Patent Grant
10648720
This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-080456, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to an ice-making container for making crushed ice.
Conventionally, an ice-making tray formed in a tray shape is known as means for making crushed ice (Patent Literature 1).
The ice-making tray in Patent Literature 1 includes a bottom plate made of a flexible material, a peripheral wall made of a flexible material formed in a standing manner from a peripheral edge of the bottom plate, and a plurality of projections for crushing ice provided in a standing manner on the bottom plate, and is constructed to fill an area with water, the area being surrounded by the bottom plate and the peripheral wall.
The ice-making tray in Patent Literature 1 is formed in a tray shape. Water is filled in an area surrounded by the bottom plate and the peripheral wall, and the tray is put in a freezer in order to freeze the water. Then, the ice made in the area is crushed by the projections for crushing ice when the bottom plate and the peripheral wall are deformed. Thus, according to the ice-making tray in Patent Literature 1, crushed ice can be made easily only by deforming the bottom plate and the peripheral wall.
Patent Literature 1: JP 2007-212051 A
However, since the aforementioned conventional ice-making tray is formed in the tray shape, the crushed ice made as above cannot be moved easily to a cup or the like. Thus, a user needs to pick up the crushed ice on the ice-making tray and to move it to the cup or the like.
As described above, the aforementioned conventional ice-making tray has a problem of insanitariness because the crushed ice needs to be touched when it is to be moved to another container.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide an ice-making container with which crushed ice can be moved to a certain container hygienically.
An ice-making container according to the present invention includes a container body having an opening formed in its upper part and being flexible so as to be deformable by being grasped, and an inner container configured to be insertable into and removable from the container body through the opening, and in the state where the inner container is placed in the container body, an ice-making area for making ice is formed between an inner peripheral surface of the container body and an outer peripheral surface of the inner container, and the ice-making area is formed as an area where the ice made in the ice-making area is crushed in response to deformation of the container body being grasped.
As an aspect of the present invention, at least one rib may project on at least one of the inner peripheral surface of the container body and the outer peripheral surface of the inner container.
As another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the at least one ribs may be formed at predetermined intervals in a peripheral direction on the inner peripheral surface of the container body, and each of the ribs may extend in a depth direction of the container body.
As still another aspect of the present invention, the inner container may have a bottomed shape and may have an upper side with an opening therein.
An ice-making container according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below by referring to the attached drawings.
As shown in
As shown in
The container body 2 is configured to be capable of being grasped. The container body 2 is flexible so as to be deformable by being grasped. Specifically, as shown in
In this embodiment, the side wall portion 21 is configured to be elastically deformed by being pressed by one hand or by both hands and to restore to an original shape when not pressed. Thus, the user deforms the side wall portion 21 by pressing the side wall portion 21 of the container body 2 and returns the side wall portion 21 to the original shape by loosening the force exerted by the hand(s) (fingers). The user crushes the ice S in the container body 2 by repeatedly deforming the side wall portion 21 (pressing operation) and returning the shape of the side wall portion 21 (operation of loosening the force exerted by the hand(s) (fingers)) several times.
The side wall portion 21 is formed cylindrically. The side wall portion 21 of this embodiment is formed in a cylindrical shape. The side wall portion 21 of this embodiment is formed so that an outer diameter of an upper end is larger than an outer diameter of a lower end. Specifically, the side wall portion 21 is formed in a shape tapered from the upper end toward the lower end. However, the side wall portion 21 may be formed straight from the upper end toward the other end.
As shown in
The bottom portion 22 is formed in a plate shape. The bottom portion 22 of this embodiment is formed in a disc shape. The bottom portion 22 of this embodiment is formed in a flat plate shape.
As shown in
The container body 2 of this embodiment is a circular container having the bottom portion 22 formed in a disc shape and the side wall portion 21 formed in a cylindrical shape. As shown in
The container body 2 is formed so as to have higher rigidity on the lower end portion side than on the upper end portion side. Specifically, the container body 2 is configured such that it becomes less likely for the lower end side to be deformed when the user deforms the container body 2 or the ice is being made. Thus, the container body 2 has a placing portion 20 (bottom portion) having a stable shape, which makes the container body 2 less likely to fall over.
As shown in
As shown in
In this embodiment, the bottom plate 311 is formed with a small thickness, and the peripheral wall 312 is formed with a small thickness. A hollow area SP defined by the thin bottom plate 311 and the thin peripheral wall 312 is enlarged. The enlarged hollow area SP allows cold air to be sufficiently led into the hollow area SP and efficiently transmitted into the container body 2 (water in the ice-making area Q).
The inner container body 31 is formed such that an outer diameter of one end on the bottom plate 311 side is smaller than an outer diameter of the other end on the opening side. Specifically, the inner container body 31 has a shape tapered from the upper end toward the lower end. This taper shape allows the inner container 3 to be pulled out of the container body 2 easily after making the ice. However, the inner container body 31 may be formed straight from the upper end toward the lower end. The inner container body 31 of this embodiment has the outer peripheral surface 301 formed smoothly without any projection or recess.
The lid portion 32 is a portion which closes the container body 2. The lid portion 32 extends from the inner container body 31 to have a wider area as it advances outward in a radial direction of the inner container body 31. The lid portion 32 is configured to tightly close (tightly seal) the container body 2. The lid portion 32 includes a base portion 321 covering the opening of the container body 2, a first extension portion 322 extending upward from the base portion 321, and a second extension portion 323 further extending upward from the first extension portion 322 and formed with a diameter larger than that of the first extension portion 322. The lid portion 32 is configured to allow another ice-making container 1 to be placed on the base portion 321. That is, as shown in
The base portion 321 is an annular member connected to an upper end edge of the peripheral wall 312 of the inner container body 31 and extending outward in the radial direction of the inner container body 31 from the upper end edge. The base portion 321 of this embodiment is formed in an annular shape. The upper surface of the base portion 321 has a projecting piece P connected to the first extension portion 322 and the second extension portion 323. The projecting piece P connects the base portion 321, the first extension portion 322, and the second extension portion 323 so as to increase strength of the inner container 3 (lid portion 32). Moreover, the projecting piece P functions also as a spacer for preventing the container body 2 of another ice-making container 1 placed on the base portion 321 from being displaced in the radial direction of the base portion 321.
The first extension portion 322 extends upward from the upper surface of the base portion 321. The first extension portion 322 of this embodiment extends upward from an end edge of the base portion 321. The first extension portion 322 has a projecting portion 34 formed on an outer peripheral surface 322a along the circumferential direction. The projecting portion 34 is configured to be fitted in the recess portion 24 of the container body 2. When the projecting portion 34 is fitted in the recess portion 24 of the container body 2, the inner container 3 is fixed to the container body 2. The projecting portion 34 is formed in such a manner as to extend along the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface 322a of the first extension portion 322.
The second extension portion 323 extends upward from the outer peripheral surface of the first extension portion 322 and extends outward in the radial direction of the first extension portion 322. That is, a stepped portion E is formed between the second extension portion 323 and the first extension portion 322.
As shown in
A discharge portion 33 is formed in the base portion 321 to discharge water overflowing in the container body 2. The discharge portion 33 is formed as a hole penetrating the base portion 321 in a thickness direction. The discharge portion 33 is a portion for releasing excessive water when the inner container 3 is inserted into the container body 2 filled with water or when a volume of the water expands as it is being cooled.
The ice-making area Q formed between the inner peripheral surface 201 of the container body 2 and the outer peripheral surface 301 of the inner container 3 (inner container body 31) is formed as an area where the ice S is crushed in response to deformation of the container body 2 being grasped. That is, the inner peripheral surface 201 of the container body 2 and the outer peripheral surface 301 of the inner container body 31 are set (adjusted) to separate from each other by such a distance as to have the ice S crushed when the container body 2 is grasped and pressed by the hand (one hand or both hands). In this embodiment, a clearance C (see
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The explanation of the ice-making container 1 according to this embodiment has been made. Next, a method of using the ice-making container 1 will be described by referring to the attached drawings.
The user fills the container body 2 with water and inserts the inner container 3 into the container body 2. The user fits the lid portion 32 of the inner container 3 in the container body 2 for fixation to prevent the inner container 3 from floating by its own buoyancy. Then, the user puts the ice-making container 1 into the freezer. When intending to make ice using a plurality of ice-making containers 1, the user places another ice-making container 1 on the base portion 321 of the ice-making container 1 to stack these upward.
After making the ice, the user pours water into the hollow area SP in the inner container 3. While the ice S adhering to the outer peripheral surface 301 of the inner container 3 is molten by the poured water, the user grasps and slightly rotates the inner container 3 in one direction along the circumferential direction, and then slightly rotates the same in the opposite direction. The user pulls out the inner container 3 from the container body 2 when the ice S is released from the inner container 3.
Subsequently, as shown in
As described above, the ice-making container 1 according to the aforementioned embodiment includes a container body 2 having an opening formed in an upper part and being flexible so as to be deformable by being grasped and an inner container 3 configured to be insertable into and removable from the container body 2 through the opening, wherein an ice-making area Q for making an ice S is formed between an inner peripheral surface 201 of the container body and an outer peripheral surface of the inner container 3 while the inner container 3 is placed in the container body 2, and the ice-making area Q is formed as an area where the ice S made in the ice-making area Q is crushed in response to deformation of the container body 2 being grasped.
According to the aforementioned embodiment, the ice S is made in the ice-making area Q by inserting the inner container 3 into the container body 2 with water therein and by putting the ice-making container 1 in a freezer while the inner container 3 is placed in the container body 2. The ice-making area Q is formed as an area where the ice S is crushed in response to deformation of the container body 2 being grasped. Thus, after making the ice, a user can crush the ice S when grasping and deforming the container body 2. Then, the user can move (throw) the crushed ice S as the content of the container main body 2 from the container body 2 to another container. As described above, the ice-making container 1 having the aforementioned configuration allows the user to move the crushed ice S to another container without touching the ice S, which is hygienic.
In the aforementioned embodiment, at least one rib 5 projects on at least one of the inner peripheral surface 201 of the container body 2 and the outer peripheral surface 301 of the inner container 3.
According to the aforementioned embodiment, the ice S made in the ice-making area Q is sectioned with recess into a plurality of blocks by the at least one rib 5 projecting on at least one of the inner peripheral surface 201 of the container body 2 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner container 3. This sectioning with recess decreases the volume of the ice S, and thus allows the ice S to be easily crushed.
In the aforementioned embodiment, a plurality of the ribs 5 are formed at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface 201 of the container body 2, and each of the ribs extends in the depth direction of the container body 2.
According to the aforementioned embodiment, when the user presses and deforms the container body 2, the deformation of the container body 2 causes the adjacent ribs 5 located on the pressed portions to separate in the direction away from the ice S. The ice-making container 1 with the aforementioned configuration provides ease of releasing the ice.
In the aforementioned embodiment, the inner container 3 is formed in an open top type having a bottom, and an opening formed in the upper surface thereof.
According to the aforementioned embodiment, cold air can be led from the opening of the inner container 3 into the inner container 3 when the ice-making container 1 is put in the freezer while the inner container 3 is inserted from the bottom side into the container body 2 with water therein and the ice-making area Q is filled with the water. This configuration allows the water in the ice-making area Q to be cooled from outer and inner sides of the container body 2, enabling efficient ice-making.
When the inner container 3 is to be pulled out of the container body 2 after making the ice, water is poured into the inner container 3 to melt the ice S adhering to the outer peripheral surface 301 of the inner container 3 so that the ice is easily released from the inner container 3. Thus, the ice-making container 1 of this embodiment can be easily pulled out of the container body 2 after making the ice.
In the aforementioned embodiment, the container body 2 is formed so that a lower end portion side has higher rigidity than that of an upper end portion side, and the ribs 5 are formed so that the width W1 on the lower end portion side of the container body 2 is larger than the width W2 on the upper end portion side. Thus, the ice-making container 1 of the aforementioned embodiment can form the ice S with a smaller width on the lower end portion side where the container body 2 cannot be deformed easily so that the ice S can be crushed easily even on the lower end portion side of the container body 2. This configuration allows the ice-making container 1 of the aforementioned embodiment to make uniform crushed ice.
In the aforementioned embodiment, the lid portion 32 of the inner container 3 is configured to tightly close (tightly seal) the container body 2, and therefore the ice S is less likely to absorb odor in the freezer.
In the aforementioned embodiment, the lid portion 32 is configured to allow another ice-making container 1 to be placed on the base portion 321. This configuration allows a plurality of the ice-making containers 1 to be stacked vertically in the freezer, and to be accommodated in a space-saving manner when they are used.
This embodiment provides the ice-making container 1 capable of moving the crushed ice to a certain container hygienically.
The ice-making container 1 of the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiment. The ice-making container 1 according to the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned operational effects, either. Various changes are applicable to the ice-making container 1 according to the present invention within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention.
The description of the aforementioned embodiment is made by taking the case where the ice S is crushed while the inner container 3 is removed from the container body 2 after making the ice, without limitation thereto. For example, the inner container body 31 may be formed of a soft resin deformable in response to deformation of the container body 2 so that the ice S is crushed with the inner container 3 placed in the container body 2 (that is, with the inner container 3 closing the container body 2).
The description of the aforementioned embodiment is made by taking the case where the bottom portion 22 is formed in a flat plate shape, without limitation thereto. The bottom portion 22 may be formed to incline downward from its peripheral edge to its center. That is, the bottom portion 22 may be formed so that the center part projects downward with respect to the peripheral edge portion. This shape allows the ice S adhering to the base portion 22 to be released from the container body 2 when a central portion of the base portion 22 is pressed after the inner container 3 is removed from the container body 2. Additionally, the bottom portion 22 may have a rib 5 projecting thereon.
Though not particularly referred to in the aforementioned embodiment, the container body 2 may have a mark indicating an amount of water to be poured so that the ice-making area Q is filled with an appropriate amount of water.
The description of the aforementioned embodiment is made by taking the case where the ribs 5 are formed on the inner peripheral surface 201 of the container body 2, without limitation thereto. As shown in
The description of the aforementioned embodiment is made by taking the case where a plurality of the ribs 5 are formed, without limitation thereto. The ribs 5 do not have to be formed, or one rib may be formed on at least one of the inner peripheral surface 201 of the container body 2 and the outer peripheral surface 301 of the inner container 3. The one rib 5 formed sections with recess the made ice S along at least one line, which makes it easier to crush the ice S than the case where no rib 5 is formed.
The description of the aforementioned embodiment is made by taking the case where a plurality of the ribs 5 extend in the depth direction of the container body 2 and are formed at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface 201 of the container body, without limitation thereto. The ribs 5 may extend along the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface 201 of the container body 2 and may be formed at predetermined intervals in the depth direction of the container body 2. That is, the ribs 5 may be formed in a ring shape on the inner peripheral surface 201 of the container body 2.
The description of the aforementioned embodiment is made by taking the case where the ribs 5 are formed so that the top end extending to the ice-making area Q side is thinner than the base end side connected to the container body 2, without limitation thereto. The ribs 5 may be formed so that the base end side and the top end side have the same thickness as each other.
The description of the aforementioned embodiment is made by taking the case where the top ends of the ribs 5 are set to such a height that they do not abut (do not reach) the outer peripheral surface 301 of the inner container 3, without limitation thereto. The top ends of the ribs 5 may be formed with such a height that they abut the outer peripheral surface 301 of the inner container 3.
The description of the aforementioned embodiment is made by taking the case where the inner container 3 is formed in an open top type (hollow shape) having a bottom, without limitation thereto. The inner container 3 may be formed in a columnar shape (solid state).
The description of the aforementioned embodiment is made by taking the case where the made ice S is formed in a ring shape (cylindrical shape) covering the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface 301 of the inner container 3, without limitation thereto. For example, the inner container 3 may be formed in a plate shape and arranged in the container body 2 having a rectangular shape so as to connect opposite sides thereof to each other, so that the ice S having a plate shape may be made through the inner container 3.
The description of the aforementioned embodiment is made by taking the case where the fixing portion 23 is the recess portion 24 formed in the side wall portion 21 and the container body 2 and the inner container 3 are fixed together by fitting the projecting portion 34 of the inner container 3 into the recess portion 24, without limitation thereto. For example, the fixing portion 23 may be formed in a hook shape extending from the upper end portion of the side wall portion 21. Accordingly, the lid portion 32 may have a locking portion by which the fixing portion 23 is locked.
Though not particularly referred to in the aforementioned embodiment, the inner container 3 may be formed of an elastically deformable material. The inner container 3 formed of the elastically deformable material is made slightly deformable when the user rotates the inner container 3 at the time of pulling it out of the container body 2, which makes it easier to rotate and pull the inner container 3 out of the container body 2.
The description of the aforementioned embodiment is made by taking the case where the plurality of ribs 5 are formed independently of each other, without limitation thereto. The plurality of ribs 5 may be connected to each other. The plurality of ribs 5 may be connected to each other on the lower end side or the upper end side in, for example, a V-shape or a W-shape.
The description of the aforementioned embodiment is made by taking the case where the clearance C between the inner peripheral surface 201 of the container body 2 and the outer peripheral surface 301 of the inner container body 31 and the number of the ribs 5 are set to fall within the predetermined range; however, the clearance C and the number of ribs 5 may be freely set. For example, the clearance C may be made larger (e.g. 20 mm) while the number of ribs 5 may be increased to have narrower intervals between the ribs 5, thereby enabling the ice S to be formed thin enough to be crushable (e.g. 10 mm).
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-080456 | Apr 2017 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2017/023952 | 6/29/2017 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2018/189917 | 10/18/2018 | WO | A |
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