JP7481979B2 - Cooler Box - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cooler box.

One example of a cooler box used to store fish and the like is described in Patent Document 1. This cooler box (called a "cooler box" in Patent Document 1) has a box body and a lid for opening and closing.

JP 2019-80532 A

As noted as an issue in Patent Document 1, if the lid is in the open state and an additional force (overload) is mistakenly applied to the lid in the opening direction, the lid itself or the hinge portion may be damaged. To address this issue, the invention described in Patent Document 1 provides the box body with a stopper that prevents the lid from rotating beyond the open state.

If the user could be made aware that an external force was being applied to the lid that was opening it further from the specified open position, they could take action to release the external force before the lid was damaged. However, while the invention described in Patent Document 1 can prevent the lid from being opened to an extent that would damage each part, it does not take into consideration the perspective of making the user aware that the lid is being subjected to the external force.

The present invention aims to provide a cooler box that can alert the user when an external force is being applied to the lid, causing it to open further than the specified open position.

The present invention is a cooler box comprising a main body having an opening capable of storing items therein, and a lid that rotates relative to the main body to open and close the opening, the lid comprising a lid body and a cover separate from the lid body and connected to the lid body, the cover having a part of a hinge mechanism for rotating the lid relative to the main body, an intermediate body separate from both the lid body and the cover body being interposed between the lid body and the cover, and the intermediate body being displaced from the predetermined interposition position relative to at least one of the lid body or the cover when the lid is subjected to an external force that opens the lid further from a predetermined open position.

With this configuration, if the intervening body becomes misaligned, it will emit a sound or become detached from the lid body and the cover portion, alerting the user to the abnormality.

The end surface of one of the lid body or the cover portion facing the other is an engagement surface, and the intermediate body can have an engagement portion that is positioned relative to the one by engaging with the engagement surface.

With this configuration, when an intervening body is interposed between the lid body and the cover part, the engagement part engages with the engagement surface, so the intervening body is kept in a stable state.

The intermediate body can have a slope that, when the lid body moves relative to the cover part in a state in which the lid part is subjected to an external force that causes the lid part to be further released from the predetermined open position, hits a part of the lid body, thereby converting a part of the force of the movement into a force that inhibits the intermediate body from rotating due to the positional deviation.

This configuration prevents the intervening body from coming off from its position between the lid body and the cover in a short period of time.

According to the present invention, the engaging body becomes displaced, making a sound or coming off the lid body and the cover portion, thereby alerting the user to an abnormality. This makes it possible for the user to be aware that the lid is overloaded.

1 is a perspective view of a cooler box according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a lid portion is in a predetermined open position. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main portion of the cooler box, showing a lid body, a cover portion, and a part of a hinge mechanism, the encircled portion of FIG. 1 . FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an interposer provided in the cooler box. 13 is an enlarged perspective view of a main portion of the cooler box, showing how an interposer is inserted between the lid body and the cover portion. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main portion of the cooler box, showing the relationship between the lid body, the cover portion, and the intermediate body. FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view of a main portion of a cooler box according to another embodiment of the present invention, showing how an interposer is inserted between the lid body and the cover portion. FIG.

Next, one embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1 shows the cooler box 1 of this embodiment with the lid 3 in the open position.

The cooler box 1 of this embodiment, like the conventional cooler box, comprises a main body 2 having an opening 21 that opens upward and can store items inside, and a lid 3 that moves relative to the main body 2 to open and close the opening 21. Although not all parts are shown, a locking device for holding the lid 3 in a closed state is provided across the main body 2 and the lid 3. The cooler box 1 is approximately rectangular in plan view. The lid 3 of this embodiment is "double-opening," and the movement of the lid 3 relative to the main body 2 can be such that, for example, one of the two parallel long sides in the plan view shape (the long side at the top right or the long side at the bottom left shown in FIG. 1) functions as a hinge, and the lid 3 is lifted on the other long side and rotates. This movement allows the lid 3 to be in a closed state or an open state.

The main body 2 includes a fixed shaft 22 shown in FIG. 2. The fixed shaft 22 is fixedly provided to the main body 2. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the fixed shafts 22 are provided along each of the two long sides of the opening 21 of the main body 2. Two fixed shafts 22 are provided on each long side, symmetrically with respect to the center in the longitudinal direction.

The lid 3 includes a lid body 31 that occupies most of the lid 3, and a cover portion 32 that is separate from the lid body 31 and connected to both ends of the lid body 31 in the width direction. The two are connected by fitting and screwing. However, the method of connecting the two is not particularly limited, and may be fitting (single), screwing (single), adhesive, or metal fitting. The lid 3 includes a lever (not shown) operated by the user, and a locking member 33 that engages with the fixed shaft 22 in conjunction with the operation of the lever (see FIG. 2). The locking member 33 has a claw portion 331 at its tip, which engages with the fixed shaft 22. The locking member 33 cooperates with the fixed shaft 22 to hold the lid 3 in a closed state. In other words, the locking member 33 and the fixed shaft 22 are part of the locking device. The cover portion 32 is provided to cover the locking device. The fixed shaft 22 and the locking member 33 in the engaged state also function as a hinge mechanism that rotates the lid 3 relative to the main body 2. The portion where the main body 2 and the lid 3 are connected as shown in FIG. 1 functions as a hinge mechanism. The locking member 33 is provided on the cover 32. In other words, the cover 32 has part of the hinge mechanism for rotating the lid 3 relative to the main body.

The lid body 31 and the cover part 32 are not integrated except at the connection part, so when the lid body 31 is subjected to an external force, the lid body 31 and the cover part 32 behave differently. Specifically, when a force in a direction to open the lid part 3 (such a force is called "overload" in the description of this embodiment) is applied to the lid part 3 from the open state, that is, the state in which the lid part 3 is in a predetermined open position, which is normally fully open, the lid body 31 and the cover part 32 are separate bodies and are not integrated except at the connection part, so the rotation angle of the lid body 31, which is relatively far from the hinge mechanism, with respect to the main body part 2 becomes larger than the rotation angle of the cover part 32, which is relatively close to the hinge mechanism. In other words, the lid body 31 and the cover part 32, which were aligned in a straight line, change to an approximately V-shaped arrangement. Therefore, the gap between the lid body 31 and the cover part 32 becomes larger when an overload is applied.

Between the lid body 31 and the cover part 32, there is an intervening body 4. The intervening body 4 is separate from both the lid body 31 and the cover part 32. The intervening body 4 has a shape as shown in FIG. 3, for example. In the cooler box 1 of this embodiment, two intervening bodies 4 are attached to each long side of the main body part 2. The two intervening bodies 4 each have a symmetrical shape (opposite sides). The intervening body 4 is made of resin (POM resin in this embodiment) and is solid (although it can also be hollow). The intervening body 4 mainly has a main body 41, an engagement part 42, and a slope 43.

The main body 41 is a columnar part, and when placed on the lid 3, the longitudinal direction is along the thickness direction of the lid 3. The engagement part 42 is a deformed pyramidal protrusion protruding to the side of the main body 41. In this embodiment, the upper surface (the surface on the inner side of the lid 3) shown in FIG. 3 is flat, and the lower surface is inclined. When placed on the lid 3 as shown in FIG. 5, this upper surface abuts against the inner surface of the recess 3211 in the cover part 32. The inclined surface 43 is a surface formed on the side of the main body 41, and is a surface different from the surface on which the engagement part 42 is formed in the main body 41 (the surface adjacent to the main body 41 in this embodiment). When placed on the lid 3 as shown in FIG. 5, it is a surface inclined with respect to the inner and outer directions (the vertical direction in the figure) of the lid 3 in a plan view. In this embodiment, it is a flat surface (although it may be a curved surface).

The interposer 4 is disposed at a predetermined interposer position A, which is a position where there is a gap between the lid body 31 and the cover part 32. In this embodiment, the interposer 4 is inserted from left to right in FIG. 2. Also, FIG. 4 shows the flat side (the outer surface side of the cooler box 1) and the bottom side (the inner surface side of the cooler box 1) of the lid part 3 in reverse, but the interposer 4 is inserted from top to bottom in FIG. 4 (see the arrow in FIG. 4). This insertion places the interposer 4 at the predetermined interposer position A (however, in FIG. 4, the main body part of the cover part 32 that is connected to the lid body 31 is not shown). Note that the interposer 4 may be disposed at the predetermined interposer position A before or simultaneously with the assembly of the lid body 31 and the cover part 32, and the method of disposing the interposer 4 is not limited to insertion.

Figure 5 shows the positional relationship between the lid body 31, the cover part 32, and the interpositional body 4 in a cross-sectional view when placed at a predetermined interposition position A. Here, the end face of the cover part 32 facing the lid body 31 is the engagement surface 321. Correspondingly, the interpositional body 4 has an engagement part 42 that is positioned relative to the lid body 31 by engaging with the engagement surface 321 of the cover part 32.

The engagement surface 321 is formed with a recess 3211 that opens toward the lid body 31. This recess 3211 is a portion of the engagement surface 321 that is partitioned by a rib. The engagement portion 42 of the intervening body 4 is a protrusion that protrudes from the body 41. As shown in FIG. 5, the engagement portion 42 of the intervening body 4 arranged at a predetermined intervening position A fits into the recess 3211 of the engagement surface 321. Therefore, when the intervening body 4 is interposed between the lid body 31 and the cover portion 32, the engagement portion 42 engages with the engagement surface 321, so that the intervening state of the intervening body 4 is stabilized.

When the interposition body 4 receives an external force that causes the lid portion 3 to be further opened from the predetermined open position, the interposition body 4 shifts in position from the predetermined interposition position A relative to at least one of the lid body 31 and the cover portion 32. This position shift is described below.

As the lid body 31 moves relative to the cover part 32, the gap between the cover part 32 and the lid body 31 gradually widens at the predetermined interposition position A. As a result, the interposition body 4 rotates around its axis. The rotation direction at the position in Figure 5 is counterclockwise as shown. As this rotation continues, the engagement portion 42 of the interposition body 4 disengages from the recess 3211 of the cover part 32, and the interposition body 4 moves out of the predetermined interposition position A.

When the interpositional body 4 is displaced in this way, first a sound is generated (auditory notification). Next, the interpositional body 4 comes off from the lid main body 31 and the cover part 32 (visual notification). In this way, the user can be notified of an abnormality (for example, an overload is applied to the lid part 3). In particular, in this embodiment, a two-stage notification is performed, which doubles the opportunity for the user to sense the abnormality. In addition to the auditory and visual notifications, a tactile notification may be given to the user by transmitting vibrations or the like associated with the displacement of the interpositional body 4. This tactile notification may be, for example, a feeling of resistance in the user's hand as the load applied when the user presses the lid part 3 increases due to the interpositional body 4 being displaced by receiving the load when the user presses the lid part 3 until the lid main body 31 is significantly deformed relative to the cover part 32.

The inclined surface 43 of the intermediate body 4 in this embodiment prevents the intermediate body 4 itself from rotating when it is displaced. When the lid body 31 moves relative to the cover part 32 (in the direction of the arrow 31M shown in FIG. 5) in a state in which the lid part 3 is subjected to an external force that further opens the lid part 3 from the predetermined open position, the inclined surface 43 comes into contact with the rib 311, which is a part of the lid body 31. The rib 311 is a plate-shaped part formed to extend in the thickness direction of the lid part 3. Here, if the rib 311 did not exist, the intermediate body 4 would rotate immediately when the lid body 31 moves relative to the cover part 32 as described above. This rotation causes the engagement part 42 of the intermediate body 4 to come out of the recess 3211 of the cover part 32, and the intermediate body 4 comes out of the predetermined intermediate position A in a short time after the lid body 31 starts to move.

On the other hand, when the rib 311 is present, part of the force of the movement of the lid body 31 relative to the cover part 32 is converted into a force that suppresses the rotation of the interposer 4 due to the misalignment as a component force starting from the abutment point 311P, as the abutment point 311P, which is the corner of the rib 311, hits the slope 43. In this way, by having the slope 43 on the interposer 4, the disengagement of the engagement part 42 of the interposer 4 from the recess 3211 of the cover part 32 is delayed, and the interposer 4 is held at the predetermined interposer position A for a certain period of time, and thus it is possible to suppress the interposer 4 from disengaging from this position in a short period of time.

That is, when an overload is applied to the lid body 31 in the opening direction, the lid body 31 moves away from the cover part 32 (downward in FIG. 5). When the lid body 31 moves, the rib 311, which is a part of the lid body 31, also moves. The interposer 4 is pressed by the moving rib 311 at the abutment point 311P, but since the engagement part 42 of the interposer 4 abuts against the inner surface of the recess 3211, the interposer 4 remains at the predetermined interposer position A until the lid body 31 moves to a certain extent. When the interposer 4 continues to be pressed by the rib 311, the interposer 4 finally starts to rotate, and finally the interposer 4 moves out of the predetermined interposer position A. The time that the interposer 4 remains at the predetermined interposer position A can be adjusted by setting the angle of the inclined surface 43 relative to the body 41 or the distance between the inclined surface 43 and the rib 311.

By the way, by providing the rib 311 on the lid body 31, as shown in FIG. 5, the gap between the lid body 31 and the cover part 32 is filled by the interposition body 4. Therefore, the lid body 31 and the cover part 32, which are separate bodies, are integrated by the interposition body 4, which is a kind of "filler."

The interposer 4 is reusable, and even if it comes off the lid body 31 and the cover portion 32, the user can insert it back into the specified interposer position A to make it function again. In the cooler box 1 of this embodiment, the space at the specified interposer position A is a space that was formed before the interposer 4 was introduced. Therefore, the cooler box 1 itself can be used even if the interposer 4 is not inserted.

As described above, according to the cooler box 1 of this embodiment, the interposition body 4 is shifted at the predetermined interposition position A, and the user can be notified of an abnormality by an auditory, visual, and/or tactile alert. This makes it possible for the user to be aware that the lid is overloaded, and encourages the user to take action to deal with the situation. This prevents the lid portion 3 from being damaged, for example by the occurrence of cracks in the lid portion 3.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, the lid 3 in the above embodiment is a "double-hinged" type, but the lid 3 can also be a "single-hinged" type by providing a hinge that cannot be separated from the main body 2 on one of the two parallel long sides in the plan view of the lid 3.

In addition, the locking device in the above embodiment has a fixed shaft 22 provided on the main body 2 and a locking member 33 provided on the lid 3, but the main body 2 may have the locking member and the lid 3 may have the fixed shaft.

In the above embodiment, the hinge mechanism is composed of the locking member 33 having the claw portion 331 and the fixed shaft 22. However, the shape of each part of the hinge mechanism is not limited to that of the above embodiment, and can be modified in various ways.

In the above embodiment, the end surface of the cover portion 32 facing the lid body 31 is the engagement surface 321. However, the engagement surface 321 is not limited to this, and it is sufficient that the end surface of either the lid body 31 or the cover portion 32 facing the other is the engagement surface 321.

In the above embodiment, a recess 3211 is formed on the engagement surface 321 of the cover portion 32, and the engagement portion of the interposer 4 is a protrusion that engages with the recess. However, the cover portion 32 and the interposer 4 can be engaged in various ways. Even if the engagement is a concave-convex engagement, the concave-convex relationship between the engagement surface 321 and the interposer 4 may be the opposite of that in the above embodiment, and the engagement may be such that the steps come into contact, and the concave-convex shapes may also be various.

Also, as shown in FIG. 6 (which shows a portion equivalent to that shown in FIG. 4), a removal prevention portion 44 can be formed on the interposer 4. This removal prevention portion 44 is the rib 311 formed on the lid body 31 in the above embodiment, and is a portion with an L-shaped cross section that is arranged so as to wrap around the space on the opposite side of the interposer 4 according to the above embodiment. By forming the removal prevention portion 44 in this manner, even if the interposer 4 is misaligned, the interposer 4 will not come off from the predetermined interposer position A. Therefore, for example, the interposer 4 will not come off on a boat or on a shore, and the interposer 4 will not be lost.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Cooler box 2 Main body 21 Opening 22 Fixed shaft 3 Lid 31 Lid main body 311 Part of the lid main body, rib 32 Cover 321 Engagement surface 3211 Recess 33 Lock member 4 Interposition body 41 Main body 42 Engagement portion 43 Slope A Interposition position

Claims (3)

The container has a main body having an opening and capable of storing an item therein, and a lid that rotates relative to the main body to open and close the opening.
The lid portion includes a lid body and a cover portion that is separate from the lid body and connected to the lid body,
the cover portion has a part of a hinge mechanism for rotating the lid portion relative to the main body portion,
an intermediate body that is separate from both the lid body and the cover portion is interposed between the lid body and the cover portion,
In a cooler box, when an external force is applied to the lid portion such that the lid portion is further opened from the predetermined open position, the intervening body becomes displaced as a whole relative to at least one of the lid body or the cover portion from the predetermined intervening position. One of the lid body and the cover portion has an end surface facing the other, the end surface being an engagement surface,
The cooler box according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate body has an engagement portion that is positioned relative to the one of the engagement surfaces by engaging with the engagement surface. The cooler box according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the intermediate body has a slope that, when the lid body moves relative to the cover part in a state in which the lid part is subjected to an external force that further releases the lid part from the predetermined open position, comes into contact with a part of the lid body, thereby converting a part of the force of the movement into a force that inhibits the intermediate body from rotating due to the positional deviation.