Storage box with support and lid fastening

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a storage box according to the preamble of claim 1. Such a storage box is formed with a base body which has side walls and a cover, in particular a lid, and is provided with a fastening device for the cover.

[0002] A wide variety of storage boxes with covers are known. The fundamental question with these storage boxes is how to attach the cover to the box. Several methods are known for this, such as clips provided on the cover that can be attached to a projection on the base of the storage box, retaining clips, adhesive bonds, friction connections, and the like.

[0003] All these methods of attaching a cover to a storage box share the common disadvantage that, firstly, the fastening means for the cover on the box are designed as either a movable or a separate but permanently attached part, which increases the manufacturing costs of the storage box. Particularly with movable but permanently attached parts, it is known that after repeated use, the material between the fastening clip and the cover or storage box becomes brittle, and after a certain number of opening and closing cycles, the fastening mechanism loses its structural integrity.

[0004] With the custom shapes and lids commonly found on the market, a defect in the individual locking mechanism renders the entire box unusable. Furthermore, a special design is often necessary, particularly around the edges of storage boxes, to create a surface for the lid to rest on. This surface and the lid must be precisely matched in shape.

[0005] German patent DE 905110 describes a box with a lid resting on the edge of the box, which is held in place by a branched band construction placed over the lid from the outside. Further storage boxes are known from documents EP0520885A1, FR341768A and US2810511A.

[0006] The present invention lies in the TaskThe basis is to provide a storage box with a cover, in which the attachment of the cover to the storage box and the contact area for the cover on the storage box are provided by simple means and can be easily restored.

[0007] According to the present invention, the problem is solved by a storage box having the features of claim 1.

[0008] It can be seen that the invention is realized at least when a storage box is provided with an elastic element or band in an area near the opening, which is guided in certain sections between the inside and outside of the side walls of the storage box. Preferably, the elastic element or band is guided on the outside of the side walls in the area of ​​the corners / edges where the side walls meet. The area near the opening can correspond approximately to the thickness of the cover, thus allowing the cover to be flush with the edges of the side walls of the storage box. However, this is not technically necessary.

[0009] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the elastic clamping element is guided through recesses in the side walls and is arranged partly inside and partly outside the storage box.

[0010] This partial guidance of the elastic tensioning element on both the inside and outside of the side walls allows it to serve as a support for the storage box cover. This also enables the cover to be attached to the storage box by slipping the sections of the elastic tensioning element, which are guided on the outside of the side walls at the corners, over the respective corners of the cover. This secures the cover between the inner sections of the elastic tensioning element and the outer, slipped-over sections.

[0011] Particularly preferred is a cover that is smaller in dimensions than the internal dimensions of the storage box's base. According to one embodiment, if the elastic tensioning element is not provided, the cover can fall into an internal area of ​​the storage box, at least to a certain depth. The internal sections of the elastic tensioning element can prevent this and provide a bearing surface of defined height for the cover within the base, opposite the opening of the storage box.

[0012] The recesses can be milled or drilled in the side walls of the base body. A recess in the side walls of the base body is particularly advantageous, as it allows the elastic clamping element to be positioned with a transition from an inner to an outer side of the storage box's side walls, leaving the upper edge of the side walls facing the opening of the storage box free of the at least one elastic clamping element. The recess thus provides a passage for the elastic element through the side wall.

[0013] Preferably, at least two bores can be provided along each side wall in an upper area of ​​the base body facing the opening of the storage box, through which the elastic clamping element is guided.

[0014] It is advantageously provided that the cover between the sections of the elastic element that lie inside and outside the storage box can be fixed in place.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the elastic element is guided on an outer surface of the storage box at the corners between the side walls. The side walls of the storage box may have edges along which the individual side walls meet. In this area, the elastic tensioning element is preferably guided on an outer surface of the base body of the storage box. This allows the respective portion of the elastic tensioning element located at the edges to be guided over or slipped over the corresponding corners of a cover placed on top. By slipping the elastic element over at least one, preferably several, edge areas, the cover can be secured to the base body of the storage box.If you turn the storage box with the cover upside down, the cover will preferably remain attached to the base of the storage box.

[0016] Consequently, according to a convenient further development of the present invention, it is provided that the elastic element can be slipped over the corners of the cover to secure the cover.

[0017] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is provided that only a single elastic element is guided ornamentally through the recesses of the storage box, in particular the side walls.

[0018] In principle, one or more elastic elements can be guided through the cutouts in the side walls of the storage box. These can be guided through the cutouts either at least partially parallel to each other or in separate sections of the side walls.

[0019] According to a further development of the present invention, at least two elastic clamping elements can be provided, each of which extends over at least two adjacent side walls of the base body of the storage box.

[0020] Regardless of whether one or more elastic tensioning elements are provided on the storage box as a fastening and / or support for the cover, the end regions of each elastic tensioning element can be attached to / against the base body of the storage box. Such a fastening can preferably be provided in the area of ​​a recess, where the elastic tensioning element is provided with a thickening that is larger than the diameter of the recess. The thickening can, for example, be a node or an additional element such as a clamp, which, at least in one orientation relative to the thickening, has a larger diameter than the diameter of the recess itself.

[0021] By fixing the at least one elastic tensioning element in this way, the elastic tensioning element can be provided to the base body of the storage box with an adjustable preload. This preload allows the force with which the elastic tensioning element holds the cover onto the base body of the storage box to be adjusted. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one elastic tensioning element is, for example, a rubber band or an elastic band covered with textile. For a uniform force distribution of the elastic tensioning element, it can preferably be provided with a round cross-section.

[0022] An advantageous further development of the present invention consists in that at least one, preferably two, particularly preferably at least three or four sections of the elastic element, which lie outside the corners, are guided on / along an inside of the storage box, in particular along an inside of the side walls.

[0023] By guiding the elastic tensioning element along the inside of the side walls, a support area or edge is provided in this region for the cover of the storage box. For the cover to rest advantageously on the inner areas of the elastic tensioning element, it may require that the cover be smaller than the opening of the storage box, but large enough to prevent it from falling past the inner elastic tensioning elements and into the interior of the storage box.

[0024] Sufficient support for the cover can be provided by just two opposing inner sections of the elastic tensioning element. By extending sections of the elastic tensioning element along the edges between the side walls, the cover, once placed on the inner sections of the elastic tensioning element, can be secured to the storage box between the inner sections of the elastic tensioning element and the extended sections of the elastic tensioning element in the corner area.

[0025] Advantageously, the at least one elastic element is arranged in an upper edge region below an opening of the storage box, which corresponds approximately to the thickness or depth of the cover. The distance between the opening of the storage box and the internally guided elastic element is preferably at least equal to the thickness of the cover. This allows for either a flush fit of the cover with the upper edge of the side walls of the base body or an inward / recessed fit of the cover relative to the upper edge of the side walls of the base body. In one embodiment, the distance between the internal elastic tensioning element and the upper edge of the side walls can be less than the thickness of the cover, causing it to protrude / project beyond the base body in a side view. This can facilitate a particularly secure attachment of the cover to the base body.

[0026] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the elastic clamping element is aligned parallel to an upper edge of the side walls which form the opening.

[0027] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the base body has at least three, preferably four, side walls, on the inner sides of which the elastic element runs and the elastic band runs on the outside at the edges or corners between the side walls.

[0028] The invention is further explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings. These show: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the storage box according to the invention without a cover, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the storage box according to the invention with a cover, Figure 3 is a side view of the storage box according to the invention without a cover, Figure 4 is a side view of the storage box according to the invention with a cover and elastic tensioning elements placed over the edges of the side walls, Figure 5 is a perspective interior view of the storage box according to the invention with more than one elastic tensioning element, Figure 6 is a view rotated 90° relative to the original. Figure 5 Figure 7 shows a rotated perspective view of an embodiment of the storage box according to the invention and Figure 7 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the storage box according to the invention with an alternative fastening option for the elastic tensioning element with preferably adjustable preload.

[0029] Figure 1Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the storage box 10 according to the invention without a cover, in which an elastic tensioning element 20 is guided through recesses 12. The recesses 12 are provided in the side walls 11 and can be designed as bores or milled grooves. Additionally, further recesses 13 can be provided in a base area of ​​the storage box, via which the storage box can be attached, for example, to a surface such as a wall.

[0030] The elastic tensioning element is, as shown, Figure 1 The elastic tensioning element 20 is guided along the side walls 11 on an inside of the storage box 10 and in the corner areas on an outside. This provides support means for a cover 30 along the individual side walls through the inner areas of the elastic tensioning element 20.

[0031] Figure 2Figure 1 shows the storage box 10 according to the invention with a cover 30 arranged on it, which is fixed in the edge regions of the side walls by the elastic clamping elements on the storage box 10. For this purpose, the elastic clamping elements 20 are placed over the cover 30 in the corner regions of the base body. As shown in Figure 20, the cover 30 is secured in the corner regions of the base body. Figure 1 and 2 As can be seen, several recesses 12 can be provided along a side wall 11, allowing the overlap length of the elastic element in the area of ​​the edges of the storage box to be adjusted. The cover 30 rests on the internal elastic tensioning elements 20.

[0032] Figure 3 Figure 1 shows a side view of the storage box 10 according to the invention, in which the elastic clamping element 20 is guided on an outside of the side walls 11 in an edge area, i.e. where two side walls 11 meet.

[0033] Figure 4is a side view according to Figure 2 , which shows how the elastic tensioning elements 20 are placed over the cover 30, which is located on the base of the storage box 10, for its fastening.

[0034] Figure 5 Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the inside of the base body of the storage box 10 according to the invention. According to an alternative embodiment, the elastic clamping element 20 is not continuous but provided section by section along the side walls. One of the clamping elements 20 with corresponding fastening elements 40, which can be designed as thickenings, is shown as a representative example. In principle, the following can also be considered in the embodiment according to... Figure 5 An elastic tensioning element 20 is guided along all side walls on their inner sides.

[0035] Figure 6 shows a 90° angle opposite Figure 5Rotated perspective view of the embodiment of the storage box 10 according to the invention, in which an elastic clamping element is provided on opposite sides of the base body of the storage box 10. Each of the elastic clamping elements has a fastening element 40 in its end regions, by means of which the elastic clamping element is fixed to the recesses 12 of the base body. Figure 6 Only two elastic clamping elements on opposite sides are shown. In principle, according to the illustrated fastening method, elastic clamping elements can also extend over more than one side, or, for example, four separate elastic clamping elements can be provided, each of which can be individually attached to the base body of the storage box 10 by means of a fastening element 40.

[0036] Figure 7Figure 1 shows a particular embodiment of the present invention in which a single elastic clamping element 20 is guided circumferentially and ornamentally in, on, and around the side walls of the storage box 10. The ends of the elastic clamping element are secured by a special fastening body 41, by means of which the preload of the elastic element can be adjusted. The special fastening body 41 can be provided with a spring-loaded locking element which, when actuated, releases the ends of the elastic clamping element 20 and is thus adjustable in length. This allows the preload of the elastic clamping element, and therefore its holding properties, to be adjusted. The special element 41 for adjustable preload of the elastic clamping element can also be provided when several elastic clamping elements are provided section by section along the side walls, as is the case, for example, with Figure 6emerges.

Claims

1. Storage box with a base body, having side walls (11), a cover (30), in particular a lid, and a fastening device for the cover, wherein, the fastening device comprises at least one elastic tensioning element (20), wherein the cover (30) can be fixed to the storage box (10) by means of the tensioning element (20) characterized in that the elastic tensioning element is guided in sections on an inner side of the side walls (11) and thereby provides an internal support for the cover on the storage box (10).

2. Storage box according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic tensioning element (20) is guided through recesses (12) in the side walls (11) and is arranged in sections inside and in sections outside the storage box.

3. Storage box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cover can be fixed between the sections of the elastic tensioning element (20) that lie inside and outside the storage box.

4. Storage box according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the elastic element is guided in the corners between the side walls of the storage box on an outer side of the storage box.

5. Storage box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the elastic tensioning element (20) can be slipped over the corners of the cover (30) to fix the cover (30).

6. Storage box according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that only a single elastic tensioning element (20) is provided, which is guided in an ornamental manner through the recesses of the storage box, in particular the side walls (11).

7. Storage box according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that at least one, preferably two, particularly preferably at least three or four partial sections of the elastic tensioning element (20), which lie outside the corners, are guided on an inner side of the storage box (10), in particular an inner side of the side walls (11).

8. Storage box according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the at least one elastic tensioning element (20) is arranged in an upper edge area below an opening of the storage box (10), which approximately corresponds to the thickness or depth of the cover.

9. Storage box according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the base body has at least three, preferably four side walls (11), on the inner sides of which the elastic tensioning element (20) runs and at the edges or corners between the side walls (11) the elastic tensioning element (20) runs on the outer side.