EP1757527B1 - Container, in particular for storage, stacking and transportation - Google Patents

Abstract

The crate has a lid made up of two sections (6a) which are attached by hinges or snap fit on to the crate sides. Their inner edges form an interlocking wavy line (7a) and are held together by cooperating hooks (12).

Description

The invention relates to a container, in particular storage, stacking and transport container, which can be closed with a one- or two-part lid, wherein the lid in the manner of tongue and groove connections with the container upper edge can be latched or in two-piece lid design with each other opposite on the upper edge of the container hinged joint-mounted cover halves over at the free ends along a closure line in at least a region overlapping, provided in the overlap region tongue and groove connections or the like interlocking locking means is latched.

Such usually made of plastic by injection molding containers with an attachable or hinged on one side and can be latched to the container top edge lid or a lid consisting of two cover halves are well known. At one by the DE 92 12 813.0 U1 become known container having a closure lid from cover halves whose free edges overlap each other along at least a portion of a closure line, the overlapping edges are interlocked with a tongue and groove connection. This connection consists of at least one longitudinal rib and a bag associated with it in the corresponding lid edge.

One from the EP 0 088 224 B1 known box or container with two-part lid has in a first embodiment, each with an overlapping lid projection a straight and in another embodiment with a plurality of overlapping lid projections a wavy closure line. The overlapping areas are there in any case designed so that frame on the one half of the cover inside, transverse and longitudinal webs in the closed position block-like elevations at the top of the other cover half. These web and block reinforcements are intended to limit relative sideways movement when the lid half closes the box and when stacked containers of contents load their weight on the lower box (s). A further support of the closure position of this box is characterized in that the corner regions of the cover halves overlap each other and engage there with downwardly projecting elevations in these facing recesses.

However, as has been shown with the known lids, can not be excluded that under heavy load, the Verzahnungselemente deform (tongue and groove joints or Blockverrastung with resistance surfaces), wherein the locking elements assume an inclination, slide away from each other and so lose the positive connection or no longer maintained. In the final analysis, the lid breaks completely, in particular in the case of a two-part lid along the closure line, which also gives rise to a risk of injury. It should be noted that the containers, when stacked with their lids in the closed position on each other or one above the other, a considerable burden, especially the lower container, subject, which acts on the lid. The weight of the load is distributed over the middle lid portions, and in particular in two-piece lids it comes to separating the locking connection.

From the AU 731 378 B2 It is known to secure their closure position by hook bolt in a container with overlap region of the two cover halves. Of these, only one is provided in each case in the middle of the two opposite end walls and engages with its bolt head, the two cover halves at the respective end of the closure line. However, when loaded by a container stacked thereon, the lid halves move away from the latch heads because the lid halves slope down into the interior of the container.

For a container of other genus with a one-piece lid are by the EP 0 356 322 A1 also bolt hooks have become known. In each case one is provided in the region of the free end, away from the hinging of the lid on the two outer edges. The locking hooks are directed downwards and engage with their projecting to the container walls locking heads under the recessed at these points lid edge. The problem of sloping lid halves does not occur here.

The invention is therefore an object of the invention to provide a container of the type mentioned without the disadvantages described, d. H. to prevent loosening of the latching connection both in a one-piece and a two-part lid and thus to avoid a collapse of the lid, which should nevertheless close gently unchanged.

This object is achieved in that additional locking means in the form of mutually under load against each other and thereby verkrallenden, mutually oppositely arranged hook or locking elements are formed. By thus additional hook or locking elements, preferably distributed over the length of the cover several, are provided and this deviating from the previous development of the locks under load, a relative movement is explicitly made possible, bringing a more intense claw Setting or entanglement, it can be achieved that the existing tongue and groove connections or other gear elements on the bottom and top of the cover halves or on the underside of the one-piece lid and the container top edge can not slide apart. As a result, slipping or bending and, in the case of a two-part cover, the divergence of the tongue and groove elements connecting the overlapping cover halves and thus the cover or the cover halves from falling into the container interior are precluded.

A preferred embodiment of the invention provides that the hook-latch elements consist of a top, with a low-lying, inwardly angled latch projection and on the other lower, formed with a raised, outwardly angled latch projection formed, substantially L-shaped bolt lugs. Under load, the latch projections slide over one another, their length limiting the amount of displacement, because the latch projections then find an end stop on the vertical portion of the L-shaped latch lugs. The displacement is greater, the higher the load. The free mobility or telescoping can be promoted by a rounded contouring of the locking projections. The clawing increasingly by load or pressure with its hook-locking elements lid remains closed even with heavy ballast, and in particular the lid halves of a two-piece lid no longer separate from each other or no longer break inwards.

According to one proposal of the invention, the hook and bolt elements are formed integrally with the cover halves or the lid and the container upper edge. When made of plastic by injection molding containers and lids can be manufacturing technology simply spray it on. Alternatively, they could subsequently be inserted into prepared apertures in a positionally secure manner, clipped, or the like.

Fig. 1

in perspektivischer Draufsicht einen durch Deckelhälften verschlossenen Behälter;

Fig. 2

in perspektivischer Draufsicht als Einzelheit die entlang ihrer Verschlußlinie verriegelten Deckelhälften;

Fig. 3

in perspektivischer Ansicht eine Draufsicht auf eine Deckelhälfte;

Fig. 4

in der Draufsicht einen Ausschnitt einer Deckelhälfte;

Fig. 5

einen Ausschnitt einer Deckelhälfte von unten gesehen;

Fig. 6

in schematischer Darstellung eine Bewegungszwischenphase beim Schließen der beiden Deckelhälften;

Fig. 7

die Deckelhälften der Fig. 6 in der geschlossenen Position ohne Druck- bzw. Lasteinwirkung von oben, schematisch dargestellt; und

Fig. 8

die Deckelhälften der Fig. 7 in ihrer unter Last- und Druckeinwirkung ineinander verhakten bzw. -krallten Lage.

Further features and details of the invention will become apparent from the claims and the following description of an embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings in connection with a two-part cover. Show it:

Fig. 1

in a perspective plan view of a container closed by cover halves container;

Fig. 2

in perspective plan view as a detail the lid halves locked along its closure line;

Fig. 3

in a perspective view a plan view of a lid half;

Fig. 4

in plan view a section of a cover half;

Fig. 5

a section of a lid half seen from below;

Fig. 6

in a schematic representation, a movement intermediate phase when closing the two cover halves;

Fig. 7

the lid halves of the Fig. 6 in the closed position without pressure or load from above, shown schematically; and

Fig. 8

the lid halves of the Fig. 7 in their under load and pressure interlocked or -clawed position.

A bearing, stacking and transport container - hereinafter referred to as container 1 - has a substantially rectangular design with a bottom 2, two longitudinal walls 3 projecting approximately at right angles thereto and two transverse walls 4 likewise projecting approximately at right angles. Instead of the rigid construction, the longitudinal and transverse walls could also be collapsible or foldable. At the upper ends of the longitudinal walls 3, two cover halves 6 a and 6 b are mounted pivotably in hinges 5. The cover halves 6 a and 6 b are provided at their free edges with part-circular cover projections 7 a and 7 b, which in the respective opposite cover half in the surface mating recesses 8 a and 8 b are assigned. In the closed position, the lid halves overlap 6 a and 6 b with their lid projections 7 a and 7 b, which are received by the corresponding recesses 8 a and 8 b of the other lid half. Due to the contouring of the lid projections 7 a and 7 b is formed in the closed position a wave-shaped closure line 9 (see also Fig. 2-5 ).

At the free, mutually facing edges or ends of the cover halves 6 a, 6 b are along the closure line 9 on the one hand on the upper sides in the recesses 8 a, 8 b and on the other hand complementary to the underside of the other cover half 6 a and 6 b Gear elements in the form of tongue and groove connections (see in the 4 and 5 the springs 10 and the complementary ones Grooves 11) are provided. In addition, again on both the upper side of the one and the underside of the other cover half 6 a, 6 b additional hook-locking elements 12 are formed. These consist of substantially L-shaped locking lugs (see Fig. 6 to 8 ), which with their lid projections 7 a in the recesses 8 b when closing the lid legend lid half 6 a at its locking lug 13 a has a deep latch projection 14 a, while the locking lug 13 b of the lid half 6 b a raised latch projection 14 b having. The locking projections 14 a, 14 b extend in opposite directions to each other, that are directed inwards (14 a) and outwardly (14 b).

The Fig. 6 shows an intermediate layer for closing the lid by means of the two cover halves 6 a, 6 b. The completely closed lid position is the Fig. 7 refer to. If now when stacking containers 1 (see. Fig. 1 ) on the or each lower container, a load or a pressure occurs (see Fig. 8 the arrow F), the hook-bolt elements 12 and the L-shaped locking lugs 13 a, 13 b, move from the unloaded situation after Fig. 7 , Depending on the load or the pressure against each other and dig through the sliding one above the other locking projections 14 a, 14 b more and more. The cover or the cover halves 6 a, 6 b thus lock automatically and prevent the tongue and groove joints 10, 11 unfastened under heavy load, because a bending or divergence of the cover halves 6 a, 6 b by the hook Bar elements 12 is prevented.

Claims (4)

1. A container(1), in particular for storage, stacking, and transportation, which can be closed with a one- or two-piece lid (6a, 6b), wherein the lid can be interlocked with the upper container edge in the manner of tongue and groove connections (10, 11), or, in a two-piece lid construction with lid-halves (6a, 6b) oppositely hinge-mounted at the container edge; can be interlocked by means of tongue and groove connections (10, 11) or similarly engaging locking means which are provided at the free ends of the lid halves along a closing line (9) and are overlapping in at least one area of the overlapping area,
   characterized in
   that additional locking means are formed in the form of inversely arranged hook-lock-elements (12) which move against each other, thereby intermeshing, under a load (F) which is caused by stacking of containers (1) on top of each other and which is directed from above downwards and acts upon the lid.
2. The container according to claim 1,
   characterized by
   a plurality of hook-lock-elements (12) arranged distributed over the length of the lid.
3. The container according to claim 1 or claim 2,
   characterized in
   that the hook-lock-elements (12) consist of upper and lower, substantially L-shaped lock lugs (13a, 13b) formed, on the one hand, by a low lying inwardly angled lock protrusion (14a) and, on the other hand, by a high lying outwardly angled lock protrusion (14b), respectively.
4. The container according to any one of the claims 1 to 3,
   characterized in
   that the hook-lock-elements (12) are formed in one piece with the lid halves (6a, 6b) or the lid and the upper container edge.

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