GB2033875A - Folding box - Google Patents

Abstract

A folding box 10, which may be a ballot box, comprises a base 11, lid 35 and four side walls 17, 18, 26, 27, one edge of the base 11 being hinged to sidewall 17, as is one edge of the lid 35, and the sidewalls 26 and 27 each comprising a pair of panels 28, 29 connected by hinges 30. The box 10 can be folded to a small volume when not in use to facilitate storage. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Folding box This invention relates to a folding box. It is particu larly directed towards ballot boxes which take up a large volume of storage space and are only used relatively infrequently. A foldable ballot box would substantially reduce the storage problems of the Authorities concerned. However, the invention is equally applicable to transportation and storage boxes in general. It is an object of the invention to provide an improved folding box.

Accordingly the invention provides a folding box having a rectangular base, a rectangular lid, and four rectangular side walls, the base being hinged to the lower edge of one of a first pair of opposed said side walls, and the lid being hinged to the top edge of the one or the other of the first pair of opposed side walls having vertical hinges defining a pair of panels, the box thus being capable of being arranged in a first, use, configuration wherein the components thereof define a parallelepiped, and a second, storage, configuration wherein the base is pivoted to be adjacent the one of said first pair of side walls, both of the other pair of said side walls are folded to have their two panels lying in closely adjacent planes adjacent the base with the other of the first pair of side walls overlying them, and the lid overlying the one or the other of the first pair of side walls, and means for retaining the box in its use configuration.

Preferably the one side wall of the first pair is generally in the form of a tray, having flanges along both vertical edges and along its lower edge, the other side wall of this first pair having flanges along its vertical edges and an upturned lip along its lower edge, and the base being in the form of an inverted tray, having dependent flanges on all four sides, the lower edge of one of said flanges being hinged to the free edge of the lower flange of the one side wall, and the distant edges of the panels of each of the other pair of side walls being hinged to the free edges of the vertical flanges of the one pair of side walls.

Conveniently the other of the first pair of side walls has an edge portion bent inwardly and upwardly to provide a channel for reception of a flange of the base. Each panel of each of the other pair of side walls can be similarly constructed.

The lid can be in the form of an inverted tray having a dependent flange on each edge thereof.

Preferably on one side thereof a secondary flange extends inwards from the one flange and the free end of the secondary flange is hinged to the top edge of the one of the first pair of side walls, which top edge is lower than the tops of the vertical flanges and the tops of the panels of the other pair of side walls.

Conveniently the flange on the opposite side of the lid is hinged and has a slotted hinged tongue depending therefrom, a second, two-part hinged tongue extending upwardly from the free edge of the base (in the use configuration), a U-shaped member carried thereby passing through a slot in the other of the first pair of side walls, and the slot in the tongue depending from the lid.

A padlock can be passed through the U-shaped member to lock the box in its use configuration.

The lid preferably has a slot to connect the box to a ballot box. The components can be of mill steel sheet.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred box of the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional elevation; Figure 3 is a partly cutaway view of the box, on a smaller scale, showing initial folding movement; Figure 4 is a view similar to that of Figure 3 but showing later folding movement; and Figure 5 is a fragmentary view showing a modified form of lid for the box.

A preferred embodiment of box of the invention is a ballot box 10 made of sheet steel. A base 11 of the box comprises a square panel 12 from which flanges 13,14,15,16 depend to make the base similar to an inverted tray. One sidewall 17 of a first pair of side walls 17, 18 is also oftray-likeform dimensioned to allow the base 11 to nest therein. Sidewall 17 has a main panel 19 terminating short of the top of the box 10 (for reasons to be apparent later) inwardly extending vertical flanges 20 and a lower flange 21.

The free edges of flanges 21 and 13 are hinged together at 22. The sidewall 18 has a panel 41 and vertical flanges 24 and its lower edge is bent inwardly and upwardly to form a channel 25 for receiving flange 16 of the base 11 in the use configuration (Figure 1).

The two other opposed side wails 26, 27 are each foldable and comprises a pair of panels 28,29 hinged together at a vertical centre line 30 and at their edges to a respective pair of flanges 20,24 at hinges 23. The lower edge 33 of each panel 28, 29 is bent inwardly and upwardly to form a channel 34 for receiving one offlanges 14and 15 in the use configuration.

A lid 35 of the box 10 is also generally of inverted tray-like configuration comprising a main panel 36 having a posting slot 44, depending fixed flanges 37, 38,39 and a depending hinged flange 40.

A supplementary lower flange 31 (best seen in Figure 2) extends inwardly from flange 37 and is hinged at 32 to panel 19.

For unlocking the box 10 in its use configuration a two part hinged hasp 42 extends upwardly from the base 12 and carries a clip 43 at its upper end and a U-shaped member 45 thereadjacent. A short slotted hasp 46 depends from flange 40 of the lid 35.

Member 45 passes through a slot 50 in panel 41, and the slotted hasp 46. A padlock (not shown) can thus lock the box 10. Clip 43 engages the top edge of panel 41 to hold the box 10 in its use configuration without the padlock.

Avariation of the locking arrangement is shown in Figure 5. A single piece hasp 47 extends upwardly from the base and carries a U-shaped member 48 which passes through slot 30 in panel 41 to secure the box 10 in its use configuration. The hinged flange 40 is replaced by a fixed flange 48 and D-shaped rings 49 are provided to enable the lid to be secured to the body of the box with a tape and wax seal.

The folding of the box 10 is best illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. First the base is pivoted to nest inside side wall 17. Next the pairs of panels 28 and 29 are urged inwardly to fold about hinges 30 to draw sidewall 18 towards side wall 17. This continues until the side walls 17 and 18 sandwich the base 11 and panels 28 and 29 between them. Finally the lid is pivoted anti-clockwise in Figure4to enclose the remainder of the box. In the folded configuration the box 10 occupies only a small volume and greatly reduces the storage space required.

As a variation on the above the slot in the lid can have a closing slide with a ring enabling it to be sealed closed with tape and wax seal to reduce further the possibility of interference with the contents of the box 10 after a ballot and before the count.

Claims (9)

1. Afolding box having a rectangular base, a rectangular lid, and four rectangular side walls, the base being hinged to the lower edge of one of a first pair of opposed said side walls, and the lid being hinged to the top edge of the one or the other of the first pair of side walls, each of the other pair of opposed side walls having vertical hinges defining a pair of panels, the box thus being capable of being arranged in a first, use, configuration wherein the components thereof define a parallelepiped, and a second, storage, configuration wherein the base is pivoted to be adjacent the one of said first pair of side walls, both of the other pair of said side walls are folded to have their two panels lying in closely adjacent planes adjacent the base with the other of the first pair of side walls overlying them, and the lid overlying the one or the other of the first pair of side walls, and means for retaining the box in its use configuration.

2. A box as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one side wall of the first pair is generally in the form of a tray, having flanges along both vertical edges and along its lower edge, the other side wall of this first pair having flanges along its vertical edges and an upturned lip along its lower edge, and the base being in the form of an inverted tray, having dependent flanges on all four sides, the lower edge of one of said flanges being hinged to the free edge of the lower flange of the one side wall, and the distant edges of the panels of each of the other pair of side walls being hinged to the free edges of the vertical flanges of the one pair of side walls.

3. A box as claimed in claim 2, wherein the other side of the first pair of side walls has an edge portion bent inwardly and upwardly to provide a channel for reception of a flange of the base. Each panel of each of the other pair of side walls can be similarly constructed.

4. A box as claimed in claim 1,2 or 3, wherein the lid is in the form of an inverted tray, having dependent flanges on all four sides.

5. A box as claimed in claim 4, wherein on one side of the lid a secondary flange extends inwardly from the one flange and the free end of the secondary flange is hinged to the top edge of the onen of the first pair of side walls which top edge is lower than the tops of the vertical flanges and the tops of the panels of the other pair of side walls.

6. A box as claimed in claim 5, wherein the flange on the opposite side of the lid is hinged and has a slotted hinged tongue depending therefrom, a second, two-part hinged tongue extending upwardly from the free edge of the base (in the use configuration), a U-shaped member carried thereby passing through a slot in the other of the first pair of side walls, and the slot in the tongue sepending from the lid.

7. A box as claimed in any preceding claim and being a ballot box, the lid having a posting slot.

8. A box as claimed in claim 7 wherein a slide is provided enabling the slot to be closed.

9. A folding box substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.