A portable and easy-to-open lunch box

Abstract

A portable and convenient-to-open lunch box comprises a box body and a cover body hinged to the box body, the same side of the cover body and the box body is respectively provided with a buckle ear and a handle, the buckle ear is pivoted to the edge of the cover body, the handle is rotationally arranged on the side wall of the box body, a limiting protrusion is arranged on the buckle ear, a matched locking groove is arranged at the corresponding position of the handle, the limiting protrusion is embedded in the locking groove when the buckle ear is in the locking position and the handle is in the pulling state, the outer surface of the handle and the force applying part of the buckle ear form a linkage fulcrum for synchronous operation of both hands when the handle is in the folding state. By arranging the buckle ear and the handle on the same side of the cover body and the box body and forming a linkage structure, the handle pulling state can mechanically lock the buckle ear when carrying, avoiding accidental opening of the cover body due to external force, improving the carrying safety, when opening, the user can form a stable leverage fulcrum by pressing the outer surface of the handle and pulling the force applying part of the buckle ear when the handle is in the folding state, the operation is convenient and smooth, and the structure is compact and occupies small space.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of catering utensils technology, specifically to a lunch box that is easy to carry and open. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of catering utensil technology, the design of the handle and latch of a lunchbox directly affects its safety and ease of use. Taking the Chinese utility model patent "A Lunchbox" with application number 202320901624.5 (authorization announcement number CN219699254U) as an example, it adopts a traditional design approach, fixing the handle to the hinge between the box body and the lid, while the latches are distributed on the three sides of the lid. The two are structurally independent and do not form an effective linkage mechanism.

[0003] From a safety perspective, the handle of this lunchbox serves only as a single lifting component and has no mechanical connection to the latches. When the user carries the lunchbox, the handle cannot lock the latches; the seal between the lid and the body relies entirely on the static engagement of the latches. In everyday carrying scenarios, such as going up and down stairs, experiencing bumps, or accidental tilting, the lid is prone to opening due to external force. For example, when carrying liquid foods like soup, the lid has a high probability of opening due to gravity when held vertically, leading to leakage and impacting the user experience.

[0004] In terms of ease of use, the misaligned design of the handle and latches results in significant defects in the opening process. The handle is located at the hinge of the box, while the latches are distributed on three sides of the lid, with a considerable straight-line distance between them. When opening the lid, if the user attempts to use the handle as a fulcrum to stabilize the box, the excessive lever arm prevents the pressure from being effectively transmitted to the latches, causing the box to wobble or even slip. If the user presses directly on the box, the smooth, flat surface lacks anti-slip features, making it easy for the palm to slip, especially with wet hands. Furthermore, the considerable distance between the point of force application and the latches significantly increases the difficulty of applying force. For children, the elderly, and other users with less strength, repeated adjustments to their posture are necessary to complete the opening action, resulting in low operational efficiency.

[0005] In summary, the core bottleneck of existing technologies lies in the failure to establish a linkage mechanism between the handle and the latch, resulting in a lack of dynamic locking capability when carrying and an inability to form an effective fulcrum when opening. Therefore, an innovative design with a linked handle and latch is urgently needed to achieve automatic locking during carrying through mechanical correlation and to form a stable fulcrum during opening, fundamentally solving the shortcomings of traditional designs in terms of safety and convenience, and comprehensively optimizing the user experience of the lunchbox. Utility Model Content

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to provide a lunch box that is easy to carry and open, which is achieved by the coordinated setting of the handle and the buckle, so that a stable fulcrum can be formed when the buckle is opened, and which is compact in structure and easy to operate.

[0007] The technical solution adopted by this utility model to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is as follows: the lunch box that can be carried and is easy to open includes a box body and a lid hinged to the box body. The lid and the box body are respectively provided with a buckle and a handle on the same side.

[0008] The latch is pivotally connected to the edge of the cover, and can be flipped downwards to the locking position to fix the cover and the box, and can be flipped upwards to the unlocking position;

[0009] The handle is rotatably mounted on the side wall of the box, and can be in a folded state that fits snugly against the box or in a vertically outward-extending lifting state.

[0010] When the handle is in the folded state, the outer surface of the handle and the force-applying part of the buckle together form a linkage fulcrum for simultaneous operation of both hands. Unlocking is achieved by pulling up the force-applying part of the buckle and pressing the outer surface of the handle.

[0011] In order to enable the handle to lock the buckle in time when it is in the lifting state, preferably, the buckle is provided with an outwardly protruding limiting protrusion, and the corresponding position of the handle is provided with a locking groove that matches the limiting protrusion.

[0012] When the buckle is in the locked position and the handle is in the lifting state, the limiting protrusion is embedded in the locking groove to prevent the buckle from flipping upward.

[0013] To form a dual-sided linkage locking structure and improve locking stability and reliability, preferably, the handle is U-shaped, including a laterally extending grip portion and connecting arms extending vertically from both sides of the grip portion;

[0014] The end of the connecting arm is rotatably connected to the side wall of the box, the buckle is located at the opening end of the U-shaped handle, and the locking groove is provided on the inner side wall of both connecting arms.

[0015] When the handle is flipped up to the lifting position, the limiting protrusions on both sides of the buckle are respectively engaged into the locking grooves on both sides.

[0016] To enable automatic unlocking of the buckle when the handle is flipped, thereby improving ease of operation, preferably, the locking groove includes a horizontally extending locking section, a vertically extending disengaging section, and an arc-shaped transition section connecting the two, wherein the disengaging section penetrates the side wall of the handle to form an opening;

[0017] When the handle flips from the pull-out state to the folded state, the limiting protrusion slides along the arc-shaped transition section from the locking section to the disengagement section, causing the buckle to automatically release the lock.

[0018] To clarify the pivotal connection structure between the buckle and the cover and ensure the stability of the buckle's flipping, preferably, the edge of the cover is provided with an outwardly protruding connecting part, the buckle is provided with a first hinge part, and the first hinge part is provided with a first hinge shaft extending laterally.

[0019] The connecting part is provided with a hinge groove that is adapted to the first hinge part, and the side wall of the hinge groove is provided with a first hinge hole that is adapted to the first hinge shaft.

[0020] The first hinge shaft is rotatably inserted laterally into the first hinge hole, allowing the buckle to flip relative to the cover.

[0021] To form a three-point locking structure and enhance the locking reliability between the lid and the box, preferably, the side of the box is provided with an outwardly protruding locking block, and the side of the buckle facing the box is provided with a U-shaped locking wall adapted to the locking block;

[0022] When the latch is flipped down to the locked position, the U-shaped locking wall covers the locking block from both sides and the bottom.

[0023] To optimize ergonomic design and facilitate user unlocking, preferably, when the buckle is in the locked state, it forms a gripping part on the lower edge of the inner wall of the box. The lower edge of the inner wall also forms a chamfered surface for finger application, which extends upward from the bottom of the buckle.

[0024] To form a continuous collaborative operation plane and enable simultaneous unlocking by both hands, preferably, when the buckle is in the locked position and the handle is in the folded state, the outer surface of the buckle is flush with the outer surface of the handle to form a continuous collaborative operation plane.

[0025] The force-applying part located on the inner edge of the buckle is used for the fingers to pull up, and the outer surface of the handle is used for the fingers to press down. Through the flush outer surfaces of the two, the fingers of both hands can apply force simultaneously to unlock the device.

[0026] To ensure the coaxiality of the handle rotation and the locking groove movement and improve the structural fit accuracy, preferably, the side of the box body is provided with two spaced second hinge parts, and each second hinge part is provided with a second hinge shaft;

[0027] The two connecting arms of the handle are respectively formed with second hinge holes adapted to the second hinge shaft. The second hinge holes are set with the arc-shaped transition section of the locking groove at the same center.

[0028] The second hinge shaft passes through the corresponding second hinge hole, allowing the handle to be rotatably connected to the side of the box.

[0029] To facilitate the disassembly and maintenance of the handle without affecting its normal function, preferably, the second hinge hole has a radially extending release groove on its wall. When the handle is in the working angle, the second hinge shaft is hinged to the second hinge hole.

[0030] When the handle is rotated to a specific disassembly angle, the second hinge shaft can be aligned with the release groove to achieve radial disassembly and removal.

[0031] To optimize the disassembly guiding function of the release groove and ensure the stability of the disassembly process, preferably, the release groove is conical, with the inlet width of the conical release groove being greater than the outlet width, and the diameter of the second hinge shaft being greater than the outlet width of the release groove but less than the inlet width.

[0032] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of this utility model are as follows: By setting a buckle and a handle on the same side of the lid and the box respectively, with the buckle pivotally connected to the edge of the lid and the handle rotatably set on the side wall of the box, and setting a limiting protrusion on the buckle and a matching locking groove at the corresponding position of the handle, the limiting protrusion is embedded in the locking groove when the buckle is in the locked position and the handle is in the pulled state. When the handle is in the folded state, the outer surface of the handle and the force application part of the buckle form a linkage fulcrum for simultaneous operation of both hands. Since the handle and buckle are set on the same side and form a linkage structure, when carrying, the handle is in the pulled state and the buckle is mechanically locked by the cooperation of the limiting protrusion and the locking groove, which prevents the lid from being opened accidentally by external force and improves carrying safety. When opening, the handle is in the folded state, and the user can press the outer surface of the handle with one hand and turn the force application part of the buckle with the other hand to form a stable fulcrum and easily unlock it. The operation is convenient and smooth. At the same time, this lunch box also has the advantages of compact structure and small space occupation. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of this embodiment (with the handle in a folded state);

[0034] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of this embodiment (with the handle in a vertically outward-extending lifting state);

[0035] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the decomposed state structure of this embodiment;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the button ear in this embodiment;

[0037] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the handle in this embodiment;

[0038] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the structure of this embodiment (the handle is in a folded state and the buckle is in a locked linkage state);

[0039] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A magnified structural diagram of part A;

[0040] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the structure of this embodiment (the handle rotates from the lifting state to the folded state). Detailed Implementation

[0041] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0042] Figures 1-8 The figure shown is the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The specific implementation of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0043] The lunchbox in this embodiment mainly includes a box body 1, a lid 2, a buckle 3, and a handle 4.

[0044] The specific structure and connection method of each component in this embodiment are as follows:

[0045] Basic structure of the box and lid: Reference Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the box body 1 and the cover body 2 are connected by a hinge. The cover body 2 can be flipped around the hinge to open and close the box body 1. A locking block 1a is provided on the side of the box body 1 to cooperate with the buckle 3 to achieve locking; a connecting part 2a is provided on the edge of the cover body 2 to provide a support structure for the installation of the buckle 3.

[0046] The structure and installation of the buckle: Reference Figure 4 As shown, the buckle 3 is provided with a first hinge portion 3c, and a first hinge shaft 3c1 extends laterally from the first hinge portion 3c; the connecting portion 2a of the cover 2 is provided with a hinge groove 2a1 adapted to the first hinge portion 3c, and the side wall of the hinge groove 2a1 is provided with a first hinge hole 2a2. The first hinge shaft 3c1 passes through the first hinge hole 2a2, so that the buckle 3 can rotate relative to the cover 2 around the first hinge shaft 3c1, realizing the action of rotating downward to the locked position and rotating upward to the unlocked position. The buckle 3 has a U-shaped locking wall 3d on the side facing the box body 1. When locked, the U-shaped locking wall 3d covers the locking block 1a of the box body 1 from both sides and the bottom to form a three-point locking structure. The buckle 3 also has an outwardly protruding limiting protrusion 3a, which is used to cooperate with the locking groove 4a of the handle 4 to lock. The lower edge of the inner side wall of the buckle 3 forms a force-applying part 3b. The lower edge of the force-applying part 3b has a chamfered bevel 3b1. The bevel slopes upward from the bottom of the buckle 3 to facilitate the application of force by the fingers.

[0047] Handle structure and installation: Reference Figure 5As shown, the handle 4 is U-shaped, including a horizontal gripping part 4b and two vertical connecting arms 4c on both sides. Two spaced second hinge parts 1b protrude from the side of the box body 1, each with a second hinge shaft 1b1. The end of the connecting arm 4c of the handle 4 has a second hinge hole 4c1, which is concentric with the arc-shaped transition section 4a3 of the locking groove 4a. The second hinge shaft 1b1 passes through the second hinge hole 4c1, allowing the handle 4 to rotate around the second hinge shaft 1b1, placing it in a folded state close to the box body 1 or a vertically extended pulled-out state. The inner wall of the connecting arm 4c has a locking groove 4a, which includes a horizontal locking section 4a1, a vertical disengagement section 4a2, and an arc-shaped transition section 4a3 between them. The disengagement section 4a2 penetrates the side wall of the handle 4 to form an opening. In addition, the second hinge hole 4c1 has a radial release groove 4c2 on its hole wall. The release groove 4c2 is conical with an inlet width greater than the outlet width. The diameter of the second hinge shaft 1b1 is greater than the outlet width but less than the inlet width. When the handle 4 is rotated to a specific angle, the second hinge shaft 1b1 can be aligned with the release groove 4c2 and radially removed, thus realizing the quick disassembly of the handle 4.

[0048] Interlocking structure: Reference Figures 6 to 8 As shown, the locking groove 4a of the handle 4 cooperates with the limiting protrusion 3a of the buckle 3. When the handle 4 is in the lifting state, the limiting protrusion 3a is embedded in the locking section 4a1; when folded, the limiting protrusion 3a slides into the disengagement section 4a2 along the arc transition section 4a3 to achieve automatic unlocking.

[0049] The working principle of the carryable and easy-to-open lunchbox in this embodiment is as follows:

[0050] 1. The linkage locking process during carrying

[0051] When the user needs to carry the lunchbox, the handle 4 is flipped from the folded state to a vertically extended pull position. At this time, the locking section 4a1 of the locking groove 4a on the inner side of the connecting arm 4c of the handle 4 aligns with the limiting protrusion 3a of the buckle 3. When the buckle 3 is in the locked position (the buckle 3 is pressed down so that the U-shaped locking wall 3d covers the locking block 1a), the limiting protrusion 3a automatically engages with the locking section 4a1, forming a mechanical linkage locking structure of "handle 4 pulls - limiting protrusion 3a locks the locking groove 4a", preventing the buckle 3 from flipping upward and avoiding accidental opening of the lid 2 due to external forces such as bumps, ensuring that liquid food such as soup does not leak.

[0052] 2. Collaborative unlocking process upon activation

[0053] When a user needs to open the lunchbox, they first flip the handle 4 downwards to fold it into place, so that it fits snugly against the box body 1. At this time, the locking groove 4a of the handle 4 rotates with the handle 4, and the limiting protrusion 3a slides from the locking section 4a1 along the arc transition section 4a3 to the disengagement section 4a2, automatically releasing the locking state of the latch 3. Since the outer surface of the latch 3 and the outer surface of the handle 4 are flush and aligned in the folded state, forming a cooperative operating plane, the user can press the outer surface of the handle 4 with one hand to stabilize the box body 1, and use the other hand to apply force upwards through the chamfered bevel 3b1 of the force application part 3b of the latch 3. The simultaneous operation of both hands achieves easy unlocking, solving the problem of excessively long lever arms and difficulty in applying force in traditional designs.

[0054] 3. Dual locking and safety design

[0055] The U-shaped locking wall 3d of the latch 3 and the locking block 1a form a three-point basic locking system. The linkage locking between the handle 4 and the latch 3 is a dynamic auxiliary locking system. The dual structure enhances sealing and carrying safety. The tapered design of the second hinge hole 4c1 and the release groove 4c2 of the handle 4 ensures normal rotation of the handle 4 while supporting tool-free quick assembly and disassembly, facilitating daily cleaning and maintenance without affecting the reliability of the linkage function.

[0056] It should be noted that in the description of this embodiment, the terms "front," "rear," etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are merely for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model. The terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal connection of two components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

Claims

1. A lunchbox that is easy to carry and open, comprising a box body (1) and a lid (2) hinged to the box body (1), characterized in that: The lid (2) and the box (1) are respectively provided with a buckle (3) and a handle (4) on the same side; The buckle (3) is pivotally connected to the edge of the cover (2), and can be flipped downward to the locking position to fix the cover (2) and the box (1), and can be flipped upward to the unlocking position; The handle (4) is rotatably mounted on the side wall of the box body (1), and has a folded state that fits the box body (1) and a vertically outward lifting state; The buckle (3) is provided with an outwardly protruding limiting protrusion (3a), and the handle (4) is provided with a locking groove (4a) that is adapted to the limiting protrusion (3a) at the corresponding position. When the buckle (3) is in the locked position and the handle (4) is in the lifting state, the limiting protrusion (3a) is embedded in the locking groove (4a) to prevent the buckle (3) from flipping upward.

2. The carryable and easy-to-open lunchbox according to claim 1, characterized in that: The handle (4) is U-shaped and includes a laterally extending grip portion (4b) and connecting arms (4c) extending vertically from both sides of the grip portion (4b). The end of the connecting arm (4c) is rotatably connected to the side wall of the box body (1), the buckle (3) is located at the opening end of the U-shaped handle (4), and the locking groove (4a) is provided on the inner side wall of both connecting arms (4c). When the handle (4) is flipped up to the lifting state, the limiting protrusions (3a) on both sides of the buckle (3) are respectively inserted into the locking grooves (4a) on both sides to form a double-sided linkage locking structure.

3. The carryable and easy-to-open lunchbox according to claim 1, characterized in that: The locking groove (4a) includes a horizontally extending locking section (4a1), a vertically extending disengaging section (4a2), and an arc-shaped transition section (4a3) connecting the two. The disengaging section (4a2) penetrates the side wall of the handle (4) to form an opening. When the handle (4) is flipped from the lifting state to the folding state, the limiting protrusion (3a) slides from the locking section (4a1) to the disengagement section (4a2) along the arc transition section (4a3), so that the buckle (3) is automatically unlocked.

4. The carryable and easy-to-open lunchbox according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cover (2) has an outwardly protruding connecting part (2a) on its edge, and the buckle (3) has a first hinge part (3c) and a first hinge shaft (3c1) extending laterally on the first hinge part (3c). The connecting part (2a) is provided with a hinge groove (2a1) that is adapted to the first hinge part (3c), and the side wall of the hinge groove (2a1) is provided with a first hinge hole (2a2) adapted to the first hinge shaft (3c1). The first hinge shaft (3c1) is rotatably inserted laterally into the first hinge hole (2a2), so that the buckle (3) can be flipped relative to the cover (2).

5. The carryable and easy-to-open lunchbox according to claim 1, characterized in that: The box body (1) has a protruding locking block (1a) on its side; the buckle (3) has a U-shaped locking wall (3d) adapted to the locking block (1a) on its side facing the box body (1); When the latch (3) is flipped down to the locked state, the U-shaped locking wall (3d) covers the locking block (1a) from both sides and the bottom to form a three-point locking structure.

6. The carryable and easy-to-open lunchbox according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the buckle (3) is in the locked state, a force-applying part (3b) is formed on the lower edge of the inner sidewall facing the box body (1) for a person to grasp. A chamfered bevel (3b1) for applying force with fingers is also formed at the lower edge of the inner sidewall. The chamfered bevel (3b1) extends upward from the bottom of the buckle (3).

7. The carryable and easy-to-open lunchbox according to claim 6, characterized in that: When the buckle (3) is in the locked position and the handle (4) is in the folded state, the outer surface of the buckle (3) is flush with the outer surface of the handle (4) to form a continuous cooperative operating plane; The force-applying part (3b) located on the inner edge of the buckle (3) is used for the fingers to pull up, and the outer surface of the handle (4) is used for the fingers to press down. Through the parallel and connected outer surfaces of the two, the fingers of both hands can apply force simultaneously to unlock.

8. The carryable and easy-to-open lunchbox according to claim 2, characterized in that: The box body (1) has two spaced second hinge parts (1b) protruding from its side, and each second hinge part (1b) is provided with a second hinge shaft (1b1); The two connecting arms (4c) of the handle (4) are respectively provided with second hinge holes (4c1) adapted to the second hinge shaft (1b1). The second hinge holes (4c1) are co-centered with the arc transition section (4a3) of the locking groove (4a). The second hinge shaft (1b1) passes through the corresponding second hinge hole (4c1), so that the handle (4) can be rotatably connected to the side of the box body (1).

9. The carryable and easy-to-open lunchbox according to claim 8, characterized in that: The second hinge hole (4c1) has a radially extending release groove (4c2) on its hole wall. When the handle (4) is in the working angle state, the second hinge shaft (1b1) is hinged to the second hinge hole (4c1). When the handle (4) is rotated to a specific disassembly angle, the second hinge shaft (1b1) can be aligned with the release groove (4c2) to achieve radial disassembly and removal.

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