NL1001920C2 - Box and appropriate connectors. - Google Patents

Description

- 1 -

BOX AND CONNECTIVES INTENDED FOR IT

The invention relates to a box, comprising a container, which is hingedly connected to a lid, which in closed position can be removed from the container unhindered from the inside.

Such a box for storing children's toys is known under the name "Pirate box" R, which has been marketed by Curver.

This box consists of a holder which is connected to a lid by three hinges.

Because such a box is used as 15 children's toys, it must meet the safety standard NEN EN 71-1. This standard describes that children's toys which can accommodate a child and which are provided with a lid must be easy to open from the inside, which is understood to mean that a force of at most 50 N is required for this. In this standard, "opening" means both opening by translation and opening by rotation of the lid.

This requirement is met in the "Pirate box", in that the hinges each consist of two mutually co-operating hinge parts, the first hinge part consisting of a hinge pin, mounted on a container side wall, and a second hinge part, arranged on the lid from a profile with a recess therein which encloses the hinge pin over half of its peripheral surface. This construction allows the closed lid to be opened unhindered from the inside.

A drawback of the known box is that the lid 35 easily detaches from the holder in positions other than the closed position, for instance during opening.

The object of the invention is to provide 1001920-2 a box which does not have this drawback.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that connection means are present, which provide a connection between the lid and the container in all positions other than the closed position.

In the closed position, the box according to the invention permits unhindered removal between the lid and the container, while the connecting means prevent such unhindered removal in all positions other than the closed position of the lid.

When the foregoing and hereafter is referred to as the closed position of the lid, this means those positions of the lid in which it closes the container or in which it is opened at an angle of at most 20 °.

When talking about opening the lid in the foregoing and hereafter, this is understood to mean the hinged opening of the lid, unless stated otherwise.

In the foregoing and hereinafter reference is made to unobstructed in relation to the removal of the cover, it is understood that the hinge parts and the fastening parts do not form a resistance for breaking the connection between the cover and the container or a resistance which is at most 50 N.

When in the foregoing and hereinafter reference is made to all positions other than the closed position of the cover, this means all positions which the cover can assume between the closed position and a maximum opening angle permitted by the construction of the cover and the holder.

The box includes a lid and a container, which container generally consists of a bottom and container sidewalls and has an open top surface. The container side walls may or may not already have been converted on the top surface side. The lid generally has a flanged rim. For example, the box is made of plastic. In general, one of the container side walls is connected to the lid by one or more hinges 5. The hinges generally consist of two mutually mutually hinge parts. These consist, for example, of a first hinge part, which at least consists of a hinge pin and a second hinge part comprising a profile with a U-shaped recess open to one side, which fittingly encloses the hinge pin over at least a part of its peripheral surface.

The connecting means, which provide a connection between the lid and the container in all positions other than the closed position, may or may not form part of one or more hinges.

An example of a construction, in which the connecting means form part of one or more hinges, is a hinge in which the first hinge part comprises a hinge pin connected to the cover, which has a cross section in the form of an ellipse, the short axis of which the closed position of the lid, parallel to the bottom of the box. The second hinge part attached to the holder comprises a profile with a recess open on one side, which has a narrowing on the open side, the smallest width of which is situated in a plane which is also parallel to the bottom of the box and equal is on the short axis of the ellipse.

As a result, in this closed box according to the invention the lid can be removed from the holder virtually unhindered.

In all positions other than the closed position of the lid, due to the rotation of the hinge pin, a section through the center thereof has a width which lies between the length of the short and the long axis of the ellipse. Since this width is greater than the smallest width at the location of the narrowing, the hinge pin cannot escape from the profile in positions other than the closed position of the cover, whereby the connection between the cover and the cover is broken. holder is prevented.

A mirror-image construction, in which the first hinge part, which comprises the hinge pin, is connected to the holder and the second hinge part is attached to the lid, can easily be deduced from the above for the skilled person.

If the connecting means are not part of the hinges, the hinges must permit unhindered removal of the lid from the container in all positions of the lid.

In that case, the hinges can for instance consist of a first hinge part, comprising a profile with a U-shaped recess open on one side, enclosing a second hinge part, consisting of the hinge pin, over a maximum of half of the circumferential surface, such as known from the "Pirate box". The hinge pin, which is preferably fixed to the holder, is enclosed on the side remote from the bottom of the box by the profile and it must be possible to insert it into the recess of the profile without resistance.

In that case, the connecting means separate from the hinges can for instance consist of a catch attached to the lid, or if present on the edge of the lid, which rotates behind a lip or bracket attached to the container when the lid is opened. Preferably, during rotation of the catch behind the lip or bracket, there will be no contact between the catch and the lip or bracket, as a result of which the connection is made completely or almost without friction and without material deformations.

An advantage of connecting means which make the connection between the lid and the container completely or 1001920 - 5 - practically frictionless is that they do not form a resistance for opening the lid, so that it can be opened easily by children, for example. A further advantage of the fact that the connecting means make the connection completely or almost frictionless is that they do not transfer any torque to the container when the lid is opened, so that an empty container, which is often light in a plastic version, remains standing. Connecting means which do transmit a couple to the holder will more easily tip an empty holder when opening the lid.

An advantage of the fact that the connecting means establish the connection entirely without material deformations is of particular importance in boxes, the connection of which between the lid and the container is frequently established, which is the case with children's toys due to the frequent opening and closing the lid is usually the case. The re-establishment of the connection between the lid and the container through material deformations eventually causes the connection to fail due to wear, stress relaxation or fatigue of the material used. This phenomenon does not occur with the box according to the invention.

Preferably, the box according to the invention contains connecting means containing deformable parts which release the connection between the lid and the container under the influence of a force acting on a hinge point of the lid, which is perpendicular to the plane of the lid and that of the holder is facing away.

Such a force arises when closing of the lid is prevented because an object is located between a container side wall and the lid. Such a force also arises when opening of the lid is prevented by an object between the lid or an edge present on the lid and the container side wall located on the hinge side.

Due to the deformability of the parts which cause the connection between the lid and the container to be released when a force is applied, it is prevented that (children's) fingers can be pinched when closing the lid, or when opening it completely of it.

When in the foregoing and hereinafter reference is made to deformable parts, this is understood to mean parts which elastically deform under the influence of the forces described above. This deformation is intended to cause the two parts that make up the rotatable interlock to move, thereby releasing the connection between the lid and the container.

When the foregoing and hereafter is referred to as the surface of the lid, this is understood to mean a surface connected to the lid, which in closed position of the lid forms the top surface of the container.

Preferably, a lid with turned-over rim is used. By attaching the catch to the end 25 of the edge, the edge can function as a deformable part. This edge can elastically deform under the influence of the force exerted on the pawl, whereby the pawl is released from the lip or bracket, and the connection between the lid and the holder is released.

The advantage of using the flanged edge as a deformable part is that a deformation, necessary for release, can take place in a relatively large area. The deformation remains small at each location, as a result of which the chance of stress relaxation remains limited and the connection can be released more often without the force required for deforming the edge and thus releasing the connection becoming too small, causing the lid to release too easily from the container in positions other than the closed position. This advantage is also of particular importance with boxes whose connection between the lid and the container is frequently broken, which will be the case with children's toys.

The force at which the connection is released depends on the shape of the edge of the lid and whether or not the container side wall has been converted on the top surface side. On the basis of the chosen design, it is easy to determine at which force the connection is released in order to avoid the danger of pinching (children's) fingers between the lid and the container side wall when closing the lid. In doing so, an optimum must be sought between the risk of injury from clamping and the lid being released too easily in all positions other than the closed position. Preferably, the maximum force at which the connection between the lid and the container is released is between 1 and 50 N.

Serious injuries due to pinching when closing the lid are avoided by always releasing the connection between the lid and the container above a force of 50 N. In order not to release the connection between the lid and the container too easily when opening the lid, a force of at least 1 N is required.

To avoid any risk of pinching, the maximum force at which the connection between the lid and the container is released is preferably between 10 and 40 N and more preferably between 20 and 30 N.

This achieves that in all positions other than the closed position of the lid there is a good connection between the lid and the holder, 1001920-8, while the danger of injury by pinching is hardly present.

The force at which the lid has to be released in order to avoid a risk of injury depends on the chosen shape of the edge of the lid and whether or not the container side wall on the side of the top surface has been converted. In the case of unconverted, often sharp edges of the container side wall and lid, the connection between the lid and the container is preferably already released at a maximum force of 1 N. In case all edges have been converted and the risk of injury by pinching is clearly less , the connection between the holder and the lid can be released at a maximum force of 50 N.

Depending on the chosen design, the maximum possible maximum force is chosen, whereby the connection between the lid and the container is released and there is no risk of injury from being clamped, because the lid then less easily detaches from the container.

Releasing the connection between the lid and the container at a certain maximum force between 1 and 50 N can generally be achieved by a suitable choice of the stiffness of the deformable parts. The desired stiffness can easily be adjusted by the choice of the material from which the box is made, or by variation of the shape of the deformable parts.

If the deformable parts consist of the bent edge on the lid, the desired stiffness can be easily adjusted by varying the thickness of the edge or by arranging one or more reinforcing ribs on the edge at the position of the catch.

Preferably means can also be provided on the lid, the holder or the fastening means, which limit the angle at which the lid can be opened.

In cooperation with the deformable parts which release the connection between the lid and the holder 5, this achieves that the connection between the lid and the holder is also released when an attempt is made to open the lid further than a maximum, due to the construction of the lid and the holder allowed angle. This prevents the risk of pinching when one or more fingers are located on the side of the hinge parts between the container side wall and the outside of the lid. Since when clamping on the outside of the lid, the distance to the angle of rotation is generally smaller than when clamping during closing, the clamping forces are greater, and the provision of means limiting the angle under which the lid can be opened deserves to be provided, preference is given to further limiting the maximum force whereby the connection between the lid and the container is released. The latter could lead to the force under which the connection between the lid and the container is released becoming less than is necessary to prevent pinching when the lid is closed.

A further advantage of the means, which allow a limiting opening angle of the lid, is that the connection between the lid and the container is broken, before there is the danger of parts that form the rotatable lock breaking off.

Another advantage of the means which allow a limited opening angle of the lid is that it allows the projection of the center of gravity of the opened lid to be chosen so close to the container that the container with the opened lid does not fall over as a result as well. of the weight of the opened lid.

.10 0 1 9 2 0 - 10 -

These means can for instance be stop cams, which are arranged on the lid or on the holder or on parts of the fastening means according to the invention.

Preferably, the angle at which the lid can be opened is limited to an angle large enough to drop the projection of the center of gravity of the lid outside the line around which the lid hinges, so that the opened lid remains open without additional features stand.

An optimum must be sought here between the angle at which the projection of the center of gravity of the opened lid is so close to the container that the container with the opened lid does not fall over empty and the angle at which the opened lid opens without extra provisions. remains standing.

At a maximum opening angle, which is between 80 ° and 120 ° from the closed position of the lid, both of the above 20 preferences are usually satisfied.

Depending on the size and weight of the lid, several hinges and / or fasteners can be used. In general, at least two hinges and two fastening means according to the invention are used for attaching a lid to a container.

Other features and advantages will become apparent from the following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings. 30 Herein is:

Figure 1 is a top view of an opened lid and a container side wall at an embodiment of the fasteners of the box;

Figure 2, a section along line A-A of Figure 1, 35 with an opened lid;

Figure 3, a section along line B-B of Figure 1, with an opened lid; 1001920 - 11 -

Figure 4, a corresponding section as in Figure 2, with the lid closed;

Figure 5, a corresponding section as in Figure 3, with the lid closed; Figure 6, a section along the line C-C of Figure 4 and Figure 5.

Figure 7, the same cross-section as in Figure 2, with the lid opened approximately 35 °;

Figure 8, the same cross-section as in Figure 3, wherein the lid is opened approximately 35 °;

In Figure 1, 2 is a side wall of a container with a converted container side wall 4. The hinge pin 10 is mounted in a recess 6 in the converted container side wall.

The edge 12 of the lid 14 is provided with two ribs 18 connected to each other by a wall 16. Figure 2 shows two hinge parts: a first hinge part consisting of a profile 18 with a U-shaped recess open on one side 20 and a second hinge part, which contains the hinge pin 10.

Figure 1 further shows that the edge of the lid is also provided with two ribs 22. This part of the holder is also visible in Figure 3. The catch 24 is fixed to the ribs 22, which in the opened position behind the lip 26 falls at the converted top edge 4. Figure 3 also shows a wall 28 which connects the lid to the holder and in this construction, together with the edge 12, is a part of the deformable part which causes a mutual displacement of the pawl and the lip under the influence of a force, so that the connection between the lid and the container is released. The ribs 22 ensure that the catch 24 does not deform when the cover is subjected to a force, but that the deformation necessary for the release of the connection takes place in the bent edge 4 or / and in the edge 28 of the cover. With these ribs it is also achieved that the rigidity of the deformable parts 1001920 - 12 - is sufficiently high to only release the connection between the lid and the container at a force between 1 and 50 N. Figure 3 also shows a stop cam 36 which limits the opening angle of the lid to approximately 90 °. Figure 2 shows the two hinge parts in the closed position of the lid. Figure 4 shows how the U-shaped recess 20 encloses the hinge pin 10 at the top and leaves it free at the bottom. This Figure shows that the lid can be removed unhindered in the closed position. Figure 6 shows the position of a stop cam 36 as well as the ribs 30 and 32, which are connected by shaft 10. The ribs 32 and 34 form a lock with lip 26 behind which catch 24 rotates when the lid is opened.

Figure 8 shows that the catch 24 rotates behind the lip 26 when the lid is closed.

"Pirate box" is a Curver b.v. registered trademark.

20 1001920

Claims (6)

1. Box, comprising a holder which is hingedly connected to a lid, which in closed position can be removed unhindered from the inside of the holder in the closed position, characterized in that connecting means are present, which provide in all positions other than the closed position a connection 10 between the lid and the container. 2. Box according to claim 1, characterized in that the connecting means comprise deformable parts which release the connection between the lid and the container under the influence of a force acting on a hinge point of the lid, which is perpendicular to the plane of the lid and that is directed away from the holder. 3. Box according to claim 2, characterized in that the deformable parts release the connection between the lid and the container at a maximum force of between 1 and 50 N. Box according to any one of claims 2 or 3, provided with means which limit the angle under which the lid can be opened. 5. Box provided with connections as substantially described and illustrated in the drawings. Connecting means usable in a box according to any one of the preceding claims. 1001 »20