Packaging structure

Abstract

To provide a heat insulation container easy to downsize and a packaging structure, while suppressing lowering of heat insulation performance.SOLUTION: A heat insulation container has a container body having an opening at an upper part and a lid body fitted into the container body and closing the opening. The container body is a bead foam molding, and the lid body is a sheet molding formed of a resin foam sheet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention Is packed relates to a packaging structure, and more particularly to a packaging structure including a container body having an opening at the upper part Complex and including a plurality of heat-insulating containers.

Background Art

[0002] In the transportation of goods in logistics, the goods are packaged in cardboard boxes or the like. When transporting a load such as a cardboard box, in order to improve work efficiency, a plurality of loads are stacked on a pallet or the like so that a plurality of boxes can be moved simultaneously as a single package structure.

[0003] When stacking a plurality of boxes in multiple stages on a pallet, a method called "bar stacking" or "column stacking" may be adopted, in which the arrangement of the boxes in the first stage is the same as that in the second and subsequent stages so that the boxes are aligned in a column in the vertical direction. In addition to such a method, many stacking methods such as "brick stacking", "alternate column stacking", and "pinhole stacking", in which the arrangement of the boxes is different between odd-numbered stages and even-numbered stages, are also widely adopted.

[0004] In "brick stacking" or the like, since the box in the next stage is placed on the boundary between two adjacent boxes in the same stage, the boundaries of the boxes do not continue in the height direction. On the other hand, in the stacking method by "bar stacking", since the boundaries continue in the height direction, if the stacking height is increased, a large sway will occur in the upper boxes due to vibration during transportation or the like. For example, when two rectangular boxes with left and right dimensions approximately 1.5 times the front and rear dimensions are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction, the length becomes approximately three times the short side direction of the box. Therefore, when three boxes are arranged beside these two boxes so that the direction is 90 degrees different from these boxes, the five boxes are arranged so as to form a rectangle. If such an arrangement is made in the first stage and the boxes are stacked so that the positional relationship between the two boxes and the three boxes is reversed from the lower stage in the second and subsequent stages, an assembly that is resistant to sway will be formed.

[0005] On the one hand, if the arrays of the first row and the subsequent rows are made the same, five individual columns are formed in the finally formed assembly, and the boxes constituting each column do not have a restraining force against the movement of the boxes in the adjacent column. As a result, the assembly becomes vulnerable to rolling and the like. Therefore, when forming a packing structure by "stacking rods", the boxes are fixed with bands, stretch films, etc. However, in the case of "stacking rods", the boxes can be moved in units of columns, which has the advantage of improving the workability of loading and unloading operations.

[0006] By the way, in the logistics sites of commodities such as food, heat-insulating containers having a container body made of foamed resin are widely used. As this type of heat-insulating container, there are those provided with a container body having a bottom wall on which food is placed and a peripheral side wall rising from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall, and having an opening defined by the upper end of the peripheral side wall at the upper part, and those further provided with a lid body that fits with the container body and closes the opening.

[0007] In such a heat-insulating container with a lid, a bead foam molded body is used for the container body and the lid, and it is excellent in strength and heat insulation. This heat-insulating container is also sometimes stacked with a lid attached to each individual container body. However, the lid is attached only to the uppermost container body, and below that, the container body to be stacked on top is used instead of the lid of the lower container body to reduce the overall stacking height.

[0008] In such a heat-insulating container, as shown in Patent Document 1 below, a groove recessed upward is provided in the outer peripheral portion on the lower surface side of the container body, and a convex portion provided on the upper end portion of the peripheral side wall of the lower heat-insulating container or the lid of the lower heat-insulating container is made to enter the groove to prevent lateral sliding between the upper and lower containers.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0009]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0010] Regarding the heat-insulating container and the packaging structure constituted by using the heat-insulating container as described above, due to the relationship such as the loading capacity on a truck or the like and the storage space, it is required to be lightweight and compact. On the other hand, when trying to use the container body instead of the lid of the lower container body, such a demand has not been fully satisfied because the heat-insulating performance is likely to decrease. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a heat-insulating container and a packaging structure that are easy to make compact while suppressing a decrease in heat-insulating performance.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] The present invention for solving the above problems is comprising a container body having an opening at the upper part, and a lid body fitted to the container body to close the opening, wherein the container body is a bead foam molded body, and providing a heat-insulating container in which the lid body is a sheet molded body made of a resin foam sheet.

[0012] The present invention also provides a packaging structure including a container assembly in which a plurality of heat-insulating containers are assembled together, wherein the heat-insulating container comprises a container body having an opening at the upper part, and a lid body fitted to the container body to close the opening, the container body is a bead foam molded body, in the container assembly, a plurality of stages each constituted by a plurality of the heat-insulating containers arranged in the front-rear, left-right directions are stacked in multiple stages, and the container body and the lid body are alternately arranged from bottom to top, the lid body fitted to at least a part of the container body arranged below the container body at the uppermost stage is a sheet molded body made of a resin foam sheet, and providing a packaging structure in which a thick lid which is a bead foam molded body having a greater thickness than the sheet molded body is fitted to the container body at the uppermost stage.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, instead of a thick lid such as a bead foam molded body, a thin lid which is a sheet molded body is used. Moreover, since the lid is made of a resin foam sheet, it is possible to suppress a decrease in heat retention performance and to make a heat retention container or a packaging structure compact.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3A

Figure 3B

Figure 4A

Figure 4B

Figure 5

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Figure 7A

Figure 7B

Figure 7C

Figure 7D

Figure 8

Figure 9A

Figure 9B

Figure 10A

Figure 10B

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a heat-insulating container and a packaging structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the packaging structure 100 has a container assembly 110 in which a plurality of heat-insulating containers 1 are gathered together. The packaging structure 100 of the present embodiment includes a pallet 120 as a carrier for mounting the container assembly 110. The packaging structure 100 of the present embodiment may have a cage cart instead of the pallet 120 as the carrier.

[0016] The container assembly 110 of the present embodiment has a plurality of container rows 111 in which the plurality of heat-insulating containers 1 are stacked in a column. The packaging structure 100 may have a sheet, board, net, belt, wrap film, etc. for bundling the container rows 111 to prevent the container assembly 110 from collapsing or fixing the container assembly 110 to the carrier.

[0017] In this embodiment, an example of a container assembly 110 is shown, which is composed of a total of 48 heat-insulating containers 1 stacked in 8 tiers in the vertical direction with 6 heat-insulating containers 1 arranged in the front, back, left, and right directions as one tier. However, the heat-insulating containers 1 constituting one tier may be arranged in a single row in the front-back direction or the left-right direction, and the number of stacked tiers in the height direction may be 7 tiers or less, or may be 9 tiers or more. In the container assembly 110 of this embodiment, the heat-insulating containers 1 are stacked in rows, but the container assembly 110 may be formed by stacking the heat-insulating containers 1 with different arrangements for even tiers and odd tiers such as brick stacking.

[0018] The heat-insulating container 1 of this embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Therefore, the container row 111 of this embodiment is prism-shaped and extends long in the vertical direction. The container assembly 110 is configured by gathering the prism-shaped container rows 111 with their side surfaces in contact with each other, and has a prism shape thicker than each container row 111.

[0019] The heat-insulating container 1 of this embodiment includes a container body 2 having an opening at the upper part and a lid body 3 fitted to the container body 2 to close the opening 2a. The container body 2 of this embodiment is a bead foam molded body. The uppermost heat-insulating container 1x in each container row 111 is configured in the same manner as a conventional heat-insulating container, and the lid body fitted to the container body 2x to close the opening 2a of the container body 2x is a bead foam molded body. In this conventional type of container (hereinafter also referred to as "conventional type container"), a thick lid 3x that is several times thicker than the lid body 3 in the heat-insulating container 1 of this embodiment is adopted as a lid to close the opening 2a of the container body 2x.

[0020] The heat-insulating containers 1 below the second tier from the top have the lid body 3 as a sheet molded body composed of a resin foam sheet. In this embodiment, by making the uppermost lid body, to which force is likely to be applied when a belt or net is hung, a thick lid 3x that is thicker and has higher bending rigidity than the sheet molded body, it is easier to prevent the collapse of the container assembly 110. In this embodiment, the uppermost tier is a conventional type container, but if necessary, the uppermost heat-insulating container may also be provided with a lid body 3 that is a sheet molded body similar to the heat-insulating containers 1 below the second tier from the top.

[0021] In each container row 111 of the present embodiment, the container main body and the lid are alternately arranged from bottom to top and mounted on the pallet 120. That is, the container assembly 110 of the present embodiment includes a lid 3 which is a sheet molded body for all the heat-insulating containers 1 except for the heat-insulating container 1x arranged at the uppermost stage and the same as the conventional one.

[0022] A first embodiment of the heat-insulating container 1 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The heat-insulating container 1 of the present embodiment is formed in a box shape capable of accommodating goods (for example, fresh foods such as vegetables and seafood) as contents. The heat-insulating container 1 of the present embodiment is used, for example, for applications in which goods are accommodated together with a coolant such as ice like crush ice or dry ice.

[0023] In the following description, as shown in FIG. 2, the longitudinal direction X of the heat-insulating container 1 is the left-right direction, and the short-side direction Y of the heat-insulating container is the front-rear direction. Therefore, the heat-insulating container 1 of the present embodiment has a horizontally long rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the left-right direction and short in the front-rear direction. Further, in the following, the height direction of the heat-insulating container 1 is the up-down direction Z, and the heat-insulating container 1 will be described in detail. The dimension Lx (length) in the longitudinal direction X and the dimension Ly (width) in the short-side direction Y of the heat-insulating container 1 in the present embodiment are, for example, 150 mm or more and 1200 mm or less, respectively. The dimension Lz (height) in the up-down direction Z of the heat-insulating container 1 is, for example, 100 mm or more and 600 mm or less.

[0024] As described above, the heat-insulating container 1 of the present embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The heat-insulating container 1 in the present embodiment includes a container main body 2 made of a foamed resin having an opening 2a at the upper part, and a lid 3 for closing the opening of the container main body. The container main body 2 includes a bottom wall 21 and a peripheral side wall (hereinafter also referred to as "main body peripheral side wall 22") that extends upward in a cylindrical shape from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall 21 and defines the opening 2a at its upper end. The container main body 2 of the heat-insulating container 1 in the present embodiment has the same shape as the container main body 2x of the conventional container.

[0025] The container body 2 of the present embodiment is a bead foam molded body in which a plurality of foam beads are heat-sealed to each other and integrated. That is, the container body 2 is composed of foam beads obtained by foaming (primary foaming) expandable beads in which a foaming agent is impregnated in resin beads composed of resins such as polyethylene-based resins, polypropylene-based resins, polystyrene-based resins, polyester-based resins, polycarbonate-based resins, and polyamide-based resins. More specifically, the container body 2 is formed by filling the foam beads into a molding die having a molding space corresponding to the container body 2, heating with pressurized steam or the like to cause secondary foaming of the foam beads, and heat-sealing the foam beads to each other.

[0026] The bottom wall 21 of the container body 2 is formed in a rectangular plate shape with rounded corners in a plan view. Note that the shape of the bottom wall 21 may be a polygon other than a rectangle, a circle, or the like. The upper surface 21a of the bottom wall 21 corresponds to the bottom surface of the container body 2 and is a surface that supports the contents from below. The bottom wall 21 is in a raised state such that the central portion is higher as shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A, 5, etc. The upper surface 21a of the bottom wall 21 is higher at the central portion and lower at the outer peripheral portion in the vertical direction. The upper surface 21a is a curved surface, with the central portion being the highest and the outer peripheral portion near the main body peripheral side wall 12 being the lowest.

[0027] The lower surface 21b of the bottom wall 21 is also higher at the central portion and lower at the outer peripheral portion, similar to the upper surface 11a. While the upper surface 21a of the bottom wall is a convex curved surface, the lower surface 21b of the bottom wall 21 is a concave curved surface. The bottom wall 21 has a dome shape in which the upper surface side protrudes upward and the lower surface side is recessed upward. That is, the bottom wall 21 is provided with a raised portion 211 that is raised at the central portion more than the outer peripheral portion. The raising of the raised portion 211 starts slightly inside from the inner peripheral surface 22b of the main body peripheral side wall 22 and exists over almost the entire region of the bottom wall 21. The bottom wall 21 of the present embodiment has a rounded dome shape so that the load of the contents can be dispersed. In order to obtain this effect, the raised shape of the bottom wall 21 may be other shapes such as a frustum of a cone shape.

[0028] In order to more surely exhibit the functions as described above, it is preferable that the lifting height (maximum height: Hb (mm) in FIG. 5) from the grounding surface at the center of the lower surface 21b of the bottom wall 21 is a certain value or more. For example, the ratio of the lifting height (Hb) to the left and right dimensions (Lx) of the container body 2 may be 2% or more, may be 3% or more, or may be 5% or more. Also, the ratio (Hb / Lz) of the lifting height (Hb (mm)) to the dimension (Lz (mm)) in the height direction of the container body 2 can be 1% or more. The ratio (Hb / Lz) of the lifting height (Hb) to the dimension (Lz) in the height direction of the container body 2 may be 2% or more, may be 10% or more, or may be 30% or more. Appropriate values can be obtained as appropriate according to the magnitude of the force causing the side wall to collapse inward due to the load and load distribution of the contained material, and the number of stacking stages.

[0029] The ratio (Hb / Ly) of the lifting height (Hb (mm)) to the dimension (Ly (mm)) in the short side direction (front and back) of the container body 2 can be 1% or more. The ratio of the lifting height (Hb) to the front and back dimensions (Ly) of the container body 2 may be 2% or more, may be 3% or more, or may be 7% or more. The ratio (Hb / Lx) of the lifting height (Hb (mm)) to the dimension (Lx (mm)) in the longitudinal direction (left and right) of the container body 2 can be 0.5% or more.

[0030] In order to widely secure the internal volume of the container body 2, the ratio of the lifting height (Hb) to the front-rear dimension (Ly) of the container body 2 can be, for example, 10% or less. The ratio of the lifting height (Hb) to the front-rear dimension (Ly) of the container body 2 may be 9% or less, or may be 8% or less. The ratio of the lifting height (Hb) to the left-right dimension (Lx) of the container body 2 can be, for example, 10% or less. The ratio of the lifting height (Hb) to the left-right dimension (Lx) of the container body 2 may be 9% or less, or may be 8% or less. The ratio (Hb / Lz) of the lifting height (Hb) to the height dimension (Lz) of the container body 2 can be, for example, 50% or less. The ratio (Hb / Lz) of the lifting height (Hb) to the height dimension (Lz) of the container body 2 may be 40% or less, or may be 35% or less. As the specific dimension of the lifting height (Hb), although it depends on the size of the container body 2 and the mass of the contents, it is usually 5 mm or more and 60 mm or less. It is preferable that this dimension is 15 mm or more and 50 mm or less.

[0031] The lifting height (maximum height: Ha (mm)) at which the bottom wall 21 bulges inside the container body 2 can be set to a dimension similar to the values exemplified as the lifting height (Hb). That is, the lifting height (Ha) at the central portion can be 5 mm or more and 60 mm or less, and it is preferable that it is 15 mm or more and 50 mm or less. Regarding the specific numerical values of the ratio (Ha / Ly) of the lifting height (Ha) to the front-rear dimension (Ly (mm)) of the container body 2, the ratio (Ha / Lx) to the left-right dimension (Lx (mm)), and the ratio (Ha / Lz) to the height dimension (Lz (mm)), the same values as the values exemplified as the ratio (Hb / Ly, Hb / Lx, Hb / Lz) with respect to the lifting height (Hb) can be adopted. Incidentally, the specific dimensions of the lifting height (Hb) and the lifting height (Ha) and the values of the ratios do not necessarily have to be the same and may be different.

[0032] Among the lower surfaces 21b of the bottom wall 21, the portion located below the main body peripheral side wall 22 becomes the grounding surface 1b when the container main body 2 is placed in an upright state. On the other hand, in the region inside (towards the center of the container) from the inner peripheral surface 22b of the main body peripheral side wall 22, only a very small outermost portion becomes the grounding surface, and most of it is in a state of rising above the grounding surface 1b.

[0033] In the container main body 2, since the central portion of the bottom wall 21 is raised, not only can the load applied to the bottom wall 21 by the contents be propagated to the peripheral edge portion of the bottom wall 21, but also when ice is used for cold insulation due to the formation of the bottom wall 21 in such a way, the water generated by the melting of the ice can be moved to the peripheral edge portion side inside the container, and the load due to the water can also be applied to the peripheral edge portion. Furthermore, in the heat-insulating container 1 of the present embodiment, prevention of the contents from getting wet is also achieved.

[0034] In the bottom wall 21 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, a plurality of recesses are formed on the side of the upper surface 21a. In the bottom wall 21 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3B, a plurality of recesses are formed on the side of the lower surface 21b. The recesses on the upper surface 21a side (hereinafter also referred to as "upper recesses 212a") and the recesses on the lower surface 21b side (hereinafter also referred to as "lower recesses 212b") have the same shape in the present embodiment. The upper recesses 212a and the lower recesses 212b may have different shapes.

[0035] The upper recesses 212a and the lower recesses 212b are provided over the entire area of the raised portion 211. The upper surface 21a at the raised portion 211 is not generally a horizontal plane but a gently curved surface that slopes downward towards the outside of the container, and the lower surface 21b is the same. The upper recesses 212a do not recess in the direction of the normal of the curved surface, but recess in the downward vertical direction. The lower recesses 212b also recess in the upward vertical direction in the same manner.

[0036] The sizes of the upper concave portion 212a and the lower concave portion 212b are larger than a circle with a diameter of 5 mm and smaller than a circle with a diameter of 20 mm. That is, the opening shape of the upper concave portion 212a in a top view is a shape that fits within a circle with a diameter of 20 mm, and a circle with a diameter of 5 mm fits inside it. Further, the opening shape of the lower concave portion 212b in a bottom view is a shape that fits within a circle with a diameter of 20 mm, and a circle with a diameter of 5 mm fits inside it. The recessed depths of the upper concave portion 212a and the lower concave portion 212b are about several millimeters. The upper concave portion 212a and the lower concave portion 212b are arranged such that the center - to - center distance is 20 mm or more and 50 mm or less, and are arranged at equal intervals in the front - rear and left - right directions.

[0037] The upper concave portion 212a functions as an anti - slip for the contained object. The upper concave portion 212a also functions as a reservoir for the water formed when the ice melts. In this embodiment, since the bottom wall 21 is raised, when the heat - insulating container 1 is tilted, it is conceivable that the contained object may slide and be biased toward the side wall 22 of the main body. If a large amount of water accumulates in such a place, the contained object will get wet with water. However, in this embodiment, the upper concave portion 212a can hold water, and since the upper concave portion 212a functions as an anti - slip for the contained object, the wetting of the contained object with water is suppressed.

[0038] The lower concave portion 212b has a function of preventing the lid 3 from coming off the container body 2 of the lower heat - insulating container 1 when the heat - insulating containers 1 are taken out one by one from the upper stage side of the container row 111. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 5, the lid 3 can be fitted to the container body 2 by means of a concave - convex fit. Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the lid 3 has a shape corresponding to the lower surface 21b of the bottom wall 21.

[0039] In this embodiment, the upper surface 3a of the lid 3 has a shape corresponding to the lower surface 21b of the bottom wall 21 of the container body 2 so as to reduce the dead space and fully utilize the volume of the container assembly 110. That is, in this embodiment, when two heat-insulating containers 1 are stacked vertically, a large gap is prevented from occurring between the lid 3 of the lower heat-insulating container 1 and the lower surface 21b of the bottom wall 21 of the upper heat-insulating container 1. Therefore, for example, when trying to lift and lower the conventional heat-insulating container 1x from the uppermost stage of the container row 111 as shown in FIG. 6, the lid 3 of the lower heat-insulating container 1 adheres closely to the container body 2x of the conventional container, and the lid 3 of the heat-insulating container 1 may come off from the container body 2. The possibility of the lid 3 coming off is not only when lowering the uppermost conventional heat-insulating container 1x, but also the same when lowering the heat-insulating containers 1 from the second stage and below. For such reasons, in this embodiment, by providing the lower concave portion 212b, excessive adhesion between the container body 2 of the upper heat-insulating container 1 and the lid 3 of the lower heat-insulating container 1 is prevented.

[0040] Instead of providing a plurality of concave portions such as the upper concave portion 212a on the bottom wall 21, a plurality of convex portions (hereinafter, also referred to as "upper convex portions") may be provided. These plurality of convex portions (upper convex portions) also function effectively to prevent the contents from slipping and from getting wet. The size of the upper convex portion in plan view and the interval between adjacent upper concave portions can be made equivalent to those of the upper concave portion 212a. Similarly, instead of providing a plurality of concave portions such as the lower concave portion 212b on the bottom wall 21, a plurality of convex portions (hereinafter, also referred to as "lower convex portions") may be provided. These plurality of convex portions (lower convex portions) are also effective in preventing adhesion to the lid 3. The size of the lower convex portion in plan view and the interval between adjacent upper concave portions can be made equivalent to those of the lower concave portion 212b.

[0041] In the heat-insulating container 1 of this embodiment, the lid 3 and the container body 2 are engaged with each other in a concave-convex manner as described above, so as to prevent the lid 3 from being accidentally removed and to improve the airtightness of the container, thereby improving the heat-insulating performance and preventing foreign matters from entering.

[0042] In a top view, the shape of the peripheral side wall 22 of the main body in this embodiment is a rectangular frame shape, and like the bottom wall 21, it has rounded corners at the four corners. The cross-sectional shape of the peripheral side wall 22 of the main body in a plane orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the peripheral side wall 22 of the main body is such that the outer half is cut out at the upper end portion. That is, at the upper end portion of the peripheral side wall 22 of the main body, the outer peripheral side is one step lower than the inner peripheral side. Therefore, on the upper end surface 22c of the peripheral side wall 22 of the container main body 2 in this embodiment, there are provided a stepped portion 22c1 provided at a position one step higher and a lower stepped portion 22c2 provided at a position one step lower than the stepped portion. The lower stepped portion 22c2 is provided on the outer peripheral side, and the stepped portion 22c1 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the lower stepped portion 22c2. For this reason, the peripheral side wall 22 of the peripheral side wall 22 of the main body has a reduced thickness at the upper end portion, and the thickness at the upper end portion is about half of the thickness of other portions. This portion with a reduced thickness extends in the circumferential direction of the peripheral side wall 22 of the main body and forms a rib 221 used for the concavo-convex fitting with the lid body 3.

[0043] In a top view, the shape of the rib 221 in this embodiment is also a rectangular frame shape with rounded corners at the four corners, similar to the peripheral side wall 22 of the main body. The rib 221 has a top surface 221a that is a stepped portion at the upper end surface of the peripheral side wall 22 of the main body. The top surface 221a in this embodiment is a horizontal plane. The rib 221 includes an inner peripheral surface 221b that hangs down from the inner peripheral edge of the top surface 221a and an outer peripheral surface 221c that hangs down from the outer peripheral edge of the top surface 221a. The contour of the opening 2a in the container main body 2 of this embodiment is defined by the inner peripheral surface 221b of the rib 221.

[0044] The convex rib 221 protrudes upward so that its cross-sectional shape is rectangular. Incidentally, the thickness of the convex rib 221 in the inner and outer directions is not constant from the lower end to the upper end, and a thick portion is provided in the middle. And, on the convex rib 221, a bulging portion 2211 bulging inward or outward is provided at least in one of the inner or outer directions at any position in the height direction. The bulging portion 2211 of the present embodiment bulges inward so that its cross-sectional shape is a gentle arc shape. That is, the outer peripheral surface 221c of the convex rib 221 is a vertical surface, and the inner peripheral surface 221b is provided with a portion that is a vertical surface and a portion that bulges inward with a roundness. The convex rib 221 extends along the periphery of the opening 2a and is continuously provided so as to go around the opening 2a once. Similarly, the bulging portion 2211 is continuously provided so as to go around the inner peripheral surface 221b once.

[0045] In the lid body 3, a concave groove (hereinafter also referred to as "lid concave groove 321") is formed so as to be recessed into a shape into which the convex rib 221 can protrude. The lid concave groove 321 is recessed upward so that its cross-sectional shape is rectangular. The lid concave groove 321 includes a bottom surface 321a facing the top surface 221a of the convex rib 221 when the convex rib 221 protrudes, an inner peripheral surface 321b hanging down from the inner peripheral edge of the bottom surface 321a, and an outer peripheral surface 321c hanging down from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom surface 321a. The lid concave groove 321 of the lid body 3 is formed so that the convex rib 221 is sandwiched between the inner peripheral surface 321b and the outer peripheral surface 321c when the convex rib 221 protrudes.

[0046] As described above, the inner peripheral surface 321b of the lid concave groove 321 in the present embodiment is a portion that comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface 221b of the convex rib 221 when the lid concave groove 321 and the convex rib 221 are engaged with each other in a concave-convex manner. Further, the outer peripheral surface 321c of the lid concave groove 321 is a portion that comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface 221c of the convex rib 221 when the lid concave groove 321 and the convex rib 221 are engaged with each other in a concave-convex manner. On the other hand, the lid concave groove 321 is formed so that a slight gap is formed between the top surface 221a and the bottom surface 321a even when the convex rib 221 enters deepest. That is, the recess depth of the lid concave groove 321 in the present embodiment is slightly deeper than the protrusion height of the convex rib 221.

[0047] The lid concave groove 321 in this embodiment is configured to have a depth that allows the portion where the bulging portion 2211 is formed to enter. Therefore, when the protruding strip 221 penetrates into the lid concave groove 321, the bulging portion 2211 strongly contacts the protruding strip 221 and the inner peripheral surface 321b of the lid concave groove 321. In this embodiment, since the lid 3 is configured to be in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the main body peripheral side wall 22 and can be fitted to the container main body 2, when fruits and vegetables and a refrigerant are stored in the container main body 2, the space containing these stored items can be made into a closed space with excellent airtightness. Moreover, in this embodiment, since the lid 3 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the main body peripheral side wall 22 where the bulging portion 2211 is formed, the space containing the stored items can be made into a state with more excellent airtightness. Further, in this embodiment, not only can a storage space with excellent airtightness be formed, but also since the lid 3 is made of a resin foam sheet, excellent heat insulation performance is exhibited.

[0048] The lid 3 of this embodiment is a sheet molded body made of a resin foam sheet as described above. The thickness of the resin foam sheet constituting the lid 3 is 1 to 4 mm. The foaming ratio of the resin foam sheet is 1.5 to 10 times. The resin constituting the lid 3 may be the same as or different from the resin constituting the container main body 2. Examples include polyethylene-based resins, polypropylene-based resins, polystyrene-based resins, polyester-based resins, polycarbonate-based resins, polyamide-based resins, acrylic-based resins, and the like.

[0049] The lid 3 of this embodiment includes a main body portion (hereinafter also referred to as "lid main body portion 31") that becomes a portion covering the opening 2a of the container main body 2 as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, and a frame portion 32 provided outside the lid main body portion 31. The shape of the frame portion 32 in a top view is the same rectangular frame shape as the main body peripheral side wall 22, and the lid concave groove 321 is provided on the lower surface side of the frame portion 32. That is, the frame portion 32 is provided with a rectangular rib portion 322 having a rectangular cross-sectional shape that protrudes upward and constituting the lid concave groove 321. In this embodiment, the lower surface side of the rectangular rib portion 322 is the lid concave groove 321.

[0050] The frame portion 32 is further provided with a flange portion 323 that extends outwardly and short from the lower end of the outer peripheral surface 321c of the lid concave groove 321. The flange portion 323 is provided outside the lid concave groove 321 with a length reaching the outer peripheral surface of the main body peripheral side wall 22. The flange portion 323 is a portion that abuts against the lower step portion of the upper end surface of the main body peripheral side wall 22 when the convex strip 221 and the lid concave groove 321 are engaged with each other. That is, in the heat-insulating container 1 of the present embodiment, the penetration depth of the convex strip 221 is defined by the relative movement distance of the lid body 3 with respect to the main body peripheral side wall 22 from the time when the tip of the convex strip 221 starts to enter the lid concave groove 321 until the flange portion 323 and the lower step portion come into contact with each other.

[0051] In the present embodiment, the shape of the opening 2a in the plan view of the container body 2 is rectangular. More specifically, the shape of the opening 2a is a rectangle that is long in the left-right direction. The lid main body portion 31 has a rectangular shape in the plan view so as to be able to close the opening 2a without a gap, and the contour shape in the plan view corresponds to the shape of the opening 2a. The lid main body portion 31 in the present embodiment has a rectangular shape in the plan view and a dome shape that bulges upward in the front view. The shape of the lid main body portion 31 has a dome shape corresponding to the lower surface 21b of the bottom wall 21 of the container body 2.

[0052] The lid main body portion 31 of the lid body 3 does not bulge upward throughout the entire area, but has flat portions in the form of four semi-circles (sectors) at the four corners. That is, the lid main body portion 31 of the lid body 3 in the present embodiment includes a bulging portion 311 that bulges in a dome shape and four semi-circular flat portions 312 that are not bulged and are in a flat state.

[0053] In the lid body 3 of the present embodiment, the flat portion 312 is provided so as to enter the bulging portion 311 from four directions from the outer peripheral portion of the lid body portion 31 toward the center of the lid body portion 31. A step is formed between the flat portion 312 and the bulging portion 311 provided at a position higher than the flat portion 312, and an upright wall 313 is formed along the boundary between the flat portion 312 and the bulging portion 311 to connect the flat portion 312 and the bulging portion 311. That is, the lid body portion 31 has upright walls erected so as to roundly surround the four corners from the inside.

[0054] The flat portion 312 is located at the four corners of the bulging portion 311 and is formed such that the four semi-circular arc portions 312a are on the central side of the lid body portion 31. The step between the flat portion 312 and the bulging portion 311 is the largest in height difference at the arc portion 312a. The upright wall 313 stands along the arc 312a to connect between the arc 312a and the bulging portion 311. The lid body 3 of the present embodiment has the upright wall 313 standing along the arc, thereby exhibiting excellent strength against the stress applied in the vertical direction at the corners.

[0055] The flat portion 312 is also provided at the position that is the midpoint of the long side of the lid body portion 31 whose shape is rectangular in plan view. The flat portion 312 provided at the midpoint of the long side of the lid body portion 31 has a semi-circular shape in plan view. The semi-circular flat portion 312 is the same as the four semi-circular flat portions 312 located at the four corners of the lid body portion 31 in that the arc portion is on the central side of the lid body portion 31. The semi-circular flat portion 312 is also common with the flat portions 312 at the four corners in that it has an upright wall 313 along the arc.

[0056] The lid body 3 may be removed from the container body 2 starting from a corner portion, for example. That is, by pulling up the flange portion 323 upward at the corner portion of the lid body 3 fitted to the container body 2, the corner portion may be used as a starting point for releasing the concavo-convex fitting. Even in such a case, since the flat portion 312 and the upright wall 313 are provided inside the corner portion and the corner portion is reinforced, the release of the concavo-convex fitting is smoothly performed.

[0057] In the lid 3 of the present embodiment, a gripping portion 34 is provided for lifting the lid 3 fitted to the container body 2 and removing it from the container body 2. The gripping portion 34 is formed so as to be able to grip the lid 3 from the upper surface side, and is provided at a position corresponding to the central portion of the lid main body portion 31. Therefore, in the operation of removing the lid 3, not only an operation starting from such a corner portion as described above but also an operation of lifting the central portion of the lid main body portion 31 upward can be performed. In such an operation, an upward stress is applied to the central portion of the lid main body portion 31. However, in the present embodiment, by having the standing wall 313, it is possible to prevent the lid main body portion 31 from being greatly deformed and absorbing the stress, and most of the stress can be propagated to the frame portion 32. The stress propagated to the frame portion 32 acts as a force that pulls the lower end of the inner peripheral surface 321b of the lid concave groove 321 obliquely upward inward. In the heat-insulating container 1 of the present embodiment, when such a force acts, the contact between the bulging portion 2211 of the ridge 221 and the inner peripheral surface 321b of the lid concave groove 321 is released, and the lid 3 can be smoothly removed from the container body 2.

[0058] At the central portion of the lid main body portion 31 of the lid 3, two recesses 314 recessed from above the lid 3 downward are arranged side by side, and the space between the recesses 314 serves as the gripping portion 34. The two recesses 314 are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction X at the central portion of the lid main body portion 31 of the lid 3. The recess 314 has a semi-circular opening shape in plan view. The two recesses 314 are arranged so that their opening shapes are line-symmetrical with respect to a line segment parallel to the short side direction Y. The recess 314 is arranged in a line-symmetrical manner such that the portion corresponding to the chord of the semi-circle is on the inner side and the portion corresponding to the arc is on the outer side. Inside the inner wall surface of the recess 314, at the portion corresponding to the chord, the inner wall surface hangs down to reach the deepest part of the recess 314. On the other hand, the inner wall surface extending downward from the portion corresponding to the arc is an inclined surface leading to the deepest part. That is, the recess 314 for enabling the gripping portion 34 to be gripped in the present embodiment is recessed in a shape that widens the opening area to make it easier to grip the gripping portion 34 and does not reduce the accommodation space more than necessary.

[0059] On the lower surface 21b side of the bottom wall 21 of the container body 2 of the present embodiment, when the heat insulation containers 1 are stacked vertically, a concave groove (hereinafter referred to as "main body concave groove 213") is formed to prevent the upper heat insulation container 1 from slipping laterally by allowing the rectangular rib portion 322 fitted to the protrusion 221 by the lower heat insulation container 1 to protrude. The main body concave groove 213 is provided outside the protrusion 211 and is formed in a rectangular ring shape surrounding the protrusion 211 in plan view.

[0060] The lid 3 of the present embodiment protrudes upward beyond the upper end surface of the main body peripheral side wall 22. Therefore, when stacking the heat insulation containers 1 or lowering the upper heat insulation container 1 of the two stacked heat insulation containers 1, the protruding portion of the lid 3 on the lower heat insulation container 1 may get caught. In the present embodiment, since the lid 3 is a sheet molded body and has easy deformability compared to a rigid material such as a bead foam, even if it gets caught, it is unlikely to cause a problem. The resin foam sheet constituting the lid 3 of the present embodiment may be a laminated foam sheet provided with a non-foamed layer (resin film layer) or the like, instead of a single-layer foam sheet, and the upper surface 3a of the lid 3 may be sheet molded so as to be composed of the non-foamed layer.

[0061] The lid 3 configured using a laminated foam sheet such that the upper surface 3a is the non-foamed layer exhibits good slipperiness and excellent strength. Therefore, such a lid 3 contributes to improving the working efficiency of the operator handling the heat insulation container 1. When providing a non-foamed layer on the lid 3, corrugation processing or the like may be performed on the tip of the flange portion 323 to prevent the operator's fingertips from being cut. That is, the non-foamed layer may be processed into a wave shape so as to repeat unevenness in the circumferential direction along the outer peripheral edge of the lid 3 to improve the handleability of the heat insulation container 1.

[0062] This lid 3 may, for example, have small unevenness on one surface as shown in FIGS. 7C and 7D. In the lid 3 illustrated in these figures, apart from the large recess 314 into which the hand for gripping the gripping portion 34 can be inserted, small recesses 35a smaller than the recess 314 are arranged side by side in the front, rear, left, and right directions of the lid 3. The small recesses 35a are open on the upper surface 3a side of the lid 3 and are formed to be recessed downward in the vertical direction.

[0063] Since the lid 3 of the present embodiment is a sheet molded body, the shape on the lower surface 3b side is the reverse of the shape on the upper surface 3a side. Therefore, on the lower surface 3b side of the lid 3, a plurality of small convex portions 35b corresponding to the small recesses 35a are arranged side by side in the front, rear, left, and right directions. In the lid 3 of the present embodiment, contrary to the aspect shown in FIGS. 7C and 7D, the small convex portions 35b may be formed on the upper surface 3a side and the small recesses 35a may be formed on the lower surface 3b side. Regarding the size of the small recesses 35a and the small convex portions 35b in plan view and the distance between adjacent ones, etc., they can be made equivalent to the upper recess 212a and the lower recess 212b on the bottom wall 21.

[0064] In the present embodiment, as described above, crushed ice, dry ice, etc. are used as the cold insulating agent. The cold insulating agent is placed directly on the upper part of the objects to be kept warm, such as vegetables, fruits, and seafood, or via a resin film or the like. In the lid 3 as shown in FIGS. 7C and 7D, it is possible to reduce the adhesion between the cold insulating agent and the lower surface 3b of the lid 3 and form an air layer therebetween, which is suitable for exhibiting high heat insulation performance. Also, the lid 3 as shown in FIGS. 7C and 7D is excellent in that the cold air emitted upward from the cold insulating agent can be easily spread throughout. The lid 3 of the present embodiment is not only composed of a material with excellent heat insulation properties such as a resin foam sheet, but also exhibits excellent heat insulation performance in terms of its shape characteristics.

[0065] In this embodiment, small concave portions 35a and small convex portions 35b are also formed on the resin foam sheet constituting the gripping portion 34, thereby improving the strength of the gripping portion 34. That is, on the resin foam sheet that horizontally connects between the large concave portions 314 provided side by side to enable gripping of the gripping portion 34, unevenness smaller than the concave portions 314 is formed. In the exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 7C and 7D, when a force is applied in a direction to draw the concave portions 314 together and the gripping portion 34 is gripped, the small concave portions 35a and the small convex portions 35b are provided, so that the deformation of the gripping portion 34 against the force applied at this time is suppressed, and the gripping portion 34 can be firmly gripped.

[0066] The resin foam sheet can adopt, for example, one formed by an extrusion foaming method. The resin foam sheet called a laminated foam sheet can adopt, for example, one produced by a co-extrusion method of co-extruding a foam layer and a non-foam layer. The laminated foam sheet may be one produced by heat laminating a resin film constituting the non-foam layer on a resin foam sheet once formed to be a single-layer foam layer, or one produced by extrusion lamination. The non-foam layer may be formed on only one side of the foam layer or on both sides.

[0067] The lid 3 can be a sheet molded body obtained by thermoforming such a resin foam sheet. The thermoforming can be a conventionally known method such as press molding (match mold molding), vacuum molding, pressure air molding, or vacuum pressure air molding.

[0068] The heat-insulating container 1 of this embodiment has a lid 3 made of a resin foam sheet, so it has excellent heat-insulating performance and can be made more compact than a conventional container, which is effective for reducing the volume of the packaging structure 100. Incidentally, the heat-insulating container 1 exemplified above has a lid 3 that is fitted to the container body 2 by uneven fitting, but the lid of the heat-insulating container 1 may be externally fitted or internally fitted to the container body.

[0069] The following describes a heat-insulating container provided with a lid body fitted inside a container body as a heat-insulating container according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the lid body 3' provided in the heat-insulating container 1' of the second embodiment has a shape that can be pushed into the container body 2'. Further, the heat-insulating container 1' is configured such that a thick lid 30', which is a bead foam molded body, can be fitted in a state where the lid body 3' is fitted inside.

[0070] The container body 2' of the heat-insulating container 1' according to the second embodiment has the same structure as the container body 2 of the first embodiment. Therefore, the contour shape in plan view of the container body 2' defined by the outer peripheral surface 22a' of the main body peripheral side wall 22' is a rectangular shape with rounded corners at the four corners, and the shape of the opening 2a' directed upward of the container body 2' defined by the inner peripheral surface 22b' of the main body peripheral side wall 22' is a rectangular shape smaller than the contour shape of the container body 2' by the thickness of the main body peripheral side wall 22'. Also, the heat-insulating container 1' of the second embodiment is common with the heat-insulating container 1 of the first embodiment in that the bottom wall 21' is in a dome shape.

[0071] The container body 2' has a flange 221' at the upper end of the main body peripheral side wall 22' in the same manner as the container body 2 of the first embodiment. On the other hand, the thick lid 30' is provided with a concave groove (hereinafter also referred to as "thick lid concave groove 301'") on the lower surface side that can be engaged with the convex strip 221' in a concave-convex manner. That is, the thick lid 30' can be fitted to the container body 2' by concave-convex fitting.

[0072] The heat-insulating container 1' of the second embodiment is configured such that the lid body 3' can be fitted inside the container body 2', and the thick lid 30' can be fitted to the container body 2' in which the lid body 3' is fitted inside, and the lid body 3' and the thick lid 30' are configured to be able to doubly close the opening 2a' of the container body 2'. That is, the lid body 3' functions as an inner lid in the heat-insulating container 1', and the thick lid 30' is provided to function as an outer lid.

[0073] The lid 3' in this embodiment has a shape that is slightly larger than the opening 2a' in its natural state and has elastic deformability so that it can be pushed into the opening 2a'. While the lid 3 in the first embodiment is configured to cover the upper end portion of the main body peripheral side wall 22 from above with the frame portion 32, the lid 3' in the second embodiment has its outer peripheral portion abutted against the inner peripheral surface 22b of the main body peripheral side wall 22 and is configured to be fixed to the container main body 2' by the elastic restoring force of the lid 3'. Therefore, while the lid 3 in the first embodiment includes the frame portion 32 used to fix the lid main body portion 31 to the container main body 2 separately from the lid main body portion 31 used to close the opening 2a, the lid 3' in the second embodiment has a configuration of only the lid main body portion 31'.

[0074] The lid 3' in this embodiment has a groove portion (hereinafter also referred to as "lid groove portion 315'") at its peripheral edge to exhibit the above-described elastic deformability. The lid groove portion 315' is recessed from above downward and extends in a direction that goes around along the outer peripheral edge of the lid 3', and has a rectangular annular shape in plan view. The lid groove portion 315' is provided in such a form that the resin foam sheet constituting the lid 3' is once bent downward at the outer peripheral portion and then folded back upward on the outside thereof.

[0075] The lid 3' can change (expand and contract) its dimensions in the planar direction to a certain extent by having the lid groove portion 315'. When being pushed into the container main body 2', the lid 3' elastically deforms so that the lid groove portion 315' becomes narrow-width, and the outer wall portion 315a' of the lid groove portion 315' is abutted against the inner peripheral surface 22b' of the main body peripheral side wall 22' by the restoring force against the elastic deformation, and is configured to be locked to the container main body 2' by the frictional force between the inner peripheral surface 22b' and the outer wall portion 315a'. Therefore, the height position of the lid 3' in the container main body 2' can be changed in this embodiment.

[0076] The lid 3' of the present embodiment is formed such that the dimension from the center to the outer peripheral edge is 2 mm to 6 mm larger than the dimension of the opening 2a' at the upper part of the container body 2'. That is, the lid 3' of the present embodiment has an elastic deformability that can be restored to the original shape even when it is reduced by 4 mm or more in the left-right direction or the front-back direction. The lid 3' may be restorable to a reduction of 6 mm or more, or may be restorable to a reduction of 8 mm or more.

[0077] The region inside the lid groove portion 315' of the lid 3' has a dome-shaped bulging portion 311' in the same manner as the lid 3' of the first embodiment. Two recesses 314' that are recessed from above downward are arranged side by side at the center of the lid main body portion 31', and the heat-insulating container 1' of the second embodiment is common to the heat-insulating container 1 of the first embodiment in that the portion between the recesses 314' serves as the gripping portion 34'.

[0078] Since both the lid 3 of the first embodiment and the lid 3' of the second embodiment have a dome shape, for example, when crush ice is placed on the contents after the contents are stored in the container bodies 2 and 2', the effect of gathering the crush ice toward the central portion is exhibited. As a result, the heat-insulating containers 1 and 1' can extend the time until the crush ice completely melts. In particular, since the lid 3' of the second embodiment can freely change the pushing depth to some extent, for example, the position can be lowered until the lower surface abuts against the crush ice, and when the position is further lowered, the stacking height of the crush ice in the dome-shaped portion can be increased.

[0079] The lid 3' of the present embodiment may also be formed with the unevenness illustrated in FIGS. 7C and 7D. In that case, it is possible to prevent the crush ice from scattering from the central portion to the outer peripheral portion by the engagement with the unevenness on the lower surface of the lid 3'.

[0080] In this embodiment, with the lid body 3' fitted inside, a thick lid 30' which is a bead foam molded body can be further fitted. And, since the heat-insulating container 1' of this embodiment is provided with a space between the lid body 3' and the thick lid 30' and both can be attached to the container body 2', a coolant such as crush ice can also be accommodated in this space. In that case, if the lid body 3' is provided with unevenness such as the unevenness illustrated in FIGS. 7C and 7D, it is possible to suppress the movement of the coolant when the heat-insulating container 1' is tilted, and prevent the coolant from solidifying in one place.

[0081] The thick lid 30' in this embodiment has a rectangular shape in plan view similar to that of the container body 2', and includes a ceiling wall 302' and a peripheral side wall (hereinafter also referred to as "thick lid peripheral side wall 303'") that hangs down from the peripheral edge of the ceiling wall 302'. The thickness of the thick lid peripheral side wall 303' in the radial direction is thicker than the thickness of the rib 221'. The thick lid 30' is provided with a thick lid concave groove 301' into which the rib 221' at the upper end of the main body peripheral side wall 22' can enter on the thick lid peripheral side wall 303'. That is, the thick lid concave groove 301' is provided in a form that recesses the lower end surface of the thick lid peripheral side wall 303' upward.

[0082] The thick lid concave groove 301' is recessed upward so that its cross-sectional shape is rectangular. As shown in FIG. 9B, the thick lid concave groove 301' includes a bottom surface 301a' that faces the top surface 221a' of the rib 221' when the rib 221' protrudes, an inner peripheral surface 301b' that hangs down from the inner peripheral edge of the bottom surface 301a, and an outer peripheral surface 301c' that hangs down from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom surface 301a'. The thick lid 30' is formed such that when the rib 221 protrudes into the thick lid concave groove 301' and is engaged with the container body 2' with unevenness, the rib 221' is sandwiched between the inner peripheral surface 31b' and the outer peripheral surface 301c' of the thick lid concave groove 301'.

[0083] The inner peripheral surface 301b' of the thick lid concave groove 301' in this embodiment is the portion that abuts against the inner peripheral surface 221b' of the protruding strip 221' when the thick lid concave groove 301' and the protruding strip 221' are engaged with each other in a concave-convex manner. Further, the outer peripheral surface 301c' of the thick lid concave groove 301' is the portion that abuts against the outer peripheral surface 221c' of the protruding strip 221' when the thick lid concave groove 301' and the protruding strip 221' are engaged with each other in a concave-convex manner. On the other hand, the thick lid concave groove 301' is formed such that even when the protruding strip 221' enters deepest, a slight gap is formed between the top surface 221a' and the bottom surface 301a'. That is, the recess depth of the thick lid concave groove 301' in this embodiment is slightly deeper than the protruding height of the protruding strip 221'.

[0084] The thick lid 30' has a recessed portion 3011' that is recessed in the inner peripheral surface 301b' and can engage with the bulging portion 2211' of the protruding strip 221'.

[0085] The thick lid may be as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B. The thick lid 30” illustrated in these figures has a central portion of the upper surface 30a” raised so as to be higher than the peripheral portion. That is, the ceiling wall 302” of this thick lid 30” has a dome shape similar to the lid body 3' of the second embodiment. The thick lid 30” is common to the thick lid 30' illustrated in FIG. 9A in that it has a thick lid concave groove 301” below a thick lid peripheral side wall 303” that extends downward from the outer peripheral portion of the ceiling wall 302”.

[0086] The ceiling wall 302” of the thick lid 30” shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B has a concave curved surface with the lower surface recessed upward corresponding to the convex curved surface with the upper surface protruding upward. More specifically, a horizontal portion 3021” with a substantially horizontal upper surface is provided at the peripheral portion of the ceiling wall 302”, and a bulging portion 3022” bulging upward is provided inside the horizontal portion 3021”. That is, the bulging portion 3022” of the ceiling wall 302” in this embodiment is surrounded by the horizontal portion 3021”.

[0087] The thick cover 30” of this embodiment has an annular rib (hereinafter also referred to as “annular rib 309a”) that protrudes downward on the lower surface 30b” side and protrudes downward at the central portion of the thick cover 30”. The annular rib 309a” has an annular shape in plan view. The annular rib 309a” is provided on the bulging portion 3022”.

[0088] The thick cover 30” further includes ribs (hereinafter also referred to as “strip-shaped ribs 309b”) that protrude downward on the lower surface 30b” side and extend in a strip shape from each of the four corners of the thick cover 30” toward the central portion of the thick cover 30”. The strip-shaped rib 309b” extends from the horizontal portion 3021” toward the central portion of the thick cover 30” beyond the boundary with the bulging portion 3022”. That is, the strip-shaped rib 309b” is provided so as to straddle the horizontal portion 3021” and the bulging portion 3022”. The end portion on the central side of the strip-shaped rib 309b” is connected to the annular rib 309a”.

[0089] The annular rib 309a” and the strip-shaped rib 309b” in this embodiment have a width of 20 mm or more and a protruding height of 1 mm or more. The width of the annular rib 309a” and the strip-shaped rib 309b” may be 30 mm or more. The protruding height of the annular rib 309a” and the strip-shaped rib 309b” may be 2 mm or more.

[0090] In this embodiment, by having such ribs, high strength is exhibited, so the thickness of the thick cover 30” can be reduced. Moreover, in the thick cover 30” shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, by having the bulging portion 3022”, the load applied to the upper surface side can be dispersed toward the peripheral portion, and the combined effect with the ribs enables further thinning. Incidentally, the thinning effect by providing the ribs can also be exhibited in the flat plate-shaped thick cover 30’ as shown in FIG. 9A.

[0091] In this embodiment, as described above, the lid 3' has a bulging portion 311'. And the lid 3' is formed such that the central portion is at the highest position in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the strip-shaped rib 309a" does not reach the center of the thick lid 30", and the center of the thick lid 30" is located inside the annular rib 309a" and is recessed more than the annular rib 309a". Therefore, in this embodiment, it is difficult for the lower surface 30b" of the thick lid 30" and the upper surface 3a' of the lid 3' to interfere with each other. As a result, the heat-insulating containers 1 and 1' of this embodiment can ensure a wide volume capable of accommodating the contents while making the overall shape compact.

[0092] As described above, the heat-insulating containers 1 and 1' have the lids 3 and 3' as described above, so they are excellent in heat insulation, and moreover, since they can hold crush ice well, even if the volume is reduced and the capacity of crush ice is decreased, they can exhibit the same heat-insulating performance as the conventional ones. Further, the lids 3 and 3' of this embodiment can form a highly airtight closed space in the container main bodies 2 and 2'. Therefore, even when a refrigerant such as dry ice is used, it is difficult for cold air to leak to the outside, and excellent heat-insulating performance can be exhibited in the heat-insulating containers 1 and 1'. Incidentally, the heat-insulating containers 1 and 1' can be used not only for the purpose of cold storage but also for the purpose of keeping warm contents warm.

[0093] Here, although detailed description will not be repeated any further, the heat-insulating containers and the packaging structures are not particularly limited to the above examples, and various modifications can be made. That is, the present invention is not limited to the above examples at all.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0094] 1, 1': Heat-insulating containers, 2, 2': Container main bodies, 2a, 2a': Openings, 3, 3': Lids 21: Bottom wall, 22: Main body peripheral side wall, 221: Ridge 31: Lid main body portion, 32: Frame portion, 321: Lid concave groove, 322: Rectangular rib portion, 323: Flange portion, 34: Gripping portion 100: Packaging structure, 110: Container assembly, 111: Container row

Claims

A packaging structure comprising an assembly of a plurality of heat-insulating containers grouped together, wherein: each heat-insulating container includes a container body having an opening at the upper part, and a lid fitted to the container body to close the opening; the container body is a bead foam molded body; in the container assembly, a plurality of rows each composed of a plurality of the heat-insulating containers arranged in the front-back, left-right directions are stacked in multiple stages, and the container body and the lid are alternately arranged from bottom to top; the lid fitted to at least a part of the container body disposed below the container body in the uppermost stage is a sheet molded body made of a resin foam sheet, and a thick lid which is a bead foam molded body thicker than the sheet molded body is fitted to the container body in the uppermost stage. A packaging structure.

2. The heat-insulating container, wherein: the container body has a bottom wall and a peripheral side wall extending upward from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall and defining the opening at the upper end; the lid which is the sheet molded body is configured to be abutted against the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral side wall so as to be fitted to the container body. The packaging structure according to Claim 1.

3. a rib protruding upward is provided at the upper end of the peripheral side wall; a concave groove capable of engaging with the rib in a concave-convex manner is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the lid. The packaging structure according to Claim 2.

4. the rib is provided with a bulging portion bulging inward or outward at least in one direction in the height direction. The packaging structure according to Claim 3.

5. the outer peripheral surface of the rib is a vertical surface; the bulging portion is provided on the inner peripheral surface side of the rib. The packaging structure according to Claim 4.

6. a plurality of concave portions or a plurality of convex portions are formed on the upper surface side of the bottom wall of the container body. The packaging structure according to any one of Claims 2 to 5.

7. a plurality of concave portions or a plurality of convex portions are formed on the lower surface side of the bottom wall of the container body. The packaging structure according to any one of Claims 2 to 6.

8. The lid which is the sheet molded body has a plurality of concave portions or a plurality of convex portions formed on the upper surface side. The packaging structure according to any one of Claims 1 to 7.

9. The lid which is the sheet molded body has a dome shape. The packaging structure according to any one of Claims 1 to 8.

10. The packaging structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the lid, which is the sheet molded body, is provided with a gripping portion formed so as to be grippable from the upper surface side.

11. The heat-insulating container is configured such that the lid, which is the sheet molded body, can be fitted inside the container body, and the thick lid can be fitted onto the container body in which the lid is fitted inside, and the lid and the thick lid are configured to be able to doubly close the opening of the container body. The packaging structure according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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