AU2016249627A1

AU2016249627A1 - Assortment box amd arrangement with at least one assortment box and a retaining strip

Info

Publication number: AU2016249627A1
Application number: AU2016249627A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Wolfgang Hohl; Simon Koch; Johannes Starke
Original assignee: Adolf Wuerth GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Wuerth International AG
Priority date: 2015-04-14
Filing date: 2016-03-16
Publication date: 2017-10-19
Anticipated expiration: 2036-03-16
Also published as: ES2922808T3; PL3283260T3; EP3283260B1; DE102015206606A1; PT3283260T; WO2016165901A1; CN107889476A; AU2016249627B2; DK3283260T3; CN107889476B; EP3283260A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an assortment box for receiving small parts, having a bottom and four side walls, wherein the assortment box has shape characteristics for anti-slip arrangement in transport and storage units, in particular cases, shelves and workshop trollies. According to the invention, a holding device for the tool-free securing of the assortment box on a retaining strip is provided in the region of at least one outer surface of the side walls.

Description

Assortment box and arrangement comprising at least one assortment box and a holding strip [0001] The invention relates to an assortment box for holding small parts, having a base and four side walls, wherein the assortment box has shape features for nonslip arrangement in transportation and storage units, especially cases, racks and workshop trolleys. The invention also relates to an arrangement comprising at least one assortment box according to the invention and a holding strip.

[0002] The invention is intended to improve an assortment box in respect of its suitability for flexible use.

[0003] According to the invention, an assortment box having the features of claim 1 is provided for this purpose. According to the invention, therefore, an assortment box for holding small parts, having a base and four side walls, is provided, wherein the assortment box has shape features for nonslip arrangement in transportation and storage units, especially cases, racks and workshop trolleys, wherein a holding device for securing the assortment box without tools on a holding strip is provided in the region of at least one outer surface of the side walls, and wherein an inner side of at least one of the side walls encloses an angle of more than 90° and less than 110°, in particular 100°, with the base, at least in its upper region adjoining an opening of the assortment box .

[0004] As a result, it is not only possible for the assortment box according to the invention to be arranged in a transportation and storage unit, but it can also be secured on a holding strip. Known assortment boxes can be taken out of a transportation box and then placed on a workbench, for example. There, the assortment boxes can then often be in the way, however, since the workbench itself is of course required for setting down and working on a workpiece. The assortment box according to the invention can be hooked into a holding strip. For example, the holding strip can be secured on a wall behind a workbench. A worker can then take the assortment box out of the transportation and storage unit and hook it into the holding strip. As a result, the workbench itself remains free for the workpiece to be processed, and the assortment box can be secured on the holding strip at the ideal height for access. The holding strip can also be secured on a workshop trolley, for example. The worker can then take a required assortment box, e.g. one containing the screws which are currently required, out of the workshop trolley and hook it into the holding strip on one side of the workshop trolley. As a result, the assortment box is arranged in a very readily accessible and secure manner. At the same time, the assortment box then does not take up the space on the upper side of the workshop trolley, which is scarce in any case. Applications in mobile workshops, e.g. in motor vehicles, are possible in a similar way.

[0005] As a development of the invention, the holding device is of hook-shaped design.

[0006] By means of a hook-shaped holding device, the assortment box can be hooked easily into a holding strip .

[0007] As a development of the invention, the holding device is arranged in the region of the upper edge of at least one of the side walls, which delimits a section of the opening of the assortment box.

[0008] In this way, the assortment box can be secured reliably by means of the holding device since the center of gravity of the assortment box is then below the holding device.

[0009] As a development of the invention, the holding device extends over the entire width of one of the side walls .

[0010] In this way, it is possible to provide a stable holding device, especially if the assortment box consists of injection molded plastic.

[0011] As a development of the invention, the holding device is designed as a projection which is hook-shaped in cross section, wherein the projection starts from an upper edge of a side wall of the assortment box.

[0012] As a result, the assortment box can be hooked into the holding strip in a very simple manner, even if the worker cannot see the holding device itself. This is because the worker can then place the assortment box with the side wall against the holding strip and then move the assortment box downward relative to the holding strip until the hook-shaped projection engages in the holding strip. To achieve this, the outer side of the side wall with the holding device is of smooth design without projections.

[0013] The fact that the inner side of at least one of the side walls encloses an angle of more than 90° and less than 110° with the base not only makes it easy to reach into the assortment box, in order to pull out small parts for example; lettering or a label, for example, can be arranged on that section of the side wall which is arranged obliquely to the base. Since the lettering or label is then already sloping toward the observer, the legibility thereof is considerably improved. The side wall with the holding device is preferably slanted on the inner side thereof and therefore then encloses an angle of more than 90° and less than 110° with the base in its upper region. The improved legibility of a label or of lettering on the slanted section of the side wall is available both when the assortment box is arranged in a case, especially when looking down on the assortment box from above, and when the assortment box is arranged on a holding strip, especially when looking at the assortment box in an approximately horizontal direction.

[0014] As a development of the invention, the shape features are designed as projections which start from a lower side of a base, said lower side facing away from the interior of the assortment box.

[0015] By means of such projections on the base of the assortment box, reliable retention of the assortment box in a transportation and storage device can be achieved. In contrast, the inner side of the base, which faces the interior of the assortment box, is advantageously of smooth design in order to enable small parts to be removed easily.

[0016] As a development of the invention, two inner sides facing an interior of the assortment box and situated opposite one another each have a groove for the insertion of a divider plate.

[0017] In this way, a divider plate can be securely anchored, e.g. when very small parts that would fill the entire assortment box only to an inadequate extent are to be stored. If grooves are provided in the opposite inner sides, there are then no projections or guides on the side wall to interfere with the removal of small parts from the assortment box when no divider plate is present.

[0018] As a development of the invention, the grooves and the lateral edges of the divider plate have a dovetail cross section.

[0019] In this way, accurate fitting and secure anchoring of the divider plate can be achieved.

[0020] As a development of the invention, a groove extending parallel to the upper edge is provided at the upper edge of at least one of the side walls, wherein the groove is provided for securing a lid on the assortment box.

[0021] For example, a holding strip of a lid can be clipped or pressed into the groove in order to anchor a pivotable lid on the assortment box in a particularly simple manner. The lid plate itself can then be secured on the holding strip by means of a film hinge, for example .

[0022] Like the opening of the interior of the assortment box, the groove for securing a lid is advantageously open toward the top.

[0023] In this way, a lid can be inserted in a very simple manner.

[0024] As a development of the invention, the groove is provided on the upper edge of the side wall which has the holding device.

[0025] The holding device requires space on the upper edge of at least one of the side walls in any case. It is then possible to accommodate the arrangement of the groove for securing a lid in this region without taking up any additional space. It is advantageous if the groove forms a section of the holding device.

[0026] The problem underlying the invention is also solved by an arrangement having at least one assortment box according to the invention and at least one holding strip, in which the holding strip has a first holding device matching the holding device of the assortment box .

[0027] As a development of the invention, the holding strip has a second holding device matching the holding device of the assortment box, wherein the assortment box and the holding strip are arranged at a first angle to one another when the holding device of the assortment box engages in the first holding device, and are arranged at a second angle to one another, which is different from the first angle, when the holding device of the assortment box engages in the second holding device .

[0028] In this way, the assortment box can be arranged in two different positions or angular alignments on the holding strip. In this way, the arrangement of the assortment box on the holding strip can be adjusted to a worker's current working situation or height. If the worker is kneeling in front of a workpiece on the ground, for example, he will arrange the assortment box on the holding strip on a workshop trolley in such a way that he can reach into the assortment box easily from a lower position. If, in contrast, the worker is working on a workpiece on an upper side of the workshop trolley, he will hook the assortment box into the holding strip in such a way that he has optimum access to the assortment box in a standing position. As an alternative, two holding strips can be arranged on the workshop trolley.

[0029] As a development of the invention, the first holding device is designed as a first groove that is continuous in the longitudinal direction of the holding strip .

[0030] Forming a holding device on the holding strip as a groove can be accomplished in a way which is simple and produces a pleasing shape. A suitably designed holding device on the assortment box can furthermore be inserted in a simple manner into a groove while nevertheless being secured reliably in the groove .

[0031] As a development of the invention, the second holding device is designed as a second groove that is continuous in the longitudinal direction of the holding strip, wherein the second groove is arranged at an angle of more than 0° to the first groove when viewed in a cross section of the holding strip.

[0032] The two grooves are thus arranged at a different angle to a rear side of the holding strip, as a result of which it is a very simple matter to ensure that the assortment box is arranged at a different angle to the holding strip, depending on whether it is hooked into the first groove or the second groove. When viewed in cross section, the grooves are thus not parallel to one another. The grooves can be of different widths transversely to the longitudinal direction in order, by this means too, to enable the assortment box to be hooked in at different angles.

[0033] As a development of the invention, the holding strip is designed as a pultruded profile or extruded profile, in particular an extruded aluminum profile.

[0034] Pultruded profiles or extruded profiles can be produced with very precise dimensions at low cost, e.g. as extruded aluminum profiles.

[0035] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the claims and the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the drawings. Here, individual features of the various embodiments illustrated in the drawings and described in the description can be combined in any desired manner without exceeding the scope of the invention. In the drawings :

Figure 1 shows a view of an assortment box according to the invention in a transportation case obliquely from above,

Figure 2 shows a view of the assortment box in figure 1 with a divider plate removed,

Figure 3 shows the assortment box in figure 1 with a hinged lid not yet attached,

Figure 4 shows the assortment box in figure 1 obliquely from below,

Figure 5 shows a section through the assortment box in figure 1, and

Figure 6 shows a holding strip for hooking in an assortment box according to the invention, obliquely from the front.

[0036] The illustration in figure 1 shows an assortment box 10 according to the invention, which is arranged in the bottom part 12 of a transportation case. The base of the transportation case is provided with projections 14 arranged in a grid pattern, in which projections on the lower side of the base of the assortment box 10 engage. These projections on the lower side of the base of the assortment box 10 can be seen in figure 4. The assortment box 10 can be arranged in different positions on the base of the transportation case, and the interaction of the projections on the lower side of the base of the assortment box 10 with the projections 14 then ensures that the assortment box 10 cannot slide backward and forward on the base of the transportation case. A total of eight assortment boxes 10 can be arranged in the lower part 12, illustrated in figure 1, of the transportation case. It is also possible for example, to produce the assortment boxes 10 in different sizes, e.g. narrower, wider, shorter or longer than the assortment box 10 illustrated, thus enabling small parts of many different sizes to be arranged in such assortment boxes. The bottom part 12 of the transportation case is illustrated merely by way of example: it is also possible, for example, for corresponding projections 14 also to be arranged on the shelves of racks, on the drawers of workshop trolleys or the like, in order to arrange assortment boxes 10 in a slip proof manner in each case.

[0037] Even in the illustration in figure 1, it can be seen that an interior of the assortment box 10 is divided by means of a divider plate 16. In this case, the divider plate 16 extends from a base of the assortment box 10 to a height somewhat below the upper rim of the assortment box 10.

[0038] A hook-shaped holding device 18 can likewise already be seen on the assortment box 10 in the illustration in figure 1. This hook-shaped holding device 18 starts from a side wall of the assortment box 10 situated at the top right in figure 1. The holding device 18 serves to enable the assortment box 10 to be hooked into a holding strip of the kind illustrated in figure 6.

[0039] An upper section 20 of the side wall of the assortment box 10 arranged at the top right in figure 1 is arranged obliquely to the base of the assortment box. This section 20 is provided for the purpose of accommodating lettering, which, as a result, is readily visible to an observer looking into the assortment box obliquely from above. The obliquely arranged section 20 also makes it easier to reach into the interior of the assortment box 10.

[0040] The illustration in figure 2 shows the assortment box 10 with the divider plate 16 removed. The divider plate 16 is inserted into grooves 22, which are arranged in opposite side walls of the assortment box 10. The grooves 22 each have a dovetail cross section and the divider plate 16 has on its two lateral edges respective matching dovetail projections 24. In this case, the projections 24 do not extend as far as the lower edge of the divider plate 16. In the lower region of the lateral edges, the divider plate 16 ends flat at the lateral edges. The two lower corners 26 of the divider plate 16 have angular recesses. This is because the grooves 22 end a certain distance above a base 28 of the assortment box 10. As a result, the divider plate 16 can be placed by its lower edge on the base 28 of the assortment box 10. However, the base 28 itself is made smooth and without a groove for the divider plate. When no divider plate 16 is arranged in the assortment box 10, there is, as a result, a smooth base available, and small parts stored in the assortment box 10 cannot catch or get stuck on the base.

[0041] As can already be seen partially in the view in figure 2, there are projections 30 on the lower side of the base 28, which faces away from the interior. As already explained, these projections 30 serve to engage in projections or recesses 14 on the base of the bottom part 12 of the transportation case.

[0042] Also visible in the illustration in figure 2 is the section 20, arranged obliquely to the base 28, of the side wall 36 of the assortment box 10 which is arranged at the top right in figure 2 and figure 1. In the direction of the base 28, the obliquely arranged section 20 is adjoined by a section 32 of the side wall 36 which is arranged perpendicularly to the base 28. The side wall 36 is thus tilted away from the base 28 only in its upper region.

[0043] In figure 2, a section of the hook-shaped holding device 18 on the rear side of the side wall 36 of the assortment box 10, that facing away from the observer, can be seen. As has been explained, the assortment box 10 is hooked by means of this hookshaped holding device 18 into a groove of a holding strip of the kind shown in figure 6. However, the hookshaped holding device 18 can also be used, for example, to hook the assortment box 10 into the peripheral rim of a workshop trolley. Workshop trolleys generally have a raised rim consisting of relatively thin sheet metal, which is intended to prevent small parts rolling off the upper side of the workshop trolley. The assortment box 10 can likewise be hooked into a peripheral rim of this kind by means of the hook-shaped holding device 18 .

[0044] The illustration in figure 3 shows a view of the assortment box 10 obliquely from above. In addition, figure 3 schematically illustrates a hinged lid 50, which can be secured on the assortment box 10. For this purpose, the hinged lid 50 can be provided with a holding strip 52, which can be clipped into a groove 54 arranged on the upper end of the side wall 36 of the assortment box 10. Here, the groove 54 is part of the hook-shaped projection 34. The holding strip 52 is pressed into the groove 54 from above. Here, the holding strip 52 and the groove 54 are dimensioned in such a way that simply pressing it in is sufficient to anchor the hinged lid 50 on the assortment box 10.

[0045] The interior of the assortment box 10 is provided at its upper end with a peripheral shoulder 56. Above the shoulder 56, the interior widens slightly outward again, with the result, therefore, that an upper peripheral rim 58 of the assortment box 10 is offset slightly outward relative to the side wall sections ending at the base 28. This shoulder 56 is used to serve as an abutment for the hinged lid 50 in the closed state.

[0046] The holding strip 52 and the lid plate of the hinged lid 50 can be connected to one another by means of a conventional hinge but also by means of a film hinge, for example.

[0047] An upper edge of the divider plate 16 is provided with a widened support 62, which is arranged at the level of the shoulder 56 in the fully inserted state of the divider plate 16. In the closed state, the lid plate of the hinged lid 50 can therefore also rest on the widened upper side 62 of the divider plate 16, thereby reliably preventing small parts from drifting or moving from one half of the box into the other half of the box while the lid is closed.

[0048] The illustration in figure 4 shows the assortment box 10 from below. This view shows the projections 30 on the lower side of the base of the assortment box 10, and, as explained, these projections are matched to the projections 14 on the base of the bottom part 12 of a transportation case or of some other transportation and storage unit.

[0049] Figure 4 shows the two sections 20, 32 of the side wall 36, at the upper end of which, situated at the bottom in figure 4, the hook-shaped holding device 18 is arranged. The hook-shaped holding device 18 is designed as a hook-shaped projection 34, which starts from the upper side of the side wall 36 of the assortment box 10. The upper side of the side wall 36, which has sections 32 and 20, is arranged at the bottom in figure 4 since, of course, the assortment box is shown with its opening facing downward.

[0050] Figure 5 shows a section through the assortment box 10 according to the invention. As can be seen, the hook-shaped projection 34 starts from an upper side of the side wall 36 on the right in figure 5. The side wall 36 has a lower section 32, which is arranged perpendicularly to the base 28 and which is adjoined in an upward direction, toward the opening of the assortment box 10, by the section 20 arranged obliquely to the base 28. Section 20 encloses an angle of more than 90° and less than 110°, in particular 100°, with the base 28. As can be seen, the obliquely arranged section 20 makes it easier to reach into the interior of the assortment box. For an observer looking into the assortment box 10 obliquely from the left and from above in figure 5, lettering on section 20 can be read very easily.

[0051] In order to hook the assortment box 10 into a groove of a holding strip or on a projection, all that is necessary is to place the outer side of the side wall 36 of the assortment box 10, in the region of section 32, against the holding strip or the projection. The assortment box 10 can then simply be moved downward until the projection or the holding strip enters the interspace between the hook-shaped projection 34 and section 20 of the side wall 36. If the assortment box 10 is then released, it is reliably secured by means of the hook-shaped projection 34.

[0052] It can be seen in figure 5 that the hook-shaped projection 34 has a slight undercut 38. This undercut can contribute to securing the assortment box 10 in a particularly reliable manner on a holding strip or a projection. The assortment box 10 can be hooked into a projection or a holding strip in a simple manner without an observer seeing the hook-shaped projection 34. As a result, the assortment box 10 is extremely user-friendly.

[0053] The illustration in figure 6 shows a holding strip 40 of the kind used together with the assortment box 10 according to the invention. The holding strip 40 is designed as an extruded aluminum profile and has a plurality of screw holes 42, by means of which it can be secured on a wall or on a workshop trolley or at some other suitable point. The holding strip 40 is provided with a first groove 44 and a second groove 46. The two grooves 44, 46 do not extend parallel to one another when viewed in a cross section of the holding strip and therefore enclose different angles with a rear side 48 (not visible in figure 6) of the holding strip 40. When viewed in cross section, the grooves 44, 46 are arranged at an angle of more than 0° to one another. Groove 44 is wider than groove 46 transversely to the longitudinal direction. Groove 46 accommodates the section of the hook-shaped projection 34 which is arranged below the undercut 38 in figure 5 substantially without play. In contrast, groove 44 is significantly wider. The side walls of groove 44 are arranged parallel to a rear side 48 of the holding strip 40. In contrast, the side walls of groove 46 are arranged obliquely to the rear side 48. The two grooves 44, 46 are each provided for hooking in the hook-shaped projection 34 of the assortment box 10. As is apparent, the assortment box 10 will hang approximately perpendicularly to the rear side 48 of the holding strip 40 when it is hooked into groove 44. As a consequence, the assortment box 10 will then also hang approximately perpendicularly to a wall on which the holding strip 40 is secured.

[0054] If, on the other hand, the hook-shaped projection 34 of the assortment box 10 is hooked into the second groove 46, the assortment box 10 will hang slightly obliquely to the rear side 48 of the holding strip 40 and thus also obliquely to a wall on which the holding strip 40 is secured. The assortment box will then hang with a slight downward tilt in accordance with the arrangement of groove 46. It is then significantly easier to reach into the interior of the assortment box 10 to take out small parts, especially when a worker wants to reach into the assortment box 10 from a lower position, e.g. a kneeling position.

Claims

Patent claims

1. An assortment box (10) for holding small parts, having a base (28) and four side walls (36), wherein the assortment box (10) has shape features for nonslip arrangement in transportation and storage units, especially cases, racks and workshop trolleys, characterized in that a holding device (18) for securing the assortment box without tools on a holding strip (40) is provided in the region of at least one outer surface of the side walls (36) , and in that an inner side of at least one of the side walls (36) encloses an angle of more than 90° and less than 110°, in particular 100°, with the base (28), at least in its upper region (20) adjoining an opening of the assortment box (10).
2. The assortment box as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the holding device (18) is of hook-shaped design.
3. The assortment box as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the holding device (18) is arranged in the region of the upper edge of at least one of the side walls (36), which delimits a section of the opening of the assortment box (10).
4. The assortment box as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the holding device (18) extends over the entire width of one of the side walls (36) .
5. The assortment box as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the holding device (18) is designed as a projection (34) which is hook-shaped in cross section, wherein the projection (34) preferably starts from an upper edge of a side wall (36) of the assortment box (10).
6. The assortment box as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the shape features are designed as projections (30) which start from a lower side of a base (28), said lower side facing away from the interior of the assortment box.
7. The assortment box as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that two inner sides facing an interior of the assortment box (10) and situated opposite one another each have a groove (22) for the insertion of a divider plate (16).
8. The assortment box as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the grooves and the lateral edges of the divider plate (16) have a dovetail cross section, at least in some sections.
9. The assortment box as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a groove (54) extending parallel to the upper edge is provided at the upper edge of at least one of the side walls (36), wherein the groove (54) is provided for securing a lid (50) on the assortment box (10).
10. The assortment box as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that, like the opening of the interior of the assortment box (10), the groove (54) is open toward the top.
11. The assortment box as claimed in claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the groove (54) is provided on the upper edge of the side wall (36) which has the holding device (18) .
12. The assortment box as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that the groove (54) forms a section of the holding device (18) .
13. An arrangement having at least one assortment box (10) as claimed in at least one of the preceding claims and having a holding strip (40), characterized in that the holding strip has a first holding device matching the holding device of the assortment box (10).
14. The arrangement as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the holding strip has a second holding device matching the holding device of the assortment box (10), wherein the assortment box (10) and the holding strip (40) are arranged at a first angle to one another when the holding device of the assortment box (10) engages in the first holding device, and are arranged at a second angle to one another, which is different from the first angle, when the holding device of the assortment box (10) engages in the second holding device .
15. The arrangement as claimed in claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the first holding device is designed as a first groove (44) that is continuous in the longitudinal direction of the holding strip (40) .
16. The arrangement as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that the second holding device is designed as a second groove (46) that is continuous in the longitudinal direction of the holding strip (40), wherein the second groove (46) is arranged at an angle of more than 0° to the first groove (44) when viewed in a cross section of the holding strip (40) .
17. The arrangement as claimed in one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that the holding strip (40) is designed as a pultruded profile or extruded profile, in particular an extruded aluminum profile .