JPS594122B2 - Youkiyo Sozai - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to containers, and more particularly to open top containers.

10 In fields such as the furniture industry, it is necessary to produce structures, referred to as containers, which require relatively rigid and precise external dimensions that allow them to cooperate with other components. It is.

Drawers are an example of this type of container, and they must have precise exterior surfaces to slide accurately over the drawer runs and to avoid unsightly gaps between the drawer and outer box surfaces. be. Since using conventional techniques for manufacturing containers suitable for these uses is labor intensive, several attempts have been made to develop less time consuming methods.

For example, one known technique for making drawers includes making a continuous extrusion that can be used to form the sidewalls of the drawer. The extrusion is cut to length, precisely cut out in three V-shapes corresponding to the drawer's 325 corners, and folded around the precisely cut plate that forms the drawer's bottom. . The free end of the extrusion is beveled and glued to complete the drawer. This technique has disadvantages including time consuming cutting, bevel cutting and gluing steps. The present invention obviates the above-mentioned disadvantages by providing a sealed container that is easily assembled from a single component with precise dimensions, at least some of its side walls being double layered for rigidity. and 35.

The material can be made to stack with other similar materials for compact storage and transportation. In order to achieve the above object, the present invention forms a top open container as follows.

That is, the open-top container is a single-component container that includes an open-top box-like structure having integral side walls and a bottom plate, and four outer walls hinged to the box-like structure. a panel), each of the outer walls overlapping each of the integral side walls of the box-like structure and mechanically engaged with the box-like structure; has a flange formed between the upper edge of the side wall and the outer wall of the box-like structure, the adjacent ends of the flange being connected together to form a continuous flange at the top of the container. , a side end of the outer wall is connected to the flange by a hinge connection;
The container further has a lower flange formed at a lower side end of the outer wall, the end of the lower flange forming a continuous flange below the plane of the bottom of the voice box-like structure. The free end edge of the lower flange formed on the lower side edge of the outer wall is formed with an upwardly bent protrusion, and the box-like structure A rib is formed to protrude and cooperate with the protrusion to form the engagement between the outer wall and the box-like structure. Preferably, the single-walled container and the panel are integrally molded from a plastic material, with the panel being placed approximately on top of the single-walled container. The blank includes connecting means interconnecting the panels and the side walls, the panels being placed on the side walls. The single wall container is formed by a number of the panels, each panel being foldable into position over a separate one of the container side walls and hinged to the top of each side wall. Assembly of the container from the blanks is simply accomplished by folding the panels around their hinges and holding them in a vertical position to the bottom of the single-walled container.

Therefore, the external shape of the assembled container depends on the initial shape of the materials and cannot be changed by the skill of the person assembling it.

Next, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A blank 2 for assembling a drawer as an example of a container according to the invention comprises a bottom plate 4, four side walls 6 extending upwardly and outwardly from the bottom plate, and extending continuously around the upper edge of the side walls 6. including a flange 8 , four panels (outer walls) 10 hinged to the tail and flange 8 , each panel 10
has similar dimensions adjacent to the side wall 6 and thus forms the external side wall of the drawer by folding the panel downwardly around the hinged connection to the flange 8.

The bottom plate 4, side walls 6, flange 8, and panel 10 are integrally molded from a plastic material such as polypropylene, with the panel 10 initially flush with the flange 8. Referring now to FIG. 2, a portion of the blank is shown in the molded position.

A V-shaped notch 12 is formed between the flange 8 and the panel 10 and acts as a hinged connection therebetween. Panel 10
A flange 14 that hangs down from this is provided on the outside of the
This occurs when the panels 10 are pivoted around their respective hinge connections to the flanges 8 (as shown in dashed lines) on the bottom plate 4.
and forms the bottom running surface of the drawer 2.
A protrusion 16 extending in the length direction is provided on the lower side of the flange 14.
is provided, which corresponds to a rib 18 formed on the lower side of the bottom plate 4.
In combination, these ribs form an extension of the side walls and prevent the panel 10 from rocking outward due to its own elasticity. The panel 10 has a longitudinally extending groove 20;
its side walls 21 act as side running surfaces of the drawer;
Alternatively, the moldings (not shown) may act as protruding running surfaces for the drawer such that a molding (not shown) is press fit therebetween. The bottom wall 22 of the groove is shaped to abut the side walls 6 when the blanks are assembled, providing additional rigidity to the drawer. FIG. 2 also shows the outward extension angle A of the side wall 6 with respect to a line 9 perpendicular to the base plate 4. FIG.

In the illustrated shape, there are three angles. Referring now to FIGS. 3-5, the side edges of panel 10 include a mitered edge surface 24, which is 44 mm relative to the plane of panel 10.
52 tilt.

Sidewalls 21 and bottom 22 of groove 20 require corresponding mitered edges 26 and 28. Similarly, the flange 14 and the protrusion 16 each have a mitered edge surface 30}
and 32. Therefore, the miter part is panel 1
0 are formed on the side edges of panel 10 when the corresponding mitered edge surfaces 24, 26, 28, 30 and 32 are pivoted about their hinge connections until they are engaged. This corresponds to the position where the protrusion 16 connects with the bottom rib 18. Two pairs of protrusions 34 are provided on one side of the panel 10 to help maintain the integrity of the miter joint between adjacent side edges of the panel 10.
two pairs of corresponding slots 3 along one side edge;
6 is formed in a member 37 located on the adjacent side edge of the other panel 10, as shown in FIGS. 4-9. One of the protrusions 34', surrounded by dashed lines in FIG. 3, has been rotated ~90 degrees to facilitate understanding of the figure.

FIG. 6 shows one of the protrusions 34 in detail. It can be seen that this has an upright portion 38 projecting directly inward from the panel 10 from the mitered edge surface 24 of the panel 10. A locking lip 40 is formed on the upper inward edge of the upright portion 38 .
Slot 36 is made wider than the corresponding width of projection 34 to allow projection 34 to be easily inserted into slot 36 during assembly. FIG. 9 shows the protrusion 34 locking with the slot 36. Upright portion 38 extends through the slot until its lip 40 engages the rear surface of member 37 .
It can be seen that the lip 40 is elastically deformed by the lip 40 as it passes through the slot 36. It is clear that the blank 2 can be molded in a single step, that it can be stacked for compact storage and transportation, and that it can be easily assembled by unskilled personnel for use as a drawer.

The external dimensions of the drawer are precisely determined during the initial molding operation of the material and are therefore not dependent on the ability of the person assembling the drawer. Since the top open container of the present invention is constructed and operates in this way, it can be stored and transported efficiently, can be easily assembled into a container, has sufficient rigidity as a container, and has a small external shape. The dimensions are accurate, and the container can be used as a container that can cooperate with other components, such as a furniture drawer.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a material for forming a drawer as an example of a container according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view passing through the bottom end and one side of the bow shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the material. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 3;
6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 3, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 3, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. The plan view and FIG. 9 show the components shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 when the materials are assembled and connected to form a drawer. 2... Rope material, 4, 22... Bottom, 6, 21... Side wall, 8, 14... Flange, 10... Panel, 12...
... V-shaped notch, 16, 34 ... protrusion, 20 ... groove, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32 ... miter edge surface,
36... Slot, 37... Member, 38... Directly above, 40... Locking lip portion.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A single-piece container having an open top box-like structure with integral side walls and a bottom plate, and four outer walls hinged to the box-like structure, the outer walls each overlaps each of the integral side walls of the box-like structure and is mechanically engaged with the box-like structure, and the container extends over the side walls of the box-like structure. a flange formed between the rim and the outer wall, the adjacent ends of the flange being connected together to form a continuous flange at the top of the container, and the side ends of the outer wall being hinged; the container further has a lower flange formed at a lower side end of the outer wall, the end of the lower flange being connected to the plane of the bottom of the box-like structure; the free edge of said lower flange being connected diagonally to form a continuous flange downwardly and formed on the lower side edge of said outer wall being formed with an upwardly bent protrusion; and a top-open container, wherein the box-like structure has ribs protruding from the box-like structure that cooperate with the protrusion to form the engagement between the outer wall and the box-like structure.