CN118618724A

CN118618724A - Locking mechanism for storage box and storage box combination

Info

Publication number: CN118618724A
Application number: CN202310219386.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 尤礼忠
Original assignee: Ningbo Meiqi Tool Co ltd
Current assignee: Ningbo Meiqi Tool Co ltd
Priority date: 2023-03-08
Filing date: 2023-03-08
Publication date: 2024-09-10
Also published as: WO2024183162A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a locking mechanism for a storage box and a storage box combination, wherein the storage box comprises a bottom wall and a side wall extending upwards from the outer periphery of the bottom wall, the locking mechanism comprises a locking assembly, the locking assembly is provided with a locking part used for locking with an external locking joint part, the locking assembly is rotatably connected to the bottom wall of the storage box in a mode of rotating relative to the storage box along a rotating shaft extending approximately horizontally, and at least has a folding state of folding relative to the bottom wall of the storage box integrally and an opening state of unfolding relative to the storage box. The latch assembly of the storage box can be folded on the bottom wall of the storage box in an unlocking state, and the latch assembly does not protrude relative to the side wall of the storage box as the latch assembly in the prior art does, so that foreign objects are not easy to touch to damage, and the overall attractiveness of the storage box is not affected.

Description

Locking mechanism for storage box and storage box combination

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of storage boxes, in particular to a locking mechanism for a storage box, wherein a plurality of storage boxes are connected together, and a storage box combination.

Background

For ease of handling and transportation, a plurality of storage cases (e.g., tool boxes for storing tools or cases or boxes for holding other articles) are typically stacked and locked together using a locking mechanism.

Chinese patent application No. CN201680018142.8 (publication No. CN107428436 a) discloses a container assembly comprising at least one first container and at least one second container, the at least one first container and the at least one second container being detachably attachable to each other by a catch mechanism, the catch mechanism interacting between the at least one first container and the at least one second container, wherein the at least one first container is configured with a pivotable latch member at a top portion thereof and the at least one second container is configured with a retaining portion at a corresponding bottom portion thereof, wherein the latch member is pivotable between a locked position, in which the latch member engages the retaining portion, and an unlocked position, in which the latch member is pivotally displaced apart from the retaining portion.

However, the latch mechanism of the container assembly in the above patent application has a certain disadvantage that the latch member is a movable component capable of swinging up and down after unlocking and protrudes from the side wall of the container, that is, the latch member is generally in a free movable state after unlocking the container, so that the latch member is easy to touch and damage a foreign object, and the overall aesthetic property of the container is also affected to a certain extent.

Disclosure of Invention

The first technical problem to be solved by the invention is to provide a locking mechanism for a storage box, which can be folded relative to a box body and avoid damage caused by touching foreign objects.

The second technical problem to be solved by the invention is to provide a storage box combination applying the locking mechanism aiming at the current state of the art.

The invention solves the first technical problem by adopting the technical scheme that: a latch mechanism for a storage case comprising a bottom wall and a side wall extending upwardly from an outer periphery of the bottom wall, the latch mechanism comprising a latch assembly having a latch portion for locking with an external latch engagement portion, the latch assembly being rotatably connected to the bottom wall of the storage case about a rotation axis extending generally horizontally with respect to the storage case and having at least a collapsed condition collapsed with respect to the bottom wall of the storage case and an open condition expanded with respect to the storage case.

In order to facilitate the locking part of the locking assembly to lock and unlock, when the locking assembly is in an open state, the locking part of the locking assembly is exposed outwards relative to the side wall of the storage box.

In order to realize the rotary connection between the latch assembly and the storage box and simplify the structural consideration of the latch assembly, the latch assembly comprises a connecting plate and a latch member arranged on the connecting plate, the connecting plate is provided with a first side edge and a second side edge which are opposite, the first side edge of the connecting plate is rotationally connected with the bottom of the storage box, the latch assembly is in an opened state, the second side edge of the connecting plate is exposed out of the side wall of the storage box, and the latch member is arranged on the second side edge of the connecting plate and forms a locking part of the latch assembly.

In order to make the locking and unlocking actions of the locking piece more reasonable and avoid occupying the internal space of the storage box, the second side edge of the connecting plate in the open state extends along the front-back direction, and the locking piece is slidingly arranged on the second side edge of the connecting plate and is provided with a locking state for locking with an external locking joint part and an unlocking state for unlocking with the external locking joint part along with the change of the moving position of the locking piece.

In order to realize sliding connection between the locking piece and the connecting plate, a first convex rib which protrudes upwards and extends along the second side edge and a second convex rib which protrudes downwards and extends along the second side edge are arranged at the second side edge of the connecting plate in an open state, so that a part of the second side edge of the connecting plate is provided with a side T-shaped cross section, and the locking piece is a sliding sleeve with a C-shaped cross section and is sleeved outside the first convex rib and the second convex rib.

In order to form limit fit with the sliding sleeve in the up-down direction, a notch part is formed in the part of the second convex rib on the connecting plate, which corresponds to the locking position of the sliding sleeve, in the locking state of the sliding sleeve, an external lock catch joint part can extend into the position, corresponding to the notch part of the connecting plate, of the sliding sleeve.

In order to avoid the first convex rib on the connecting plate from being exposed out of the wall surface of the connecting plate in an excessive manner to be damaged by touch, a limit chute extending along the front-back direction is arranged on the top wall of the connecting plate and adjacent to the second side edge, and the connecting plate part between the limit chute and the second side edge of the connecting plate forms the first convex rib.

Under the state that the connecting plate is in to receive, the first protruding muscle of connecting plate is towards the below, and the first protruding muscle that adopts above-mentioned structural design to form can not be too much protruding relative the roof of connecting plate, therefore can not take place to warp because of receiving external force extrusion, has improved the life of hasp subassembly.

In order to form the first convex rib of the connecting plate, two opposite side edges at the C-shaped opening of the sliding sleeve are respectively marked as a first supporting edge and a second supporting edge, and the first supporting edge or the second supporting edge of the sliding sleeve is restrained in the limiting sliding groove in a front-back sliding mode. Above-mentioned structural design for the most of the corresponding supporting edge of sliding sleeve can correspond to hide in spacing spout, thereby can avoid touching foreign object and damage.

In order to limit the sliding sleeve in the front-rear direction, the sliding sleeve can be firmly limited at the locking position and the unlocking position, a first limit protrusion and a second limit protrusion are arranged on the first support edge or the second support edge of the sliding sleeve at intervals in the length direction of the first support edge or the second support edge, a first limit blocking rib, a second limit blocking rib and a third limit blocking rib are arranged in the limit sliding groove at intervals in the length direction of the sliding sleeve, the first limit blocking rib, the second limit blocking rib and the third limit blocking rib extend along the width direction of the limit sliding groove, the third limit blocking rib is positioned between the first limit blocking rib and the second limit blocking rib, the first limit protrusion and the second limit protrusion on the sliding sleeve respectively prop against one side, away from the first limit blocking rib and the third limit blocking rib, in the front-rear direction, of the sliding sleeve is in the locking state, and the first limit protrusion and the second limit protrusion on the sliding sleeve respectively prop against one side, away from the second limit blocking rib and the third limit blocking rib in the front-rear direction.

In order to prevent the latch assembly of the storage box from being damaged by extrusion in the folded state, the bottom wall of the storage box is provided with a supporting seat extending downwards, and the bottom of the supporting seat is provided with an accommodating concave area which is recessed upwards for accommodating the latch assembly in the folded state.

In order to ensure the locking firmness between the upper storage box and the lower storage box, the bottom of the storage box is provided with two groups of locking components which are sequentially arranged along the left-right direction, the second sides of the connecting plates of the two groups of locking components are close to each other and the first sides are far away from each other under the folding state of the two groups of locking components, and the first sides of the connecting plates of the two groups of locking components are close to each other and the second sides are far away from each other under the opening state of the two groups of locking components.

The invention solves the second technical problem by adopting the technical proposal that: the utility model provides an use storage box combination that has above-mentioned locking mechanism for storing box, includes two at least storing boxes of stacking up and down and placing, and the storing box that is located the top in two upper and lower adjacent storing boxes is recorded as first storing box, and the storing box that is located the below is recorded as second storing box, its characterized in that: the left side wall and/or the right side wall of the second storage box are/is provided with a lock catch joint part, the bottom of the first storage box is provided with a lock catch assembly, and when the lock catch assembly is in an open state, the lock catch part of the lock catch assembly can move forwards or backwards to lock with the lock catch joint part on the second storage box, so that the first storage box and the second storage box are connected together.

In order to avoid squeezing the normal storage space inside the storage box due to the arrangement of the locking assembly and the locking joint part, the top of the second storage box is provided with an opening, a convex edge protruding outwards relative to the side wall of the second storage box is formed at the edge of the opening at the top of the second storage box, an inwards concave notch is formed on the convex edge locally so that the locking piece in an unlocking state can pass through the notch along the up-down direction, and the convex edge part corresponding to the front side edge or/and the rear side edge of the notch is used as the locking joint part.

According to the structural design, the locking and unlocking processes of the locking piece of the locking mechanism move along the direction approximately parallel to the side wall of the first storage box, so that a large movable space is not required to be reserved on the side wall of the storage box for the locking piece to move, and likewise, the locking joint part is formed on the convex edge of the storage box, so that the inner space of the storage box is not easy to be occupied due to the fact that the movable area or the locking joint part is arranged or formed, the flatness of the inner wall of the storage box is guaranteed, and more objects are stored by a user.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the advantages that: the latch assembly of the storage box can be folded on the bottom wall of the storage box, and the latch assembly does not protrude relative to the side wall of the storage box like the latch assembly in the prior art, so that foreign objects are not easy to touch to damage, and the overall attractiveness of the storage box is not affected. In the preferred scheme, when locking is needed, after the locking assembly rotates and opens relative to the storage box, the locking part of the locking assembly can be exposed out of the side wall of the storage box, so that locking and unlocking actions are more convenient for a user, and convenience in locking and unlocking is improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a storage box according to an embodiment of the present invention after its bottom is turned over (the connecting plate is in an open state);

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the storage box according to the embodiment of the present invention after the bottom of the storage box is turned over (the connecting plate is in a folded state);

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a storage box assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of another angle of the storage box assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention (the latch is in an unlocked state);

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of another angle of the storage box assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention (the locking member is in the locked state);

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 5 at A (the latch in the unlatched position);

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 5 at A (the shackle member is in the locked position);

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of a single storage box according to an embodiment of the present invention (wherein one sliding sleeve is in an exploded state);

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of a latch according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a connecting plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of another perspective view of a connecting plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view of a connecting plate according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken at A-A of FIG. 7 (with the sliding sleeve in an unlocked state);

fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken at A-A of fig. 7 (with the runner in a locked state).

Detailed Description

The invention is described in further detail below with reference to the embodiments of the drawings.

In the description and claims of the present invention, terms indicating directions, such as "front", "rear", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "side", "top", "bottom", etc., are used to describe various example structural parts and elements of the present invention, but these terms are used herein for convenience of description only and are determined based on the example orientations shown in the drawings. Because the disclosed embodiments of the invention may be arranged in a variety of orientations, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting, such as "upper" and "lower" are not necessarily limited to being in a direction opposite or coincident with the direction of gravity.

Fig. 1-14 show a preferred embodiment of a locking mechanism for a storage box and a storage box combination according to the present invention. The storage box combination comprises at least two storage boxes 10 which are stacked up and down, wherein the storage box positioned above is recorded as a first storage box 10a, and the storage box positioned below is recorded as a second storage box 10b in the two storage boxes 10 which are adjacent up and down. When the first storage box 10a and the second storage box 10b are in a stacked state, the first storage box 10a and the second storage box 10b are connected together through a locking mechanism, so that the storage box is convenient for a user to carry and transport.

The first storage box 10a and the second storage box 10b of the present embodiment have the same structure, so that any two storage boxes can be connected through a locking mechanism when stacked in the up-down direction. In the following description, taking the first storage box 10a as an example, the top of the first storage box 10a has an opening 1a (the second storage box 10b has an opening 1 b), specifically, the first storage box 10a includes a bottom wall 104 and a side wall formed by extending upward from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall 104, the side wall of the first storage box 10a includes a left side wall 101, a right side wall 102 and a rear side wall 103 which are oppositely disposed in the left-right direction, the front side wall of the first storage box 10a is lower than the left side wall 101 and the right side wall 102, a picking and placing opening (the picking and placing opening is connected with the opening 1 a) is formed at the front side of the first storage box 10a, after stacking the two storage boxes, a user can optionally pick up the articles in the storage box below through the picking and placing opening, and the picking and placing opening can also be disposed at the rear side of the storage box. The top opening 1a of the body of the first storage box 10a (i.e. the top edge of the side wall) is provided with a protruding edge 11 protruding outwards relative to the side wall of the first storage box 10a, and the protruding edge 11 has a certain thickness in the up-down direction and in the inside-outside direction of the first storage box 10a, so that the first storage box 10a is ensured to have higher strength at the top opening 1a thereof, and is not easy to deform due to extrusion by external force.

The locking mechanism of the storage box in this embodiment includes a connecting plate 20 and a locking member 30.

The top of the side wall of the lower storage box is provided with a latch engagement portion 33 for engaging with the latch member 30 of the latch mechanism. The bottom of the storage box above is provided with the connecting plate 20, and the locking piece 30 is slidably arranged on the connecting plate 20. When the upper and lower cases are stacked, the locking piece 30 on the connecting plate 20 of the upper case can be locked with the locking joint 33 on the lower case.

Taking the second storage box 10b as an example, the latch joint 33 provided on the second storage box 10b will be described. A notch 110 is partially recessed inward on the convex edge 11 at the top opening 1b of the second storage box 10b, and the notch 110 penetrates the convex edge 11 in the up-down direction. Correspondingly, the front edge or/and the rear edge of the notch 110 on the flange 11 form the latch engaging portion 33. In the preferred embodiment, only the front or rear edge of the notch 110 on the flange 11 corresponds to the flange portion as the latch engaging portion 33.

The size of the latch engaging portion 33 of the second storage box 10b in the up-down direction is smaller than the size of the main body of the flange 11 in the up-down direction, specifically, the top of the latch engaging portion 33 is flush with the top of the main body of the flange 11, and the bottom of the latch engaging portion 33 is located higher than the bottom of the main body of the flange 11, whereby the lower portion of the latch engaging portion 33 and the main body of the flange 11 at the junction of both is formed with the first stopper step 330. The first limiting step 330 can limit the latch 30 (i.e. the sliding sleeve) in the front-rear direction, so as to avoid excessive displacement of the latch 30 during locking and unlocking.

Referring to fig. 8, the storage box 10a of the present embodiment; 10b are square boxes. A storage case 10a;10b are respectively denoted as a first side wall 101 (i.e., left side wall) and a second side wall 102 (i.e., right side wall) opposite in the left-right direction and extending in the front-rear direction. Wherein, the storage box 10a in the embodiment; 10b, the convex edges 11 on the top of the first side wall 101 and the second side wall 102 are respectively provided with the notch 110.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, the bottom of the first storage box 10a is provided with two connection plates 20, and the two connection plates 20 are respectively denoted as a first connection plate 20a and a second connection plate 20b. The first connection plate 20a and the second connection plate 20b are sequentially disposed in the left-right direction at the bottom of the first magazine 10 a. Each of the connection plates 20 has opposite first and second sides 21, 22, the first and second sides 21, 22 each extending in a forward direction. The first side 21 is configured to be connected to the bottom of the first storage box 10a, and specifically, the first side 21 of each connecting plate 20 is rotatably connected to the bottom of the first storage box 10a through a rotation shaft 24 extending back and forth. More specifically, the connection plate 20 has a folded state in which it is integrally folded at the bottom of the first magazine 10a and an unfolded state in which it is unfolded with respect to the first magazine 10 a. In the folded state, the second side 22 of the first connecting plate 20a and the second side 22 of the second connecting plate 20b are close together, and the first side 21 of the first connecting plate 20a and the first side of the second connecting plate 20b are in a state of being away from each other. In the open state, the connecting plate 20 extends substantially horizontally, with the second side 22 thereof exposing out of the vertical orthographic projection of the bottom of the first storage box 10a, in particular, the second side 22 of the left-side first connecting plate 20a exposing out of the left-side first side wall 101 of the first storage box 10a, and the second side 22 of the right-side second connecting plate 20b exposing out of the right-side second side wall 102 of the first storage box 10 a.

With continued reference to fig. 1 and 2, the storage case 10a;10b have a support base 12 extending downward a certain distance (i.e. having a certain height) on the bottom wall 104, and the bottom of the support base 12 has an upwardly concave receiving recess 13. In the folded state of the two connection plates 20, the connection plates 20 and the locking pieces 30 disposed thereon can be accommodated in the accommodating concave regions 13. Specifically, the connecting plate 20 in the collapsed state is located at a position entirely higher than the bottom surface of the support base 12, so that the storage box 10a is located; 10b are placed on the ground (especially when heavy objects are placed), the latch assembly is not damaged by being squeezed by external force.

In order to enable the connecting plate 20 to maintain the above-mentioned folded state and open state, the connecting plate 20 is prevented from being easily deflected downwards under the action of gravity, the front and rear side walls of the connecting plate 20 are provided with positioning protrusions 25, and correspondingly, the inner wall of the accommodating concave region 13 of the first storage box 10a is provided with a first positioning concave portion 131 and a second positioning concave portion 132, wherein the first positioning concave portion 131 and the second positioning concave portion 132 are respectively positioned at the left and right sides of the straight line where the rotating shaft 24 is positioned. When the connection plate 20 is deflected to the collapsed state, the positioning projection 25 on the connection plate 20 is caught in the first positioning recess 131, so that the connection plate 20 is maintained in the collapsed state, as shown in detail in fig. 2. When the connection plate 20 is deflected to the open state, the positioning projection 25 on the connection plate 20 snaps into the second positioning recess 132, so that the connection plate 20 is held in this open state, see in detail fig. 1.

A storage case 10a; the second side edges 22 of both connection plates 20 of 10b extend in the front-rear direction. The second side 22 of the connection plate 20 has a first rib 221 protruding upward and extending along the second side 22 and a second rib 222 protruding downward and extending along the second side 22, as seen in the connection plate 20 in the open state. The top wall of the connecting plate 20 is provided with a limit chute 23 adjacent to the second side 22 thereof, and the limit chute 23 also extends in the front-rear direction, wherein the connecting plate portion between the limit chute 23 of the connecting plate 20 and the second side 22 thereof forms the first rib 221. The first ribs 221 and the second ribs 222 are designed such that a portion of the second side 22 of the connecting plate 20 has a lateral T-shaped cross section.

The locking piece 30 is a sliding sleeve with a C-shaped overall cross section, and the sliding sleeve 30 is sleeved outside the first rib 221 and the second rib 222 of the connecting plate. The C-shaped opening of the sliding sleeve 30 faces the second side 22 of the connecting plate 20, and specifically, the sliding sleeve 30 is sleeved outside the first rib 221 and the second rib 222 of the connecting plate 20. The two opposite sides of the C-shaped opening of the sliding sleeve 30 are respectively marked as a first supporting edge 31 and a second supporting edge 32, and the first supporting edge 31 is located at the upper part of the second supporting edge 32. The first supporting edge 31 of the sliding sleeve 30 is slidingly constrained in the limit chute 23 of the connecting plate 20. The end portion of the second rib 222 of the connection plate 20 (i.e., the portion of the second rib 222 corresponding to the locking position of the sliding sleeve 30) is missing to form a notch 2220, and the presence of the notch 2220 forms a second limit step 2221 between the end portion of the second rib 222 and the main body of the connection plate 20. Referring to fig. 5, in the locked state of the sliding sleeve 30, the main body of the connecting plate 20 of the upper storage box abuts against the top of the protruding edge 11 of the lower storage box, the lower part of the sliding sleeve 30 is located in the notch 110 of the protruding edge 11 of the lower storage box, and the latch joint part 33 on the lower storage box (i.e. the second storage box 10 b) can extend into the sliding sleeve 30 at the position corresponding to the notch part 2220 of the connecting plate 20 and abuts against the second limiting step 2221 of the connecting plate 20. Meanwhile, the front side edge or the rear side edge of the notch 110 of the lower storage box can limit the sliding sleeve 30 in the front-rear direction, so that the sliding sleeve can be ensured to accurately slide to the corresponding unlocking position or locking position during locking or unlocking operation.

Referring to fig. 9-12, the first supporting edge 31 of the sliding sleeve 30 and the inner wall of the limit chute 23 of the connecting plate 20 limit the sliding sleeve 30 to the locking position and the unlocking position by means of limit fit of the limit protrusions and the limit recesses. Specifically, the first supporting edge 31 of the sliding sleeve 30 is provided with a first limiting protrusion 311 and a second limiting protrusion 312 at intervals along the length direction thereof, and the first limiting protrusion 311 and the second limiting protrusion 312 are respectively disposed at two end positions of the first supporting edge 31 of the sliding sleeve 30.

Referring to fig. 11, 13 and 14, first spacing ribs 233, second spacing ribs 234 and third spacing ribs 235 extending along the width direction of the spacing chute 23 are arranged in the spacing chute 23 of the connecting plate 20 at intervals along the length direction, wherein the third spacing ribs 235 are located at the middle position between the first spacing ribs 233 and the second spacing ribs 234. In order to ensure the strength of the limiting stop ribs and avoid deformation, the three limiting stop ribs are all arranged close to the bottom of the limiting chute 23 and are connected with the bottom of the limiting chute 23 and two opposite side walls. The distance between the first limit stop rib 233 and the third limit stop rib 235, and the distance between the second limit stop rib 234 and the third limit stop rib 235 are equal, and are both slightly smaller than the distance between the first limit projection 311 and the second limit projection 312 on the sliding sleeve 30, so that the first limit projection 311 and the second limit projection 312 on the sliding sleeve 30 can respectively prop against one side, away from the first limit stop rib 233 and the third limit stop rib 235, of the sliding sleeve 30 in an unlocked state, as shown in fig. 13; similarly, in the locked state of the sliding sleeve 30, the first limiting protrusion 311 and the second limiting protrusion 312 on the sliding sleeve 30 respectively abut against the side, away from the third limiting rib 235, of the second limiting rib 234, as shown in fig. 14.

In this embodiment, two ends of the limiting chute 23 on the connecting plate 20 in the length direction are closed, and the first limiting rib 233 and the second limiting rib 234 in the limiting chute 23 are respectively adjacent to two ends of the limiting chute 23. Specifically, the first limiting rib 233 and the inner wall of the end portion of the limiting chute 23 have a certain distance in the front-rear direction, and the size of the distance is matched with the size of the first limiting protrusion 311 in the front-rear direction, so that the first limiting rib 233 and the corresponding portion of the inner wall of the limiting chute 23 adjacent to the first limiting rib 233 together define a first limiting recess 231, and in the unlocked state of the sliding sleeve 30, the first limiting protrusion 311 of the sliding sleeve 30 can be limited in the first limiting recess 231. Similarly, the second limiting rib 234 and the inner wall of the other end portion of the limiting chute 23 have a certain distance in the front-rear direction, and the size of the distance is matched with the size of the second limiting protrusion 312 in the front-rear direction, so that the second limiting rib 234 and the corresponding portion of the inner wall of the limiting chute 23 adjacent to the second limiting rib 234 together define a second limiting recess 232, and in the locked state of the sliding sleeve 30, the second limiting protrusion 312 of the sliding sleeve 30 can be limited in the second limiting recess 232.

Through each of the above-described limit ribs 233;234;235 define the sliding sleeve 30 in the unlocking position, the sliding sleeve 30 cannot slide easily, the user can more easily center the locking piece 30 on the first storage box 10a and the notch 110 on the second storage box 10b and move downwards, and likewise, after locking is completed, the sliding sleeve 30 can be limited in the locking position, so that the sliding sleeve 30 is prevented from being opened easily due to touching foreign objects, and the locking firmness is ensured.

The structure of the sliding sleeve 30 is the same as that of the first supporting edge 31, and two limiting protrusions 321 are correspondingly arranged on the second supporting edge 32 of the sliding sleeve 30; 322, the two limit protrusions 321;322 are respectively located at two end portions of the second supporting edge 32 of the sliding sleeve 30 in the length direction, so that the user does not need to strictly distinguish the first supporting edge 31 and the second supporting edge 32 of the sliding sleeve 30 when installing the sliding sleeve 30, that is, any one of two opposite side edges of the C-shaped opening of the sliding sleeve can be clamped in the limiting chute 23 of the connecting plate 20 to serve as the "first supporting edge 31".

As shown in fig. 9, the portion of the first support edge 31 (and the second support edge 32) of the sliding sleeve 30 connected to the main body of the sliding sleeve 30 in this embodiment forms a portion 30a having a "J-shaped cross section", so that the J-shaped cross section portion 30a of the sliding sleeve 30 of the first storage box 10a is snapped under the bottom of the snap-lock engagement portion 33 of the second storage box 10b when the first storage box 10a and the second storage box 10b are in a stacked state.

A storage case 10a; two or more locking pieces 30 may be provided on each connecting plate 20 of the first storage box 10b, as shown in fig. 1, two locking pieces 30 are provided at the second side 22 of each connecting plate 20 of the first storage box 10a of this embodiment. The two locking pieces 30 are sequentially arranged at intervals along the length direction of the second side 22 of the connecting plate 20, and correspondingly, at least two notches 110 are correspondingly formed on the convex edge 11 of the lower storage box, that is, the number of the notches 110 is consistent with that of the locking pieces 30 on the connecting plate 20 above.

The installation process of the storage box combination of the embodiment comprises the following steps:

The two connecting plates 20 at the bottom of the first storage box 10a are outwards turned for 180 degrees to be unfolded, the connecting plates 20 are in a horizontal extension state in an opened state, and the sliding sleeves 30 on the second side edges 22 of the connecting plates 20 move out of the side walls 101 of the first storage box 10 a; outside 102. During the turning-over of the connection plate 20 into the open state, the positioning protrusion 25 on the connection plate 20 may be snapped into the first positioning recess 131 on the support base 12 of the first magazine 10a, so that the connection plate 20 can be maintained in the corresponding open state. Then, the sliding sleeve 30 on the connecting plate 20 is moved to the unlocking position, after the sliding sleeve 30 is moved to the unlocking position, the first limiting protrusion 311 on the first supporting edge 31 of the sliding sleeve 30 abuts against the rear side of the first limiting rib 233 in the limiting chute 23 of the connecting plate 20, and the second limiting protrusion 312 abuts against the front side of the third limiting rib 235 in the limiting chute 23, so that the sliding sleeve 30 is limited in the front-rear direction and is kept at the unlocking position. Then, the sliding sleeve 30 on the first storage box 10a is centered and moved downwards with the notch 110 on the convex edge 11 of the second storage box 10b below, after being moved downwards, the sliding sleeve 30 is moved from the unlocking position to the locking position, so that the latch joint 33 on the lower storage box (i.e. the second storage box 10 b) can correspondingly extend into the sliding sleeve 30, meanwhile, due to the supporting and expanding action of the latch joint 33 extending into the sliding sleeve 30 in the up-down direction, the first limit protrusion 311 on the first supporting edge 31 of the sliding sleeve 30 abuts against the rear side of the third limit rib 235 in the limit chute 23 of the connecting plate 20, and the second limit protrusion 312 abuts against the front side of the second limit rib 234 in the limit chute 23, and thus the sliding sleeve 30 is limited in the front-back direction, and cannot be easily touched to slide to unlock. To this end, two storage boxes stacked one above the other may be connected together. When two storage boxes locked together are required to be unlocked and separated, the sliding sleeve 30 is slid from the locking position to the locking position, and then the storage box above is lifted upwards, so that the sliding sleeve 30 can be moved out of the notch 110 of the storage box below.

The storage box of the embodiment can be as shown in the accompanying drawings: the storage box is of a box body structure with an opening 1a at the top; however, it is contemplated that the case may also include a cover that covers the top opening 1a of the case body, so long as the cover does not conceal the notch 110 in the flange 11 of the case body.

Claims

1. A locking mechanism for a storage box, the storage box (10) comprising a bottom wall (103) and side walls (101; 102) extending upwards from the outer periphery of the bottom wall (103), characterized in that: the latch mechanism includes a latch assembly having a locking portion for locking with an external latch engagement portion (33), the latch assembly being rotatably coupled to a bottom wall (103) of the case (10) about a rotation axis (24) extending substantially horizontally with respect to the case (10), and having at least a collapsed state collapsed with respect to the bottom wall (103) of the case (10) and an open state expanded with respect to the case (10).

2. The lock mechanism for a storage box according to claim 1, wherein: in the open state of the latch assembly, the latch portion of the latch assembly is exposed outwardly relative to the side wall (101; 102) of the storage case (10).

3. The lock mechanism for a storage box according to claim 2, wherein: the locking assembly comprises a connecting plate (20) and a locking piece (30) arranged on the connecting plate (20), the connecting plate (20) is provided with a first side edge (21) and a second side edge (22) which are opposite, the first side edge (21) of the connecting plate (20) is rotationally connected with the bottom of the storage box (10), the second side edge (22) of the connecting plate (20) is exposed out of the storage box (101; 102) when the locking assembly is in an open state, and the locking piece (30) is arranged on the second side edge (22) of the connecting plate (20) and forms a locking part of the locking assembly.

4. A latch mechanism for a storage case according to claim 3, wherein: the second side edge (22) of the connecting plate (20) in the open state extends along the front-rear direction, and the locking piece (30) is slidably arranged on the second side edge (22) of the connecting plate (20) and has a locking state of locking with the external locking joint part (33) and an unlocking state of unlocking with the external locking joint part (33) along with the change of the moving position.

5. The lock mechanism for a storage box according to claim 4, wherein: the second side edge (22) of the connecting plate (20) in an open state is provided with a first convex rib (221) protruding upwards and extending along the second side edge (22) and a second convex rib (222) protruding downwards and extending along the second side edge (22), so that a part of the second side edge of the connecting plate (20) is provided with a lateral T-shaped cross section, and the locking piece (30) is a sliding sleeve (30) with a C-shaped cross section and is sleeved outside the first convex rib (221) and the second convex rib (222).

6. The lock mechanism for a storage box according to claim 5, wherein: the second ribs (222) on the connecting plate (20) are formed with notch parts (2220) in a missing mode at the positions corresponding to the locking positions of the sliding sleeve (30), and when the sliding sleeve (30) is in a locking state, the outer lock catch joint parts (33) can extend into the positions, corresponding to the notch parts (2220) of the connecting plate (20), of the sliding sleeve (30).

7. The lock mechanism for a storage box according to claim 5, wherein: a limit chute (23) extending along the front-rear direction is formed in the top wall of the connecting plate (20) adjacent to the second side edge (22), and a connecting plate part between the limit chute (23) and the second side edge (22) of the connecting plate forms the first convex rib (221).

8. The lock mechanism for a storage box according to claim 7, wherein: two opposite side edges at the C-shaped opening of the sliding sleeve (30) are respectively marked as a first supporting edge (31) and a second supporting edge (32), and the first supporting edge (31) or the second supporting edge (32) of the sliding sleeve (30) is restrained in the limit sliding groove (23) in a front-back sliding mode.

9. The lock mechanism for a storage box according to claim 8, wherein: the first supporting edge (31) or the second supporting edge (32) of the sliding sleeve (30) is provided with a first limit protrusion (311) and a second limit protrusion (312) along the length direction of the first supporting edge or the second supporting edge, the first limit protrusion (233), the second limit protrusion (234) and the third limit protrusion (235) are arranged in the limit sliding groove (23) along the length direction of the first limit protrusion, the first limit protrusion (233), the second limit protrusion (234) and the third limit protrusion (235) along the width direction of the limit sliding groove (23), the third limit protrusion (235) is positioned between the first limit protrusion (233) and the second limit protrusion (234), the first limit protrusion (311) and the second limit protrusion (312) on the sliding sleeve (30) are respectively propped against one side, far away from the first limit protrusion (233) and the third limit protrusion (235) in the front-rear direction, of the first limit protrusion (311) and the second limit protrusion (234) are respectively propped against the first limit protrusion (234) in the lock state of the sliding sleeve (30).

10. The lock mechanism for a storage box according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: the bottom wall (103) of the storage box (10) is provided with a supporting seat (12) extending downwards, and the bottom of the supporting seat (12) is provided with a containing concave area (13) which is recessed upwards and used for containing the locking component in a folding state.

11. The lock mechanism for a storage box according to any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein: the bottom of storing box (10) has two sets of in proper order along controlling the direction the hasp subassembly, under two sets of hasp subassemblies all are in the receipts state, second side (22) of connecting plate (20) of these two sets of hasp subassemblies are close to each other and first side (21) keep away from mutually, under two sets of hasp subassemblies all are in the open mode, first side (21) of connecting plate (20) of two sets of hasp subassemblies are close to each other and second side (22) keep away from mutually.

12. A storage box combination using the lock mechanism for storage boxes according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising at least two storage boxes (10) stacked up and down, wherein a storage box located above of the two storage boxes (10) adjacent up and down is denoted as a first storage box (10 a), and a storage box located below is denoted as a second storage box (10 b), characterized in that: the left side wall and/or the right side wall of the second storage box (10 b) are/is provided with a lock catch joint part (33), the bottom of the first storage box (10 a) is provided with a lock catch assembly, and when the lock catch assembly is in an open state, the lock catch part of the lock catch assembly can move forwards or backwards to lock with the lock catch joint part (33) on the second storage box (10 b), so that the first storage box (10 a) and the second storage box (10 b) are connected together.

13. The storage case assembly of claim 12, wherein: the top of the second storage box (10 b) is provided with an opening (1 b), a convex edge (11) protruding outwards relative to the side wall of the second storage box (10 b) is formed at the edge of the opening (1 b) at the top of the second storage box (10 b), a notch (110) recessed inwards is locally formed in the convex edge (11) so that a locking piece (30) in an unlocking state can pass through the notch along the up-down direction, and a convex edge part corresponding to the front side edge or/and the rear side edge of the notch (110) can be used as the locking joint part (33).