CN113247447B

CN113247447B - Lock and container with such a lock

Info

Publication number: CN113247447B
Application number: CN202110065493.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: S·凯德尔
Original assignee: Sedhouse Co ltd
Current assignee: Sedhouse Co ltd
Priority date: 2020-01-28
Filing date: 2021-01-19
Publication date: 2022-09-16
Anticipated expiration: 2041-01-19
Also published as: EP3858185A1; EP3858185B1; DE202020100438U1; CN113247447A

Abstract

Lock (1) for a container (4), in particular for carrying a container in the form of a backpack, backpack or the like.

Description

Lock and container with such a lock

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a lock for a container, in particular for a carrying container in the form of a backpack, hand bag or the like. The invention also relates to a container with such a lock.

Background

Carrying containers such as backpacks typically include a wall portion defining a receiving space of the container and a container cover movable relative to the wall portion. The container lid is usually connected to the wall section on the rear side, so that it can be tilted or pivoted relative to the wall section between an open position and a closed position in order to selectively access the receiving space or close the receiving space. In order to lock the container lid in the closed position, it is known: the container is provided with a lock. Such locks generally comprise a receiving unit which is fixed at the wall of the container and an engaging unit which is fixed at the container lid and which can be brought into releasable engagement with the receiving unit in order to close the receiving space.

Disclosure of Invention

Based on this prior art, it was an object of the present invention to provide a new, inexpensive and easily operable lock and a container with such a lock.

In order to achieve the object, the invention creates a lock for a container, in particular for a carrying container in the form of a backpack, comprising: a housing unit designed for fixing at a wall portion of a container; and a joining unit designed to: a container lid which is fixed to the container lid and can be moved relative to the wall and which is detachably brought into engagement with the receiving unit, wherein the engaging unit has an outwardly projecting spindle which is rotatably mounted and which can be moved between an unlocking position and a locking position, receives the first magnet and is provided on its circumference with at least three guide grooves which are distributed over the circumference and which are open at their ends which point toward the front free end of the spindle and from which extend, depending on the type of the spiral section, in the direction of the rear end of the spindle, and wherein the receiving unit has: a deepened portion that receives the mandrel, the deepened portion having a shape that is compatible with a shape of the mandrel; a second magnet which cooperates in a retaining manner with the first magnet and is arranged in the region of the base of the deepening section; and a number of engagement elements corresponding to the number of guide slots, which are configured and positioned such that the engagement elements engage with the guide slots provided at the spindle in the unlocked position of the spindle when the spindle is moved into the deepened portion and subsequently move within the guide slots when the spindle is moved into said locked position, the transfer of the spindle from the unlocked position into the locked position thereof being supported by the increased magnetic attraction of the mutually attracting magnets, and the spindle being held in its locked position by the magnets when the locked position is reached.

In order to lock the container lid in the closed state, the engagement unit of the lock according to the invention is brought into engagement with the receiving unit by introducing the spindle of the engagement unit into the deepening of the receiving unit in its unlocking. At the beginning of the insertion movement, the engaging elements of the receiving unit are inserted into the guide grooves of the spindle which are open toward the free end of the spindle. On further introduction movement, the coupling element is moved within the guide groove in the direction of the other end of the spindle, as a result of which the spindle is rotationally transferred into its locking position. During the insertion movement, the distance between the magnets positioned on the one hand at the receiving unit and on the other hand at the joining unit is reduced, the magnets attracting each other increasingly strongly with increasing attraction force, thereby supporting the insertion movement. At the end of the introduction movement, the spindle is then held in its locking position by magnetic force. To open the container lid, the spindle is rotated against the magnetic force in the direction of its unlocked position. During this rotational movement, the coupling element moves along the associated guide groove in the direction of the free end of the spindle, whose spindle at the same time emerges from the deepened portion with a continuously decreasing magnetic force. Once the engaging element has been removed from the guide groove, the engaging unit can be easily disengaged from the receiving unit.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the coupling unit has at least one spring which is designed and positioned in such a way that it pretensions the spindle in the direction of its locking position. The spring force must therefore be overcome in order to transfer the spindle from the locked position to the unlocked position, whereby additional security against unintentional unlocking is achieved.

The engagement unit preferably has stops which cooperatively define the unlocked and locked positions of the spindle, thereby simplifying operation of the lock.

The joining unit advantageously has an operating element designed for rotating the spindle, at which the spindle is held in a rotationally fixed manner, wherein the operating element is preferably embodied in an ergonomic manner such that it can be operated well with the fingers.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the joining unit has a lower retaining ring and an upper retaining ring, which is designed to: the lower side of the operating element is fixed in a rotationally fixed manner on the upper side of the lower retaining ring and the operating element is received on the upper side thereof, wherein a retaining means and a stop means are provided on the upper side of the upper retaining ring, which retaining means are designed for receiving the spring and for retaining the first leg of the spring, wherein a receiving means for receiving the second leg of the spring and at least one stop means are provided on the lower side of the operating element, which stop means define an unlocking position and a locking position of the spindle in cooperation with the stop means of the upper retaining ring, and the spindle of which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the operating element via a fixing means extending through the upper retaining ring. The lower retaining ring and the upper retaining ring may be screwed and/or glued and/or pressed and/or screwed to each other, just to name a few examples. The retaining means and also the first stop of the upper retaining ring are advantageously formed by a suitably shaped projection projecting upwards from the upper retaining ring. Advantageously, the second stop and the receiving means of the operating element are formed by appropriately shaped projections which project downwards from the operating element. The fastening means, which connect the spindle and the actuating element to one another in a rotationally fixed manner, are preferably formed at the spindle and at the actuating element. For example, fastening means are provided at the spindle and at the actuating element, which fastening means cooperate in a locking manner. The lower retaining ring, the spindle, the upper retaining ring and the actuating element are advantageously each produced in one piece as a plastic injection-molded part.

The coupling elements of the receiving unit are preferably received in a radially movable manner and are each biased radially inward by means of a spring element. By means of such a spring element, the engaging element can be brought into engagement with the guide groove when the spindle of the engaging unit is introduced into the deepened portion of the receiving unit, by means of a light pressure being exerted on the spindle in the direction of the receiving unit, even if the engaging element is not positioned in precise alignment with the guide groove. The engaging element, while overcoming the force of the associated spring element, has not yet been moved radially outward by pressure, so that it then snaps radially into the guide groove.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the receiving unit has a holding element, a cover ring and an intermediate piece provided with an engagement element and arranged between an upper side of the holding element and a lower side of the cover ring, wherein the holding element, the cover ring and the intermediate piece are designed to: are connected to one another in a rotationally fixed manner.

The intermediate piece advantageously forms a deepened portion which accommodates the spindle.

The second magnet is preferably fixed to the holding element and/or to the intermediate piece.

Furthermore, the invention creates a container, in particular a carrying container in the form of a backpack, having: a wall, in particular a wall defining a receiving space of the container; a container lid movable relative to the wall portion; and a lock according to the invention, wherein the receiving unit of the lock is fixed at the wall portion of the container and the engaging unit is fixed at the container lid, such that the engaging element can be brought into disengageable engagement with the receiving unit.

Drawings

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherein

Figure 1 shows an exploded perspective view from above of a lock according to one embodiment of the invention;

figure 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the lock from below;

fig. 3 shows a side view of the lock in a state in which the receiving unit and the engaging unit of the lock are fixed at the container, wherein the engaging unit and the receiving unit are not engaged with each other;

fig. 4 shows a sectional view of the engagement unit of the lock along the line IV-IV in fig. 3, with the spindle of the engagement unit in its unlocked position and with the container omitted from illustration;

fig. 5 shows a lower view of the covering ring of the containing unit of the lock in a state in which the engaging unit, with its spindle in the unlocked position, just comes into engagement with the containing unit, with the container omitted from illustration;

fig. 6 shows a sectional view of the engagement unit of the lock along the line IV-IV in fig. 3, with the spindle of the engagement unit in its locked position and with the container omitted;

fig. 7 shows a lower view of the covering ring of the containing unit of the lock in a state in which the engaging unit with its spindle in the locked position is fully brought into engagement with the containing unit, with the container omitted from illustration; and

figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the lock in the state shown in figure 7; and

figure 9 shows a perspective view of the container with the lock secured thereto.

Detailed Description

The lock 1 shown in fig. 1 to 8 comprises, as main components, a receiving unit 2 and an engaging unit 5, the receiving unit being designed to: the container 4 is fixed at the wall portion 3 of the container 4, said engagement unit being designed for being fixed at a container lid 6 movable relative to the wall portion 3 and being releasably brought into engagement with the receiving unit 2.

The coupling unit 5 has a lower retaining ring 7, a spindle 8, a magnet 9, an upper retaining ring 10, a spring 11 and an operating element 12, wherein the lower retaining ring 7, the spindle 8, the upper retaining ring 10 and the operating element 12 are each currently formed as a one-piece injection-molded plastic part.

The lower retaining ring 7 centrally delimits the through-opening 8 and is provided with three recesses 14, which are of cylindrical design in the present case and which widen conically towards the underside of the lower retaining ring 7, said recesses being arranged distributed over the circumference of the lower retaining ring 7.

The mandrel 8, which is directed downward in fig. 1, is domed in the direction of its front free end and is formed flat at the front free end. The mandrel 8 is provided at its circumferential surface with three guide grooves 15 distributed over the circumference, which are open at their free end facing the front of the mandrel 8 and from there extend in the direction of the rear end of the mandrel 8, depending on the type of the spiral section. The spindle 8 is likewise of flat design at the rear end of the spindle 8 and is provided with a fastening means 16. The securing means 16 are in the present case four elastically formed, annularly arranged latching elements which project in the direction of the actuating element 12 and are offset radially inward with respect to the spindle 8, so that the rear end of the spindle 8 forms an annular contact surface 17. The spindle 8 is furthermore provided with a centrally arranged, cylindrically formed recess 18 which is accessible from the rear and which is enclosed by the fastening means 16 and serves for accommodating the magnet 9, which is in the present case a neodymium magnet.

The upper retaining ring 10 has a central through-opening 19 which is dimensioned such that the fastening means 16 of the spindle 8 can be guided through it and in the threaded-through state preferably abuts against an edge of the through-opening 19. From the underside of the upper retaining ring 10, cylindrical pins 20 project, which are constructed and arranged in a manner corresponding to the recesses 14 of the lower retaining ring 7. At the upper side of the upper retaining ring 10, there is provided an upwardly projecting retaining mechanism 21 which is designed for accommodating and positioning the spring 11 and for retaining the first leg 12 of the spring 11. Furthermore, a stopper 23 is provided which protrudes from the upper side of the upper retaining ring 10.

The actuating element 12 is designed in the manner of a cover and is provided along its circumferential surface with four hand clasps 24, which facilitate gripping of the actuating element 12 with the fingers. On the one hand, a fastening means 25 in the form of four latching elements, which are formed in correspondence with the fastening means 16 of the spindle 8 so that they can be brought into locking and rotationally fixed engagement with them, protrudes from the underside of the operating element 12. On the other hand, on the underside of the operating element 12, an accommodating means 26 for accommodating a second leg 27 of the spring 11 and a stop 28 which interacts with the stop 23 of the upper retaining ring 10 are provided.

To preassemble the joining unit 5, in a first step the magnet 9 is fitted into the recess 18 of the spindle 8 and fixed therein, for example by means of pressing, with adhesive or the like. Subsequently, the fastening means 16 of the spindle 8 are introduced into the through-opening 19 of the upper retaining ring 10 until the annular abutment surface 17 of the spindle 8 abuts against the underside of the upper retaining ring 10. In a further step, the spring 11 is slipped onto the upper retaining ring 10, so that the first leg 22 of the spring 11 is received by the retaining means 21 of the upper retaining ring 10. The operating element 12 is then slipped onto the upper retaining ring 10, so that the second leg 27 of the spring 11 is received by the receiving means 26 of the operating element 12, and subsequently the operating element 12 and the upper retaining ring 10 are moved toward one another by means of pressure, so that their fixing means 16, 25 are latched to one another. From now on, the spindle 8 and the actuating element 12 can be jointly rotated relative to the upper retaining ring 10 between a locking position and an unlocking position of the spindle 8, which are defined by the cooperating stops 23, 28 of the upper retaining ring 10 and the actuating element 12, the spindle 8 of which is prestressed into its locking position by the spring 11.

The receiving unit 2 has a holding element 29, a second magnet 30, a cover ring 31 and an intermediate piece 32 arranged between an upper side of the holding element 29 and a lower side of the cover ring 31, wherein the holding element 29, the cover ring 31 and the intermediate piece 32 are designed for being connected to one another in a rotationally fixed manner.

The retaining element 29 has an annular section 33 which centrally defines a downwardly arched recess 34. At the bottom of the recess 34, a receiving deepening 35 for the second magnet 30 is provided, which is in the present case likewise a rubidium magnet. The ring segment 33 is provided with three recesses 36, which are formed in a cylindrical manner and which widen conically towards the underside of the ring segment 33, said recesses being arranged in a distributed manner over the circumference of the ring segment 33.

The intermediate piece 32 has an annular section 37 whose dimensions approximately correspond to the dimensions of the annular section 33 of the holding element 29. A recess 38 is provided centrally, and a receiving recess 35 for the further magnet 30 is provided outside of said recess, similarly to the holding element 29. The dimensions of the deepening 38 are matched to the dimensions of the mandrel 8 and the recess 34 of the holding element 29, so that on the one hand the intermediate piece 32 can be placed onto the holding element 29 in such a way that the underside of the annular section 37 of the intermediate piece 32 lies flat against the upper side of the annular section 33 of the holding element 29, and on the other hand the mandrel 8 can be accommodated in the deepening 38 of the intermediate piece 32. At the upper side of the annular section 37 of the intermediate piece 32, three through-holes 39 are provided, which are positioned in alignment with the recesses 36 of the holding element 29. Furthermore, four retaining recesses 40 are formed distributed over the circumference. In addition, three engagement elements 41 are held at the upper side of the annular section 37 of the intermediate piece 32, distributed evenly over the circumference, which are configured and positioned such that they engage radially inwards into the guide grooves 15 of the spindle 8 when the spindle 8 is moved into the deepened portion 38 of the intermediate piece 32. When the spindle 8 is introduced into the deepened portion 38 of the intermediate piece 32, the free ends of said engagement elements engage into the guide grooves 15 of the spindle 8. The engaging element 41 is positioned in a radially movable manner in a receiving deepening space 42 formed at the upper side of the annular section 37 of the intermediate piece 32 and is provided with a spring element 43 in the form of a compression spring, which presses the engaging element 41 radially inward.

The cover ring 31 is formed flat on its upper side. A cylindrical pin 44 projects from the underside of the covering ring 31, said pin being formed and positioned relative to the through-hole 39 of the intermediate piece 32 and the recess 36 of the holding element 29. Furthermore, a securing pin 45, which is configured and positioned in correspondence with the retaining recess 40 of the intermediate piece 32, protrudes downwards from the underside of the covering ring 31. In addition, a receiving space 46 is provided at the lower side of the covering ring 31, which is configured and positioned corresponding to the receiving space 42 of the intermediate piece 32 in order to receive the engaging elements 41 together with them.

In order to preassemble the receiving unit 2, in a first step the second magnet 30 is inserted into the receiving deepening 35 of the intermediate piece 32 and is fixed therein, for example by means of pressing, with a suitable adhesive or the like. Then, the engaging element 41 is positioned together with the spring element 43 in the accommodating deepened space 42 of the intermediate piece 32, whereby the covering ring 31 is put over the intermediate piece 32. Here, on the one hand, a cylindrical pin 44 covering the ring is guided through the through-opening 39 of the intermediate piece 32. On the other hand, the fixing pin 45 is accommodated into the holding recess 40 of the intermediate member 32. Then, the cover ring 31 and the intermediate piece 32 are now fixedly connected to one another by pressing the fixing pins 45 into the holding recesses 40.

To finally assemble the lock 1 at the container 4, as shown in fig. 3, the engaging unit 5 is fixed at the container lid 6, and the accommodating unit 2 is fixed at the opposed positions of the wall portion 3 of the container 4. In order to fix the engaging unit 5, the upper side of the lower retaining ring 7 is positioned on the inside and the lower side of the upper retaining ring 10 is positioned on the upper side of the container lid 6, so that the retaining rings 7, 10 comprise a through opening previously introduced into the container 4 and through which the spindle 8 protrudes inwards. The retaining rings 7, 10 are then fixed to one another by pressing the cylindrical pins 20 of the upper retaining ring 10 into the associated recesses 14 of the lower retaining ring 7. Additionally, it is possible to work with adhesives. Similarly, the upper side of the annular section 33 of the holding element 29 of the receiving unit 2 is arranged at the inner side of the wall 3 of the container 4 and the lower side of the intermediate piece 32 is arranged opposite at its outer side, so that the deepening 38 of the intermediate piece 32 is inserted through the through-opening previously introduced into the wall 3, which is surrounded by the

annular sections

33, 37 of the holding element 29 and of the intermediate piece 32, and the holding element 29 and the intermediate piece 32 are then pressed against one another. Here, too, the adhesive can be used supportingly.

In order to fix the container lid 6 at the wall portion 3, the spindle 8 is transferred from the locking position into the unlocking position by turning the operating element 12 with the fingers against the force of the spring 11, see fig. 4, whereafter the spindle 8 of the engaging unit 5 is introduced into the deepened portion 38 of the containing unit 2. Here, the engagement elements 41 of the receiving unit 2 engage with the guide grooves 15 of the spindle 8, see fig. 5. Subsequently, the operating element 12 is turned back or released, while the engaging element 5 is slightly pressed towards the receiving unit 2. Accordingly, the spindle 8 is transferred into its locking position, while the engaging element 41 is guided along the guide groove 15, and the two

magnets

9, 30 are moved towards each other with a continuously increasing attraction force. Then, the locking position shown in fig. 6 and 7 is maintained on the one hand by the

magnets

9, 30 and on the other hand by the spring 11. Alternatively, the engaging unit 5 can also be simply pushed onto the receiving unit 2 without rotating the operating element 12. The engagement elements 41, which are in surface contact with the spindle 8, are then pushed radially outwards by the force exerted manually on the engagement unit 5 against the force of the spring elements 43 and then only locked into the guide grooves 15 of the spindle 8 at the end of the pushing movement if the locked position of the spindle 8 is reached.

In order to disengage the locking thus achieved, the operating element 12 is rotated again in the direction of the unlocking position of the spindle 8, wherein the engagement element 41 is disengaged from the guide groove 15 with a continuous decrease in the attraction force of the

magnets

9, 30, so that the engagement unit 5 can be simply removed from the receiving unit 2 when the unlocking position of the spindle 8 is reached.

It should be clear that the above embodiments are only intended as examples and should not be construed as limiting. Rather, changes may be made without departing from the scope of protection defined by the accompanying claims.

List of reference numerals

1 Lock

2 containing unit

3 wall part

4 container

5 joining unit

6 Container lid

7 lower retaining ring

8 mandrel

9 magnet

10 upper retaining ring

11 spring

12 operating element

13 through opening

14 recessed part

15 guide groove

16 fixing mechanism

17 contact surface

18 recess

19 through opening

20 pin

21 holding mechanism

22 first spring leg

23 stop piece

24 hand-clasping bucket

25 fixing mechanism

26 receiving mechanism

27 second spring leg

28 stop

29 holding element

30 magnet

31 cover ring

32 intermediate member

33 annular segment (holding element)

34 groove

35 accommodate deepening

36 concave part

37 Ring segment (middle piece)

38 deepened part

39 through hole

40 holding recess

41 joining element

42 accommodating space

43 spring element

44 pin

45 fixed pin

46 accommodating space

Claims

1. A lock (1) for a container (4), the lock comprising: a housing unit (2) designed to be fixed at a wall portion (3) of the container (4); and a joining unit (5) designed to: is fixed on a container cover (6) which can move relative to the wall (3) and is detachably engaged with the accommodating unit (2), wherein the engaging unit (5) has an outwardly protruding and rotatably supported spindle (8) which can move rotationally between an unlocking position and a locking position, accommodates a first magnet (9) and is provided on its circumference with at least three guide grooves (15) which are distributed over the circumference and which are open at their ends which point at the front free end of the spindle (8) and from which extend in the direction of the rear end of the spindle (8) depending on the type of the spiral section, and wherein the accommodating unit (2) has: a deepened portion (38) accommodating the mandrel (8), the shape of the deepened portion being coordinated with the shape of the mandrel (8); a second magnet (30) which interacts in a retaining manner with the first magnet (9) and is arranged in the region of the base of the deepening section (38); and a number of engagement elements (41) corresponding to the number of guide grooves (15), which are configured and positioned such that, when the spindle (8) is moved into the deepening (38), they engage with the guide grooves (15) provided at the spindle (8) in the unlocked position of the spindle (8) and subsequently move within the guide grooves (15) when the spindle (8) is transferred into the locked position, wherein the transfer of the spindle (8) from the unlocked position into the locked position is supported by the increased magnetic attraction of the mutually attracting magnets (9, 30), and the spindle (8) is held in its locked position by the magnets (9, 30) when reaching the locked position.

2. Lock (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the engagement unit has at least one spring (11) which is constructed and positioned such that it pretensions the spindle (8) in the direction of its locking position.

3. Lock (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said engagement unit (5) has stops (23, 28) which cooperate to define said unlocking position and said locking position of said spindle (8).

4. Lock (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the engagement unit (5) has an operating element (12) designed for rotating the spindle (8), at which operating element the spindle (8) is held rotationally fixed.

5. Lock (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that said engagement unit (5) has a lower retaining ring (7) and an upper retaining ring (10) designed to: is fixed with its lower side in a rotationally fixed manner on the upper side of the lower retaining ring (7) and receives the operating element (12) on its upper side, wherein a retaining mechanism (21) and a stop (23) are provided at the upper side of the upper retaining ring (10), the holding device is designed to receive the spring (11) and to hold a first leg (22) of the spring (11), wherein a receiving means (26) for receiving a second leg (27) of the spring (11) and at least one stop (28) are provided on the underside of the operating element (12), said at least one stop defining, in cooperation with said stop (23) of said upper retaining ring (10), said unlocked position and said locked position of said spindle (8), and wherein the spindle (8) is connected to the operating element (12) in a rotationally fixed manner only with a fastening means (16) extending through the upper retaining ring (10).

6. Lock (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the engagement elements (41) of the receiving unit (2) are received in a radially movable manner and are each prestressed radially inwards by means of a spring element (43).

7. Lock (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiving unit (2) has a retaining element (29), a covering ring (31) and an intermediate piece (32) provided with the engaging element (41) and arranged between the upper side of the retaining element (29) and the lower side of the covering ring (31), wherein the retaining element (29), the covering ring (31) and the intermediate piece (32) are designed for: are connected to one another in a rotationally fixed manner.

8. Lock (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that said intermediate piece (32) forms said deepened portion (38) housing said spindle (8).

9. Lock (1) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that said second magnet (30) is fixed at said retaining element (29) and/or at said intermediate piece (32).

10. A container (4) having: a wall portion (3) defining a receiving space of the container (4); a container lid (6) movable relative to the wall portion (3); and a lock (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1-9, wherein the receiving unit (2) of the lock (1) is fixed at the wall portion (3) of the container (4) and the engaging unit (5) is fixed at the container lid (6) such that the engaging element (5) can be brought into disengageable engagement with the receiving unit (2).