US20140360899A1

US20140360899A1 - Shoebox

Info

Publication number: US20140360899A1
Application number: US14/292,882
Authority: US
Inventors: Yu-Chun Huang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-06-05
Filing date: 2014-05-31
Publication date: 2014-12-11
Also published as: TW201446613A; TWI494253B

Abstract

A shoebox includes a box body and a lid. The box body has a box bottom and four box laterals. Each of the box laterals and the box bottom include a first angle that is between 91.5° and 102°. The lid has a lid bottom and four lid laterals. The lid bottom is larger than the box bottom. Each of the lid laterals and the lid bottom include a second angle that is greater than the first angle. The lid has the lid bottom covering the opening so as to close the accommodating space. When the shoeboxes are stacked up, the box body of one shoebox is placed into the opening of another shoebox and partially received in the accommodating space. This allows the shoeboxes to be staked in a more compact form, thereby saving space for storage and transportation.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shoeboxes for storing various shoes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Shoeboxes are one of the most seen packaging materials in our daily life. A shoebox is typically for storing and protecting shoes, and is also an advertising medium for the dealers to promote their shoes.
A conventional shoebox 10 shown in FIG. 1 has primarily a box body 11 and a lid 12 covering it. Therein, for arranging the shoeboxes 10 in stacks regularly, most of the existing shoeboxes are as the shoebox 10 shown in the drawing, as a square box or a rectangular box.
However, since the conventional shoebox 10 has a fixed height and inflexible configuration, the box body 11 and the lid 12 can only be arranged in a fixed way. When it comes to storage or transportation, the relatively large volume of the conventional shoebox 10 can lead to an undesirably bulky stake that consumes more space.
In view of the shortcomings mentioned above, the prior art needs to be improved, and the inventor of the present invention herein proposes a novel shoebox.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a shoebox, with the objective to improve the existing shoeboxes by allowing the shoeboxes to be stacked up in a more compact form, thereby saving space for storage and transportation.
For achieving the above-mentioned objective, the present invention provides a shoebox, a box body, having a rectangular a box bottom and four box laterals surrounding four edges of the box bottom, wherein each said box lateral and the box bottom include a first angle that is between 91.5° and 102°, while the four box laterals and the box body jointly define an accommodating space that has an opening; and a lid, having a rectangular lid bottom and four lid laterals surrounding four edges of the lid bottom, the lid bottom being larger than the box bottom, each said lid lateral and the lid bottom including a second angle, the second angle being greater than the first angle, and the lid having the lid bottom covering the opening so as to close the accommodating space.
The disclosed shoebox provides the following benefits. Each of the four box laterals of the box body and the box bottom include a first angle, so as to make the box body a narrow-bottom trapezoid structure, and the lid bottom is larger than the box bottom, so when two disclosed shoeboxes are stacked up, the box body of the upper one can be partially received in the box body of the lower one. This allows the shoeboxes to be staked in a more compact form, thereby saving space for storage and transportation.
The invention as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a conventional shoebox;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a shoebox according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a partial, cross-sectional view of the shoebox according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a stacked of shoeboxes according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a partial, cross-sectional view of a shoebox according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention, wherein the shoeboxes are stacked up.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following preferred embodiments when read with the accompanying drawings are made to clearly exhibit the above-mentioned and other technical contents, features and effects of the present invention. Unless otherwise noted, like elements will be identified by identical numbers throughout all figures.
Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the shoebox comprises a box body 20 and a lid 30.
The box body 20 has a rectangular box bottom 21 and four box laterals 22 surrounding the box bottom 21 at its four edges. In the present embodiment, the box bottom 21 is rectangular, and the four box laterals 22 include two pairs of different sizes. Each said box lateral 22 and the box bottom 21 include a first angle α, wherein the first angle a is between 91.5° and 102°. In other words, each said box lateral 22 diverges from the normal of the box bottom 21 by 1.5° to 12°. Thereby, all the box laterals 22 and the box bottom 21 jointly define an accommodating space 24 having an opening 23, so that the box body 20 is shaped into a narrow-bottom trapezoid.
The lid 30 has a rectangular lid bottom 31 and four lid laterals 32 surrounding the lid bottom 31 at its four edges. The lid bottom 31 has its length and width greater than those of the box bottom 21. In the present embodiment, the lid bottom 31 is rectangular, and the four lid laterals 32 include two pairs of different sizes. Each said lid laterals 32 and the lid bottom 31 include a second angle β, wherein the second angle β is greater than the first angle α. The lid 30 also has a narrow-bottom trapezoid structure. The lid 30 has the lid bottom 31 placed into the box body 20 to cover the opening 23, thereby closing the accommodating space 24. The lid 30 may be provided with auxiliary lid laterals 321. The auxiliary lid lateral 321 is structurally a part of the lid laterals 32 extending beyond the lid bottom 31. In other words, each said lid laterals 32 extends at one side (upward side) of one said edge of the lid bottom 31, and each said auxiliary lid lateral 321 extends from the lid lateral 32 at an opposite side (downward side) of the edge of the lid bottom 31. Therefore, the auxiliary lid lateral 321 and the lid bottom include an angle that is equal to 180° minus β.
With the components and configuration described previously, the present invention embodiment has the utility and benefits given below. Referring to FIG. 4, for stacking up the shoeboxes of the present invention for storage, the plural box bodies 20 are stacked, so that the accommodating space 24 of the lower shoebox partially receives the box body 20 of the immediately upper shoebox. This allows the shoeboxes to be staked in a more compact form, thereby saving space for storage and transportation.
Please refer to FIG. 5 for another embodiment of the present invention, which is a modified variation of the previously discussed embodiment. While the similar parts are not to be described herein, it is to be noted that the box body 20B further has a positioning ring 25B formed at the upper end of the box laterals 22B and the lid 30B further has a retaining ring 33B formed at the periphery of the lid bottom 31B. When the lid 30B closes the accommodating space 24B, the retaining ring 33B and the positioning ring 25B engage with each other. The engagement between the retaining ring 33B and the positioning ring 25B prevents the combination between the lid 30B and the box body 20B from unintentional separation.
Please refer to FIG. 6 together with FIG. 5. When containing shoes, the disclosed shoebox may be stacked up as shown. Particularly, the box bottom 21B of the box body 20B of one said shoebox is placed on the lid 30B of another said shoebox. This helps to slightly reduce the overall height of the stack of the shoeboxes, and the unique style of such a shoebox stack is eye-catching to consumers. Therein, the lid bottom 31 B of the lid 30B may be further provided with an anti-slip portion 34B. In the present embodiment, the anti-slip portion 34B includes plural ribs 341B formed on the surface of the lid bottom. The anti-slip portion 34B increases friction between the box bottom 21B and the lid bottom 31B, further ensuring the stability of the shoebox stack. Furthermore, a through hole 35B may be formed at a corner of the lid bottom 31B of the lid 30B for a user's finger to pass therethrough so that the user can hold the shoebox or open the lid 30B easily.
The present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments and it is understood that the embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Moreover, as the contents disclosed herein should be readily understood and can be implemented by a person skilled in the art, all equivalent changes or modifications which do not depart from the concept of the present invention should be encompassed by the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A shoebox, comprising:

a box body, having a rectangular a box bottom and four box laterals surrounding four edges of the box bottom, wherein each said box lateral and the box bottom include a first angle that is between 91.5° and 102°, while the four box laterals and the box body jointly define an accommodating space that has an opening; and

a lid, having a rectangular lid bottom and four lid laterals surrounding four edges of the lid bottom, the lid bottom being larger than the box bottom, each said lid lateral and the lid bottom including a second angle, the second angle being greater than the first angle, and the lid having the lid bottom covering the opening so as to close the accommodating space.

2. The shoebox of claim 1, wherein the box body further has a positioning ring formed at upper ends of the box laterals, and the lid has a retaining ring formed along a periphery of the lid bottom, so that when the lid closes the accommodating space, the retaining ring and the positioning ring engage with each other.

3. The shoebox of claim 1, further comprising an anti-slip portion formed at a top of the lid bottom of the lid.

4. The shoebox of claim 1, further comprising a through hole formed on the lid bottom of the lid.

5. The shoebox of claim 1, wherein each said lid lateral extends at one side of one said edge of the lid bottom, and the lid further has auxiliary lid laterals each extending from the lid lateral at an opposite side of the edge of the lid bottom.