JP2010189032A - Case - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a case that ensures balance between low cost and rigidity and effectively protects products even in case it falls. <P>SOLUTION: Case bodies 100 and case lids 200 with no flange portions at their corners are stacked while holding long lenses LS for laser beam printers in them. They are next accommodated in a plastic bag PB and further in corrugated board box BB. This box BB was subjected to a dropping test in the same manner. The test found that there were no damage to the case bodies 100 and case lids 200. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a case for storing a product, and more particularly to a case for holding and storing a product such as an optical element.

  For example, components such as optical elements are often manufactured in a component manufacturing process, then transported to another location, and assembled into a final product in a finished product process. Therefore, a case for storing and protecting the parts is required when the parts are transported or stored from the parts manufacturing process to the finished product manufacturing process. Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose cases for storing cartridges as products.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-197074 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-197081

  The storage case shown in Patent Document 1 has a flat end at the flat end of the flange of the case body, and its rigidity is relatively low. Therefore, if the case is dropped with the cartridge stored, the flange is very easily deformed and damaged. As a result, the projections and depressions are disengaged and the cartridge may jump out of the storage space. In order to prevent this, when the upper and lower cases are overlapped, the step bend formed on the peripheral edge tip of either the upper case or the lower case covers the other peripheral tip of the upper case or the lower case, The rigidity of the case periphery is increased.

  Since the storage case shown in Patent Document 2 is designed to maintain strength in a horizontal state, there is no problem when the cardboard box containing the storage case is placed horizontally on a table surface or a floor surface. However, it is weak against a drop in a direction parallel to the flange surface of the storage case, and in that case, the leading end portion, the base portion, and the flange as the shock absorbing portion of the storage case may be seriously damaged. In order to prevent this, a convex rectangular frame portion is provided on the top and bottom sides of the upper case and the lower case, and a shock-proof corrugated cardboard pad is formed with a hole to be fitted into the rectangular frame portion. The upper and lower sides are sandwiched so as to fit together and stored horizontally in a cardboard box. The cushioning cardboard pad is formed in a shape substantially equal to the inner periphery of the cardboard box. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to avoid damage to the lower part of the storage case on the dropping surface side when the storage case falls in a direction parallel to the flange surface.

  However, in the storage case of Patent Document 1, since the step bent portion is formed at the flange peripheral end, the projected area of the storage case increases, resulting in an increase in the cost of the storage case. Further, since the projected area of the storage case increases, the cardboard box to be used becomes large, which increases the cost of materials and transportation costs. On the other hand, in the storage case of Patent Document 2, a shock-proof cardboard pad is required only for avoiding the drop-side lower part damage, thereby increasing the cost.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a case that can secure the balance of rigidity and can effectively protect a product even when dropped, while being low in cost. Another object of the present invention is to avoid deformation and breakage of the flange portion when the case is dropped by improving the corner shape of the flange portion of the case.

The case according to claim 1 is a case that has three or more side walls and a holding surface that holds a product, and is integrally formed from a sheet-like material,
The end portions of the adjacent side walls are joined to each other to form a corner portion,
A flange portion extends from an edge opposite to the edge of the side wall to which the holding surface is connected, in a direction intersecting the side wall and away from the holding surface,
The flange portion formed on one of the side walls where the end portions are joined to each other and the flange portion formed on the other side of the side wall are interrupted at at least one place within the range of the corner portion. Features.

  First, the example which forms a flange part in the perimeter of a case is demonstrated. If the thickness of the case is substantially constant, the rigidity of the corner is generally higher than the rigidity of the side wall. Accordingly, when an impact force is transmitted through the flange portion, such as when a case containing a relatively heavy product is dropped, the side wall that has received the impact force can bend to some extent. It is possible to reduce the stress concentration and prevent the breakage. On the other hand, when the corner is subjected to an impact force, the corner is stiff and difficult to deform, so stress concentration occurs at the boundary between the flange and the corner, resulting in damage or tearing. May occur.

  On the other hand, according to the present invention, the flange portion formed on one of the side walls joined end to end and the flange portion formed on the other side of the side wall are within the range of the corner portion. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of stress concentration at the boundary between the flange portion and the corner portion, and to prevent the occurrence of breakage or tearing. The most effective is that the flange portion is not provided at the corner portion. Further, when the projected area of the case is thereby reduced and the case is stored in a cardboard box or the like, the cardboard box can be reduced in size and no additional packing material (such as a buffer cardboard pad) is required. In addition, the cost can be reduced and resources can be used effectively.

  When the case according to claim 2 is viewed in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the flange portion in the invention according to claim 1, the outer periphery of the flange portion is in contact with the root of the corner portion. It is characterized by. Thereby, the above-mentioned effect can be more effectively exhibited.

  When the case according to claim 3 is viewed in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the flange portion in the invention according to claim 2, the outer periphery of each flange portion is a straight portion parallel to the side wall, and The transition portion of the flange portion is formed by a straight line or an arc in contact with the base of the corner portion. As a result, the above-described effects can be more effectively exhibited, and the shape of the mold for molding the case can be simplified.

  The case according to claim 4 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 3, the width of the flange portion in the parallel straight portion is 4 to 6 mm. The functions required for the flange portion are to reinforce the side wall and to give a finger hook to an operator when gripping the case. By providing the flange portion, the outer shape of the case is maintained, and workability when gripping the case is improved. According to the examination result of the present inventors, when the flange portion is provided on the entire circumference of the side wall and the width thereof is 10 mm, the flange portion is damaged on the entire circumference by a drop impact in four directions parallel to the surface of the flange portion. There was found. On the other hand, when the width of the flange portion on the entire circumference was 5 mm, the damage was small, but the damage could not be completely eliminated. On the other hand, when the flange portion in the range of the corner portion was deleted and the width of the flange portion in the parallel portion was 5 mm, the damage could be eliminated. Since the width of the flange portion that is not damaged depends on the size, shape, total weight, material, etc. of the case, the width of the flange portion is generally preferably 4 to 6 mm, but the width of the flange is narrowed within a range that does not hinder workability. It is good.

  The case according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the outer peripheral surface of the corner is a curved surface having a minimum radius of 5 mm or more. As a result, stress concentration on the corner can be relaxed. However, the corners may be formed from planes that intersect with each other with respect to a pair of the side walls to which end portions are joined.

  The case according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sheet-like material has a thickness of 0.7 to 1.2 mm. It is preferable that the thickness of the sheet-like material is 1 mm because the material is easily available.

  The case according to claim 7 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sheet material is A-PET (amorphous polyethylene terephthalate sheet). A-PET is preferable because it has sufficient strength, but other materials can be used.

  The case according to claim 8 is characterized in that, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 7, a plurality of cases can be stacked on each other, and a fitting amount when stacked is 8 mm or more. To do. If the amount of fitting is small, when the cardboard boxes containing the stacked cases are dropped, the stacked cases may collapse in the cardboard boxes due to the impact, which may cause further damage. Further, since the processing tolerance of the corrugated cardboard box is generally ± 3 mm, it is preferable to secure a fitting amount of 8 mm or more in consideration of the maximum difference of 6 mm from the stacked cases. In addition, since it will become easy to catch when the amount of fittings exceeds 10 mm at the time of decomposition | disassembly of the stacked case, the smaller one is preferable.

  The case according to claim 9 is the invention according to claim 8, wherein the cases are stacked and stored in a plastic bag.

  The case according to claim 10 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 8, the cases are stacked and stored in a cardboard box in a state of being put in a plastic bag. By storing in the plastic bag, there is an advantage that the stacked cases can be easily stored in the cardboard box and taken out from the cardboard box, and further, it is possible to check the case stacking condition from the outside of the plastic bag. There is also. It is preferable that there is no backlash between the cardboard box and the case in order to avoid a secondary impact at the time of dropping, and the plastic bag is interposed between the cardboard box and the case. Can also be eliminated.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a case according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a top view of the case body 100 (a view seen in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the flange portion), and FIG. It is a figure which expands and shows the arrow III part of the case main body 100 of this. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the case body 100 and the case lid 200, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the case body 100 'and the case lid 200' according to the comparative example. The case main body 100 and the case 200 have a function of storing a plurality of long lenses LS for laser beam printers as products.

  1 and 2, the case main body 100 is integrally formed from an A-PET sheet having a thickness of 1 mm, and has a rectangular shape connected to four side walls 101 to 104 and upper edges of the side walls 101 to 104. The upper wall 105 has flange portions 111 to 114 that intersect with the side walls 101 to 104 and extend from the respective lower edges to the opposite side (outward) of the upper wall 105.

  The side walls 101 to 104 are inclined inward as they go upward, and the end portions of the adjacent side walls of the side walls 101 to 104 are joined together to form curved corners 101a to 104a. .

  In FIG. 2, the upper wall 105 has a flat rectangular frame portion 105a whose outer periphery is in contact with the upper edges of the side walls 101 to 104, and a shallow dish-shaped holding surface 105b that is recessed from the rectangular frame portion 105a. In the holding surface 105b, three straight support portions 105c are formed so as to protrude downward from the bottom surface, and these are portions that contact the upper surface of the case lid 200 when the case is stacked. An intermittent support portion 105d that intermittently supports the lower surface of the long lens LS for a laser beam printer is formed in the holding surface 105b so as to raise the bottom surface of the holding surface 105b. In FIG. 2, a holding portion 105e for holding the end of each long lens LS for a laser beam printer is formed in the vicinity of the upper and lower rectangular frame portions 105a. In FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the intermittent support part 105d and the holding part 105e are omitted.

  In FIG. 2, the outer periphery of each flange part 111-114 is a straight part (it is also called a parallel part) 111a-114a parallel to the side walls 101-104, and the transition which approaches the side walls 101-104 from the both ends of the straight parts 111a-114a. It consists of parts 111b-114b. The width of the flange portions 111 to 114 in the straight portion is 5 mm (FIG. 1).

  In FIG. 3, the outer periphery of the corner 101a where the orthogonal side walls 101, 102 intersect is a curved surface having a radius R1. The range of the curved surface is referred to as the range of the corner portion 101a. The minimum radius of the radius R1 on the outer peripheral surface of the corner portion 101a is 5 mm or more. On the other hand, the transition portions 111b and 112b, which are a part of the outer periphery of the flange portions 111 and 112, are not continuous in the range of the corner portion 101a, that is, are interrupted. Furthermore, the transition portions 111b and 112b have an arc shape with a radius R2 in contact with the root of the corner portion 101a (the lower end of the corner portion 101a), and here R2> R1. In addition, you may delete all the transition parts 111b and 112b in the range of the corner | angular part 101a. The remaining three corners 102a to 104a have the same configuration.

  The case lid 200 has the same configuration as the case main body 100 except that the case lid 200 does not have the intermittent support portion 105d and the holding portion 105e. To do. Here, the case body 100 and the case lid 200 are both handled as cases.

  Each case body 100 is covered with a case lid 200 in a state where a plurality of long lenses LS for a laser beam printer are held on the holding surface 105b, and the inclined side walls come into close contact with each other, and the cross section of FIG. Stacked as shown. At this time, the fitting amount between the upper case body 100 and the case lid 200 and the lower case body 100 and the case lid 200 is 8 mm. Such a fitting amount is determined by the contact between the lower surface of the upper case body 100 and the lower case lid 200. Further, the stacked case body 100 and case lid 200 are accommodated in a plastic bag PB as shown in FIG. Since the flange portion is not formed at the corner portion as described above, when the plastic bag PB has a rectangular cross section that approximates the shape of the case body 100 and the case lid 200, the corner portion of the case body 100 and the case lid 200, Since there are gaps between the four corners of the plastic bag PB, air (A) can easily enter through the gaps when the case main body 100 and the case lid 200 are put in and out, thereby improving handling.

  The plastic bag PB storing the case main body 100 and the case lid 200 is further stored in the cardboard box BB as shown in FIG. 8, and the lid of the cardboard box BB is closed and sealed as shown in FIG. It is stored without play and is transported from the manufacturing process of the long lens LS for the laser beam printer to the manufacturing process of the laser beam printer. The weight of the sealed cardboard box BB is approximately 8 to 9 kg.

  According to the examination result of the present inventor, as shown in FIG. 5, the case main body 100 ′ and the case lid 200 ′ according to the comparative example having the same configuration as the above-described embodiment except that the flange portion is formed on the entire circumference. Are stacked while holding the long lens LS for a laser beam printer, stored in a plastic bag PB, further stored in a cardboard box BB, and subjected to a drop test. 5, it was confirmed that damage occurred at the position of arrow C). On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the case body 100 and the case lid 200 from which the flange portion is removed at the corner are stacked in a state where the long lens LS for laser beam printer is held, and stored in the poly bag PB. Then, when it was further housed in a cardboard box BB and subjected to a drop test in the same manner, it was confirmed that the case body 100 and the case lid 200 were not damaged.

  FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 3 of 100 according to the modification. In this modification, the transition portions 111b and 112b of the flange portions 111 and 112 are formed in a straight line shape in contact with the root of the corner portion 101a. The transition portions 111b and 112b may be formed on the same straight line. Since other configurations are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. The corner portion 101a may not be a curved surface, but may be a plane that the transition portions 111b and 112b are in contact with.

  FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 3 of 100 according to the modification. In this modification, a semicircular tongue portion 111c is provided in the vicinity of the boundary between the transition portions 111b and 112b of the flange portions 111 and 112 in contact with the base of the corner portion 101a. Since other configurations are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the flange part in contact with the corner part may be made as thin as possible, and the rigidity may be made lower than other flange parts.

  The present invention can be applied to a case for storing various products, but is particularly suitable for storing optical elements that are relatively heavy and that are desired to suppress damage.

It is a perspective view of the case which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a top view of the case body 100 (a view seen in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the flange portion). It is a figure which expands and shows the arrow III part of the case main body 100 of FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a case body 100 and a case lid 200. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows case main body 100 'and case lid 200' concerning a comparative example. It is a perspective view shown in the state where case body 100 and case lid 200 which were piled up were stored in plastic bag PB. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the structure of FIG. 6 by the vertical surface containing a VII-VII line. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a plastic bag PB containing a case body 100 and a case lid 200 is housed in a cardboard box BB. It is a perspective view shown in the state where the case body 100 and the case lid 200 were housed in the cardboard box BB and the seal was closed. It is a figure similar to FIG. 3 of 100 concerning a modification. It is a figure similar to FIG. 3 of 100 concerning a modification.

100 Case body 101-104 Side wall 102a-104a Corner part 105 Upper wall 105a Rectangular frame part 105b Holding surface 105c Straight support part 105d Intermittent support part 105e Holding part 111-114 Flange part 111a-114a Straight part 111b-114b Transition part 111c Tongue 200 Case cover BB Corrugated cardboard box LS Laser beam printer long lens PB Poly bag

Claims (10)

A case having three or more side walls and a holding surface for holding a product, and formed integrally from a sheet-like material,
The end portions of the adjacent side walls are joined to each other to form a corner portion,
A flange portion extends from an edge opposite to the edge of the side wall to which the holding surface is connected, in a direction intersecting the side wall and away from the holding surface,
The flange portion formed on one of the side walls where the end portions are joined to each other and the flange portion formed on the other side of the side wall are interrupted at at least one place within the range of the corner portion. Feature case.   2. The case according to claim 1, wherein an outer periphery of the flange portion is in contact with a base of the corner portion when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the flange portion.   When viewed in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the flange portion, the outer periphery of each flange portion is composed of a straight portion parallel to the side wall and a transition portion approaching the side wall from the end of the straight portion, and the flange The case according to claim 2, wherein the transition part of the part is formed by a straight line or a circular arc in contact with the base of the corner part.   The case according to claim 3, wherein a width of the flange portion in the parallel straight portion is 4 to 6 mm.   The outer peripheral surface of the said corner | angular part is a curved surface whose minimum radius is 5 mm or more, The case in any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The case according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sheet-like material has a thickness of 0.7 to 1.2 mm.   The case according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sheet-like material is A-PET.   The case according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a plurality of cases can be stacked on each other, and a fitting amount when stacked is 8 mm or more.   The case according to claim 8, wherein the case is stacked and stored in a plastic bag.   The case according to claim 8, wherein the case is stacked and stored in a cardboard box in a plastic bag.