BOX FOR PACKAGING FISH AND SHELLFISH

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a box for packaging fish and shellfish, and more particularly to a box for packaging fish and shellfish with seawater and which includes an oxygen supply unit for supplying the seawater with oxygen and a cooling unit for maintaining an asphyxia state of the fish and shellfish, while delivering, so that various kinds of fish and shellfish can be delivered in an alive state from places of catching the fish and shellfish to consumers through home delivery.

Background Art In general, a live fish and shellfish transportation vehicle having a large-size water tank is used to transport various kinds of fish and shellfish from places of catching the fish and shellfish in an alive state. However, in order to transport fish and shellfish using the live fish and shellfish transportation vehicle, a massive amount of seawater is needed, and also a large-capacity oxygen supply unit and a large- capacity cooling unit are needed to run. Accordingly, a transportation expense is so expensive that the live fish and shellfish transportation vehicle cannot be actually used unless it is the case that a massive amount of fish and shellfish should be transported. As a result, it is not nearly possible to deliver a small amount of live fish and shellfish from places of catching the fish and shellfish to consumers.

In addition, consumers far away from places of catching fish and shellfish can purchase the live fish and shellfish only in a distributive place having an

aquarium. As a result, the consumers should pay an expensive price according to an intermediate expense which is generated at distribution steps.

Disclosure of the Invention

To solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a box for packaging a small amount of fish and shellfish with seawater at places of catching the fish and shellfish and which includes an oxygen supply unit for supplying the seawater with oxygen and a cooling unit for maintaining an asphyxia state of the fish and shellfish, while delivering, so that various kinds of fish and shellfish can be delivered in an alive state from the place of catching the fish and shellfish to consumers through a home delivery system which enables home delivery within 48 hours under the development of the recent home delivery service. To accomplish the above objects of the present invention, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a box for packaging and delivering various kinds of fish and shellfish in an asphyxia state, the fish and shellfish packaging box comprising: an outer container into which an inner container which contains seawater and fish and shellfish and has a water-tight lid is inserted and which is made of a heat insulation material; and an outer container lid which is shaped in correspondence to the outer container and at the lower portion of which a detachable/attachable auxiliary- container is provided, and which is made of the same material as the outer container,

wherein the auxiliary container comprises : a first space portion in which an oxygen supply unit is seated at one end of a partition which is formed in the inside of the auxiliary container in order to supply seawater in the inner container with oxygen! and a second space portion in which cooling packs are seated in order to prevent temperature of the seawater in the inner container from rising, and wherein a cooling air passing hole is formed in the partition so that the oxygen supply unit inhales cooling air which has moved from the second space portion to the first space portion and supplies the inside of the seawater with the cooling air together with oxygen.

Preferably but not necessarily, the first space portion further comprises a battery for drive of the oxygen supply unit, an oxygen supply pipe for oxygen supply, and a throughhole through which the oxygen supply pipe passes. Preferably but not necessarily, the inner container lid comprises an air exit whose portion corresponding to the lower portion of the first space portion is protruded upwards, and through which the inner air in the inner container can exit in which the oxygen supply pipe passes through the protruded surface of the air exit. Preferably but not necessarily, the inner container further comprises filtering paper which adsorbs secretion and seawater residual that the fish and shellfish secretes on the bottom of the inner container.

Brief Description of the Drawings The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing the preferred embodiments thereof

in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which'-

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a box for packaging fish and shellfish according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a box for packaging fish and shellfish according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view cut along a line A-A of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of using the box for packaging fish and shellfish according to the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention

The above and/or other objects and/or advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by the following description. Hereinbelow, a box for packaging fish and shellfish according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a box for packaging and delivering various kinds of fish and shellfish in an asphyxia state, according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: an inner container 23 which contains seawater and fish and shellfish; a water-tight lid 24 for sealing the inner container 23; an outer container 12 into which the inner container 23 and the inner container lid 24 are inserted and which is made of a heat insulation material; and an outer container lid 11 which is shaped in correspondence to the outer container 12 and at the lower portion of which a detachable/attachable auxiliary container 13 is provided, and which is made of the same material as the outer container 12. The auxiliary container 13 includes: a first space portion 15 in which an

oxygen supply unit 17 is seated at one end of a partition 14 which is formed in the inside of the auxiliary container 13 in order to supply seawater in the inner container 23 with oxygen; and a second space portion 16 in which cooling packs 22 are seated in order to prevent temperature of the seawater in the inner container 23 from rising.

A cooling air passing hole 21 is formed in the partition 14 so that the cooling air which has been produced from the cooling packs 22 of the second space portion 16 can be moved to the first space portion 15. The first space portion 15 further includes a battery 18 for drive of the oxygen supply unit 17, an oxygen supply pipe 19 for oxygen supply, and a throughhole 20 through which the oxygen supply pipe 19 passes.

The inner container lid 24 includes an air exit 26 whose portion corresponding to the lower portion of the first space portion 15 is protruded upwards, and through which the inner air in the inner container 23 can exit in which the oxygen supply pipe 19 passes through the protruded surface of the air exit.

The inner container 23 further includes filtering paper 25 which adsorbs secretion and seawater residual that the fish and shellfish secretes on the bottom of the inner container.

Hereinbelow, the box for packaging fish and shellfish according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

The inner container 23 which contains seawater and fish and shellfish is installed in the inside of the outer container 12, in order to prevent the seawater

and fish and shellfish of the inner container 23 from being exposed to the outside when the inner container 23 has been broken by shock or damaged by hardened fins of fish of an asphyxia state or sharp edges of shellfish. The inner container 23 is made of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material which is transparent and is used for general drink bottles to enable people to see inside. The inner container 23 has an inner container lid 24 which is shaped in correspondence to the inner container 23 and which is made of the same material as that of the inner container 23. The outer container 12 which accommodates the inner container 23 is made of a material whose heat insulation function is excellent to maintain a suitable water temperature in life of fish and shellfish in the inside of the inner container 23 and is formed using a Styrofoam quality material usually.

The outer container lid 11 of the shape corresponding to that of the outer container 12 is made of the same quality material as that of the outer container 12. A detachable/attachable auxiliary container 13 is provided at the lower portion of the outer container lid 11. A first space portion 15 and a second space portion 16 are formed in the auxiliary container 13 in which a partition 14 is formed between the first space portion 15 and the second space portion 16. In the first space portion 15 are provided a small-size motor-driven pump style oxygen supply unit 17 which supplies oxygen for the seawater contained in the inner container 13 to enable fish and shellfish to survive during transportation of the box 100 for packaging fish and shellfish from places of catching the fish and shellfish to consumers, an oxygen supply pipe 19 which is connected with the oxygen supply unit 17 for supplying oxygen for the seawater

, and a battery 18 which drives the oxygen supply unit 17.

A throughhole 20 through which the oxygen supply pipe 19 passes so as to be inserted into the inner container 23 is formed at one end of the bottom of the first space portion 15. Preferably, a generally available small-capacity air pump is used as the oxygen supply unit 17, and the battery 18 is of a capacity of driving the oxygen supply unit 17 for at least 48 hours considering home delivery time of the fish and shellfish packaging box 100.

In the second space portion 16 is provided cooling packs 22 in order to prevent temperature of the seawater in the inner container 23 from rising during home delivery time of the fish and shellfish packaging box 100. Usually, water temperature should be kept at 15°C or below in order to keep fish and shellfish into an asphyxia state. Thus, the cooling packs 22 are made of ice or mixture of ice and salt. Considering home delivery time of the fish and shellfish packaging box 100, it is desirable that the cooling packs 22 are of a capacity capable of maintaining cooling air for at least 48 hours.

A cooling air passing hole 21 is formed in the partition 14 formed in the auxiliary container 13 so that the cooling air which has been produced from the cooling packs 22 of the second space portion 16 can be moved to the first space portion 15. The oxygen supply unit 17 located in the inside of the first space portion 15 inhales cooling air together with oxygen, and supplies the inhaled cooling air and oxygen into the seawater contained in the inner container 23 through the oxygen supply pipe 19. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4, cooling air and oxygen can be transferred directly into the seawater.

The auxiliary container 13 is of a structure of being detached from and attached to the lower portion of the outer container lid 11. The lower portion of the outer container lid 11 corresponding to the auxiliary container 13 is formed so as to be protruded. Using adhesive tape, the auxiliary container 13 and the outer container lid 11 can be adhered and sealed.

The inner container lid 24 is protruded upwards in correspondence to the lower portion of the first space portion 15. The oxygen supply pipe 19 passes through the protruded surface. An air exit 26 having a relatively large area in comparison with the oxygen supply pipe 19 is formed in the inner container lid 24, so that air in the inner container 23 can exit. Accordingly, the inner container 23 is not pressurized due to the air supplied into the seawater.

Filter paper 25 is installed on the inner bottom of the inner container 23, in order to delay pollution of seawater due to secretion and seawater residual which fish and shellfish secrete while the fish and shellfish packaging box 100 is delivered and adsorbs secretion and seawater residual of the fish and shellfish, to thus filter the seawater.

However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it is possible for one who has an ordinary skill in the art to make various modifications and variations, without departing off the spirit of the present invention.

As described above, the fish and shellfish packaging box according to the present invention provides an effect capable of distributing live fish and shellfish having excellent freshness from places of catching the fish and shellfish to consumers at a low price.

Industrial Applicability

As described above, the present invention provides a box for packaging fish and shellfish to thereby enable various kinds of fish and shellfish to be delivered in an alive state from places of catching the fish and shellfish to consumers through home delivery.