CONTAINER TRAY

[Problem] Provided is a container tray that ability to retain contained objects is improved. [Solution] A container tray 10 is capable of placing a plurality of contained objects thereon, and in a placement region corresponding to one contained object, a container recess part 14 whose center part is depressed is formed. The container recess part 14 is composed of a plurality of inclined surfaces 112 which are regionally separated from each other and have flexibility.

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Description
TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a container tray which is capable of placing a plurality of contained objects (such as fruits) thereon and is used for transporting the contained objects.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, a container tray used for transporting fruits such as strawberries has been the type of container tray that fruits are placed on depressions which have shapes similar to those of fruits in hope of stability during transportation. Patent Document 1 discloses a package tray (container tray) having such depressions and composed of a resilient and flexible expanded resin sheet.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENT Patent Document

    • Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6186162

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

In the package tray of Patent Document 1, the surfaces of the depressions (i.e., surfaces on which fruits are placed) are formed by a single continuous concave surface. In addition, as fruits vary in shape and size, this depression needs to be made larger than the actual fruit. Because of this, a gap between the depression and the fruit tends to be created, and this gap lowers ability of the tray depression to closely contact the fruit (reduces a contact area).

When ability of the depression to closely contact the fruit is low, ability to retain the fruit in the tray is reduced, causing the fruit to easily jump on the tray or roll in the depression due to vibrations during transportation. As a result, a problem comes up that direct wear due to jumping and frictional scratches against the tray surface due to rolling occur in the fruit.

The present disclosure is made in view of the above problem and is intended to provide a container tray that ability to retain contained objects is improved.

Solution to Problem

To solve the above problem, a container tray of the present disclosure is a container tray which is capable of placing a plurality of contained objects thereon, wherein in a placement region corresponding to one contained object, a container recess part whose center part is depressed is formed, and the container recess part is composed of a plurality of placement surfaces which are regionally separated from each other and have flexibility.

According to the above structure, when the container recess part on which the contained object is placed is composed of the plurality of placement surfaces which are regionally separated from each other, optimum deformation along the surface of the contained object is easily generated in each placement surface and ability to retain the contained objects is improved. Consequently, jumping and rolling of the contained object due to vibrations and the like during transportation can be inhibited, which can prevent the surface of the contained object from being scarred.

In addition, the container tray described above may be a structure that a plurality of protrusion parts provided from a tray bottom surface upward are formed and the placement surface is included in the protrusion part.

According to the above structure, ability to absorb vibrations can be imparted to the protrusion part, and jumping and rolling of the contained objects can be effectively inhibited.

Further, the above container tray may be a structure that the placement surface is an inclined surface which is low on an inner side and gradually heightens toward an outer side of the container recess part.

Moreover, the above container tray may be a structure that in a center of the container recess part, a non-placement part is provided in which there is no placement surface.

According to the above structure, thanks to the presence of the non-placement part, the contained object cannot contact the tray bottom surface, and this can prevent vibrations during transportation from being transmitted from the tray bottom surface to the contained object.

Furthermore, the container tray may be a structure that the plurality of placement surfaces have identical shapes.

Moreover, the container tray may be a structure that has an upper part tray on which the contained object is directly placed and which has the protrusion part; and a lower part tray which is arranged below the upper part tray, wherein the lower part tray contacts a top part of the protrusion part from below and has a convex part which does not contact the placement surface of the protrusion part.

According to the above structure, the lower part tray can keep the shape of the entire container tray without inhibiting deformation of the placement surface when the upper part tray retains fruits.

In addition, the container tray may be a structure that an opening is provided in the non-placement part.

Moreover, the container tray may be a structure that a plurality of support parts which support lower parts of the plurality of placement surfaces are provided.

Further, the container tray may be a structure that comprises: an upper part tray which has the container recess part and the support part and on which the contained object is directly placed; and a lower part tray which is arranged below the upper part tray and has a base part supporting the support part from below.

Furthermore, the container tray may be a structure that comprises: an inner tray which has the container recess part and on which the contained object is directly placed; and an outer tray which has a box-shape with an upper surface being opened and contains the inner tray therein.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

The container tray of the present disclosure produces an effect that improved ability to retain the contained object can prevent the surface of the contained object from being scarred due to vibrations during transportation or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a container tray according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the container tray in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of the container tray in an illustrative structure.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of the container tray in another illustrative structure.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the container tray according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the container tray in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the container tray according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the container tray according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the container tray in FIG. 8 when viewed from the back surface side.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the container tray according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the container tray in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the upper part tray which is a part of the container tray in FIG. 10 when viewed from the back surface side.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of the container tray in FIG. 10 illustrating a vibration-relieving structure.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the container tray according to a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the container tray in FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the container tray according to a seventh embodiment.

FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the container tray in

FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the container tray according to an eighth embodiment.

FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view of the container tray in FIG. 18.

 DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment

In the following, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a container tray 10 according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the container tray 10. The container tray 10 of the present disclosure is capable of placing a plurality of contained objects C thereon and is suitable for transporting the contained objects C having sensitive surfaces (such as fruits). In the following description, fruits (such as strawberries) are illustrated as the contained objects C.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a plurality of protrusion parts 11 which are provided from a tray bottom surface 13 upward are formed in the container tray 10, and the plurality of protrusion parts 11 are arranged regularly. One protrusion part 11 has a shape approximate to a square when viewed from a plane, has a ridge line 111 in its uppermost part, and has inclined surfaces 112 which range between both sides of the ridge line 111. The inclined surface 112 is a surface which has a shape approximate to a triangle and inclines and lowers as it is away from the ridge line 111, and its width becomes narrow as it is away from the ridge line 111. On both lateral sides of the respective inclined surfaces 112, side surfaces 113 which are surfaces having a shape approximate to a triangle are formed. Each side surface 113 connects each inclined surface 112 to the bottom surface of the container tray 10. Meanwhile, the plurality of protrusion parts 11 formed in the container tray 10 are basically made to have identical shapes; however, for the protrusion parts 11 formed in the outermost periphery of the container tray 10, they may have only one inclined surface 112 exceptionally.

The container tray 10 has a shape approximate to a rectangle when viewed from a plane, and in a case where the long side direction is defined as an X direction and the short side direction is defined as a Y direction, the protrusion parts 11 formed in the container tray 10 include two types of protrusion parts, i.e., a protrusion part 11A in which the ridge line 111 is defined to be parallel in the X direction and a protrusion part 11B in which the ridge line 111 is defined to be parallel in the Y direction. In addition, as an example of arranging the protrusion parts 11, as shown in FIG. 1, the protrusion parts 11 having the same type are arranged in a single row along the X direction, and a row of the protrusion parts 11A and a row of the protrusion parts 11B are alternately arranged along the Y direction. Moreover, when viewed along the Y direction, one protrusion part 11B (or one protrusion part 11A) is arranged between two adjacent protrusion parts 11A (or two adjacent protrusion parts 11B) in the X direction. That is to say, the protrusion parts 11A and the protrusion parts 11B are arranged in a staggered manner along the Y direction.

In the container tray 10 where the protrusion parts 11 are arranged as described above, many regions R (placement regions) surrounded by four protrusion parts 11 are formed, and four inclined surfaces 112 are included in one region R. These four inclined surfaces 112 are radially arranged from the center of the region R toward four peripheral directions, thereby forming a depression-like container recess part 14 which is low on the inner side and gradually heightens toward the outer side. Further, in the region R, since four inclined surfaces 112 are respectively included in four protrusion parts 11, a groove part 12 is formed between two adjacent inclined surfaces 112. This groove part 12 makes four inclined surfaces 112 constituting the container recess part 14 discontinuous.

In the container tray 10, one fruit is placed for one region R, and the placed fruit is contained in the container recess part 14 formed by four inclined surfaces 112. In other words, the fruit placed on the container tray 10 contacts four inclined surfaces 112, and four inclined surfaces 112 serve as a placement surface in the container recess part 14.

The container tray 10 is formed with a resin material having flexibility, and when the fruit is placed on the region R, deformation occurs in the protrusion part 11 due to the weight of the fruit. At this moment, as contact with the fruit in the protrusion part 11 occurs in the inclined surfaces 112, deformation along the surface of fruit occurs in the inclined surfaces 112. Four inclined surfaces 112 are regionally separated (made to be discontinuous) from each other because the groove part 12 is present between them, and the deformation which occurs in one inclined surface 112 cannot ripple another inclined surface 112. As a result, optimum deformation along the surface of fruit easily occurs in the respective inclined surfaces 112, and ability to closely contact the placed fruit is improved (contact area is enlarged) in the region R. Meanwhile, as a resin material for the container tray 10, PE (polyethylene), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), PS (polystyrene), PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and the like can be suitably used. The container tray 10 in which these materials are used can be formed by vacuum molding, compressed-air molding, etc.

In this way, when ability of the container tray 10 to closely contact the fruit in the region R is improved, ability to retain the fruit is increased, which can inhibit the fruit from jumping on the tray and rolling in the depression due to vibrations during transportation. Consequently, the container tray 10 can prevent direct wear due to jumping, frictional scratches against the tray surface due to rolling and the like, with respect to the contained fruits. Meanwhile, in a case where vibrations occur to the fruit during transportation, the side surface 113 and the perimeter part of the inclined surface 112 (regions which do not contact the fruit) serve as a vibration-absorbing part. Namely, the protrusion part 11 can effectively inhibit the fruit from jumping and rolling by imparting a vibration-absorbing property. FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view (A-A sectional view in FIG. 1) of a container tray 10A which is an illustrative structure of the container tray 10. The container tray 10A is composed of a sheet of resin plate 100 in which the protrusion parts 11 are formed by die molding. With the container tray 10A, the resin plate 100 is preferably formed with a resin material having relatively high elasticity (at least having higher elasticity than that of a container tray 10B as described later). In the container tray 10A, the resin plate 100 having high elasticity inhibits the protrusion part 11 from being excessively squashed when the fruit is placed, and retention of fruit by the protrusion part 11 can be excellently carried out.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view (A-A sectional view in FIG. 1) of a container tray 10B which is another illustrative structure of the container tray 10. The container tray 10B is composed of the resin plate 100 in which the protrusion parts 11 are formed by die molding and a planar resin plate 101 which is affixed to the back surface side of the resin plate 100. Below the protrusion parts 11 in the container tray 10B, an air layer S in which air is encapsulated is formed. In the container tray 10B, it is preferable that the resin plate 100 (and the resin plate 101) is/are formed by a resin material which has relatively low elasticity and high flexibility. In the container tray 10B, even if the resin plate 100 has low elasticity, the presence of the air layer S inhibits the protrusion part 11 from being excessively squashed and thus retention of fruit by the protrusion part 11 can be performed excellently. Moreover, as the resin plate 100 has high flexibility, the inclined surfaces 112 are easily deformed along the surface of fruit and retention of fruit by the protrusion part 11 is further improved. In addition, the container tray 10B has an advantage to reduce costs when a vinyl resin is used as its material.

Further, in this embodiment, in the protrusion part 11, a vertical plane 114 (see FIG. 3) is provided adjacent to the inner circumferential side tip of the inclined surface 112. Thanks to the vertical plane 114 being formed in the protrusion part 11, the inclined surface 112 is brought into a state that it floats from the bottom surface of the container tray 10, resulting in a non-placement part 115 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) where there is no surface on which fruit is placed, in the center of the region R (i.e., the container recess part 14). Because of the existence of this non-placement part 115, the fruit cannot touch the bottom surface of the container tray 10, which can avoid vibrations during transportation from being transmitted from the bottom surface of the container tray 10 to the fruit. In addition, the fruit which is placed on the container recess part 14 can reliably contact the inclined surface 112 and retention of fruit can be performed more reliably.

Second Embodiment

In the container tray 10 of the first embodiment, one protrusion part 11 which straddles the two regions R is formed, and the two inclined surfaces 112 are provided in one protrusion part 11. In this way, when one protrusion part 11 is shaped so as to be shared with the two regions R, the area occupied by one protrusion part 11 in a plane view can be enlarged so that the protrusion part 11 can be stably shaped. However, the shape of the protrusion part in the present invention is not limited to that of the protrusion part 11 described above.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the container tray 20 according to a second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the container tray 20. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in the container tray 20, a protrusion part 21 is formed instead of the protrusion part 11 in the container tray 10.

The protrusion part 21 is shaped so that the protrusion part 11 is divided into two parts by a groove part (corresponding to a groove part 24 in FIG. 5) along the ridge line 111. In other words, two protrusion parts 21 in the container tray 20 serve as those correspond to one protrusion part 11 in the container tray 10. In the container tray 20, one inclined surface 211 is formed in one protrusion part 21, and one protrusion part 21 which corresponds to only one region R is formed.

Third Embodiment

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a container tray 30 according to a third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the container tray 30 is made as a structure that an upper part tray 31 and a lower part tray 32 are stacked one on top the other in a double-layer manner. The upper part tray 31 is a tray on which fruit is directly placed, and the container tray 10 described in the first embodiment or the container tray 20 described in the second embodiment can be used just the way they are.

The lower part tray 32 is arranged below the upper part tray 31 and is used for keeping the shape of the entire container tray 30. For this reason, the lower part tray 32 preferably has flexibility and moderate stiffness (elasticity), and is preferably formed by an expanded polyethylene sheet, for example. Alternatively, for the lower part tray 32, moderate stiffness (elasticity) can also be obtained by making it as a sheet having a larger thickness than that of the upper part tray 31; in this case, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), PS (polystyrene), PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and the like may be used as its material.

The lower part tray 32 is shaped to have a bottom surface 321 and a convex part 322. The shape of the convex part 322 is designed to adapt the shape of the upper part tray 31, i.e., the shapes of the protrusion parts 11, 21 in the container trays 10, 20. In particular, when the upper part tray 31 and the lower part tray 32 are stacked each other so that the bottom surface 321 of the lower part tray 32 contacts the bottom surface of the upper part tray 31, the convex part 322 contacts the top parts of the protrusion parts 11, 21 from below, and the side surface of the convex part 322 do not contact the surfaces on which fruit is placed (inclined surfaces 112, 211) in the protrusion parts 11, 21. Because of this, while the convex part 322 of the lower part tray 32 supports the protrusion parts 11, 21 of the upper part tray 31, deformation of the placement surface is not inhibited when the upper part tray 31 retains fruits.

Fourth Embodiment

In the following [Fourth embodiment]-[Eighth embodiment], a preferable example of a container tray in which the measurement of sugar content can be carried out with respect to the placed fruit will be explained. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a container tray 40 according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the container tray 40 when viewed from the back surface side.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the container tray 40, a container recess part 41 whose center part is depressed is formed in a placement region corresponding to one fruit. The container recess part 41 is composed of a plurality of placement surfaces which are regionally separated from each other by a groove part 42 and have flexibility. In this embodiment, by setting the material of the container tray 40 as a food-grade sponge material having flexibility, flexibility is imparted to the placement surface of the container recess part 41. As the food-grade sponge material, food-grade, silicone, EPDM (ethylene propylene diene rubber), neoprene, urethane, PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene) sponges and the like are included. The container tray 40 formed with such a food-grade sponge allows to be formed with mold processing, and a resin mold can also be used in mold processing. The resin mold is less expensive as compared to a metal mold in material cost and is also easily processed, thus allowing the cost of making the mold to be reduced.

Moreover, in the container tray 40, the center of the container recess part 41 is made as a non-placement part in which there is no placement surface, and an opening 43 is provided in this non-placement part. Meanwhile, in FIG. 8, for the sake of simplifying the illustration, nine container recess parts 41 are provided; however, the number of the container recess parts 41 is not especially limited.

In the container tray 40, providing the opening 43 in the center of the container recess part 41 facilitates the measurement of sugar content with respect to the fruit placed on the container tray 40. As a specific example, the container tray 40 on which fruit is placed is loaded onto a transporter comprising opening parts corresponding to the openings 43, measurement light (for example, infrared radiation) is irradiated upward from a light-projecting part arranged below the transporter, and measurement light which transmitted the fruit is received and analyzed at a light-receiving part arranged above the container tray 40 to allow the measurement of sugar content to be performed for the fruit. Because measurement light at this time is irradiated to the fruit through the openings 43, the measurement of sugar content is not interrupted by the container tray 40, and the measurement of sugar content can be performed with respect to the fruit being placed on the container tray 40. Meanwhile, the positions of the light-projecting part and the light-receiving part may be opposite to those of the above example (the light-projecting part is arranged above the container tray and the light-receiving part is arranged below the transporter).

Further, to improve the measurement accuracy of sugar content, the container tray 40 preferably has a light-absorbing property with respect to measurement light. In this embodiment, as the container tray 40 is made by a sponge material, i.e., has a porous body, it can have the light-absorbing property with respect to measurement light. In addition, the container tray 40 may be made with a color having a high light-absorbing property (for example, black). Thus, by giving the container tray 40 the light-absorbing property with respect to measurement light, internal reflection of measurement light can be inhibited and the measurement of sugar content can be expected with high accuracy.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of support parts 44 are provided in the back surface of the container tray 40. The support parts 44 are provided in a leg-like manner so that they are adjacent to the outside of the container recess part 41 with respect to each placement surface in the container recess part 41. In this manner, by providing the plurality of support parts 44 in the back surface of the container tray 40, each placement surface is supported by the support parts 44 from below (load is received by the support parts 44), and a vibration-relieving property can be retained during transportation and the like.

Fifth Embodiment

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a container tray 50 according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the container tray 50. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an upper part tray 50A which is a part of the container tray 50 when viewed from the back surface side. As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the container tray 50 is structured so that it has the upper part tray 50A and a lower part tray 50B, and the upper part tray 50A is loaded onto the lower part tray 50B. The upper part tray 50A and the lower part tray 50B can be formed with a food-grade sponge material, as in the container tray 40.

The upper part tray 50A has a container recess part 51, a groove part 52 and an opening 53, as in the container recess part 41, the groove part 42 and the opening 43 of the container tray 40. That is to say, fruits as the contained objects are directly placed on the upper part tray 50A.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of support parts 54 are provided in the back surface of the upper part tray 50A. As in the support parts 44 of the container tray 40, the support parts 54 are provided in a leg-like manner so that they are adjacent to the outside of the container recess part 51 with respect to each placement surface in the container recess part 51. Moreover, in each support part 54, a recess part 541 which opens on the back surface side of the upper part tray 50A is formed.

The lower part tray 50B has a plurality of base parts 55 so as to oppose the support parts 54 of the upper part tray 50A. When the upper part tray 50A is loaded onto the lower part tray 50B, the base parts 55 are fitted into the recess parts 541 in the support parts 54. At this moment, as shown in FIG. 13, the recess part 541 which becomes an inner part of the support part 54 takes a form that is loaded onto the base part 55 of the lower part tray 50B; however, considering that the upper part tray 50A itself relieves vibrations, an appropriate space between the recess part 541 and the base part 55 is provided.

Further, the lower part tray 50B has a plurality of openings 56 so as to correspond to the openings 53 of the upper part tray 50A. As a result of this, on the container tray 50, when the measurement of sugar content is performed with respect to fruit being placed onto the container tray 50, measurement light is irradiated to the fruit via the openings 53 and 56.

The container tray 50 in this embodiment is made by a double-layer structure of the upper part tray 50A and the lower part tray 50B, thereby facilitating an improvement in stiffness of the entire tray and facilitating portability or the like of the container tray 50 even when fruits are placed thereon, as compared to the container tray 40 of the fourth embodiment.

Sixth Embodiment

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a container tray 60 according to a sixth embodiment. FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the container tray 60. As shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, the container tray 60 is structured so that it has an outer tray 60A and an inner tray 60B, and the inner tray 60B is accommodated within the outer tray 60A.

The outer tray 60A is formed by a box-shape with its upper surface being opened. Preferably, the outer tray 60A is light and has moderate stiffness, and is preferably formed with EPP (expanded polypropylene (expanded polystyrene)), resin or paper (cardboard) and the like.

The inner tray 60B has a container recess part 61, a groove part 62 and an opening 63, as in the container recess part 41, the groove part 42 and the opening 43 of the container tray 40. In other words, fruits as the contained objects are directly placed onto the inner tray 60B. The inner tray 60B can be formed with a food-grade sponge material, as in the container tray 40.

Meanwhile, although the inner tray 60B shown in FIG. 15 is illustrated with a structure having no leg part on the back surface, the support parts may be provided on the back surface, as in the container tray 40. Namely, the inner tray 60B may have a structure similar to that of the container tray 40. The inner tray 60B is sized to allow to be accommodated within the internal space (recess part) of the outer tray 60A.

The container tray 60 in this embodiment is made as a structure that the inner tray 60B is accommodated within the outer tray 60A, thereby facilitating an improvement in stiffness of the entire tray and facilitating portability or the like of the container tray 60 even when fruits are placed thereon, as compared to the container tray 40 of the fourth embodiment. In addition, the outer tray 60A in this embodiment is simpler and at a lower cost in material structure as compared to the lower part tray 50B of the fifth embodiment, and its materials are also easily managed.

Moreover, when the bottom surface of the outer tray 60A can transmit measurement light in the measurement of sugar content of fruits, the measurement of sugar content can be performed with respect to fruits being placed onto the container tray 60 (including the outer tray 60A). On the other hand, in cases such as a case where the bottom surface of the outer tray 60A cannot transmit measurement light, or a case where the outer tray 60A causes variations in transmitted light which significantly degrades measurement accuracy, the outer tray 60A can also be removed at the time of measuring sugar content to use only the inner tray 60B to perform the measurement of sugar content.

Seventh Embodiment

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a container tray 70 according to a seventh embodiment. FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the container tray 70. As shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, the container tray 70 has an outer frame 70A, a bottom plate 70B and an inner tray 70C. The container tray 70 is structured so that an outer tray is composed of the outer frame 70A and the bottom plate 70B, and the inner tray 70C is accommodated within this outer tray.

The outer frame 70A serves as a frame portion (side surface part) forming the outer tray having a box shape, and most of the entire bottom surface of the outer tray opens. However, a flange part 75 to load the bottom plate 70B is formed along the outer peripheral edge of the opening portion. The outer frame 70A is preferably light and has moderate stiffness, and is preferably formed with EPP, resin or paper (cardboard) and the like.

The bottom plate 70B serves as a bottom portion (bottom surface part) of the outer tray. Moreover, a plurality of openings 74 are provided in the bottom plate 70B. As in the container tray 40, the bottom plate 70B can be formed with a material retaining stiffness which can support the inner tray 70C of the upper surface, and a light-shielding property.

Fruits as the contained objects are directly placed onto the inner tray 70C. The inner tray 70C may have a structure similar to that of the inner tray 60B. That is to say, in the inner tray 70C, a container recess part 71, a groove part 72 and an opening 73 are provided, as in the container recess part 61, the groove part 62 and the opening 63 of the inner tray 60B. The opening 74 of the bottom plate 70B is provided so as to correspond to the opening 73 of the inner tray 70C.

The container tray 70 in this embodiment is made as a structure that the inner tray 70C is accommodated within the outer tray (the outer frame 70A and the bottom plate 70B), as in the container tray 60 of the sixth embodiment, thereby facilitating an improvement in stiffness of the entire tray, and facilitating portability or the like of the container tray 70 even when fruits are placed thereon.

Moreover, by defining the bottom surface of the outer tray as the bottom plate 70B and providing the opening 73 in the bottom plate 70B, the measurement of sugar content is not interrupted by the bottom surface of the outer tray, and the measurement of sugar content with higher accuracy than the container tray 60 can also be performed. Furthermore, the outer frame 70A can be stored in a nesting manner.

Eighth Embodiment

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a container tray 80 according to an eighth embodiment. FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view of the container tray 80. As shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, the container tray 80 has an outer frame 80A, a bottom plate 80B and an inner tray 80C. The container tray 80 is structured so that an outer tray is composed of the outer frame 80A and the bottom plate 80B, and the inner tray 80C is accommodated within this outer tray.

The outer frame 80A may have a structure similar to that of the outer frame 70A in the container tray 70. In other words, in the outer frame 80A, most of the entire bottom surface of the outer tray opens, and a flange part 84 is formed along the outer peripheral edge of the opening portion.

The bottom plate 80B serves as the bottom portion (bottom surface part) of the outer tray. Moreover, in the bottom plate 80B, a plurality of openings 82 and a base part 83 which is formed so as to surround four peripheral directions of each opening 82 are provided. The bottom plate 80B can be formed with a material retaining stiffness which can support the inner tray 80C of the upper surface, and a light-shielding property.

Fruits as the contained objects are directly placed onto the inner tray 80C. The inner tray 80C may have a structure similar to that of the container tray 10 (more specifically, container tray 10A) described in the first embodiment. That is to say, in the inner tray 80C, a protrusion part 81 and a ridge line 811 are provided, as in the protrusion part 11 and the ridge line 111 of the container tray 10. Further, by forming the inner tray 80C with a transparent resin, for example, it has high light transparency with respect to measurement light for the measurement of sugar content.

In the container tray 80, the tip of the base part 83 of the bottom plate 80B contacts the ridge line 811 of the inner tray 80C, allowing the protrusion part 81 to be supported from below. This can inhibit the protrusion part 81 from being excessively squashed in the container tray 80 when the fruit is placed.

The container tray 80 in this embodiment is made as a structure that the inner tray 80C is accommodated within the outer tray (the outer frame 80A and the bottom plate 80B), as in the container tray 60 of the sixth embodiment, thereby facilitating an improvement in stiffness of the entire tray, and facilitating portability or the like of the container tray 80 even when fruits are placed thereon. Moreover, the inner tray 80C can be produced with vacuum molding and compressed-air molding, which can reduce the production cost as compared to the inner tray 60B which is formed by mold processing.

Further, by providing the opening 82 in the bottom plate 80B and imparting light transparency to the inner tray 80C itself, the measurement of sugar content can also be performed with high accuracy while fruits are contained in the container tray 80.

Meanwhile, in the bottom plate 80B illustrated in FIG. 19, the base part 83 is formed so as to surround four peripheral directions of each opening 82 without gaps. In other words, the base part 83 may be formed as a wall part that surrounds the entire periphery of each opening 82. In this case, when sugar content of fruits is measured, measurement light which passed through the opening 82 being turned into leakage light to the next region can be prevented by the base part 83, and the measurement of sugar content can be performed with higher accuracy. However, as a variation, the base part 83 in the bottom plate 80B may be formed so as to arrange island-shaped base parts 83 formed spaced apart from each other in four peripheral directions of each opening 82.

Moreover, as a further variation, it may be structured so that an outer tray is used in which the outer frame 80A and the bottom plate 80B are integrally formed with the same material, and the inner tray 80C is accommodated within this outer tray.

Embodiments disclosed at this time are illustrations in all the respects, and do not constitute grounds for limited interpretations. Therefore, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not construed only by the above embodiments, and is defined based on the descriptions of claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

    • 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 container tray
    • 11, 21, 81 protrusion part
    • 111, 811 ridge line
    • 112, 211 inclined surface
    • 113 side surface
    • 114 vertical plane
    • 115 non-placement part
    • 12, 42, 52, 62, 72 groove part
    • 13 tray bottom surface
    • 14, 41, 51, 61, 71 container recess part
    • 31, 50A upper part tray
    • 32, 50B lower part tray
    • 321 bottom surface
    • 322 convex part
    • 43, 53, 56, 63, 73, 74, 82 opening
    • 44, 54 support part
    • 541 concave part
    • 55, 83 base part
    • 75, 84 flange part
    • 60A outer tray
    • 60B inner tray
    • 100, 101 resin plate
    • 24 groove part
    • C contained object
    • R region (placement region)
    • S air layer

Claims

1. A container tray capable of placing a plurality of contained objects thereon,

wherein in a placement region corresponding to one contained object, a container recess part whose center part is depressed is formed, and
the container recess part is composed of a plurality of placement surfaces which are regionally separated from each other and have flexibility.

2. The container tray according to claim 1,

wherein a plurality of protrusion parts provided from a tray bottom surface upward are formed, and
the placement surfaces are included in the protrusion parts.

3. The container tray according to claim 1,

wherein the placement surfaces are an inclined surface which is low on an inner side and gradually heightens toward an outer side of the container recess part.

4. The container tray according to claim 1,

wherein in a center of the container recess part, a non-placement part is provided in which there is no placement surface.

5. The container tray according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of placement surfaces have identical shapes.

6. The container tray according to claim 2, comprising:

an upper part tray on which the contained object is directly placed and which has the protrusion parts; and
a lower part tray which is arranged below the upper part tray,
wherein the lower part tray has a convex part which contacts a top part of the protrusion parts from below and does not contact the placement surfaces of the protrusion parts.

7. The container tray according to claim 4,

wherein an opening is provided in the non-placement part.

8. The container tray according to claim 1,

wherein a plurality of support parts which support lower parts of the plurality of placement surfaces are provided.

9. The container tray according to claim 8, comprising:

an upper part tray which has the container recess part and the support part, and on which the contained object is directly placed; and
a lower part tray which is arranged below the upper part tray and has a base part supporting the support part from below.

10. The container tray according to claim 1, comprising:

an inner tray which has the container recess part and on which the contained object is directly placed; and
an outer tray which has a box-shape with an upper surface being opened and contains the inner tray therein.
Patent History
Publication number: 20250187788
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 5, 2024
Publication Date: Jun 12, 2025
Applicant: Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd. (Osaka)
Inventor: Fumihiko NAKASAKO (Osaka)
Application Number: 18/970,643
Classifications
International Classification: B65D 25/04 (20060101); B65D 1/36 (20060101);