Technical Field The present invention relates to a tubular container for holding contents such as frozen ice cream, etc., and, more particularly, to a food container from which the contents can be pushed out of the container itself by contraction force so that a person can easily consume the contents.

Background Art In general, the food container for holding the contents such as ice cream, etc. is opened at one end and formed in the shape of thin tube. The open end of the container is closed by thermal bonding after the contents are put into the container. The container is then frozen and is ready for distribution and sale.

A person can consume the frozen contents by cutting and opening an end of the container, while gripping the other end of the container, and pushing the contents. At this time, the length of the container is constant, and the container flattens when gripped and pressed by a hand. Thus, the contents in the container are pushed out from the container through its open end. In order to eat the contents, a person should press the container thereby pushing out the contents from the container. However, there is a problem in that the hands and clothes are spoiled by the contents excessively pushed out when the container is pressed by a force greater than a predetermined force.

Further, in order to eat the contents of the inner part of the container, a person

must either push out the contents by pressing the entire length of the container, or await the contents to naturally down-flow, by blowing air to the container and reversing the container so that its open end faces downward. Since this is troublesome and laborious, there is a further resulting problem in that the container with the contents remaining therein is dumped. In particular, children who cannot easily grip the container and push out the contents have a further trouble in having to repeatedly cut the container to a position where the contents remain therein.

Disclosure of Invention The present invention is conceived to solve the problems mentioned above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a food container which remains in an expanded state when the contents are put therein, and is subject to contraction force for reverting to an original state when the contents are removed or taken out, by forming the container from natural rubber having a strong expansion/contraction force, that allows a person to easily consume the contents.

Brief Description of Drawings Figure la is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a food container according to the present invention.

Figure lb is a longitudinally sectional view of Figure la.

Figure lc is a perspective view showing a state where the contents are fully filled into the food container of Figure 1 a.

Figure 2a is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of a food

container according to the present invention.

Figure 2b is a longitudinally sectional view of Figure 2a.

Figure 2c is a perspective view showing a state where the contents are fully filled into the food container of Figure 2a.

Figure 3a is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of a food container according to the present invention.

Figure 3b is a longitudinally sectional view of Figure 3a.

Figure 3c is a perspective view showing a state where the contents are fully filled into the food container of Figure 3a.

Figure 4 is a view showing a state where the food container of the present invention is used.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention In order to achieve the above object, the food container of the present invention is characterized in that the container is formed in the shape of a tube with an end thereof being opened and a wing portion to be secured upon the filling of the container with the contents is formed to protrude outwardly from a periphery of an injection portion formed in a body having a space for accommodating the contents therein, in that the other side of the body opposite to the wing portion is formed with a stem which extends to narrowly taper from the body, and in that the container is made of natural rubber which can expand when the contents are filled therein and contract to its original state when the contents are taken out.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure la is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a food container according to the present invention, Figure lb is a longitudinally sectional view of the food container shown in Figure la, and Figure I c is a perspective view showing a state where the contents are fully filled into the food container through an injection portion.

As shown in Figures la and lb, the food container 1 of which end is formed to be opened is made of natural rubber. The rubber has a thickness of 0.2 to 0.4 mm, is capable of expanding and contracting, and is not harmful to the human body. The container 1 comprises a conical body 7 for accommodating the contents, a wing portion 2 in the form of ring 9 which protrudes outwardly from a periphery of an open injection portion 11 of the body 7, and a stem 3 in the form of a conical column which extends to narrowly taper from the body 7 at the other side of the body opposite to the injection portion 11.

The ring 9 is engagingly secured to a jig of an injecting device, not shown, when the contents are filled through the injection portion 11 of the container 1. The ring 9 is manufactured to have durability to an extent that it can neither be torn nor be separated from the jig.

After the contents are filled into the container 1 under high pressure through the injection portion 11, an aluminum band 13 is wrapped around a position spaced apart from the injection portion 11 of the body 7 and is compressed by means of a tool, not shown. Thus, the container 1 is sealed so that the contents in the container 1 cannot be pushed outside, as shown in Figure Ic. The container 1 has a configuration that first forms an elliptical shape from the sealing band 13 and then narrowly tapers toward the distal end of the body 7, by means of the contents filled into the container. The position of the band 13 cannot be limited, since the size of the container 1 depends on the volume of the contents filled into the container.

In addition, the container 1 has durability to an extent that when the contents are filled therein, it can expand by three to five times its original size.

Figure 2a is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the food container according to the present invention, Figure 2b is a longitudinally sectional view of Figure 2a, and Figure 2c is a perspective view showing a state where the food container is fully filled with contents through the injection portion thereof.

As shown in Figures 2a and 2b, the periphery of the open injection portion 11 of the body 7 is formed with a ring 9 projecting outwardly therefrom, and the side opposite to the injection portion 11 is formed with a groove 5 at a predetermined position between the body 7 and the stem 3 contiguous thereto.

The groove 5 is located at the position apart from the stem 3 by about one quarter of the total length, and a spherical-shaped dome is formed between the groove 5 and the stem 3 to be similar to a female nipple, thereby facilitating the easy consuming of the contents within the food container 1.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2c similar to Figure 1 c of the first embodiment, the container is hermetically sealed by the band 13 to seal the contents within the container 1, and the contents filled into the container 1 take the shape of a dome which is smoothly curved from the sealing band 13, narrowing toward the groove 5 between the body 7 and the stem 3 contiguous thereto, and then extending back.

Figure 3a is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the food container according to the present invention, Figure 3b is a longitudinally sectional view of Figure 3a, and Figure 3c is a perspective view showing a state of the food container filled with contents through the injection portion.

As shown in Figures 3a and 3b, a wing portion 2 formed at a lower end of the container 1 is shaped in the form of a funnel 15, and the container is configured to be

straight between the wing portion 2 and the stem 3 and, in turn, to be tapered from a predetermined position.

As shown in Figure 3c similar to Figures lc and 2c, the container 1 is filled with the contents through the injection portion 11 under high pressure and hermetically sealed by wrapping the band 13 to seal the contents within the container 1, with the band 13 at a predetermined position on the body 7 of the container. The wing portion 2 in the form of the funnel 15 of the container 1 is secured when the container 1 is filled with the contents through the injection portion 11, so that the contents are filled more smoothly into the container. The contents filled into the container 1 take the shape of an egg due to the sealing band 13.

A method of using the food container according to the present invention constructed as described above will be explained below.

In order to fill the container 1 of the present invention with the contents, the ring 9 or the wing portion 2 in the form of the funnel 15 of the container 1 is secured to a jig of an injecting device, not shown. Then, when an appropriate amount of the contents is filled into the container through the injection portion 11, the container 1 expands with the contents. When the container is fully filled, the open injection portion 11 is hermetically sealed by compressing the aluminum band 13. Then, the completed container 1 is wrapped up in vinyl of propylene resin (not shown) and is ready for distribution and sale.

Figure 4 is a view showing a state where the food container according to the present invention is used. The vinyl-packing bag of the product is first torn and the end of the stem 3 of the container 1 is cut with scissors, a knife, or the like. Then, when the contents filled within the container 1 are smoothly rubbed and pressed with the hand, the contents of the product slowly melt and are naturally pushed out by

contraction force of the container 1, thereby allowing the contents of the product to be consumed with ease. When the entire contents have been eaten, the shape of the container 1 reverts by contraction force to the original state, that is, the state before the container is filled with the contents.

The container 1 can be used as a container for containing ices as well as all kinds of beverage, gruel and the like.

The present invention having the structure described above is a useful invention in that since the frozen contents (ice cream) sealed within the container slowly melt and are pushed out through the cut stem by contraction force of the container, a person can conveniently eat the contents which are naturally pushed out. And, since the material of the container is natural rubber, which is not harmful to a human body and becomes extinct through natural oxidation, it is contributable to protection of the environment.