Fruit and vegetable molded containers

Abstract

This device is used for shaping and cultivating fruits and vegetables, and its primary challenge is to meet the high consumer demand for safe and secure food products, while also addressing operational efficiency and standardization of product specifications. [Solution] A molding container for shaping fruits and vegetables into a desired form in a molded cavity inside a vertically elongated cylindrical body with a closed top and an open bottom, The cylindrical body comprises a first half-container and a second half-container, the first half-container and the second half-container are joined together at one of two rotatable hinges so as to be able to open and close, and the other hinge is used to join them together, forming the molded cavity which has a cross-section of the desired shape when joined, a fruit stem through-hole is formed on the top surface to connect the molded cavity to the outside, and a lid bottom which closes the opening is provided on the bottom surface so as to be able to be attached and closed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a shaping container that is attached to young fruits in the initial stage of growth of fruits and vegetables (hereinafter referred to as fruits, etc.) and shapes the cross-sectional shape of the harvested fruits, etc. into a desired shape.

Background Art

[0002] For long and thin items such as cucumbers and eggplants, they are shaped straight so as not to bend, and for round items such as lemons, melons, and watermelons, they are shaped into heart shapes, square shapes, etc. Many shaping containers and restraining containers have been proposed to enhance the commercial value and design value.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Patent Document 5

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The prior art shown in Patent Document 1 is composed of a plurality of cases, and the protrusions on the side parts of each of the plurality of cases are joined together with a fixture to be integrated. The joined part by the fixture serves as a hinge, and the case can be opened and closed by the rotation of the hinge. Another fixture is passed through another protrusion to fix the plurality of cases. A space with a desired cross-sectional shape is formed between the plurality of cases. While this technology offers good ease of installation, its complex external structure makes it prone to accumulating dust and other debris, making it difficult to maintain cleanliness. Furthermore, if we consider the side with the hole for the fruit stem to pass through as the upper side, the opposite lower side is largely open. As a result, the mist of pesticides sprayed multiple times during the growing season can enter, and pests can enter and exit, making it an unsafe and reliable product.

[0005] The prior art described in Patent Document 2 involves butting together two divided molds along their length to form a space with a desired cross-sectional shape inside, with a ceiling wall intersecting the side wall on one end in the length direction, and a hole provided in a part of this ceiling wall for the fruit stalk of a young fruit to pass through. According to the drawings, these two divided molds are wrapped together with two metal belts. This technology requires the user to hold the two separate units with one hand while wrapping the two belts around them during installation, and also requires considerable effort to remove the two belts. Furthermore, the side with the hole for the fruit stem is facing upwards, while the opposite side in the length direction is open. This technique also means that the fruit is frequently exposed to pesticides, and pests can freely enter and exit, making it impossible to produce safe and secure products. When joined, the long edges where the two divided sections meet have interlocking grooves for a secure connection, but the ceiling / wall sections lack these grooves, making them prone to shifting and damaging the product. Furthermore, determining the optimal harvest time requires frequent inspections, including peering in from the back of the plants, which is a considerable amount of work.

[0006] The prior art described in Patent Document 3 comprises a plastic cylindrical body formed by integrally connecting two partially cylindrical pieces, which when joined together form a cylindrical shape with a reduced diameter portion at the upper end, at a thin fold; a fastening device having a projection on one of the outer edges and a recess on the other so that when the body and the folded parts are joined at the fold and the edges of both sides of the body are closed, they cannot be opened; and elastic pieces attached to the upper ends of each of the partially cylindrical pieces, which come together when attached to tightly grip the fruit stem without any gaps. The fasteners described above are characterized by being designed to be disengaged by the growth force that causes the fruit to grow larger. This technology has no open application, so it can produce safe products without the risk of exposure to pesticides, etc. However, the semicircular bottom plate 3a at the lower end can be omitted, and it is not a bottom plate intended to produce safe and secure products. Also, the engaging part is said to be pushed apart by the growth force of the fruit, but in that case, it is not possible to firmly mold it into the desired shape.

[0007] The prior art described in Patent Document 4 includes a cover body that has a space for forming the outside of a growing cucumber or eggplant to have a certain shape, and is divided in half in the longitudinal direction, with one side connected by an outwardly elastic support and the other side being open. Multiple ventilation holes formed in the cover body, A trunk insertion hole formed at the end of the cover body, A flower pull-out hole is formed at the other end of the cover body, It is said that the cover body is formed on the other side of the cover body that is open in the longitudinal direction and consists of a coupling / separating part that connects and fastens the open cover body and separates and opens the connected cover body, and cover body warping prevention projections that are formed to surround and fix both ends of the coupling / separating part and prevent the cover body from warping due to the expansion pressure applied to the inside of the cover body as cucumbers, eggplants, etc. grow. This technology involves dividing the cultivation device in half lengthwise and connecting one half with an elastic support that has outward elastic force. However, this connection method has a weak ability to suppress expansion pressure, and is therefore limited to long, slender fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers and eggplants. Furthermore, in the connecting and separating section, as seen in the cross-section of explanatory figure 5A-A, an arm extends from one of the divided main bodies at a different angle to a locking projection. However, because this arm is short, considerable force is required to raise the locking projection each time the device is connected or separated.

[0008] The prior art described in Patent Document 5 involves two transparent plastic main semi-finished products (A), (A) in which two rectangular face plates (1) and (2) intersect at a right angle and triangular face plates are joined to both sides, and the two are assembled so that their opening edges (B), (B) come into contact with each other, and fasteners are attached to these opening edges (B), (B) to make them detachable, and furthermore, stem insertion holes are formed at appropriate locations on the face plates. This technology has the advantage of producing safe and secure products that are not exposed to pesticides or pests at all, but it has the disadvantages of requiring a great deal of effort to assemble and disassemble, and the cost per container is very high. It is ideal for watermelons and melons, but the shape is limited to cubes.

[0009] While these conventional technologies generally focus on issues such as ease of installation and removal, and unit cost, none of them address safety and security as a challenge.

[0010] This invention prioritizes addressing the recent consumer demand for food safety and security, but also aims to improve work efficiency and standardize product specifications. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a cylindrical body for shaping fruits and vegetables into a desired form, wherein the top surface is closed during use, the internal space of the cylindrical body itself forms the shaping cavity, the entire outer structure is divided vertically into two large parts, appearing as a combined form of a first half-container and a second half-container with different shapes, there are no partitions whatsoever in the internal space of the entire combined structure, and the walls and top surfaces of both the first half-container and the second half-container are formed as a continuous, integrated unit. In the combined state of the first and second halves of the container, The wall ends where the two parts join have hinge sections arranged in an alternating staggered pattern, and there are pipe-shaped connecting holes along the tip edges of the hinge sections. The two parts are joined together by inserting long connecting pins through the connecting holes on both sides, partially separated in an open / close manner by inserting and removing only one side, and when both connecting pins are inserted and removed, they separate into two independent pieces. In this case, whether partially separated or completely separated, the top surface and wall surface are always separated together, and a fruit stem through-hole is formed in the central area of ​​the top surface when the two parts are joined together. The bottom surface opposite the top surface is not connected to the joining and separating of the first and second halves of the container, but forms a temporary lid that can be closed temporarily, and the lid has a handle and a vent at the bottom. In this lid base, a single point-shaped temporary fastening point is provided at any point on the outer surface of the peripheral rim, so that when the young fruit has grown to a harvestable size, the growth pressure easily pushes the lid base off, eliminating the need to repeatedly look inside the container and making it easy to determine the harvest time by simply checking from the outside. Furthermore, by locking one point on the lid base to a nearby point on the cylindrical wall, it is possible to prevent the lid base from falling to the ground after being pushed off by the fruit. When the fruit or vegetable grows large, the molded container also becomes large and heavy, so if it is attached to the fruit stem, the weight burden on the stem becomes too great. To improve this, a hanging part is provided at any point on the outer surface of the wall or top. The edges of the surfaces where the first and second halves of the container join and separate are provided with a connecting protrusion on one side and a connecting recess on the other side that interlock with each other. Furthermore, ventilation openings are provided at arbitrary locations along the top surface of the wall. The above describes the molded containers for fruits and fruit vegetables. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] This invention prioritizes the recent consumer demand for food safety and security, while also addressing the challenges of improving work efficiency and standardizing specifications. Some farmers grow crops without using pesticides, but this requires a great deal of labor and cost. Generally, it is impossible to produce products that are not damaged by diseases or pests without spraying pesticides multiple times. Although recent pesticides are formulated to contain the fewest possible pesticide ingredients that act only on specific diseases or pests, if pesticides are sprayed multiple times, there are still some ingredients with a long residual period, so concerns remain.

[0013] Therefore, the present invention relates to a vertically elongated cultivation container formed by combining a first half container and a second half container. When one of the two communication pins is removed, the first half container and the second half container can be opened and closed at a single hinge portion. A fruit stalk passage hole is provided on the top surface at one end of the vertically elongated cylindrical forming container, and the lower side at the other end is open. A lid bottom with a desired cross-sectional shape is provided so as to close this opening, and is detachable and can be opened and closed.

[0014] By providing a detachable and openable / closable lid bottom, the possibility of atomized pesticides and pests being sprayed multiple times entering the forming cavity is reduced, and the most important issue of meeting consumers' desire for safe and secure food has been addressed.

[0015] Also, by providing this detachable and openable / closable lid bottom, the young fruits in the initial growth stage sandwiched inside the forming cavity grow continuously. When the tip of the fruit or the like reaches the lid bottom and further grows, it pushes the lid bottom off. The lid bottom is connected to the forming container by a string and does not hang down and fall to the ground. When the harvest season arrives, if the lid bottom is hanging down when looking around the orchard, it is harvested. This eliminates the need to check the back many times to determine the harvest time and confirm the growth status, resulting in a significant reduction in labor. Furthermore, this also standardizes the length specifications, and it is possible to expect an effect of stimulating the purchasing desire, such that the same type of fruit and vegetables, which have been extremely common daily-demand fruits and vegetables, become a new product type that is very eye-catching in terms of shape.

[0016] Since a coupling recess is provided in one of the half containers along the entire line of the portion where the combined first half container and second half container contact, and a coupling protrusion is provided in the other half container, they mesh firmly with each other and there is no displacement between the half containers. Therefore, there is no concern that the forming container will be displaced due to the growth pressure and damage the product. Furthermore, it eliminates the tedious and troublesome task of attaching and detaching two metal belts, as described in Reference 2.

[0017] For small fruits like lemons, the growing container is light, so even if the fruit is placed directly on the stem, the burden on the stem is small. However, for large and heavy fruits like melons, the container naturally becomes larger and heavier, and the burden on the stem becomes too great for it to withstand, causing it to fall. By providing a suspension mechanism and suspending the fruit from above, the burden on the fruit stem can be reduced, preventing the fruit, vegetables, and molded containers from falling.

[0018] By providing ventilation holes at arbitrary locations along the top surface of the wall, high temperature and humidity inside the molded cavity can be prevented. Furthermore, because the overall structure is simple, the manufacturing cost of the molded container can be kept low. [Brief explanation of the drawing] [Figure 1] Plan view of the present invention [Figure 2] Perspective view from the second half-container side in the present invention [Figure 3] AA' cross-sectional view in Figure 2 [Figure 4] BB' cross-section in Figure 1 [Figure 5] Perspective view showing the present invention partially separated into an openable / closable form by pushing out the connecting pin on only one side. [Figure 6] Figure 5C-C' Cross-sectional view [Figure 7] Figure 1B-B shows a cross-sectional view of a young fruit placed inside the molded container of the present invention. [Figure 8] DD' cross-section in Figure 1 [Figure 9] The diagram shows an illustrative cross-section illustrating the stage where the young fruit has matured and the cap has been pushed down. [Figure 10] Cross-sectional view showing temporary fastening points provided on the periphery of the lid base. [Figure 11] Cross-sectional view of a lemon shaped into a desired form using the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0019] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows that the first half-container (2) and the second half-container (3) are connected by hinges (6) on both the left and right sides. For illustrative purposes, the connecting pin (7) is not shown in this figure. While materials such as paper, metal, and wood are possible, resin injection molding is the most practical option. Although there are many types of resins, polycarbonate, which is elastic and highly weather-resistant, seems to be the most suitable.

[0020] Figure 2 shows the first half-container (2) and the second half-container (3) joined together by inserting connecting pins (7) into the two connecting holes (5) in Figure 1. On the wall surface (17), ventilation holes (11) are provided at arbitrary locations along the top surface (21) that penetrate to the molded cavity (12). This is to prevent the inside of the molded cavity (12) from becoming hot and humid when exposed to sunlight, as the material of the molded container (1) is resin. Furthermore, if the fruit or vegetable is large, such as a melon, the molding container (1) will naturally become large and heavy, and attaching it to the fruit stem (8) will put too much strain on the fruit stem (8). To prevent this, the molding container (1) is suspended from above with a string, and a string receiving part (24) is provided to tie the string to.

[0021] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 2, AA'. The molded cavity (12) has the desired shape. The interlocking portions of the first half-container (2) and the second half-container (3) are provided with connecting recesses (13) and connecting protrusions (14) to ensure a secure connection.

[0022] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of BB' in Figure 1, showing the lid bottom (22) in place and having a lid bottom vent (9), which can prevent high temperature and humidity inside the molded cavity (12). A ventilation opening (11) is provided that penetrates to the molded cavity (12), which is also to prevent the inside of the molded cavity (12) from becoming hot and humid.

[0023] Figure 5 shows the state in which the first half container (2) and the second half container (3) are joined together and then opened by removing a connecting pin (7). When the first half container (2) and the second half container (3) are joined together, there is a connecting protrusion (14) on one side and a connecting recess (13) on the other side that interlocks with each other. As a result, the first half container (2) and the second half container (3) interlock securely and do not shift, preventing damage to the product.

[0024] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 5, CC'. A connecting recess (13) and a connecting protrusion (14) are provided.

[0025] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B' of Figure 1, showing that the young fruit (16) is sandwiched in the molded container (1) and the lid and base (22) are attached. Although pesticides are sprayed many times from this stage onward, the young fruit (16) is rarely exposed to pesticides. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the entry of pests. The lid and base (22) are shown to be connected by a string (19) that is attached to the fastening part (15) of the molded container (1).

[0026] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 1, DD', showing the joint at the top surface (21). The joint recess (13) and joint protrusion (14) interlock, preventing the two half-containers from shifting.

[0027] Figure 9 shows a young fruit (16) developing into a mature fruit (20) with its lid (22) pushed off. However, the lid (22) is connected to the anchor (15) and string (19), which prevents it from falling to the ground.

[0028] Figure 10 shows that temporary fastening parts (23) are provided at any point on the contact surface where the lid bottom (22) enters the molded cavity (12), allowing it to be easily attached and pushed down by the growth pressure.

[0029] Figure 11 shows a cross-section of the harvested lemons (20) that have the desired shape. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0030] 1 Molded container 2 1st half container 3 Second half container 4. Perforations through the fruit pedicel 5 Communication hole 6. Hinge section 7 connecting pins 8. Fruit stalk 9. Ventilation opening at the bottom of the lid 11 Ventilation holes 12 Molding cavity 13 Joint recess 14 Connecting protrusion 15. Fastening part 16 young fruit 17 Wall surface 18. Pinching part 19 string 20 Achievements 21 Top surface 22 Lid bottom 23 Temporary fastening part 24. Lifting thread support section

Claims

1. This is a cylindrical body for shaping fruits and vegetables into desired forms. When in use, the top is closed, and the internal space of the cylinder itself forms the molded cavity. The entire outer structure is divided vertically into two large sections, appearing as a combined form of a first and second half-container with different shapes. There are no partitions within the internal space of the combined structure, and the walls and tops of both the first and second half-containers are formed as a continuous, integrated unit. In the combined state of the first and second halves of the container, The wall ends where the two parts join have hinge sections arranged in an alternating staggered pattern, and there are pipe-shaped connecting holes along the edges of the hinge sections. The two parts are joined by inserting long connecting pins through both connecting holes on both sides, partially separated in an open / close manner by inserting and removing only one side, and when both connecting pins are inserted and removed, they separate into two independent pieces. In this case, whether partially separated or completely separated, the top surface and wall surface are always separated together, and a fruit stem through-hole is formed in the central area of ​​the top surface when the two parts are joined together. The bottom side opposite the top surface is not connected to the joining and separating of the first and second halves of the container, but forms a temporary lid that can be closed temporarily, and the lid has a handle and a lid vent. A molded container for fruits and vegetables, characterized by the features described above.

2. The fruit and vegetable molding container according to claim 1, characterized in that, on the top surface, one interlocking coupling protrusion and the other interlocking coupling recess are provided at the edge of the surface where the first half container and the second half container join and separate.

3. The fruit and vegetable molding container according to claim 1, characterized in that a ventilation opening is provided at an arbitrary location along the top surface of the wall.

4. A fruit and vegetable container according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the bottom of the lid which has a handle and a vent at the bottom, a single point-shaped temporary fastening part is provided at an arbitrary location on the outer surface of the peripheral edge, which protrudes slightly outward in a circular shape, so that when the young fruit grows to a harvestable size, the growth pressure will easily press and detach the bottom of the lid, making it possible to easily determine the harvest time by simply looking at it from the outside without opening the container, and by locking another arbitrary point on the bottom of the lid to a nearby location on the wall surface of the cylindrical body, the bottom of the lid which has been pressed and detached by the fruit will not fall to the ground.

5. The fruit and vegetable molding container according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the object to be used is a large item such as a melon, the molding container becomes large and heavy, and a suspension string support is provided at any location on the outside of the top or walls.

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