Beverage containers

Abstract

This beverage container according to this invention comprises a bottom wall part and a side wall part that extends upward from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall part. As a result of the outer diameter of the bottom wall part being formed smaller than the outer diameter of the side wall part, a ring-shaped step section is formed on the lower end of the side wall part. Multiple recesses and protrusions that alternate in the circumferential direction are formed on the step section. The width of the step section is formed to be larger than the width of the upper end of the side wall part at least at the portions where the recesses are formed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a container for beverages.

Background Art

[0002] For example, after being used, containers for beverages such as hot water only or cups are washed by a high-temperature washing machine and then may be stacked and stored (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when a plurality of beverage containers are stacked, the upper openings of the containers are blocked, so the internal space of the containers becomes airtight. Therefore, the smell of washing may remain, or the water vapor remaining in the internal space may appear as water droplets after being cooled. The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and for example, an object thereof is to provide a beverage container that can suppress the remaining of odor or the adhesion of water droplets even when stacked after washing.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The beverage container according to the present invention includes a bottom wall portion and a side wall portion extending upward from the periphery of the bottom wall portion, and the outer diameter of the bottom wall portion is formed smaller than the outer diameter of the side wall portion, so that an annular step portion is formed at the lower end of the side wall portion, and a plurality of concave portions and convex portions arranged alternately in the circumferential direction are formed in the step portion, and at least where the concave portions are formed, the width of the step portion is formed larger than the width of the upper end of the side wall portion.

[0006] In the beverage container described above, the width of the stepped portion at the location where the protrusion is formed can be made approximately the same as the width of the upper end of the side wall.

[0007] In the beverage container described above, a recess can be formed on the lower surface of the bottom wall, and a groove can be formed in the location where the recess is formed, connecting the outer circumferential surface of the bottom wall with the recess.

[0008] The beverage container described above may further include an annular basin extending downward from the lower surface of the bottom wall and having an outer diameter smaller than that of the bottom wall.

[0009] The beverage container described above may further include an annular base extending downward from the lower surface of the bottom wall and having an outer diameter smaller than that of the bottom wall, and a gap continuous with the groove may be formed in the base at a location corresponding to the groove.

[0010] In the beverage container described above, the recess and the protrusion can be formed in a continuous wave shape when viewed from the side. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, even when stacked after washing, it is possible to suppress the lingering odor and the adhesion of water droplets. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of one embodiment in which the beverage container according to the present invention is applied to a teacup. [Figure 2] This is a side view of Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a plan view of Figure 1. [Figure 4] This is a bottom view of Figure 1. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 3. [Figure 6] This is a side view of two teacups stacked on top of each other, as shown in Figure 1. [Figure 7]It is a cross-sectional view in which two hot drink containers of FIG. 1 are stacked. [Figure 8] It is a view of the upper hot drink of FIG. 6 as seen from below. [Figure 9] It is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the beverage container according to the present invention. [Figure 10] It is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the beverage container according to the present invention. [Figure 11] It is a side view showing another example of the concave and convex portions.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the beverage container according to the present invention is applied to a hot drink will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] <1. Structure of Hot Drink> FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hot drink according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a bottom view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 3. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the hot drink according to the present embodiment includes a disc-shaped bottom wall portion 1, a cylindrical side wall portion 2 extending upward from the periphery of the bottom wall portion 1, and an annular raised platform 3 extending downward from the lower surface of the bottom wall portion 1, and these are integrally formed. And a beverage such as tea accumulates in the internal space 100 surrounded by the bottom wall portion 1 and the side wall portion 2. The material forming this hot drink is not particularly limited, but for example, it can be formed of a resin material, pottery, metal, glass, or the like.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the outer diameter of the bottom wall portion 1 is smaller than the outer diameter of the side wall portion 2, and thereby an annular step portion 21 facing downward is formed at the lower end of the side wall portion 2. The step portion 21 is formed by concave portions 211 and convex portions 212 arranged alternately in the circumferential direction. In the present embodiment, three concave portions 211 and three convex portions 212 are arranged alternately. The concave portions 211 and the convex portions 212 are formed so as to have a continuous waveform in side view. Therefore, the concave portion 211 is formed in an upwardly convex arc shape, and the convex portion 212 is formed in a downwardly convex arc shape. [[ID=३१]]

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a circular depression 11 is formed on the lower surface of the bottom wall portion 1, and the raised platform 3 extends downward from the outer periphery of the depression 11. That is, the inner peripheral surface of the raised platform 3 coincides with the inner peripheral surface of the depression 11. Also, the outer diameter of the raised platform 3 is smaller than the outer diameter of the bottom wall portion 1.

[0017] In addition, in the bottom wall portion 1, grooves 12 extending in the radial direction are formed at locations corresponding to the concave portions 211, and the depression 11 and the outer peripheral surface of the bottom wall portion 1 communicate with each other through the respective grooves 12. Each groove 12 is formed in an arc shape in a side view, and as shown in FIG. 5, the depth of the groove 12 is the same as the depth of the depression 11.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 4, the radial width of the stepped portion 21 is larger at the location where the concave portion 211 is formed and smaller at the location where the convex portion 212 is formed. Specifically, the width a of the stepped portion at the location where the concave portion 211 is formed is larger than the width c of the upper end portion of the side wall portion 2. On the other hand, the width b of the stepped portion 21 at the location where the convex portion 212 is formed is smaller than the width a and is the same as or slightly larger than the width c (for example, 0.1 to 0.5 mm larger by 1 mm or less). And the width of the stepped portion 21 is formed so as to change smoothly between the widest portion 211 and the narrowest portion 212.

[0019] <2. Method of using the hot drink container> The hot drink container as described above is collected after use and washed by spraying high-temperature washing water with a washing device. After that, a plurality of hot drink containers are stacked and stored. FIGS. 6 and 7 show an example in which two hot drink containers are stacked. Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the lower hot drink container will be referred to as the first hot drink container 10A, and the upper hot drink container will be referred to as the second hot drink container 10B.

[0020] To stack the two teacups 10A and 10B, the upper end of the side wall of the first teacup 10A should be in contact with the stepped portion 21 of the second teacup 10B. Figure 8 is a view of the stacked second teacup from below. As described above, the width a of the stepped portion 21 where the recess 211 is formed is wide, so a gap X is formed between the inner circumferential surface of the upper end (hatched portion) of the side wall 2 of the first teacup 10A and the outer circumferential surface of the bottom wall 1 of the second teacup 10B, as shown in Figure 8. On the other hand, the width b of the stepped portion 21 where the convex portion 212 is formed is approximately the same as the width c of the upper end of the side wall 2 of the first teacup 10A, so there is almost no gap between the inner circumferential surface of the upper end (hatched portion) of the side wall 2 of the first teacup 10A and the outer circumferential surface of the bottom wall 1 of the second teacup 10B.

[0021] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, since the stepped portion 21 has a recess 211 and a protrusion 212, the protrusion 212 of the second teacup 10B is in contact with the upper end of the side wall portion 2 of the first teacup 10A, and a gap Y is formed between the upper end of the side wall portion 2 of the first teacup 10A and the recess 211 of the second teacup 10B.

[0022] Therefore, as shown in Figure 7, when the two teacups 10A and 10B are stacked, the internal space 100 of the first teacup 10A communicates with the outside through gaps X, Y, groove 12, and gap 31, and the air in the internal space 100 can be discharged to the outside.

[0023] <3. Features> As described above, the teacup according to this embodiment can provide the following effects.

[0024] (1) As shown in Figure 7, the internal space 100 of the first teacup 10A is in communication with the outside through gaps X, Y, groove 12, and gap 31, and air can circulate. Therefore, even if the upper opening of the first teacup 10A is blocked by the second teacup 10B after washing, it is possible to prevent odors from remaining in the first teacup 10A or water droplets from adhering due to residual water vapor.

[0025] (2) The recessed portion 211 and the convex portion 212 of the stepped portion 21 are formed in a continuous wave shape when viewed from the side, which enhances the design. Also, as shown in Figure 6, the convex portion 212 of the second teacup 10B and the upper end of the side wall portion of the first teacup 10A are in point contact when viewed from the side, which allows the gap between the recessed portion 211 and the upper end of the side wall portion 2 to be made larger. As a result, air can be easily circulated between the internal space of the first teacup and the outside.

[0026] <4. Variation> Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. The following modifications can be combined as appropriate.

[0027] (1) In the above embodiment, a base 3 is provided on the lower surface of the bottom wall 1, but the base 3 is not necessarily required. For example, as shown in Figure 9, the base may not be provided. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, the bottom wall 1 may not have a recess. Even in this case, the gaps X and Y described above are formed, so even if multiple teacups are stacked, the internal space 100 of the teacups can be connected to the outside. The shape and height of the base 3 are not particularly limited and do not have to be ring-shaped.

[0028] (2) In the above embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, the width of the stepped portion 21 is wider where the recess 211 is formed and narrower where the convex portion 212 is formed. However, in order to form a path leading to the internal space 100, it is sufficient that the width of the stepped portion 21 is greater than the width of the upper end of the side wall portion 2 at least where the recess 211 is formed. For example, the width of the stepped portion 21 can be made wider than the width of the upper end of the side wall portion 2 throughout. However, as in the above embodiment, if the width b of the area where the convex portion 212 is formed is made approximately the same as the width c of the upper end of the side wall portion 2, the upper end of the side wall portion 2 and the outer circumferential surface of the bottom wall portion 1 will face each other with only a small gap, thus preventing them from shifting.

[0029] (3) The number, depth, and width of the grooves 12 in the bottom wall portion 1 are not particularly limited, as long as the outer surface of the bottom wall portion 1 and the recessed portion 11 are in communication.

[0030] (4) The recesses 211 and protrusions 212 of the stepped portion 21 do not have to be wavy in side view, and their shapes are not particularly limited. For example, as shown in Figure 11, the recesses 211 and protrusions 212 may be formed in a rectangular shape in side view, as long as the recesses 211 form a gap between the upper and lower teacups that leads to the internal space 100. Therefore, the number of recesses 211 and protrusions 212 is not particularly limited, and there may be multiple of each.

[0031] (5) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the beverage container of the present invention was applied to a teacup. However, it can also be used as a drinking cup, and for that purpose, the material of the container, the outer diameter, height, and thickness of the side wall portion 2, and the outer diameter and thickness of the bottom wall portion 1 can be changed as appropriate. In addition, the bottom wall portion 1 and the side wall portion 2 may be polygonal in shape other than cylindrical. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1. Bottom wall section 11 Recessed area 12 grooves 2 Side wall section 21 Step section 211 Recess 212 Convex part 3. Hill 31 gaps

Claims

1. The bottom wall and, A side wall portion extending upward from the periphery of the bottom wall portion, Equipped with, The outer diameter of the bottom wall portion is formed to be smaller than the outer diameter of the side wall portion, so that an annular step portion is formed at the lower end of the side wall portion. The stepped portion has multiple recesses and protrusions arranged alternately in the circumferential direction and formed in the vertical direction. At least in the area where the recess is formed, the width of the stepped portion is formed to be greater than the width of the upper end of the side wall portion. A beverage container in which, at the location where the protrusion is formed, the width of the stepped portion is approximately the same as the width of the upper end of the side wall portion.

2. A recess is formed on the lower surface of the bottom wall portion. A beverage container according to claim 1, wherein a groove is formed in the location where the recess is formed, connecting the outer circumferential surface of the bottom wall and the recess.

3. The beverage container according to claim 1, further comprising an annular basin extending downward from the lower surface of the bottom wall and having an outer diameter smaller than that of the bottom wall.

4. The following further comprises an annular raised platform extending downward from the lower surface of the bottom wall and having an outer diameter smaller than that of the bottom wall: The beverage container according to claim 2, wherein the raised base has a gap formed in a location corresponding to the groove, and the gap is continuous with the groove.

5. The beverage container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the recess and the protrusion are formed in a continuous wave shape when viewed from the side.

Images