US20140326736A1

US20140326736A1 - Container for food

Info

Publication number: US20140326736A1
Application number: US14/008,275
Authority: US
Inventors: Kazumi Miyawaki
Original assignee: AD Bank Ltd Co
Current assignee: AD Bank Ltd Co
Priority date: 2012-01-19
Filing date: 2012-05-31
Publication date: 2014-11-06
Also published as: EP2669210A4; EP2669210A1; WO2013108423A1

Abstract

Upper and lower slits are formed on an upper part of a food container main body. The tip end portion of a skewer or simplified fork is inserted through the upper slit from inside the container main body and further inserted through the lower slit, and the tip end portion is pressed inside. As a result, the skewer or simplified fork can be held in the container main body by the both slits. A portion between the upper and lower slits functions as a flexible holding piece, and the skewer is held by a recovering force of this holding piece so that the skewer or simplified fork can be tilted by an arbitrary angle or the skewer or simplified fork can be held at an arbitrary position in the vertical direction.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a container for food for placing skewered food including deep-fried chicken, pork, beef and the like, dumplings, dengaku, mini doughnuts and the like in a cup-shaped container so that these skewered food can be skewered and eaten.
Related-art examples of a container for skewered food for placing skewered food such as yakitori chicken, chicken meat balls, dumplings and the like include Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 3-31745 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-33948 described below, for example.
Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 3-31745 describes a cup-shaped container equipped with, on a bottom part, a fixing member for fixing a skewer by sticking a tip end portion of the skewer therein and, at the center of the upper part, a ring-shaped member having an opening portion. Moreover, a fitting-in port is provided in this ring-shaped member so that a base portion of the skewer communicating with the opening portion is fitted in and fixed and made capable of going in/out therethrough.
Then, the skewered food is put in the container through the opening portion of the ring-shaped member in a skewered state, the tip end portion of the skewer is inserted into the fixing member and the base portion of the skewer is held in the fitting-in port.
Moreover, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-33948 is a cylindrical container or a box-shaped container having a height that can contain 3 to 4 pieces of lump-state food such as chicken balls, yakitori chicken, dumplings and the like in the vertical direction, a partition or a partition cylinder having an opening surface through which the lump-state food can be easily contained or taken out thereof from above is attached to the container, and a plurality of partitioned sections are constituted.
Moreover, 3 to 4 pieces of the lump-state food are contained in not-skewered and loose state in each of the partition section in the vertical direction. Moreover, skewers for skewering the lump-state food are contained in a separate containing bag, and the containing bag with the skewers therein is attached to a part of the main body of the container.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, in the above-described Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 3-31745, the skewered food is fixed in the container while the food is attached, and the technical idea thereof is different from that of the present invention. Moreover, the fixing member is provided on the bottom part of the container for fixing the skewer, and the ring-shaped member is provided for fixing the base portion of the skewer, and thus, two members, that is, the fixing member and the ring-shaped member are further required other than the container.
Furthermore, the shape of the ring-shaped member becomes complicated, and moreover, a process of providing the fixing member in the container and the process of disposing the ring-shaped member are required. As a result, there is a problem that a manufacturing cost of the container becomes extremely high.
Moreover, in the above-described Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-33948, since the skewer is put in the containing bag and the containing bag is attached to the outer side face of the container, when a user is to eat the skewered food in the container by using the skewer, it is realized only after holding the container by one hand at first, taking the containing bag out of the container by the other hand, and moreover, putting down the container and tearing the containing bag the both hands in order to take the skewer out of the containing bag.
Therefore, in this Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-33948, when a user is to eat the skewered food by using the skewer, the skewer cannot be taken out immediately, whereby a user is irritated. Moreover, when the skewer is taken out of the containing bag, the containing bag needs to be torn by the both hands to take out the skewer, and the container should be put down somewhere once. Thus, there is a problem that it is extremely difficult to take out the skewer and eat the skewered food while walking.
Furthermore, there is also a problem that a containing bag for containing the skewer is needed, whereby a manufacturing cost is increased.
On the other hand, as those in which the separate member is not used but the skewer is simply put down in the container or in which a cutout line is made on the container so that the skewer is inserted into the cutout line to be held, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-79503 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-160724 described below can be cited, for example. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-79503 describes a container which has a plurality of notched portions on an upper edge portion of a main body of container so that a skewer after food has been eaten can be placed in the container by placing the skewer over the two of the notched portions.
Moreover, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-160724, a single cutout line is provided on a container main body or a lid body so that a skewer can be held in the cutout line by pushing the skewer into this cutout line.
However, in the above-described Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-79503, it is only possible to place the skewer on the notched portions, and the skewer cannot be held on the notched portions immovably. Thus, there is a problem that the skewer might fall from the notched portion if the container is tilted or turned upside down when the container is held by hand.
Moreover, in the above-described Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-160724, since only a single cutout line is provided, if the skewer is inserted into the cutout line, a direction of the skewer is determined unambiguously regardless of the inserting direction, and there is a problem that the skewer cannot be held at an arbitrary position in the vertical direction or in an inclined state.
The present invention was provided in view of the above-described problems and provides a container for food having a purpose of at least the following:
(1) To suppress a rise of a manufacturing cost of a container by not using a separate member for holding a skewer or a thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork in a container;
(2) Even if a separate member is used for holding a skewer or a thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork in a container, to suppress the rise of a manufacturing cost of the container by using an extremely inexpensive member for the member;
(3) When a skewer or a thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork is held in a container, to make it easy;
(4) To be able to hold a skewer or a thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork in a container in a state where the utensil such as a skewer is arbitrarily tilted or at an arbitrary position in the vertical position with respect to the container;
(5) If a skewer or a thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork is to be taken out of the container, to enable taking out the skewer or the simplified fork immediately and only by one hand while the container is held by the other hand;
(6) To contain a tip end portion of a skewer or a thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork in a container so as to improve hygiene;
(7) When the container is formed of a paper material, to prevent the paper material from being exposed to an inner edge portion of a slit so as to avoid direct contact between the food material and the paper material and to ensure security and safety in terms of hygiene; and
(8) To provide a design effect so as to attract users.
A first aspect of the present invention is a container for food for eating food contained in a cup-shaped container main body 1 made of paper or resin by using skewer or a thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork, characterized in that:
a slit 11 through which the skewer or the thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork is inserted into the container main body 1 is formed in the side face of the container main body 1;
the slit 11 is formed in a circumferential direction of the container main body 1 and two streaks of the slits are formed on upper and lower parts; and
a sharp tip end of the skewer 5 or the simplified fork is located inside of the container main body 1 and the tip end portion of the skewer 5 or the simplified fork is inserted through the upper slit 11 from the inside of the container main body 1 and the skewer 5 or the simplified fork is tilted to the outside using the tip end portion of the skewer 5 or the simplified fork located outside of the container main body 1 as a fulcrum so as to move the holding piece 13 to the inside, and the skewer 5 or the simplified fork is pressed downward and inserted through the lower slit 11 so that the skewer 5 or the simplified fork can be held in the container main body 1 withdrawably by an outer surface of the holding piece 13 urged outward by a returning force of the holding piece 13 and an inner surface of the container main body 1.
A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the slit 11 in the container main body 1 is formed by cutting out or punching.
A third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that an opening portion 4 is formed in the side face of the container main body 1, a sheet 10 is attached so as to block the opening portion 4, and two streaks of the slits 11 are formed on the upper and lower parts in the sheet 10.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the opening portion 4 is formed in the side face of the container main body 1, the sheet 10 is attached so as to block the opening portion 4 with a gap above and below the opening portion 4, and the upper and lower gaps of the sheet 10 are to be the slits 11.
A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a dimension in a circumferential direction of the slit 11 is set in accordance with the number of skewers or thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified forks.
A sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a pictorial FIG. 21 is drawn on an outer surface of the container main body 1 and also a pictorial FIG. 22 of a tip end portion of a skewer 5 penetrating the pictorial FIG. 21 is drawn.
A seventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, if the container main body 1 and the sheet 10 forming the slit 11 are made of a paper material, a hole 12 larger than the width of the slit 11 and communicating with the slit 11 is drilled at both ends of the slit 11.
An eighth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, if the container main body 1 is made of a paper material, a covering portion 18 preventing exposure of the paper material is formed on an inner edge 15 of the slit 11.
A ninth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the paper material is to be a base 30, the surface of the base 30 is coated with a film 31 so that the paper material is not exposed to the outside, and the covering portion 18 formed on the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 is formed by applying a resin of a film material of the film 31.
A tenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the covering portion 18 formed on the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 is formed by applying or spraying a water-repellent oil-repellent agent.
An eleventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the covering portion 18 formed on the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 is formed by applying a colorless or colored food grade chemical provided with any one of an antibacterial function, a sterilizing function and a disinfecting function.
A twelfth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the covering portion 18 is formed from the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 to a peripheral edge portion on the surface of the container main body 1.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the skewer or the thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork, or in the case of the skewer 5, for example, a sharp tip end of the skewer 5 is positioned inside the container main body 1, and the tip end portion of the skewer 5 is inserted from inside the container main body 1 into the upper slit 11. Subsequently, since the tip end portion of the skewer 5 is located on the outside of the holding piece 13 between the upper and lower slits 11 and 11, the holding piece 13 can be moved inward by tilting the skewer 5 outward by using the tip end portion of the skewer 5 as a fulcrum. Then, by pressing down the skewer 5, it can be inserted through the open lower slit 11, and by further pressing down the skewer 5 and by releasing the hand from the skewer 5 at a position where the tip end portion of the skewer 5 reaches a bottom plate 2 of the container main body 1 or before reaching the bottom plate 2, the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1. As described above, the skewer 5 can be easily held in the container main body 1.
Moreover, since a recovering force to recover to the original state works in the holding piece 13 between the upper and lower slits 11, the skewer 5 is biased to an outward direction on the outer surface of the holding piece 13. Thus, the skewer 5 is held by an inner surface of the container main body 1 and the outer surface of the holding piece 13, and the skewer 5 is located substantially in contact with the inner surface of the container main body 1.
Moreover, slipping down of the skewer 5 by the weight of the skewer 5 can be prevented by the outward biasing force (recovering force) of the holding piece 13. Thus, the skewer 5 can be held in the container main body 1 at an arbitrary position in the vertical direction, and even in a state where the skewer 5 is tilted by an arbitrary angle, the skewer 5 can be held in the container main body 1 in that state. Furthermore, unlike Patent Literatures 3 and 4, even if the container main body 1 holding the skewer 5 is tilted or turned upside down, the skewer 5 does not fall from the container main body 1.
Moreover, a separate member is not required for holding the skewer 5 but only 2 streaks of slits 11 are formed, and thus, a rise in a manufacturing cost can be suppressed. Furthermore, in a state where the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1, since the tip end portion of the skewer 5 is located in the container main body 1, contact of the hand of a seller with the tip end portion of the skewer 5 can be prevented, and hygiene can be improved.
Furthermore, in a state in which the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1 without placing a food material in the container main body 1, the container main bodies 1 can be piled up.
Furthermore, if a user eats the food in the container main body 1 by using the skewer 5, unlike the prior-art examples, the container main body 1 does not have to be put down somewhere but the skewer 5 can be easily taken out of the container main body 1 only by holding the base portion of the skewer 5 by one hand and withdrawn upward while the container main body 1 is held by the other hand. The user sticks the tip end portion of the skewer 5 into the food in the container main body 1 and eats it. Since the skewer 5 is used, the user can eat the food without dirtying fingers.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the slit 11 in the container main body 1 is formed by cutting out or punching, in addition to the effect in the first aspect, the container can be formed easily and inexpensively without using a separate member for holding the skewer such as the skewer 5, for example, or the thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the opening portion 4 is formed in the side face of the container main body 1, the sheet 10 is attached so as to block the opening portion 4, and two streaks of the slits 11 are formed on the upper and lower parts in the sheet 10. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, only the two streaks of the slits 11 are formed in the sheet 10 which is an inexpensive member for holding the skewer such as the skewer 5, for example, or the thin, slightly flat light-weighted simplified fork, and thus a rise in the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the opening portion 4 is formed on the side face of the container main body 1, the sheet 10 is attached so as to block the opening portion 4 with a gap above and below the opening portion 4, and the upper and lower gaps of the sheet 10 are made the slits 11. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the upper and lower slits 11 can be formed in the container main body 1 only by simply attaching the sheet 10 to the container main body 1, and the skewer such as the skewer 5, for example or the thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork can be held by the upper and lower slits 11 withdrawably. Here, the sheet 10 is used as a separate member other than the container main body 1, but the sheet 10 itself is extremely inexpensive, and unlike Patent Literatures Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 3-31745 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-33948 using a slightly complicated and not inexpensive separate member, the skewer 5 can be held by the container main body 1 with an inexpensive member (sheet 10).
Moreover, only by attaching the sheet 10 which is an inexpensive member for holding the skewer 5 to the opening portion 4 side with a gap above and below the opening portion 4 on the side face of the container main body 1, the upper and lower slits 11 can be formed, and thus, a rise in the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the dimension in the circumferential direction of the slit 11 is set in accordance with the number of skewers or the thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified forkforks to be inserted through the slit 11, a plurality of skewer and simplified forks can be easily held by the container main body 1.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the pictorial FIG. 21 is drawn on the outer surface of the container main body 1 and the pictorial FIG. 22 of the tip end portion of the skewer 5 penetrating the pictorial FIG. 21, it seems that the skewer 5 penetrates the pictorial FIG. 21 of a heart shape at a glance, and an interest or impact can be given to a user.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, if the container main body 1 and the sheet 10 forming the slit 11 are made of a paper material, since the hole 12 larger than the width of the slit 11 and communicating with the slit 11 is drilled at both ends of the slit 11, even if the holding piece 13 is moved inward, the force is absorbed in the portion of the hole 12, and the paper material is prevented from being torn from the edge portion of the slit 11.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, if the container main body 1 is made of a paper material, since the covering portion 18 preventing exposure of the paper material is formed on the inner edge 15 of the slit 11, exposure of the paper material on the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 can be prevented. Thus, even if the the skewer such as the skewer 5, for example or the thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork, simplified spoon is inserted through the slit 11, contact of the surface of the skewer 5 with the paper which is the material of the container main body 1 can be prevented. As a result, security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.
According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the paper material forms the base 30, and the surface of the base 30 is coated with the film 31 so that the paper material is not exposed to the outside, and the covering portion 18 formed on the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 is formed by applying a resin of the film material of the film 31, and thus, exposure of the paper material to the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 can be prevented. Thus, even if the skewer such as the skewer 5, for example, or a thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork is inserted through the slit 11, contact of the surface of the skewer 5 with the paper which is the material of the container main body 1 can be prevented. As a result, security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.
According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, since the covering portion 18 formed on the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 is formed by applying or spraying a water-repellent and oil-repellent agent, exposure of the paper material to the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 can be prevented by the water-repellent and oil-repellent agent. Thus, even if the skewer such as the skewer 5, for example or the thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork is inserted through the slit 11, contact of the surface of the skewer 5 with the paper which is the material of the container main body 1 can be prevented. As a result, security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.
According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, since the covering portion 18 formed on the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 is formed by applying a colorless or colored food grade chemical provided with any one of an antibacterial function, a sterilizing function and a disinfecting function, exposure of the paper material to the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 can be prevented by chemicals for food. Thus, even if the such as the skewer 5, for example, or the thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork, simplified spoon is inserted through the slit 11, contact of the surface of the skewer 5 with the paper which is the material of the container main body 1 can be prevented. As a result, security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.
According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, since the covering portion 18 is formed from the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 to the peripheral edge portion on the surface of the container main body 1, the covering portion 18 can be reliably formed up to a corner portion of the inner edge 15 of the slit 11, and exposure of the paper material can be prevented further reliably.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a container main body in a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container main body in the first embodiment of the present invention when seen from the front.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the container main body in the first embodiment of the present invention when seen from the side.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the container main body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating an example of a skewer used in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a state where the skewer is held in the container main body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a state where the skewer is held in the container main body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a slit portion in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the slit portion whose dimension in the lateral direction is prolonged in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating a state where two skewers are held in the container main body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part of the container main body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part of the slit portion in the container main body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where an inner edge of the slit in the container main body in the first embodiment of the present invention is coated with a resin.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where resin coating is applied up to a peripheral edge portion of the slit of in the container main body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view in which a pictorial figure is drawn on a side face of the container main body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a view illustrating a state where the skewer is held by the container main body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view in which a pictorial figure is drawn on a side face of the container main body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a view illustrating a state where the two skewers are held by the container main body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view illustrating the container main body in the first embodiment of the present invention when a position in the lateral direction of the slit is shifted.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view illustrating the container main body in the first embodiment of the present invention when a plurality of slits are formed in the circumferential direction.

FIG. 21 is a front view of a container main body in a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a plan view of the container main body in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a plan view of a sheet in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a front view of the container main body in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a side view of the container main body in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a plan view of the container main body in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a bottom view of the container main body in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a rear view of the container main body in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a view illustrating a state where a skewer is held in the container main body in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 30 is a view illustrating a state where the skewer is held in the container main body in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 31 is an enlarged view of a slit portion in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 32 is an enlarged view of the slit portion whose dimension in the lateral direction is prolonged in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 33 is a view illustrating a state where two skewers are held in the container main body in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 34 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where an inner edge of an opening portion in the container main body in the second embodiment of the present invention is coated with a resin.

FIG. 35 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where resin coating is applied up to a peripheral edge portion of the opening portion of the container main body in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 36 is a front view of the container main body in which a slit in the second embodiment of the present invention is formed in the circumferential direction.

FIGS. 37A and 38B are plan views of a sheet when a position in the lateral direction of the slit in the second embodiment of the present invention is shifted.

FIG. 38 is a front view of a container main body in a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 39 is a plan view of the container main body in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 40 is a plan view of a sheet in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 41 is a front view of the container main body in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 42 is a side view of the container main body in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 43 is a plan view of the container main body in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 44 is a bottom view of the container main body in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 45 is a view illustrating a state where a skewer is held in the container main body in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 46 is a front view illustrating a state where the skewer is held in the container main body in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 47 is a side view illustrating a state where the skewer is held in the container main body in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 48 is a front view illustrating a state where two skewers are held in the container main body in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 49 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where an inner edge of an opening portion in the container main body in the third embodiment of the present invention is coated with a resin.

FIG. 50 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where resin coating is applied up to a peripheral edge portion of the opening portion of the container main body in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 51 is a front view of the container main body when the opening portion in the third embodiment of the present invention is formed in the circumferential direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

First Embodiment

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail by referring to the attached drawings (FIGS. 1 to 20). FIGS. 1 to 4 illustrate a container main body 1 of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a plan view of the container main body 1, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container main body 1 when seen from the front, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the container main body 1 when seen from the side, and FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the container main body 1, respectively.
The container main body 1 is a cup made of paper or a resin, in which a bottom face is blocked while an upper part is opened and which is a commercially available container. The size of the container main body 1 is not particularly limited but a size that can be easily held by one hand. The shape of the container main body 1 is not limited to the illustrated substantially cylinder but may be a square prism or polygonal cylinder, and the shape of the container main body 1 may be any as long as it can be used as a cup.
If this container main body 1 is made of a paper material, the container main body 1 has the material of a base made of paper, and the surface of the paper material is coated with a laminate film material so as to prevent exposure of the paper material of the base. Moreover, direct contact of the food with the paper material is prevented.
In FIGS. 1 to 4, the container main body 1 includes a circular bottom plate 2 and a cylindrical portion 3, and two streaks of the slits 11 are formed at a slight interval in the vertical direction on the both sides of an upper part of the cylindrical portion 3 in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 3 by cutting out or punching. Moreover, at both ends of each slit 11, a hole 12 communicating with the slit 11 and larger than the slit 11 is drilled, respectively. This hole 12 serves as a tearing preventing portion for preventing the cylindrical portion 3 from being torn.
FIG. 5 shows a skewer 5 made of bamboo or wood, and the skewer 5 with a length larger than the dimension in the longitudinal direction of the container main body 1 is used. FIG. 6 shows a state where the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1.
A method of holding the skewer 5 in the container main body 1 is as follows. That is, the sharp tip end of the skewer 5 is positioned inside the container main body 1, and the tip end portion of the skewer 5 is inserted into the upper slit 11 from inside the container main body 1. Here, a portion located between the upper and lower slits 11 is referred to as a holding piece 13.
Subsequently, since the tip end portion of the skewer 5 is located outside the holding piece 13, the holding piece 13 can be moved inward by tilting the skewer 5 outward using the tip end portion of the skewer 5 as a fulcrum. Then, by pressing the skewer 5 downward, the skewer 5 can be inserted through the lower slit 11, and by further pressing the skewer 5 downward and by releasing the hand from the skewer 5 at a position where the tip end portion of the skewer 5 reaches the bottom plate 2 of the container main body 1 or before reaching the bottom plate 2, the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1. As described above, the skewer 5 can be easily held in the container main body 1.
FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a state where the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1, and since a recovering force to recover to the original state works in the holding piece 13 between the upper and lower slits 11, the skewer 5 is biased to an outward direction on the outer surface of the holding piece 13. Thus, the skewer 5 is held by an inner surface of the cylindrical portion 3 and the outer surface of the holding piece 13 of the container main body 1, and the skewer 5 is located substantially in contact with the inner surface of the container main body 1 as illustrated in FIG. 7.
Moreover, slipping down of the skewer 5 by the weight of the skewer 5 can be prevented by an outward biasing force of the holding piece 13. Thus, the skewer 5 can be held in the container main body 1 at an arbitrary position in the vertical direction, and even if the skewer 5 is tilted a little as illustrated in FIG. 6, the skewer 5 can be held in that state. Furthermore, unlike Patent Literatures 3 and 4, even if the container main body 1 holding the skewer 5 is tilted or turned upside down, the skewer 5 does not fall from the container main body 1.
As described above, in this embodiment, since two streaks of the upper and lower slits 11 are formed, unlike Patent Literatures 1 and 2, the skewer 5 can be held in the container main body 1 without requiring a separate member and moreover, the skewer 5 can be held at an arbitrary position in the vertical direction while the skewer 5 is tilted at an arbitrary angle. Moreover, even if the container main body 1 is tilted or turned upside down in a state where the skewer 5 is held between the slits 11, the skewer 5 does not fall from the container main body 5.
Moreover, since a separate member is not required for holding the skewer 5 but two streaks of the slits 11 are merely formed, a rise in the manufacturing cost can be suppressed. Furthermore, in a state where the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1, since the tip end portion of the skewer 5 is positioned in the container main body 1, contact of the hand of a seller with the tip end portion of the skewer 5 can be prevented, and hygiene can be improved.
FIG. 8 illustrates an enlarged view of the slit 11 and the like, and as described above, at both ends of the slit 11, a hole 12 communicating with the slit 11 and larger than the width of the slit 11 is drilled, respectively. In the case of the container main body 1 made of a paper material, if the hole 12 is not formed but only the slits 11 are provided, the paper material might be torn from the edge portion of the slit 11 when the holding piece 13 is moved inward by the tip end portion of the skewer 5.
However, by forming the hole 12 at the both ends of the slit 11, even if the holding piece 13 is moved inward, the force is absorbed in the portion of the hole 12, and the paper material is prevented from being torn at the edge portion of the slit 11.
The skewered food to be contained in the container main body 1 includes dumplings, deep fries, mini doughnuts, oden, dengaku, snacks and the like, for example, and if such skewered food is to be contained in the container main body 1, since the skewer 5 is held along the inner surface of the container main body 1 as illustrated in FIG. 7, the skewer 5 is not in the way. Thus, efficiency of a work to put skewered food in the container main body 1 can be improved. Moreover, the container main bodies 1 can be stacked in a state where the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1 and no food materials are contained in the container main body 1.
If a user eats the food in the container main body 1 by using the skewer 5, by holding the container main body 1 by one hand and by holding the base portion of the skewer 5 by the other hand and withdrawing the skewer 5 upward, the skewer 5 can be easily withdrawn out of the container main body 1. Then, the user sticks the tip end portion of the skewer 5 into the food in the container main body 1 and eats it. Since the skewer 5 is used, the user can eat the food without dirtying the fingers.
Moreover, if the user want to put down the skewer 5 during eating, that is, if the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1 again, it can be easily realized only by inserting the skewer 5 through the slit 11.
The respective skewer 5 can be also held in the both sides of the container main body 1, and a couple of people can individually use the respective skewers 5.
Moreover, in a state where the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1, since the tip end portion of the skewer 5 to be put into the mouth is located in the container main body 1, contact of the hand of a seller with the tip end portion of the skewer 5 can be prevented, and hygiene can be improved.
When the container main body 1 is to be manufactured, by opening the slit 11 or the hole 12 in advance by Thomson process or the like, for example, in an assembly line, the container main body 1 of the present invention can be easily manufactured with the prior-art manufacturing methods, and a rise in the manufacturing cost of the container main body 1 can be suppressed.
It is only necessary that the dimension in the lateral direction of the slit 11 is a dimension through which a single piece of the skewer 5 can be inserted, and the length is not particularly limited. For example, the dimension in the lateral direction of the slit 11 is set to 10 to 15 mm. With this dimension, one or two skewers 5 can be held therein.
Moreover, FIG. 9 illustrates a state where the dimension in the lateral direction of the slit 11 is made longer than that in FIG. 8 so that two or three skewers 5 can be held. It is needless to say that a single skewer 5 can be held. FIG. 10 illustrates a state where two skewers 5 are held in the container main body 1 in the method similar to the above.
As described above, the length of the slit 11 can be set as appropriate depending on the number of the skewers 5 to be held.
In this embodiment, a pair of upper and lower slits 11 are formed on the both sides of the container main body 1, respectively, but a pair of upper and lower slits 11 may be formed only on one side.
An enlarged sectional view of an essential part of the container main body 1 when the container main body 1 is made of a paper material is illustrated in FIG. 11. The container main body 1 is comprised of the base 30 made of a paper material and the laminate film 31 attached over the whole surface of the both sides of the base 30. The laminate film 31 is attached on the both surfaces of the base 30 made of a paper material due to the following reason.
That is, since a chlorine-based strong chemical is used when the paper used as a material of a paper cup is produced, the paper material is coated with the laminate film so that the paper material is not exposed to the outside, and this laminate film prevents direct contact between drink or food contained in the cup with the paper material and dissolution of the chlorine-based strong chemical into the drink or adhesion of the chemical to food material so as to ensure hygiene.
Then, in order to form the slit 11, if the container main body 1 is punched in a flat-plate shape so as to form the slit 11 in a stage before the cup-shaped container main body 1 is formed, the paper martial of the base 30 is exposed to the inner edge 15 (inner peripheral surface) of the slit 11 as illustrated in FIG. 12.
If the paper material of the base 30 is exposed, there is a concern that the tip end portion of the skewer 5 touches the base 30 or the food in the container main body 1 touches the base 30, and there is a concern that hygiene cannot be ensured.
Then, if the container main body 1 is a paper cup made of a paper material, the following is executed. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 13, the same laminate film material of the laminate film 31 as that coating the surface of the paper of a paper cup is applied on the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 in a melted state.
A shaded portion of the inner edge 15 illustrated in FIG. 13 is an applied surface 16 on which the softened/melted resin is applied and is the covering portion 18 covering the portion of the paper material which is the material of the base 30 not to be exposed to the outside by applying the laminate film 31.
In FIG. 13, the lateral direction of the slit 11 is illustrated as slightly being curved but may be straight.
As described above, if the container main body 1 is made of a paper material, by applying the resin of the laminate film material on the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 through which the skewer 5 is to be inserted, exposure of the paper material to the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 can be prevented. Thus, even if the skewer 5 is inserted through the slit 11, the contact of the surface of the skewer 5 with the paper which is the material of the container main body 1 can be prevented. As a result, security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.
Moreover, a spot to be coated with the resin of the laminate film material does not have to be limited to the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 but the resin coating may be applied to the peripheral edge portion of the slit 11 so as to reach the surface of the container main body 1.
In such a case, the resin can be applied reliably to the corner portion of the inner edge 15 of the slit 11, and exposure of the paper material can be prevented further reliably.
Moreover, means for preventing exposure of the paper material of the base 30 if the slit 11 is formed is not limited to the above-described laminate film material. For example, by using a fluorine-based water-repellent and oil -repellent agent, the water-repellent and oil-repellent agent may be applied (coating) or atomized in a spray state and the covering portion 18 may be formed on the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 or the periphery of the inner edge 15 so as to prevent exposure of the base 30.
As a result, even if the skewer 5 is inserted through the slit 11 similarly to FIGS. 13 and 14, the contact of the surface of the skewer 5 with the paper which is the material of the container main body 1 can be prevented. As a result, security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.
As the above-described water-repellent and oil-repellent agent, “Unidyne” as a product name by Daikin Industries Co., Ltd. is suitable, for example.
Moreover, other than the resin of the laminate film material or the water-repellent and oil-repellent agent, the covering portion 18 formed on the inner edge 15 of the formed slit 11 or its periphery including the inner edge 15 may be formed by applying a colorless or colored food grade chemical provided with any one of an antibacterial function, a sterilizing function and a disinfecting function.
As a result, exposure of the paper material can be prevented by the covering portion 18, contact of the skewer 5 or food material with the paper material can be prevented, and hygiene can be ensured similarly to the above embodiment. That is, even if the skewer 5 is inserted through the slit 11, the contact of the surface of the skewer 5 with the paper which is the material of the container main body 1 can be prevented. As a result, security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.
Subsequently, an embodiment aiming for a design effect will be described. In this embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 15, a pictorial FIG. 21 is drawn on the side face of the container main body 1, and the pictorial FIG. 22 of the tip end portion of the skewer is drawn on the side face of the container main body 1 so as to penetrate this pictorial FIG. 21. Though the pictorial FIG. 22 of the skewer is not colored in FIG. 15, it should be colored in the same color as the skewer used actually.
As illustrated in FIG. 16, by holding the skewer 5 in the container main body 1 illustrated in FIG. 15 so that the tip end portion of the skewer 5 is located in the container main body 1 similarly to the embodiment and by tilting the skewer 5 with the same inclination as the inclination of the pictorial FIG. 22 of the skewer, it seems that the skewer 5 penetrates the pictorial FIG. 21 of a heart shape at a glance, and an interest and an impact can be given to users.
A heart is drawn as an example of the pictorial FIG. 21, but any pictorial figure can be drawn.
FIGS. 17 and 18 are embodiments in which the dimension in the lateral direction of the slit 11 is prolonged so that two skewers 5 can be held.
FIG. 19 shows an example in which the positions of the upper and lower slits 11 are shifted in the lateral direction, and FIG. 20 shows an example in which a plurality of upper and lower streaks of the slits 11 are formed in the circumferential direction on the upper part of the container main body 1. The examples shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 also exert the effect similar to that of the above-described embodiment.
In FIGS. 19 and 20, the pictorial FIG. 21 or the pictorial FIG. 22 of the skewer illustrated in FIGS. 15 to 18 is not drawn, but the case in which the pictorial FIG. 21 and the pictorial FIG. 22 of the skewer are drawn is naturally included.

Second Embodiment

Subsequently, a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 21 shows a front view of the container main body 1, and FIG. 22 shows a plan view of the container main body 1, respectively, and FIG. 23 shows a plan view of the sheet 10 which will be described later. In the upper part of the cylindrical portion 3 of the container main body 1, a window-shaped square opening portion 4 is formed. The sheet 10 is attached so as to block this opening portion 4.
As illustrated in FIG. 23, two streaks of the slits 11 are formed in the vertical direction at a slight interval in the lateral direction in the sheet 10. The material of this sheet 10 includes paper, a resin film, a thick resin and the like.
FIG. 24 is a front view of the container main body 1 in a state where the sheet 10 is attached so as to block the opening portion 4 of the container main body 1. FIG. 25 is a side view of the container main body 1, FIG. 26 is a plan view of the container main body 1, FIG. 27 is a bottom view of the container main body 1, and FIG. 28 is a rear view of the container main body 1, respectively.
The sheet 10 is attached to the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 3 of the container main body 1 so that the two streaks of the upper and lower slits 11 in the sheet 10 are located on the opening portion 4 of the container main body 1. Means for attaching the sheet 10 to the container main body 1 can be arbitrary and an adhesive, deposition, pressurization and the like can be used. The shaded portions in FIGS. 24 and 25 indicate adhesion portions between the outer surface of the container main body 1 and the inner face of the sheet 10.
The sheet 10 may be attached to the outer surface of the container main body 1 or may be attached to the inner surface of the container main body 1. Moreover, the sheet 10 may be attached to both of the outer surface and the inner surface of the container main body 1, but from the viewpoint of a manufacturing process or cost, it is preferable that a single sheet 10 is attached to the outer surface or the inner surface of the container main body 1.
As illustrated in FIGS. 24 and 25, if the sheet 10 is attached to the container main body 1, the two streaks of upper and lower slits 11 are formed in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 3, and the skewer is inserted through the upper and lower slits 11 so that the skewer can be held in the container main body 1 withdrawably as will be described later. A portion between the upper and lower slits 11 is referred to as the holding piece 13 similar to the above-described embodiment.
Moreover, similarly to the above-described embodiment, a hole 12 communicating with the slit 11 and larger than the slit 11 is drilled at the both ends of each slit 11, respectively.
FIG. 29 shows a state where the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1. A method of holding the skewer 5 in the container main body 1 is as follows. That is, the sharp tip end of the skewer 5 is positioned inside the container main body 1, and the tip end portion of the skewer 5 is inserted into the upper slit 11 on the sheet 10 from inside the container main body 1.
Subsequently, since the tip end portion of the skewer 5 is located outside the holding piece 13, the holding piece 13 can be moved inward by tilting the skewer 5 outward using the tip end portion of the skewer 5 as a fulcrum. Then, by pressing the skewer 5 downward, the skewer 5 can be inserted through the open lower slit 11, and by further pressing the skewer 5 downward and by releasing the hand from the skewer 5 at a position where the tip end portion of the skewer 5 reaches the bottom plate 2 of the container main body 1 or before reaching the bottom plate 2, the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1. As described above, the skewer 5 can be easily held in the container main body 1.
FIGS. 29 and 30 illustrate a state where the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1, and since the recovering force to recover to the original state works in the holding piece 13 between the upper and lower slits 11, the skewer 5 is biased to an outward direction on the outer surface of the holding piece 13. Thus, the skewer 5 is held by the inner surface of the sheet 10 attached to the container main body 1 and the outer surface of the holding piece 13, and the skewer 5 is located substantially in contact with the inner surface of the container main body 1 as illustrated in FIG. 30.
Moreover, slipping down of the skewer 5 by the weight of the skewer 5 can be prevented by the outward biasing force (recovering force) of the holding piece 13. Thus, the skewer 5 can be held in the container main body 1 at an arbitrary position in the vertical direction, and even if the skewer 5 is slightly tilted as illustrated in FIG. 29, the state can be maintained. Furthermore, unlike Patent Literatures 3 and 4, even if the container main body 1 holding the skewer 5 is tilted or turned upside down, the skewer 5 does not fall from the container main body 1.
As described above, in this embodiment, only by merely attaching the sheet 10 in which the two streaks of upper and lower slits 11 are formed to the container main body 1, the skewer 5 can be held by the slits 11 withdrawably. Here, the sheet 10 is used as a separate member other than the container main body 1 itself, but the sheet 10 itself is extremely inexpensive, and unlike Patent Literatures 1 and 2 using a slightly complicated and not inexpensive separate member, the skewer 5 can be held by the container main body 1 with an inexpensive member (sheet 10).
Furthermore, since the two streaks of the slits 11 are merely formed in the sheet 10 which is an inexpensive member for holding the skewer 5, a rise in the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.
FIG. 31 shows an enlarged plan view of the sheet 10, and if the sheet 10 is made of paper or a thin resin film and if the hole 12 is not formed and only the slit 11 is formed, there is a concern that, when the holding piece 13 is moved inward by the tip end portion of the skewer 5, the sheet 10 is torn from the edge portion of the slit 11.
However, by forming the hole 12 at the both ends of the slit 11, even if the holding piece 13 is moved inward, the force is absorbed in the portion of the hole 12, and the sheet 10 is prevented from being torn from the edge portion of the slit 11.
In this embodiment, one opening portion 4 is formed in the side face of the container main body 1, and the sheet 10 is attached to this opening portion 4, but the opening portion 4 may be formed on the both sides of the container main body 1 so that the sheet 10 is attached to each of the opening portions 4.
When the container main body 1 is to be manufactured, by providing the opening portion 4 in the cylindrical portion 3 in advance by Thomson process or the like in an assembly line, the container main body 1 of the present invention can be easily manufactured with the prior-art manufacturing methods, and a rise in the manufacturing cost of the container main body 1 can be suppressed.
In this embodiment, by providing the sheet 10 in which two streaks of the slits 11 are formed vertically on the opening portion 4 of the container main body 1, the effect similar to the above-described embodiment can be also exerted in this embodiment.
It is only necessary that the dimension in the lateral direction of the slit 11 is a dimension through which a single piece of the skewer 5 can be inserted, and the length is not particularly limited. For example, the dimension in the lateral direction of the slit 11 is set to 10 to 15 mm. With this dimension, one or two skewers 5 can be held therein.
FIG. 32 shows an example in which the dimension in the lateral direction of the slit 11 is longer than that in FIG. 31 so that two or three skewers 5 can be held. It is needless to say that a single skewer 5 can be also held. FIG. 33 shows a state where two skewers 5 are held by the container main body 1 with the method similar to the above.
As described above, the length of the slit 11 can be set as appropriate depending on the number of the skewers 5 to be held.
If the container main body 1 of this embodiment is made of a paper material, punching of the opening portion 4 causes the paper material to be exposed to the inner edge (inner peripheral surface) of the opening portion 4. Thus, in this embodiment, if the container main body 1 is made of a paper material (paper cup), it is manufactured as follows. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 34, the same laminate film material as that coating the surface of the paper of a paper cup is applied on the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4 in a melted state.
A shaded portion of the inner edge 15 illustrated in FIG. 34 is the applied surface 16 on which the softened/melted resin is applied and is the covering portion 18 covering the paper material not to be exposed to the outside.
As described above, in this embodiment, if the container main body 1 is made of a paper material, by applying the resin on the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4 which is likely to be in contact with the skewer 5 inserted therein, exposure of the paper material to the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4 is prevented. Thus, even if the skewer 5 is inserted through the slit 11, the contact of the surface of the skewer 5 with the paper which is the material of the container main body 1 can be prevented. As a result, security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.
Moreover, a spot to be coated with the resin does not have to be limited to the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4 but the resin may be applied to the peripheral edge portion of the opening portion 4 so as to reach the surface of the container main body 1 as illustrated in FIG. 35.
In such a case, the resin can be applied reliably to the corner portion of the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4, and exposure of the paper material can be prevented further reliably. As a result, security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.
If the sheet 10 is made of a resin, it is only necessary to apply the laminate film material on the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4 as described above, but if the material of the sheet 10 is paper, the laminate film material is applied on the front and back surfaces of the sheet 10, the inner edge of the slit 11, and the hole 12.
As a result, direct contact of the skewer 5 with the paper material which is the material of the sheet 10 can be prevented, and security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.
FIG. 36 shows an example in which a plurality of the opening portions 4 are formed in the circumferential direction on the upper part of the container main body 1 and the sheet 10 is attached to each of the opening portions 4. In such a case, though it depends on the size of the opening portion 4, 5 or 6 opening portions 4 are formed, and the sheet 10 is attached to each of the opening portions 4.
FIG. 37 shows an example in which the positions of the upper and lower slits 11 are shifted in the lateral direction, and FIG. 37A shows an example in which the lower slit 11 is shifted to the left with respect to the upper slit 11. FIG. 37B shows an example in which the lower slit 11 is shifted to the right with respect to the upper slit 11.
The examples illustrated in FIGS. 36 and 37 also exert the effect similar to the above.

Third Embodiment

Subsequently, a third embodiment will be described. FIG. 38 shows a front view of the container main body 1, and FIG. 39 shows a plan view of the container main body 1, respectively, and FIG. 40 shows a plan view of the sheet 10 which will be described later.
A window-shaped square opening portion 4 is formed on the upper part of the cylindrical portion 3 of the container main body 1. The sheet 10 is attached so as to block this opening portion 4 except upper and lower portions of this opening portion 4. The material of this sheet 10 includes paper, a resin film, a thick resin and the like.
FIG. 41 shows a front view of the container main body 1 in a state where the above-described sheet 10 is attached to the opening portion 4 of the container main body 1. FIG. 42 shows a side view of the container main body 1, FIG. 43 shows a plan view of the container main body 1, and FIG. 44 shows a bottom view of the container main body 1, respectively.
As illustrated in FIG. 41, the dimension in the lateral direction of the sheet 10 is larger than the dimension in the lateral direction of the opening portion 4 of the container main body 1, and the dimension in the vertical direction of the sheet 10 is shorter than the dimension in the vertical direction of the opening portion 4.
If the sheet 10 is attached so as to block the opening portion 4, it is attached so that a gap is generated above and below the opening portion 4, respectively, and two streaks of the upper and lower slits 11 are formed in the circumferential direction on the side face of the container main body 1 by these upper and lower gaps.
Moreover, the sheet 10 is attached on the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 3 of the container main body 1 so that the sheet 10 is located on the opening portion 4 of the container main body 1. Means for attaching the sheet 10 to the container main body 1 can be arbitrary, and an adhesive, deposition, pressurization and the like can be used. The shaded portions in FIGS. 41 and 42 indicate adhesion portions between the outer surface of the container main body 1 and the inner surface of the sheet 10.
The sheet 10 may be attached to the outer surface of the container main body 1 or may be attached to the inner surface of the container main body 1. Moreover, the sheet 10 may be attached to both of the outer surface and the inner surface of the container main body 1, but from the viewpoint of a manufacturing process or cost, it is preferable that a single sheet 10 is attached to the outer surface or the inner surface of the container main body 1.
As illustrated in FIGS. 41 and 42, if the sheet 10 is attached to the container main body 1, the two streaks of upper and lower slits 11 are formed in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 3, and the skewer is inserted through the upper and lower slits 11 so that the skewer can be held in the container main body 1 withdrawably as will be described later.
FIG. 45 shows a state where the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1. A method of holding the skewer 5 in the container main body 1 is as follows. That is, the sharp tip end of the skewer 5 is positioned inside the container main body 1, and the tip end portion of the skewer 5 is inserted into the upper slit 11 from inside of the container main body 1.
Subsequently, since the tip end portion of the skewer 5 is located outside of the sheet 10, the sheet 10 can be moved inward by tilting the skewer 5 outward using the tip end portion of the skewer 5 as a fulcrum. Then, by pressing the skewer 5 downward, the skewer 5 can be inserted through the open lower slit 11, and by further pressing the skewer 5 downward and by releasing the hand from the skewer 5 at a position where the tip end portion of the skewer 5 reaches the bottom plate 2 of the container main body 1 or before reaching the bottom plate 2, the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1. As described above, the skewer 5 can be easily held in the container main body 1.
FIGS. 45 and 46 illustrate a state where the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1, and since the recovering force to recover to the original state works in the sheet 10 between the upper and lower slits 11, the skewer 5 is biased to the outward direction on the outer surface of the sheet 10. Thus, the skewer 5 is held by the inner surface of the container main body 1 and the outer surface of the sheet 10, and the skewer 5 is located substantially in contact with the inner surface of the container main body 1 as illustrated in FIG. 46.
Moreover, slipping down of the skewer 5 by the weight of the skewer 5 can be prevented from by the outward biasing force (recovering force) of the sheet 10. Thus, the skewer 5 can be held in the container main body 1 at an arbitrary position in the vertical direction, and even if the skewer 5 is slightly tilted as illustrated in FIG. 47, the state can be maintained. Furthermore, unlike Patent Literatures 3 and 4, even if the container main body 1 holding the skewer 5 is tilted or turned upside down, the skewer 5 does not fall from the container main body 1.
As described above, in this embodiment, only by merely attaching the sheet 10 to the container main body 1, two streaks of upper and lower slits 11 can be formed and the skewer 5 can be held by the upper and lower slits 11 withdrawably. Here, the sheet 10 is used as a separate member other than the container main body 1 itself, but the sheet 10 itself is extremely inexpensive, and unlike Patent Literatures 1 and 2 using a slightly complicated and not inexpensive separate member, the skewer 5 can be held by the container main body 1 with an inexpensive member (sheet 10).
Furthermore, since the two streaks of upper and lower slits 11 can be formed only by attaching the sheet 10 which is an inexpensive member for holding the skewer 5 to the opening portion 4 side with a gap above and below the opening portion 4 on the side face of the container main body 1, a rise in the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.
In the above-described embodiment, one opening portion 4 is formed in the side face of the container main body 1, and the sheet 10 is attached to this opening portion 4, but the opening portion 4 may be formed on the both sides of the container main body 1, respectively, so that the sheet 10 is attached to each of the opening portions 4.
When the container main body 1 is to be manufactured, by providing the opening the portion 4 in the cylindrical portion 3 in advance by Thomson process or the like in an assembly line, for example, the container main body 1 of the present invention can be easily manufactured with the prior-art manufacturing methods, and a rise in the manufacturing cost of the container main body 1 can be suppressed.
It is only necessary that the dimension in the lateral direction of the slit 11 (opening portion 4) is a dimension through which a single piece of the skewer 5 can be inserted, and the length is not particularly limited. For example, the dimension in the lateral direction of the slit 11 is set to 10 to 15 mm. With this dimension, one or a few skewers 5 can be held therein. FIG. 48 shows a state where two skewers 5 are held.
If the container main body 1 of this embodiment is made of a paper material, punching of the opening portion 4 causes the paper material to be exposed to the inner edge (inner peripheral surface) of the opening portion 4. Thus, in this embodiment, if the container main body 1 is made of a paper material (paper cup), it is manufactured as follows. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 49, the same laminate film material as that coating the surface of the paper of a paper cup is applied on the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4 in a melted state. A shaded portion of the inner edge 15 illustrated in FIG. 49 is the applied surface 16 on which the softened/melted resin is applied and is the covering portion 18 covering the paper material not to be exposed to the outside similarly to the above-described embodiment.
As described above, in this embodiment, if the container main body 1 is made of a paper material, by applying the resin on the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4 which is likely to be in contact with the skewer 5 inserted therein, exposure of the paper material to the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4 can be prevented. Thus, even if the skewer 5 is inserted through the slit 11, the contact of the surface of the skewer 5 with the paper which is the material of the container main body 1 can be prevented. As a result, security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.
Moreover, a spot to be coated with the resin does not have to be limited to the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4 but the resin may be applied to the peripheral edge portion of the opening portion 4 so as to reach the surface of the container main body 1 as illustrated in FIG. 50.
In such a case, the resin can be applied reliably to the corner portion of the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4, and exposure of the paper material can be prevented further reliably. As a result, security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.
If the sheet 10 is made of a resin, it is only necessary to apply the laminate film material on the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4 as described above, but if the material of the sheet 10 is paper, the laminate film material is applied on the front and back surfaces and the end surface of the peripheral edge of the sheet 10.
As a result, direct contact of the skewer 5 with the paper material which is the material of the sheet 10 can be prevented, and security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.
FIG. 51 shows an example in which a plurality of the opening portions 4 are formed in the circumferential direction on the upper part of the container main body 1, and the sheet 10 is attached to each of the opening portions 4. In such a case, though depending on the size of the opening portion 4, 5 or 6 opening portions 4 are formed, and the sheet 10 is attached to each of the opening portions 4.
In the second and third embodiments, too, the effect similar to the first embodiment is exerted.
In the second and third embodiments, as a material covering the portion of the exposed paper material of the opening portion 4 opened in the container main body 1, a water-repellent and oil-repellent agent or a colorless or colored food grade chemical provided with any one of an antibacterial function, a sterilizing function and a disinfecting function may be used similarly to the first embodiment in addition to the above-described laminate film material.
Moreover, in the second and third embodiments, a design effect may be aimed for by drawing a pictorial FIG. 21 and a pictorial FIG. 22 of a skewer on the outer side face of the container main body 1 similarly to those illustrated in FIGS. 15 to 18.
In the above-described embodiments, the skewer 5 is exemplified in explanation of a matter to be held in the container main body 1, but this is not limiting. The present invention can be applied also to the utensils such as forks and spoons, for example.
However, metal forks are heavy, wide and thick and thus, they cannot be held in the container main body 1 of the present invention. Thus, in the present invention, thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified forks and particularly light-weighted and simplified forks made of plastic are preferable examples.

Claims

1. A container for food for eating food to be contained in the container by using a skewer or a thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork, comprising:

a cup-shaped container flexible main body made of paper or resin and at least one pair of slits passing through a side thereof and comprising an upper slit situated directly above a lower slit and configured for insertion therethrough into the container main body of the skewer or the simplified fork and wherein:

each of the slit extends in a circumferential direction of the container main body and a portion of the side of the container main body between the upper slit and the lower slit is configured to function a holding piece for holding the skewer or the simplified fork; and

the slits and the holding piece are configured so that a sham tip end of the skewer or the simplified fork can be located inside of the container main body by inserting the tip end portion of the skewer or the simplified fork through the upper slit from inside of the container main body and tilting the skewer or the simplified fork to the outside so as to move the holding piece to the inside, while pressing the skewer or the simplified fork downward and inserting the skewer or the simplified fork through the lower slit so that the skewer or the simplified fork can be held in the container main body withdrawably by the holding piece.

2. The container for food according to claim 1, wherein:

the slits are formed by cutting out or punching.

3. The container for food according to claim 1, further comprising:

an opening portion formed through a side of the container main body; and

a flexible sheet attached to the side of the container main body so as to block the opening portion, and wherein

the slits are formed in the sheet.

4. The container for food according to claim 1, further comprising:

an opening portion formed through a side of the container main body; and

a flexible sheet attached so as to block the opening portion with exception of an upper gap and a lower gap formed by upper and lower edges of the sheet being spaced below and above, respectively, upper and lower edges of the opening portion so as to form the upper and lower slits, respectively.

5. The container for food according to claim 4, wherein:

dimension of each of the slits in the circumferential direction is predetermined in accordance with the number of skewers or simplified forks to he inserted through the slits.

6. The container for food according to claim 1 further comprising:

on an outer surface of the container main body, an image of a figure with an image of a tip end portion of a skewer penetrating the image of the figure.

7. The container for food according to claim 1, wherein:

the container main body is made of a paper material, and a respective hole larger than a width of the slit and communicating with the slit is formed at each end of each of the slits.

8. The container for food according to claim 1, wherein:

the container main body is made of a paper material, and edges of the slits are covered with another material for preventing exposure of the paper material to food residue on the skewer or the simplified fork.

9. The container for food according to claim 8, wherein:

the covering is formed by application of a resin film.

10. The container for food according to claim 8, wherein:

the covering is formed by application of a water-repellent oil-repellent agent.

11. The container for food according to claim 8, wherein:

the covering is formed by applying a colorless or colored food grade chemical provided with any one of an antibacterial function, a sterilizing function and a disinfecting function.

12. The container for food according to claim 8, wherein:

the covering is formed from the inner surfaces of each of the slits to peripheral portions thereof on surfaces of the container main body.

13. The container for food according to claim 3, wherein:

the sheet is made of paper material, and a respective hole larger than a width of the slit and communicating with the slit is formed at each end of each of the slits.

14. The container for food according to claim 10, wherein the covering is formed by spraying the water-repellent oil-repellent agent.