locking structure

Abstract

In a locking structure in which a part of one article is locked to a part of another article, it is made easier to insert an insertion piece (6) provided to the part of the other article into a slit formed in the part of one article. A locking structure is constituted for a structure in which a part (2) of one article is locked to a part (5) of another article, the locking structure having: a slit (29) provided in the part (2) of one article; an insertion piece (6) provided to the part (5) of the other article and located on the side opposite to the side facing the part (5) of the other article in the part (2) of one article by being inserted into the slit (29) in a predetermined direction; and a guide protrusion (20) protruding from the edge of the slit (29) in the predetermined direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a structure for clamping a part (or component) of one side of an article to a part (or component) of the other side. Background Art

[0002] There are known cases of a housing (or holder) capable of accommodating a plurality of loose leaves, documents, and other paper sheets. As disclosed in the following prior art documents, such a housing has exactly the same structure as an envelope. More specifically, it includes: a bag-shaped main body, in which the front part and the back part are opposed to each other, their side edges and bottom edges are joined, and the main body is open upward; and an openable and closable lid (or flap), which is connected to the upper edge of the back part (or front part).

[0003] Near the upper edge of the front part (or back part) of the main body where the lid is not connected, there is a slit penetrating near the upper edge. On the other hand, an insertion piece (or tongue piece) that is folded back upward is provided at the top end, i.e., the lower end of the lid. By folding the lid downward to close the opening of the main body and inserting the insertion piece into the slit in a predetermined direction, i.e., from below upward, the lid can be clamped to the main body. In this state, the lid can be opened and closed without shaking easily, and the paper sheets accommodated in the main body can be reliably held so as not to fall off.

[0004] When opening the closed lid, the insertion piece is pulled out from the slit in the direction opposite to the above-mentioned predetermined direction, i.e., from above downward, to release the clamping of the lid relative to the main body.

[0005] Prior Art Documents

[0006] Patent Documents

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 08-067086

[0008] Non-Patent Documents

[0009] Non-Patent Document 1: "Campus (registered trademark) loose leaf case", Kokuyo comprehensive catalog 2020 edition, stationery section, Kokuyo Co., Ltd., December 2019, p. 725 (Japanese: "キャンパス(登録商標)ルーズリーフケース", コクヨ総合カタログ2020年版ステーショナリー編, コクヨ株式会社, 令和1年12月, p. 725) Summary of the Invention

[0010] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0011] In the above-mentioned housing, when inserting the insertion piece of the lid into the slit of the main body, the top end of the insertion piece may rub against the paper sheets already accommodated in the main body and get caught.

[0012] A desired object of the present invention is to facilitate the operation of inserting an insert piece provided at the other portion into a slit formed at one portion in a structure in which one portion of an article is engaged with the other portion.

[0013] Technical solutions to problems

[0014] In the present invention, a locking structure is constructed, which is a structure for locking a part of one side of an article at a part of the other side, and the locking structure comprises: a slit, which is penetrated through the part of the one side; an insertion piece, which is provided at the part of the other side and is inserted into the slit along a predetermined direction, so that it is located on the side of the part of the one side opposite to the side facing the part of the other side; and a guide protrusion, which protrudes from the edge of the slit along the predetermined direction.

[0015] The guide protrusion is formed, for example, at a central portion of an edge of the slit in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction.

[0016] Furthermore, it is preferable that a rim extending linearly in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction is formed on a distal end edge of the insertion piece facing the predetermined direction.

[0017] For example, the guide protrusion has a shape in which the width dimension along the direction intersecting the predetermined direction gradually narrows as it moves away from the edge of the slit and becomes thinner toward the tip.

[0018] The article is, for example, a housing or a holder capable of storing paper sheets, the one portion is a main body of the article, and the other portion is a lid of the article.

[0019] Effects of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, in a structure in which one portion of an article is caught by the other portion, it is possible to facilitate the operation of inserting the insertion piece provided at the other portion into the slit formed at one portion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a housing for storing paper sheets according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of a state where the cover of the housing of this embodiment is opened, as viewed from the front side.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of a state where the cover of the housing of this embodiment is opened, as viewed from the rear side.

[0024] Figure 4 It is an expanded view of the housing of this embodiment.

[0025] Figure 5 It is a side view of a state where the cover of the housing of this embodiment is opened.

[0026] Figure 6 This is an enlarged side sectional view of a main portion of the housing in a state where the lid of the housing according to this embodiment is closed.

[0027] Figure 7 This is a development view showing one of the modified examples of the present invention.

[0028] Description of Reference Numerals

[0029] 1…Main body

[0030] 2…front face

[0031] 27, 35…Gap

[0032] 29…Gap

[0033] 20…Guide convex part

[0034] 3…Back

[0035] 36…Incision

[0036] 5…cover

[0037] 6…Insert piece

[0038] 61…Straight edge

[0039] S…Paper DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figures 1 to 6 The housing (or holder) of the present embodiment shown can store multiple loose-leaf pages and other paper sheets S within its main body 1. The housing comprises: a bag-shaped main body 1 having a front portion 2 and a back portion 3 facing each other, joined at their side and bottom edges, and open upward; an openable and closable lid (or pocket lid) 5 connected to the upper edge of the back portion 3; and an inner divider 4 disposed within the main body 1 and interposed between the front portion 2 and the back portion 3. The inner divider 4 divides the storage space within the main body 1 into multiple compartments.

[0041] The housing is made of a sheet of hard synthetic resin such as polypropylene, which is more rigid and stronger than plastic bags (vinyl bags, polyethylene bags), allowing the paper sheets S stored therein to be transported in an attractive state without bending. Figure 4It is a developed view of the material of the present housing cut out from a hard resin sheet. Specifically, the lower edge 21 of the front portion 2 is connected to the lower edge of the back portion 3, the upper edge 31 of the back portion 3 is connected to the lid 5, the top edge 51 of the lid 5 is connected to the insertion piece 6. And, one side edge of the back portion 3, that is, the right side edge 33, is connected to one side edge of the inner partition portion 4, that is, the left side edge.

[0042] When assembling the present housing, first, the inner partition portion 4 is folded inward along the right side edge 33 so that the inner partition portion 4 faces the inner surface of the back portion 3, that is, the front-facing surface (the surface facing forward). Then, the inner partition portion 4 and the back portion 3 are folded upward along the lower edge 21 so that they face the inner surface of the front portion 2, that is, the rear-facing surface (the surface facing backward). Then, the joining pieces 24, 25 connected to the left and right side edges 22, 23 of the front portion 2 are respectively folded inward along the side edges 22, 23, and the respective joining pieces 24, 25 are fixed to the outer surface near the side edges 32, 33 of the back portion 3, that is, the rear-facing surface, by welding or bonding or the like. As a result, a bag-shaped main body 1 that is open upward and in which the side edges 22, 23 of the front portion 2 and the side edges 32, 33 of the back portion 3 are joined and the bottom edge 21 of the front portion 2 and the bottom edge of the back portion 3 are joined is completed.

[0043] At positions of the front portion 2, the back portion 3, and the inner partition portion 4 close to the ridge lines 21, 22, 23, 32, 33 of the creases, grid lines (Japanese: 罫) 26, 34, 41 that extend parallel or substantially parallel to the above-mentioned ridge lines are formed. In addition, at positions of the back portion 3 and the lid 5 close to the ridge line 31 of the crease, grid lines 34, 52 that extend parallel or substantially parallel to the above-mentioned ridge line 31 are also formed. The grid lines 26, 34, 41, 52 are thin grooves or ribs, and when sheets S are housed in the main body 1 or the like, they serve to promote bending of the front portion 2, the back portion 3, the inner partition portion 4, or the lid 5 along the above-mentioned grid lines. The grid lines 26, 34, 41, 52 can be formed, for example, by pressing a die having a thin strip-shaped grid line cutter (band cutter) against a sheet material that is the material of the present housing.

[0044] At the corner portions where the side edges 22, 23 of the main body 1 intersect with the bottom edge 21, recesses 27, 35 that are recessed inward from the side edges 22, 23 are formed. The recesses 27, 35 serve the following function: reducing the possibility of cracks or other damages occurring in the main body 1 when the present housing falls and its bottom hits the ground.

[0045] The upper edge 28 of the front portion 2 of the main body 1 is curved in a shape that is recessed downward compared to the upper edge 31 of the back portion 3. At the upper edge of the inner partition portion 4, a protrusion 42 is provided along the center in the left-right (width) direction. The protrusion 42 is located above the upper edge 28 of the front portion 2 and is exposed, and can be used by the user of the present housing to hook a finger.

[0046] A slit 29 is formed near the upper edge 28 of the front portion 2 of the main body 1, extending through the area. Slit 29 is located in the center of the front portion 2 in the horizontal direction, narrowing in the vertical (height) direction and expanding in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, a guide protrusion 20 is provided at the lower edge of slit 29, in the center in the horizontal direction. The guide protrusion 20 has a shape that gradually narrows in width as it moves away from the lower edge of slit 29, becoming increasingly tapered toward the tip.

[0047] Inserted into this slit 29 is an insertion piece 6, located at the top or lower end of the cover 5. The insertion piece 6 is located at the center of the cover 5 in the left-right direction, corresponding to the slit 29 in the front portion 2. The insertion piece 6 is folded upward from the lower edge of the cover 5. Furthermore, the vicinity of the lower edge 51 of the cover 5 and the vicinity of the lower edge of the insertion piece 6 are fixed to each other by welding or adhesive, etc., so that the insertion piece 6 does not return downward due to the elasticity of the resin sheet used as the material of the housing.

[0048] A linear edge 61 extending in the left-right direction is formed at the top edge of the insertion piece 6. Preferably, the left-right dimension of the edge 61 is larger than the left-right width of the guide protrusion 20.

[0049] like Figure 1 and Figure 6 As shown, if the cover 5 is folded downward in a manner overlapping with the front portion 2 to close the opening of the main body 1, and the insert piece 6 is inserted into the gap 29 from the bottom to the top, the cover 5 can be stuck in the front portion 2 of the main body 1, and the cover 5 is not easy to open and close with a shake, and can reliably hold the paper sheets S stored in the main body 1 so that they do not fall out.

[0050] In this position, the cover 5 faces the outer surface of the front portion 2, i.e., the forward side, and the insertion piece 6 enters the inner surface of the front portion 2, i.e., the rear side. Furthermore, the guide protrusion 20, which protrudes from the lower edge of the slit 29, abuts the base end, i.e., the lower end, of the insertion piece 6. In other words, the guide protrusion 20 intervenes between the lower end of the insertion piece 6 and the paper sheets S stored in the main body 1 or the inner divider 4. As a result, when inserting and removing the insertion piece 6 into and out of the slit 29, the tip of the insertion piece 6 is less likely to rub against the paper sheets S or the inner divider 4, making the insertion and removal operation smoother.

[0051] In order to release the cover 5 from being stuck and open the opening of the main body 1 , it is only necessary to shift the insertion piece 6 downward from the top and pull it out from the slit 29 .

[0052] On the back portion 3 of the main body 1 to which the cover 5 is connected, a cutout 36 is formed which is connected to the side edge of the cover 5 and extends downward from the side edge. Figure 4As shown, the left and right notches 36 are located inward of the left edge 32 and the right edge 33 of the back portion 3. This is to prevent the notches 36 from interfering with the joining pieces 24, 25 of the front portion 2 when they are fixed to the back portion 3. In other words, the intention is to ensure a welding margin or bonding margin for the front portions 24, 25 on both sides of the back portion 3. Due to the presence of the notches 36, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, the upper end portion of the back portion 3 can be bent or folded together with the cover 5 via a hinge 37 located below the upper edge 31 , thereby widening the opening of the main body 1 .

[0053] In this embodiment, a locking structure is provided for locking a portion (main body 1) of one side of an article (housing) with a portion (lid 5) of the other side. The locking structure includes: a slit 29 formed through the one portion 1; an insert piece 6 provided in the other portion 5 and inserted into the slit 29 in a predetermined direction (from bottom to top) so as to be located on the side of the one portion 1 opposite to the side facing the other portion 5; and a guide protrusion 20 protruding from the edge of the slit 29 in the predetermined direction. According to this embodiment, the insertion of the insert piece 6 into the slit 29 can be facilitated.

[0054] The guide protrusion 20 is formed in the central portion of the edge of the slit 29 along a direction (left-right direction) intersecting (especially orthogonal or substantially orthogonal) the predetermined direction, and the sliding resistance between the guide protrusion 20 and the insertion piece 6 is small, and the existence of the guide protrusion 20 does not hinder operability.

[0055] The top edge of the insert piece 6, facing the predetermined direction, is formed with a rim 61 extending linearly in a direction (laterally) intersecting the predetermined direction. This rim 61 allows the top of the insert piece 6 to make linear contact with the guide protrusion 20, the paper sheets S stored in the main body 1, or the inner divider 4, thereby alleviating the localized concentration of force on the top of the insert piece 6. This makes the insert piece 6 less susceptible to damage, further improving its lifespan and durability.

[0056] If the top edge of the insert piece 6 is formed into a bulging arc or elliptical shape instead of a linear edge 61, point contact occurs at a single point on the top edge of the arc or elliptical shape, and force is concentrated at this single point, potentially hindering insertion and removal of the insert piece 6 from the slit 29. Furthermore, when the entire housing is constructed from a resin sheet, as in the present case, the flexibility of the resin sheet can cause the insert piece 6 and cover 5 to bend, making it difficult to determine the direction in which the insert piece 6 should be inserted into the slit 29. In the worst case, the top end of the insert piece 6 could potentially disengage downward, in the direction of removal from the slit 29.

[0057] According to this embodiment, such a problem can be alleviated or eliminated. That is, since the linear edge 61 of the insertion piece 6 disperses the acting force, the insertion and removal movement of the insertion piece 6 is not easily stopped and its direction is easily determined.

[0058] The guide protrusion 20 has a width along a direction intersecting the predetermined direction that gradually narrows as it moves away from the edge of the slit 29 (as it moves upward from the lower edge of the slit 29), becoming increasingly tapered toward the tip. This allows the tip (upper or free end) of the guide protrusion 20 to easily deform elastically, thereby preventing interference with insertion and removal of the insert piece 6 from the slit 29.

[0059] Furthermore, the sliding friction between the inserting piece 6 and the guide protrusion 20, both made of the same resin, is smaller than the sliding friction between the inserting piece 6 and the paper sheet S. As the guide protrusion 20 tapers toward the tip in the direction of inserting the inserting piece 6, the insertion operation of inserting the inserting piece 6 into the slit 29 is confirmed, and the inserting piece 6 easily passes through the slit 29 and enters the inner surface side of the front portion, that is, the interior of the main body 1.

[0060] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a housing is provided, comprising: a bag-shaped main body 1 having a front portion 2 and a back portion 3 facing each other, their side edges and bottom edges joined, and an upwardly open main body 1; a cover 5 connected to the upper edge of the back portion 3 or the front portion 2; and a cutout 36 formed in the back portion 3 or the front portion 2 to which the cover 5 is connected, extending downward from the side edge of the cover 5. According to this embodiment, in a housing that stores a plurality of paper sheets S, the opening for inserting and removing the paper sheets S can be opened wider, further improving ease of use.

[0061] Inwardly recessed notches 27 and 35 are formed at the corners where the side edges and bottom edges of the main body 1 intersect, which can reduce the possibility of damage such as cracks on the main body 1 when the housing is dropped and its bottom hits the ground.

[0062] Furthermore, an inner partition 4 is provided between the front portion 2 and the back portion 3 of the main body 1, and the storage space within the main body 1 is divided into a plurality of compartments by the inner partition 4. The presence of the inner partition 4 may have made it difficult to access the paper sheets S in the compartment behind the inner partition 4 in the main body 1. However, in this embodiment, since a cutout 36 is pre-formed in the back portion 3, the cover 5 and the upper portion of the back portion 3 (below the lower end of the cutout 36 and the hinge 37) can be expanded rearward, making it easy to access the paper sheets S in the compartment behind the inner partition 4.

[0063] Furthermore, by integrally molding the front portion 2 and the back portion 3 of the main body 1 , the cover 5 , and the inner partition 4 using a single resin film, the housing including the inner partition 4 can be manufactured at low cost.

[0064] In short, according to this embodiment, a housing for storing paper sheets S that is improved compared to conventional products can be provided.

[0065] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in detail above. For example, in the above embodiment, the cover 5 is connected to the back portion 3 of the main body 1, the slit 29 is formed in the front portion 2, and the cutout 36 is formed in the back portion 3. However, it is also possible to connect the cover to the front portion of the main body, form a slit in the back portion, and form a cutout in the front portion.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the cutout 36 is in the form of a thin line, but it can also be in the form of a wider groove. Figure 7 As shown in the example, it is considered that the cutout 36 is formed in a wedge shape.

[0067] In addition, the object to which the locking structure of the present invention is applied is not limited to the housing for storing paper sheets S.

[0068] Furthermore, the specific structure of each part can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A locking structure, wherein the locking structure is a structure for locking one part of an article to another part of the article, wherein: The locking structure comprises: a gap, the gap being provided through a portion of the one side; an insertion piece provided at the other portion and inserted into the slit along a predetermined direction through its top end portion so as to be located on a side of the one portion opposite to the side facing the other portion; as well as A guide protrusion protrudes from the edge of the slit at the one location along the predetermined direction from the base end portion toward the tip end portion of the insertion piece.

2. The locking structure according to claim 1, wherein: The guide protrusion is formed at a central portion of an edge of the slit in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction.

3. The locking structure according to claim 1, wherein: A rim extending linearly in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction is formed on a distal end edge of the insertion piece facing the predetermined direction.

4. The locking structure according to claim 1, wherein: The guide protrusion has a shape in which a width dimension thereof in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction gradually narrows as it moves away from the edge of the slit and becomes thinner toward the tip.

5. The locking structure according to claim 1, wherein: The article is a housing or a holder capable of storing paper sheets, the one portion is a main body of the article, and the other portion is a lid of the article.

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