Packaging containers

Abstract

To provide a packaging container with improved stackability.SOLUTION: A packaging container 100 includes a bottom surface 110 where food can be placed. At the bottom surface 110, leg parts 140 are provided protruding downward from the bottom surface 110. Inside the leg part 140, a groove part 143 is provided in which part of the leg part 140 of another packaging container 100 can be inserted. Inside the groove part 143, a protrusion part 144 protruding inward is provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a packaging container. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Packaging containers for storing food such as sushi have been used in supermarkets, convenience stores, and the like.

[0003] In this packaging container, food such as sushi is placed on the bottom surface and stored therein, and the legs protruding downward from the bottom surface allow for stable display and storage. The packaging containers of Patent Documents 1 and 2 have narrow leg grooves, which make it difficult for food (especially small items such as sushi rice) placed on the bottom surface to get caught in them, allowing for a large amount of food to be placed close to the edge of the bottom surface. However, narrow leg grooves make it difficult for the legs of an upper packaging container to fit into the leg grooves of a lower packaging container when stacked, resulting in a high stacked height. Furthermore, even if the legs of an upper packaging container can be forced into the leg grooves of a lower packaging container, it is difficult to remove the stacked packaging containers. Thus, conventional packaging containers have had problems with reduced stackability, such as a high stacked height and difficulty in removing stacked packaging containers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Jitsukou 01-44415 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2011-219154 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a packaging container with improved stackability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the packaging container according to claim 1 of the present invention is a packaging container having a bottom surface on which food can be placed, characterized in that the bottom surface is provided with legs that protrude downward from the bottom surface, the inside of the legs is provided with grooves into which part of the legs of another packaging container can be inserted, and the inside of the grooves is provided with protrusions that protrude inward.

[0007] According to the above feature, the legs of the upper packaging container overlap the legs of the lower packaging container, thereby reducing the stacking height of the packaging containers. Furthermore, the upper legs abut the protruding portions of the grooves of the lower legs, preventing the upper legs from being inserted further into the grooves of the lower legs. Therefore, the upper legs do not penetrate too deeply into the lower legs, making it easier for the upper legs to slide upward from the lower legs. As a result, the upper packaging container is easily removed from the lower packaging container. Thus, the packaging containers of the present invention can reduce the stacking height while also facilitating removal, thereby improving stackability.

[0008] Furthermore, in the packaging container according to claim 2 of the present invention, auxiliary legs are provided around the entire circumference of the bottom surface, protruding downward from the bottom surface, the auxiliary legs are continuous with the lower parts of the legs, and the width of the auxiliary legs is narrower than the width of the legs.

[0009] According to the above features, food (especially small items such as sushi rice) placed on the bottom surface is less likely to get caught in the auxiliary legs, allowing food to be served up close to the periphery of the bottom surface or the side walls. Furthermore, the auxiliary legs are continuous with the lower parts of the legs, so the legs can be reinforced. Furthermore, the auxiliary legs are provided around the entire circumference of the packaging container, so the rigidity of the bottom surface is increased, preventing the packaging container from twisting and preventing the served food from collapsing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The packaging container of the present invention has improved stackability. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1A is a plan view of a packaging container according to the present invention, FIG. 1B is a front view of the packaging container, and FIG. 1C is a side view of the packaging container. [Figure 2] (a) is an enlarged front view of the vicinity of the corner of the packaging container, (b) is an A-A end view, and (c) is a B-B end view. [Figure 3] FIG. 2(a) is a front view of the packaging containers stacked on top of each other, and FIG. 2(b) is a side view of the packaging containers stacked on top of each other. [Figure 4] (a) is an enlarged front view of the vicinity of the corner portion when the packaging containers are stacked, (b) is a CC end view, and (c) is a DD end view. [Explanation of symbols]

[0012] 100 Packaging containers 110 bottom 140 Legs 143 Groove 144 Protrusion DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, "upward" refers to a direction that faces upward in the vertical direction when the packaging container is placed on a horizontal surface with its opening facing up, and "downward" refers to a direction that faces downward in the vertical direction.

[0014] First, Figures 1 and 2 show a packaging container 100 of the present invention. Figure 1(a) is a plan view of the packaging container 100, Figure 1(b) is a front view of the packaging container 100, Figure 1(c) is a side view of the packaging container 100, Figure 2(a) is an enlarged front view of the vicinity of a corner portion 101 of the packaging container 100, Figure 2(b) is an A-A end view, and Figure 2(c) is a B-B end view.

[0015] 1, the packaging container 100 has a shallow dish shape that opens upward, and includes a flat bottom surface 110 that is generally rectangular in plan view, a side wall 120 that is formed to rise from an outer periphery 111 of the bottom surface 110, and a flange portion 130 at the upper end of the side wall 120. The side wall 120 and the flange portion 130 are provided continuously around the entire periphery of the packaging container 100 in the circumferential direction.

[0016] Furthermore, at each corner 101 of the bottom surface 110, a leg portion 140 is provided that protrudes downward from the outer periphery 111 of the bottom surface 110. As shown in FIG. 2(c), the leg portion 140 includes an inner wall 141 and an outer wall 142, which are inclined downward so as to approach each other. The inner side of the leg portion 140 forms a groove portion 143 sandwiched between the inner wall 141 and the outer wall 142. As will be described later, this groove portion 143 is sized so that the leg portion 140 of an upper stacked packaging container 100 can be inserted into the groove portion 143 when the packaging containers 100 are stacked. Furthermore, since the leg portion 140 has a tapered shape that narrows toward the tip, the leg portion 140 of an upper stacked packaging container 100 can be easily inserted into the groove portion 143 of the lower packaging container 100. Furthermore, a protrusion 144 that protrudes inward is provided inside the groove portion 143. The protrusions 144 protrude inward from the lower sides of the inner wall 141 and the outer wall 142. Note that, although the protrusions 144 are provided on the inner wall 141 and the outer wall 142, the present invention is not limited thereto and the protrusions 144 may be provided on only one of the inner wall 141 or the outer wall 142.

[0017] Furthermore, auxiliary legs 150 are provided continuously around the outer periphery 111 of the bottom surface 110, that is, around the entire periphery of the bottom surface 110. The auxiliary legs 150 protrude downward from the outer periphery 111 of the bottom surface 110. As shown in FIG. 2(b), the auxiliary legs 150 include an inner wall 151 and an outer wall 152, which are parallel to each other and connected by a bottom wall 154. Furthermore, the inside of the auxiliary legs 150 forms a groove 153 sandwiched between the inner wall 151 and the outer wall 152. The auxiliary legs 150 extend along the outer periphery 111 of the bottom surface 110 toward the corner portions 101 on both sides, and are continuous with the lower portions of the legs 140 at the corner portions 101. At corner portion 101, auxiliary leg portion 150 is disposed below leg portion 140, and groove portion 143 of leg portion 140 and groove portion 153 of auxiliary leg portion 150 communicate with each other. Furthermore, bottom wall 154 of auxiliary leg portion 150 is placed on the installation surface of packaging container 100, allowing packaging container 100 to be stably displayed or stored.

[0018] Furthermore, the width L1 of the auxiliary leg portions 150 is narrower than the width L2 of the leg portions 140. Therefore, food (especially small items such as sushi rice) placed on the bottom surface 110 is less likely to get caught in the auxiliary leg portions 150, and food can be served up close to the outer periphery 111 of the bottom surface 110 or the side walls 120. Furthermore, the auxiliary leg portions 150 are continuous with the lower portions of the legs 140, thereby reinforcing the legs 140. Furthermore, the auxiliary leg portions 150 are provided around the entire periphery of the packaging container 100, thereby increasing the rigidity of the bottom surface 110 and preventing the packaging container 100 from twisting, thereby preventing the served food from collapsing. Furthermore, the auxiliary leg portions 150 extend along the central edge located between the corner portions 101 and are continuous with the lower portions of the legs 140 at the corner portions 101. Therefore, auxiliary legs 150 transmit the load caused by the weight of food or the like concentrated on bottom surface 110 (particularly the center) to legs 140 of corner portion 101, and can effectively distribute the load from legs 140 to the installation surface.

[0019] The width L1 of the auxiliary leg 150 is the maximum width between the inner wall 151 and the outer wall 152 in the groove 153. Similarly, the width L2 of the leg 140 is the maximum width between the inner wall 141 and the outer wall 142 in the groove 143. The inner wall 151 and the outer wall 152 of the auxiliary leg 150 are parallel to each other, but this is not a limitation. The inner wall 151 and the outer wall 152 may be inclined downward so as to approach each other. The protruding portion 144 of the leg 140 is stepped, but this is not a limitation. As long as the protruding portion 144 protrudes inward and can abut against another leg 140, the protruding portion 144 may have any shape, such as a gently curved surface. The auxiliary leg 150 is continuous with the lower side of the leg 140, but this is not a limitation. The auxiliary leg 150 may not be provided below the leg 140.

[0020] The packaging container 100 is formed by sheet molding (e.g., vacuum forming, pressure forming, hot plate forming) using a sheet-like material having a thickness of approximately 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm. For example, the packaging container 100 can be made of polystyrene, polypropylene, A-PET, polylactic acid, biaxially oriented versions of these, paper, metal, etc. A lid can be optionally fitted onto the packaging container 100 to seal it. Although the packaging container 100 is generally rectangular in plan view, it is not limited to this and may have any shape.

[0021] Next, an aspect in which the packaging containers 100 are stacked will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3(a) is a front view of the packaging containers 100 stacked, Figure 3(b) is a side view of the packaging containers 100 stacked, Figure 4(a) is an enlarged front view of the vicinity of the corner portion 101 of the packaging containers 100 stacked, Figure 4(b) is a CC end view, and Figure 4(c) is a DD end view.

[0022] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, multiple packaging containers 100 can be stacked vertically during storage, etc. When the packaging containers 100 are stacked vertically, the leg 140 of the upper packaging container 100 overlaps the leg 140 of the lower packaging container 100, thereby reducing the stacked height of the packaging containers 100. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4(c), the leg 140 of the upper packaging container 100 is inserted into the groove 143 of the leg 140 of the lower packaging container 100. At this time, the lower wall 154, which is the lower end of the upper leg 140, abuts against the protrusion 144 of the groove 143 of the lower packaging container 100, preventing the upper leg 140 from being inserted further into the groove 143 of the lower leg 140. Therefore, the upper leg 140 does not penetrate deeply into the lower leg 140, and the upper leg 140 can easily be removed upward from the lower leg 140. As a result, the upper packaging container 100 can be easily removed from the lower packaging container 100. In this way, the packaging container 100 of the present invention can be easily removed while keeping the height low when stacked, thereby improving stackability.

[0023] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4(b), a portion of the lower side of the inner wall 151 of the auxiliary leg 150 of the upper packaging container 100 contacts a portion of the upper side of the inner wall 151 of the auxiliary leg 150 of the lower packaging container 100, thereby preventing the stacked packaging containers 100 from shifting sideways and further improving stackability.

[0024] It should be noted that the lower wall 154, which is the lower end of the upper leg 140, abuts against the protruding portion 144 of the groove 143 of the lower packaging container 100, but is not limited to this. For example, as long as the upper leg 140 does not enter the groove 143 of the lower leg 140 deeply, any point of the upper leg 140 may abut against and be supported by the protruding portion 144 of the lower groove 143.

[0025] The packaging container of the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various modifications and combinations are possible within the scope of the claims and the scope of the embodiments, and these modifications and combinations are also included in the scope of rights.

Claims

1. A packaging container having a bottom surface on which food can be placed, The bottom surface is provided with legs that protrude downward from the bottom surface, A groove into which a part of a leg of another packaging container can be inserted is provided on the inner side of the leg, A packaging container characterized in that a protrusion that protrudes inward is provided inside the groove.

2. Auxiliary legs are provided around the entire periphery of the bottom surface, protruding downward from the bottom surface; the auxiliary leg portion is continuous with a lower portion of the leg portion, 2. The packaging container according to claim 1, wherein the width of the auxiliary leg portion is narrower than the width of the leg portion.

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