Container with inner plate

Abstract

To provide a container with an inner try that the workability of attaching the inner try to a container body is good even when the airtightness in the container body is high.SOLUTION: A bottom part 54 of an inner try 40 includes a reversible deformable part 56 that can be elastically deformed between a first state forming a downwardly convex state and a second state forming an upwardly convex state, in which the first state is set in an initial state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a container with an inner tray, and more particularly to a container with an inner tray suitable for storing food, the container having an inner tray between a container body and an upper lid. [Background technology]

[0002] Containers with inner trays, which have an inner tray between the container body and the top lid, are known as containers used for selling takeaway foods such as beef bowls, Chinese rice bowls, curry rice, pasta dishes, etc. A container with inner tray stores rice or noodles and soup or stock in the container body and stores ingredients in the inner tray, so that the rice or noodles and ingredients can be stored separately.

[0003] Examples of this type of container with an inner plate include a container body including a first annular outer peripheral edge portion that defines an upper opening, an inner plate that includes a second annular outer peripheral edge portion that removably fits into the first outer peripheral edge portion and is attached to the container body so as to close the upper opening of the container body by fitting the first outer peripheral edge portion with the second outer peripheral edge portion, and an upper lid that is removably attached to the container body and covers the inner plate (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-315447 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the container with inner tray described above, it is required that the contents of the container body do not leak to the outside and that the contents of the container body and the contents of the inner tray do not mix. To achieve this, it is required that the inner tray fits airtightly into the container body and that the inside of the container body is highly airtight.

[0006] However, if the container body is highly airtight, when the inner plate is pushed into the container body to fit it, the air inside the container body is compressed, causing the internal pressure of the container body to rise, requiring a large force to push the inner plate into the container body and making it difficult to push it in quickly. This makes it difficult to attach the inner plate to the container body.

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a container with an inner tray that allows the inner tray to be attached to the container body with good workability even when the inside of the container body is highly airtight. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The container with inner tray according to the present invention includes a container body (20) including an annular first outer peripheral edge portion (24) that defines an upper opening (22), an annular second outer peripheral edge portion (44) that is detachably fitted to the first outer peripheral edge portion (24), and a bottom portion (54) that extends inwardly of the second outer peripheral edge portion (44). The container body (20) includes an annular first outer peripheral edge portion (24) that defines an upper opening (2 ... top opening (22) is closed by the engagement between the first outer peripheral edge portion (24) and the second outer peripheral edge portion (44). The container (10) with an inner tray has an inner tray (40) that is attached to the container body (20) and an upper lid (70) that is detachably attached to the container body (20) and covers the inner tray (40), and the bottom (54) includes an invertible deformation portion (56) that is elastically deformable between a first state in which it is convex downward and a second state in which it is convex upward, and the invertible deformation portion (56) is in the first state in an initial state.

[0009] According to this configuration, even if the internal pressure of the container body (20) increases during the process of attaching the inner plate (40) to the container body (20), the increase in the internal pressure of the container body (20) causes the invertible deformation portion (56) to invert from the first state to the second state, thereby suppressing the increase in the internal pressure of the container body (20). As a result, even if the inside of the container body (20) is highly airtight, the inner plate (40) can be attached to the container body (20) with good workability.

[0010] In the container (10) with inner plate, the bottom portion (54) preferably includes at least one annular ridge portion (58) extending so as to surround the outer edge of the inverted deformation portion (56).

[0011] According to this configuration, the invertible deformation portion (56) can be easily inverted and deformed, and the inner plate (40) can be attached to the container body (20) with good workability.

[0012] In the container (10) with inner plate, the bottom (54) preferably includes a protrusion (60) protruding upward from the center of the inverted deformation portion (56).

[0013] With this configuration, the invertible deformation portion (56) is annular and easier to invert and deform than if it were disk-shaped, and the inner plate (40) can be attached to the container body (20) with improved workability.

[0014] In the container (10) with inner plate, an air vent hole (62) is preferably provided on the upper part of the protrusion (58).

[0015] According to this configuration, the inner plate (40) can be attached to the container body (20) with good workability by venting air from within the container body (20) through the air vent hole (62).

[0016] In the above-mentioned container (10) with inner tray, the inner tray (40) preferably includes an air vent hole (62) above the inverted deformation portion (56).

[0017] According to this configuration, the inner plate (40) can be attached to the container body (20) with good workability by venting air from within the container body (20) through the air vent hole (62).

[0018] In the above-mentioned container (10) with inner plate, the inverted deformation portion (56) is preferably circular in a plan view.

[0019] According to this configuration, the invertible deformation portion (56) can be easily inverted and deformed, and the inner plate (40) can be attached to the container body (20) with good workability.

[0020] In the above-mentioned container (10) with inner plate, preferably, the first outer peripheral edge portion (24) includes a cylindrical inner peripheral surface (26), and the second outer peripheral edge portion (44) includes a cylindrical outer peripheral surface (46) that fits airtightly into the cylindrical inner peripheral surface (26).

[0021] According to this configuration, even if the airtightness inside the container body (20) is increased due to the airtight fit between the second outer peripheral edge portion (44) and the cylindrical inner peripheral surface (26), the inner plate (40) can be attached to the container body (20) with good workability. Effect of the Invention

[0022] According to the container with inner plate of the present invention, even if the inside of the container body is highly airtight, the inner plate can be attached to the container body with good workability. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of an assembled state of one embodiment of a container with an inner tray according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a container with an inner tray according to the present embodiment in a separated state. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inner plate of a container with an inner plate according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Hereinafter, one embodiment of a container with an inner tray according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figs.

[0025] The container with inner plate 10 is a sealed container used for selling takeaway dishes such as beef bowls, Chinese rice bowls, curry rice, and pasta dishes, and has a container body 20, an inner plate 40, and a top lid 70.

[0026] The container body 20 is a vacuum-molded product (heat-press molded product) made of foamed resin such as expanded polystyrene, and includes a circular first outer peripheral edge portion 24 that defines an upper opening 22 at the top.The container body 20 is bowl-shaped and can hold rice, noodles, soup, stock, etc.

[0027] The first outer peripheral edge portion 24 includes a cylindrical inner peripheral surface 26 having a generatrix length (axial length) L1 that is long in the vertical direction.

[0028] The container body 20 further includes an annular flange portion 28 that is bent approximately 90 degrees from the upper edge of the first outer peripheral edge portion 24 and extends outward, and an annular shoulder portion 30 that extends diagonally downward inward from the lower edge of the first outer peripheral edge portion 24.

[0029] The inner plate 40 is a molded product formed by hot pressing (vacuum forming) or the like from a resin sheet made of a non-foamed thermoplastic resin such as polystyrene or polypropylene, and is attached to the top of the container body 20 so as to close the upper opening 22 of the container body 20, and contains ingredients, etc.

[0030] The inner plate 40 includes an annular second outer peripheral edge portion 44 that defines an upper opening 42 and is detachably fitted to the first outer peripheral edge portion 24. The second outer peripheral edge portion 44 includes a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 46 having a generatrix length (axial length) L2 that is long in the up-down direction. The generatrix length L2 of the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 46 may be the same as or slightly smaller than the generatrix length L1 of the cylindrical inner peripheral surface 26. The cylindrical outer peripheral surface 46 is inscribed and fitted airtight into the cylindrical inner peripheral surface 26 over the entire length and entire circumference in the generatrix direction (axial direction). This inscribed fit makes the container body 20 airtight.

[0031] The inner plate 40 further includes an annular flange portion 48 bent approximately 90 degrees from the upper edge of the second outer peripheral edge portion 44 and extending outward, an annular shoulder portion 50 extending inward from the lower edge of the second outer peripheral edge portion 44, an annular side peripheral portion 52 extending diagonally downward inward from the inner end of the shoulder portion 50, and a bottom portion 54 that is circular in plan view and extends inward from the lower edge of the side peripheral portion 52. The flange portion 48 is formed with a tongue piece 49 (see FIG. 3) for removing the inner plate that protrudes outward from the flange portion 48.

[0032] Bottom 54 is elastically deformable between a first state in which it is convex downward, as shown by phantom lines in FIG. 1 and in FIG. 2, and a second state in which it is convex upward, as shown by solid lines in FIG. 1, and includes an inverted deformation portion 56 that is in the first state in the initial state in which no external force is acting, a plurality of concentric (annular) protrusions 58 that extend to surround the outer edge of inverted deformation portion 56, and a roughly frusto-conical protrusion 60 that protrudes upward from the center of inverted deformation portion 56.

[0033] The reversible deformation portion 56 extends in the shape of an annular membrane between the ridge portion 58 and the protrusion portion 60 to form the main portion of the bottom portion 54, and is elastically deformable between a first state in which it is convex downward as shown by phantom lines in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2, and a second state in which it is convex upward as shown by solid lines in Fig. 1, and acts like a snap-action reversible spring that is in the first state in the initial state in which no external force is acting. In the initial state, that is, in the state in which no external force is acting on the reversible deformation portion 56, it is preferable that the first state be maintained.

[0034] The connection between the inverted deformation portion 56 and the protrusion 60 is preferably a smooth R-shape. An air vent hole 62, which is a pinhole-like small hole, is formed through the upper portion of the protrusion 60, more specifically, the upper end portion of the protrusion 60.

[0035] The top lid 70 is a molded product formed by hot pressing (vacuum forming) a resin sheet made of a non-foamed thermoplastic resin such as polystyrene or polypropylene, and forms a lid body resembling a round shallow dish turned upside down.

[0036] The top cover 70 includes an annular third outer peripheral edge portion 74 that defines the lower opening 72, and an annular shoulder portion 76 that overlaps the flange portion 48 of the inner plate 40. The third outer peripheral edge portion 74 is formed with an annular locking ridge 78 that protrudes inward.

[0037] 1, with the inner plate 40 attached to the container body 20, the top lid 70 is pressed down against the container body 20 and the inner plate 40 until the shoulder portion 76 abuts against the flange portion 48 of the inner plate 40. With the shoulder portion 76 abutting against the flange portion 48, the locking ridges 78 extend outwardly of and overcome the flange portion 28 of the container body 20, thereby fixing (locking) the top lid 70 to the container body 20 in a manner that prevents it from coming off.

[0038] The inner plate 40 is attached to the container body 20 by, with the top lid 70 not attached to the container body 20 and with the inverted deformation portion 56 in the first state, pushing the second outer peripheral edge portion 44 from above downward to fit it into the inside of the first outer peripheral edge portion 24 of the container body 20. In this fitting, the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 46 of the second outer peripheral edge portion 44 fits internally into the cylindrical inner peripheral surface 26 of the first outer peripheral edge portion 24 in an airtight state.

[0039] 1, the inner plate 40 is pushed in until the flange portion 48 of the inner plate 40 overlaps the flange portion 28 of the container body 20. As a result, the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 46 is airtightly inscribed and fitted into the cylindrical inner peripheral surface 26 over the entire length in the generatrix direction and the entire circumference, and the container body 20 becomes airtight.

[0040] In the process of pushing the second outer peripheral edge 44 of the inner plate 40 into the inside of the first outer peripheral edge 24 of the container body 20, the air inside the container body 20, which is closed by the inner plate 40, is compressed as the pushing of the inner plate 40 progresses, and when the internal pressure of the container body 20 tries to rise, the increase in the internal pressure of the container body 20 causes the reversible deformation portion 56 to elastically deform, like a reversible spring, so as to reverse from the first state shown by the phantom lines in Figure 1 to the second state shown by the solid lines in Figure 1.

[0041] The elastic deformation of the inverted deformation portion 56 expands the actual volume of the container body 20 (the volume of the space between the container body 20 and the inner plate 40), suppressing an increase in the internal pressure of the container body 20. As a result, even if the inside of the container body 20 closed by the inner plate 40 is highly airtight, the inner plate 40 can be attached to the container body 20 quickly and efficiently without requiring a large force.

[0042] The elastic deformation (reverse deformation) in which the reversible deformation portion 56 reverses from the first state to the second state is ensured even when the pressure acting on the reversible deformation portion 56 is relatively low, because the outer edge of the reversible deformation portion 56 is formed into a node that is easily bent by the protrusions 58. In particular, the protrusions 58 are provided in a plurality of concentric circles to form a bellows, so that the reversible deformation of the reversible deformation portion 56 is ensured even more.

[0043] Furthermore, since the protrusion 60 is provided at the center of the bottom 54, the invertible deformation portion 56 has a circular ring shape extending around the protrusion 60, so that the invertible deformation portion 56 is more likely to undergo invertible deformation from the first state to the second state than if the invertible deformation portion 56 were disk-shaped. This also ensures that the invertible deformation of the invertible deformation portion 56 is performed reliably even when the pressure acting on the invertible deformation portion 56 is relatively low.

[0044] As a result, the attachment of the inner plate 40 to the container body 20 can be performed quickly and efficiently without requiring a large force.

[0045] Furthermore, if the internal pressure of the container body 20 increases during the process of attaching the inner plate 40 to the container body 20, the air in the container body 20 is vented through the air vent hole 62. This also prevents the internal pressure in the container body 20 from increasing during the process of attaching the inner plate 40 to the container body 20, and the inner plate 40 can be attached to the container body 20 quickly and efficiently without requiring a large force.

[0046] Since the air vent hole 62 is provided at the upper end of the protrusion 60 located above the inverted deformation portion 56 that forms the main part of the bottom 54, as long as the height of the contents, such as ingredients, contained in the inner plate 40 is equal to or lower than the upper end of the protrusion 60, the contents will not leak into the container body 20 through the air vent hole 62, nor will the air vent hole 62 be blocked by the contents. Also, because the air vent hole 62 is a small hole such as a pinhole, the contents of the inner plate 40 will not leak into the container body 20 through the air vent hole 62.

[0047] The present invention has been described above in terms of its preferred embodiment. However, as will be easily understood by those skilled in the art, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the air vent hole 62 is not limited to the upper end of the protrusion 60, but may be provided above the inverted deformation portion 56, such as the shoulder portion 50. The protrusion 60 may be omitted, and the inverted deformation portion 56 may be circular in plan view. If the inverted deformation portion 56 is circular in plan view, it is easier to invert and deform than if the inverted deformation portion 56 is rectangular in plan view. The container body 20, the inner plate 40, and the upper lid 70 may be pulp molded products. The container with plate is not limited to a round shape, and may be of various shapes such as an ellipse, an oval, or a square. In addition, not all of the components shown in the above embodiment are necessarily essential, and they can be selected as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 10: Container with inner plate 20: Container body 22: Upper opening 24: First outer peripheral edge 26: Cylindrical inner surface 28: Flange part 30:Shoulder 40: Medium plate 42:Upper opening 44: Second outer periphery 46: Cylindrical outer surface 48: Flange part 49: Tongue piece 50:Shoulder 52: Side circumference 54: Bottom 56: Inversion transformation section 58:Protrusion part 60:Protrusion 62: Air vent hole 70: Upper lid 72 :Downward opening 74: Third outer periphery 76:Shoulder

Claims

1. A container used for takeaway food, a container body including an annular first outer periphery defining an upper opening; an inner tray including an annular second outer peripheral edge portion detachably fitted to the first outer peripheral edge portion and a bottom portion extending inwardly of the second outer peripheral edge portion, the inner tray being attached to the container body so as to close the upper opening by the fitting of the first outer peripheral edge portion with the second outer peripheral edge portion; A container with an inner tray having an upper lid that is detachably attached to the container body and covers the inner tray, the bottom portion includes a reversible deformation portion that is elastically deformable between a first state in which the bottom portion is convex downward and a second state in which the bottom portion is convex upward, the reversible deformation portion being in the first state in an initial state; The bottom portion includes a protrusion portion protruding upward from a central portion of the inverted deformation portion, and an air vent hole is provided only at an upper portion of the protrusion portion, The container with inner plate has an inner plate that fits into the container body in an airtight manner, and the top cover is attached to the inner plate without having any holes, thereby sealing the container body via the inner plate.

2. 2. The container with inner plate according to claim 1, wherein the bottom portion includes at least one annular ridge portion extending to surround an outer edge of the inverted deformation portion.

3. The container with an inner plate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bottom is circular in a plan view.

4. A container with an inner plate as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first outer peripheral edge portion includes a cylindrical inner peripheral surface, and the second outer peripheral edge portion includes a cylindrical outer peripheral surface that fits airtightly into the cylindrical inner peripheral surface.

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