CN118618724A - Lock mechanism for storage box and storage box combination - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lock mechanism for a storage box and a storage box combination, wherein the storage box comprises a bottom wall and a side wall extending upward from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall, the lock mechanism comprises a lock assembly, the lock assembly has a locking portion for locking with an external lock engaging portion, the lock assembly is rotatably connected to the bottom wall of the storage box in a manner that it can rotate relative to the storage box around a rotating shaft extending substantially horizontally, and has at least a folded state that is folded relative to the bottom wall of the storage box as a whole and an open state that is unfolded relative to the storage box. The lock assembly of the storage box can be folded on the bottom wall of the storage box in an unlocked state, and it will not protrude relative to the side wall of the storage box like the lock assembly of the prior art, so it is not easy to touch foreign objects and be damaged, and it will not affect the overall aesthetics of the storage box.

Description

Lock mechanism for storage box and storage box combination

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the technical field of storage boxes, and in particular to a storage box locking mechanism and a storage box assembly for connecting a plurality of storage boxes to each other.

Background Art

In order to facilitate handling and transportation, a plurality of stacked storage boxes (such as tool boxes for storing tools or boxes or boxes for storing other items) are usually locked together using a locking mechanism.

For example, a Chinese invention patent application with application number CN201680018142.8 (publication number CN107428436A) discloses "A container assembly", which includes at least one first container and at least one second container, and the at least one first container and the at least one second container can be detachably attached to each other through a locking mechanism, and the locking mechanism interacts between the at least one first container and the at least one second container, wherein at least one first container is constructed with a pivotable latch member at its top portion, and at least one second container is constructed with a retaining portion at its corresponding bottom portion, wherein the latch member can pivot between a locked position and an unlocked position, in the locked position, the latch member engages the retaining portion, and in the unlocked position, the latch member is pivotally shifted to be separated from the retaining portion.

However, the locking mechanism of the container assembly in the above patent application still has certain shortcomings. The above latch member is a movable part that can swing up and down after being unlocked, and protrudes from the side wall of the container. That is, after the container is unlocked, the latch member is generally in a free movable state. Therefore, it is easy to touch foreign objects and be damaged, which also affects the overall aesthetics of the container to a certain extent.

Summary of the invention

The first technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a locking mechanism for a storage box in which a locking member can be folded relative to a box body to avoid damage due to contact with foreign objects in view of the current status of the prior art.

The second technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a storage box combination using the above-mentioned locking mechanism in view of the current status of the prior art.

The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the first technical problem is: a locking mechanism for a storage box, the storage box includes a bottom wall and a side wall extending upward from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall, the locking mechanism includes a locking assembly, the locking assembly has a locking portion for locking with an external locking engagement portion, the locking assembly is rotatably connected to the bottom wall of the storage box in a manner that it can rotate relative to the storage box around a rotating shaft extending approximately horizontally, and has at least a folded state relative to the bottom wall of the storage box and an open state relative to the storage box.

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

In order to realize the rotational connection between the lock assembly and the storage box and simplify the structure of the lock assembly, the lock assembly includes a connecting plate and a lock member arranged on the connecting plate, the connecting plate has a first side edge and a second side edge relative to each other, the first side edge of the connecting plate is rotationally connected to the bottom of the storage box, and when the lock assembly is in an open state, the second side edge of the connecting plate is exposed outside the side wall of the storage box, the lock member is arranged on the second side edge of the connecting plate and constitutes a locking portion of the lock assembly.

In order to make the locking and unlocking process of the lock component 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 in the front-to-back direction, and the lock component is slidably arranged on the second side edge of the connecting plate, and has a locked state in which it is locked with the external lock joint part and an unlocked state in which it is unlocked with the external lock joint part as its moving position changes.

In order to realize the sliding connection between the locking piece and the connecting plate, the second side edge of the connecting plate in the open state has a first convex rib protruding upward and extending along the second side edge, and a second convex rib protruding downward and extending along the second side edge, so that the second side edge of the connecting plate has a side T-shaped cross-section, and the locking piece is a sliding sleeve with a C-shaped cross-section, and is arranged outside the first convex rib and the second convex rib.

In order to form a limiting fit with the above-mentioned sliding sleeve in the up and down directions, the second rib on the connecting plate is missing at the part corresponding to the locking position of the sliding sleeve to form a notch portion, and when the sliding sleeve is in the locked state, the external locking engaging portion can extend into the position in the sliding sleeve corresponding to the notch portion of the connecting plate.

In order to prevent the first rib on the connecting plate from being exposed too much relative to the wall of the connecting plate and being damaged by being touched, a limiting groove extending in the front-to-back direction is provided on the top wall of the connecting plate adjacent to the second side edge, and the connecting plate portion between the limiting groove and the second side edge of the connecting plate constitutes the first rib.

When the connecting plate is in the folded state, the first rib of the connecting plate is facing downward, and the first rib formed by the above structural design does not protrude too much relative to the top wall of the connecting plate, so it will not be deformed due to external force, thereby improving the service life of the locking assembly.

In order to form the first convex rib of the connecting plate, the two opposite sides of the C-shaped opening of the sliding sleeve are respectively recorded as the first supporting side and the second supporting side, and the first supporting side or the second supporting side of the sliding sleeve is slidably restrained in the limiting sliding groove. The above structural design allows most of the corresponding supporting side of the sliding sleeve to be correspondingly hidden in the limiting sliding groove, thereby avoiding damage caused by contact with foreign objects.

In order to limit the sliding sleeve in the front-to-back direction so that it can be firmly limited in the locked position and the unlocked position, the first supporting edge or the second supporting edge of the sliding sleeve is provided with a first limiting protrusion and a second limiting protrusion at intervals along its length direction, and the first limiting stop rib, the second limiting stop rib and the third limiting stop rib are provided at intervals along its length direction in the limiting sliding groove, and the first limiting stop rib, the second limiting stop rib and the third limiting stop rib all extend along the width direction of the limiting sliding groove, and the third limiting stop rib is located between the first limiting stop rib and the second limiting stop rib, and when the sliding sleeve is in the unlocked state, the first limiting protrusion and the second limiting protrusion on the sliding sleeve respectively abut against a side of the first limiting stop rib and the third limiting stop rib away from each other in the front-to-back direction, and when the sliding sleeve is in the locked state, the first limiting protrusion and the second limiting protrusion on the sliding sleeve respectively abut against a side of the second limiting stop rib and the third limiting stop rib away from each other in the front-to-back direction.

In order to prevent the lock assembly of the storage box from being squeezed and damaged in the folded state, the bottom wall of the storage box is provided with a support seat extending downward, and the bottom of the support seat is provided with an upwardly recessed receiving area for accommodating the lock assembly in the folded state.

In order to ensure the reliability of locking between the upper and lower storage boxes, the bottom of the storage box has two groups of locking components arranged in sequence along the left and right directions. When the two groups of locking components are in a folded state, the second side edges of the connecting plates of the two groups of locking components are close to each other and the first side edges are far away from each other. When the two groups of locking components are in an open state, the first side edges of the connecting plates of the two groups of locking components are close to each other and the second side edges are far away from each other.

The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the second technical problem is: a storage box combination using the above-mentioned locking mechanism for storage boxes, comprising at least two storage boxes stacked up and down, the upper storage box of the two adjacent storage boxes is recorded as a first storage box, and the lower storage box is recorded as a second storage box, characterized in that: a locking engaging portion is provided on the left side wall and/or the right side wall of the second storage box, and the bottom of the first storage box is provided with the above-mentioned locking assembly, and when the locking assembly is in the open state, the locking portion of the locking assembly can move forward or backward to lock with the locking engaging portion on the second storage box, thereby connecting the first storage box and the second storage box together.

In order to avoid squeezing the normal storage space inside the storage box due to the arrangement of the lock assembly and the lock joint, the top of the second storage box has an opening, and a convex edge protruding outward relative to the side wall of the second storage box is formed at the edge of the top opening of the second storage box, and the convex edge is partially provided with an inwardly recessed notch for the lock member in the unlocked state to pass through in the up and down directions, and the convex edge portion corresponding to the front edge and/or the rear edge of the notch serves as the lock joint.

The above-mentioned structural design enables the locking and unlocking process of the locking member of the locking mechanism to move in a direction roughly parallel to the side wall of the first storage box, so there is no need to reserve a larger movable space on the side wall of the storage box for the locking member to move. Similarly, the locking joint is formed on the convex edge of the storage box itself. In this way, the internal space of the storage box is not easily occupied by setting or forming the above-mentioned movable area or locking joint, thereby ensuring the flatness of the inner wall of the storage box and allowing users to store more items.

Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows: the lock assembly of the storage box can be folded on the bottom wall of the storage box, and it does not protrude relative to the side wall of the storage box like the lock assembly of the prior art, so it is not easy to touch foreign objects and be damaged, and it does not affect the overall aesthetics of the storage box. In the preferred embodiment, when it is necessary to lock, after the lock assembly is rotated and opened relative to the storage box, its lock portion can be exposed outside the side wall of the storage box, so that it is more convenient for the user to lock and unlock, and the convenience of locking and unlocking is improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional structure 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);

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the storage box of the embodiment of the present invention after the bottom is turned over (the connecting plate is in a folded state);

FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the storage box assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the storage box assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention from another angle (the locking member is in an unlocked state);

FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the storage box assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention from another angle (the locking member is in a locked state);

FIG6 is a partial enlarged view of point A in FIG5 (the locking member is in the unlocked position);

FIG7 is a partial enlarged view of point A in FIG5 (the locking member is in the locked position);

FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a single storage box according to an embodiment of the present invention (one of the sliding sleeves is in a disassembled state);

FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a locking member according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a connecting plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the connecting plate according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the connecting plate according to another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 7 (the sliding sleeve is in an unlocked state);

Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the portion A-A in Fig. 7 (the sliding sleeve is in a locked state).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the specification and claims of the present invention, terms indicating directions, such as "front", "rear", "up", "down", "left", "right", "side", "top", "bottom", etc., are used to describe various exemplary structural parts and elements of the present invention, but these terms are used here only for the purpose of convenience of description and are determined based on the exemplary orientations shown in the accompanying drawings. Since the embodiments disclosed in the present invention can be arranged in different directions, these terms indicating directions are only used as explanations and should not be regarded as limitations. For example, "up" and "down" are not necessarily limited to directions opposite to or consistent with the direction of gravity.

As shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 14, a preferred embodiment of a storage box lock mechanism and a storage box combination of the present invention is shown. The storage box combination includes at least two storage boxes 10 stacked up and down, wherein the upper storage box of the two adjacent storage boxes 10 is recorded as the first storage box 10a, and the lower storage box is recorded as the second storage box 10b. 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 by a lock mechanism, so as to facilitate the 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 by a locking mechanism when stacked in the vertical direction. The first storage box 10a is used as an example for description below. The first storage box 10a has an opening 1a at the top (the second storage box 10b has an opening 1b). 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 and a right side wall 102 that are relatively arranged in the left and right directions, and a rear side wall 103. The front side wall of the first storage box 10a is shorter than the left and right side walls 101 and 102, and a take-in and put-out opening is formed on the front side of the first storage box 10a (the take-in and put-out opening is connected to the opening 1a). After the two storage boxes are stacked, the user can also take and put the items in the lower storage box at will through the take-in and put-out opening. Of course, the take-in and put-out opening can also be arranged on the rear side of the storage box. The top opening 1a of the main body of the first storage box 10a (that is, the top edge of the side wall) has a flange 11 protruding outward relative to the side wall of the first storage box 10a. Since the flange 11 has a certain thickness in the up and down directions and in the inside and outside directions of the first storage box 10a, the first storage box 10a is ensured to have a high strength at its top opening 1a, making it not easy to deform due to external compression.

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 has a lock engaging portion 33 for cooperating with the lock member 30 of the lock mechanism. The bottom of the upper storage box is provided with the above-mentioned connecting plate 20, and the lock member 30 is slidably arranged on the connecting plate 20. When the upper and lower storage boxes are stacked, the lock member 30 on the connecting plate 20 of the upper storage box can be locked with the lock engaging portion 33 on the lower storage box.

Taking the second storage box 10b as an example, the lock engaging portion 33 provided on the second storage box 10b is described. A notch 110 partially recessed inwards is provided 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 vertical direction. Correspondingly, the convex edge portion corresponding to the front edge or/and the rear edge of the notch 110 on the convex edge 11 constitutes the above-mentioned lock engaging portion 33. In a preferred embodiment, only the convex edge portion corresponding to the front edge or the rear edge of the notch 110 on the convex edge 11 is used as the lock engaging portion 33.

The size of the lock engaging portion 33 of the second storage box 10b in the vertical direction is smaller than the size of the main body of the flange 11 in the vertical direction. Specifically, the top of the lock engaging portion 33 is flush with the top of the main body of the flange 11, and the bottom of the lock engaging portion 33 is located at a position higher than the bottom of the main body of the flange 11. Therefore, the lock engaging portion 33 and the main body of the flange 11 form a first limiting step 330 at the lower part of the engaging position of the two. The first limiting step 330 can limit the lock member 30 (i.e., the sliding sleeve) in the front-to-back direction, avoiding the problem of excessive displacement of the lock member 30 during locking and unlocking.

Referring to FIG8 , the storage box 10a; 10b of this embodiment is a square box body. The two side walls of the storage box 10a; 10b opposite to each other in the left-right direction and extending in the front-back direction are respectively recorded as the first side wall 101 (i.e., the left side wall) and the second side wall 102 (i.e., the right side wall). In this embodiment, the convex edge 11 of the first side wall 101 and the top of the second side wall 102 of the storage box 10a; 10b are both provided with the above-mentioned notch 110.

Referring to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, two connecting plates 20 are provided at the bottom of the first storage box 10a, and the two connecting plates 20 are respectively recorded as the first connecting plate 20a and the second connecting plate 20b. The first connecting plate 20a and the second connecting plate 20b are sequentially arranged at the bottom of the first storage box 10a along the left and right directions. Each connecting plate 20 has a first side 21 and a second side 22 relative to each other, and the first side 21 and the second side 22 both extend in the forward direction. Wherein, the first side 21 is used 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 by a rotating shaft 24 extending forward and backward. More specifically, the connecting plate 20 has a folded state in which the whole is folded at the bottom of the first storage box 10a and an open state in which it is unfolded relative to the first storage box 10a. In the folded state, the second side edge 22 of the first connecting plate 20a and the second side edge 22 of the second connecting plate 20b are close together, while the first side edge 21 of the first connecting plate 20a and the first side edge of the second connecting plate 20b are in a state of being away from each other. In the opened state, the connecting plate 20 is substantially horizontally extended, and its second side edge 22 is exposed outside the vertical projection of the bottom of the first storage box 10a, specifically, the second side edge 22 of the first connecting plate 20a on the left side is exposed outside the first side wall 101 on the left side of the first storage box 10a, and the second side edge 22 of the second connecting plate 20b on the right side is exposed outside the second side wall 102 on the right side of the first storage box 10a.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the bottom wall 104 of the storage box 10a; 10b has a support seat 12 extending downward by a certain distance (i.e., having a certain height), and the bottom of the support seat 12 has a concave receiving recess 13. When the two connecting plates 20 are in the folded state, the connecting plates 20 and the locking members 30 disposed thereon can be received in the above-mentioned receiving recess 13. Specifically, the position of the connecting plates 20 in the folded state is higher than the bottom surface of the support seat 12 as a whole, so that when the storage box 10a; 10b is placed on the ground (especially when heavy objects are placed), the locking assembly will not be squeezed by external force and damaged.

In order to keep the connecting plate 20 in the above-mentioned folded state and open state and avoid it from being easily deflected downward under the action of gravity, the front and rear side walls of the connecting plate 20 are provided with positioning protrusions 25. Correspondingly, the inner wall of the receiving concave area 13 of the first storage box 10a is provided with a first positioning recess 131 and a second positioning recess 132, wherein the first positioning recess 131 and the second positioning recess 132 are respectively located on the left and right sides of the straight line where the rotating shaft 24 is located. When the connecting plate 20 is deflected to the folded state, the positioning protrusion 25 on the connecting plate 20 is inserted into the first positioning recess 131, so that the connecting plate 20 is maintained in the folded state, as shown in FIG. 2. When the connecting plate 20 is deflected to the open state, the positioning protrusion 25 on the connecting plate 20 is inserted into the second positioning recess 132, so that the connecting plate 20 is maintained in the open state, as shown in FIG. 1.

The second side edges 22 of the two connecting plates 20 of the storage box 10a; 10b both extend in the front-to-back direction. Observing the connecting plate 20 in the open state, the second side edge 22 of the connecting plate 20 has a first convex rib 221 protruding upward and extending along the second side edge 22 and a second convex rib 222 protruding downward and extending along the second side edge 22. A limiting slide groove 23 is provided on the top wall of the connecting plate 20 adjacent to the second side edge 22 thereof, and the limiting slide groove 23 also extends in the front-to-back direction, wherein the connecting plate portion between the limiting slide groove 23 of the connecting plate 20 and the second side edge 22 thereof constitutes the above-mentioned first convex rib 221. The design of the first convex rib 221 and the second convex rib 222 enables the part of the second side edge 22 of the connecting plate 20 to have a side-mounted T-shaped cross section.

The locking member 30 is a sliding sleeve with a C-shaped cross section. The sliding sleeve 30 is sleeved outside the first convex rib 221 and the second convex rib 222 of the connecting plate. The C-shaped opening of the sliding sleeve 30 faces the second side edge 22 of the connecting plate 20. Specifically, the sliding sleeve 30 is sleeved outside the first convex rib 221 and the second convex rib 222 of the connecting plate 20. The two opposite sides of the C-shaped opening of the sliding sleeve 30 are respectively recorded as the first supporting edge 31 and the 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 slidably constrained in the limiting sliding groove 23 of the connecting plate 20. The end position of the second convex rib 222 of the connecting plate 20 (that is, the part of the second convex rib 222 corresponding to the locking position of the sliding sleeve 30) is missing to form a notch 2220. The existence of the notch 2220 forms a second limiting step 2221 between the end of the second convex rib 222 and the main body of the connecting plate 20. Referring to FIG. 5 , when the sliding sleeve 30 is in the locked state, the main body of the connecting plate 20 of the upper storage box is pressed against the top of the convex edge 11 of the lower storage box, the lower part of the sliding sleeve 30 is located in the notch 110 of the convex edge 11 of the lower storage box, and the lock engaging portion 33 on the lower storage box (i.e., the second storage box 10b) can extend into the position of the sliding sleeve 30 corresponding to the notch 2220 of the connecting plate 20, and abut against the second limiting step 2221 of the connecting plate 20. At the same time, since 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-to-back direction, it is ensured that the sliding sleeve can accurately slide to the corresponding unlocking position or locking position during the locking or unlocking operation.

Referring to FIGS. 9 to 12 , the first supporting edge 31 of the sliding sleeve 30 and the inner wall of the limiting sliding groove 23 of the connecting plate 20 limit the sliding sleeve 30 in the locked position and the unlocked position by means of the limiting cooperation of the limiting protrusion and the limiting recess. 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 its length direction, and the first limiting protrusion 311 and the second limiting protrusion 312 are respectively provided at the two end positions of the first supporting edge 31 of the sliding sleeve 30.

Referring to Fig. 11, Fig. 13 and Fig. 14, the limiting chute 23 of the connecting plate 20 is provided with a first limiting rib 233, a second limiting rib 234 and a third limiting rib 235 extending along the width direction of the limiting chute 23 at intervals along the length direction thereof, wherein the third limiting rib 235 is located in the middle between the first limiting rib 233 and the second limiting rib 234. In order to ensure the strength of the limiting ribs and avoid deformation, the three limiting ribs are all provided near the bottom of the limiting chute 23 and connected to 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 both are slightly smaller than the distance between the first limit protrusion 311 and the second limit protrusion 312 on the sliding sleeve 30. Therefore, when the sliding sleeve 30 is in the unlocked state, the first limit protrusion 311 and the second limit protrusion 312 on the sliding sleeve 30 can respectively abut against the side away from the first limit stop rib 233 and the third limit stop rib 235, see Figure 13 for details; similarly, when the sliding sleeve 30 is in the locked state, the first limit protrusion 311 and the second limit protrusion 312 on the sliding sleeve 30 respectively abut against the side away from the second limit stop rib 234 and the third limit stop rib 235, see Figure 14 for details.

In this embodiment, both ends of the limiting slide groove 23 on the connecting plate 20 in the length direction are closed, and the first limiting retaining rib 233 and the second limiting retaining rib 234 in the limiting slide groove 23 are respectively arranged adjacent to the two ends of the limiting slide groove 23. Specifically, there is a certain distance between the first limiting retaining rib 233 and the inner wall at the end position of the limiting slide groove 23 in the front-to-back direction, and the size of the distance is adapted to the size of the first limiting protrusion 311 in the front-to-back direction, so that the first limiting retaining rib 233 and the corresponding part of the inner wall of the limiting slide groove 23 adjacent to the first limiting retaining rib 233 jointly define a first limiting recess 231, and when the sliding sleeve 30 is in the unlocked state, 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 at the other end position of the limiting slide groove 23 also have a certain spacing in the front-to-back direction, and the size of the spacing is adapted to the size of the second limiting protrusion 312 in the front-to-back direction. Thus, the second limiting rib 234 and the corresponding part of the inner wall of the limiting slide groove 23 adjacent to the second limiting rib 234 jointly define a second limiting recess 232, and when the sliding sleeve 30 is in the locked state, the second limiting protrusion 312 of the sliding sleeve 30 can be limited in the second limiting recess 232.

After the sliding sleeve 30 is limited in the unlocking position by the above-mentioned limiting ribs 233; 234; 235, the sliding sleeve 30 will not slide easily, and the user can more easily align the locking piece 30 on the first storage box 10a with the notch 110 on the second storage box 10b and move downward. Similarly, after locking is completed, the sliding sleeve 30 can be limited in the locking position, preventing the sliding sleeve 30 from being easily opened due to touching foreign objects, thereby ensuring the reliability of the locking.

Similar to the structure of the first supporting edge 31 of the sliding sleeve 30, two limiting protrusions 321; 322 are also correspondingly provided on the second supporting edge 32 of the sliding sleeve 30. The two limiting protrusions 321; 322 are respectively located at the two end positions in the length direction of the second supporting edge 32 of the sliding sleeve 30. The purpose of such design is to enable the user to install the sliding sleeve 30 without strictly distinguishing between the first supporting edge 31 and the second supporting edge 32 of the sliding sleeve 30, that is, any of the two opposite side edges of the C-shaped opening of the sliding sleeve can be clamped in the limiting sliding groove 23 of the connecting plate 20 to serve as the above-mentioned "first supporting edge 31".

As shown in FIG9 , the first supporting edge 31 (the second supporting edge 32 is the same) of the slide 30 in this embodiment and the portion connected to the main body of the slide 30 together form a portion 30a with a "J-shaped cross-section". In this way, when the first storage box 10a and the second storage box 10b are in a stacked state, the J-shaped cross-section portion 30a of the slide 30 of the first storage box 10a is buckled under the bottom of the locking joint 33 of the second storage box 10b.

Two or more locking members 30 may be provided on each connecting plate 20 of the storage boxes 10a; 10b. As shown in FIG1 , two locking members 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 members 30 are sequentially arranged at intervals along the length direction of the second side 22 of the connecting plate 20. Correspondingly, at least two notches 110 are also correspondingly provided on the convex edge 11 of the lower storage box, that is, the number of the notches 110 is the same as the number of the locking members 30 on the upper connecting plate 20.

The installation process of the storage box combination of this embodiment is as follows:

The two connecting plates 20 at the bottom of the first storage box 10a are turned outward 180 degrees to unfold. The connecting plates 20 are in a horizontally extended state in the open state, and the sliding sleeves 30 on the second side edges 22 of the connecting plates 20 are moved out of the side walls 101, 102 of the first storage box 10a. When the connecting plates 20 are turned over to open, the positioning protrusions 25 on the connecting plates 20 can be inserted into the first positioning recesses 131 on the support base 12 of the first storage box 10a, so that the connecting plates 20 can be kept in the corresponding open state. Then, the sliding sleeve 30 on the connecting plate 20 is moved to the unlocking position. After being moved into 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 slot 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 slot 23, so that the sliding sleeve 30 is limited in the front-to-back direction and maintained in the unlocking position. Then, the sliding sleeve 30 on the first storage box 10a is aligned with the notch 110 on the convex edge 11 of the second storage box 10b below and moved downward. After the sliding sleeve 30 is moved downward to the right position, the sliding sleeve 30 is moved from the unlocking position to the locking position, so that the locking engaging portion 33 on the lower storage box (i.e., the second storage box 10b) can be correspondingly extended into the sliding sleeve 30. At the same time, due to the supporting and tightening effect of the locking engaging portion 33 extending into the sliding sleeve 30 in the up-down direction, the first limiting protrusion 311 on the first supporting edge 31 of the sliding sleeve 30 abuts against the rear side of the third limiting retaining rib 235 in the limiting chute 23 of the connecting plate 20, and the second limiting protrusion 312 abuts against the front side of the second limiting retaining rib 234 in the limiting chute 23, so that the sliding sleeve 30 is limited in the front-back direction and will not be easily unlocked by being touched and slid. At this point, the two storage boxes stacked up and down can be connected together. When it is necessary to unlock and separate the two locked storage boxes, the sliding sleeve 30 is slid from the locked position to the unlocked position, and then the upper storage box is pulled upward to move the sliding sleeve 30 out of the notch 110 of the lower storage box.

The storage box of this embodiment can be as shown in the accompanying drawings: the storage box is a box body structure with a top opening 1a; however, it is conceivable that the storage box can also include a cover body, which covers the top opening 1a of the storage box body, as long as the cover body does not cover the notch 110 on the convex edge 11 of the storage box body.

Claims (13)

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).