JP7523222B2 - Containers and food packaging - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to containers and food packaging.

Conventionally, containers that store multiple types of food are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a container that includes two storage sections, one for rice and one for side dishes, and that can store multiple types of side dishes in the storage section for side dishes.

JP 2016-34839 A

When multiple types of food are stored in one storage area, liquid released from one food may transfer to other foods.

One aspect of the present invention provides a container and food packaging that can effectively solve these problems.

One aspect of the present invention is a container having multiple storage compartments, each of which has a wall, a bottom, and an upper opening facing the bottom, and at least one of the storage compartments has a partition member that protrudes from the bottom toward the upper opening and divides the bottom into multiple compartments.

The maximum height of the partition member as viewed from the lowest surface of the bottom on the storage side may be 2 to 20% of the height from the lowest surface of the bottom on the storage side to the upper opening, which is 100%.

The partition member is integrally formed with the bottom, has a lower opening that opens in the opposite direction to the upper opening, and may be hollow inside.

The partition member may be formed to be joined to the wall at multiple locations, or the partition member may be integrally formed with the wall at multiple locations.

The center of the bottom may be formed to protrude further toward the upper opening than the periphery of the bottom.

At least a portion of the periphery of the bottom may be formed with a liquid reservoir portion in which liquid can accumulate.

Another aspect of the present invention is a food package comprising a container having multiple storage sections and food stored in the storage sections, each storage section having a wall, a bottom, and an upper opening facing the bottom, at least one storage section having a partition member that protrudes from the bottom toward the upper opening and divides the bottom into multiple compartments, at least one storage section contains multiple types of food, and one type of food is stored across at least two or more compartments.

The food may be frozen.

According to the present invention, when multiple types of food are stored in one storage section, it is possible to prevent liquid released from one food from transferring to another food.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the container. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the container. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a food package.

Below, typical embodiments of the present invention are illustrated with reference to the drawings. The size and scale of the elements shown in each drawing do not necessarily correspond to the actual product, and do not necessarily correspond between drawings, for the sake of convenience of illustration and understanding.

With reference to Figures 1 to 3, an overview of a container 1 according to one embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the container 1 as viewed from the top opening side. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the container 1 of Figure 1 as viewed from the bottom side. Figure 3 is a plan view showing the container 1 of Figure 1 as viewed from the bottom side. The container 1 has a plurality of storage sections 10 (three in the illustrated example), which are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the container 1 (first direction d1). Each storage section 10 has a bottom 11 and a wall 12 standing up from the outer periphery of the bottom 11. Each storage section 10 also has an upper opening 13 facing the bottom 11, with the upper end of the wall 12 as the opening edge. Food (contents) is stored in the storage space inside the storage section 10, which is partitioned by the bottom 11 and the wall 12. Food is stored in the storage space and removed from the storage space through the upper opening 13.

The "food" referred to here usually refers to an item of a dish, and may be a food containing only a single ingredient (e.g., "vegetables" or "hot vegetables"), or may be a food containing multiple ingredients (e.g., "potato salad" or "stir-fried vegetables"). There is no limit to the foods that can be stored in the container 1 of this embodiment, but it is particularly suitable for storing foods that may release liquid. As an example, the container 1 of this embodiment is suitable for storing foods that are suppressed from releasing liquid during distribution but release liquid during cooking such as heating (e.g., frozen foods, refrigerated foods, or room temperature foods). An example of such a food is a frozen food that is frozen during distribution but releases liquid when heated and thawed.

The bottom 11 has a generally rectangular shape including sides extending in a first direction d1 and sides extending in a second direction d2 perpendicular to the first direction d1. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the orientation of terms such as "side wall," "upper portion," "upper end," "lower surface," "lower," and "horizontal" is based on the state in which the container 1 is placed so that the bottom 11 of the storage section 10 is located on the lower side.

As shown in FIG. 1, the connection portion 21 is connected to the upper end of the wall 12 so as to surround the upper opening 13 of each storage section 10, and the walls 12 of adjacent storage sections 10 are connected via the connection portion 21. Although not shown, the walls 12 of adjacent storage sections 10 may be directly connected to each other at the upper end without the connection portion 21 being interposed therebetween.

As shown in FIG. 1, the container 1 further includes a side wall portion 22 that rises from the outer periphery of the connection portion 21, and a flange portion 23 provided at the upper end of the side wall portion 22. The flange portion 23 is formed to protrude horizontally outward from the upper end of the side wall portion 22. The flange portion 23 functions as a gripping portion when the container 1 is held with the fingers, and also functions as a mooring support portion to which the lid is removably attached when the container 1 is closed using a lid.

The multiple storage sections 10, the connection section 21, the side wall section 22 and the flange section 23 are integrally formed. There are no particular limitations on the material of the container 1, so long as it can prevent moisture in the food from leaking out to the outside. For example, it is preferable that the container 1 is made of a material that is poorly permeable to liquids or impermeable to liquids, and/or has heat resistance that can withstand heating processes such as microwave heating. For example, various synthetic resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene can be used as the material of the container 1.

At least one storage section 10 has a partition member 14 that divides the bottom 11 into a plurality of compartments. In the illustrated example, two storage sections 10 located at both ends of the three storage sections 10 have partition members 14 (see FIG. 1). The partition member 14 protrudes from the bottom 11 toward the upper opening 13. The illustrated partition member 14 includes a first portion 141 extending in the first direction d1 and a second portion 142 extending in the second direction d2, and has a cross shape that divides the bottom 11 into four compartments. The shape of the partition member 14 is not limited to the illustrated example. The partition member 14 may have a shape (for example, a linear shape) that divides the bottom 11 into two compartments, or a shape (Y-shape) that divides the bottom 11 into three compartments. The partition member 14 is conceptually separate from the bottom 11.

The effect of the partition member 14 will be explained.

When multiple types of food are stored in one storage section, it is possible that liquid released from one food will transfer to the other foods. In this case, the liquid released from one food will first move to the bottom of the storage section due to gravity, and then transfer along the bottom to the other foods. For example, if frozen cooked rice and frozen side dishes are stored in one storage section, there is a risk that liquid that seeps out from the side dishes will adhere to the cooked rice when the foods are thawed in a microwave oven or the like, causing consumer dissatisfaction.

In order to prevent the transfer of liquid released from one food to other foods, it is possible to provide an independent storage section for each food, as in the containers of lunch boxes sold at convenience stores. However, in this case, the number and capacity of storage sections corresponding to the type and amount of food are provided, making it difficult to change the type and amount of food stored in the container. There are also cases where a container is required to store small amounts of many different types of food in a compact manner, such as containers for storing many types of low-calorie foods for women. If a storage section is provided for each food when storing many types of food in a container like this, the structure of the container will become complex. Furthermore, even if the storage space of one storage section is divided by a balance, it is difficult to prevent liquid released from one food from transferring along the bottom of the storage section to other foods.

On the other hand, with the container 1 according to this embodiment, liquid released from food contained in the storage section 10 is unlikely to cross the partition member 14 and move between the compartments. Therefore, even when multiple types of food are stored in one storage section 10, liquid released from food placed in one compartment can be prevented from migrating to food placed in another compartment.

Furthermore, by providing the partitioning member 14, even if the total volume of the storage space of the container 1 is small, many types of food can be stored in the container 1 without providing many independent small storage sections 10. In this way, the partitioning member 14 is more useful when the volume of the storage space of the container 1 is limited and many types of food need to be stored in the container 1. The total volume of the storage space of the container 1 is usually about 200 to 700 ml, and may be, for example, about 300 to 600 ml. Here, the "total volume of the storage space of the container 1" is the total volume of the storage space of the multiple storage sections 10 of the container 1, and the volume of the storage space of each storage section 10 is the volume of the part surrounded by the bottom 11, the wall 12, and an imaginary plane passing through the position of the upper opening 13.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the container 1 taken along line IV-IV in Figure 3. Of the surfaces of the bottom 11 on the side where food is stored (the upper surface in Figure 4), the surface located at the lowest position is also referred to as the storage-side lowest surface 11a. The maximum height h1 of the partition member 14 as viewed from the storage-side lowest surface 11a is lower than the height h2 from the storage-side lowest surface 11a to the upper opening 13 (i.e., the upper end of the wall 12). This allows different foods to be stored in different compartments in one storage section 10, or one type of food to be stored across two or more compartments, allowing for flexible food layout in each storage section 10.

The maximum height h1 of the partition member 14 is preferably 2-20% of the height h2 of the upper opening 13, and may be, for example, 4-15%, assuming that the height h2 of the upper opening 13 is 100%. The maximum height h1 of the partition member 14 is preferably 0.8-8.0 mm, and may be, for example, 1.6-6.0 mm. By setting the maximum height h1 as described above, when one type of food is stored across two or more compartments, the portion of the food that is placed on the partition member 14 is prevented from rising due to the partition member 14, which would result in the food looking bad. This makes it possible to maintain a good appearance of the food layout while making it difficult for liquid to move from one compartment to another.

The partition member 14 is formed integrally with the bottom 11 and the wall 12. As shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the partition member 14 has a lower opening 14b that opens toward the opposite side to the upper opening 13, and the interior of the partition member 14 is a cavity 14a. The cavity 14a is open to the outside via the lower opening 14b.

By providing the cavity 14a and the lower opening 14b, when the food contained in the container 1 is heated, warm air containing water vapor and the like will enter the cavity 14a of the partitioning member 14, and the food is expected to be heated from below as well. Therefore, for example, when heating food using a microwave oven, the food is heated directly by the microwaves and also by the warm air that has entered the cavity 14a of the partitioning member 14. In particular, by providing the cavity 14a of the partitioning member 14 in a cross shape, the surface area with which the warm air comes into contact with the food and the volume through which the warm air enters the cavity 14a are increased, improving the efficiency of heating the food.

The partition member 14 is formed so as to be joined to multiple locations of the wall 12, or is formed integrally with the wall 12. In the illustrated example, the partition member 14 is formed integrally with the wall 12, so that two locations of the wall 12 facing the first direction d1 are connected via the partition member 14, and two locations of the wall 12 facing the second direction d2 are connected via the partition member 14, and the partition member 14 is formed integrally with a total of four locations of the wall 12. This increases the strength of the container 1.

The bottom 11 has a central portion 111 located at the center of the bottom 11 (the center in the first direction d1 and the second direction d2) and a peripheral portion 112 located at the periphery of the bottom 11 (the end in the first direction d1 and the end in the second direction d2) (see Figures 1 and 4). In the illustrated example, the central portion 111 is provided between the central points of the partition members 14 extending in all four directions, and the upper end of the partition member 14 is located closer to the upper opening 13 than the central portion 111.

The central portion 111 is formed to protrude further toward the upper opening 13 than the peripheral portion 112. This creates a difference in height between the upper end position of the central portion 111 and the upper end position of the peripheral portion 112, allowing liquid released from food and moving to the bottom 11 to be collected in the peripheral portion 112. This makes it possible to prevent liquid located in one compartment of the bottom 11 from moving to other compartments, and in particular, makes it possible to prevent liquid located in one compartment from moving along the central portion 111 to other compartments.

At least a part of the peripheral portion 112 of the bottom 11 is formed with a liquid reservoir 15 configured to accumulate liquid. As an example, the liquid reservoir 15 is a recessed portion that is recessed relative to the other parts of the bottom 11, and a step-like difference is provided at the boundary between the other parts of the bottom 11 and the liquid reservoir 15. Due to this difference, liquid that has once moved to the liquid reservoir 15 is trapped in the liquid reservoir 15, effectively preventing it from moving to other parts.

In the illustrated example, the peripheral portion 112 is recessed relative to the central portion 111, so that the entire peripheral portion 112 is formed as a liquid reservoir portion 15, and a step is provided at the boundary between the peripheral portion 112 and the central portion 111.

Such a liquid reservoir 15 can more effectively prevent liquid located in one compartment of the bottom 11 from migrating to other compartments.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of a food packaging unit 1a. The food packaging unit 1a shown in Figure 5 includes the container 1 (see Figures 1 to 4) described above and food contained in the storage section 10 of the container 1. At least one of the storage sections 10, which has a partition member 14, contains multiple types of food. In the example shown in Figure 5, of the three storage sections, the storage section 10 located on the upper right side of the figure contains two types of food: a first food 31 (potato salad) and a second food 32 (hot vegetable salad).

When storing food, one type of food can be stored across at least two or more compartments in the bottom 11. In this case, the foods are arranged so that foods for which it is desired to prevent liquid transfer between the foods are not located in the same compartment. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the first food 31 is stored across two compartments aligned in the first direction d1, and the second food 32 is stored across the remaining two compartments. By thus preventing the first food 31 and the second food 32 from being located in the same compartment, it is possible to effectively prevent liquid transfer between the first food 31 and the second food 32.

It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely illustrative in all respects and are not to be construed as limiting. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, and modified in various ways. For example, embodiments other than those described above may be combined with the above-described embodiments.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Container 10 Storage section 11 Bottom section 11a Storage side lowermost surface 111 Center section 112 Peripheral section 12 Wall 13 Upper opening 14 Partition member 14a Cavity 14b Lower opening 15 Liquid reservoir section

Claims (5)

A container for use in heat treatment of food, the container having a plurality of storage compartments,
Each of the storage sections has a wall, a bottom, and an upper opening opposite the bottom,
At least one of the storage sections has a partition member that protrudes from the bottom portion toward the upper opening and divides the bottom portion into a plurality of partitions;
a maximum height of the partition member as viewed from the lowermost surface of the storage side of the bottom portion is 2 to 20% when a height from the lowermost surface of the storage side of the bottom portion to the upper opening is 100%;
a central portion of the bottom portion is formed to protrude toward the upper opening side further than a peripheral portion of the bottom portion ,
a liquid reservoir portion that is a recess that is recessed relative to other portions of the bottom portion is formed on at least a portion of the periphery of the bottom portion,
A container characterized in that the partition member has a lower opening that opens toward the opposite side to the upper opening, the interior of the partition member is hollow, and the cavity is open to the outside through the lower opening . 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the partition member is integrally formed with the bottom. The container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the partition member is formed to be joined to the wall at multiple locations, or the partition member is integrally formed with the wall at multiple locations. A food packaging body used for heat treatment of food, comprising a container having a plurality of storage sections and the food stored in the storage sections,
Each of the storage sections has a wall, a bottom, and an upper opening opposite the bottom,
At least one of the storage sections has a partition member that protrudes from the bottom portion toward the upper opening and divides the bottom portion into a plurality of partitions;
The at least one storage section stores a plurality of types of food,
One type of food is stored across at least two or more compartments,
a maximum height of the partition member as viewed from the lowermost surface of the storage side of the bottom portion is 2 to 20% when a height from the lowermost surface of the storage side of the bottom portion to the upper opening is 100%;
a central portion of the bottom portion is formed to protrude toward the upper opening side further than a peripheral portion of the bottom portion ,
a liquid reservoir portion that is a recess that is recessed relative to other portions of the bottom portion is formed on at least a portion of the periphery of the bottom portion,
The partition member has a lower opening that opens toward the opposite side to the upper opening, the inside of the partition member is hollow, and the cavity is open to the outside through the lower opening. 5. The food package according to claim 4 , wherein the food is a frozen food.