JP7531890B2 - container - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a container having an unlocking operation part on a first side wall, and when the unlocking operation part is operated from a restricted position to a released position, the first side wall becomes removable or rotatable.

Conventionally, containers of this type are known that can be lifted by inserting a hand into an operating hole formed in the unlocking operation section (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-96815 A (FIG. 12, etc.)

In the conventional containers mentioned above, there is a need to improve the strength of the first side wall.

The invention of claim 1, made to achieve the above-mentioned object, is a container which is provided with an unlocking operation part on the outer or inner surface of a first side wall portion which is at least a part of one side wall of a container, and which is movable along the outer or inner surface of the first side wall portion, and which becomes removable or rotatable when the unlocking operation part is operated from a restricted position to a released position, the container comprising: a handle hole provided in the first side wall portion; an operation hole provided in the unlocking operation part into which a hand can be inserted together with the handle hole; a protrusion portion which is arranged on the first side wall portion toward the released position in a first direction which is the movement direction of the unlocking operation part from the handle hole and which protrudes inward from the inner edge of the operation hole on the released position side in the first direction of the unlocking operation part arranged in the restricted position; and a protrusion formed on the protrusion portion which protrudes toward the unlocking operation part, and which does not abut against the unlocking operation part over the entire movable range of the unlocking operation part .

The invention of claim 2 is the container according to claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is a ridge extending along an opening edge of the handle hole.

The invention of claim 3 is a container which is provided with an unlocking operation part on the outer or inner surface of a first side wall portion which is at least a part of one side wall of a container, the unlocking operation part being movable up and down along the surface, and when the unlocking operation part is operated from an upper restricted position to a lower released position, the first side wall portion becomes removable or rotatable, the container comprising: a handle hole provided in the first side wall portion; an operation hole provided in the unlocking operation part and into which a hand can be inserted together with the handle hole; a protrusion portion which is arranged on the first side wall portion below the handle hole and protrudes upward from a lower opening edge of the operation hole in the unlocking operation part arranged in the restricted position ; and a protrusion portion formed on the upper end portion of the protrusion portion, protruding toward the unlocking operation part and consisting of a protrusion extending along the lower opening edge of the handle hole, the protrusion portion being configured to fit within the operation hole throughout the entire movable range of the unlocking operation part and not abutting the upper opening edge of the operation hole in the unlocking operation part.
The invention of claim 4 is a container which is provided with an unlocking operation part on the outer or inner surface of a first side wall portion which is at least a part of one side wall of the container, the unlocking operation part being movable up and down along the surface, and when the unlocking operation part is operated from an upper restricted position to a lower released position, the first side wall portion becomes removable or rotatable, the container comprising: a handle hole provided in the first side wall portion; an operation hole provided in the unlocking operation part into which a hand can be inserted together with the handle hole; a protrusion portion which is arranged on the first side wall portion below the handle hole and protrudes upward from the lower opening edge of the operation hole in the unlocking operation part arranged in the restricted position; and a protrusion formed on the protrusion portion which protrudes towards the unlocking operation part, the protrusion portion being configured to fit within the operation hole throughout the entire movable range of the unlocking operation part and which does not abut against the upper opening edge of the operation hole in the unlocking operation part.

In the invention of claim 1, the first side wall is provided with a protruding portion at the opening edge of the handle hole that protrudes inward from the operation hole in the unlocking operation part, so that the proportion of the handle hole in the first side wall can be made smaller than in the past, and the strength of the first side wall is improved. In addition, since the protruding portion protrudes inward from the inner edge of the operation hole on the unlocking position side in the unlocking operation part, when operating the unlocking operation part to the unlocking position side, it is possible to place a hand on the unlocking operation part using the protruding portion as a guide.

In addition, since the overhanging portion is formed with a protrusion that protrudes toward the unlocking operation portion, when a finger accidentally hits the protrusion while trying to operate the unlocking operation portion, the protrusion increases the area that the finger touches, making the finger feel gentler. Furthermore, since the protrusion does not come into contact with the unlocking operation portion over the entire movable range of the unlocking operation portion, damage to the unlocking operation portion by the protrusion is prevented.

In the invention of claim 2 , the protrusion forms a ridge extending along the opening edge of the handle hole, so that the area over which the finger can be gently touched is widened.

The unlocking operation part may be configured to move in the left-right direction, or may be configured to move in the up-down direction as in the inventions of claims 3 and 4. If it is configured to move in the up-down direction, it is considered that the upper edge of the unlocking operation part will come into contact with the hand when lifting the container, and if this upper edge is damaged, there is a risk of injury to the hand. In response to this, the protrusion of the overhanging part is configured not to abut against the upper opening edge of the operation hole in the unlocking operation part, so that the upper edge of the unlocking operation part is prevented from being damaged, and the hand is prevented from being injured.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a folding container according to the present disclosure; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the folding container in a folded state; Perspective view of the short side wall and its periphery Perspective view of the short side wall and its periphery Enlarged perspective view of the periphery of the connecting protrusion FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of the periphery of the connecting protrusion when the short side wall 11 is not present; Perspective view of the short side wall and its periphery Perspective view of short side wall FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a locking member; A rear perspective view of the lock member Perspective view of short side wall Perspective cross-sectional view of the short side wall Perspective cross-sectional view of the short side wall Side cross-sectional view of the short side wall

A folding container 10 (corresponding to the "container" in the claims) of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 14. As shown in Figure 1, the folding container 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped structure with a rectangular planar shape and an open top. The folding container 10 has a bottom wall 30, a pair of short side walls 11 (corresponding to the "one side wall" and "first side wall portion" in the claims) rotatably connected to the outer edges of a pair of short sides of the bottom wall 30, and a pair of long side walls 21 rotatably connected to the outer edges of a pair of long sides of the bottom wall 30. The folding container 10 can be changed between an assembled state (see FIG. 1) in which the short and long side walls 11, 21 are raised from the bottom wall 30 and connected to each other, and a folded state (see FIG. 2) in which the short side wall 11 is folded so as to overlap the bottom wall 30, and then the long side wall 21 is folded over the short side wall 11.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the bottom wall 30 has a frame-shaped protrusion 31 that rises in a stepped shape from the outer edge so that the planar shape becomes larger. The frame-shaped protrusion 31 has a short-side bottom protrusion 32 that protrudes from a pair of short sides of the bottom wall 30, a long-side bottom protrusion 33 that protrudes from a pair of long sides, and a corner protrusion 34 that protrudes from a corner of the bottom wall 30. Among these protrusions 32, 33, and 34, the corner protrusion 34 is the highest, followed by the long-side bottom protrusion 33 and the short-side bottom protrusion 32 in that order. In addition, the portion of the bottom wall 30 below the frame-shaped protrusion 31 forms a stepped fitting portion 35.

As shown in FIG. 2, the short side bottom protrusion 32 and the long side bottom protrusion 33 have a plurality of arm receiving portions 32A, 33A formed at intervals in the longitudinal direction. The arm receiving portions 32A, 33A open on the top and inner surfaces of the short side bottom protrusion 32 and the long side bottom protrusion 33. The top surface openings 32B, 33B of the arm receiving portions 32A, 33A are wider than the inner surface openings 32C, 33C, and the inner surfaces of the arm receiving portions 32A, 33A have anti-slip portions 32D, 33D formed on both sides of the inner surface openings 32C, 33C.

As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the short-side bottom protrusion 32 and the long-side bottom protrusion 33 have handles 32K and 33K recessed upward in the center of their respective longitudinal directions on their undersides. These handles 32K and 33K are provided with handle ribs (see symbol 32L in Figure 4) extending in their respective longitudinal directions.

1 and 2, the long side wall 21 has an upper end projection 22 protruding outward at the upper end of the horizontally long flat plate, and a lower end rib 23 protruding outward at the lower end. A plurality of hinge legs 24 corresponding to the arm receiving portion 33A hang down from the lower end of the long side wall 21. A pair of hinge shafts (not shown) protrude from both side surfaces at the lower end of the hinge legs 24 in the lateral direction of the long side wall 21. The hinge legs 24 including the hinge shafts are received in the arm receiving portion 33A of the bottom wall 30 from the upper opening 33B side, and the hinge shafts are engaged with the retaining portion 33D to prevent them from coming off. The long side wall 21 can rotate around the hinge shafts relative to the bottom wall 30, and can be changed between an upright state (the state shown in FIG. 1) and a horizontal state (the state shown in FIG. 2).

A pair of connecting protrusions 25 protruding toward the short side wall 11 are formed on both side edges of the long side wall 21. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the connecting protrusions 25 are arranged at the longitudinal ends and positions close to the ends of the long side wall 21, and have an outer wall 25A and an inner wall 25B extending toward the short side wall 11. The outer wall 25A protrudes toward the short side wall 11 more than the inner wall 25B, and the portion where the outer wall 25A and the inner wall 25B face each other is connected by a plurality of reinforcing ribs 25L. An engagement wall 25C is formed protruding toward the short side wall 11 from the center in the vertical direction of the inner wall 25B. A through hole 25D is formed at the upper end of the portion of the outer wall 25A protruding from the inner wall 25B. In addition, the pair of connecting protrusions 25 of the long side wall 21 protrudes upward from the portion between them (see Fig. 1).

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the short side wall 11 has an upper end rib 12 and a lower end rib 13 that protrude outward from the upper and lower ends of the horizontally long flat plate. Similar to the hinge legs 24 of the long side wall 21, a plurality of hinge legs 14 corresponding to the arm receiving portion 32A hang down from the lower end of the short side wall 11. A pair of hinge shafts 14A also protrude from the lower end of the hinge legs 14 in the lateral direction of the short side wall 11 from both side surfaces. The hinge legs 14 are also received in the arm receiving portion 32A, and the short side wall 11 rotates with respect to the bottom wall 30 around the hinge shafts 14A, making it possible to change between an upright state (the state shown in Figure 1) and a horizontal state (the state shown in Figure 2).

As shown in Figures 5 and 8, a protruding wall 15 is formed at the upper end of each side edge of the short side wall 11, protruding laterally and overlapping from the inside with the outer wall 25A of the connecting protrusion 25 of the long side wall 21. An engaging protrusion 15A is formed on this protruding wall 15 and protrudes outwardly. When the folding container 10 is assembled, the engaging protrusion 15A is received in the through hole 25D of the connecting protrusion 25 of the long side wall 21. In addition, a handle hole 11A is formed in the short side wall 11 near the upper end in the lateral center. The vicinity of this handle hole 11A will be described in detail later.

A locking member 40 is attached to the outer surface of the short side wall 11 between the upper end rib 12 and the lower end rib 13. The locking member 40 extends across the entire lateral direction of the short side wall 11. Specifically, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, the locking member 40 has a rib 42 protruding rearward from a front plate 41 as a whole, a first component 43 that is generally rectangular in front view, a trapezoidal second component 44 that extends laterally from both side edges of the first component 43, and a band-shaped third component 45 that extends further laterally from the second component 44. The top surfaces of these first to third components 43 to 45 are generally flush. In addition, the underside of the first component 43 is located at the lowest position, the underside of the second component 44 extends at an angle upward from the end of the first component 43, and the underside of the third component 45 extends horizontally from the end of the second component 44.

As shown in FIG. 8, the short side wall 11 is provided with a restricting wall 16 that overlaps the third component 45 of the locking member 40 from the front and prevents the locking member 40 from slipping out. In addition, a slide groove 43M extending in the vertical direction is formed at the left end (left end in FIG. 8) and a position near the right end of the first component 43 of the locking member 40, and a guide protrusion 11G (see FIG. 11) that is received in this slide groove 43M is formed to protrude outward on the short side wall 11. This allows the locking member 40 to slide up and down without shifting laterally. In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, a tapered portion 45T is formed on the outer surface side of the upper end of the third component 45 of the locking member 40 that protrudes laterally beyond the restricting wall 16.

As shown in Figures 8 and 12, a U-shaped restrictive receiving portion 17 that opens upward is formed in the vertical center of both side edges of the short side wall 11. The third component 45 abuts against the bottom 17A of this restrictive receiving portion 17, thereby determining the lower end of the movable range of the locking member 40 (hereinafter referred to as the "release position"). The position where the upper surface of the locking member 40 abuts against the upper end rib 12 of the short side wall 11 is the upper end of the movable range of the locking member 40 (hereinafter referred to as the "restricted position").

As shown in FIG. 8, a pair of flexible arms 46 extend diagonally downward from the underside of the locking member 40 so as to approach each other. The lower ends of the flexible arms 46 abut against the lower end rib 13 of the short side wall 11, and the locking member 40 is biased upward by the elastic force of the flexible arms 46. When the locking member 40 is in the restricted position due to this bias, most of the third component 45 is disposed above the restricted receiving portion 17.

When the pair of long side walls 21 are raised from the folded state (see FIG. 2) and the short side wall 11 is raised, the tapered portion 45T (see FIG. 8) of the third component 45 of the locking member 40 slides against the engagement wall 25C (see FIG. 6) of the short side wall 11, and the locking member 40 moves downward against the resilience of the flexible arm 46. Then, when the third component 45 of the locking member 40 passes the engagement wall 25C of the short side wall 11, the resilience of the flexible arm 46 moves the locking member 40 to the upper end position, and the third component 45 is sandwiched and engaged between the outer wall 25A and the engagement wall 25C of the connecting protrusion 25 of the short side wall 11. As a result, the short side wall 11 and the long side wall 21 are fixed to each other in an upright state.

To tilt the short side wall 11 inward from the assembled state (see FIG. 1), the locking member 40 is pressed downward against the elastic force of the flexible arm 46. This places the locking member 40 in the release position, the third component 45 is received in the restrictive receiving portion 17, and the engagement with the engagement wall 25C is released, allowing the short side wall 11 to rotate.

Now, the locking member 40 is provided with an unlocking operation part 50 for performing an operation to release the engagement (a downward pressing operation). The unlocking operation part 50 is composed of an opening edge part of an operation hole 51 formed through the center of the locking member 40 in the longitudinal direction. As shown in Figures 8 and 10, the operation hole 51 has a rectangular shape with the long side being the longitudinal direction of the locking member 40, and is arranged between a position near the upper end and a position near the lower end of the first component 43 of the locking member 40. The unlocking operation part 50 has an annular rib 52 protruding rearward from the opening edge of the operation hole 51. The lower side part of the unlocking operation part 50 has a cross-sectional shape that is open to the rear, which is formed by the lower side of the annular rib 52, the front plate 41, and the rib 42 (referred to as the lower side rib 42A) protruding from the lower edge of the locking member 40. In addition, the rib 42 (referred to as the upper edge rib 42B) protruding from the upper edge of the locking member 40 has a recess 42U formed above the operation hole 51 that is recessed downward and has a bottom common to the annular rib 52, and the upper edge of the unlocking operation part 50 has a U-shaped cross section that opens upward. In addition, the outer corners of the upper edge of the unlocking operation part 50 have a rounded R surface 50R (see FIG. 14) that is more rounded than the inner corners.

8 and 13, the operation hole 51 of the locking member 40 overlaps with the handle hole 11A of the short side wall 11 in the inward and outward directions, and the folding container 10 can be lifted by inserting a hand so that the operation hole 51 and the handle hole 11A communicate with each other. In the folding container 10 of this embodiment, the handle hole 11A is slightly smaller than the operation hole 51, and a protruding portion 11H that protrudes upward from the lower opening edge of the operation hole 51 is provided below the handle hole 11A in the short side wall 11. The upper opening edge of the handle hole 11A is approximately flush with the upper opening edge of the operation hole 51, and the handle hole 11A and the operation hole 51 are arranged at approximately the same position in the horizontal direction.

The upper end of the overhanging portion 11H is formed with a protrusion 11T (corresponding to the "protrusion" in the claims) that protrudes outward (i.e., toward the locking member 40) and extends along the lower opening edge of the handle hole 11A. The protrusion 11T is disposed between the two ends of the lower opening edge of the handle hole 11A. As shown in FIG. 14, when the locking member 40 is disposed in the restricted position, a gap is formed between the protrusion 11T and the annular rib 52, and the entire protrusion 11T is contained within the operation hole 51. The cross section of the lower opening edge of the handle hole 11A, including the protrusion 11T, is curved upward.

In addition, the vertical length between the upper opening edge of the operation hole 51 and the lower opening edge of the handle hole 11A when the locking member 40 is in the restricted position is greater than the vertical length between the lower surface of the third component 45 and the bottom 17A of the restriction receiving portion 17 when the locking member 40 is in the restricted position, i.e., the movable distance of the locking member 40. As a result, even when the locking member 40 is in the released position, the upper opening edge of the operation hole 51 (the upper side of the annular rib 52) does not come into contact with the protrusion 11T, and the protrusion 11T is contained within the operation hole 51 throughout the entire movable range of the locking member 40, and is configured not to come into contact with the unlocking operation portion 50.

The above is the configuration of the folding container 10 of this embodiment. Next, the action and effect of the folding container 10 will be described. As described above, in the assembled folding container 10, by pushing downward the unlocking operation part 50 of the locking member 40 arranged on the short side wall 11, the engagement between the locking member 40 and the long side wall 21 is released, and the short side wall 11 can be folded inward.

In conventional containers, the unlocking operation part of the locking member moves within the handle hole in the side wall, which requires the handle hole to be made larger, resulting in a weakened side wall. In contrast, in the folding container 10 of this embodiment, the operation hole 51 of the locking member 40 overlaps with the handle hole 11A of the short side wall 11 in the inward and outward directions, and the handle hole 11A is smaller than the operation hole 51, improving the strength of the short side wall 11. In addition, a protruding part 11H that protrudes upward from the lower opening edge of the operation hole 51 is provided below the handle hole 11A in the short side wall 11, so that when operating the unlocking operation part 50 of the locking member 40, the protruding part 11H can be used as a guide to place a hand on the lower edge of the unlocking operation part 50. In addition, the upper opening edge of the handle hole 11A and the upper opening edge of the operation hole 51 (the upper edge of the annular rib 52) are approximately flush with each other, so when you insert your hand so that the operation hole 51 and the handle hole 11A communicate with each other and grip the upper edge of the short side wall 11 (including the upper edge of the locking member 40), your hand will not be hurt by the opening edge of the handle hole 11A digging into your hand.

In addition, a protrusion 11T is formed on the upper end of the protrusion 11H, so that if a finger accidentally hits the protrusion 11H when trying to hook it on the lower edge of the unlocking operation part 50, the protrusion 11T increases the area that the finger touches, making it gentler on the finger. Also, the cross section of the lower opening edge of the handle hole 11A, including the protrusion 11T, is curved upward, making it gentler on the finger.

In addition, the protrusion 11T is contained within the operation hole 51 throughout the entire movable range of the locking member 40 and is configured not to come into contact with the unlocking operation part 50, thereby preventing damage to the unlocking operation part 50. In particular, the upper edge of the unlocking operation part 50 is thought to be touched by the hand when lifting the container, and if this upper edge is damaged, there is a risk of injury to the hand. In this embodiment, however, the protrusion 11T is configured not to come into contact with the upper edge of the unlocking operation part 50, so the upper edge of the unlocking operation part is prevented from being damaged by the protrusion 11T, and injury to the hand is prevented.

[Other embodiments]
(1) In the above embodiment, the short side wall 11 is rotatable relative to the bottom wall 30, but the short side wall 11 may be removable, or may be configured to rotate relative to the long side wall 21 like a door. Also, the short side wall 11 may be a side wall portion with a door member that includes a base side wall and a door member, and the door member may be configured to rotate relative to the base side wall.

(2) The locking member 40 may be configured to disengage from the long side wall 21 when the locking member 40 moves upward, left, or right. In this case, the protruding portion 11H is disposed upward, left, or right (movement direction) of the handle hole 11A.

(3) The locking member 40 may be configured to rotate rather than move linearly. For example, the locking member 40 may be configured to rotate downward about a rotation axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the short side wall 11. In this case, the protruding portion 11H is disposed below the handle hole 11A.

(4) In the above embodiment, the protrusion 11T extends continuously, but it may extend intermittently. Also, instead of the protrusion 11T, for example, a protrusion may be provided in the center, or multiple small protrusions may be provided.

(5) The locking member 40 may be disposed on the inner surface of the short side wall 11.

Note that although specific examples of the technology included in the scope of the claims are disclosed in this specification and drawings, the technology described in the claims is not limited to these specific examples, but includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples, as well as parts of the specific examples taken separately.

10. Folding container (container)
11 Short side wall (first side wall portion)
11A Handle hole 11H Projection 11T Protrusion (protrusion)
40 Locking member 50 Unlocking operation portion 51 Operation hole 52 Annular rib

Claims (4)

A container comprising an unlocking operation part movable along an outer or inner surface of a first side wall part which is at least a part of one side wall of the container, and when the unlocking operation part is operated from a restricted position to a released position, the first side wall part becomes removable or rotatable,
A handle hole provided in the first side wall portion;
an operation hole provided in the unlock operation portion, into which a hand can be inserted together with the handle hole;
a protruding portion of the first side wall portion, the protruding portion being disposed on the release position side in a first direction, which is a moving direction of the unlocking operation part, from the handle hole and protruding inward from an inner edge of the operation hole on the release position side in the first direction of the unlocking operation part disposed at the restricted position ;
a protrusion formed on the protruding portion and protruding toward the unlocking operation portion,
A container in which the protrusion does not come into contact with the unlocking operation portion over the entire range in which the unlocking operation portion can move . 2. The container according to claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is a ridge extending along an opening edge of the handle hole . A container comprising an unlocking operation part that is movable up and down along an outer or inner surface of a first side wall portion that is at least a part of one side wall of the container, and when the unlocking operation part is operated from an upper restricted position to a lower released position, the first side wall portion becomes removable or rotatable,
A handle hole provided in the first side wall portion;
an operation hole provided in the unlock operation portion, into which a hand can be inserted together with the handle hole;
a protruding portion disposed below the handle hole in the first side wall portion and protruding upward from a lower opening edge of the operation hole in the unlocking operation portion disposed in the restricted position;
a protrusion formed on an upper end of the overhanging portion, protruding toward the unlocking operation portion and extending along a lower opening edge of the handle hole;
A container in which the protrusion is configured to fit within the operation hole throughout the entire range of movement of the unlocking operation part and does not abut against the upper opening edge of the operation hole in the unlocking operation part . A container comprising an unlocking operation part that is movable up and down along an outer or inner surface of a first side wall portion that is at least a part of one side wall of the container, and when the unlocking operation part is operated from an upper restricted position to a lower released position, the first side wall portion becomes removable or rotatable,
A handle hole provided in the first side wall portion;
an operation hole provided in the unlock operation portion, into which a hand can be inserted together with the handle hole;
a protruding portion disposed below the handle hole in the first side wall portion and protruding upward from a lower opening edge of the operation hole in the unlocking operation portion disposed in the restricted position;
a protrusion formed on the protruding portion and protruding toward the unlocking operation portion,
A container in which the protrusion is configured to fit within the operation hole throughout the entire range of movement of the unlocking operation part and does not abut against the upper opening edge of the operation hole in the unlocking operation part .

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