Patent Description:
Hitherto, various types of heat insulating containers (cold storage boxes) have been proposed and put into practical use for transporting and storing foodstuffs and the like contained together with cold storage materials. For example, there has currently been proposed a cold storage box <NUM> including an outer box <NUM>, an inner box <NUM> placed in the outer box <NUM>, an inner lid <NUM> spanning the opening of the inner box <NUM>, and a cold storage material <NUM> disposed on the inner lid <NUM> (refer to Patent Document <NUM>). It is described that, by adopting such a configuration, the inner box <NUM> is placed in the outer box <NUM>, an object is placed in the inner box <NUM>, the inner lid <NUM> spans the opening of the inner box <NUM>, the cold storage material <NUM> is disposed on the inner lid <NUM>, and the outer box <NUM> is sealed, thus making it possible to dispose the cold storage material <NUM> at a position above the object to cause cold air cooled by the cold storage material <NUM> to descend from the upper part inside the outer box <NUM> and circulate in the outer box <NUM>, efficiently cooling the entire interior of the outer box <NUM>.

Patent Documents <NUM> to <NUM> disclose cold storage containers and an inner lid installed therein.

Patent Document <NUM> (<CIT>) discloses a heat insulating container according to the preamble of claim <NUM>.

Meanwhile, the conventional cold storage box disclosed in Patent Document <NUM> is configured to have the undeformable outer box, whereas the volume of an object stored therein changes depending on circumstances. Therefore, if, for example, the volume of the object is significantly reduced, the inside of the box will be filled with a relatively large amount of air. Air has high specific heat than the contents, thus posing a problem that the cold insulation (heat insulation efficiency) inconveniently deteriorates when the inside of the box is filled with a relatively large amount of air.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the invention to provide a heat insulating container capable of suppressing the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency even if the volume of an object stored is reduced.

To achieve the above-described object, a heat insulating container in accordance with the present invention is a heat insulating container including: a container body having a storage space formed by a bottom wall and side walls, and an opening continuous to the storage space; and a deformable plate-shaped lid, wherein the lid is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into the storage space through the opening of the container body thereby to bring a peripheral edge of the lid into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls.

When such a configuration is adopted, the lid is configured such that at least a part of the lid is deformed in a state of being inserted into the storage space through the opening of the container body, thereby bringing the peripheral edge of the lid into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls. This makes it possible to form, inside the storage space, a heat-insulated closed space composed of the bottom wall of the container body and a part of the side walls (the portions closer to the bottom wall) of the container body, and the lid, thus making it possible to hold an object in the heat-insulated closed space for the purpose of transportation or the like. In this case, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed by changing the position of the lid (the position where the peripheral edge of the lid and the side walls of the container body come in close contact) according to the volume of an object stored. For example, if the volume of an object stored reduces, then a heat-insulated closed space having a relatively small volume can be formed by shifting the position of the lid toward the bottom wall of the container body so as to bring the peripheral edge of the lid into close contact with the side walls of the container body. Therefore, even if the volume of an object stored changes, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed accordingly, thus making it possible to suppress the presence of air, which has high specific heat, inside the heat-insulated closed space with a resultant suppression of the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency.

In the heat insulating container according to the present invention, a lid configured by connecting a plurality of sections by means of a connecting elastic part can be adopted. In such a case, the projected area of the lid can be reduced by compressing the connecting elastic part so as to reduce the interval between the sections, while the projected area of the lid can be increased by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part so as to extend the interval between the sections. In addition, it is possible to set the projected area of the lid to be equal to or smaller than the area of the opening of the container body (or setting the length of at least one side of the lid to be equal to or less than one corresponding side of the opening) by compressing the connecting elastic part thereby to reduce the interval between the sections, while it is also possible to set the projected area of the lid to be equal to or larger than the area of the opening of the container body (or setting the length of at least one side of the lid to be equal to or more than the length of one corresponding side of the opening) by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part thereby to increase the interval between the sections. The connecting elastic part may have a bellows structure.

When such a configuration is adopted, the lid is configured by connecting the plurality of sections by the connecting elastic part. Further, the projected area of the lid is reduced by compressing the connecting elastic part thereby to reduce the interval between the sections (consequently setting the projected area of the lid to be equal to or smaller than the area of the opening of the container body, or setting the length of one side of the lid to be equal to or less than one corresponding side of the opening), while the projected area is increased by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part thereby to increase the interval between the sections (consequently setting the projected area of the lid to be equal to or larger than the area of the opening of the container body, or increasing the length of one side of the lid to be equal to or more than the length of one corresponding side of the opening). When inserting the lid having such a configuration into the storage space of the container body, the connecting elastic part is compressed so as to reduce the projected area of the lid (to be equal to or smaller than the area of the opening of the container body), and then the compression of the connecting elastic part is released in the storage space so as to increase the projected area (to be equal to or larger than the area of the opening of the container body), thus making it possible to bring the peripheral edge thereof into close contact with the side walls of the container body.

Further, when such a configuration is adopted, since the lid is adopted that is configured by connecting the plurality of sections by the connecting elastic part, it is possible to, for example, set the height of a first section and the height of a second section to be different from each other, with the connecting elastic part being the boundary therebetween. Consequently, even if an object stored in the container body has a different height, the height of the first section and the height of the second section can be changed according to the height of the object, thus allowing the lid to be closer to the object (or allowing the lid to be in close contact with the object). As a result, the space generated between an object having a different height and the lid can be reduced (or substantially eliminated), thus effectively suppressing the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency.

In the heat insulating container according to the present invention, a lid having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view can be configured by connecting a plurality of sections by a belt-shaped connecting elastic part extending in a first direction in plan view. In such a case, the lid can be configured such that the length of a side of the lid along a second direction is reduced to be equal to or less than the length of a corresponding side of the opening of the container body by compressing the connecting elastic part along a second direction intersecting with the first direction (e.g., the direction orthogonal to the first direction), while the length of a side of the lid along the second direction is increased to be longer than the length of the corresponding side by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part along the second direction.

Adopting such a configuration makes it possible to increase the lengths of the sides of the lid along the second direction to be equal to or more than the sides corresponding thereto (corresponding sides) of the opening of the container body by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part of the lid along the second direction. This makes it possible to bring the sides intersecting with the sides along the second direction of the lid into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls at the sides of the opening of the container body that correspond to the intersecting sides so as to fix the lid to the container body. In this case, the projected area of the lid when the compression of the connecting elastic part is released does not necessarily have to be larger than the area of the opening of the container body.

In the heat insulating container according to the present invention, the lid can be configured by connecting a first section and a second section, each having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, by a connecting elastic part. Further, the lid can be configured such that a projection protruding in a direction away from the connecting elastic part is formed on at least either a first side positioned on the opposite side from the connecting elastic part in the first section and a second side positioned on the opposite side from the connecting elastic part in the second section, and such that the projection is brought into close contact with at least a part of one side of the opening by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part. In this case, a belt-shaped connecting elastic part extending in the first direction in plan view can be adopted, a first projection protruding from the first side and a second projection protruding from the second side can be adopted, the first projection can be placed closer to one end portion in the first direction, and the second projection can be placed closer to the other end portion in the first direction.

Adopting such a configuration makes it possible to fix the lid to the container body by bringing the projection into close contact with the inner surface of a side wall in at least a part of a side of the opening of the container body corresponding to the projection, while bringing the remaining peripheral edge of the lid into close contact with a part of the inner surfaces of side walls of the container body that corresponds to the remaining peripheral edge when the compression of the connecting elastic part is released. Also in the case where such a configuration is adopted, the projected area of the lid when the compression of the connecting elastic part is released does not necessarily have to be larger than the area of the opening of the container body.

In the heat insulating container according to the present invention, it is possible to adopt a lid configured to be divided into a plurality of sections and deformable between a bent state and a flat state by connecting the sections by a hinge.

Adopting such a configuration makes it possible to appropriately deform the lid according to the size of the opening of the container body so as to bring the peripheral edge thereof into close contact with the side walls of the container body, since the lid is divided into the plurality of sections and configured by connecting the sections by the hinge thereby to be deformable between the bent state and the flat state.

In the heat insulating container according to the present invention, the hinge can be placed substantially at the center of the lid in plan view. In such a case, it is possible to reduce the projected area of the lid by setting the lid to the bent state when inserting the lid into the storage space through the opening of the container body, while the projected area of the lid can be increased by setting the lid to the flat state after inserting the lid into the storage space.

By adopting such a configuration, the projected area of the lid is reduced by setting the lid to the bent state when inserting the lid into the storage space through the opening of the container body, while the projected area thereof is increased by setting the lid to the flat state after inserting the lid into the storage space. The lid having such a configuration allows the peripheral edge thereof to come in close contact with the side walls of the container body by setting the lid to the bent state when inserting the lid into the storage space of the container body so as to reduce the projected area and then setting the lid to the flat state (by pushing the hinge, which is located substantially at the center, toward the storage space or pulling the hinge up from the storage space side) thereby to increase the projected area in the storage space.

In the heat insulating container according to the present invention, the hinge can be placed in the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the lid. In such a case, the projected area of the lid is set larger than the projected area of the opening of the container body when the lid is in the flat state, and then the lid is shifted from the flat state to the bent state when inserting the lid into the storage space through the opening of the container body, thereby making it possible to reduce the projected area of the lid to be substantially the same as the projected area of the opening.

When such a configuration is adopted, the projected area of the lid is set larger than the projected area of the opening of the container body when the lid is in the flat state, and the projected area thereof is reduced to be substantially the same as the projected area of the opening when the lid is shifted from the flat state to the bent state at the time of being inserted into the storage space through the opening of the container body. The lid having such a configuration is bent by the hinge located in the vicinity of the peripheral edge when the lid is inserted into the storage space of the container body so as to set the projected area thereof to be substantially the same as the projected area of the opening of the container body, thus allowing the peripheral edge to come in close contact with the side walls of the container body.

In the heat insulating container according to the present invention, a grip to be grasped by a user can be provided on the surface of at least a part of the lid.

Adopting such a configuration enables a user to grasp the grip provided on the surface of a section, which constitutes the lid, thereby to deform the lid. This makes it easy to deform the lid (compressing the connecting elastic part, releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part, shifting from the bent state to the flat state, shifting from the flat state to the bent state, and the like).

In the heat insulating container according to the present invention, a peripheral elastic part can be provided in at least a part of the peripheral edge of the lid.

When such a configuration is adopted, since the peripheral elastic part is provided in at least a part of the peripheral edge of the lid, the peripheral elastic part of the lid is compressed when the lid is inserted into the storage space of the container body thereby to reduce the projected area of the lid, and then the compression of the peripheral elastic part is released in the storage space thereby to increase the projected area, thus allowing the peripheral edge (or the peripheral elastic part in the case of the peripheral edge provided with the peripheral elastic part) to come in close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a heat insulating container capable of suppressing the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency even when the volume of an object stored decreases.

The following will describe the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below are merely preferred application examples, and the scope of application of the present invention is not limited thereto.

First, referring to <FIG>, the configuration of a heat insulating container <NUM> according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The heat insulating container <NUM> according to the present embodiment includes a container body <NUM> and a lid <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG>, and is used to store an object such as food together with a cold storage material therein for transportation and storage.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the container body <NUM> has a bottom wall <NUM>, which has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and four side walls <NUM> connected in such a manner as to rise from the sides of the bottom wall <NUM>, and is configured in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. A storage space <NUM> having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is formed by the bottom wall <NUM> and the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, and an opening <NUM> continuous to the storage space <NUM> is formed in the top of the storage space <NUM>.

Both the bottom wall <NUM> and the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM> are composed of heat insulating material panels having a predetermined thickness and having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. As such heat insulating material panels, for example, heat insulating material panels composed of a heat insulating material having a heat resistance of <NUM><NUM>· KI/W or less and a bending strength of <NUM> N/mm<NUM> or more can be adopted. The vertical and horizontal dimensions and thickness of the heat insulating panels constituting the bottom wall <NUM> and the side walls <NUM> can be appropriately set according to the type or the like of an object stored in the heat insulating container <NUM>.

The lid <NUM> is a deformable, plate-shaped member, and is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed when the lid <NUM> is inserted into the storage space <NUM> through the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM> thereby to bring peripheral edges <NUM> into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side wall <NUM> of the container body <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, the lid <NUM> in the present embodiment is divided into a plurality of sections (a first section 20A and a second section 20B), and is configured by connecting the first section 20A and the second section 20B to each other by a belt-shaped connecting elastic part <NUM> extending in a first direction (in the vertical direction on the paper surface) D<NUM> in plan view, and has a planar shape which is substantially rectangular to fit the planar shape of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>.

The lid <NUM> is configured such that the connecting elastic part <NUM> is compressed thereby to reduce the interval between the first section 20A and the second section 20B so as to reduce the projected area thereof (consequently reducing the projected area of the lid <NUM> to be equal to or smaller than the area of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, or reducing the length of one side of the lid <NUM> to be equal to or less than the length of the corresponding one side of the opening <NUM>), and when the compression of the connecting elastic part <NUM> is released, the interval between the first section 20A and the second section 20B is increased thereby to increase the projected area thereof (consequently increasing the projected area of the lid <NUM> to be equal to or larger than the area of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, or increasing the length of one side of the lid <NUM> to be equal to or more than the corresponding one side of the opening <NUM>). In the present specification, the term "projected area" refers to the area of a shadow formed when light is applied from directly above an object being projected (e.g., the lid <NUM>).

As with the bottom wall <NUM> and the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, both the first section 20A and the second section 20B constituting the lid <NUM> can be configured using heat insulating material panels which have a predetermined thickness and are substantially rectangular in plan view. For the connecting elastic part <NUM> connecting the first section 20A and the second section 20B, a bellows structure composed of a polyurethane sponge and aluminum-deposited PET (polyethylene terephthalate) can be adopted. The combination of the air layer contained in the polyurethane sponge and the highly airtight aluminum-deposited PET can provide high heat insulation performance.

The vertical and horizontal dimensions and the thickness of the heat insulating material panels constituting the sections 20A and 20B of the lid <NUM>, and the thickness of the connecting elastic part <NUM> when released from compression can be appropriately set according to the size of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>. In the present embodiment, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the first section 20A and the second section 20B and the thickness of the connecting elastic part <NUM> when released from compression are set such that the projected area of the lid <NUM> in the state in which the connecting elastic part <NUM> is not being compressed is slightly larger than the projected area of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrate the modified examples of the present embodiment.

The planar shapes of the first section 20A and the second section 20B constituting the lid <NUM> do not necessarily have to be the same, and for example, the area of the first section 20A may be set smaller and the area of the second section 20B may be set larger as illustrated in <FIG>. Further, the planar shapes of the first section 20A and the second section 20B constituting the lid <NUM> do not necessarily have to be rectangular, and for example, the planar shapes of the first section 20A and the second section 20B may be trapezoidal as illustrated in <FIG>, and these may be combined to constitute the lid <NUM> having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. The surface of at least one part of the lid <NUM> (only the first section 20A in <FIG>, or the first section 20A and the second section 20B in <FIG>) can be provided with a grip or grips <NUM> to be grasped by a user.

The number of the sections constituting the lid <NUM> does not necessarily have to be two, and the lid <NUM> may be divided, for example, into four sections (the first section 20A, the second section 20B, a third section 20C, and a fourth section 20D), as illustrated in <FIG>, and these four sections may be connected by the connecting elastic parts <NUM>. <FIG> illustrates a modified example in which all the four sections have the same planar shape and the same area, <FIG> illustrates a modified example in which the areas of two of the four sections are set smaller and the areas of the remaining two sections are set larger, and <FIG> illustrates a modified example in which all the four sections have different planar shapes and different areas. Further, while <FIG> illustrate the modified examples in which the planar shapes of the four sections are all rectangular (oblong), it is possible to set two of the four sections to have pentagonal planar shapes and to set the remaining two to have triangular planar shapes, as in the modified example of <FIG>. In any case, the planar shape of the lid <NUM> is substantially rectangular to fit the planar shape of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>.

Further, as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the three sections (the first section 20A, the second section 20B, and the third section 20C) may be connected by the connecting elastic parts <NUM> to configure the lid <NUM> having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. <FIG> illustrates a modified example in which the sections having relatively small areas (the first section 20A and the third section 20C) are placed on both ends in the longitudinal direction of the lid <NUM>, and are connected with the section having a relatively large area (the second section 20B) placed at the center in the longitudinal direction, and the grips <NUM> are provided on the surfaces of the two sections (the first section 20A and the third section 20C) placed on both ends in the longitudinal direction. <FIG> illustrates a modified example in which all three sections have different planar shapes and areas. In any case, the planar shape of the lid <NUM> has a substantially rectangular shape to fit the planar shape of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>.

Further, the peripheral edges <NUM> of the lid <NUM> do not necessarily have to contact the inner surface of the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM> over the entire periphery. For example, as illustrated in <FIG>, the corners of the first section 20A and the second section 20B constituting the lid <NUM> may be cut off to form gaps between the four corners of the lid <NUM> and the container body <NUM>. In this case, the projected area of the lid <NUM> does not necessarily have to become larger than the area of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM> when the compression of the connecting elastic part <NUM> is released, causing the interval between the first section 20A and the second section 20B to be increased; however, an arrangement is made such that, for example, when the compression along a second direction (the lateral direction on the paper surface) D<NUM> orthogonal to the extending direction of the connecting elastic part <NUM> (a first direction D<NUM>) is released, the lengths of sides 21A and 21B of the lid <NUM> along the second direction D<NUM> are increased to be equal to or more than the lengths of sides (corresponding sides) 14A and 14B of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM> that correspond to the sides 21A and 21B, as illustrated in <FIG>. Thus, sides 21C and 21D orthogonal to the sides 21A and 21B of the lid <NUM> come in close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls <NUM> at sides 14C and 14D of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM> that correspond to the sides 21C and 21D, thereby fixing the lid <NUM> to the container body <NUM>. An arrangement is made such that, when the lid <NUM> is compressed along the second direction D<NUM> of the connecting elastic part <NUM>, the lengths of the sides 21A and 21B of the lid <NUM> along second direction D<NUM> are reduced to be equal to or less than the lengths of the corresponding sides 14A and 14B of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>. The extending direction (the first direction D<NUM>) and the compressing direction (the second direction D<NUM>) of the connecting elastic part <NUM> do not necessarily have to be orthogonal to each other as long as these directions intersect with each other. For example, in the case where the extending direction of the connecting elastic part <NUM> is slightly inclined rather than being orthogonal with respect to the upper and lower sides on the paper surface as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the connecting elastic part <NUM> may be compressed in a direction parallel to the upper and lower sides on the paper surface. In this case, the extending direction (the first direction D<NUM>) and the compressing direction (the second direction D<NUM>) of the connecting elastic part <NUM> intersect with each other although not being orthogonal to each other.

Further, as illustrated in <FIG>, a first projection <NUM> protruding from the first side 21C in a direction away from the connecting elastic part <NUM> can be formed on the side (the first side) 21C positioned on the opposite side from the connecting elastic part <NUM> in the first section 20A of the lid <NUM>, while a second projection <NUM> protruding from the second side 21D in a direction away from the connecting elastic part <NUM> can be formed on the side (the second side) 21D positioned on the opposite side from the connecting elastic part <NUM> in the second section 20B of the lid <NUM>. In this case, as illustrated in <FIG>, the first projection <NUM> can be placed adjacently to one end in the first direction D<NUM>, and the second projection <NUM> can be placed adjacently to the other end in the first direction D<NUM>, (i.e., the first projection <NUM> and the second projection <NUM> are placed on the diagonal line of the lid <NUM>). Further, an arrangement is made such that, when the compression of the connecting elastic part <NUM> along the second direction D<NUM> is released, the first projection <NUM> comes in close contact with the inner surface of the side wall on the side 14C of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM> that corresponds thereto, and the second projection <NUM> comes in close contact with the inner surface of the side wall on the side 14D of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM> that corresponds thereto. Thus, the lid <NUM> is fixed to the container body <NUM>. An arrangement is made such that, when the lid <NUM> is compressed along the second direction D<NUM> of the connecting elastic part <NUM>, the close contact between the first projection <NUM> and the second projection <NUM> and the sides 14C and 14D of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM> is released to allow the lid <NUM> to be detached from the container body <NUM>. The number of the projections is not limited to two, and the projection may be provided only on one of the sides as long as the lid <NUM> can be fixed to the container body <NUM>. For example, the first projection <NUM> is provided only on the side 21C, and when the compression of the connecting elastic part <NUM> is released, the first projection <NUM> is brought into close contact with the inner surface of the side wall <NUM> of a part of the one side 14C of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM> that corresponds thereto, while the side <NUM> D located on the opposite side from the first projection <NUM> of the lid <NUM> is brought into close contact with the inner surface of the side wall <NUM> of the side 14D of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM> that corresponds thereto, thus allowing the lid <NUM> to be fixed to the container body <NUM>.

In the heat insulating container <NUM> according to the embodiment described above, the lid <NUM> is configured such that at least a part of the lid <NUM> is deformed in a state of being inserted into the storage space <NUM> through the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, thereby bringing the peripheral edges <NUM> into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>. This makes it possible to form, inside the storage space <NUM>, the heat-insulated closed space composed of the bottom wall <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, a part of the side walls <NUM> (a part close to the bottom wall <NUM>) of the container body <NUM>, and the lid <NUM>, so that an object can be stored in the heat-insulated closed space for transportation or the like. In this case, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed by changing the position of the lid <NUM> (the position where the peripheral edges <NUM> of the lid <NUM> come in close contact with the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>) according to the volume of an object stored. For example, when the volume of an object stored is reduced, the peripheral edges <NUM> of the lid <NUM> are brought into close contact with the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM> in a state in which the position of the lid <NUM> has been shifted toward the bottom wall <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, thereby making it possible to form the heat-insulated closed space having a relatively small volume. Therefore, even when the volume of an object stored changes, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed accordingly, so that the presence of air, which has high specific heat, in the heat-insulated closed space can be suppressed, thus making it possible to suppress the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency.

Further, in the heat insulating container <NUM> according to the embodiment described above, the lid <NUM> is configured by being divided into a plurality of sections (such as the first section 20A and the second section 20B) and by connecting these sections by the connecting elastic part <NUM>. In addition, the projected area of the lid <NUM> is reduced when the connecting elastic part <NUM> is compressed so as to reduce the interval between the sections (consequently reducing the projected area of the lid <NUM> to be equal to or smaller than the area of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, or the length of one side of the lid <NUM> to be equal to or less than the length of corresponding one side of the opening <NUM>), while the projected area thereof is increased when the compression of the connecting elastic part <NUM> is released so as to increase the interval between the sections (consequently increasing the projected area of the lid to be equal to or larger than the area of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, or the length of one side of the lid to be equal to or more than the length of corresponding one side of the opening). In the lid <NUM> having such a configuration, the projected area thereof is reduced (to be equal to or smaller than the area of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>) by compressing the connecting elastic part <NUM> when the lid <NUM> is inserted into the storage space <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, and then the projected area is increased (to be equal to or larger than the area of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>) by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part <NUM> in the storage space <NUM>, thus allowing the peripheral edges <NUM> to come in close contact with the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>.

In addition, the heat insulating container <NUM> according to the embodiment described above adopts the lid <NUM> configured by connecting the plurality of sections (such as the first section 20A and the second section 20B) by the connecting elastic part <NUM>, so that the height of the first section 20A and the height of the second section 20B can be made different at the connecting elastic part <NUM> serving as the boundary. Therefore, as illustrated in <FIG>, even if the objects C<NUM> and C<NUM> stored in the container body <NUM> have different heights, the height of the first section 20A and the height of the second section 20B can be changed according to the heights of the objects C<NUM> and C<NUM> so as to bring the lid <NUM> close to the objects C<NUM> and C<NUM> (or to bring the lid <NUM> into close contact with the objects C<NUM> and C<NUM>). As a result, the space generated between the objects C<NUM> and C<NUM> having different heights and the lid <NUM> can be reduced (or the space can be substantially eliminated), thus making it possible to effectively suppress the deterioration of the heat insulation efficiency.

Further, in the heat insulating container <NUM> according to the embodiment described above, the surface of at least one part of the lid <NUM> is provided with the grip <NUM> to be grasped by a user, thus enabling the user to deform the lid <NUM> by grasping the grip <NUM> provided on the surface of the part constituting the lid <NUM>. This makes it easy to deform the lid <NUM> (by compressing the connecting elastic part <NUM> and releasing the compression).

Referring now to <FIG>, the configuration of a heat insulating container according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The heat insulating container according to the present embodiment modifies the configuration of the lid <NUM> of the heat insulating container <NUM> according to the first embodiment, and the configuration of the container body <NUM> is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, a different configuration (a lid <NUM>) will be mainly described, and a common configuration (a container body <NUM>) will be assigned the same reference sign and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The lid <NUM> of the heat insulating container according to the present embodiment is a deformable plate-shaped member, as with the first embodiment, and is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into a storage space <NUM> through an opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM> thereby to bring peripheral edges <NUM> thereof into close contact with the inner surfaces of side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the lid <NUM> in the present embodiment is divided into a plurality of sections (a first section 30A and a second section 30B), and configured to be deformable between a bent state (<FIG>) and a flat state (<FIG>) by connecting the first section 30A and the second section 30B by a hinge <NUM>. The planar shape of the lid <NUM> in the flat state is substantially rectangular to fit the planar shape of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>.

The lid <NUM> is configured such that the projected area thereof is reduced by being set to the bent state as illustrated in <FIG> when the lid <NUM> is inserted into the storage space <NUM> through the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, while the projected area thereof is increased when the lid <NUM> is set to the flat state as illustrated in <FIG> after being inserted into the storage space <NUM> of the container body <NUM>.

The first section 30A and the second section 30B constituting the lid <NUM> can be both composed of heat insulating material panels having a predetermined thickness and having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, as with a bottom wall <NUM> and the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>. The vertical and horizontal dimensions and the thicknesses of the heat insulating material panels constituting the sections 30A and 30B of the lid <NUM> can be appropriately set according to the size of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>.

In the present embodiment, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the first section 30A and the second section 30B are set such that the projected area when the lid <NUM> is in the flat state (<FIG>) is substantially the same as (or slightly larger than) the projected area of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>.

The hinge <NUM> is placed substantially at the center of the lid <NUM> in plan view, and has a plate-shaped first fixed part 32A fixed to the first section 30A of the lid <NUM> and a plate-shaped second fixed part 32B fixed to the second section 30B of the lid <NUM>, which are rotatably connected by a rotating shaft 32C, as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>. The first fixed part 32A of the hinge <NUM> is fixed to the first section 30A of the lid <NUM> and the second fixed part 32B of the hinge <NUM> is fixed to the second section 30B of the lid <NUM>, thereby enabling the lid <NUM> to deform between the bent state (<FIG>) and the flat state (<FIG>).

The surfaces of the first section 30A and the second section 30B of the lid <NUM> can be provided with grips <NUM> to be grasped by a user, as illustrated in <FIG>. In addition, the rear side of the hinge <NUM> connecting the first section 30A and the second section 30B of the lid <NUM> are provided with a connecting elastic part <NUM> (e.g., a bellows structure composed of a polyurethane sponge and aluminum-deposited PET) like the one described in the first embodiment.

In the heat insulating container according to the embodiment described above, the lid <NUM> is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into the storage space <NUM> through the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, thereby bringing the peripheral edges <NUM> into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>. This makes it possible to form, inside the storage space <NUM>, the heat-insulated closed space composed of the bottom wall <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, a part of the side walls <NUM> (a part close to the bottom wall <NUM>) of the container body <NUM>, and the lid <NUM>, so that an object can be stored in the heat-insulated closed space for transportation or the like. In this case, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed by changing the position of the lid <NUM> (the position where the peripheral edges <NUM> of the lid <NUM> come in close contact with the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>) according to the volume of an object stored. For example, when the volume of an object stored is reduced, the peripheral edges <NUM> of the lid <NUM> are brought into close contact with the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM> in a state in which the position of the lid <NUM> has been shifted toward the bottom wall <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, thereby making it possible to form a heat-insulated closed space having a relatively small volume. Therefore, even when the volume of an object stored changes, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed accordingly, so that the presence of air, which has high specific heat, in the heat-insulated closed space can be suppressed, thus making it possible to suppress the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency.

Further, in the heat insulating container according to the embodiment described above, the lid <NUM> is divided into a plurality of sections (the first section 30A and the second section 30B) and configured such that the sections are connected by the hinge <NUM> thereby to be deformable between the bent state and the flat state, thus making it possible to bring the peripheral edges <NUM> into close contact with the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM> by appropriately deforming the lid <NUM> according to the size of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>. In particular, the projected area of the lid <NUM> in the present embodiment is reduced by being set to the bent state when the lid <NUM> is inserted into the storage space <NUM> through the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, while the projected area is increased when the lid <NUM> is set to the flat state after being inserted into the storage space <NUM>. Therefore, the lid <NUM> is set to the bent state so as to reduce the projected area when inserting the lid <NUM> into the storage space <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, and then the lid <NUM> is set to the flat state by a user pulling the grips <NUM> upward thereby to increase the projected area in the storage space <NUM>, thus making it possible to bring the peripheral edges <NUM> into close contact with the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>.

Further, in the heat insulating container according to the embodiment described above, since the surface of at least one section of the lid <NUM> is provided with the grip <NUM> to be grasped by a user, the user can deform the lid <NUM> by grasping the grip <NUM> provided on the surface of the section constituting the lid <NUM>. This makes it easy to deform the lid <NUM> (shifting from the bent state to the flat state and shifting from the flat state to the bent state).

Referring now to <FIG> and <FIG>, the configuration of a heat insulating container according to an example which does not form part of the present invention will be described. The heat insulating container according to the present embodiment modifies the configuration of the lid <NUM> of the heat insulating container <NUM> according to the first embodiment, and the configuration of the container body <NUM> is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, a different configuration (a lid <NUM>) will be mainly described, and a detailed description of a common configuration (a container body <NUM>) will be omitted.

The lid <NUM> of the heat insulating container according to the present embodiment is a deformable plate-shaped member, as with the first embodiment, and is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into a storage space <NUM> through an opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM> thereby to bring peripheral edges <NUM> (or peripheral elastic parts <NUM> to be described later) into close contact with the inner surfaces of side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>.

The lid <NUM> in the present example has a first section 40A composed of a heat insulating material panel having a predetermined thickness and having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and the peripheral edge <NUM> of the first section 40A is provided with the peripheral elastic part <NUM>. For example, a sponge made of polyurethane, which contains an air layer and has excellent heat insulation performance, can be used for the peripheral elastic part <NUM>.

The vertical and horizontal dimensions and the thickness of the heat insulating material panel constituting the first section 40A of the lid <NUM>, and the thickness of the peripheral elastic parts <NUM> when released from compression can be appropriately set according to the size of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>. In the present embodiment, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the first section 40A and the thickness of the peripheral elastic parts <NUM> when released from compression are set such that the projected area of the lid <NUM> in a state in which the peripheral elastic parts <NUM> are not being compressed is slightly larger than the projected area of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>.

<FIG> and <FIG> illustrate modified configurations of the present example.

<FIG> illustrates an example in which the peripheral elastic parts <NUM> are provided on all the peripheral edges <NUM> of the first section 40A of the lid <NUM>; however, the peripheral elastic parts <NUM> may be provided on a part (a pair of opposing sides) of the peripheral elastic parts <NUM> of the first section 40A, as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>.

In addition, in a third embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in <FIG>, the lid <NUM> is divided into a plurality of sections (the first section 40A, a second section 40B, and a third section 40C), and configured such that the sections are connected by hinges <NUM> so as to allow the lid <NUM> to be deformed between a bent state and a flat state. In this case, the hinges <NUM> can be placed in the vicinity of the peripheral edges <NUM> of the lid <NUM>, and the peripheral elastic parts <NUM> can be provided on the peripheral edges <NUM> in the vicinity of the hinges <NUM>. When such a configuration is adopted, the projected area of the lid <NUM> in the flat state is set to be larger than the projected area of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, and the lid <NUM> is shifted from the flat state to the bent state when inserted into a storage space <NUM> through the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM> thereby to reduce the projected area to be substantially the same as the projected area of the opening <NUM>.

In the heat insulating container according to the examples described above, the lid <NUM> is configured such that at least a part of the lid <NUM> in a state of being inserted into the storage space <NUM> through the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM> is deformed, thereby bringing the peripheral edges <NUM> (or the peripheral elastic parts <NUM>) into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>. This makes it possible to form, inside the storage space <NUM>, the heat-insulated closed space composed of the bottom wall <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, a part of the side walls <NUM> (a part close to the bottom wall <NUM>) of the container body <NUM>, and the lid <NUM>, so that an object can be stored in the heat-insulated closed space for transportation or the like. In this case, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed by changing the position of the lid <NUM> (the position where the peripheral edges <NUM> of the lid <NUM> come in close contact with the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>) according to the volume of an object stored. For example, when the volume of an object stored is reduced, the peripheral edges <NUM> of the lid <NUM> are brought into close contact with the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM> in a state in which the position of the lid <NUM> has been shifted toward the bottom wall <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, thereby making it possible to form the heat-insulated closed space having a relatively small volume. Consequently, even when the volume of an object stored changes, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed accordingly, so that the presence of air, which has high specific heat, in the heat-insulated closed space can be suppressed, thus making it possible to suppress the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency.

Further, in the heat insulating container according to the examples described above, at least a part of the peripheral edges <NUM> of the lid <NUM> is provided with the peripheral elastic parts <NUM>, so that the peripheral elastic parts <NUM> of the lid <NUM> are compressed to reduce the projected area of the lid <NUM> when the lid <NUM> is inserted into the storage space <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, and then the compression of the peripheral elastic parts <NUM> is released inside the storage space <NUM> so as to increase the projected area, thus making it possible to bring the peripheral edges <NUM> (or the peripheral elastic parts <NUM> in the case where the peripheral edges <NUM> are provided with the peripheral elastic parts <NUM>) into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls <NUM>.

Further, in the heat insulating container according to the third embodiment of <FIG>, the lid <NUM> is divided into a plurality of sections (the first section 40A, the second section 40B, and the third section 40C), and configured such that the sections are connected by the hinges <NUM> so as to be deformable between the bent state and the flat state. This makes it possible to appropriately deform the lid <NUM> according to the size of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM> so as to bring the peripheral edges <NUM> into close contact with the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>. In particular, the projected area of the lid <NUM> in the present modified example is set to be larger than the projected area of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM> in the flat state, and the flat state is replaced by the bent state when the lid <NUM> is inserted into the storage space <NUM> through the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM> thereby to reduce the projected area to be substantially the same as the projected area of the opening <NUM>. This makes it possible to bend the lid <NUM> by the hinges <NUM> located in the vicinity of the peripheral edges <NUM> when inserting the lid <NUM> into the storage space <NUM> of the container body <NUM> so as to set the projected area of the lid <NUM> to be substantially the same as the projected area of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, thus allowing the peripheral edges <NUM> (or the peripheral elastic parts <NUM> in the case where the peripheral edges <NUM> are provided with the peripheral elastic parts <NUM>) to come in close contact with the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>.

Referring now to <FIG>, the configuration of a heat insulating container according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The heat insulating container according to the present embodiment modifies the configuration of the lid <NUM> of the heat insulating container <NUM> according to the first embodiment, and the configuration of the container body <NUM> is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, a different configuration (a lid <NUM>) will be mainly described, and a detailed description of a common configuration (a container body <NUM>) will be omitted.

The lid <NUM> in the present embodiment is a deformable plate-shaped member, and is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into a storage space <NUM> through an opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM> thereby to bring peripheral edges <NUM> (or peripheral elastic parts <NUM>) into close contact with the inner surfaces of side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>.

The lid <NUM> in the present embodiment has a configuration that combines the configuration of the lid <NUM> in the first embodiment (<FIG>) and the configuration of the lid <NUM> in the example of <FIG>. More specifically, as illustrated in <FIG>, the lid <NUM> is divided into two sections (a first section 50A and a second section 50B), configured such that the first section 50A and the second section 50B are connected by a connecting elastic part <NUM>, and the planar shape thereof is substantially rectangular to fit the planar shape of the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>. Further, the lid <NUM> is configured such that the projected area thereof is reduced when the connecting elastic part <NUM> is compressed thereby to reduce the interval between the first section 50A and the second section 50B, while the projected area thereof is increased when the compression of the connecting elastic part <NUM> is released thereby to increase the interval between the first section 50A and the second section 50B. Further, in the peripheral edges <NUM> of the lid <NUM>, the two sides orthogonal to the connecting elastic part <NUM> are provided with the peripheral elastic parts <NUM>. The connecting elastic part <NUM> and the peripheral elastic parts <NUM> have already been described in the first embodiment and the third embodiment, so that detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. The surfaces of the first section 50A and the second section 50B of the lid <NUM> are provided with grips <NUM> to be grasped by a user.

In the heat insulating container according to the embodiment described above, the lid <NUM> is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into the storage space <NUM> through the opening <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, thereby bringing the peripheral edges <NUM> (or the peripheral elastic parts <NUM>) into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>. This makes it possible to form, inside the storage space <NUM>, a heat-insulated closed space composed of the bottom wall <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, a part of the side walls <NUM> (a part close to the bottom wall <NUM>) of the container body <NUM>, and the lid <NUM>, so that an object can be stored in the heat-insulated closed space for transportation or the like. In this case, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed by changing the position of the lid <NUM> (the position where the peripheral edges <NUM> of the lid <NUM> come in close contact with the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>) according to the volume of an object stored. For example, when the volume of an object stored is reduced, the peripheral edges <NUM> of the lid <NUM> are brought into close contact with the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM> in a state in which the position of the lid <NUM> has been shifted toward the bottom wall <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, thereby making it possible to form the heat-insulated closed space having a relatively small volume. Consequently, even when the volume of an object stored changes, the volume of the heat-insulated closed space can be changed accordingly, so that the presence of air, which has high specific heat, in the heat-insulated closed space can be suppressed, thus making it possible to suppress the deterioration of heat insulation efficiency.

Further, in the heat insulating container according to the embodiment described above, the lid <NUM> is divided into a plurality of sections (the first section 50A and the second section 50B), and configured by connecting these sections by the connecting elastic part <NUM>. In addition, the projected area of the lid <NUM> is reduced when the connecting elastic part <NUM> is compressed thereby to reduce the interval between the sections, while the projected area thereof is increased when the compression of the connecting elastic part <NUM> is released thereby to increase the interval between the sections. In the lid <NUM> having such a configuration, the connecting elastic part <NUM> is compressed to reduce the projected area of the lid <NUM> when the lid <NUM> is inserted into the storage space <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, and then the compression of the connecting elastic part <NUM> is released inside the storage space <NUM> so as to increase the projected area, thus making it possible to bring the peripheral edges <NUM> (or the peripheral elastic parts <NUM>) into close contact with the side walls <NUM> of the container body <NUM>.

Further, in the heat insulating container according to the embodiment described above, a part of the peripheral edges <NUM> of the lid <NUM> is provided with the peripheral elastic parts <NUM>, so that the projected area of the lid <NUM> can be reduced by compressing the peripheral elastic parts <NUM> of the lid <NUM> when the lid <NUM> is inserted into the storage space <NUM> of the container body <NUM>, and then the projected area can be increased by releasing the compression of the peripheral elastic parts <NUM> in the storage space <NUM> so as to allow the peripheral edges <NUM> (the peripheral elastic parts <NUM> in the case of the peripheral edges <NUM> provided with the peripheral elastic parts <NUM>) to be brought into close contact with the inner surfaces of the side walls <NUM>.

Further, in the heat insulating container according to the embodiment described above, the surfaces of the plurality of sections of the lid <NUM> are provided with the grips <NUM> to be grasped by a user, thus enabling the user to grasp the grips <NUM> provided on the surfaces of the sections constituting the lid <NUM> to deform the lid <NUM>. This makes it easy to deform the lid <NUM> (by compressing the connecting elastic part <NUM> and releasing the compression).

Claim 1:
A heat insulating container (<NUM>) comprising: a container body (<NUM>) having a storage space (<NUM>) formed by a bottom wall (<NUM>) and side walls (<NUM>), and an opening (<NUM>) continuous to the storage space (<NUM>); and a deformable plate-shaped lid (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>),
wherein the lid (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) is configured such that at least a part thereof is deformed in a state of being inserted into the storage space (<NUM>) through the opening (<NUM>) of the container body (<NUM>) thereby to bring a peripheral edge (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) of the lid (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) into close contact with inner surfaces of the side walls (<NUM>), and
characterized in that
the lid (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) is configured by connecting a plurality of sections (20A-D, 30A-B, 40A-C, 50A-B) by a connecting elastic part (<NUM>, <NUM>), and a projected area thereof is reduced by compressing the connecting elastic part (<NUM>, <NUM>) so as to reduce an interval between the sections (20A-D, 30A-B, 40A-C, 50A-B), while the projected area thereof is increased by releasing the compression of the connecting elastic part (<NUM>, <NUM>) so as to increase the interval between the sections (20A-D, 30A-B, 40A-C, 50A-B).