CONTAINER FOR FOOD
A container for food includes a bottom portion having a circular shape; a wall portion including a first wall portion formed continuously from the bottom portion and formed with a curved surface and an inclined surface inclined relative to the bottom portion, and a second wall portion formed continuously from the first wall portion and extending in a direction orthogonal to a surface direction of the bottom portion, the wall portion including an opening formed in a rectangular shape on one side and in a semielliptical shape on another side; and a flange portion formed continuously from the second wall portion.
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-067454, filed Mar. 23, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a container for food, which can package a food.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is known a container for food, which is formed in a shape to assist the action of scooping a food by a spoon, so that the container serves as a self-help tool to be used by a young child or a care-requiring person who suffers deterioration and/or hypofunction of the upper limb, or serves as a nursing-care tool to be used by a caregiver or a protector of a young child. As a container for food of this kind, for example,
Japanese Utility Model No. 3022573 discloses a tableware deep plate that has a vertical wall surface on one side and an inclined wall surface on the other side. A container of this kind can be used to easily scoop a food by a spoon by bringing it into contact with the wall surface on the one side and moving it upward, and further to easily operate the spoon by guiding it along the wall surface on the other side. Further, there is known a technique of forming a plurality of ribs in a circumferential direction on this container for food, so that a plurality of containers can be stacked each other.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2002-240858 discloses a container for eating, in which one side of the container peripheral wall is bent inward in a circular arc form toward the container main body, and a readily peelable adhesive is attached on the rear surface of the bottom portion. A container for eating of this kind can be used to make a food into a shape to be easily put in a user's mouth, by use of the bent peripheral wall, i.e., by pulling up a spoon along the bent peripheral wall. Further, this container for eating can be fixedly mounted on a table by use of the readily peelable adhesive on the rear surface of the bottom portion. Further, Patent Document 2 also discloses a technique for utilizing the container for eating as a package container for packaging a food.
The containers for food described above have problems as follows: Specifically, each of the containers for food disclosed in Japanese Utility Model No. 3022573 and Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2002-240858 has a circular shape in a view from above, and so has a problem such that the spoon insertion side cannot be easily recognized at a glance, i.e., it is poor in visibility. Further, each of these containers for food has a circular shape in a view from above, and so, when a spoon is placed to stand and lean on the rim of the container, the spoon may move along this rim and fall down into the container. In this case, a problem arises such that the spoon cannot be easily picked up at resumption of eating.
Further, in the case of the container for food disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2002-240858, one side of the peripheral wall is bent inward in a circular arc form toward the container main body, and so the spoon moving distance becomes longer. Further, as regards the spoon moving directions, it is necessary to perform a so-called spoon turnabout operation, which is to move the spoon in a forward direction and then in a backward direction and in up and down directions.
When the container for food is used as a nursing-care tool, it is easier to perform the spoon turnabout operation because a caregiver uses the spoon. However, when the container for food is used as a self-help tool, it is difficult to perform the spoon turnabout operation, and so the use of the container for food may be limited. Further, since the bent peripheral wall shades the food inside the container, a problem arises such that the food inside the container is poor in visibility.
Further, in the case where a plurality of containers for food are to be stacked each other, the container for food disclosed in Japanese Utility Model No. 3022573 requires ribs to be formed on its flange and thereby becomes complicated in structure. The container for food disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2002-240858 is described as having a structure that includes ribs formed on the outer periphery of the upper surface along with a lid further placed thereon, when it is provided as a package container. However, according to this structure, since the opening area is smaller than the bottom area, a problem arises such that containers of this type are difficult to stack and are poor in transportability when they are produced.
In light of the problems described above, there is a demand for a container for food, which is high in use performance or so-called usability.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a configuration, which comprises a bottom portion having a circular shape; a wall portion including a first wall portion formed continuously from the bottom portion and formed with a curved surface and an inclined surface inclined relative to the bottom portion, and a second wall portion formed continuously from the first wall portion and extending in a direction orthogonal to a surface direction of the bottom portion, the wall portion including an opening formed in a rectangular shape on one side and in a semielliptical shape on another side; and a flange portion formed continuously from the second wall portion.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Now, an explanation will be given of a container 1 for food according to an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to
As shown in
The container body 2 packages the food 100 in cooperation with the lid 3, and, after the lid 3 is removed, it further serves as a container for holding the food, which can be used a self-help tool and/or nursing-care tool. As shown in
As shown in
The wall portion 12 is formed continuously from the bottom portion 11. As shown in
The first wall portion 21 includes the rectangular shape portion 24 formed in a rectangular shape viewed from above and the elliptical shape portion 25 formed in a semielliptical shape viewed from above, such that these portions are respectively present on one and the other sides with the bottom portion 11 interposed therebetween. The rectangular shape portion 24 and the elliptical shape portion 25 are formed to have the same height from the bottom portion 11 to their upper ends.
The rectangular shape portion 24 includes two linear portions that define end portions of a pair of lateral sides and one linear portion that defines an end portion orthogonal to the lateral sides and connects the two linear portions to form a rectangular shape, wherein the upper end peripheries of the two linear portions are continuous from the elliptical shape portion 25, when viewed from above.
The rectangular shape portion 24 is formed with a curved surface within a range from the bottom portion 11 to its upper end. The curved surface forming the rectangular shape portion 24 has a predetermined curvature between the end connected to the bottom portion 11 and the end connected to the second wall portion 22.
The elliptical shape portion 25 is formed with a curved surface, which has a predetermined curvature, at the end connected to the bottom portion 11, and is further continuously formed with an inclined surface, which has a predetermined angle relative to the main surface direction of the bottom portion 11, within a range from a halfway part of the curved surface to the end connected to the second wall portion 22.
The curvature of the rectangular shape portion 24 is set smaller than the curvature of the curved surface of the elliptical shape portion 25. In other words, the curved surface of the rectangular shape portion 24 has a curvature radius larger than the curvature radius of the curved surface of the elliptical shape portion 25.
Further, the first wall portion 21 is formed such that the distance from the bottom portion 11 to the outermost peripheral end of the elliptical shape portion 25 is smaller than the distance from the bottom portion 11 to the outermost peripheral end of the rectangular shape portion 24. The first wall portion 21 is formed such that the inclined surface continuously extending from the upper end of the elliptical shape portion 25 to the bottom portion 11 has an inclined angle larger than that of the inclined surface continuously extending from the upper end of the rectangular shape portion 24 to the bottom portion 11, at least on the second wall portion 22 side.
In the first wall portion 21, the rectangular shape portion 24 is continuously present on one side relative to the center of the bottom portion 11, and the elliptical shape portion 25 is continuously present on the other side relative to the center of the bottom portion 11. Further, in the first wall portion 21, the rectangular shape portion 24 is continuously present on one side and the elliptical shape portion 25 is continuously present on the other side, relative to a near center of the second wall portion 22 in the longitudinal direction.
Accordingly, the first wall portion 21 is formed such that, at its upper end, the distances from the boundary position between the rectangular shape portion 24 and the elliptical shape portion 25 to the respective outer peripheral ends of the rectangular shape portion 24 and the elliptical shape portion 25 are set equal to each other. Further, the first wall portion 21 is formed such that, at its end on the bottom portion 11 side, the distance from the center of the bottom portion 11 to the outer peripheral end of the elliptical shape portion 25 is smaller than the distance from the center of the bottom portion 11 to the outer peripheral end of the rectangular shape portion 24.
The second wall portion 22 includes a first surface portion 31 formed at the upper end of the first wall portion 21, and a second surface portion 32 formed continuously from the first surface portion 31 and extending in a direction orthogonal to the surface direction of the bottom portion 11.
The first surface portion 31 is formed in the surface direction of the bottom portion 11, continuously from the upper ends of the rectangular shape portion 24 and the elliptical shape portion 25. The first surface portion 31 is formed such that, when the container body 2 is stacked on another container body 2, the lower surface of the first surface portion 31 can come into contact with the upper surface of the flange portion 13 of the other container body 2. Further, the first surface portion 31 is formed such that, when it is set in contact with the flange portion 13 of the other container body 2, the wall portion 21 is separated from the wall portion 21 of the other container body 2.
The flange portion 13 is formed in the surface direction of the bottom portion 11, continuously from the upper end of the second surface portion 32 of the second wall portion 22. The flange portion 13 is formed such that the lid 3 can be fixed on its upper surface by any one of adhering, crimping, and welding. The flange portion 13 may be configured such that its outer rim is partly cut out so that the outer rim of the fixed lid 3 is separated from the upper surface of the flange portion 13.
The lid 3 covers the flange portion 13 and is fixed to the flange portion 13, so that the space formed by the bottom portion 11 and the wall portion 12 is sealed. The lid 3 is made of, e.g., a resin material or aluminum foil. For example, the lid 3 is formed in a film shape from a resin material, such as polyethylene or polypropylene.
The container 1 for food having the configuration described above is used as follows: The elliptical shape portion 25 is positioned on a side opposite to the dominant arm of a user. The user inserts a spoon for scooping the food inside the container body 2 from the rectangular shape portion 24 side, and moves the spoon from the rectangular shape portion 24 toward the elliptical shape portion 25, i.e., in a direction from the dominant arm side to the side opposite to the dominant arm side.
More specifically, the container 1 for food includes the rectangular shape portion 24 and the elliptical shape portion 25 as parts of the first wall portion 21, so that the container body 2 has a rectangular shape viewed from above, formed on one side in the longitudinal direction, and a semicircular shape in an elliptical shape viewed from above, formed on the other side. Further, the rectangular shape portion 24 of the first wall portion 21 is formed such that the inclined angle down to the bottom portion 11 is gentler and the length of the inclined surface of the first wall portion 21 is larger, as compared with the elliptical shape portion 25.
In this case, the container body 2 comes to have an opening area on the rectangular shape portion 24 side larger than the opening area on the elliptical shape portion 25 side, so that it becomes easier to insert the spoon into the container body 2. Accordingly, the spoon is inserted through the opening on the rectangular shape portion 24 side of the container body 2.
Further, the rectangular shape portion 24 extends to the bottom portion 11 with a longer distance and a smaller inclined angle, as compared with the elliptical shape portion 25. Specifically, the rectangular shape portion 24 is inclined gentler than the elliptical shape portion 25, and so, when the spoon is brought into contact with the upper surface of the rectangular shape portion 24 and moved toward the bottom portion 11, the moving amount of the spoon in up and down directions becomes smaller than the moving amount of the spoon in the surface direction of the bottom portion 11.
Consequently, if the inserted spoon is moved toward the bottom portion 11 while being kept in contact with the upper surface of the rectangular shape portion 24, the spoon can be moved to the bottom portion 11 in a state contacting with the upper surface of the bottom portion 11, without need for the spoon to be excessively pressed onto the upper surface of the rectangular shape portion 24. Since the spoon is continuously moved from the rectangular shape portion 24 in a state contacting with the upper surface of the bottom portion 11, the spoon is moved to the bottom portion 11 while it is scooping part of the food present on the rectangular shape portion 24 in the advancing direction of the spoon. Part of the food not scooped by the spoon is pushed by the side surface of the spoon and part of the food scooped on the spoon upper surface, and is thereby moved along with the movement of the spoon.
Then, when the spoon is further moved in a state contacting with the upper surface of the bottom portion 11, the spoon scoops part of the food present on the bottom portion 11 in the advancing direction of the spoon. Part of the food not scooped by the spoon is pushed by the side surface of the spoon and part of the food scooped on the spoon upper surface, and is thereby moved along with the movement of the spoon.
When the spoon is still further moved, the spoon is transferred from the bottom portion 11 to the elliptical shape portion 25. The elliptical shape portion 25 extends from the bottom portion 11 to its end with a smaller distance and is inclined with a larger inclined angle, as compared with the rectangular shape portion 24, and so, when the spoon is further moved along the elliptical shape portion 25, the spoon is guided to the end of the elliptical shape portion 25. During this time, the spoon is moved upward without need of a spoon turnabout operation, and other part of the food pushed by the spoon is caused to shift onto the spoon upper surface by the inclined angle of the elliptical shape portion 25.
When the spoon is still further moved, the spoon is transferred from the first wall portion 21 to the second wall portion 22, and the spoon is moved upward along the second wall portion 22. Along with this movement, part of the food pushed by the spoon and part of the food on the spoon is guided by the second wall portion 22 and caused to shift onto the spoon. In this way, it is possible to scoop the food inside the container body 2 by the spoon without performing a spoon turnabout operation.
According to the container 1 for food having the configuration described above, the rectangular shape is formed on one side and the elliptical shape is formed on the other side, with the bottom portion 11 interposed therebetween, and so the opening area on one side is larger, i.e., the width of the end on one side is larger, and thereby it becomes easier to move the spoon into the container body 2. Further, the side of the container body 2 for moving the spoon thereinto is a side having a rectangular shape and a larger width, and so it is possible to recognize the spoon insertion side at a glance, because the container body 2 is formed in a rectangular shape on a side having a larger width of the shape. Thus, the container 1 for food is improved in visibility and recognizability of the container body 2 in terms of the spoon moving direction or the like.
Further, the rectangular shape portion 24 of the container body 2 is formed with a curved surface having a gentler inclined angle, and the distance from the end of the rectangular shape portion 24 to the bottom portion 11 is larger, and so it becomes easier to move the spoon to the bottom portion 11 along the upper surface of the rectangular shape portion 24.
Further, the container 1 for food is formed such that the elliptical shape portion 25 has an inclined angle larger than that of the rectangular shape portion 24 and the distance from the bottom portion 11 to the end of the elliptical shape portion 25 is smaller. Accordingly, when the spoon is moved along the upper surface of the elliptical shape portion 25, the spoon is present below part of the food pushed by the spoon and moved along with the spoon, and so part of the food moved along with this movement can be caused to shift onto the upper surface of the spoon.
Further, the container body 2 includes the second wall portion 22 present above the first wall portion 21 and extending in a direction orthogonal to the bottom portion 11. Thus, after the spoon is moved through the elliptical shape portion 25, the spoon is further moved upward along the second wall portion 22, and so it is possible to scoop part of the food pushed and moved by the spoon without performing a spoon turnabout operation.
As described above, according to the container 1 for food, the shape of the wall portion 12 can be used to guide the spoon during its movement and to guide the food inside the container body 2 onto the spoon. Further, the container 1 for food guides movement of the spoon by use of the shape of the wall portion 12, and thereby makes it possible to scoop the food by the spoon without need of a spoon turnabout operation.
Particularly, when a container is used as a self-help tool, there are many cases where it is difficult to perform an operation of accurately moving the spoon and/or to perform a scooping operation by turnabout of the spoon. However, the container 1 for food can guide the spoon and cause the food to shift onto the spoon by use of the shape of the wall portion 12, and so it can provide high usability when used as a self-help tool and/or nursing-care tool.
Further, the container body 2 has a rectangular shape viewed from above on one side, i.e., on the rectangular shape portion 24 side of the first wall portion 21, and so the rim of the second wall portion 22 includes linear parts. Accordingly, when the spoon is placed on the container body 2 during suspension of eating, the spoon can be placed to stand and lean on the second wall portion 22 on the rectangular shape portion 24 side, so that the spoon is stably placed.
More specifically, an explanation will be given of a case where the spoon is placed to stand and lean on the container body 2. In the case of the second wall portion 22 on the elliptical shape portion 25 side, where the inner rim is curved, it is likely that the continuous line extending from that part of the distal end of the spoon which is in contact with the container body 2 to that part of the gripping portion of the spoon which is in contact with the container body 2 is positioned to deviate from the direction orthogonal to the tangent plane of the curved inner rim set in contact with the spoon. If the continuous line of the spoon deviates from the direction orthogonal to the tangent plane of the inner rim, the spoon may be rotated, about the contacting part of the distal end of the spoon, along the inner rim of the second wall portion 22.
On the other hand, when the spoon is placed on the container body 2 to stand and lean on the second wall portion 22 on the rectangular shape portion 24 side, the second wall portion 22 on the rectangular shape portion 24 side, which extends linearly, prevents the spoon from being rotated. Accordingly, the container body 2 allows the spoon to be stably placed thereon.
Further, the container body 2 is formed such that the first surface portion 31 of the second wall portion 22 comes into contact with the upper surface of the flange portion 13 of another container body 2 positioned below, specifically when a plurality of container bodies 2 are stacked each other as shown in
Since the first surface portion 31 of the container body 2 comes into plane contact with the flange portion 13 of the other container body 2, a pressure receiving area can be ensured when a plurality of container bodies 2 are stacked each other. Consequently, it is possible to stably stack the container bodies 2 while preventing them from being deformed due to their own weight, as far as possible.
Further, when container bodies 2 are stacked, the first surface portion 31 and the flange portion 13 comes into contact with each other by a plane extending in a direction along the surface of the bottom portion 11, i.e., in a direction orthogonal to the gravity direction. Consequently, when an operation is performed to separate the stacked container bodies 2 from each other, this separating operation is not hindered, even though a force in the gravity direction is applied due to their own weight. In other words, although the first surface portion 31 of the container body 2 comes into contact with the flange portion 13 of the other container body 2, the wall portion 12 of the container body 2 does not come into contact with the wall portion 12 of the other container body 2, and so the wall portions 12 of the stacked container bodies 2 can be prevented from closely fitting to each other.
Further, the container 1 for food includes the flange portion 13 formed on the container body 2 to fix the lid 3 on the container body 2. Thus, the container 1 for food can serve as a package container configured to seal and package a food.
Further, since the container body 2 includes the flange portion 13, its strength can be improved. Further, the elliptical shape side of the container body 2 can disperse an external force by use of its own shape and has a higher strength than the rectangular shape side. Specifically, the bottom portion 11 has a circular shape, and the center of the bottom portion 11 is present at a position eccentric toward the elliptical shape side from the boundary between the elliptical shape portion 25 and the rectangular shape portion 24. Thus, the first wall portion 21 on the elliptical shape side is in an arch shape or circular arc form, when viewed from above, and so it has a higher strength than the rectangular shape side.
Particularly, the container body 2 is designed such that the elliptical shape side is positioned on the dominant arm side of a user, and so a larger force may be applied to the elliptical shape side when the elliptical shape side is gripped to perform scooping by a spoon. Further, depending on the shape and use method of the container body 2, the container body 2 may be applied to a user's mouth.
Accordingly, when the container body 2 has a higher strength on the elliptical shape side than on the rectangular shape side, it is possible to prevent the container body 2 from being deformed at use, as far as possible.
Further, the container body 2 includes the rectangular shape portion 24 of the first wall portion 21, which is formed with a curved surface having a predetermined curvature, and so its contact area with a curved bottom surface of a spoon can be increased, to reliably hold the spoon and allow the spoon to be stably moved. In this way, the container body 2 allows the spoon to be smoothly operated.
As described above, the container 1 for food according to an embodiment of the present invention has a rectangular shape and a semielliptical shape respectively on one and the other sides of the bottom portion 11, when viewed from above, and so it is possible to improve the visibility of the spoon insertion side and to enlarge the opening width for inserting a spoon. Further, the rectangular shape portion 24 of the first wall portion 21 continuous to the bottom portion 11 is formed with a curved surface gently inclined than the elliptical shape portion 25, and so it is possible to guide movement of a spoon and thereby to improve operability of the spoon.
Further, the second wall portion 22 is formed so that a plurality of container bodies 2 can be stacked each other by use of the first surface portion 31, and the food can be caused to shift onto a spoon without need of a spoon turnabout operation.
Further, the flange portion 13 is formed so that the lid 3 can be fixed to the container body 2 to package a food, and the strength of the container body 2 is improved. As explained above, the container 1 for food has high usability and can package a food.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. In the embodiment, the container 1 for food is described as a package container that packages a food therein by use of the container body 2 and the lid 3, but this is not limiting. Specifically, after the lid 3 is removed from the container 1 for food to eat the packaged food, the container body 2 may be repeatedly used as a container of a self-help tool or nursing-care tool. Further, the container 1 for food may be used without packaging a food, such that only the container body 2 is used as a container, i.e., as a tableware.
Further, as the spoon described above, a spoon having any shape, such as a circular shape, elliptical shape, or fork shape, can be suitably used, as long as its central side is recessed relative to the outer peripheral sides. In other words, the shape of the spoon is not limited to a specific one, as long as the spoon with a selected shape can scoop a food. Besides the matter described above, various modifications may be made for implementation without departing from the gist of the present invention.
Claims
1. A container for food, comprising:
- a bottom portion having a circular shape;
- a wall portion including a first wall portion formed continuously from the bottom portion and formed with a curved surface and an inclined surface inclined relative to the bottom portion, and a second wall portion formed continuously from the first wall portion and including at least a surface extending in a direction orthogonal to a surface direction of the bottom portion, the wall portion including an opening formed in a rectangular shape on one side and in a semielliptical shape on another side; and
- a flange portion formed continuously from the second wall portion.
2. The container for food according to claim 1, wherein the first wall portion on the rectangular shape side forms a gentler inclined angle relative to the bottom portion than that of the first wall portion on the semielliptical shape side.
3. The container for food according to claim 1, wherein the second wall portion includes a first surface portion formed at upper end of the first wall portion and extending in the surface direction of the bottom portion, and a second surface portion extending in a direction orthogonal to the surface direction of the bottom portion and including an upper end at which the flange portion is formed; and
- the flange portion extends in the surface direction of the bottom portion.
4. The container for food according to claim 1, further comprising a lid fixed to the flange portion and sealing the opening of the wall portion.
5. The container for food according to claim 2, further comprising a lid fixed to the flange portion and sealing the opening of the wall portion.
6. The container for food according to claim 3, further comprising a lid fixed to the flange portion and sealing the opening of the wall portion.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 22, 2014
Publication Date: Jan 8, 2015
Inventors: Daisuke SAITO (Tokyo), Ichiro HAYASHI (Sagamihara-shi)
Application Number: 14/492,572
International Classification: A47G 19/02 (20060101);
