A collapsible container

Abstract

A foldable container includes a sidewall and a flexible side bendable connector, the sidewall being foldable around the flexible side bendable connector, and a reinforcement device configured to be rotatably connected to the sidewall on one side of the flexible side bendable connector and, when the sidewall is in an unfolded state, to be rotatable across the flexible side bendable connector in the width direction of the sidewall, thereby engaging and positioning with the sidewall on the other side of the flexible side bendable connector.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to a foldable container, and more specifically, to a foldable container with sidewall reinforcement. Background Technology

[0002] For storing items or containing liquids, foldable containers have been provided in the prior art. For example, US Patent Application No. 10511567 discloses a foldable container manufactured by injection molding of plastic with integrated folding hinges, with sidewalls pivotally connected to the bottom, and at least two sidewalls of the container are foldable. This has some drawbacks; when the foldable container is unfolded for use, the two foldable sidewalls tilt towards each other due to insufficient stiffness, resulting in unstable container operation. The applicant recognized the need for an improved foldable container that can at least support the two foldable sidewalls in the unfolded state. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a foldable container that has many advantages over the prior art. To provide a basic understanding of this application, a simplified overview of some embodiments is given below. This overview is not a broad summary of the application and is not intended to identify key elements or depict the scope of the application. Its sole purpose is to present some embodiments of the application in a simplified form.

[0004] An embodiment of this application provides a foldable container including a sidewall and a flexible side bendable connection portion. The sidewall is foldable around the flexible side bendable connection portion. It also includes a reinforcement device configured to be rotatably connected to the sidewall on one side of the flexible side bendable connection portion and to be rotated to cross the flexible side bendable connection portion in the width direction of the sidewall when the sidewall is in the unfolded state, thereby engaging and positioning with the sidewall on the other side of the flexible side bendable connection portion.

[0005] The foldable container described above also includes a top cover. The reinforcing device is provided with a hook. The top of the top cover has a hook groove corresponding to the hook. When the foldable container is in the unfolded state and the top cover is fastened to the foldable container, the hook can engage with the hook groove to fasten and lock the top cover to the foldable container.

[0006] As with the aforementioned foldable container, the reinforcement device is made of a rigid material.

[0007] As with the foldable container described above, the reinforcement device includes a handle.

[0008] Another embodiment of this application provides a foldable container including a sidewall and a flexible side bendable connector, the sidewall being foldable around the flexible side bendable connector, and a curved portion extending from the upper part of the sidewall and the flexible side bendable connector. It also includes a reinforcing device configured to rotatably connect to the curved portion on one side of the flexible side bendable connector and, when the sidewall is in an unfolded state, to traverse the flexible side bendable connector in the width direction of the sidewall, thereby engaging and positioning with the curved portion on the other side of the flexible side bendable connector.

[0009] As described above with a foldable container, when the reinforcing device is engaged and positioned with the curved portion, the reinforcing device is at least partially accommodated within the curved portion. Attached Figure Description

[0010] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0011] Figure 1 A perspective view of a foldable container in an unfolded state, provided according to an embodiment of this application, wherein the top cover and reinforcing device are removed;

[0012] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A simplified diagram of a collapsible container in its folded state;

[0013] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A simplified diagram of a collapsible container in a semi-folded state;

[0014] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A partial explosion diagram of a collapsible container in its unfolded state, showing the top cover and reinforcement.

[0015] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A side cross-sectional view of the collapsible container with its lid closed.

[0016] Figure 6 for Figure 1 A side view of a collapsible container, showing a reinforcement device in one location;

[0017] Figure 7 for Figure 1 A side view of the collapsible container, showing a reinforcement device in another location;

[0018] Figure 8 for Figure 6 A perspective view of the reinforcement device. Detailed Implementation

[0019] In the following description, different embodiments of this application will be described. Specific structures and details are presented for illustrative purposes to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this application can be implemented without these specific details. Furthermore, well-known features will be omitted or simplified to make the described embodiments clear.

[0020] Referring now to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals denote the same parts in several views. Figure 1 A perspective view of the foldable container 10 in its unfolded state is shown. The foldable container 10 includes a bottom 12 and four side walls (side walls 14 and 16, and side walls 18 and 20, respectively, arranged opposite each other). The foldable container 10 also includes a flexible bottom bendable connector 22 and a flexible side bendable connector 24. The bottom 12 can be folded around the flexible bottom bendable connector 22, and the side walls 14 or 16 can be folded around the flexible side bendable connector 24. In addition, the edges of adjacent side walls of the foldable container 10 form a flexible side bendable connector 26, and two adjacent side walls can be folded around the flexible side bendable connector 26.

[0021] In this embodiment, the collapsible container 10 is molded from plastic, wherein the bendable connector is molded from flexible plastic, allowing the collapsible container 10 to fold around the bendable connector. This can be achieved, for example, by adding a softener to a portion of the plastic used to mold the bendable connector or by using a plastic that is softer than the sidewalls and bottom of the collapsible container 10 for the flexible connector. In an alternative embodiment, the collapsible container 10 is molded from polystyrene, and the bendable connector is manufactured by making the plastic constituting the bendable connector more foamed than the plastic constituting the sidewalls and bottom of the collapsible container 10, thus making the plastic constituting the bendable connector more flexible than the sidewalls and bottom of the collapsible container 10. In another alternative embodiment, the bendable connector can be made of a plastic such as a polymeric thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), which can be repeatedly stretched without permanently deforming the shape of the component. Thermoplastic elastomers can be processed using conventional thermoplastic techniques such as injection molding, extrusion, and blow molding. TPEs can be selected from, for example, the group consisting of: styrene block copolymers, polyolefin blends (TPOs), elastomer alloys, thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs), thermoplastic copolyesters, and thermoplastic polyamides. The sidewalls and bottom of the collapsible container 10 are made of, for example, a plastic such as polypropylene copolymer (PP-CO), a type of polypropylene whose basic polymer chain structure has been altered by incorporating a different monomer molecule.

[0022] Figure 2 A simplified schematic diagram of the collapsible container 10 in its folded state is shown, illustrating how side walls 14, 16, and bottom 12 are positioned between side walls 18 and 20 when the container 10 is folded. Dashed line 28 indicates the position of bottom 12 between side walls 18 and 20. The collapsible container 10 occupies significantly less space when folded than when unfolded.

[0023] Figure 3 A simplified schematic diagram of the foldable container 10 in a semi-folded state is shown. Due to the flexible and bendable connection, the foldable container 10 cannot be well maintained in the unfolded state without external force and can easily be transformed into a semi-folded state. At this time, the side walls 14 and 16 are tilted towards each other and thus semi-folded between the side walls 18 and 20.

[0024] To address the aforementioned problems, the foldable container 10 of this application embodiment provides reinforcement devices 30 disposed on both sides of the side walls 14 and 16. (See reference...) Figure 4-8The collapsible container 10 includes a curved portion 32 extending from the upper part of the sidewall and the bendable connector. The curved portion 32 bends outward to form an inverted U-shaped groove 34. The curved portion 32 and the sidewall and bendable connector of the collapsible container 10 can be molded as a single piece. Therefore, the curved portion 32 includes a flexible portion extending from the upper part of the bendable connector and other portions extending from the upper part of the sidewall.

[0025] The reinforcing device 30 is configured to rotatably connect to the bent portion 32 on one side of the flexible side bendable connection 24, and when the foldable container 10 is in the unfolded state, it can be rotated in direction R to cross the flexible side bendable connection 24 in the width direction (W) of the foldable container 10 (or sidewall), thereby engaging and positioning with the bent portion 32 on the other side of the flexible side bendable connection 24 to support the sidewalls 14 and 16. Therefore, the length of the reinforcing device 30 should be sufficient to extend it from one side of the bendable connection 24 to the other side. The reinforcing device 30 can be made of a rigid material, such as a harder plastic, for example, polypropylene, or other rigid materials. It should be understood that the foldable container 10 may not have the bent portion 32, and the reinforcing device 30 may be directly connected to the surface of the sidewall.

[0026] Optionally, on one side of the flexible, bendable connecting portion 24, the inverted U-shaped groove 34 of the curved portion 32 has shaft holes 36 on opposite groove walls. Correspondingly, one end of the reinforcing device 30 has a rotating shaft 38, with both ends of the shaft 38 passing through the shaft holes 36, thereby rotatably connecting the reinforcing device 30 to the curved portion 32. On the other side of the flexible, bendable connecting portion 24, at least one groove wall of the inverted U-shaped groove 34 of the curved portion 32 has a positioning hole 40. Correspondingly, the other end of the reinforcing device 30 has a positioning protrusion 42. When the foldable container 10 is in the unfolded state, the reinforcing device 30 is rotated to a position where the positioning protrusion 42 and the positioning hole 40 engage. When the reinforcing device 30 is engaged and positioned with the curved portion 32, the reinforcing device 30 is at least partially accommodated in the inverted U-shaped groove 34, making the appearance of the foldable container 10 more streamlined. The end of the reinforcing device 30 engaged and positioned with the curved portion 32 has a handle 44 for easy rotation by the user. When the foldable container 10 needs to be folded, simply disengage the end of the reinforcing device 30 that is engaged with the bent portion 32 from the bent portion 32, and rotate the reinforcing device 30 so that the entire device is located on one side of the bendable connecting portion 24 to perform folding.

[0027] The reinforcing device 30 is provided with a clearance part 45 corresponding to the position of the bendable connecting part 24. The clearance part 45 is designed to accommodate the small space at the bending part 32 of the bendable connecting part 24, so as not to hinder the rotation of the reinforcing device 30.

[0028] The collapsible container 10 also includes a top cover 46. The bottom of the top cover 46 has a snap-fit ​​groove 48 corresponding to the curved portion 32, which can be snapped onto the upper part of the curved portion 32.

[0029] The foldable container 10 also includes a hook 50 disposed on the reinforcing device 30 and a corresponding hook groove 52 disposed on the top of the top cover 46. When the foldable container 10 is in the unfolded state and the top cover 46 is fastened to the curved portion 32, the hook 50 can engage with the hook groove 52 to lock the top cover 46 to the curved portion 32. Specifically, the reinforcing device 30 includes two hook mounting seats 54 disposed opposite to each other in its length direction L. The pivot end of the hook 50 is rotatably connected to the two hook mounting seats 54, and the free end of the hook 50 can be rotated to engage with the hook groove 52. The hook 50 is disposed on the reinforcing device 30 without affecting the engagement between the top cover 46 and the curved portion 32. Furthermore, when the reinforcing device 30 disengages from the curved portion 32, the hook 50 also moves away from the reinforcing device 30, thus not affecting the folding operation of the foldable container 10.

[0030] It should be noted that the above specific embodiments are exemplary. Those skilled in the art can devise various solutions inspired by the disclosure of this utility model, and these solutions all fall within the scope of this utility model and its protection scope. Those skilled in the art should understand that this utility model specification and its drawings are illustrative and do not constitute a limitation on the claims. The protection scope of this utility model is defined by the claims and their equivalents. This specification contains multiple inventive concepts; terms such as "preferred," "alternative embodiment," or "optionally" indicate that the corresponding paragraph discloses an independent concept. The applicant reserves the right to file divisional applications based on each inventive concept. Throughout the text, features introduced by "preferred" are merely optional and should not be construed as mandatory. Therefore, the applicant reserves the right to abandon or delete relevant preferred features at any time.

Claims

1. A collapsible container comprising a side wall and a flexible side hinge, the side wall being foldable about the flexible side hinge, characterised in that, It also includes a reinforcement device configured to be rotatably connected to the sidewall on one side of the flexible side bendable connection portion, and to be rotatable to span the flexible side bendable connection portion across the width of the sidewall when the sidewall is in the unfolded state, thereby engaging and positioning with the sidewall on the other side of the flexible side bendable connection portion.

2. The foldable container as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a top cover, and the reinforcement device is provided with a hook. The top of the top cover has a hook groove corresponding to the hook. When the foldable container is in the unfolded state and the top cover is fastened to the foldable container, the hook can engage with the hook groove to fasten and lock the top cover to the foldable container.

3. The foldable container as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The reinforcement device is made of rigid material.

4. The foldable container as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The reinforcement device includes a handle.

5. A foldable container, comprising a sidewall and a flexible side bendable connection, the sidewall being foldable around the flexible side bendable connection, and further comprising a curved portion extending from the upper part of the sidewall and the flexible side bendable connection, characterized in that, It also includes a reinforcement device configured to be rotatably connected to the bent portion on one side of the flexible side bendable connection, and to be rotatable to span the flexible side bendable connection across the width of the side wall when the side wall is in the unfolded state, thereby engaging and positioning with the bent portion on the other side of the flexible side bendable connection.

6. The foldable container as described in claim 5, characterized in that, When the reinforcing device is engaged and positioned with the curved portion, the reinforcing device is at least partially accommodated within the curved portion.

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