container

Abstract

To provide a container that is easy to hold when holding a container body with a hand even with lightweight.SOLUTION: A container 10 includes: a container body 20 opened upward and having a side surface 31 and a bottom surface 40; and a flange 21 provided at the periphery of the opening of the container body 20. The container 10 is made of a foam material. The container body 20 has a vertical length L1 of 30 mm or less. The side surface 31 of the container body 20 has a reinforcing rib 70 sandwiched between recessed grooves 60. A vertical length L3 from a top end 71 of the reinforcing rib 70 to a top end 20a of the container body 20 may be 10 mm or more.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a container having a flange around the opening edge of the container body. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of a container having a flange around the opening edge of the container body is a natto container. The container body is formed in an inverted pyramid shape with no apex, and is open at the top. The inside of the container body is a storage section in which a predetermined amount of natto is stored. The flange also serves as an attachment section for a lid or the like that closes the opening of the container body. As shown in Figure 8, the natto container is sometimes used by holding the container body in one hand and stirring the natto with chopsticks held in the other hand.

[0003] Here, the container is made of a foam material, and if the container body is held too tightly, it will deform, etc. For this reason, the container body is formed with an uneven shape to ensure the strength of the container body (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Design Registration No. 1137289 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, it was found that forming an uneven shape on the container body makes it difficult to hold the container body when the fingers or the like come into contact with the unevenness of the container body. Usually, this is not a big problem because the flexibility is small even in the case of the above structure, but when the container body is lightweight, specifically, with a basis weight of 135 g / m 2 In the containers described below, when an uneven shape is formed, the container is significantly deformed when gripped, making the container very difficult to hold. As a result of intensive research, the inventors of the present invention have found that the uneven shape of the container body, which increases the strength, is a container with a basis weight of 135 g / m2 It was found that the following containers, on the other hand, weaken the strength and increase the flexibility. It was also found that by providing reinforcing ribs on the side surfaces of the container body and forming a portion without ribs at the upper end of the reinforcing ribs or at the upper end of the container body, it is possible to reduce the flexibility of the side surfaces of the container body while ensuring flexibility near the bottom surface, resulting in an easy-to-hold container. Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a container that is easy to hold even when the container body is lightweight and held by hand. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] That is, the present invention includes the following inventions: [1] A container comprising a container body that opens upward and has a side surface and a bottom surface, and a flange provided on the periphery of the opening of the container body, the container having a basis weight of 135 g / m 2 [2] A container made of the following foam material, the container body having a vertical length of 30 mm or less, the side surface having a reinforcing rib sandwiched between recessed grooves, and the vertical length from the upper end of the reinforcing rib to the upper end of the container body being 10 mm or more. [3] A container comprising a container body having an opening at the top and a side surface and a bottom surface, and a flange provided on the periphery of the opening of the container body, the container having a basis weight of 135 g / m 2A container made of the following foam material, the container body having a vertical length of 30 mm or less, the side surface having a reinforcing rib sandwiched between grooves, and a lower end of the reinforcing rib located on the bottom surface. [3] The container according to [1] or [2], the side surface having 6 or less reinforcing ribs. [4] The container according to any one of [1] to [3], the lower end of the reinforcing rib located on the bottom surface. [5] The container according to any one of [1] to [4], the bottom surface having the reinforcing rib sandwiched between the grooves. [6] The container according to any one of [1] to [5], the end of the reinforcing rib formed on the bottom surface located on the side surface. [7] The container according to any one of [1] to [6], the reinforcing rib on the side surface and the reinforcing rib formed on the bottom surface have a continuous structure by two grooves that are continuous from the side surface to the bottom surface. [8] The container according to any one of [1] to [7], the length of the reinforcing rib formed on the bottom surface is 30 mm or less. [9] The container according to any one of [1] to [8], wherein the side surface is formed with an end of a stacking rib that is convex toward the outside of the container body.

[10] The container according to any one of [1] to [9], wherein the shortest length between opposing ends of the stacking rib is 10 mm or more. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a container that is lightweight but easy to hold when the container body is held in the hand. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container according to the embodiment from above. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container of the present embodiment turned upside down. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] Bottom view of the container. [Figure 6] A partially enlarged view of Figure 5. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] An explanatory diagram of how to hold the container. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, one embodiment of a container 10 in which the present invention is embodied as a natto container will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 8. (container)

[0010] Fig. 1 shows a perspective view from above of container 10. Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of container 10 turned upside down. Container 10 has a container body 20, a flange 21, a hinge 22, and a lid 23, which are integrally molded.

[0011] The container 10 is made of a foam material having internal voids, and is formed by heating a raw material containing a foaming agent, forming it into the shape of the container 10 using a metal mold, and then punching it out. Examples of foam materials used for the container 10 include expanded polystyrene, expanded polylactic acid, and expanded polypropylene. The container 10 has a basis weight of 135 g / m2. 2 It must be less than 130g / m 2 or less than 125g / m 2 or less than 120g / m 2 Less than 115 g / m 2 or less than 110g / m 2 or less than 105g / m 2 The lower limit is not particularly limited, but is usually 10 g / m 2 or more than 20g / m 2 The basis weight is 135g / m 2 If the temperature exceeds this range, the container 10 becomes hard and the strength of the container body 20 can be ensured, but on the other hand, the container 10 becomes less flexible and is more likely to crack when subjected to an impact such as being dropped.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the container body 20 is formed in a shape of a substantially inverted pyramid without a vertex, and the top is open. The inside of the container body 20 is a storage section, and natto is stored in the storage section. A flange 21 is integrally formed on the periphery of the opening of the container body 20. In a plan view, the flange 21 is in the shape of a rectangular frame that spreads outward from the periphery of the opening of the container body 20, and has four outer sides 21a. The length of each outer side 21a is 94 mm, and adjacent outer sides 21a form an angle of 90 degrees. The length of each outer side 21a is not particularly limited, but a range of 90 mm to 110 mm can be adopted, a range of 92 mm to 105 mm is preferable, and a range of 94 mm to 100 mm is more preferable. In addition, a lid body 23 is integrally formed on one side of the outer sides 21a of the flange 21 via a hinge 22. The hinge 22 is a so-called perforation formed along the side of the flange 21, and is easily elastically deformable. In a plan view, the lid 23 has a square shape with the same length as the outer side 21a of the flange 21. The lid 23 can be folded 180 degrees from the state shown in FIG. (Container body 20)

[0013] A specific shape of the container body 20 of this embodiment will be described below. Although the flange 21 will be mentioned or illustrated as necessary, the container body 20 does not include the flange 21.

[0014] 1 and 2, the container body 20 is formed in a generally inverted pyramid shape with no apex, and is composed of a peripheral side surface 30 and a bottom surface 40. The overall length of the container body 20 in a plan view is 84 mm x 84 mm. Note that the peripheral side surface 30 and bottom surface 40 of the container body 20 in this embodiment refer to the outer surfaces of the container body 20 shown in FIG.

[0015] FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the container body 20, FIG. 4 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of the container body 20, FIG. 5 shows a bottom view, FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 shows a side view. In these figures, the hinge 22 and the lid 23 formed on the container 10 are omitted, and only the container body 20 and the flange 21 are shown. The peripheral side surface 30 of the container body 20 has four similarly shaped side surfaces 31 bounded by corners of a substantially inverted pyramid shape in the circumferential direction around the vertical direction (hereinafter simply referred to as the "vertical direction") when the container 10 is installed on a horizontal installation surface G. The corners of the substantially inverted pyramid shape are curved surfaces. Each side surface 31 has curved surfaces on both the left and right sides of FIG. 7 with the plane as the center, and the lower side is also curved. In FIG. 5, each side surface 31 is divided by a dashed line. That is, the peripheral side surface 30 of the container body 20 is the name of the lateral surface of the substantially inverted pyramid shape consisting of the four side surfaces 31.

[0016] Each side surface 31 is formed as an inclined surface such that the distance between the opposing side surface 31 decreases toward the bottom, and the inclination angle of each side surface 31 with respect to the vertical direction is 20 degrees. In addition, the lower portion of each side surface 31 is curved to connect to the bottom surface 40.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 5, the portion of the container body 20 that is located inside and surrounded by the lower sides of the four side surfaces 31 is the bottom surface 40 of the container body 20. Here, the bottom surface 40 of the container body 20 can be defined as follows. When the container 10 is placed on a flat installation surface G as shown in Fig. 7, a substantially rectangular area that contacts the installation surface G is formed in the container body 20. The portion formed by connecting the periphery of this area that contacts the installation surface G is the bottom surface 40 of the container body 20, and in Fig. 5, the inside surrounded by the dashed line is the bottom surface 40.

[0018] As shown in Figures 4, 5, and 7, the side surfaces 31 have similar shapes, and therefore the shape of one side surface 31 based on the vertical cross-sectional view in Figure 4 and the side view in Figure 7 also applies to the other three side surfaces 31 of the container body 20. For this reason, hereinafter, a description will be given of one side surface 31 in principle.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 4, the vertical length L1 of the container body 20 must be 30 mm or less, preferably 28 mm or less, and more preferably 26 mm or less. The lower limit is not particularly limited, but is usually 15 mm or more, or 20 mm or more. If the vertical length L1 of the container body 20 exceeds 30 mm, the raw fabric is stretched during molding, the thickness of the side surface 31 becomes thin, and the strength of the container body 20 decreases. The vertical length L1 of the container body 20 is the vertical length from the installation surface G to the upper end 20a of the container body 20 when the container 10 is installed on the horizontal installation surface G, and the upper end 20a of the container body 20 refers to the lower surface 21b of the flange 21. That is, the vertical length L1 of the container body 20 can be specified as the height of the container body 20, and the vertical length L1 of the container body 20 in this embodiment is 25.5 mm. (Stack Rib 50)

[0020] As shown in Figs. 4 to 7, the peripheral side surface 30 of the container body 20 is formed with a stack rib 50 that is convex outward. The stack rib 50 has a stack rib side surface 51 that extends vertically and whose upper end constitutes the upper end 20a of the container body 20 and is located at the base of the flange 21. The stack rib side surface 51 has a vertical length of 6 mm. The vertical length of the stack rib side surface 51 may be 3 mm or more and 7 mm or less, preferably 4 mm or more and 6.7 mm or less, and more preferably 4.2 mm or more and 6.2 mm or less. A stack rib bottom surface 52 that is continuous with the stack rib side surface 51 is formed below the stack rib 50, and a step is formed on the peripheral side surface 30 of the container body 20 by the stack rib side surface 51 and the stack rib bottom surface 52. As shown in Fig. 4, the upper end portion of the stack rib 50 is the longest in the left-right direction of the container body 20, and the total length of the container body 20 is the length between the upper ends of the stack rib side surfaces 51. When the containers 10 are stacked vertically, the stack rib bottom surface 52 of the upper container body 20 abuts on the flange 21 of the lower container 10, and the flanges 21 of the containers 10 can be stacked vertically at a fixed interval without being in close contact with each other.

[0021] 4 to 7, the stacking rib 50 is formed in a circumferentially long, end-shaped manner on the peripheral side surface 30 of the container body 20, and a total of four stacking ribs 50 extending in the circumferential direction are formed on the peripheral side surface 30. One end portion 53 of the stacking rib 50 is located on a side surface 31, and the other end portion 53 is located on the adjacent side surface 31. In other words, one stacking rib 50 is located across two side surfaces 31.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 7, when the container 10 is viewed from the side, the stacking ribs 50 are not formed in a certain range centered on the center in the left-right direction of the side surface 31. Specifically, the ends 53 of the two stacking ribs 50 are positioned opposite each other on the side surface 31. The opposite ends 53 are shaped like a letter V, with the left-right length between the ends 53 increasing toward the bottom in side view. The left-right length between the ends 53 is 20 mm at the upper part, i.e., the upper end of the letter V shape, and 25 mm at the lower part, i.e., the lower end of the letter V shape, and the shortest length L2 between the ends 53 is 20 mm. The shortest length L2 between the ends 53 of the opposite stacking ribs 50 can be 10 mm or more, preferably 15 mm or more, and more preferably 20 mm or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited as long as it is equal to or less than the maximum length in the left-right direction of the container body 20, but is usually 65 mm or less, or 60 mm or less. Although the stacking ribs 50 are useful for stacking the containers 10, it has been found that when holding the container 10 with the hand H, the fingers F come into contact with the stacking ribs 50, making it difficult to hold. For this reason, when stacking ribs 50 are formed on the container body 20, the shortest length L2 between the ends 53 of opposing stacking ribs 50 can be set to a certain value or more. In other words, by not forming stacking ribs 50 in a certain range of the container body 20, it is possible to ensure a range in which the fingers F do not come into contact with the stacking ribs 50, and the container 10 becomes less slippery and easier to hold. (Reinforcement rib 70)

[0023] As shown in Figs. 2 to 7, the container body 20 has a plurality of grooves 60 formed from each side surface 31 to the bottom surface 40. Each groove 60 is a recess formed from each side surface 31 to the bottom surface 40 of the container body 20 toward the inside in the wall thickness direction. Three parallel grooves 60 are formed at equal intervals from each side surface 31 to the bottom surface 40 of the container body 20, and since the container body 20 has four side surfaces 31, a total of 12 grooves 60 are formed in the container body 20. Each groove 60 is formed so as to extend vertically on the side surface 31 in the side view of Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 5, the angle between the extension direction of the three grooves 60 formed on one side surface 31 and the extension direction of the three grooves 60 formed on the adjacent side surface 31 is 90 degrees in the bottom view.

[0024] The portion sandwiched between the two grooves 60 on each side surface 31 becomes a reinforcing rib 70 that is convex outward relative to the grooves 60, and two reinforcing ribs 70 are formed on each side surface 31. Since each groove 60 is formed to extend vertically on the side surface 31 in the side view of FIG. 7, the reinforcing rib 70 is also formed to extend vertically on the side surface 31 in the same side view. That is, the reinforcing rib 70 in the present invention refers to a structure in which the portion sandwiched between the two grooves 60 on the side surface 31 and / or bottom surface 40 of the container body 20 is convex outward relative to the grooves 60, and the lower end 72 of the reinforcing rib 70 formed on the side surface 31 is in contact with the bottom surface 40. Note that the lower end 72 of the reinforcing rib 70 formed on the side surface 31 is located on the bottom surface 40, which means, for example, that the lower end 63 of the two grooves 60 forming the reinforcing rib 70 is in contact with the bottom surface 40 when the container body 20 is viewed from the side as in FIG. 4 and FIG. 7.

[0025] Moreover, when the reinforcing rib 70 is formed on the bottom surface 40, the reinforcing rib 70 is in contact with the side surface 31. The end of the reinforcing rib 70 formed on the bottom surface 40 is located on the side surface 31, for example, when the container body 20 is viewed from the bottom as shown in FIG. 5, the end of the two grooves 60 forming the reinforcing rib 70 is in contact with the end of the bottom surface 40 (broken line). It is preferable that the reinforcing rib 70 on the side surface 31 and the reinforcing rib 70 formed on the bottom surface 40 are in a continuous structure by the two grooves 60 continuing from the side surface 31 to the bottom surface 40. Each reinforcing rib 70 reaches from the side surface 31 to the bottom surface 40, and a total of eight reinforcing ribs 70 are formed on the container body 20. Here, the number of reinforcing ribs 70 formed on one side surface 31 can be six or less, preferably four or less, and more preferably two or one. The fewer the number of reinforcing ribs 70 formed on one side surface 31, the less likely the fingers F will hit the reinforcing ribs 70 when holding the container body 20 with the hand H, which provides a sense of stability and improves ease of holding.

[0026] The grooves 60 are linear and long in the direction perpendicular to the width direction (left and right in FIG. 7) (up and down and depth directions in FIG. 7), and the three grooves 60 have the same width, length, and length between the opposing edges 61 of adjacent grooves 60. Since the reinforcing rib 70 is a portion sandwiched between two parallel grooves 60, the width (left and right in FIG. 7) of the reinforcing rib 70 and the length in the direction perpendicular to the width (up and down and depth directions in FIG. 7) are the length between the opposing edges 61 of the two grooves 60 and the length of the groove 60, respectively. For this reason, the configuration of the grooves 60 will be described below, and then the configuration of the reinforcing rib 70 specified by the grooves 60 will be described.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 3, each groove 60 is formed in a trapezoid shape in which the width of the opposing surface narrows toward the inside, but the width and depth of the groove 60 are not particularly limited. As shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 7, the central groove 60 of the three grooves 60 formed on one side surface 31 is formed at the center of the width direction of the side surface 31. In addition, the length between the opposing edges 61 of the central groove 60 and the adjacent groove 60 is 15 mm. Therefore, the width of the reinforcing rib 70 is 15 mm. Since the three grooves 60 are parallel from the side surface 31 to the bottom surface 40, the width of the reinforcing rib 70 formed by being sandwiched between the grooves 60 is also 15 mm from the side surface 31 to the bottom surface 40.

[0028] 7, the central groove 60 is formed in the center in the width direction on the side surface 31, and no stack rib 50 is formed on the extension line of this groove 60, i.e., at the end where the groove 60 is extended upward on the side surface 31. On the other hand, stack ribs 50 are located on the extension lines of the grooves 60 on both sides. For this reason, the two reinforcing ribs 70 formed on each side surface 31 are located so as to partially overlap the stack ribs 50 on the extension lines of the reinforcing ribs 70.

[0029] The groove 60 formed on each side surface 31 has a vertical length of 22 mm from its upper end 62 to the upper end 20a of the container body 20. The vertical length is the length in the vertical direction (up and down direction in Figs. 4 and 7) when the container body 20 is viewed from the side as in Figs. 4 and 7, and is not the length along the side surface 31 of the container body 20. The upper end 62 of the groove 60 refers to the position where the groove 60 extending from below on the side surface 31 completely disappears, and the upper end 20a of the container body 20 refers to the lower surface 21b of the flange 21. The upper end 71 of the reinforcing rib 70 is at the same position as the upper end 62 of the groove 60, so the vertical length L3 from the upper end 71 of the reinforcing rib 70 to the upper end 20a of the container body 20 is also 22 mm. The vertical length L3 from the upper end 71 of the reinforcing rib 70 to the upper end 20a of the container body 20 must be 10 mm or more, preferably 15 mm or more, and more preferably 20 mm or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited as long as it is equal to or less than the vertical length of the container body 20, but is usually equal to or less than 30 mm, equal to or less than 28 mm, or equal to or less than 26 mm. When the vertical length L3 from the upper end 71 of the reinforcing rib 70 to the upper end 20a of the container body 20 is within this range, the area where the fingers F come into contact with the recessed grooves 60 on the peripheral side surface 30 of the container body 20 is reduced, making the container body 20 easier to hold.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, the lower end 63 of each groove 60, which is the end opposite to the upper end 62, is located on the bottom surface 40 of the container body 20. The bottom surface 40 has a total length of 64 mm in a direction parallel to each groove 60 and a total length of 64 mm in a direction perpendicular thereto, so that the bottom surface 40 is an approximately square of 64 mm x 64 mm with four chamfered corners as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 5. The three grooves 60 formed on each side surface 31 are composed of a groove 60 formed in the center of the width direction of the side surface 31 and grooves 60 formed at equal intervals on the left and right sides of the groove 60, and these three grooves 60 extend downward from each side surface 31 to the bottom surface 40. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 5, the three grooves 60 formed on the opposing side surfaces 31, for example, the three grooves 60 formed on the left and right side surfaces 31 in the figure, are in a positional relationship in which they overlap on the extension lines on the bottom surface 40 in the bottom view. Furthermore, the three grooves 60 formed on one side surface 31 and the three grooves 60 formed on the side surface 31 adjacent to this side surface 31 form an angle of 90 degrees on the bottom surface 40 .

[0031] The length of one groove 60 formed on the bottom surface 40 is 5 mm. The length of the groove 60 on the bottom surface 40 refers to the length from the end (broken line) of the bottom surface 40 to the lower end 63, which is the position where the groove 60 completely disappears on the bottom surface 40 in Figs. 5 and 6. Since the length of the groove 60 is the length of the reinforcing rib 70, the lower end 72 of the reinforcing rib 70 is located on the bottom surface 40 of the container body 20, and the length L4 of the reinforcing rib 70 on the bottom surface 40 is 5 mm. The length L4 of the reinforcing rib 70 formed on the bottom surface 40 can be 30 mm or less, preferably 25 mm or less, more preferably 20 mm or less, or 18 mm or less, or 15 mm or less, or 10 mm or less, or 5 mm or less. The lower limit is not particularly limited, but is usually 1 mm or more, or 2 mm or more, or 3 mm or more. When the length L4 of the reinforcing rib 70 on the bottom surface 40 is within this range, the area on the bottom surface 40 of the container body 20 where the fingers F come into contact with the recessed groove 60 is reduced, making the container body 20 easier to hold and easier to mix. Note that the length L4 of the reinforcing rib 70 formed on the bottom surface 40 refers to the length of one reinforcing rib 70, and not the total length of two opposing reinforcing ribs 70 or the total length of the reinforcing ribs 70 extending from four sides.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 5, the reinforcing ribs 70 are formed facing each other on the bottom surface 40. The length L5 of the portion of the bottom surface 40 where the reinforcing ribs 70 are not formed can be calculated by subtracting the total length of the opposing reinforcing ribs 70 on the bottom surface 40 from the total length (64 mm) of the bottom surface 40. For example, if the length of one reinforcing rib 70 on the bottom surface 40 is 5 mm, the length L5 of the portion of the bottom surface 40 where the reinforcing ribs 70 are not formed out of the total length 64 mm of the bottom surface 40 is 64 mm-5 mm x 2 = 54 mm. This is expressed as the ratio of the length L5 of the portion where the reinforcing ribs 70 are not formed to the total length 64 mm of the bottom surface 40, which is 54 mm / 64 mm x 100 = 84%. This ratio can be 15% or more, preferably 25% or more, and more preferably 40% or more. The bottom surface 40 of the container body 20 is the portion where the palm of the user places his / her hand to restrict the downward movement of the container 10 when the container body 20 is held by the hand H. When the ratio is within this range, the area of ​​the bottom surface 40 where the hand H comes into contact with the recessed groove 60 becomes small, improving the ease of holding the container body 20. Specific examples are given below. Test 1 (vertical length L3 from the upper end 71 of the reinforcing rib 70 to the upper end 20a of the container body 20)

[0033] Basis weight 105g / m 2 A natto container (hereinafter referred to as container 10) was manufactured, which was made of expanded polystyrene material and had a container body 20 formed in a generally inverted pyramid shape with no apex and an open top, and a flange 21 provided around the opening. The lid 23 had been removed in advance from the perforations of the hinge 22, and the container 10 used in the test had the configuration shown in FIG. 7, in which the container body 20 and the flange 21 were integrally formed.

[0034] The specific shape of the container 10 is as follows. In plan view, the total length of the container body 20 is 84 mm x 84 mm (where the stack ribs 50 are formed), the total length of the bottom surface 40 of the container body 20 is 64 mm x 64 mm, and the vertical length of the container body 20 is 25.5 mm. The inclination angle of the side surface 31 of the container body 20 with respect to the vertical direction is 20 degrees, the length of the flange 21 is 94 mm x 94 mm, and the thickness of the container body 20 and the flange 21 is 2 mm. The opposing ends 53 of the stack ribs 50 of each side surface 31 are shaped like a V-shape that is line-symmetrical with respect to the center of the side surface 31 in the left-right direction (see FIG. 7), with the left-right interval between the upper ends being 20 mm and the left-right interval between the lower ends being 25 mm. The vertical length of the stack rib side surface 51 is 6 mm.

[0035] Three grooves 60 of the same shape were formed on each of the four side surfaces 31, and two reinforcing ribs 70 were formed. The grooves 60 were formed so that the interval between the opposing edges 61 was equal to 15 mm, and each groove 60 was formed so as to extend vertically on the side surface 31 in the side view of FIG. 7. The length of each groove 60 on the bottom surface 40 was set to 5 mm, so that the length L4 of the reinforcing rib 70 formed by adjacent grooves 60 on the bottom surface 40 was set to 5 mm. Then, the vertical length from the upper end 62 of the groove 60 to the upper end 20a of the container body 20 on each side surface 31 of the container body 20 was made different, and the vertical length L3 from the upper end 71 of the reinforcing rib 70 formed by the adjacent grooves 60 to the upper end 20a of the container body 20 was made different. The containers 10 were manufactured in Example 1-1, Example 1-2, Example 1-3, and Comparative Example 1, in which the length L3 was 10 mm, 15 mm, 22 mm, and 9 mm, respectively.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 8, the bottom surface 40 of each container 10 was supported by the palm, and at least two side surfaces 31 were fixed with fingers F. At this time, the fingers F were placed on the side surfaces 31 where the stack ribs 50 were not formed so that the fingers F did not come into contact with the flanges 21. Then, the participants were asked to stir the natto contained in the containers 10 with chopsticks held in the other hand H, and the ease of holding the containers 10 in this state was tested. Thirty people were asked to carry out this test, and the ease of holding the containers 10 was rated as very easy to hold (5 points), easy to hold (4 points), neither easy nor difficult (3 points), slightly difficult to hold (2 points), and difficult to hold (1 point). If 20% or more of the testers answered that the containers 10 were slightly difficult to hold or difficult to hold, they were marked with ×, if 10% or more but less than 20% answered with △, if 5% or more but less than 10% answered with ◯, and if less than 5% answered with ◎. The results are shown below in Table 1.

[0037] [Table 1]

[0038] As a result, Example 1-3 was evaluated the highest, followed by Example 1-2, Example 1-1, and Comparative Example 1. From this, it was found that it is preferable from the viewpoint of ease of holding that the vertical length L3 from the upper end 71 of the reinforcing rib 70 formed on the side surface 31 of the container 10 to the upper end 20a of the container body 20 is 10 mm or more. Test 2 (Spacing between ends 53 of stack ribs 50)

[0039] Containers 10 were manufactured in which the length between the opposing ends 53 of the stacking ribs 50 on each side surface 31 of the container body 20 was changed as shown in Table 2. The opposing ends 53 of the stacking ribs 50 were shaped symmetrically with respect to the center of the left-right direction of the side surface 31. When the distance between the lower ends of the stacking ribs 50 is longer than the distance between the upper ends, the opposing ends 53 of the stacking ribs 50 are V-shaped, and when the distance between the upper ends is the same as the distance between the lower ends, they are vertically parallel. In Example 2-8, the length between the ends 53 of the stacking ribs 50 is 0 mm, that is, the stacking ribs 50 are shaped so that they are endlessly continuous around the peripheral side surface 30 of the container body 20. In Example 2-9, the distance between the upper ends of the stacking ribs 50 is 0 mm, the upper ends are endless, and there is a distance of 10 mm between the lower ends. In Example 2-9, the upper ends are also continuous, so the stacking ribs 50 are endless. In Comparative Example 2, the spacing between the upper ends of the stack ribs 50 is 0 mm, the upper ends are endless, and there is a spacing of 25 mm between the lower ends. In Comparative Example 2, the upper ends are also continuous, so the stack ribs 50 are endless. In Examples 2-1 to 2-9, the other shapes of the container 10 are the same as those of Example 1-3 in Test 1, and in Comparative Example 2, the other shapes of the container 10 are the same as those of Comparative Example 1 in Test 1.

[0040] For these containers 10, a sensory test was conducted on the relationship between the spacing between the ends 53 of the stack ribs 50 and the ease of holding the containers 10 in the same manner as in Test 1, and the ease of holding the containers 10 was evaluated in the same manner as in Test 1. Furthermore, the slipperiness of the containers 10 was tested under the same conditions as in Test 1. Thirty people took this test, and the slipperiness of the containers 10 was rated as very slippery (5 points), not slippery (4 points), neither slippery nor slippery (3 points), slightly slippery (2 points), and slippery (1 point). If 20% or more of the testers answered that the containers 10 were slightly slippery or slippery, they were rated as ×, if 10% or more but less than 20% answered as △, if 5% or more but less than 10% answered as ◯, and if less than 5% answered as ◎. The results are shown below in Table 2.

[0041] [Table 2]

[0042] As a result, Examples 2-5 to 2-7 were rated the highest, followed by Examples 2-3 and 2-4, Examples 2-1 and 2-2, Examples 2-8 and 2-9, and Comparative Example 2. From this, it was found that the shortest length L2 between the ends 53 of the stack ribs 50 formed on the side surface 31 of the container 10 is preferably 10 mm or more in terms of ease of sliding. Test 3 (Number of reinforcing ribs: 70)

[0043] In the container body 20 of Test 1, the vertical length L3 from the upper end 71 of the reinforcing rib 70 to the upper end 20a of the container body 20 was fixed at 22 mm. Example 3-1 was manufactured in which the number of reinforcing ribs 70 on each side surface 31 was set to 6 (7 grooves 60). Similarly, Examples 3-2 to 3-6 were manufactured in which the number of reinforcing ribs 70 was sequentially reduced by one from 5 (6 grooves 60) to 1 (2 grooves 60). Also, Example 3-7 was manufactured in which the number of reinforcing ribs 70 was set to 7 (8 grooves 60). The other shapes of the container 10 were the same as those of Test 1.

[0044] For these containers 10, a sensory test was conducted on the relationship between the number of reinforcing ribs 70 and ease of holding in the same manner as in Test 1, and the ease of holding the containers 10 was evaluated in the same manner as in Test 1. Furthermore, the stability of the containers 10 was tested under the same conditions as in Test 1. Thirty people took this test, and the stability of the containers 10 was rated as very stable (5 points), stable (4 points), neither stable nor unstable (3 points), slightly unstable (2 points), and not stable (1 point). If 20% or more of the testers answered that the containers 10 were slightly unstable or not stable, they were marked with an X, if 10% or more but less than 20% answered with a △, if 5% or more but less than 10% answered with an ◯, and if less than 5% answered with an ◎. The results are shown below in Table 3.

[0045] [Table 3]

[0046] As a result, Examples 3-5 and 3-6 were rated the highest, followed by Examples 3-3 and 3-4, Examples 3-1 and 3-2, and Example 3-7. From this, it was found that it is preferable from the standpoint of stability that the number of reinforcing ribs 70 formed on the side surface 31 of the container 10 is 6 or less. Test 4 (length of reinforcing rib 70 on bottom surface 40, etc.)

[0047] In the test 1, the vertical length L3 from the upper end 71 of the reinforcing rib 70 in the container body 20 to the upper end 20a of the container body 20 was fixed to 22 mm. Example 4-1 was manufactured with the length L4 of each reinforcing rib 70 on the bottom surface 40 being 27 mm. Similarly, Example 4-2 was manufactured with the length L4 being 24 mm, Example 4-3 was manufactured with the length L4 being 19 mm, Example 4-4 was manufactured with the length L4 being 16 mm, Example 4-5 was manufactured with the length L4 being 10 mm, and Example 4-6 was manufactured with the length L4 being 5 mm. In addition, Example 4-7 was manufactured in which the reinforcing ribs 70 extending from the opposing side surfaces 31 to the bottom surface 40 were connected to each other, and the end of the reinforcing rib 70 was not present on the bottom surface 40. For convenience, the length L4 of the reinforcing rib 70 on the bottom surface 40 of Example 4-7 is expressed as 32 mm, which is half the total length (64 mm) of the bottom surface 40. The other shapes of the container 10 are the same as those of Test 1.

[0048] For these containers 10, a sensory test was conducted on the relationship between the length of the reinforcing rib 70 on the bottom surface 40 and the ease of holding the container 10 in the same manner as in Test 1, and the ease of holding the container 10 was evaluated in the same manner as in Test 1. The ratio of the length L5 of the portion without the reinforcing rib 70 to the total length 64 mm of the bottom surface 40 (64 mm - length of the reinforcing rib 70 on the bottom surface 40 mm x 2) is also recorded. Furthermore, the ease of stirring the container 10 in the same condition as in Test 1 was tested. This test was conducted by 30 people, and the ease of stirring the container 10 was rated as very easy to stir (5 points), easy to stir (4 points), neither (3 points), slightly difficult to stir (2 points), and difficult to stir (1 point). And, if 20% or more of the testers answered that it was slightly difficult to stir or difficult to stir, it was rated as ×, if 10% or more but less than 20% answered as △, if 5% or more but less than 10% answered as ◯, and if less than 5% answered as ◎. The results are shown below in Table 4.

[0049] [Table 4]

[0050] As a result, Examples 4-3 to 4-6 were evaluated the highest, followed by Examples 4-2, 4-1, and 4-7. From this, it was found that it is preferable from the viewpoint of ease of stirring that the length of the reinforcing rib 70 on the bottom surface 40 is 30 mm or less, and that the ratio (%) of the length L5 of the portion without the reinforcing rib 70 to the total length of the bottom surface 40 is 15% or more. The above embodiment may be modified as follows. About Reinforcement Rib 70

[0051] The upper end 71 or the lower end 72 of the reinforcing rib 70 can be changed. For example, the length of the groove 60 may be changed by changing the position of the upper end 62 of the groove 60 and also changing the position of the lower end 63. This makes it possible to change the position and length of the reinforcing rib 70 formed by adjacent grooves 60 on the peripheral side surface 30 or the bottom surface 40. The number of reinforcing ribs 70 formed on each side surface 31 does not need to be the same for all side surfaces 31, and may be different for each side surface 31.

[0052] Although the reinforcing ribs 70 are formed to be the same size from each side surface 31 to the bottom surface 40, they may be different between the side surfaces 31 or the bottom surface 40. For example, the length and number of reinforcing ribs 70 formed from two opposing side surfaces 31 to the bottom surface 40 may be the same, and the number and lengths of reinforcing ribs 70 formed from adjacent opposing two side surfaces 31 to the bottom surface 40 may be different.

[0053] Although the reinforcing ribs 70 are formed on the peripheral side surface 30 of the container body 20 by the recessed grooves 60 recessed from the outside to the inside, the reinforcing ribs 70 may also be formed on the inner surface of the peripheral side surface 30 of the container body 20 by the recessed grooves 60 recessed from the inside to the outside.

[0054] Although the reinforcing ribs 70 are formed on the four side surfaces 31, it is not necessary to form the reinforcing ribs 70 on all four side surfaces 31. For example, the reinforcing ribs 70 may be formed only from two opposing side surfaces 31 to the bottom surface 40, and the reinforcing ribs 70 may not be formed on the two adjacent opposing side surfaces 31.

[0055] The reinforcing rib 70 is formed from the peripheral side surface 30 to the bottom surface 40, but is not limited to this. The upper end 71 and the lower end 72 of the reinforcing rib 70 may be formed on the peripheral side surface 30, and the reinforcing rib 70 may not reach the bottom surface 40. About Stack Rib 50

[0056] It is not necessary to form the stack ribs 50. The stack ribs 50 are configured to stack the containers one above the other at a certain interval without contacting each other, so if this does not cause any problems, they do not necessarily have to be formed. The ends 53 of the opposing stack ribs 50 may be asymmetric. The shape of the opposing ends 53 of the stack rib 50 and the length between the opposing ends 53 do not have to be the same for each side surface 31 and may be different.

[0057] In cases where reinforcing ribs 70 are formed on two opposing side surfaces 31 and reinforcing ribs 70 are not formed on two adjacent opposing side surfaces 31, the stacking ribs 50 formed on the two side surfaces 31 on which the reinforcing ribs 70 are not formed may have a continuous shape without opposing end portions 53. In this case, the stacking rib 50 formed on the container body 20 has two ends having end portions 53 that face only the two opposing side surfaces 31 on which the reinforcing ribs 70 are formed.

[0058] Although the stack rib 50 is symmetrical about the center of one side surface 31 in the left-right direction, the position where the opposing ends 53 are symmetrical may be shifted from the center of the side surface 31 in the left-right direction. Regarding the shape of the container body 20 The container body 20 has a substantially inverted quadrangular pyramid shape, but is not limited to this. It may have a substantially inverted octagonal pyramid shape without a vertex. The hinge 22 and the lid 23 may be omitted. For example, the opening of the container body 20 may be closed by attaching a film onto the flange 21. Next, the technical ideas that can be understood from the above-described embodiment and other examples will be described below together with their effects. (a) A container in which the opposing ends of the stacking ribs are located above the extension of the reinforcing rib. Therefore, according to the invention described in (a), it is possible to avoid the reinforcing ribs and place a finger on the portion where the stack rib is not formed.

[0059] (b) Furthermore, when evaluating the "ease of holding" of a container, even when the evaluation was performed using a container in which stacking ribs were formed around the entire circumference of the container or a container similar to that in Table 4 except that stacking ribs were not formed, the effect of easy stirring was obtained, similar to that in Table 4. From this, it was found that the "ease of stirring" in Table 4 is an effect independent of "ease of holding". In other words, the above embodiment and modified examples also describe a new problem independent of ease of holding, which is to provide a container that is easy to stir when the container body is held by hand even if it is lightweight, and the following Technical Idea 1 and Technical Idea 2 for solving this problem.

[0060] Technical idea 1. A container having a container body that opens upward and has a side surface and a bottom surface, and a flange provided on the periphery of the opening of the container body, the container having a basis weight of 135 g / m 2 A container made of the following foam material, the container body having a vertical length of 30 mm or less, the side surface having a reinforcing rib sandwiched between grooves, and the lower end of the reinforcing rib being located on the bottom surface. Technical idea 2. Containers of technical idea 1 including those in which the ratio (%) of the length L5 of the part without reinforcing ribs to the total length of the bottom surface is 15% or more. According to the above-mentioned Technical Ideas 1 and 2, a container can be made that is lightweight but easy to stir when holding the container body in the hand. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 10...Container 20…Container body 20a...Top end of container body 21...Flange 21a…Outer edge 21b…Bottom surface of flange 22…hinge 23…Cover body 30…Circumferential side 31...Side 40…Bottom 50…Stacked Ribs 51…Stack rib side 52…Stack rib bottom 53...End of stack rib 60…Groove 61...Edge of groove 62…Upper end of groove 63…Bottom end of groove 70…Reinforcing rib 71…Upper end of reinforcing rib 72…Bottom end of reinforcing rib

Claims

1. A container body that opens upward and has a side surface and a bottom surface; A container having a flange provided on an opening periphery of the container body, The container can be held in place with one hand by hooking fingers around at least two points on the side surface, The container has a basis weight of 135 g / m ２ It is made of the following foam materials: The container body has a vertical length of 30 mm or less, The side surface has a reinforcing rib sandwiched between recessed grooves, The vertical length from the upper end of the reinforcing rib to the upper end of the container body is 10 mm or more, The side surface is formed with a circumferential end portion of a stack rib that is convex toward the outside of the container body, the upper ends of the opposing ends of the stack rib sandwiching the portion where the stack rib is not formed are located at the base of the flange, An upper end of the reinforcing rib and the stack rib are spaced apart from each other, A container, wherein the shortest length between the opposing ends of the stack rib is 10 mm or more.

2. 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the lower ends of the reinforcing ribs are located on the bottom surface.

3. The container according to claim 1 , further comprising a reinforcing rib on the bottom surface, the reinforcing rib being sandwiched between the grooves.

4. 3. The container according to claim 2, wherein an end of the reinforcing rib formed on the bottom surface is positioned on the side surface.

5. 3. The container according to claim 2, wherein the reinforcing rib on the side surface and the reinforcing rib formed on the bottom surface are continuous with each other by the two grooves extending continuously from the side surface to the bottom surface.

6. 3. The container according to claim 2, wherein the length of the reinforcing rib formed on the bottom surface includes a length of 30 mm or less.

7. A container as described in claim 1, wherein the container body has four sides and the stack ribs extend circumferentially around the four sides.

8. A container as described in claim 1, wherein the opposing ends of the stack ribs are U-shaped when viewed from the side.

9. A container as described in claim 1, wherein the container body has four sides and the stack rib is positioned across two adjacent sides.

10. A container as described in claim 1, wherein the container body has four side surfaces, each of the side surfaces has a groove formed thereon extending to the bottom surface, and the lower end of the groove formed on one of the side surfaces is spaced apart at the bottom surface from the lower end of the groove formed on the opposing or adjacent side surface.

11. A container described in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the container body has four side surfaces, each of the side surfaces has a plurality of the grooves formed therein, and at least one of the grooves is extended upwardly of the side surface at a point at which no stack rib is formed.

12. A container as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the container body has four side surfaces, each of the side surfaces has a plurality of the grooves formed thereon, and the stack rib is located at the end of at least one of the grooves extended upwardly from the side surface.

13. The container body has four side surfaces, each of the side surfaces has a plurality of the grooves formed thereon, and at least one of the grooves is extended upwardly of the side surface at a point where the stack rib is not formed, The container according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the stack rib is located at a tip of at least one other of the grooves extended upwardly from the side surface.

14. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 10, which is a natto container made of expanded polystyrene.

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