left side plate 102 and the width of the rack's right side plate 103).

[0058] The guide member 420 is a plate-like member that has a drop hole 421 into which the indicator member 161 falls, and has an upper surface 422 that is inclined downward toward the drop hole 421. Therefore, the upper surface 422 of the guide member 420 functions as a guide surface that receives the indicator member 161 that has fallen from above and rolls it toward the drop hole 421. In this embodiment, the guide member 420 is made of a stainless steel plate, but it may be made of other materials as long as they have resistance to cryogenic temperatures and a predetermined strength.

[0059] The alignment section 430 is a member that receives the index members 161 that have fallen from the drop holes 421 and aligns the received index members 161 in the order in which they were received. The alignment portion 430 illustrated in Figures 18(a) and (b) comprises a bottom surface portion 431 having a strip-like shape in a plan view, a front wall portion 432 rising upward from the front edge of the bottom surface portion 431, a left side wall portion 433 rising upward from the left edge of the bottom surface portion 431, and a right side wall portion 434 rising upward from the right edge of the bottom surface portion 431. The bottom surface portion 431 extends rearward from a front position in the center of the left and right of the container bottom plate 411 of the receiving container body 410 to the inner surface of the container back plate 413, and is provided with a gentle downward slope rearward. When the guide member 420 is fitted into the upper opening of the receiving container main body 410, the drop hole 421 provided in the guide member 420 is located directly above the dashed frame marked with the symbol F in Figure 18(b). Therefore, the indicator member 161 that falls from the drop hole 421 is received by the bottom surface portion 431 at the position of the dashed frame F, and rolls backward due to the downward inclination of the bottom surface portion 431.

[0060] Figure 19(a) is a plan view showing the state in which an indicator member 161 is held in each of the holding spaces SP120, Figure 19(b) is a diagram schematically explaining the movement of the indicator member 161 that has fallen into the receiving container 400, Figure 20(a) is a plan view showing the state in which the third object to be frozen 210 has been pulled up to the non-freezing space SP337 of the freezing container 300 and then returned to the storage position, and then the fifth object to be frozen 210 has been removed from the freezing container 300, and Figure 20(b) is a diagram explaining the indicator members 161 aligned in the alignment section 430.

[0061] 19(a), in the rack 100A of the second embodiment, each of the multiple index members 161 is assigned identification information that allows them to be distinguished from one another. In the illustrated example, numbers are assigned as the identification information, and the holding space SP120 corresponding to the leftmost storage space SP110 holds an index member 161 assigned the number "1," and the holding space SP120 corresponding to the second storage space SP110 from the left holds an index member 161 assigned the number "2." The other holding spaces SP120 similarly hold index members 161 assigned the numbers "3" to "6." In the above example, numbers are used as identification information, but the identification information is not limited to numbers as long as it allows identification of each other. Colors, symbols, or letters may also be used.

[0062] In the rack 100A of the second embodiment, as with the rack 100 of the first embodiment, when the object to be frozen 210 stored in the storage space SP110 is pulled up to the non-freezing space SP337, the indicator member 161 held in the holding space SP120 moves to the storage space SP110 and falls. For example, as shown in FIG. 19(b), when the leftmost freezing target 210 is pulled up to the non-freezing space SP337, the indicator member 161 with the number "1" attached falls. The indicator member 161 that has dropped from the storage space SP110 is received by the upper surface 422 (guide surface) of the guide member 420, rolls on the upper surface 422 of the guide member 420, and is thereby guided to the drop hole 421. The indicator member 161 that has been guided to the drop hole 421 drops and is received by the bottom surface portion 431 that the alignment unit 430 has, and rolls on the bottom surface portion 431 toward the rear.

[0063] The alignment section 430 aligns the received indicator members 161 in the order of reception. For example, as shown in Fig. 18(b), if an indicator member 161 marked with the number "1" is received and then an indicator member 161 marked with the number "2" is received, the indicator member 161 marked with the number "1" will be located at the rearmost position in the alignment section 430, and the indicator member 161 marked with the number "2" will be located second from the rear. In this way, in the alignment section 430, the index members 161 that are received earlier are aligned in a state where they are positioned further rearward.

[0064] Figure 20(a) is a plan view showing the state in which the third object to be frozen 210 from the left has been pulled up to the non-freezing space SP337 of the freezing container 300 and then returned to the storage space SP110, and then the fifth object to be frozen 210 from the left has been removed from the freezing container 300, and Figure 20(b) is a diagram explaining the indicator member 161 aligned in the alignment section 430. 20(a), the third object to be frozen 210 from the left is not holding the indicator member 161 even though the object to be frozen 210 is stored therein. This indicates that the object to be frozen 210 was lifted up to the non-freezing space SP337 and then returned to the storage space SP110. The fifth object to be frozen 210 from the left has been removed from the storage space SP110 and used, causing the corresponding indicator member 161 to fall.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 20(b), in the alignment section 430, the indicator member 161 marked with the number "3" is located at the rearmost position, and the indicator member 161 marked with the number "5" is located second from the rear. From this, it can be seen that the third frozen object 210 from the left was pulled up to the non-freezing space SP337 and then returned to the storage space SP110, and then the fifth frozen object 210 from the left was removed from the storage space SP110.

[0066] In this way, in the rack 100A of the second embodiment, the order in which the frozen objects 210 that were pulled up to the non-freezing space SP337 and then returned to the storage space SP110, or the order in which the frozen objects 210 were removed from the storage space SP110, can be objectively shown. The alignment unit 430 shown is merely an example, and other configurations may be employed as long as it can receive the index members 161 dropped from the drop holes 421 and align the received index members 161 in the order in which they were received.

[0067] <Third embodiment> In each of the above-described embodiments, the accommodation spaces SP110 and the holding spaces SP120 are provided contiguously, but they do not have to be provided contiguously as long as there is a one-to-one correspondence between the accommodation spaces SP110 and the holding spaces SP120. Hereinafter, a rack 100B according to a third embodiment will be described, in which the storage spaces SP110B and the holding spaces SP120B are not provided contiguous to each other. Figures 21(a) to 21(c) are diagrams illustrating the rack 100B according to the third embodiment.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 21(a), in the rack 100B of the third embodiment, the storage spaces SP110B of the object storage unit 110B and the holding spaces SP120B of the index member holding unit 120B are separated by a partition wall 125. The partition wall 125 includes a rectangular partition wall main body 125a extending in the vertical and horizontal directions, and a partition wall bottom portion 125b formed of a rectangular plate-like piece extending forward from the lower end of the partition wall main body 125a. The partition wall main body 125a is an object guide portion 121 that guides the rear portion of the object 210 to be frozen, and the partition wall bottom portion 125b is an object support portion 122 that supports the bottom portion of the object 210 to be frozen from below.

[0069] The partition wall main body 125a is provided with a plurality of openings 125c corresponding to the respective holding spaces SP120B, and a stopper 126 having a generally L-shape in side view is rotatably attached to each opening 125c. The stopper 126 includes a holding piece 126a and a contact piece 126b, and a pivot shaft 126c is provided at the boundary between the holding piece 126a and the contact piece 126b. The pivot shaft 126c is rotatably attached to the partition wall main body 125a. The holding piece 126a is a plate-like piece for holding the index member 161 in the holding space SP120B, and the contact piece 126b is a plate-like piece for contacting the object 210 to be frozen in the storage space SP110B. The holding piece 126a is configured to be heavier than the contact piece 126b. Therefore, when no object to be frozen 210 is accommodated in the accommodation space SP110B, the stopper 126 rotates around the rotation shaft 126c, so that the holding piece 126a is positioned downward and the contact piece 126b protrudes into the accommodation space SP110B.

[0070] 21(b), when an object to be frozen 210 is accommodated in the accommodation space SP110B, the contact piece 126b comes into contact with the object to be frozen 210. Accordingly, the stopper 126 rotates around the rotation shaft 126c, and the contact piece 126b becomes flush with the partition wall main body 125a. In this state, the holding piece 126a protrudes into the holding space SP120B. When the indicator member 161 is held in the holding space SP120B from which the holding piece 126a protrudes, a downward force is applied to the holding piece 126a due to the weight of the indicator member 161, but the stopper 126 does not rotate because the contact piece 126b is in contact with the object to be frozen 210. Therefore, the indicator member 161 is placed on the holding piece 126a and held in the holding space SP120B.

[0071] 21(c), when the object to be frozen 210 is pulled out of the storage space SP110B, the contact state of the contact piece 126b with the object to be frozen 210 is released. Accordingly, the weight of the indicator member 161 causes the stopper 126 to rotate about the rotation axis 126c, and the holding piece 126a moves in the direction of the partition wall main body 125a. As a result, the indicator member 161 is released from contact with the holding piece 126a and falls, and is received in the receiving container . In this way, the configuration of the third embodiment also provides the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above.

[0072] <Modification> In the above-described embodiments, the object accommodation unit 110 includes six accommodation spaces SP110, SP110B, and the index member holding unit 120 also includes six holding spaces SP120, SP120B, but this configuration is not limiting. The object accommodation unit 110 only needs to include at least one accommodation space SP110, and the index member holding unit 120 only needs to include the number of holding spaces SP120 corresponding to the number of accommodation spaces SP110.

[0073] In each of the above-described embodiments, each rack 100, 100A, 100B has a configuration in which the indicator member 161 moves from the holding space SP120, SP120B when the upper end of the object to be frozen 210 is pulled up to the non-freezing space SP337, but this configuration is not limited to this. For example, the configuration may be such that the indicator member 161 moves from the holding spaces SP120, SP120B when the upper half of the object to be frozen 210 is moved to the non-freezing space SP337, or the configuration may be such that the indicator member 161 moves from the holding spaces SP120, SP120B when the entire object to be frozen 210 is moved to the non-freezing space SP337. Furthermore, the index member 161 may be configured to move from the holding spaces SP120 and SP120B when the object to be frozen 210 is moved a specified distance within the freezing space SP336.

[0074] Although the rack 100 in the shape of a vertically long rectangular tube has been exemplified in each of the above-described embodiments, the rack 100 is not limited to a vertically long rectangular tube shape. For example, the rack 100 may be configured in a cylindrical shape. Furthermore, the object to be frozen 210 is not limited to a box-like body having a vertically elongated rectangular shape in side view and a narrow width in the left-right direction. The shapes of the storage space SP110 and the holding space SP120 can be changed to match the shapes of the rack 100 and the object to be frozen 210.

[0075] In each of the above-described embodiments, the indicator member 161 is made up of a stainless steel ball, but it may have another configuration as long as it can move by its own weight. For example, the indicator member 161 may be configured in a cylindrical shape, or may be configured as a polyhedron such as a regular icosahedron.

[0076] In the above-described embodiments, the racks 100, 100A, and 100B are provided with the receiving containers 130 and 400, respectively. However, this is not limiting. For example, the index member 161 may be dropped onto the rack bottom plate 101 without providing the receiving containers 130 and 400. In this configuration, it is preferable to provide a rib (not shown) on the outer edge of the rack bottom plate 101 to prevent the index member 161 from moving out of the rack 100.

[0077] In each of the above-described embodiments, the freezing container 300 has a configuration in which the object to be frozen 210 is removed by moving it upward, but this configuration is not limited to this. For example, the freezing container may have an opening on the side for loading and unloading the object to be frozen 210. Alternatively, the freezing container may cool the storage space SP334 by absorbing the refrigerant LQN supplied to the storage space SP334 into a refrigerant absorbent material provided in the refrigerant chamber SP333.

[0078] [Summary of embodiments, actions, and effects of the present invention] <First embodiment> This embodiment is a rack 100, 100A, 100B (storage device) for freezing objects 210 stored inside a freezing container 300, and is equipped with an object storage section 110 having at least one storage space SP110, SP110B for storing the freezing objects 210 in a manner that allows them to be freely removed, and an indicator member holding section 120 having a holding space SP120 that is arranged corresponding to the storage space SP110 and holds an indicator member 161 so that it is visible from outside the freezing container 300, and is characterized in that the indicator member 161 is held in the holding space SP120 when the freezing object 210 is stored in the storage space SP110, and moves out of the holding space SP120 when the freezing object 210 stored in the storage space SP110 is moved more than a specified distance along the removal direction. In the rack 100 according to this embodiment, the fact that the object to be frozen 210 is accommodated in the storage space SP110 but the index member 161 is not held in the holding space SP120 means that the object to be frozen 210 has been moved a specified distance or more and then returned to the storage space SP110. On the other hand, the fact that the index member 161 continues to be held in the holding space SP120 means that the object to be frozen 210 has not been moved a specified distance or more. Therefore, according to the rack 100 of this embodiment, it is possible to objectively indicate that the frozen state of the object to be frozen 210 is being maintained based on the fact that the index member 161 continues to be held in the holding space SP120.

[0079] <Second embodiment> In this embodiment, the freezing container 300 has a freezing space SP336 located further outward in the removal direction than the storage spaces SP110, 110B, whose temperature is sufficient to maintain the frozen state of the object to be frozen 210, and also has a non-freezing space SP337 located further outward in the removal direction than the freezing space SP336, whose temperature is higher than that of the freezing space SP336. The specified distance is a distance at which a portion of the object to be frozen 210 reaches the non-freezing space SP337. According to the rack 100 of this embodiment, even if the object to be frozen 210 is moved within the freezing space SP336, the indicator member 161 continues to be held in the holding space SP120, thereby preventing the inconvenience of the object to be frozen 210 being mistakenly determined to have moved to the non-freezing space SP337 even though the frozen state of the object to be frozen 210 is maintained.

[0080] <Third embodiment> In this embodiment, the holding space SP120 is provided continuous with the storage space SP110, the bottom surface 120a of the indicator member holding portion 120 is provided sloping downward toward the storage space SP110, and when the object to be frozen 210 is stored in the storage space SP110, the indicator member 161 abuts against the object to be frozen 210 and is held in the holding space SP120, and when the object to be frozen 210 in the stored state is moved more than a specified distance, the abutment state with the object to be frozen 210 is released and the indicator member 161 rolls along the bottom surface 120a of the indicator member holding portion 120 and moves into the storage space SP110. According to the rack 100 of this embodiment, when the object to be frozen 210 is moved more than the specified distance, the indicator member 161 is released from contact with the object to be frozen 210 and moves to the storage space SP110, thereby preventing the indicator member 161 from remaining in the holding space SP120 even though the object to be frozen 210 has been moved more than the specified distance.

[0081] <Fourth embodiment> In this embodiment, the bottom of the object storage section 110 is open so that the indicator member 161 can pass through, and a receiving container 130, 400 is provided below the object storage section 110 to receive the indicator member 161 that has passed through the object storage section 110. According to the rack 100 of this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the index members 161 from being scattered when they move out of the holding spaces SP120.

[0082] <Fifth embodiment> In this embodiment, the object storage section 110 has a plurality of storage spaces SP110, the index member holding section 120 has a plurality of holding spaces SP120 corresponding to the plurality of storage spaces SP110, each of the plurality of index members 161 is given identification information that allows them to be distinguished from one another, and the receiving container 400 is provided with an alignment section 430 that aligns the plurality of index members 161 in the order in which they are received. According to the rack 100 of this embodiment, the order in which the objects 210 to be frozen are removed can also be objectively indicated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 100, 100A, 100B... rack (storage device for frozen objects); 101... rack bottom plate; 102... rack left side plate; 103... rack right side plate; 104... rack rear plate; 105... rack front plate; 105a... rack side cutout; 110, 110B... object storage section; 111... front partition unit; 111a... front partition piece; 111b... front connecting section; 120... index member holding section; 120a... bottom surface of index member holding section; 121... object guide section; 122... object support section; 123... rear partition unit; 123a... rear partition piece; 123b... rear connecting section; 1 24... guide plate; 124a... upper part of plate; 124b... main part of plate; 124c... bottom part of plate; 124d... slit; 125... partition wall; 125a... partition wall main body; 125b... bottom part of partition wall; 125c... opening; 126... stopper; 126a... retaining piece; 126b... contact piece; 126c... rotating shaft; 130... receiving container; 131... container bottom plate; 132... container front plate; 132a... container side notch; 133... container back plate; 134... container side plate; 140... slide handle; 141... left slide portion; 141a... lower end part of left slide portion; 142... right slide Id portion; 142a...lower end portion of right slide portion; 143...handle portion; 161...index member; 210...object to be frozen; 211...packaging box; 220...holder; 221...front portion of holder; 222...bottom portion of holder; 223...rear portion of holder; 230...tag with string; 231...tag body; 232...string member; 300...freezing container; 310...container body; 311...outer peripheral wall; 312...inner peripheral wall; 313...partition wall; 314...wave dissipating plate; 315...refrigerant supply pipe; 316...mouth portion; 316a...upper opening; 320...lid member; 321...lid body; 400...receiving container of second embodiment; 410...receiving Container body; 411...rectangular container bottom plate; 412...container front plate; 413...container back plate; 414...container side plate; 420...guide member; 421...drop hole; 422...upper surface of guide member; 430...alignment portion; 431...bottom portion; 432...front wall portion; 433...left side wall portion; 434...right side wall portion; SP110...accommodation space; SP120...holding space; SP331...sealed space; SP332...inner space; SP333...refrigerant chamber; SP334...storage space; SP335...upper space; SP336...freezing space; SP337...non-freezing space; LQN...refrigerant; LQA...liquid air; FO...insertion opening

Claims

1. A storage device for objects to be frozen that is stored inside a freezing container, an object storage unit having at least one storage space for storing the object to be frozen so that it can be freely removed; an indicator member holding portion provided corresponding to the accommodation space and having a holding space for holding an indicator member so that the indicator member is visible from outside the freezing container; Equipped with A storage device for frozen objects, characterized in that the indicator member is held in the holding space when the frozen object is contained in the storage space, and moves out of the holding space when the frozen object contained in the storage space is moved more than a specified distance along the removal direction.

2. The freezing container has a freezing space at a temperature capable of maintaining the frozen state of the object to be frozen, located outside the storage space in the removal direction, and a non-freezing space at a temperature higher than the freezing space, located outside the freezing space in the removal direction, 2. The storage device for objects to be frozen according to claim 1, wherein the specified distance is a distance at which a part of the object to be frozen reaches the non-freezing space.

3. The holding space is provided continuously with the accommodation space, a bottom surface of the index member holding portion inclined downward toward the accommodation space, The device for storing frozen objects as described in claim 1, characterized in that when the frozen object is stored in the storage space, the indicator member abuts against the frozen object and is held in the holding space, and when the frozen object in the stored state is moved more than the specified distance, the indicator member releases its abutment against the frozen object and rolls along the bottom surface of the indicator member holding portion, moving into the storage space.

4. a bottom of the object storage section is open so that the indicator member can pass through; 4. The apparatus for storing frozen objects according to claim 3, further comprising a receiving container provided below the object storage section for receiving the indicator member that has passed through the object storage section.

5. The object storage unit includes a plurality of storage spaces, the index member holding portion includes a plurality of holding spaces corresponding to the plurality of accommodation spaces, Identification information that enables identification of each of the plurality of indicator members is attached to each of the plurality of indicator members, 5. The apparatus for storing objects to be frozen according to claim 4, wherein the receiving container is provided with an alignment section for aligning the plurality of indicator members in the order in which they are received.

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