U.S. patent application number 13/980915 was filed with the patent office on 2014-02-27 for storage container.
This patent application is currently assigned to NIHON KRAFT FOODS LIMITED. The applicant listed for this patent is Shinji Kitazawa. Invention is credited to Shinji Kitazawa.
Application Number | 20140054287 13/980915 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46638667 |
Filed Date | 2014-02-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140054287 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kitazawa; Shinji |
February 27, 2014 |
STORAGE CONTAINER
Abstract
A storage container in which the status of an opening is easily
viewable includes: an inner container (10) with an opening (130);
an outer container (20) being slidably attached to the inner
container (10); a plurality of through holes (30) arranged in a
matrix pattern on the first cover part (21); a first display (40)
provided on one surface (12) and located at the position where the
first display (40) is visible in a first state (S1) via the
plurality of through holes (30); and a second display (50) provided
on the one surface (12) and located at the position where the
second display (50) is visible in a second state (S2) via the
plurality of through holes (30).
Inventors: |
Kitazawa; Shinji; (Tokyo,
JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Kitazawa; Shinji |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
NIHON KRAFT FOODS LIMITED
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
46638667 |
Appl. No.: |
13/980915 |
Filed: |
February 8, 2012 |
PCT Filed: |
February 8, 2012 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP2012/052822 |
371 Date: |
November 12, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/23.87 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 21/02 20130101;
B65D 2583/0404 20130101; B65D 83/06 20130101; B65D 2583/0468
20130101; B65D 83/0481 20130101; B65D 2203/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/23.87 |
International
Class: |
B65D 21/02 20060101
B65D021/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 8, 2011 |
JP |
2011-024798 |
Claims
1. A storage container comprising: an inside container being a
box-shape capable of storing a material, having an opening for
removal of the material; an outside container having a first cover
that covers a surface of the inside container, and a second cover
that covers the opening, the outside container being slidably
mounted to the inside container; a plurality of transparent
portions disposed on the first cover in a form of a matrix, each of
the transparent portions being mutually separated predetermined
distances; a first display disposed on a surface of the inside
container at a position that is visible in a first aspect through
the plurality of transparent portions, in a first state where the
outside container overlaps the inside container; and a second
display disposed on the surface of the inside container at a
position that is visible in a second aspect through the plurality
of transparent portions, in a second state where the outside
container is slid from the first state a first length.
2. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein the storage
container is a granular material storage container.
3. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein each
transparent portion of the plurality of transparent portions is
formed into a square shape in a planar view, and one diagonal line
of each transparent portion of the plurality of transparent
portions is disposed along a sliding direction of the outside
container.
4. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein a length
between two adjacent transparent portions is longer than a length
between a pair of vertices in each transparent portion of the
plurality of transparent portions.
5. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein the opening
is disposed at an end of a surface of the inside cover covered by
the second cover, and the first length is 1.0 to 1.5 times the size
of the material.
6. A storage container comprising: an inside container being a
box-shape capable of storing a material, having an opening formed
in a surface for removal of the material; an outside container
having a first cover that covers the surface of the inside
container, slidably mounted to the inside container; a plurality of
transparent portions disposed on the first cover in a form of a
matrix, each of the transparent portions being mutually separated
predetermined distances; a first display disposed on a surface of
the inside container at a position that is visible in a first
aspect through the plurality of transparent portions, in a first
state where the outside container overlaps the inside container;
and a second display disposed on the surface of the inside
container at a position that is visible in a second aspect through
the plurality of transparent portions, in a second state where the
outside container is slid from the first state a first length.
7. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein the first
display comprises a plurality of a first pattern, and the second
display comprises a plurality of a second pattern; and a region
without a display is established in at least a portion between the
plurality of the first pattern and the plurality of the second
pattern disposed adjacent to each of the plurality of the first
pattern.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a National Stage of International
Application No. PCT/JP2012/052822, filed Feb. 8, 2012, which claims
the benefit of Japanese Application No. 2011-024798, filed Feb. 8,
2011, the contents of which are incorporated by reference
herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to storage containers,
especially relates to storage containers that store confectionary
or medicine, such as granular confectionery or medicine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In the past, a granular material storage container that was
equipped with an inside container that stores granular material,
and had an opening from which the granular material can be removed,
and an outside container slidably mounted to the inside container,
that covers the opening was proposed as a granular material storage
container for storing granular confectionary or medicine. (For
example, see patent publications 1 and 2.)
[0004] With this kind of granular material storage container,
changing a closed state in which an opening is covered by the
outside container and an opened state in which the opening is not
covered by the outside container are easily accomplished by sliding
the outside container over the inside container. This makes it easy
to remove granular material stored in the inside container. [0005]
Patent Publication 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First
Publication No. 2008-133000 [0006] Patent Publication 2: Japanese
Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2009-83896
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0007] With the granular material storage container proposed in
patent publications 1 and 2, when the user wants to remove the
granular material, the user slides the outside container to open
the opening. However, with the granular material storage container
proposed in patent publications 1 and 2, the user must carefully
examine whether the inside container and outside container are
overlapping to determine whether the opening is in an opened or
closed state. For that reason, if the granular material storage
container is carried about without the user realizing that the
opening is in an opened state, the granular material stored inside
can fall out and become scattered.
[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide
a storage container that makes it easy to visually discern the
status of the opening.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0009] The present invention is a storage container comprising: an
inside container being a box-shape capable of storing a material,
having an opening for removal of the material; an outside container
having a first cover that covers a surface of the inside container,
and a second cover that covers the opening, the outside container
being slidably mounted to the inside container; a plurality of
transparent portions disposed on the first cover in a form of a
matrix, each of the transparent portions being mutually separated
predetermined distances; a first display disposed on a surface of
the inside container at a position that is visible in a first
aspect through the plurality of transparent portions, in a first
state where the outside container overlaps the inside container;
and a second display disposed on the surface of the inside
container at a position that is visible in a second aspect through
the plurality of transparent portions, in a second state where the
outside container is slid from the first state a first length.
[0010] The present invention is a storage container comprising: an
inside container being a box-shape capable of storing a material,
having an opening formed in a surface for removal of the material;
an outside container having a first cover that covers the surface
of the inside container, slidably mounted to the inside container;
a plurality of transparent portions disposed on the first cover in
a form of a matrix, each of the transparent portions being mutually
separated predetermined distances; a first display disposed on a
surface of the inside container at a position that is visible in a
first aspect through the plurality of transparent portions, in a
first state where the outside container overlaps the inside
container; and a second display disposed on the surface of the
inside container at a position that is visible in a second aspect
through the plurality of transparent portions, in a second state
where the outside container is slid from the first state a first
length.
Effects of the Invention
[0011] With the storage container of the present invention, it is
easy to visually discern the status of the opening.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the storage container seen
from a top side, according to a first embodiment of the present
invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the storage container of the
first embodiment seen from a bottom side;
[0014] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the storage
container of the first embodiment;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an inside container of the
first embodiment;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a side view of the inside container shown in FIG.
4 seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4;
[0017] FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an outside container of the
first embodiment;
[0018] FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a first state of the storage
container of the first embodiment;
[0019] FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a second state of the storage
container of the first embodiment;
[0020] FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an inside container of a
second embodiment;
[0021] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a second state of the storage
container of the second embodiment; and
[0022] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the storage
container of a third embodiment.
EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0023] 1 Storage container [0024] 10 Inside container [0025] 12 Top
side [0026] 20 Outside container [0027] 21 First cover [0028] 22
Second cover [0029] 30 Through hole [0030] 40 First display [0031]
50 Second display [0032] 130, 131 Opening [0033] L3 First length
[0034] S1 First aspect [0035] S2 Second aspect
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0036] Preferred embodiments of the storage container according to
the present invention will now be explained with reference to the
drawings provided. First, a first embodiment of the storage
container 1 of the present invention will be explained with
reference to FIGS. 1-8.
[0037] Generally, storage container 1 of the first embodiment
stores a plurality of granular materials including confectionary
articles, such as tablets (not shown) as granular confectionary
material having planar shapes like circles or triangles and the
like. For example, the planar view size of confectionary tablets
stored in the storage container 1 can be 2 mm-10 mm, and tablet
thickness can be 1 mm-10 mm. Note that the storage container 1 is
not limited to storing confectionery tablets.
[0038] Many other types of confectionery articles, such as chewing
gums or hard candies, also can be stored in the storage container
1, as well as other materials, such as medicines.
[0039] As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the storage container 1 is composed
of an inside container 10 comprising an opening 130 (see FIG. 3),
an outside container 20 slidably mounted to the inside container
10, a plurality of through holes 30 (transparent portions) formed
in the outside container 20, and a first display 40 and a second
display 50 positioned on the inside container 10. Note that the
transparent portions are not limited to through holes. If they are
see-through, any material that is more transparent than the
surrounding material is acceptable.
[0040] The inside container 10 has a hollow, box-shape structure
for storing confectionary articles, such as tablets. To describe
this in more detail, as shown in FIGS. 3-5, the inside container 10
has a rectangular shaped bottom surface 11 and top surface 12. It
is also acceptable to be a rectangular parallelepiped with a
shorter thickness than the length of the width directions of the
bottom surface 11 and top surface 12.
[0041] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the opening 130 is established in
the side surface 13 positioned along a length direction X of the
inside container 10. This opening 130 is formed to be larger in
size than the confectionary articles, such as tablets, stored
inside, and is positioned at one end of the length direction X in
the side surface 13.
[0042] As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the outside container 20 has a first
cover 21 that covers the top surface 12 which is one surface of the
inside container 10, and a second cover 22 that covers the side
surface 13 where the opening 130 is established, and is slidably
mounted to the inside container 10.
[0043] According to the first embodiment, the outside container 20
comprises the first cover portion 21, the pair of second cover
portions 22, and a third cover portion 23 that covers the bottom
surface 11 of the inside container 10, and is configured into a
shape that is one-size larger than the outer shape of the inside
container 10. More specifically, the outside container 20 is
configured to be of a size such that the inside surface of the
outside container 20 is in contact with the outside surface of the
inside container 10, or is configured to be of a size such that
there is a small space between the inside surface of the outside
container 20 and the outside surface of the inside container 10.
Furthermore, the outside container 20 is slidably mounted in the
length direction X of the inside container 10.
[0044] A plurality of through holes 30 are established in the first
cover portion 21. As shown in FIG. 6, the plurality of through
holes 30 is arranged in a matrix with predetermined gaps set
between each hole. With the first embodiment, the plurality of
through holes 30 are arranged in lines along a length direction X
of the outside container 20, and in rows along a width direction of
the outside container 20.
[0045] Each through hole of the plurality of holes 30 is formed
into a square shape in a planar view, and is arranged so that one
diagonal line of the square shape lines up along the length
direction of the outside container 20. However, shapes of the
transparent portions are not limited to squares. They may be any
shape, such as circles, ovals, diamonds, rectangles or star
shapes.
[0046] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a length L1 between
two adjacent through holes 30 is longer than the length (the length
of a diagonal line) L2 of a pair of opposing vertices in a through
hole 30.
[0047] The storage container 1 described above can change the
position of the outside container 20 between a closed state (see
FIG. 7), which is the first state wherein the opening 130 is
covered by the outside container 20 and the inside container 10
overlapping, and an opened state (see FIG. 8) wherein the opening
130 is opened by sliding the outside container 20 from this closed
state in a length direction X (direction X1 in FIG. 7).
[0048] As shown in FIG. 4, a first display 40 and a second display
50 are positioned on the top surface 12 of the inside container
10.
[0049] The first display 40 is composed of a plurality of round
first patterns 41 prepared with a predetermined coloration. Each
first pattern of the plurality of first patterns 41 is located at a
position overlapping a through hole of a predetermined plurality of
through holes 30 of the plurality of through holes 30 in the closed
state of the storage container 1. Also, a surface area of each
first pattern of the plurality of first patterns 41 is preferred to
be larger than the open area (transparent portion) of each through
hole of the plurality of through holes 30. However, it is
acceptable that the pattern is equivalent in size or smaller than
the open area (transparent portion) of each through hole 30.
[0050] As shown in FIG. 7, when the storage container 1 is in a
closed state, the first display 40 can be seen as a first aspect S1
through the plurality of through holes 30. For example, with the
first embodiment, the first display 40 can be viewed to read the
characters "ICE" as the first aspect S1. Although there are no
particular limitations, it is preferred that the characters in the
first aspect S1 show something to identify the product so it is
visible when distributed as a commercial product, or something that
will be good at stimulating demand, such as the confectionary
article product name, its qualities or other features and the
like.
[0051] As shown in FIG. 4, the second display 50 is composed of a
plurality of round second patterns 51 prepared with predetermined
coloration. Each second pattern of the plurality of second patterns
51 is arranged at a position overlapping a through hole of a
predetermined plurality of through holes 30 of the plurality of
through holes 30, in the second state (see FIG. 8), which is the
opened state wherein the outside container 20 slides a first length
L3 from the closed state of the storage container 1. More
specifically, the second display 50 is set at a position that is
offset with regard to the first display 40 a first length L3 in the
length direction of the inside container 10, as shown in FIG. 4.
Also, the surface area of each second pattern of the plurality of
second patterns 51 is preferably larger than the open area
(transparent portion) of each through hole of the plurality of
through holes 30. However, in the same way as with the first
display 40, surface areas of each of second display 50 may also be
equivalent in size or smaller than open areas (transparent portion)
of each of the plurality of through holes 30.
[0052] As shown in FIG. 8, in the second state of the storage
container 1, the second display 50 is visible through the plurality
of through holes 30 as a second aspect S2 that is different from
the first aspect S1. For example, with the first embodiment, the
second display 50 can be seen as a picture that is patterned of an
animal as the second aspect S2. There is no particular limitation
to the second display 50, but it is preferred that the change is
distinct from the first display 40. For example, if characters were
adopted for the first display 40, the second display 50 could be
any pattern other than characters, or an alternative set of
characters. Furthermore, with the first embodiment, the second
state of the storage container 1 is the opened state where the
opening 130 is opened the first length L3.
[0053] In light of easily removing confectionary articles from the
opening 130, it is preferred that the first length L3 is 1.0-1.5
times the size of the confectionary article (for example, the
longest portion in the planar view).
[0054] With the first embodiment, only the first display 40 and the
second display 50 are displayed on the top surface of the inside
container 10. Specifically, there is a region without a display
established between the plurality of first patterns 41, and the
plurality of second patterns 51, arranged adjacent to the plurality
of first patterns 41. The region without a display is not limited
to the entire region between the first pattern 41 and the second
pattern 51, and a portion of such region is acceptable. With the
present invention, being without a display is not limited to being
plain, and also includes having patterns (such as flowers),
designs, colors or characters that are unrelated (specifically, as
a background that is not associated with the through holes 30
positions) to the first pattern 41 and the second pattern 51 on a
portion of the inside container 10. However, in view of making the
change in the display from the first aspect S1 to the second aspect
S2 more distinct, it is preferable that this is plain (though this
not limited to being white, and can be any set color), so that what
the user sees through the through holes 30 does not change even
when the outside container 20 is slid.
[0055] The storage container 1 is used in the following way.
[0056] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 7, when a plurality of
confectionary articles stored in the storage container 1 is not
being removed, the container is in a closed state with the inside
container 10 and outside container 20 overlapping. In this state,
the opening 130 is covered by the outside container 20, so that the
confectionary articles stored inside will not spill out of the
inside container 10. In this state (the closed state), the
characters "ICE" are displayed on the top surface of the storage
container 1 as the first aspect S1.
[0057] To remove a plurality of confectionary articles that are
stored in the storage container 1, the user slides the outside
container 20 from the closed state of the storage container 1 in
the length direction X (the direction X1 shown in FIG. 7). Here, as
shown in FIG. 8, when the user slides the outside container 20 the
first length L3, a figure patterned on an animal is visible on the
top surface of the storage container 1 as a second aspect S2. With
this, the user can recognize that the opening 130 has been opened
the first length L3 which is the favorable length to remove the
confectionary articles. Also, in this state, the desired number of
confectionary articles can be removed from the opening 130.
[0058] The following effects are attained using the storage
container 1 of the first embodiment described above.
[0059] (1) A first display 40 established on the inside container
10 can be seen in the first aspect S1 through the plurality of
through holes 30 when the opening 130 is in a closed state, and a
second display 50 that is disposed can be seen as in the second
aspect S2 that is different from the first aspect S1 through the
through holes 30 when the opening 130 is in an opened state. With
this configuration, when the user can see the display of the first
aspect S1, the user of the storage container 1 can easily recognize
that the opening 130 is in a closed state. For that reason, the
user can easily see the state of the opening 130, so the stored
will not be scattered by the user carrying the storage container 1
without noticing that the opening 130 is in an opened state.
[0060] (2) A plurality of through holes 30 is formed in square
shapes in the planar view; the plurality of through holes 30 is
arranged in so that one diagonal line lines up along the sliding
direction (length direction X) of the outside container 20. For
that reason, because the through holes 30 which are adjacent in row
directions and line directions are arranged with their vertices
facing each other, visibility of the first aspect S1 and the second
aspect S2 is improved through the plurality of through holes
30.
[0061] (3) The length L1 between two adjacent through holes 30 is
longer than the length L2 of a pair of opposing vertices in the
through holes 30. With this, when the first display 40 and
plurality of through holes 30 are in an overlapped state, the
second display 50 is positioned between two adjacent through holes
30. Also, when the second display 50 and plurality of through holes
30 are in an overlapped state, the first display 40 is positioned
between two adjacent through holes 30. This prevents the user from
being able to see the first aspect S1 and the second aspect S2
simultaneously.
[0062] (4) The opening 130 is disposed at one end of the length
direction X, and the first length L3 is 1.0-1.5 times longer than a
confectionary article size. With this, by sliding the outside
container 20 until the second state S2 is visible, the opening 130
is opened only the first length L3 which is the optimal length to
remove confectionary articles. Therefore, by the user sliding the
outside container 20 while watching the appearance of the display
on the top surface of the storage container 1, the user can easily
recognize the proper opened state of the opening 130.
[0063] (5) The surface areas of the plurality of first pattern 41
and the surface areas of the plurality of second pattern 51 can be
larger than the surface areas of the openings of the plurality of
through holes 30. Because of this, the visibility of the first
aspect S1 and the second aspect S2 are maintained even if the
outside container 20 is slightly mis-positioned (for example
approximately 1 mm) on the inside container 10.
[0064] (6) A region with no display is established between the
plurality of first pattern 41, and the second pattern 51 that are
arranged each adjacent to the plurality of first pattern 41.
Because of this, when the user slides the outside container 20
thereby changing the storage container 1 from the closed state to
the opened state, a state is interposed where neither display of
the first aspect S1 or the second aspect S2 exists. Therefore, it
is possible to clearly recognize that the display has changed from
the first aspect S1 to the second aspect S2.
[0065] Next, a second embodiment of the storage container 1 of the
present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 9 and
FIG. 10. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the inside container 10 of
the second embodiment; and FIG. 10 is a plan view of the second
state of the storage container 1 of the second embodiment. To
simplify the explanation of the second embodiment, the same symbols
used for the same configuring elements will be omitted from the
explanation.
[0066] Mainly, the storage container 1 of the second embodiment is
different from the first embodiment with the first length L3A. To
explain in more detail, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the first
length L3A is configured to be substantially equivalent to the
length of the opening 130 in the length direction. Also, a second
display 50A is disposed at a position offset the first length L3A
of the inside container 10 in the length direction with regard to
the first display 40.
[0067] According to the second embodiment, in addition to the
effects of (1)-(6) above, the following effects are attained.
[0068] (7) The first length L3A is configured to be substantially
equivalent to the length of the length direction of the opening
130. For that reason, by sliding the outside container 20 until the
second aspect S2 is visible, it is easy to recognize that the
opening 130 is fully opened.
[0069] Next, a third embodiment of the storage container 1 of the
present invention will now be explained with reference to FIG. 11.
FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing the storage
container 1 of a third embodiment.
[0070] The storage container 1 of the third embodiment differs from
the first embodiment in that an opening 131 is established on the
top surface 12. To explain this configuration in more detail, with
the third embodiment, the opening 131 is disposed near the boundary
with the side surface 13 at an end of the length direction X.
However, the opening 131 could be disposed in any position on the
top surface 10. Furthermore, with the third embodiment, the opening
131 is covered by the first cover 21.
[0071] With the storage container 1 of the third embodiment,
effects (1)-(5), described above, are attained.
[0072] Preferred embodiments of the storage container 1 of the
present invention have been explained above, but they are not to be
construed as limitations. A variety of configurations can be
implemented.
[0073] For example, with the first to the third embodiments,
confectionary articles are stored in the inside container 10, but
the inside container is not limited to that. For example, the
inside container 10 can store medicinal articles, such as medicine
that is in a granulated form.
[0074] Furthermore, with the first to the third embodiments, the
outside container 20 has a square-sheath shape that includes a
first cover 21, a pair of second covers 22 and a third cover 23,
but the outside container 20 is not limited to this. More
specifically, the outside container can be composed of a first
cover and a pair of second covers, and can be configured to cover
only the top surface of the inside container and pair of side
surfaces thereof.
[0075] Furthermore, with the first to the third embodiments, only
the first display and second display were established. However, it
is acceptable to dispose another display that is visible between
the first aspect and the second aspect, or when the outside
container is slid a distance that is longer than the first length.
This configuration enables the user to enjoy changes in displays on
the storage container 1 even more.
[0076] Furthermore, with the first to the third embodiments, the
first display is not visible in the second aspect, but it is
acceptable for a portion or all of the first display to be visible
in the second aspect. In the same way, it is also acceptable for a
portion or all of the second display to be visible in the first
aspect.
[0077] Also, with the first to the third embodiments, surface areas
of the first pattern 41 and second pattern 51 are circles that are
larger than the surface areas of the plurality of through holes 30.
However, this is not to be construed as a limitation. The first
pattern and second pattern may be formed to be the same shapes and
sizes as the through holes.
[0078] Still further, with the first to the third embodiments, the
through holes 30 have a square shape. Again, this is not to be
construed as a limitation. More specifically, the through holes may
be formed into other shapes such as circles, ovals or stars and the
like.
* * * * *