Packaging container and confectionery product contained in packaging container

Abstract

A packaging container is provided, which is configured such that a plurality of food pieces are contained in anteroposteriorly overlapping relation in a plurality of rows, and satisfies requirements for the compactness of the container and the pick-out easiness for picking out each of the food pieces. In a packaging container (A) having a slidable configuration, chewing gum pieces ( 40 ) (food strips) can be contained upright in side-by-side relation in a front chamber (L) and in a rear chamber (B) located behind the front chamber (L). The rear chamber (B) is combined with the front chamber (L) so as to be slidable upward with respect to the front chamber (L). Therefore, there is no need to preliminarily provide a raised bottom portion in a rear portion of the packaging container (A) for locating chewing gum strips ( 40 ) contained in a rear row (rear chamber (B)) at a higher height level than chewing gum strips ( 40 ) contained in a front row (front chamber (L)), but the chewing gum strips ( 40 ) can be easily picked out by sliding the rear chamber (B) upward with respect to the front chamber (L) as required to locate the rear row chewing gum strips ( 40 ) at a higher height level than the front row chewing gum strips ( 40 ). This obviates the need for providing the raised bottom portion, thereby achieving the size reduction of the packaging container (A).

1 . A packaging container of paper having a slidable configuration for containing elongated food strips, the packaging container comprising:
 a front chamber adapted to contain elongated food strips upright in side-by-side relation; and   a rear chamber provided behind the front chamber and configured to contain elongated food strips upright in side-by-side relation;   wherein the rear chamber is combined with the front chamber so as to be slidable upward with respect to the front chamber.   
     
     
         2 . The packaging container according to  claim 1 , wherein the rear chamber is decombined from the front chamber to provide an independently usable package. 
     
     
         3 . The packaging container according to  claim 2 , wherein the rear chamber has a rear chamber front wall, rear chamber left and right side walls, a rear chamber bottom wall and a rear chamber rear wall, and has a take-out window provided in the rear chamber front wall as a cut-out portion extending downward from an upper edge of the rear chamber front wall for exposing upper portions of the strips contained in the rear chamber forward, and an extension portion which defines a flap extending upward from an upper edge of the rear chamber rear wall and folded forward and downward to cover an upper wall and a front upper portion of the packaging container. 
     
     
         4 . The packaging container according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein a portion of the extension portion defining the upper wall of the packaging container includes a second folding guide provided in an anteroposteriorly middle portion of the upper wall as extending horizontally, and   wherein, when the rear chamber is independently used, the extension portion is folded along the second folding guide, whereby a rear portion of the upper wall serves as an upper wall of the rear chamber, and a front portion of the upper wall and the flap cooperatively function as a flap covering a front portion of the rear chamber with a crease therebetween removed.   
     
     
         5 . The packaging container according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the front chamber includes a packaging container front wall, packaging container left and right side walls, a packaging container rear wall, a front chamber bottom wall and a partition wall disposed within the packaging container to serve as a front chamber rear wall, and   wherein the front chamber has a take-out window provided in an upper portion of the packaging container front wall as a cut-out portion extending from an upper edge of the packaging container front wall for exposing upper portions of the strips contained in the front chamber forward.   
     
     
         6 . The packaging container according to  claim 5 , wherein the partition wall has a smaller height than the packaging container rear wall, and has an engagement piece provided at least in a middle portion of an upper edge thereof and folded rearward. 
     
     
         7 . The packaging container according to  claim 6 , wherein the rear chamber is combined with the front chamber so as to be accommodated in a space located behind the front chamber between the partition wall of the front chamber and the packaging container rear wall and having upper and lower open ends. 
     
     
         8 . The packaging container according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein the extension portion has stoppers provided on laterally opposite sides thereof, and   wherein the stoppers are engaged with upper edges of the packaging container left and right side walls to prevent the rear chamber from being withdrawn from the space.   
     
     
         9 . The packaging container according to  claim 8 , wherein the engagement piece is engaged with an upper edge of the rear chamber front wall to prevent the rear chamber from moving further upward with respect to the front chamber. 
     
     
         10 . The packaging container according to  claim 9 , wherein the packaging container rear wall has a band portion extending vertically for dividing the packaging container rear wall into left and right portions. 
     
     
         11 . A multi-chamber packaging container of paper having a slidable N-chamber configuration for containing elongated food strips, N being a positive integer not less than 2, the packaging container comprising:
 a first chamber adapted to contain elongated food strips upright in side-by-side relation; and   second to N-th chambers provided behind the first chamber and each adapted to contain elongated food strips upright in side-by-side relation;   wherein the N-th chamber is combined with the (N−1)-th chamber so as to be slidable upward with respect to the (N−1)-th chamber.   
     
     
         12 . A packaged confectionery product comprising:
 a multi-chamber packaging container according to  claim 11 ; and   a plurality of elongated confectionery strips, the strips selected from among chewing gum, chocolate and candy, individually wrapped with wrapping sheets and accommodated in a food containing chamber of the packaging container;   wherein parts of outer surfaces of the individual wrapping sheets are bonded to an interior surface of the food containing chamber so as to maintain the individually wrapped confectionery strips in an accommodated state.   
     
     
         13 . The packaging container according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the front chamber includes a packaging container front wall, packaging container left and right side walls, a packaging container rear wall, a front chamber bottom wall and a partition wall disposed within the packaging container to serve as a front chamber rear wall, and   wherein the front chamber has a take-out window provided in an upper portion of the packaging container front wall as a cut-out portion extending from an upper edge of the packaging container front wall for exposing upper portions of the strips contained in the front chamber forward.   
     
     
         14 . The packaging container according to  claim 13 , wherein the partition wall has a smaller height than the packaging container rear wall, and has an engagement piece provided at least in a middle portion of an upper edge thereof and folded rearward. 
     
     
         15 . The packaging container according to  claim 14 , wherein the rear chamber is combined with the front chamber so as to be accommodated in a space located behind the front chamber between the partition wall of the front chamber and the packaging container rear wall and having upper and lower open ends. 
     
     
         16 . The packaging container according to  claim 15 ,
 wherein the extension portion has stoppers provided on laterally opposite sides thereof, and   wherein the stoppers are engaged with upper edges of the packaging container left and right side walls to prevent the rear chamber from being withdrawn from the space.   
     
     
         17 . The packaging container according to  claim 16 , wherein the engagement piece is engaged with an upper edge of the rear chamber front wall to prevent the rear chamber from moving further upward with respect to the front chamber. 
     
     
         18 . The packaging container according to  claim 7 , wherein the engagement piece is engaged with an upper edge of the rear chamber front wall to prevent the rear chamber from moving further upward with respect to the front chamber. 
     
     
         19 . The packaging container according to  claim 18 , wherein the packaging container rear wall has a band portion extending vertically for dividing the packaging container rear wall into left and right portions. 
     
     
         20 . A packaged confectionery product comprising:
 a multi-chamber packaging container according to  claim 1 ; and   a plurality of elongated confectionery strips, the strips selected from among chewing gum, chocolate and candy, individually wrapped with wrapping sheets and accommodated in a food containing chamber of the packaging container;   wherein parts of outer surfaces of the individual wrapping sheets are bonded to an interior surface of the food containing chamber so as to maintain the individually wrapped confectionery strips in an accommodated state.