EP2419346A1

EP2419346A1 - Box with foldable and self-locking lateral walls

Info

Publication number: EP2419346A1
Application number: EP10719287A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Wolfgang Orgeldinger
Original assignee: IFCO Systems GmbH
Current assignee: IFCO Systems GmbH
Priority date: 2009-04-15
Filing date: 2010-04-14
Publication date: 2012-02-22
Anticipated expiration: 2030-04-14
Also published as: EP2419346B1; SI2419346T1; PL2419346T3

Abstract

The invention relates to a box comprising a base (2) provided with a stationary outer wall area (18) which extends upwardly from the base in the vertical direction (8) and an outer wall (6b) comprising a shaft (50) which is arranged in the base area of the outer wall (6b). A guide opening (54) is formed in the stationary outer wall area (18) in which the shaft (50) is arranged and which comprises a lateral opening section (54b) which extends inwardly essentially in the lateral direction (12) from an outer side of the stationary outer wall area (18), displaceable in the shaft (50). Said stationary outer wall area (18) comprises a bearing surface (76) which is arranged therein. A cam (52) is arranged in the base area of the stationary outer wall area (6b) and comprises a cam contour which is designed in such a manner that said cam contour, when assembling the outer wall (6b), rests upon the bearing surface (76), such that when a critical angle (68) is exceeded, the shaft (50) in displaced inwardly in the lateral opening section (54b). After exceeding the critical angle (68), a lower side (66) of the outer wall (6b) is pressed against an inner edge area (90) of the stationary outer wall area (18) by means of first contact pressure due to the actuation of the shaft (50) or the cam (52), said first contact pressure being greater than a second contact pressure, with which the lower side (66) of the outer wall (6b) is pressed against an upper side of the stationary outer wall area (18) in the vertical position due to the actuation of the shaft (50) or the cam (52).

Description

Crate with foldable and self-locking side walls

description

The present invention is concerned with easily transportable boxes, the side walls can be folded down for transport and the side walls are secured in an unfolded state against self-closing.

On the market, a variety of foldable crates or foldable crates are available, which consist of a bottom and with respect to the bottom foldable side walls, so that the boxes can be folded after use by folding down their side walls to save space and inexpensively transported to the place of their reuse to be able to.

High demands are also placed on the stability of the crates, since these are loaded, for example, in the transport of fruit and vegetables directly on the field of field workers and throughout the transport to the end user, the vegetables remain in the same box, so the least possible undamaged the many Ent- and loading operations during transport. Furthermore, the boxes are used as intended multiple times, which further increases the requirements for robustness. It is of course extremely desirable that the walls and the bottom of the foldable boxes are as robust as possible in compliance with the boundary conditions of the lowest possible weight. Furthermore, due to the large number of manipulations and handles that are required during the transport of such a box, care must be taken that the normal operation is as simple as possible. At the same time, however, it must be ensured that the mechanical components used are not destroyed in the event of a faulty operation. In particular, foldable boxes have a locking mechanism by means of which the erected walls are locked together, so that the unfolded box receives the required stability. This locking mechanism should be as easy to operate and error-free without much effort. However, the possibility of incorrect operation should additionally be taken into account, that is, a force acts on the locking mechanism without being actuated. In this case, the locking mechanism should never be destroyed.

Another requirement for such foldable boxes is that the hinge mechanism, which provides a hinged connection between the bottom and outside walls of the folding base. makes a box, can absorb large forces. This is finally in the unfolded state, the only frictional connection between the floor on which normally the entire load is arranged, and the outer walls, which are usually located on the handle holes. Even if a robust embodiment of a box is used, destruction of individual components of the box, so in particular it soil or one of the side walls, in hard everyday use is not always excluded. Since it is desirable that the side walls can be solved in a simple manner from the ground, without the ease of disassembly of the frictional connection their ability to carry a heavy load suffers.

Since such foldable boxes are used industrially on a large scale and for many different purposes, eg. For example, to transport fruit or vegetables from the harvest fields to the customers, such a foldable box needs to meet many different requirements, which partially influence each other. Some requirements arise from the aspect of transportability. Thus, it is particularly desirable if the box in the folded state has only a small stack height, so that as large a number of folded boxes can be transported on a pallet during transport. Furthermore, the crate should be as light as possible, that is to say as little material as possible should be used in order to minimize the ratio of the payload to the weight of the crate during transport. Moreover, since such boxes are also often used to transport food, it is necessary that the insides of the box are as smooth as possible, so that no food residue can get caught inside the box. At the same time, however, the box should be stable, which makes the use of large, smooth levels difficult. Furthermore, a good cleanability of the boxes should be ensured, which on the one hand requires smooth surfaces, but on the other hand must also be given the possibility that the detergent used in automated washing systems or the water can drain from a box during cleaning. This requires drainage holes or perforations, which in turn contradict the required high stability. With regard to cleaning, it is also particularly desirable that at least some of the outer walls remain self-standing in the unfolded state, ie, remain in the unfolded state, since it is necessary for successful and thorough cleaning that the entire inner volume of the crate is good is accessible.

According to some embodiments of the invention, a foldable box is provided having outer walls, which are held in the unfolded state after unfolding, in which an automatic folding of the outer wall is thus prevented. In some embodiments of the present invention, the easy disassembly of an outer wall from the bottom of a foldable box is achieved by using a special hinge arrangement that includes both a shaft located at the bottom of the outer wall and a cam disposed therein. that only when unfolding the outer wall a frictional connection between the bottom and the outer wall is made. In order to make this possible, in some embodiments, in the floor or in a fixed from the bottom in the vertical upward direction (ie in the direction of the unfolded side wall) extending Außenwandbereich, which may also be made in one piece with the ground, is one Recess within which the shaft is located. At the bottom, a contact surface is further arranged, which is to be understood as a surface which is arranged with respect to the ground in a known relative orientation. The cam is, as will be explained in more detail with reference to some of the following figures, configured or has such a three-dimensional contour that the cam, which is rigidly connected to the outer wall, in abutment with the cam wall in abutment with the contact surface device, that is, comes into contact with it and is supported by it. This support causes a translational movement of the also rigidly connected to the outer wall shaft. The guide opening is geometrically designed such that it has an opening section extending essentially in a vertical direction (that is to say essentially perpendicular to the surface of the floor) and an approximately perpendicular lateral opening sab running from outside to inside in the lateral direction having. Both the opening portion and the lateral opening portion have a cross section large enough to move the shaft in the two portions. The shaft is initially arranged in the folded state of the outer wall at the bottom of the opening portion of the guide opening and through the opening sab cut in the vertical direction upwards removed. Thus, the wave is not a disassembly of the outer wall in the folded state in the way.

The production of a non-positive connection takes place only when unfolding the outer wall. During unfolding, the contour of the cam comes into contact with the contact surface which guides or supports the cam. Due to the rigid connection of the cam and the shaft on the outer wall and the guide of the cam on the contact surface is achieved that the shaft moves in the guide opening in the lateral opening area, which is closed at least at one point upwards, there for example Material of the outer wall or the fixed outer wall portion is limited upwards. If the shaft is therefore located in the lateral opening section, it can no longer be removed upwards and a configuration has been created which is in vertical position. kaier direction makes a connection between the outer wall and the floor so that it can absorb a force or withstands a weight load. In other words, guided by the cam, which is supported on the contact surface, by the shaft, a pivotal or translational movement is performed, which moves the shaft from a starting position in the lateral opening portion in an end position in the lateral opening portion, so that when unfolding the wall a viable connection between the outer wall and the floor is made, while in the folded state, the shaft can be removed upwards from the guide opening and thus the wall can be dismantled.

In some embodiments, in the bottom or in the upwardly extending from the bottom of the fixed outer wall area are another recesses within which the cam is located. In this cam opening the contact surface is attached. In some embodiments, the abutment surface is formed by the outside wall or boundary surface of the cam opening.

In some further exemplary embodiments of the invention, the load-bearing capacity of the connection thus formed is additionally increased by the fact that the cam opening also has an opening section extending in the vertical direction and a lateral opening section extending in the lateral direction, wherein the cam has an outer contour or geometrically so is that engages in the unfolded state, an element of the cam or a recess in the cam during the opening in the lateral opening portion of the cam opening. This also prevents the cam from sliding up out of the cam opening due to the massive material of the bottom over the lateral opening portion of the cam opening. Thus, the cam in the cam opening in the unfolded state can also take up additional weight or carry an additional load, which increases the stability or the load capacity of the foldable box in this embodiment. In this case, in some other embodiments of the present invention, the cam opening in the vertical direction has a cross section such that the cam can be removed in the folded state of the side wall upwards out of the cam opening, so that also in the embodiment in which the cam can carry additional load, the outer wall in the folded state can be removed without tools. In some embodiments, the geometry is selected such that both the cam opening and the guide opening extend outwardly in the lateral direction to a common outer wall, so that they have, in other words, in the lateral direction identical dimensions. In the direction perpendicular to the vertical and lateral direction, the cam opening and the guide opening at In some embodiments, dimensions that are slightly larger than the horizontal extent of the shaft or the horizontal extent of the cam to allow in this dimension a possible backlash-free connection between the outer wall and the floor or the fixed outer wall portion of the floor. In other words, the horizontal extent of the guide opening and the cam opening corresponds substantially to the horizontal dimensions of the shaft or of the cam, wherein the horizontal extent of the openings is slightly larger, for example by 0.5 mm or 1 mm.

By using the above hinge arrangement or by using a foldable box according to one of the embodiments described above, it becomes possible to provide a foldable box available whose outer walls are completely hinged and in the folded state in a simple manner - for example, for replacement can be removed from the foldable box by means of a spare part or for cleaning - whereby the connection between the outer wall and the floor or the fixed outer wall area of the floor is nevertheless able to absorb a high force, as is usually the case with conventional ones Hinges that are not removable, the case is.

In this case, some embodiments of the invention are based on the above-described hinge arrangement with a shaft in a guide opening, but without the guide opening necessarily having to have an opening area suitable for removal in the vertical direction. All that is necessary is that the guide opening has the lateral opening section extending inwardly in the lateral direction from the outside of the fixed outer wall area, within which the shaft is displaceable. Also required here is the use of a cam which is arranged in the foot region of the outer wall, wherein the cam has a cam contour which is designed such that when erecting by the system of the cam contour on the contact surface already in the crossing of a critical angle, the shaft in the lateral opening portion is moved inwards before the side wall is fully erected.

In some embodiments, the contour of the cam is configured to exceed the critical angle when erecting the outer wall before the underside of the outer wall contacts the inner edge portion of the upwardly extending fixed outer wall portion of the floor during erecting. Due to the fact that the shaft is already cut at the first contact with the bottom of the outer wall with the inner edge region at the inner position in the lateral opening, the shaft can absorb a substantially upward force. Since the shaft can already absorb this force, upon further raising of the outer wall over the inner edge region by the action of the shaft rigidly connected to the outer wall (for example via a spacer attached to the foot of the outer wall) the underside of the outer wall becomes a first Pressing force pressed against the inner edge region of the fixed outer wall portion. This is greater than a second contact force with which the underside of the outer wall in the erected vertical position, that is, after exceeding the inner edge region, is pressed by the action of the shaft against the upper side of the fixed outer wall region.

In other words, moving the shaft in the lateral opening portion inward (toward the inside end position) before the outer wall comes in contact with the inner edge portion causes a force threshold to be exceeded when erecting the outer wall. This threshold force acting on the underside of the outer wall after exceeding the critical angle by the actions of the shaft is the greatest force which acts during erection between the underside of the outer wall and the fixed outer wall portion of the floor. Thus, after exceeding this force, so after complete erection of the outer wall, the outer wall is held in the erected position, since the force acting in the erected position between the underside of the outer wall and the fixed outer wall portion is less force and the outer wall thus without an external force inner edge area can not overcome by simply folding through the weight of the outer wall Ü.

The above-described embodiments of the invention thus make it possible to provide a foldable box, the outer walls can not automatically fold back after erecting in the folded state, even if the outer walls of the foldable box are not yet locked together in the erected state.

This can be a considerable advantage in the fully automated cleaning of the foldable boxes, which must be made up by hand, if, for example, due to incorrect operation during locking, the outer walls could automatically fold back inside. Even with the normal unfolding of the outer walls can automatically standing outer wall can be a great advantage, since this can be initially set up so that other walls can be erected afterwards and locked with the already unfolded walls, without at the same time must be taken care of manually that already unfolded wall stops. Given the large number of handling operations that occur in a life cycle of such a foldable box, this is a not inconsiderable efficiency and thus cost advantage.

In particular, the functionality that the outer wall in the unfolded state remains independent, can be achieved without, for example, in the prior art conventional clamping on moving parts, such as must be made to the waves of hinges, by otherwise inhibiting the movement a hinge is achieved. Such clamps are - especially when using plastic parts - an unreasonable wear, so that the movement inhibition and thus the functionality of the sidewall over time automatically decreases. In the embodiments according to the invention, however, the mechanism works substantially wear-free, since the movement of the shaft itself is completely wear-free within the lateral opening sab section. The force is generated by elastic tracking of the components involved without friction, so that with proper dimensioning of the force-absorbing component, such as the shaft connecting to the outer wall web or spacer a wear-free continuous operation is ensured.

According to some further embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a foldable box having two paired longitudinal and lateral outer walls hinged with respect to the bottom of the box and allowing the outer walls to collapse inward. In the unfolded state, the four outer walls are mechanically connected or latched together to obtain a foldable box, which has a high stability.

In order to enable the latching, each of the longitudinal outer walls has at each end a in the unfolded state in the direction of the transverse outer walls extending projection which limits the folding ability of the transverse outer walls to the outside, that has the effect of a stop. The terminology on the longitudinal side should under no circumstances give the impression that in all embodiments, this projection should have the actually longer outer walls. In some alternative exemplary embodiments, the shorter outer walls, which are referred to below as transversely, have this projection, so that the terms on the longitudinal side and on the transverse side can be exchanged here as well as in the following. Each of the transverse outer walls has an outer side of the transverse outer wall attached. arranged, spring-biased locking mechanisms, which in the unfolded state has a movable in a vertical direction latching element which is latched to the projection of the longitudinal outer wall.

The locking element can thus engage directly in the projection or in an object firmly connected to the projection or latch with this. By the vertical movement of the locking element is achieved that the locking element can be moved almost force-free, that is, when opening the locking element or the latching only the spring force of the spring of the spring-biased locking mechanism must be overcome so as to easily to be able to solve the catch during normal operation. As a result, the transverse outer wall is separated from the longitudinal outer wall, so that they can be folded down. The unlocking in the vertical direction has over conventional solutions in which the latching or unlocking takes place in the lateral folding direction or in the horizontal direction, the advantage that the locking takes place in a direction in which the connection between the Side walls must absorb no force, so that no high force must be spent to lock the locking element or unlock. In locking methods in which the locking takes place in a direction in which the outer wall is moved by opening or closing, it is necessary to overcome the high closing force of the closure during normal locking or unlocking in order to achieve unlocking , This leads to sacrifices in speed and reliability of handling, which can be avoided by vertical locking mechanisms.

According to the embodiments of the locking mechanisms described below, the projection and / or the locking element in the unfolded state are additionally inclined contact surfaces with respect to the vertical direction such that the locking mechanism opens against its spring bias when an inwardly directed, acting on the transverse outer wall predetermined force is exceeded , The flanks of the locking lugs or the projection on which slide the locking element and the latching lug of the projection or the projection itself along each other are inclined relative to each other so that depends on the inclination in an action of a force from outside the foldable box on the transverse outer wall always a force component in the vertical direction, that is, against the spring bias acts on the locking element. Thus, to some extent an emergency release can be achieved if, for example, by a faulty operation, a large force acts on the transverse outer wall. Thus, the locking mechanism is not destroyed, which would lead to a replacement of the box or a side wall. Due to the inclination of the latching element with respect to the projection or a latching hook attached to the projection, the predetermined force at which the emergency release occurs or at which the locking mechanism opens against spring preload can be set arbitrarily within wide limits. In this case, compared to conventional methods, the size of the predetermined force at which the lock automatically opens, does not affect the force to be exerted, which is required when the locking mechanism in normal operation, ie by manual actuation of the locking element in the vertical direction occurs. The embodiments of the present invention thus allow both a comfortable and regular operation and an additional safeguard against incorrect operation, without the parameters of one of the two operating methods - the regular and the incorrect operation - being interdependent. Thus, embodiments of the foldable boxes according to the invention are even so robust to produce that the latch can be opened in continuous operation not only by conventional manual actuation of the locking element but also by hitting or kicking on the transverse outer wall, without damaging the box or the locking mechanism occurs.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, at least one of the outer walls has a particularly stable structure with advantageous properties resulting from the fact that stable, spherical, with respect to an outside of the box convex wall areas are connected by means of webs and ribs. This creates an extremely thin and inherently stable outer wall that is stable yet lightweight. In this case, according to some embodiments, between two spherical wall regions of the outer wall which are convex with respect to the outer side, a web arranged over a height of the outer wall and arranged on the outer side of the outer wall is arranged. In addition, one or a plurality of ribs extends between the spherical wall portions, with the ribs extending from the rib to each of the spherical surface portions on both sides of the rib. These embodiments of outer walls according to the invention therefore comprise spherical surfaces which are arranged adjacent to one another and which are connected to one another by means of an arrangement of ribs and webs between the respectively adjacent spherical surfaces in order to increase the connection stiffness of the outer wall.

The spherical surfaces have the advantage that they are intrinsically torsionally rigid up to a certain size, which is caused by the curvature of the surface at the edge regions. In this sense, spherical surfaces are to be understood as those surfaces which rise from a flat base surface in a predetermined direction, the surface not being stepped in the contour from the base surface. but lifts the contour S-shaped with predetermined radii of the base surface. After the survey, a spherical surface region may also have a partial surface which is completely flat and parallel to a distance from the base surface, which is dependent on the S-shaped contour at the edge of the spherical surface. If the flat surface within the spherical surface becomes too large, this surface becomes unstable again, so that the size of an intrinsically stable spherical surface is limited. The use of a single spherical surface as a side wall would thus not have a great stability-promoting effect on extended sidewalls. However, spherical surfaces have the advantage that they run smoothly on both sides, have no edges or cracks, so that these are very well suited to transport food, since the danger that food scraps catch in edges or the like, is not given.

In some embodiments of the present invention, therefore, a plurality of convex surface areas are used in a wall, which are interconnected by an array of ribs and perpendicular to the ribs extending over the height of the outer wall webs to the inherently stable convex surface areas without high However, to combine material expenditure extremely torsionally stiff, so that an overall extremely robust structure with low wall thickness results. In some embodiments of the present invention, the ridges and the ribs are located exclusively on the outside of the outer wall so that the stiffening effects are achieved without compromising hygiene by allowing food debris to get caught in the sharp edges of the ribs and ridges inside the box , Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, all of the hinge assemblies that connect the outer wall to the bottom of the foldable box are located substantially at the areas where the lands are between the spherical surfaces. Since the webs extending over the height of the outer wall are the structures which can bear the greatest tensile load, the arrangement of the hinge elements thus produced produces a structure or an outer wall which fulfills the greatest possible stability requirements, also with regard to the transmission of power to the ground. has, and at the same time requires only a thin, material-saving outer wall, which is also smooth on the inside and therefore easy to clean.

Some embodiments of the present invention are explained in more detail below, with reference to the attached drawings.

Show it: Fig. 1 is an overall view of an embodiment of a foldable box;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the embodiment of the box of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the foldable box of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an overall view of another embodiment of a foldable

Box;

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a cam and shaft of a hinge assembly used in some embodiments of the invention;

Fig. 6 is another detail view of the cam and the shaft of Fig. 5 from a different perspective;

Fig. 7 A is a detail view of a guide opening and a cam opening to

Receiving the shaft and the cam of Figures 5 and 6;

FIG. 7B shows the detail view of FIG. 7A from a different perspective; FIG.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of an embodiment of a hinge assembly;

Fig. 9A is a sectional view through the shaft in the closed state of the foldable

Box;

Fig. 9B is a sectional view through the cam in the closed state;

10A is a sectional view through the shaft in the half-open state;

Fig. 1OB is a sectional view through the cam in the half-open state;

Fig. IIA is a sectional view through the shaft in the open state;

Fig. IIB is a sectional view through the cam in the open state;

Figure 12 is a side view of a transverse side wall of an embodiment of a foldable box with a locking mechanism with locking element. FIG. 13A shows an exemplary embodiment of a latching element; FIG. and

Fig. 13B, another embodiment of a locking element.

Fig. 1 shows a semi-perspective view of an embodiment of a foldable box. In the context of this description, a foldable box is to be understood as meaning a box or tray which is open in one direction (vertically upward) and which has a floor and four outer or side walls which are connected to the floor in this way in that they can be moved or opened and closed with respect to the floor. The box has in the closed state, that is, when all four walls are folded on the ground, only a small height and is easy to transport.

The folding box of FIG. 1 thus has a bottom 2, pairwise opposing transverse outer walls 4a and 4b, and also opposite pairs longitudinal outer walls 6a and 6b. It should already be noted here that to identify the outer walls in the following description as longitudinal side outer walls those outer walls are to be referred to, which have a greater extent than the transverse outer walls. However, this should not be construed as limiting that those features described in connection with the longitudinal outer walls are realized in all embodiments of the invention only on the longer side walls. Rather, the term longitudinal side and transverse side is used only for identification of the outer walls described in each case. In other words, the terms can also be reversed on the longitudinal side and transverse side, so that the features described for the longitudinal outer walls can also (at the same time) be implemented on the transverse side and, of course, on both side walls. In general, all of the features described below can be combined with each other as desired, so that some embodiments of inventive foldable boxes have only one of the features, while other embodiments may have all the features.

As already mentioned, Fig. 1 shows a foldable box in the unfolded state, while the box is to be understood as being in the folded state when all the side walls are collapsed. For ease of description of the individual features, certain directions or geometric relationships for the following description are defined as follows. The vertical direction 8 is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the bottom 2, wherein the relative position designations above and below in this context are to be understood as meaning above a vertically remote from the ground position than below. The relative position indication inside denotes a position which is closer to the volume enclosed by the box than a position which is marked with the term outside. On the outside or on the outside, therefore, for example with respect to the longitudinal-side outer wall 6b, it means that those components are described which are directly visible in the semi-perspective view of FIG. The height of the sidewalls is to be understood as the extent in the unfolded state in the vertical direction 8 illustrated in FIG. 1, while the thickness or width is to be understood as the maximum extent between the inside and outside of the outside walls.

The directions laterally and horizontally are to be understood in each case relative to the outer wall just considered. In this case, the horizontal direction is the direction along the largest longitudinal extent of the considered side wall, so that the horizontal direction with respect to the outer wall 6b results, for example, as indicated by arrow 11. The lateral direction designates the direction between the outside and the inside of the walls in the unfolded state, so that, for example, for the outer wall 6b, the lateral direction indicated by the reference numeral 12 results. The corresponding application of these definitions on the transverse outer wall 4b leads to a horizontal direction 14 and to a lateral direction 15. Thus, in the unfolded state of the box, the lateral, vertical and horizontal directions define a substantially rectangular coordinate system with respect to each outer wall. Incidentally, if doubts arise in the interpretation with regard to the location or orientation information, the information should always be understood as referring to the box in the unfolded state shown in FIG.

As can be seen from Fig. 1, some embodiments of the present invention, a bottom 2, which consists on the one hand of a flat, flat main body, and in addition on two opposite outer sides extending from the bottom in a vertical upward direction having fixed outer wall portion 18. This is highlighted hatched for ease of illustration in Fig. 1 and may for example serve to accommodate or provide hinge elements and ensure that a pair of side walls in the closed state on the other pair of side walls can come to rest. In the discussion of the following embodiments, the vertically upwardly extending fixed outer wall portion is considered to belong to the ground, so that some of the discussed features can be realized also in the sheet bottom portion. Fig. 2 shows for re-illustration a plan view of the foldable box shown in Fig. 1, in which the bottom 2, the long-side outer walls 6a and 6b and the transverse-side outer walls 4a and 4b are clearly visible. Furthermore, it can at least be seen in FIG. 2 that the longitudinal and transverse outer walls in the unfolded state are latched to one another at the adjoining edges, so that the unfolded box achieves high stability. As here indicated and discussed in more detail in some of the following paragraphs, for locking or latching the longitudinal outer walls on a in the direction of the transverse outer wall 4a extending projection on the folding of the transverse outer wall 4a to the outside, ie in a Aufklapprichtung , limited and thus acts as a stop as a stop. This mechanism is discussed below with reference to the corner 20 of the longitudinal outer wall 6a. In the locking, a latching element, which is arranged on the transverse outer wall 4a, engages in the projection 22 and locks with it into a mechanically loadable connection in order to ensure the stability of the box to reach.

Fig. 3 shows a side view of an embodiment of a foldable box, in which some advantageous features of the outer wall 6b of this embodiment are clearly visible. The embodiment of the outer wall 6b shown in Fig. 3 is characterized in that spherical surface areas which are convex with respect to the outside of the foldable box, are combined with stiffening elements of ribs and webs such that a result is extremely stable outer wall, however at the same time is substantially smooth on the inside and has only a small thickness, ie a small extent in the lateral direction. The thickness in the lateral direction is not only a criterion with regard to the material and the weight to be used, but in particular also for the stack height to be achieved, that is to say the height of a box in the closed state, which essentially consists of the thickness of the bottom, transverse outer walls and the longitudinal outer walls results. The thinner a wall can be with given flexibility, that is, the better.

This is achieved in the exemplary embodiments described here in that the outer wall consists of spherical outer wall surfaces 20a, 20b and 20c which are convex with respect to the outer side and which are connected to one another by means of an arrangement of ribs and struts. Up to a certain size, the spherical wall areas are intrinsically stable due to their shape, as already explained above. As shown in FIG. 3, between the spherical wall portion 20a and the spherical wall portion 20b there is provided a web 22 disposed on the outside of the outer wall, which extends over the height 24 of the outer wall, that is to say in the vertical direction 8. This jetty leads to a high load capacity in the vertical direction. From the web 22 extend a plurality of horizontally extending ribs 26a to 26c up to the web 22 adjacent spherical surface regions 20a and 20b. The combination of the inherently rigid spherical surface regions with the ribs and web arrangements connecting the spherical surface regions, which have at least one web and a rib extending from the web to the adjacent spherical surface, make it possible to use an extremely thin material with little use of material and to provide a stable outer wall. This has the additional advantage that here on the inside has substantially smooth surfaces, since both the spherical surfaces bulge outwards, and the ribs are mounted on the outside, so the available height is used so maximum efficient to to arrive at a stiff construction as possible.

In addition, the use of the web and rib arrangements connecting the spherical surface elements makes it possible to perforate the spherical surface elements or to provide them with a plurality of openings, in order to save material and to be able to clean the wall well. The weakening of the structure of the spherical surface areas perforation can be accepted, since the use of webs and ribs between the spherical surface areas, the overall stability can still be maintained. In Fig. 3 also some optional webs are shown, which also extend over the spherical area itself and serve to increase the overall stability even further. However, these webs are optional, since in some embodiments already the combination of spherical surface areas and webs or the required stability can guarantee.

In other words, a further embodiment of the invention only the webs 22 and 30 between the spherical surface areas 20a, 20b, 20c. To further increase the stability of the overall construction are hinge arrangements, by means of which the outer wall is hingedly connected to the bottom 2 or with the fixed outer wall portion 18, only in those areas at the foot of the outer wall 6b (at the bottom 2 facing the end of the outer wall 6b) arranged by the webs extend to the foot portion of the outer wall. All of the hinge arrangements or hinge mechanisms 40a, 40b, 40c and 40d, which are only indicated here, are located in the region of the webs extending in the vertical direction 8 in the exemplary embodiments shown in FIG. 3 and in FIG. This leads to an increased stability of the overall construction, since the hinges, which have to absorb force acting in the vertical direction 8, when the box is loaded, so that it is of great advantage when the hinges are at the position of the webs, which also serve to receive the load in the vertical direction.

A ridge capable of doing so is generally a material rising from the surface of the outer wall in the lateral direction and extending over the height of the outer wall. In an equivalent application of this definition, the ribs also extend laterally out of the surface of the outer wall, with the ribs extending substantially along the horizontal orientation. In some other embodiments, the ribs do not extend horizontally, but in a different orientation, but it should be ensured that at least one rib extending from the webs, also in another orientation, to the adjacent to the webs spherical surface areas.

4 shows a view of a further exemplary embodiment of a foldable box, which differs from the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 by the other dimensioning. In particular, the foldable box shown in FIG. 4 has a smaller height, that is to say a smaller extent of the vertical direction 8. Since the other features of the foldable boxes in FIGS. 1 and 4 correspond, reference is made here to a description of the features to what has been said with respect to FIG. 1, wherein the concept is still the concept even with the smaller height of the box illustrated in FIG the contiguous spherical surface areas, which can be realized by means of a web and at least one rib which extends from the web to each of the adjacent spherical surface areas, as shown in FIG. 4 can be seen. 4 thus shows the great flexibility of the functional interaction of the spheres of spherical goods and of the connecting struts and rib construction which can be readily adapted to changing geometric boundary conditions. In particular, it is also possible in Fig. 4 (as in Fig. 1) to install in the central region of the foldable box a handle opening 46, at which usually in the normal use of the box, the entire load is raised. In this case, the use of spherical surface areas makes it possible to construct a spherical surface area which the grip area dispenses with and is located below the grip area, so that even in the area of the grip there is no need to dispense with a spherical surface area which increases the stability. As shown in Fig. 4, the handle is connected to the underlying spherical surface area by means of vertically extending webs, which leads to increase the stability in the direction of force. Furthermore, an outer contour of the handle is connected via additional ribs directly to the webs 22 and 30 arranged between the spherical surface areas, which results in the opening of the handle, which actually weaken the stability of the construction. 46 does not affect the overall stability, since the force acting on the handle can be transferred directly to the adjacent spherical surface areas.

Incidentally, in FIG. 4, the functionally identical or similar functional elements or features are provided with the same reference numerals that were already used in FIG. 1. This also applies to the following drawings, in which functionally identical or functionally similar features are each provided with identical reference numerals.

5 and 6 show detail enlargements of a shaft 50 arranged in the foot region of the outer wall 6b and of a cam 52 of the hinge arrangement 40c of the foldable box 1 arranged in the foot region from different perspectives, wherein FIG. 5 shows a view from the inside, that is to say in the lateral direction from the inside to the outside and Fig. 6 shows this corresponding view from outside to inside. The shaft 50 is substantially cylindrical in this embodiment and extends in the horizontal direction. The cross section of the shaft can also be any other than circular, such as oval, square, cuboid or triangular. The cam is substantially parallelepiped-shaped, with the cam contour deviating from the cuboid shape in some places in order to achieve the various functionalities of the cam.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, FIGS. 7A and 7B, which also show different views of a guide opening 54 and a cam opening 56 located within the fixed outer wall portion 18 of the floor 2, and in which the shaft 50 and the cam 52 are arranged. FIG. 7A shows an inside-out view, while FIG. 7B shows an outside-in view. While FIGS. 5 through 7B show the disassembled features of the hinge assembly, FIGS. 8 through 11B show the assembled hinge assembly in which the cam 52 is within the cam aperture 54 and the shaft 50 is within the guide aperture 54 that with reference to FIGS. 8 to IIB, the interplay of the different components of the hinge can be reconstructed. 8 shows a plan view of the hinge arrangement in the folded or folded state of the outer wall 6b, while FIGS. 9A to IIB show a sectional view through the hinge arrangement, which are shown during different phases of the unfolding of the outer wall 6b. 9A, 10A and IIA respectively show a section on the cutting line 60 through the shaft 50. Figs. 9B, 10B and IIB show a section through the cam 52 along the section line 62 of Fig. 8. The operation of the hinge assembly will in the following so described with reference to FIGS. 5 to IIB. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, in the embodiment of the invention described herein, the shaft 50 is disposed in the guide hole 54 and the cam 52 is disposed in the cam hole 56. The guide opening 54 is divided into two functionally different regions, namely an opening section 54a extending substantially in the vertical direction 8 and a lateral section extending substantially in a lateral direction 12 from the outside of the stationary outer wall section 18 and the guide opening 54, respectively Opening portion 54b. In the embodiment shown here, the lateral opening portion 54b is located at the bottom of the guide opening 54, although this is not to be understood as limiting. Rather, in other exemplary embodiments of the invention, the lateral opening section can also be arranged further upwards in the vertical direction.

Likewise, the cam opening 56 has a substantially vertically extending opening portion 56 a. The cam hole 56 also has a lateral opening portion 56b extending inward in the lateral direction from the outside and the outside boundary of the cam hole 56, respectively. The different opening portions are best identified in the sectional view of FIGS. 9A and 9B, where they are also provided with the corresponding reference numerals. In order not to worsen the clarity of the representation of the operation, was omitted in the other figures, to provide the opening portions with the respective reference numerals. The vertically extending opening portion 54a of the guide opening 54 has a cross-section which is large enough to remove the shaft 50 in the folded state of the side wall 6b in a vertical upward direction from the guide opening 54 can. As shown in the figures, the shaft 50 is rigidly connected via a spacer 64 to the foot 66, that is to say to the end of the outer wall 6b lying downwards in the vertical direction 8. When the wall is unfolded, which is shown in FIGS. 9A to IIB in the direction of an increasing pop-up angle 68 (α), the shaft 50 is therefore rotated relative to the guide opening 54. In the same way, the cam 52 fixedly connected to the foot 66 of the outer wall 6b is rotated relative to the cam opening 56. In the embodiment of the present invention described with reference to FIGS. 7A to IIB, also the substantially vertically extending opening portion 56a of the cam opening 56 has a cross-section large enough that the cam 52 in the folded state from the cam opening 56 vertically after can be housed at the top. The side wall 6b, as can be seen from the half-view of the outer wall 6b in FIG. 8, is connected to the fixed outer wall area 18 via four shafts and two cams of the type described above. In the folded-down state, the outer wall 6b can thus be dismounted easily and without tools, which makes it possible to replace a possibly damaged outer wall. For folding the outer wall, both the guide opening 54 and the cam opening each have an inside breakthrough 70 and 72 in the inner boundary wall of the openings 54 and 56, within which the spacer 64 of the shaft or the attachment of the cam 52 with the foot 66 of the side wall 6b serving part of the cam 52 is movable.

Contrary to conventional hinge mechanisms, the connection between the side wall and the fixed outer wall area in the folded-down state can therefore be released without tools, ie a force acting in the folded-down state in the vertical direction on the outer wall 6b is not picked up by the hinge arrangement Transfer floor 2, as required, to be able to load the box in the unfolded state.

The frictional connection is made in the embodiments of the invention only when erecting the outer wall 6b, to which the cam 52 and the shaft 50 cooperate as follows. In the folded-down state shown in Figs. 9A and 9B, the shaft 50 is located within the vertically extending opening portion 54a of the guide hole 54, and the cam 52 is also inside the vertically opening portion 56a of the cam hole 56. In the embodiment shown here, both Shaft 50 and cam 52 on the outside wall of the respective guide opening and there are no forces on the shaft 50 or the cam 52. The contour of the cam 52 is not substantially radial in the embodiment shown here as the contour of the shaft, but the outer wall or outer side 76 of the cam opening 56 then acts when erecting the outer wall 6b as a contact surface on the fixed outer wall portion 18, on which the cam 52 when erecting the Exterior wall 6b supported as it were. Thus, due to the L-shaped contour of the cam with the edge 74, an inward force acts on the sidewall 6b immediately after the start of erection, causing the shaft 50 to move inwardly in the lateral opening portion 54b so as to move is already within a predetermined limit angle within the lateral opening portion 54b (at an inside end position in the lateral opening portion 54b), as shown in Fig. 10A. The lateral opening portion 54b, as can be seen for example in FIG. 7, is bounded vertically upwards by the material of the fixed outer wall area 18. This boundary is formed in FIG. 7 by the two tabs 78a and 78b which extend into the guide opening 54 above the lateral opening section 54a extend and prevent the shaft can be moved up out of the guide hole 54 out. As a result of the cam 52 and the contact surface 76 of the cam, the shaft 50 is thus moved laterally inward when erected within the lateral opening section 54b, up to a position in which the shaft 50 can no longer be removed from the guide opening the shaft can transmit a force acting in a vertical upward direction on the outer wall 6b to the floor 2.

In general terms, therefore, the cam 52 has a cam contour which is designed such that when the outer wall is erected, the cam contour comes into abutment with a contact surface 56 in such a way that the shaft 50 is moved inward in the lateral opening section 54b. The shape of the contact surface plays no role, the planar contact surface shown in the figures is to be understood merely as an example of any geometry of the contact surface, which causes a force is exerted on the cam. For example, the abutment surface could also be inclined with respect to the vertical direction 8, which, in combination with a cam contour that is essentially circular with respect to the abutment surface 56, also results in that the shaft is moved inward during alignment. This embodiment also makes it clear that the geometry of the cam can be almost arbitrary as long as the cam contour is formed such that the cam contour comes into abutment with the abutment surface in such a way that the shaft 50 is moved inwards.

In the fully unfolded state shown in FIG. IIA, the shaft 50 is thus located in the lateral opening section 54b of the guide opening 54, so that now the outer wall 6b and the floor are non-positively connected to one another. The exemplary embodiment shown here additionally has two projections 80a and 80b, which extend in the unfolded state of the outer wall 6b in the lateral direction to the outer-side edge of the guide opening 54. These optional projections 80a and 80b additionally prevent the shaft 50 from undesirably being able to be displaced out of position by elastic deformation, for example, when the outer wall 6b is in the unfolded state.

The exemplary embodiment illustrated here also has a further optional configuration or functionality of the cam 52. Namely, in the case shown here, the cam contour at the position where the lateral opening portion 56b of the cam hole 56 is bounded upward by material of the fixed outer wall portion 18 (at the positions of the overhangs 82a and 82b) is L-shaped, so that 1OB and IIB can be seen, the cam 52 in the lateral opening portion 56b of Cam opening engages. As a result, a force is transferred from the outer wall 6b to the bottom 2 in the erected state by the cam 52, which can additionally increase the stability of the overall construction, if this optional feature is implemented.

As described above, can be provided according to the invention by the functional interaction of a cam 52 with a contact surface 76 and a shaft 50 which is arranged in a guide opening 54, a hinge assembly which is removable in the folded state and in the unfolded state of the outer wall 6b in is able to transfer the required forces to the ground 2.

Another embodiment of the present invention will be discussed below also with reference to Figs. 6 to IIB. This embodiment makes it possible to connect an outer wall by means of a hinge arrangement with a bottom 2 of a foldable box 1 such that the outer wall 6b is kept in an upright position after erecting itself. Since it is not primarily important in this embodiment that the guide opening 54 and the cam opening 56 are configured in the vertical direction such that the cam 52 and shaft 50 can be removed upwards, this feature is in the embodiments of the present invention now described optional. In the embodiments of the present invention which allow a self-standing wall, it is necessary that the cam contour of the cam 52 is configured so that, as shown with reference to FIG. 10A, the cam contour in the erection of the outer wall 6 b so in abutment the guide surface 76 device that when exceeding a critical angle 68, the shaft 50 is moved inwardly before the bottom or the foot 66 of the outer wall 6b in contact or in contact with the inner edge region 90 and to the inner edge 90th the stationary outer wall portion 18 device.

Then, the shaft 50 can already receive a force acting in the vertical direction in front of it, so that it is possible to dimension the distance between the inner edge region 90 and the shaft 50 in such a way that when the outer wall 6b moves over the edge 90, that is after Exceeding the critical angle 68 is pressed by the action of the shaft 50, the underside 66 of the outer wall 6b with a contact force against the inner edge portion 90 which is greater than a second contact force, with the lower side 66 of the outer wall 6b in the upright vertical Position is pressed by the action of the shaft 50 against the top of the fixed outer wall portion 18. In an alternative, not shown embodiment, the inside of the cam contour may be configured such that when exceeding the edge 90, the contact pressure is achieved by the action of the cam 52, for example, if this already in abutment with the cam opening 56 upwardly bounding material 82 b of the cam opening 56 is located.

Generally speaking, the unfolded wall is held in the unfolded state when the cam contour is configured such that when the outer wall 6b is erected, the cam contour comes into contact with the guide surface 76 such that when a critical angle 68 is exceeded, the shaft 50 moves inwardly into the lateral opening portion 54b is moved, so that after exceeding the critical angle 68 by the action of the shaft 50 or the cam 52, a bottom 66 of the outer wall 6b is pressed with a first pressing force against an inner edge portion 90 of the fixed outer wall portion 18. This first pressing force is greater than a second pressing force, with which the underside 66 of the outer wall 6 b is pressed in the raised position by the action of the shaft 50 or the cam 52 in the top of the fixed Außenwandbe- area 18.

The outer wall region, whose resistance is to be overcome when unfolding, does not have to be formed by the entire length of the inner edge 90 of the fixed outer wall region 18. Rather, it is also possible, for example, to influence the required force, to bring only geometrically delimited areas of the inner edge 90 when opening in abutment with the outer wall 6b. For this purpose, for example, inwardly extending projections can be formed on the inner edge 90 of the outer wall, so that the outer wall 6b only has to overcome the resistance caused by these projections. This can for example serve to adjust the force that is required when erecting the outer wall 6b, and thus to adapt it to the requirements of the user.

In some embodiments, the center of the shaft 50 in the lateral direction 12, after moving the shaft 50 inwardly, is further toward the outside of the foldable box 1 than the inside edge 90, which results in the distance between inside edge 90 and shaft 50 is greater than the distance between O- overside of the fixed outer wall portion 18 and shaft 50. This automatically causes the balance of power described above. Since in all embodiments of the invention, the outer wall 6b is held up by elastic deformation of the material and not by friction in the form of a braked shaft or the like, as is usual, can be provided by the embodiments of the invention, a mechanism that without Wear leads to that unfolded outer walls 6b remain automatically in the unfolded state. A further exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13A or 13B, which has a locking mechanism 100 which can be operated in an extremely effortless manner, is extremely smooth and robust, and additionally has an emergency unlocking functionality. which ensures that in case of incorrect operation of the locking mechanism is not destroyed, but automatically opens. FIG. 12 shows a side view of the foldable box shown in FIG. The transverse outer wall 4b shown in the plan view has a spring-biased locking mechanism 100 which has a latching element 100 connected to the outer walls 6a and 6b, or protrusions 22 extending from the longitudinal outer walls 6a and 6b towards the transverse outer wall 4b extend, can lock. As a result, the latching element can be mechanically detachably connected to the projections, so that the longitudinal side walls 6a and 6b and the transverse side wall 4b are mechanically rigidly but detachably connected to one another in order to obtain a stable unfolded box 1.

The latching element will be discussed below with reference to the corner 20 shown in FIG. 12 on which the transverse side wall 4b is latched to the longitudinal side wall 6b. 13A and 13B show a sectional view along the section line 102 of FIG. 12, wherein in FIGS. 13A and 13B only that region 104 in which the latching element is latched to the projection 22 is shown enlarged. FIGS. 13A and 13B show, by way of example, one of several possible embodiments of the latching element 100 and of the projection 22. In the case of already opened longitudinal side walls 6a and 6b, the projection 22 extends in the direction of the transverse outer wall 4b. This leads to the unfolding that the projection 22 limits the folding ability of the transverse outer wall 4b outward and acts as it were as a stop for this. When unfolding, the transverse outer wall 4b will therefore come into contact with the projection 22 in the unfolded position. At the same time, the latching element 100 engages the projection of the outer wall 6b in order to achieve a mechanically detachable, rigid connection between the longitudinal and the transverse outer walls.

In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the projection 22 has an inwardly extending latching hook 106 which is essentially parallel to the longitudinal outer wall 6a and comprises an inwardly directed first contact surface 108 and an outwardly directed second contact surface 110. When unfolding the transverse outer wall 104 in the Aufklapprichtung 113 is the longitudinal outer wall 6b and with it the projection 22 and attached to the projection 22 latching hook 106 in a fixed position. When unfolding, together with the transverse outer wall 4 b with the Transverse locking element 100 is moved relative to the latching hook 106 in the Aufklapprichtung 113 shown in Fig. 13A. In this case, the latching element 100, which also has an inwardly directed first contact surface 112 and an outwardly directed second contact surface 114, comes in contact with the inwardly directed contact surface 108 of the latching hook 106. Due to the inclination of the inwardly directed contact surface 108 of Snap-in latch 106, the locking element 100 is moved in the vertical direction 8 upwards and can engage in a locking position shown in Figures 13A and 13 B in the latching hook 106.

The locking element 100 and the spring-biased locking mechanism are integrally formed in the embodiment described herein and therefore provided with the same reference numerals. The spring bias is achieved in the embodiment of the invention discussed herein by integrally formed with the locking mechanism spring elements 120a and 120b, exerting the spring force on the locking mechanism 100 due to their elasticity and shape. The locking element 100 is in the locked position in the latching nose 106, the longitudinal side walls 6a and 6b and the transverse side wall 4b are mechanically locked together and connected, so that the box has a high stability. The lock can thereby be released in a simple manner by actuating the locking mechanism 100 in a vertical upward direction, due to the shape of the locking mechanism, a handle portion 126 which is disposed below a support opening 128 in a simple manner and even simultaneously can happen with the lifting of the box.

Since the locking and unlocking takes place in the vertical direction 8 and no force has to be absorbed by the connection between the longitudinal outer walls 6a, 6b and the transverse outer wall 4b in this direction, no great force is required for locking and unlocking the mechanism is easy and reliable to operate. According to the embodiments of the present invention, the outwardly directed second contact surface 110 of the latching hook 106 is inclined relative to the vertical direction 8 and / or the inwardly directed first contact surface 112 of the latching element 100 is inclined. In this case, in the embodiments of the present invention, the average inclination of the inwardly directed first contact surface 108 of the latching hook is greater than the average inclination of the second contact surface 110 of the latching hook 106. The fact that the outwardly directed first contact surface 110 of the latching hook 106 relative to the inwardly directed second contact surface 112 of the detent element 100 is inclined, a force component also acts upward on the detent element 100, when a force is exerted on the transverse outer wall 4b from the outside. Thereby, the spring-biased locking mechanism automatically opens without being destroyed when a predetermined force is exceeded. This force can be adjusted as desired by adjusting the relative inclination between the outwardly directed second contact surface 110 of the latching hook 106 and the inwardly directed first contact surface 112 of the latching element 100, taking into account the spring preload. Thereby, in the described embodiments of the present invention, it is avoided that the locking mechanism is destroyed in a faulty operation, although this is designed so that it locks perpendicular to the direction of movement.

When an additional latching hook 106 is attached to the projection 22 in the embodiment described in FIGS. 13A and 13B, alternative embodiments of the present invention may also latch directly to the projection 22 or a suitable opening in the projection 22 itself. It is crucial lent that the projection 22 or an element connected to this and or the latching element 100 in the unfolded state relative to the vertical direction 8 such contact surfaces 110 and 112 have such that the locking mechanism 100 against the spring bias when exceeding a inwardly directed to the quersei- tige outer wall 4b predetermined force opens.

Although each spring-biased locking mechanism 100 and the detent element are integrally formed in the embodiment described in Figure 12, it is of course also possible to make these components in multiple pieces or, for example, perform the locking mechanism separately for each side. Even in these cases, the non-destructive emergency release function can be maintained.

All of the foregoing embodiments have been described in terms of foldable boxes used for transporting vegetables or the like. Of course, foldable boxes according to the invention are not limited to this field of application. Rather, there is also the possibility to accomplish other transport tasks, such as the transport of bottles or the like with similar foldable boxes, in particular, the contour of the bottom mold or the inside outer walls may change to better adapted to the specific task.

Also with regard to the selected materials, all combinations are conceivable. Thus, for example, plastic, metal or wood can be used to produce inventive foldable boxes. Due to the particularly robust embodiment can It also heavy loads are transported safely and reliably, as is the case for example in catering for the transport of crockery or cutlery or the like. Since the use of one of the embodiments described above leads to foldable boxes which are hygienic, easy to clean, extremely stable, compact and easy to fold and extremely easy to handle, there are no limits to the field of application of foldable boxes according to the invention, since these are due to the large number of positive properties suitable for almost any use.

Claims

claims

A foldable box (1) comprising:

a floor (2) having a fixed outer wall area (18) extending upwardly from the floor in a vertical direction (8);

an outer wall (6b) having a shaft (50) arranged in a root area of the outer wall (6b);

a guide hole (54) in the fixed outer wall portion (18) in which the shaft (50) is disposed and which has a lateral opening portion (13) extending inwardly in an essentially lateral direction (12) from an outer side of the fixed outer wall portion (18) (Fig. 54b) in the shaft

(50) is displaceable;

a bearing surface (76) disposed on the fixed outer wall portion (18);

a cam (52) which is arranged in the foot region of the fixed outer wall region (6b) and has a cam contour which is configured in such a way that the cam contour comes into contact with the abutment surface (76) during the erection of the outer wall (6b) Exceeding a critical angle (68) the shaft (50) inwardly in the lateral opening portion (54 b) is moved, so that after exceeding the critical angle (68) by the action of the shaft (50) or the cam (52) has a bottom ( 66) of the outer wall (6b) is pressed with a first contact force against an inner edge region (90) of the fixed outer wall region (18) which is greater than a second contact force with which the underside (66) of the outer wall (6b) in the upright vertical position by the action of the shaft (50) or the cam (52) against an upper surface of the fixed outer wall portion (18) is pressed.

A foldable box (1) according to claim 1, wherein in at least one region (78a) along a horizontal direction (11) perpendicular to the vertical direction, the lateral opening portion (54b) is vertically upward (8) from the material of the stationary one Outside wall portion (18) is limited, so that at a contact angle after the exceeding of the critical angle (68) occurring, in which the underside in contact with the inner edge region (90) is located, the shaft (50) within the lateral opening portion in contact with the material of the fixed outer wall portion (18).

A foldable box (1) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inboard edge portion (90) is formed by one or more fixed protrusions extending laterally inwardly from an upper surface of the fixed outer wall portion (18).

A foldable box (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inner edge portion (90) is formed by an inner edge (90) of the fixed outer wall portion (18).

A foldable box (1) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the shaft (50) is fixed to a foot (66) of the outer wall (6b) via a spacer (64) and is symmetrical with respect to the stand (66) on both sides of the

Spacer extends in a horizontal direction (11).

5. Foldable box (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the guide opening (54) additionally has a substantially in the vertical direction (8) extending opening portion (54a) through which the shaft (50) can be brought out to oben is.

A foldable box (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the guide aperture (54) has a laterally inwardly extending aperture through the material of the fixed outer wall portion (18) through which the spacer (64) is movable.

7. Foldable box (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the shaft (50) in the lateral opening portion (54b) of the guide opening (54) is moved in the direction of the inside up to an end position at which the center of the shaft ( 50) in the lateral direction (12) closer to the outside than the inner edge region (90).

8. Foldable box (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the abutment surface (76) within a further, in the fixed outer wall portion (18) arranged cam opening (56) is arranged, in which the cam (52) is located ,

9. Foldable box (1) according to claim 8, wherein the abutment surface (76) is formed by a laterally outer boundary surface of the cam opening (56).

A foldable box (1) according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the cam opening (56) has an opening portion (56a) extending substantially in the vertical direction (8), through which the cam (52) is extendable upwardly and one in the lateral direction from the laterally outer boundary surface of the cam opening (56) inwardly extending lateral opening portion (56b) has;

A foldable box (1) according to claim 10, wherein the lateral opening portion (56b) is bounded at least at a portion vertically upward (8) by the material of the fixed outer wall portion (18).

12. Foldable box (1) according to claim 11, wherein the cam contour is formed such that the cam (52) when exceeding the critical angle with an inside recess at the region of the lateral opening portion (56 b), at which the lateral opening portion (56 b ) of the cam opening (56) in the vertical direction (8) is limited upward by the material of the fixed outer wall portion (18) engages in the lateral opening portion of the cam opening (56).