TRAY
This tray comprises a container-shaped main body (1) having a bottom face (2) and an outer peripheral face (3) that rises upward from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face (2), and one or more dividers (5) that divide the internal space of the main body (1) into a plurality of spaces. Guide grooves (6) are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face (3) of the main body (1), for guiding the descending movement of the dividers. Rib portions (7) that rise from the bottom edge of the guide grooves (6) to the middle part are provided in the center of the guide grooves (6). Mating grooves (8) that mate with the rib portions (7) are provided from below to above to at least one end of the dividers (5).
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The present invention relates to a tray for holding and transporting medicines and other such things, for example.
BACKGROUND ARTConventional trays used in pharmaceutical dispensing devices, for example, were configured as follows.
These trays comprised a container-shaped main body having a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rose from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face, and one or more dividers that divided the internal space of the main body into a plurality of spaces (see Patent Literature 1, for example).
CITATION LIST Patent LiteraturePatent Literature 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application H5-168650
SUMMARY Technical ProblemWith the conventional configuration discussed above, the rib portions formed at both ends of the dividers were mated with the mating grooves formed in the inner face of the main body to couple the dividers to the main body, but this operation was not at all easy.
Specifically, since the cross sectional shapes of both of the rib portions at both ends of the dividers and of the mating grooves of the main body were both trapezoidal, the two had to be precisely aligned when a worker pushed the rib portions of the dividers into the mating grooves of the main body, and this made the tray less convenient to use.
In view of this, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tray that is very convenient to use.
Solution to ProblemTo achieve the stated object, the tray pertaining to the first invention comprises a container-shaped main body, one or more dividers, guide grooves, rib portions, and mating grooves. The container-shaped main body has a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face in a direction that intersects the bottom face, thereby forming an internal space. The one or more dividers divide the internal space of the main body into a plurality of spaces. The guide grooves are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face of the main body in a direction that intersects the bottom face, for guiding the movement of the dividers toward the bottom face. The rib portions are provided in the center of the guide grooves and rise from the bottom edge to the middle part of the guide grooves. The mating grooves mate with the rib portions and are provided to at least one end of the dividers from the lower part to the upper part in the orientation in which the dividers are inserted into the guide grooves.
The tray pertaining to the second invention comprises a container-shaped main body and support portions. The container-shaped main body has a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face in a direction that intersects the bottom face, thereby forming an internal space. The support portions are provided at the ends of the outer peripheral face on the opposite side from the bottom face, and support part of the bottom of a tray superposed from above.
The tray pertaining to the third invention comprises a container-shaped main body, one or more dividers, substantially rectangular mating grooves, mating rib portions, and protrusions. The container-shaped main body has a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face in a direction that intersects the bottom face, thereby forming an internal space. The one or more dividers divide the internal space of the main body into a plurality of spaces. The substantially rectangular mating grooves are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face of the main body in a direction that intersects the bottom face, that guide the descending movement of the dividers. The mating rib portions are provided so as to protrude from at least one of the two side faces of a divider in the width direction, and have a substantially rectangular shape that mates with the mating grooves from below to above. The protrusions are provided so as to protrude in both directions that intersect the protrusion direction of the mating rib portions, at an inside portion of the divider close to the mating rib portion.
The tray pertaining to the fourth invention comprises a container-shaped main body, one or more dividers, substantially circular mating grooves, and substantially circular mating rib portions. The container-shaped main body has a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face in a direction that intersects the bottom face. The one or more dividers divide the internal space of the main body into a plurality of spaces. The substantially circular mating grooves are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face of the main body in a direction that intersects the bottom face, and guide the movement of the dividers toward the bottom face. The substantially circular mating rib portions are provided to at least one end of the dividers, and mate with the mating grooves from below to above in the orientation in which the dividers are inserted into the mating grooves.
The tray pertaining to the fifth invention comprises a container-shaped main body, one or more dividers, and holders. The container-shaped main body has a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face in a direction that intersects the bottom face. The one or more dividers divide the internal space of the main body into a plurality of spaces. The holders are provided to the upper end faces of the dividers and hold a document placed in the tray.
Advantageous EffectsWith the present invention, since guide grooves that guide the descending movement of the dividers are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face of the main body, the mating grooves formed in the divider can be easily guided to the position where they mate with the rib portions formed on the main body. As a result, the tray is more convenient to use.
With the second invention, since support portions are provided in the corners of the outer peripheral face on the opposite side from the bottom face, when a plurality of tray are stacked, the support portions of the lower trays support the bottom faces of the upper trays. Thus, the upper trays can be stacked in an extremely stable state. As a result, the tray is more convenient to use.
With the third invention, it is extremely simple to mate the mating rib portions formed on the dividers with the mating grooves formed in the main body. As a result, the tray is more convenient to use.
Furthermore, since protrusions are provided in the left and right direction with respect to the mating rib portions, the mating rib portions of the dividers can be prevented from coming loose from the mating grooves of the main body when the dividers are subjected to an external force (disturbance) in the left and right direction. Thus, the tray is more convenient to use and reliability is also enhanced.
With the fourth invention, circular mating grooves that guide the descending movement of the dividers are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face of the main body, and circular mating rib portions that mate with the mating grooves from below to above are provided to at least one end (the first end) of the dividers. Therefore, it is extremely simple to mate the mating rib portions formed on the dividers with the mating grooves formed in the main body. As a result, the tray is more convenient to use.
Furthermore, circular mating rib portions and circular mating grooves are provided, and when these two are mated, this prevents the mating rib portions of the dividers from coming loose from the mating grooves of the main body as the result of the dividers being subjected to an external force (disturbance) in the left and right direction. Thus, the tray is more convenient to use and reliability is also enhanced.
With the fifth invention, holders that hold documents are provided above at least the upper end side of the dividers, so documents placed on the tray can be prevented from falling out. Thus, the tray is more convenient to use.
The tray pertaining to an embodiment of the present invention will be described through reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following description, the “up and down direction” means the up and down direction based on the orientation when a divider 5 is being inserted from above into the tray shown in
As shown in
The interior of the main body 1 is divided into three (a plurality of) spaces by two of the dividers 5. The internal spaces of the main body 1 divided by the dividers 5 are used to hold medicines, for example.
The main body 1 and the dividers 5 are both formed from a synthetic resin. The main body 1 and the dividers 5 will now be described in detail.
First, the bottom face 2 of the main body 1 has a rectangular shape. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Meanwhile, mating grooves 8 that mate with the rib portions 7 in the orientation of being inserted into the tray are provided from below to above at the side faces at both ends of the dividers 5. As shown in
The upper part 8b of the mating grooves 8 (which are substantially trapezoidal in plan view) is formed to be slightly wider than the rib portions 7 (which have a substantially trapezoidal shape as mentioned above).
Therefore, as shown in
As the divider 5 descends, the lower part 8a of the mating grooves 8 of the divider 5 reaches the rib portions 7, and this state is shown in
As shown in
As this lowering operation proceeds, as shown in
Also, recesses 9 that allow the ends of the dividers 5 to be inserted are provided to the outer peripheral face on the opposing long sides, in the corners of the internal space of the main body 1. That is, when a housing component with a large volume is formed inside the main body 1, as shown in
The depth of the recesses 9 (how far they are recessed from the inner face of the outer peripheral face 3) is substantially the same as the height of the rib portions 7 shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The tray pertaining to another embodiment of the present invention will now be described through reference to
As shown in
The interior of the main body 101 is divided into three (a plurality of) spaces by two of the dividers 105. The internal spaces of the main body 101 divided by the dividers 105 are used to hold medicines, for example.
The main body 101 and the dividers 105 are both formed from a synthetic resin.
The main body 101 and the dividers 105 will now be described in detail.
First, the bottom face 102 of the main body 101 has a rectangular shape. As shown in
Meanwhile, mating grooves 108 that mate with the rib portions 107 in the orientation of being inserted into the tray are provided from below to above at the side faces at both ends of the dividers 105.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The tray pertaining to yet another embodiment of the present invention will now be described through reference to
As shown in
The interior of the main body 201 is divided into three (a plurality of) spaces by two of the dividers 205. The internal spaces of the main body 201 divided by the dividers 205 are used to hold medicines, for example.
The main body 201 and the dividers 205 are both formed from a synthetic resin.
The main body 201 and the dividers 205 will now be described in detail.
First, the bottom face 202 of the main body 201 has a rectangular shape. As shown in
The bottom portion of the mating grooves 206 is located above the bottom face 202 in the orientation of the tray shown in
Meanwhile, as shown in
Therefore, as shown in
As shown in
As the mating rib portions 208 of the dividers 205 descend in the mating grooves 206, as shown in
Therefore, in a state in which the mating rib portions 208 of the dividers 205 have mated with the mating grooves 206 along with the descent of the dividers 205, even if a force is exerted in the direction of the arrow F in
Specifically, with the tray in this embodiment, the protrusions 212 that protrude in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the protrusion direction of the mating rib portions 208 are provided near the mating rib portions 208. Consequently, the mating rib portions 208 of the dividers 205 are prevented from coming loose from the mating grooves 206 of the main body 201 in the event that the dividers 205 are subjected to an external force exerted in the left and right direction thereof (such as a disturbance corresponding to the arrow F in
Also, recesses 209 that allow the ends of the dividers 205 to be inserted are provided to the outer peripheral face on the opposing long sides, at the ends of the internal space of the main body 201. That is, when a housing component with a large volume is formed inside the main body 201, as shown in
The depth of the recesses 209 (how far they are recessed from the inner face of the outer peripheral face 203) is substantially the same as the depth of the mating grooves 206 shown in
The tray pertaining to yet another embodiment of the present invention will now be described through reference to
As shown in
The interior of the main body 301 is divided into three (a plurality of) spaces by two of the dividers 305. The internal spaces of the main body 301 divided by the dividers 305 are used to hold medicines, for example.
The main body 301 and the dividers 305 are both formed from a synthetic resin.
The main body 301 and the dividers 305 will now be described in detail.
First, the bottom face 302 of the main body 301 has a substantially rectangular shape. As shown in
As shown in
The bottom portion of the mating grooves 306 that are substantially circular in plan view is located above the bottom face 302 in the orientation of the tray shown in
Meanwhile, mating rib portions 308 that are substantially circular in plan view, so as to mate with the mating grooves 306 that are substantially circular in plan view, are provided from below to above on the side faces at both ends of the dividers 305.
Therefore, as shown in
Also, in a state in which the mating rib portions 308 of the dividers 305 have mated with the mating grooves 306 along with the descent of the dividers 305, even if a force is exerted in the direction of the arrow F in
Specifically, since the dividers 305 are mounted in a state in which the substantially circular mating grooves 306 have been mated with the mating rib portions 308 that are also substantially circular, the dividers 305 are prevented from coming loose from the mating grooves 306 of the main body 301 in the event that the dividers 305 are subjected to an external force exerted in the left and right direction thereof (such as a disturbance corresponding to the arrow F in
The tray pertaining to yet another embodiment of the present invention will now be described through reference to
If, for example, medicines or other such things are to be housed, sometimes a document listing information about the things (such as medicine names) or the like is prepared, and this document is placed on this tray so that the worker handling the tray (such as a nurse) will be able to easily recognize the information or the like about the contained things.
However, with the conventional tray discussed above, when a document listing information about the contained things was placed on the tray containing the things, the document would fall out of the tray during conveyance of the tray, etc., and this made the tray extremely inconvenient to use.
In view of this, it is an object of the present invention to prevent a document placed on a tray from falling out, and to make the tray more convenient to use.
As shown in
The interior of the main body 401 is divided into three (a plurality of) spaces by two of the dividers 405 (in
The main body 401 and the dividers 405 are both formed from a synthetic resin. The main body 401 and the dividers 405 will now be described in detail.
First, the bottom face of the main body 401 has a rectangular shape. As shown in
The rib portions 407 formed inside the guide grooves 406 have a shape that protrudes toward the inside of the main body 401 from the inner face of the outer peripheral face 403. As shown in
As shown in
Meanwhile, mating grooves 408 that mate with the rib portions 407 are provided from below to above at the side faces at both ends of the dividers 405. As shown in
The width of the upper part 408b of the mating grooves 408 having a substantially trapezoidal shape is slightly greater than the width of the distal end portion of the rib portions 407 that have a substantially trapezoidal shape as mentioned above.
Therefore, as shown in
When the mating grooves 408 of the dividers 405 reach the rib portions 407 along with the descent of the dividers 405, rib portions 407 are not securely mated to the mating grooves 408 formed at the end faces on both sides of the dividers 405. On the contrary, the lowering of the dividers 405 continues while the mating grooves 408 of the dividers 405 are guided downward by the rib portions 407.
As this lowering operation proceeds, finally the upper part 408b of the mating grooves 408 mates with the rib portions 407. The rib portions 407 and the upper part 408b of the mating grooves 408 both have a substantially trapezoidal shape, as mentioned above. Therefore, the mating of the two results in a state in which the dividers 405 are securely mounted to the outer peripheral face 403 of the main body 401.
Next, the divider 405 will be described in detail.
As shown in
The holders 409 hold a document 413 (see
Next, the mechanism by which the holders 409 hold the document 413 plated on the main body 401 will be described in detail.
As shown in
As shown in
The second inclined face 412 is formed so as to incline upward with respect to the direction in which the document 413 is inserted (the direction of the arrow B in
Specifically, as shown in
Also, with the tray in this embodiment, as shown in
The above is a description of the mechanism by which the document 413 placed on the tray is held by the holders 409.
As shown in
In this embodiment, the holders 409 are formed at the upper end faces at both ends of the dividers 405.
Consequently, as shown in
The tray pertaining to yet another embodiment of the present invention will now be described through reference to
Here, just as in Embodiment 5 above, we will describe a case in which, when medicines or other such things are to be housed, for example, a document listing information about the things (such as medicine names) or the like is prepared, and this document is placed on this tray.
As shown in
Specifically, as shown in
The stepped part 511 is formed in the approximate center of the divider 505 so as to sandwich inclined portions 512a and 512b formed near the ends of the divider 505. That is, the stepped part 511 is a concave portion formed so as to be lowered via the inclined portions 512a and 512b formed near the ends of the divider 505 in the width direction.
Consequently, as shown in
The present invention has the effect of providing a tray that is very convenient to use, and therefore is expected to find application in trays and the like that hold medicines and other such things.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
- 1 main body
- 2 bottom face
- 3 outer peripheral face
- 4 outer peripheral edge
- 5 divider
- 6 guide groove
- 7 rib portion
- 8 mating groove
- 8a lower part
- 8b upper part
- 9 recess
- 10 support portion
- 11 convex portion
- 101 main body
- 102 bottom face
- 103 outer peripheral face
- 104 outer peripheral edge
- 105 divider
- 106 guide groove
- 107 rib portion
- 108 mating groove
- 109 recess
- 110 support portion
- 111 convex portion
- 201 main body
- 202 bottom face
- 203 outer peripheral face
- 204 outer peripheral edge
- 205 divider
- 206 mating groove
- 208 mating rib portion
- 209 recess
- 212 protrusion
- 301 main body
- 302 bottom face
- 303 outer peripheral face
- 304 outer peripheral edge
- 305 divider
- 306 mating groove
- 308 mating rib portion
- 401 main body
- 402 bottom face
- 403 outer peripheral face
- 404 outer peripheral edge
- 405 divider
406 guide groove
- 407 rib portion
- 408 mating groove
- 408a lower part
- 408b upper part
- 409 holder
- 410 insertion slot
- 411 first inclined face
- 412 second inclined face
- 413 document
- 505 divider
- 511 stepped part (holder)
- 512a, 512b inclined part
- 513 document
Claims
1-17. (canceled)
18. A tray, comprising:
- a container-shaped main body having a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face in a direction that intersects the bottom face, thereby forming an internal space;
- one or more dividers that divide the internal space of the main body into a plurality of spaces;
- guide grooves provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face of the main body in a direction that intersects the bottom face, for guiding the movement of the dividers toward the bottom face;
- rib portions provided in the center of the guide grooves and rising from the bottom edge to the middle part of the guide grooves; and
- mating grooves that mate with the rib portions and are provided to at least one end of the dividers from the lower part to the upper part in the orientation in which the dividers are inserted into the guide grooves.
19. The tray according to claim 18,
- wherein the mating grooves are formed so that the groove width is greater at the bottom than at the top in a state in which the dividers are inserted into the guide grooves from above.
20. The tray according to claim 18,
- wherein the main body has a substantially square shape,
- further comprising recesses that are provided to the mutually opposing outer peripheral faces in the inside corners of the main body, and that allow the ends of the dividers to be inserted.
21. The tray according to claim 18,
- further comprising support portions that are provided on the outer peripheral side of concave upper faces formed in the four corners of the substantially square shape of the main body, and that support part of the bottom of a tray superposed from above.
22. A tray, comprising:
- a container-shaped main body having a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face in a direction that intersects the bottom face;
- one or more dividers that divide the internal space of the main body into a plurality of spaces; and
- support portions that are provided to the upper end faces of the dividers and that support a document placed in the tray.
23. The tray according to claim 22,
- wherein the holders are concave stepped portions formed at the upper end faces of the dividers, according to the size of the document.
24. The tray according to claim 22,
- wherein the holders have an insertion slot into which the document is inserted.
25. The tray according to claim 24,
- wherein the insertion slots each have:
- a first inclined face that becomes a downward inclined face with respect to the direction in which the document is inserted, on the side where the document is inserted; and
- a second inclined face that is provided on the side where the document comes out of the first inclined face, and becomes an upward inclined face with respect to the direction in which the document is inserted.
26. The tray according to claim 25,
- wherein the incident angle at which the document is inserted at the second inclined face is greater than the incident angle at which the document is inserted at the first inclined face.
27. The tray according to claim 22,
- wherein the holders are provided to at least one end of the dividers in the width direction.
28. The tray according to claim 22,
- wherein the holders are provided to both ends of the dividers in the width direction.
29. A tray, comprising:
- a container-shaped main body having a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face in a direction that intersects the bottom face, thereby forming an internal space;
- one or more dividers that divide the internal space of the main body into a plurality of spaces;
- substantially rectangular mating grooves that are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face of the main body in a direction that intersects the bottom face, and that guide the descending movement of the dividers;
- mating rib portions that are provided so as to protrude from at least one of the both side faces of a divider in the width direction, and that have a substantially rectangular shape that mates with the mating grooves from below to above;
- protrusions that are provided so as to protrude in both directions that intersect the protrusion direction of the mating rib portions, at an inside portion of the divider close to the mating rib portion; and
- recesses that are provided to the two mutually opposing outer peripheral faces at the ends of the internal space of the substantially square main body, and that allow the ends of the dividers to be inserted.
30. A tray, comprising:
- a container-shaped main body having a bottom face and an outer peripheral face that rises from the outer peripheral part of the bottom face in a direction that intersects the bottom face;
- one or more dividers that divide the internal space of the main body into a plurality of spaces;
- substantially circular mating grooves that are provided on the inside of the outer peripheral face of the main body in a direction that intersects the bottom face, and that guide the movement of the dividers toward the bottom face;
- substantially circular mating rib portions that are provided to at least one end of the dividers, and that mate with the mating grooves from below to above in the orientation in which the dividers are inserted into the mating grooves; and
- recesses that are provided to the mutually opposing outer peripheral faces in the inside corners of the substantially square main body, and that allow the ends of the dividers to be inserted.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 15, 2014
Publication Date: May 8, 2014
Applicant: Panasonic Corporation (Osaka)
Inventors: Mitsuaki ISHIKAWA (Ehime), Tooru KUSANAGI (Ehime), Takumi NISHIMURA (Saitama), Takahiro NAKAJIMA (Ehime)
Application Number: 14/155,847