JP7485889B2 - container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to containers such as prefabricated containers.

Patent document 1 discloses a prefabricated container made of plastic panels.

JP 2001-180670 A

In Patent Document 1, the upper wall of the container is configured with a pair of lids. With this configuration, there is a risk that the pair of lids may open unexpectedly.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and provides a container that can prevent a pair of upper walls from opening unexpectedly.

According to the present invention, there is provided a container comprising first and second side walls facing each other, a third side wall provided therebetween, first and second top walls, and a locking member, the first and second side walls facing each other, the first and second top walls being configured to be rotatable relative to the first and second side walls, respectively, and the locking member comprising a fixing portion fixed to the third side wall and an engaging portion engaged with at least one of the first and second top walls to prevent the first and second top walls from opening.

In the container of the present invention, the first and second upper walls are prevented from opening by engaging the engagement portion of the locking member with at least one of the first and second upper walls. Therefore, according to the present invention, the pair of upper walls are prevented from opening unexpectedly.

Various embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The embodiments described below can be combined with each other.
Preferably, in the container described above, the first and second upper walls each have a convex portion protruding toward the locking member, the engagement portion has an opening, and when the convex portions of the first and second upper walls are inserted into the opening, the engagement portion engages with the first and second upper walls to prevent the first and second upper walls from opening.
Preferably, the container is as described above, wherein the first and second upper walls have an overlapping portion where they overlap each other, and at the overlapping portion, the first upper wall is positioned above the second upper wall, and the first upper wall has a convex portion that protrudes toward the locking member, and when the convex portion of the first upper wall is inserted into the opening, the engaging portion engages with the first upper wall, preventing the first and second upper walls from opening.
Preferably, in the container described above, an upper end of the engagement portion is provided with an inclined portion inclined away from the first and second upper walls.
Preferably, in the container described above, the locking member includes a hinge portion, and the engagement portion at the hinge portion is bendable relative to the fixed portion.
Preferably, in the container described above, the hinge portion is formed of an elastomer.
Preferably, in the container described above, the locking member has a connecting portion that connects the fixing portion and the engagement portion, and the hinge portion is formed so as to cover the connecting portion with the elastomer.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line indicated by the arrow X in FIG. 1 (the upper hinge member 8 and the lower hinge member 7 are shown in a left side view). 3A is an enlarged view of region B in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view showing upper walls 5 and 6 of FIG. 3A separated from each other. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of an area A in FIG. 5 shows a state in which the lock member 12 has been separated from the short side wall 4 from the state shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the central plane in the front-rear direction of the locking member 12 in the state shown in FIG. 4 . 12 is a perspective view of a base member 12f used in manufacturing the lock member 12. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the upper walls 5, 6 are unlocked from the state shown in FIG. 4 by the locking member 12. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the container 1 of FIG. 1 with its upper walls 5 and 6 open. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which the short side wall 4 has been turned over from the state shown in FIG. 10 . FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a state in which the long side wall 3 has been turned over from the state shown in FIG. 11 . 10 is a perspective view showing a process of attaching a short side wall 4 to a bottom member 2. FIG. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the area C in FIG. 13, seen from a different angle. FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of region D in FIG. 13 . 10 is a perspective view showing a process of attaching the long side wall 3 to the bottom member 2. FIG. 17A is an enlarged view of region E in FIG. 16, and FIG. 17B is an exploded view of FIG. 17A. 18A and 18B are cross-sectional views of the same section as FIG. 2 for the states of FIGS. 17A and 17B, respectively. 19A shows a state in which the long side wall 3 has been turned over from the state shown in FIG. 18A, and FIG. 19B shows a state in which the long side wall 3 has been rotated from the state shown in FIG. 19A to a state immediately before the long side wall 3 becomes upright. 17 is a perspective view of the vicinity of region E in FIG. 16, showing the process of attaching the lower hinge member 7 to the bottom member 2. FIG. 21A is an enlarged view of region F in FIG. 16, and FIG. 21B is an exploded view of FIG. 21A. 12 is a perspective view showing a state after the short side wall 4 has been rotated from the state shown in FIG. 11 to a state immediately before the short side wall 4 stands upright. This shows the state in which the protruding member 11c and the long side wall 3 have been extracted from Figure 22, and is a cross-sectional view passing above the engaging protrusion 3c and parallel to the horizontal plane, and Figures 23A and 23B respectively show the state before and after the protruding member 11c is engaged with the engaging protrusion 3c. 24A is a perspective view of the area G in FIG. 16, seen from a different angle, and FIG. 24B is an exploded view of FIG. 24A. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a molding machine 60 (a core material 25 and molds 71 and 72 are shown in cross section). 26 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after the molds 71 and 72 are closed from the state shown in FIG. 25. FIG. 27A is a cross-sectional view showing a structure 26 having a recess 26c, and FIG. 27B is a cross-sectional view showing a structure 26 without a recess 26c. 27B is a view of the structure 26 in FIG. 27A as seen from the right side (corresponding to a view of the bottom member 2 in FIG. 1 as seen from the front side).

The following describes the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. The various features shown in the embodiments below can be combined with each other. In addition, each feature can be an invention independently.

1. Overall Structure As shown in Fig. 1, the container 1 of this embodiment is a prefabricated refrigerated container. The container 1 includes a bottom member 2, a pair of opposing long side walls 3, a pair of opposing short side walls 4, and first and second upper walls 5, 6. From the viewpoints of strength, thermal insulation, light weight, etc., it is preferable that these members have a sandwich structure in which a foam is sandwiched between resin sheets, but they may have a different structure, such as a hollow double-wall structure or a structure composed only of a foam.

The container 1 is generally rectangular. The bottom member 2 and the top walls 5, 6 face each other. The pair of short side walls 4 are disposed between the pair of long side walls 3. The pair of long side walls 3 and the pair of short side walls 4 form the side walls of the container 1. The top walls 5, 6 form the lid of the container 1. These members are connected to each other so that there are no gaps between them, increasing the airtightness of the container 1.

In the following description, up (UP), down (DOWN), left (LEFT), right (RIGHT), front (FRONT), and rear (REAR) are defined as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. That is, in the direction perpendicular to the main surface of the top wall 5, the top wall 5 side is "up" and the bottom member 2 side is "down", in the direction perpendicular to the main surface of the long side wall 3, the near side is "front" and the far side is "rear", and in the direction perpendicular to the main surface of the short side wall 4, the left side of Fig. 1 is "left" and the right side is "right". Going "up" and "down" are also expressed as "getting higher" and "getting lower", respectively. "Facing" preferably means facing each other so as to be parallel. A "horizontal plane" is a plane that includes straight lines extending in the left-right direction and straight lines extending in the front-rear direction.

2, the long side wall 3 is rotatably connected to the bottom member 2 via a lower hinge member 7. The short side wall 4 is rotatably connected directly to the bottom member 2. The upper walls 5 and 6 are each rotatably connected to the long side wall 3 via an upper hinge member 8. The long side wall 3 and the short side wall 4 are connected to each other by a connecting mechanism 9 (shown in FIG. 22). The bottom member 2 includes a bottom wall 2q and a peripheral wall 2i rising from the periphery of the bottom wall 2q. The peripheral wall 2i is provided in both the portion facing the long side wall 3 and the portion facing the short side wall 4, i.e., it is provided around the entire circumference of the bottom wall 2q.

2. Configuration of the upper walls 5, 6 As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the upper walls 5, 6 have overlapping portions 5h, 6h that overlap each other. At the overlapping portions 5h, 6h, the total thickness of the upper walls 5, 6 is the same as the thickness of the upper walls 5, 6 at the adjacent portions 5i, 6i adjacent to the overlapping portions 5h, 6h. The upper wall 5 has an inclined surface 5b that becomes lower toward the tip of the overlapping portion 5h. The upper wall 6 has an inclined surface 6b that becomes higher toward the tip of the overlapping portion 6h.

When the upper walls 5, 6 are closed, the tip surface 5a of the overlapping portion 5h faces the tip surface 6g of the adjacent portion 6i, and the tip surface 6a of the overlapping portion 6h faces the tip surface 5g of the adjacent portion 5i. The tip surfaces 5a, 6g are tapered surfaces that are inclined to reduce interference when the upper walls 5, 6 are closed. A convex rib 5k is provided at the tip of the inclined surface 5b, and a groove 6c is provided at the base end of the inclined surface 6b. The engagement of the convex rib 5k and the groove 6c makes it difficult for a gap to form between the upper walls 5, 6.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the upper wall 5 has a protrusion 5l protruding in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the upper wall 5 near the tip surface 5a (more specifically, across the overlapping portion 5h and adjacent portion 5i). The upper wall 6 has a protrusion 6l protruding in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the upper wall 6 near the tip surface 6a (more specifically, across the overlapping portion 6h and adjacent portion 6i). The protrusions 5l, 6l protrude toward the locking member 12, and as described below, the protrusions 5l, 6l are fixed by the locking member 12 to prevent the upper walls 5, 6 from opening unexpectedly.

The protruding portions 5l and 6l are provided with ridges 5l1 and 6l1, respectively. The ridges 5l1 and 6l1 are formed in areas that correspond to the parting lines when the upper walls 5 and 6 are manufactured by the method described in "6. Manufacturing method of the structure" below. The protruding portions 5l and 6l are susceptible to impacts when dropped, etc., so the ridges 5l1 and 6l1 are provided to increase the thickness at the parting lines and increase the welding strength.

3. Lock member 12
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 to FIG. 5, the container 1 is provided with a locking member 12. The locking member 12 includes a fixed portion 12a, a hinge portion 12b, and an engaging portion 12c. The locking member 12 is bendable at the hinge portion 12b. The fixed portion 12a is fixed to the short side wall 4 by a fixing member (screw, bolt, nut, rivet, etc.) not shown. The engaging portion 12c is engageable with the convex portions 5l, 6l of the upper walls 5, 6. Specifically, the engaging portion 12c is provided with an opening 12c1, and the engaging portion 12c is engaged with the convex portions 5l, 6l by inserting the convex portions 5l, 6l into the opening 12c1. The engaging portion 12c engages with the upper walls 5, 6, thereby preventing the upper walls 5, 6 from opening unexpectedly. The short side wall 4 is provided with an accommodation recess 4d recessed from a base surface 4e on the outer surface side. The fixed portion 12a and the hinge portion 12b are disposed within the accommodation recess 4d, and an outer surface 12a1 of the fixed portion 12a is substantially flush with the base surface 4e.

When a force is applied to the engaging portion 12c in a direction that disengages the engaging portion 12c from the state shown in FIG. 4 (toward the outside of the longitudinal direction of the upper walls 5 and 6), the engaging portion 12c rotates about the hinge portion 12b, disengaging the engaging portion 12c from the upper walls 5 and 6, and the upper walls 5 and 6 can be opened.

A sloped portion 12c2 is provided near the upper end of the engaging portion 12c. The sloped portion 12c2 is sloped away from the upper walls 5 and 6. The upper walls 5 and 6 are provided with sloped surfaces 5m and 6m at locations adjacent to the sloped portion 12c2. Therefore, a substantially V-shaped groove 12d is formed between the sloped portion 12c2 and the sloped surfaces 5m and 6m. The engaging portion 12c can be easily rotated by inserting a finger or the like into this groove 12d and pressing the engaging portion 12c.

As shown in FIG. 6, the boundary line 12c4 between the flat portion 12c3 and the inclined portion 12c2 of the engagement portion 12c is a curved line rather than a straight line. This makes it difficult for the inclined portion 12c2 to bend at the boundary line 12c4 when pressed.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, the upper end 12c5 of the inclined portion 12c2 is disposed outside the hinge portion 12b in the left-right direction. Therefore, the engagement can be released simply by pressing the inclined portion 12c2 from above. Moreover, it is preferable that the upper end 12c5 of the inclined portion 12c2 is disposed outside the base surface 4e in the left-right direction, and it is even more preferable that it is disposed outside the protrusions 5l and 6l in the left-right direction. In this case, the engagement can be released even more smoothly.

The fixed portion 12a and the engaging portion 12c can be made of a material that has sufficient rigidity to function as the locking member 12, and can be made of, for example, a polyolefin such as polypropylene. The hinge portion 12b can be made of an elastomer such as silicone rubber. With this configuration, the locking member 12 can be easily bent at the hinge portion 12b, and the hinge portion 12b is less likely to be damaged even if it is repeatedly bent and restored.

The locking member 12 may be constructed by connecting the fixed portion 12a and the engaging portion 12c, which are separated from each other, with the hinge portion 12b, or, as shown in FIG. 8, a base member 12f having a configuration in which the fixed portion 12a and the engaging portion 12c are connected with the connecting portion 12e is prepared, and the hinge portion 12b is formed so that the connecting portion 12e is covered with an elastomer. In the latter case, there is no risk of the fixed portion 12a and the engaging portion 12c being separated, and it has excellent moldability and durability. The locking member 12 can be formed by two-color molding.

In this embodiment, since the upper wall 5 is located above the upper wall 6 at the overlapping portions 5h, 6h, if the upper wall 5 is not opened, the upper wall 6 will not open either. Therefore, the engaging portion 12c may only engage with the upper wall 5 and not with the upper wall 6. Therefore, the protrusion 6l may not be provided, and only the protrusion 5l may be inserted into the opening 12c1.

4. How to Fold the Container 1 How to fold the container 1 will be described.
First, from the state shown in Figure 1, the engagement portion 12c is rotated as shown in Figure 9 to release the lock of the upper walls 5, 6 by the locking member 12. Next, the upper walls 5, 6 are opened to obtain the state shown in Figure 10. Next, the short side wall 4 is turned over from the state shown in Figure 10 to obtain the state shown in Figure 11. At this time, the connection between the long side wall 3 and the short side wall 4 by the connecting mechanism 9 is released. Next, the long side wall 3 is turned over from the state shown in Figure 11 to obtain the state shown in Figure 12. Through the above steps, the container 1 can be folded compactly.

When unfolding the container 1, the long side wall 3 is raised from the state shown in FIG. 12 to the state shown in FIG. 11, and then the short side wall 4 is raised from that state to the state shown in FIG. 10. In conjunction with the action of raising the short side wall 4, the long side wall 3 and the short side wall 4 are connected by the connecting mechanism 9, and the long side wall 3 and the short side wall 4 are maintained in the raised state.

5. How to Assemble the Container 1 How to assemble the container 1 will be described.

<Attaching the latch structure 11 to the short side wall 4>
13 and 14, the latch structure 11 is attached to the main body 4a of the short side wall 4. The latch structure 11 includes a main metal fitting 11a and a protruding member 11c. The protruding member 11c is biased in a direction protruding from the main metal fitting 11a.

<Connection between short side wall 4 and bottom member 2>
As shown in Figures 13 and 15, the short side walls 4 are connected to the bottom member 2 by engaging the convex strip 4b, which is approximately arc-shaped in cross section and provided at both ends of the convex strip 4b, with the concave portion 2g and the bearing hole 2f provided in the peripheral wall 2i of the bottom member 2, respectively. When the pair of short side walls 4 are attached to the bottom member 2 and turned over, the state shown in Figure 16 is obtained. The protruding shaft 4c is moved along the groove 2h extending diagonally toward the inside in the left-right direction of the bottom member 2 and engaged with the bearing hole 2f. Therefore, when the short side wall 4 is lifted after the container is deployed, the protruding shaft 4c comes into contact with the inner surface of the bearing hole 2f, making it difficult to come out.

<Connection between long side wall 3 and lower hinge member 7>
16 to 21, the lower hinge member 7 is attached to the main body 3a of the long side wall 3. The lower hinge member 7 includes a case 7a, a side wall locking portion 7b, and a bottom member locking portion 7c. The side wall locking portion 7b and the bottom member locking portion 7c are biased in a direction to protrude from the case 7a.

As shown in FIG. 17, an accommodation recess 3d for accommodating the lower hinge member 7 is provided on the inner surface of the lower end of the long side wall 3. The lower hinge member 7 is rotatably connected to the long side wall 3 by engaging the side wall locking portion 7b with the bearing holes 3e provided on both sides of the accommodation recess 3d in the width direction.

As shown in FIG. 18, a convex rib 7d is provided on the upper side of the lower hinge member 7. A curved surface 3g is provided within the accommodation recess 3d. When the long side wall 3 is rotated relative to the lower hinge member 7, the convex rib 7d moves along the curved surface 3g. The curved surface 3g is provided with engagement recesses 3g1 and 3g2. When the convex rib 7d is in contact with the curved surface 3g at a location other than the engagement recesses 3g1 and 3g2, it is pressed against the curved surface 3g. Therefore, when the long side wall 3 is rotated relative to the lower hinge member 7 so that the engagement recesses 3g1 and 3g2 face the convex rib 7d, the convex rib 7d engages with the engagement recesses 3g1 and 3g2.

When the long side wall 3 is in the fallen state as shown in FIG. 12, the protrusion 7d engages with the engagement recess 3g1 as shown in FIG. 19A, and the fallen state of the long side wall 3 is maintained. Therefore, the folded state shown in FIG. 12 is stably maintained.

When the long side wall 3 is rotated relative to the lower hinge member 7 from the state shown in FIG. 12, as shown in FIG. 19B, the protrusion 7d engages with the engagement recess 3g2 just before the long side wall 3 stands upright (in this embodiment, the angle with respect to the horizontal plane is 80 degrees). As a result, the long side wall 3 stands almost upright, but remains slightly inclined toward the inside of the container 1. By standing the short side wall 4 up in this state, the long side wall 3 and the short side wall 4 can be smoothly connected. Details will be described later.

<Connection between the lower hinge member 7 and the bottom member 2>
16 and 20, the lower hinge member 7 is connected to the bottom member 2. An accommodation recess 2j for accommodating the lower hinge member 7 is provided on the inner surface side of the upper end of the peripheral wall 2i of the bottom member 2. The lower hinge member 7 is connected to the bottom member 2 by engaging the bottom member locking portion 7c with the engagement hole 2m provided in the accommodation recess 2j.

<Connection between long side wall 3 and short side wall 4>
16 and 21, the fitting 3b is attached to the main body 3a of the long side wall 3. The fitting 3b is attached to a position adjacent to the engaging protrusion 3c protruding from the inner surface of the main body 3a. As shown in Fig. 22, the latch structure 11, the fitting 3b, and the engaging protrusion 3c form a connecting mechanism 9.

When the short side wall 4 is raised from the state shown in FIG. 11, the protruding member 11c of the latch structure 11 is pushed by the inclined surface 3c1 of the engaging protrusion 3c and climbs over the engaging protrusion 3c while retreating, so that the protruding member 11c and the engaging protrusion 3c engage as shown in FIG. 23B. In this state, the protruding member 11c abuts against the inclined surface 3c2 of the engaging protrusion 3c.

On the other hand, when it is desired to tip the short side wall 4, a strong force is applied in the direction in which the short side wall 4 is toppled, and the protruding member 11c is pushed back by the inclined surface 3c2 and overcomes the engaging protrusion 3c, thereby releasing the engagement between the protruding member 11c and the engaging protrusion 3c.

The inclined surface 3c1 is gentler than the inclined surface 3c2, so that the protruding member 11c and the engaging protrusion 3c are easily engaged and difficult to disengage. Also, as shown in FIG. 23A, the tip 11c1 of the protruding member 11c is substantially trapezoidal, and its tip surface 11c2 is substantially flat. With this configuration, the strength of the engagement between the protruding member 11c and the engaging protrusion 3c is increased compared to a configuration in which the tip 11c1 is substantially triangular, so that the engagement between the protruding member 11c and the engaging protrusion 3c is difficult to be suddenly disengaged.

As shown in FIG. 22, when the protruding member 11c passes over the engaging protrusion 3c, the engaging protrusion 3b1 of the engaging fitting 3b enters and engages with the engaging recess 11a2 of the main fitting 11a. This makes the connection between the long side wall 3 and the short side wall 4 strong.

The engaging protrusion 3b1 and the engaging recess 11a2 are engaged by standing the short side wall 4 upright while the long side wall 3 is vertical to the horizontal plane as shown in FIG. 11. However, even if the long side wall 3 is tried to stand upright, the long side wall 3 may be slightly tilted toward the outside of the container 1 due to dimensional errors in molding. In particular, as shown in FIG. 11, when the upper walls 5 and 6 attached to the long side wall 3 are positioned outside the long side wall 3, the center of gravity of the long side wall 3 to which the upper walls 5 and 6 are attached is outside the bearing hole 3e (side wall engaging portion 7b) (see FIG. 17), so the long side wall 3 is likely to be tilted toward the outside of the container 1. If the short side wall 4 is stood up in this state, the engaging protrusion 3b1 and the engaging recess 11a2 will not engage.

In this embodiment, to avoid such problems, the short side wall 4 is raised with the long side wall 3 slightly inclined toward the inside of the container 1 as shown in FIG. 19B. In this case, when the short side wall 4 is raised, the side surface 4a1 of the main body portion 4a of the short side wall 4 abuts against and pushes up the inner surface 3a1 of the main body portion 3a of the long side wall 3, so that when the short side wall 4 is raised to a nearly upright state as shown in FIG. 22, the long side wall 3 is in an upright state, and the engagement between the protruding member 11c and the engaging protrusion 3c, and the engagement between the engaging protrusion 3b1 and the engaging recess 11a2 are smoothly performed.

<Connection between long side wall 3 and upper walls 5, 6>
16 and 24, the long side wall 3 is connected to the upper walls 5, 6. One long side wall 3 is connected to the upper wall 5, and the other long side wall 3 is connected to the upper wall 6. The connection structure between the long side wall 3 and the upper wall 6 is the same as the connection structure between the long side wall 3 and the upper wall 5, so the connection between the long side wall 3 and the upper wall 5 will be described below as an example.

The long side wall 3 and the upper wall 5 are connected via an upper hinge member 8. The upper hinge member 8 includes a case 8a, an upper wall engaging portion 8b, and a side wall engaging portion 8c. The upper wall engaging portion 8b and the side wall engaging portion 8c are biased in a direction in which they protrude from the case 8a.

As shown in FIG. 24B, an accommodation recess 3j that accommodates the upper hinge member 8 is provided on the outer surface side of the upper end of the long side wall 3. The upper hinge member 8 is rotatably connected to the long side wall 3 by engaging the side wall locking portion 8c with the bearing holes 3k provided on both sides of the accommodation recess 3j in the width direction.

As shown in FIG. 24B, a storage recess 5f is provided at the base end of the upper wall 5 to store the upper hinge member 8. The upper hinge member 8 is rotatably connected to the upper wall 5 by engaging the upper wall locking portion 8b with the bearing holes 5j provided on both sides of the storage recess 5f in the width direction.

Through the above steps, the long side wall 3 and the top walls 5 and 6 are connected, resulting in the assembled container 1 shown in Figure 10.

6. Manufacturing method of the structure The bottom member 2, long side wall 3, short side wall 4, and upper walls 5 and 6 constituting the container 1 can be made into a structure 26 in which a core material such as a foam is sandwiched between resin sheets. Below, the manufacturing method will be described using an example of a structure 26 having the same shape as the bottom member 2.

<Configuration of molding machine 60>
First, a molding machine 60 that can be used in the manufacturing method of the structure of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The molding machine 60 includes a sheet forming device 64 and dies 71 and 72. The sheet forming device 64 includes a hopper 62, an extruder 63, an accumulator 67, and a T-die 68. The extruder 63 and the accumulator 67 are connected via a connecting pipe 75. The accumulator 67 and the T-die 68 are connected via a connecting pipe 77. Each component will be described in detail below.

Hopper 62, extruder 63
The hopper 62 is used to feed the raw resin 61 into the cylinder 63a of the extruder 63. The form of the raw resin 61 is not particularly limited, but is usually in the form of pellets. The raw resin is, for example, a thermoplastic resin such as polyolefin, and examples of polyolefin include low-density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymer, and mixtures thereof. The raw resin 61 is fed from the hopper 62 into the cylinder 63a, and then heated in the cylinder 63a to melt it into a molten resin. The raw resin 61 is also conveyed toward the tip of the cylinder 63a by the rotation of a screw disposed in the cylinder 63a. The screw is disposed in the cylinder 63a, and conveys the molten resin while kneading it by its rotation. A gear device is provided at the base end of the screw, and the screw is rotated and driven by the gear device.

Accumulator 67, T die 68
The raw resin is extruded from the resin extrusion port of the cylinder 63a and injected into the accumulator 67 through the connecting pipe 75. The accumulator 67 includes a cylinder 67a and a piston 67b that can slide inside the cylinder 67a, and the molten resin 61a can be stored in the cylinder 67a. After a predetermined amount of the molten resin 61a is stored in the cylinder 67a, the piston 67b is moved, whereby the molten resin 61a is extruded through the connecting pipe 77 from a slit provided in the T-die 68 and allowed to hang down, forming the first and second resin sheets 73a and 73b in a molten state.

Molds 71, 72
The resin sheets 73a and 73b are guided between the metal molds 71 and 72. The metal molds 71 and 72 are capable of being separated at a parting surface that comes into contact with each other when the metal molds are closed, and the resin sheets 73a and 73b are molded by the metal molds 71 and 72.

<Details of Manufacturing Method of Structure 26>
Next, a method for manufacturing a structure will be described with reference to Figures 25 and 26. This method includes a molding step of forming structure 26 by closing first and second molds 71, 72 in a state in which first resin sheet 73a, core material 25, and second resin sheet 73b are arranged in this order between first and second molds 71, 72. The molding step includes a drooping step, a shaping step, a core material welding step, a mold closing step, and a finishing step.

25 , in the drooping process, resin sheets 73a and 73b formed by extruding molten resin 61a from a slit of a T-die 68 and letting it droop between metal molds 71 and 72 are drooped. The resin sheets 73a and 73b are drooped between the core material 25 and the metal molds 71 and 72, respectively.

In the shaping step, the resin sheets 73a and 73b are shaped to conform to the inner surface shapes of the molds 71 and 72. The shaping of the resin sheets 73a and 73b can be performed at any time up until the completion of the mold closing step.

Core Material Welding Step In the core material welding step, the core material 25 is welded to the resin sheets 73a and 73b. The core material 25 is made of a material that can be welded to the resin sheets 73a and 73b, such as a foam. The welding of the core material 25 can be performed at any time up to the completion of the mold closing step.

In the mold closing process, the molds 71, 72 are moved in the mold closing directions shown by the arrows C1, C2 in Fig. 25 to close the molds 71, 72 as shown in Fig. 26. As a result, the resin sheets 73a, 73b are welded together at the pinch-off portion 72d, and the portion outside the pinch-off portion 72d becomes a flash 27.

In the finishing step, the structure 26 with the burrs 27 is taken out of the molds 71 and 72, and the burrs 27 are removed to form the structure 26 shown in FIG. 27A.

<Details of the Structure 26>
27A to 27B, the structure of the structure 26 will be described in detail. Fig. 27B shows the structure 26 in a conventional configuration, and Fig. 27A shows the structure 26 in an improved configuration.

The structure 26 shown in Figures 27A and 27B has a base portion 26a and an upright portion 26b that rises from the end of the base portion 26a. The structure 26 is configured by housing a core material 25 inside a resin molded body 28 that is configured by molding resin sheets 73a and 73b.

The resin molded body 28 is composed of a base wall 28a that is approximately perpendicular to the mold closing direction (e.g., an angle of less than 45 degrees with respect to the mold closing direction) and a standing wall 28b that is approximately parallel to the mold closing direction of the molds 71, 72 (e.g., an angle of 45 degrees or less with respect to the mold closing direction). The resin molded body 28 has a side wall 28c that becomes the side surface of the structure 26 at the location where the standing portion 26b is provided. In this embodiment, the direction in which the standing portion 26b rises (in other words, the direction perpendicular to the main surface of the base portion 26a) coincides with the mold closing direction, so the side wall 28c becomes the standing wall 28b.

In the structure 26 shown in FIG. 27A, a recess 26c that is recessed toward the standing portion 26b is provided at the end of the base portion 26a, whereas in the structure 26 shown in FIG. 27B, such a recess 26c is not provided.

In general, there is some dimensional variation in the core material 25, and in order to prevent the core material 25 from interfering with the resin sheets 73a, 73b and the molds 71, 72 when the core material 25 is formed to be larger, the core material 25 is usually formed to be slightly smaller in the direction perpendicular to the mold closing direction of the molds 71, 72. For this reason, the welding strength between the standing wall 28b and the core material 25 is likely to be lower than the welding strength between the base wall 28a and the core material 25. In addition, when a gap 26d is formed between the standing wall 28b and the core material 25, or when the standing wall 28b and the core material 25 are not welded, the welding strength between the standing wall 28b and the core material 25 is zero.

As shown in FIG. 27B, in a structure 26 having a standing portion 26b and no recessed portion 26c, the gap 26d at the end of the base portion 26a extends over a wide range from the lower wall 26a1 of the base portion 26a to the upper wall 26b1 of the standing portion 26b. As a result, when the resin molded body 28 is cooled after molding, it shrinks, causing wrinkles and waves in the standing wall 28b, which can easily deteriorate the appearance.

In contrast, in FIG. 27A, a recess 26c is provided in the structure 26. The recess 26c forms a bottom wall 28c1 facing the standing portion 26b in the side wall 28c, and the bottom wall 28c1 is welded to the core material 25. In other words, the recess 26c causes a part of the side wall 28c to become the base wall 28a, and the remaining part remains as the standing wall 28b.

The bottom wall 28c1 divides the standing wall 28b and the gap 26d. As a result, the range in which the standing wall 28b extends is narrowed, suppressing the occurrence of wrinkles and waves due to shrinkage during cooling. The welding strength between the bottom wall 28c1 and the core material 25 is higher than the welding strength between the core material 25 and the portion of the side wall 28c other than the bottom wall 28c1 (the portion that remains as the standing wall 28b).

The core material 25 has a base portion 25a and an upright portion 25b. The base portion 25a and the upright portion 25b are disposed at positions corresponding to the base portion 26a and the upright portion 26b, respectively. It is preferable that the upright portions 26b, 25b are disposed around the entire circumference of the base portions 26a, 25a, respectively. In this case, the structure 26 and the core material 25 have a shape surrounded by the upright portions 26b, 25b all around, like a tray. In the case of such a shape, a gap is likely to be formed between the upright portion 25b and the resin molded body 28, so the application of the present invention is particularly significant.

As shown in FIG. 27A, the height from the lower surface 26a2 of the base portion 26a to the upper surface 26b2 of the standing portion 26b is H1, the height from the lower surface 26a2 of the base portion 26a to the upper surface 26a3 is H2, and the height from the lower surface 26a2 of the base portion 26a to the deepest part of the recess 26c is H3.

H1 is preferably 5 cm or more, and more preferably 8 cm or more. H1 is preferably 30 cm or less. When H1 is 5 cm or more, wrinkles and waviness are particularly likely to occur, so the application of the present invention is particularly significant. Also, when H1 exceeds 30 cm, molding may become difficult.

H2/H1 is preferably 0.3 to 0.7, and more preferably 0.4 to 0.6. Specifically, H2/H1 may be, for example, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, or 0.7, and may be within a range between any two of the numerical values exemplified here. H2 is preferably less than 5 cm. In this case, the balance between formability and strength is particularly good.

H3/H1 is preferably 0.1 to 0.9, more preferably 0.2 to 0.8, and even more preferably 0.3 to 0.7. Specifically, H3/H1 may be, for example, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, or 0.9, and may be within a range between any two of the numerical values exemplified here. In this case, the occurrence of wrinkles and waviness is particularly effectively suppressed.

In FIG. 27A, the recess 26c has one stage, but the recess 26c may have multiple stages.

As shown in FIG. 28, the length of the upright portion 26b in the longitudinal direction is L1, and the length of the recess 26c at its deepest part is L2. When the base portion 26a has a shape with multiple sides (e.g., a rectangular shape that may be rounded or chamfered), L1 corresponds to the length of the upright portion 26b provided on one side of the base portion 26a.

L1 is preferably 30 cm or more, more preferably 40 cm or more, and even more preferably 60 cm or more. In this case, wrinkles and waving are particularly likely to occur, so the significance of applying the present invention is particularly great. L2/L1 is, for example, 0.2 to 0.8, and preferably 0.3 to 0.7. Specifically, L2/L1 is, for example, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, or 0.8, and may be within a range between any two of the numerical values exemplified here. The length of the portion of the standing portion 26b in the longitudinal direction where the recess 26c is not provided is preferably 30 cm or less, and even more preferably 20 cm or less. In this case, the occurrence of wrinkles and waving is particularly effectively suppressed.

The recess 26c may be provided in one location or in multiple locations. If the base portion 26a has a shape having long and short sides (e.g., a rectangular shape that may be rounded or chamfered), it is preferable to provide the recess 26c on each long side of the base portion 26a, and it is even more preferable to provide the recess 26c on each side. If multiple recesses 26c are provided on each side, the total length of the multiple recesses 26c is defined as L2.

The bottom wall 2q and the surrounding wall 2i of the bottom member 2 of the container 1 are configured to correspond to the base portion 26a and the standing portion 26b, respectively, and as shown in FIG. 1, a recess 2r is provided at the center of the lengthwise direction (left-right direction) and the center of the widthwise direction (front-back direction) of the bottom member 2, recessed from the end of the bottom wall 2q toward the surrounding wall 2i. This makes it difficult for wrinkles to occur in the surrounding wall 2i of the bottom member 2.

1: container,
2: bottom member, 2f: bearing hole, 2g: recess, 2i: surrounding wall, 2j: accommodation recess, 2h: groove, 2m: engagement hole, 2q: bottom wall, 2r: recess,
3: long side wall, 3a: main body, 3a1: inner surface, 3b: engaging fitting, 3b1: engaging protrusion, 3c: engaging protrusion, 3c1: inclined surface, 3c2: inclined surface, 3d: accommodation recess, 3e: bearing hole, 3g: curved surface, 3g1: engaging recess, 3g2: engaging recess, 3j: accommodation recess, 3k: bearing hole,
4: short side wall, 4a: main body, 4a1: side surface, 4b: ridge, 4c: protruding shaft, 4d: receiving recess, 4e: base surface,
5: first upper wall, 5a: tip surface, 5b: inclined surface, 5f: receiving recess, 5g: tip surface, 5h: overlapping portion, 5i: adjacent portion, 5j: bearing hole, 5k: ridge, 5l: ridge, 5l1: ridge, 5m: inclined surface,
6: second upper wall, 6a: tip surface, 6b: inclined surface, 6c: groove, 6g: tip surface, 6h: overlapping portion, 6i: adjacent portion, 6l: convex portion, 6l1: convex strip, 6m: inclined surface,
7: lower hinge member, 7a: case, 7b: side wall engaging portion, 7c: bottom member engaging portion, 7d: ridge,
8: upper hinge member, 8a: case, 8b: upper wall engaging portion, 8c: side wall engaging portion,
9: connecting mechanism,
11: latch structure, 11a: main body metal fitting, 11a2: engagement recess, 11c: protruding member, 11c1: tip portion, 11c2: tip surface,
12: locking member, 12a: fixing portion, 12b: hinge portion, 12c: engagement portion, 12c1: opening, 12c2: inclined portion, 12c3: flat portion, 12c4: boundary line, 12c5: upper end, 12d: groove, 12e: connecting portion, 12f: base member,
25: core material, 25a: base portion, 25b: standing portion 26: structure, 26a: base portion, 26a1: lower wall, 26a2: lower surface, 26a3: upper surface, 26b: standing portion, 26b1: upper wall, 26b2: upper surface, 26c: recess, 26d: gap,
27: Bali,
28: resin molded body, 28a: base wall, 28b: standing wall, 28c: side wall, 28c1: bottom wall,
60: molding machine, 61: raw resin, 61a: molten resin, 62: hopper, 63: extruder, 63a: cylinder, 64: sheet forming device, 67: accumulator, 67a: cylinder, 67b: piston, 68: T-die, 71: mold, 72: mold, 72d: pinch-off portion, 73a: first resin sheet, 73b: second resin sheet, 75: connecting pipe, 77: connecting pipe

Claims (5)

A container comprising:
The housing includes first and second side walls facing each other, a third side wall provided therebetween, first and second upper walls, and a locking member;
The first and second side walls are opposed to each other,
the first and second upper walls are configured to be rotatable relative to the first and second side walls, respectively, and each include a protrusion protruding toward the locking member;
the locking member includes a fixing portion fixed to the third side wall and an engaging portion engaged with at least one of the first and second upper walls so as to prevent the first and second upper walls from opening;
The engagement portion includes an opening,
A container in which the convex portions of the first and second upper walls are inserted into the same opening, thereby causing the engagement portion to engage with the first and second upper walls and preventing the first and second upper walls from opening. 2. The container of claim 1 ,
The container has an upper end provided with an inclined portion inclined away from the first and second upper walls. 3. The container according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The locking member includes a hinge portion,
A container, wherein the engagement portion at the hinge portion is bendable relative to the fixed portion. 4. The container of claim 3 ,
The container, wherein the hinge portion is formed of an elastomer. 5. The container of claim 4 ,
The locking member includes a connecting portion that connects the fixing portion and the engaging portion,
The hinge portion is formed so as to cover the connecting portion with the elastomer.