Inner box of storage device and storage device using the same

Abstract

To improve space efficiency of a storage A having a storage shelf 30.SOLUTION: A storage device comprises a box body 10 and a top cover 20 attached to the box body 10. A hook H, H forming a downward-facing engaging part 11e, 11e on a tip edge of each laterally long horizontal part 11d is provided on a front side and a rear side of the box body 10. An opening 11f capable of engaging with the engaging part 11e, 11e of another inner box D is provided in a base part of the horizontal part 11d.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This invention relates to an inner box for a storage device that can improve the space efficiency of a storage device including a storage shelf, and a storage device using the inner box, where the storage device refers to a storage device for various items including a safe deposit box device, and the inner box refers to a storage box for valuables and other stored items. [Background technology]

[0002] A storage shelf for inner boxes in a storage device is usually configured by arranging storage spaces for individually storing inner boxes in multiple rows and multiple stages (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The inner box for the storage device has hooks on the front and rear sides of the box body with a top lid, so that the inner boxes can be individually carried in and out of a desired storage space as needed via a transport device that can access any storage space in the storage shelf. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-328753 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] With such conventional technology, each storage space of the storage shelf can only store a single inner box individually, so there is a problem that the space efficiency of the storage facility including the storage shelf is limited and there is room for further improvement.

[0006] Therefore, in consideration of the problems of the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide an inner box for a storage device, and a storage device that uses the inner box, which enables multiple inner boxes to be connected vertically and stored in each storage space of a storage shelf by configuring the hooks on the front and rear sides of the inner box in a form that allows them to be connected to each other, thereby further improving the space efficiency of a storage unit including a storage shelf. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The gist of the invention of claim 1 for achieving this object is that it comprises a box body and a top cover attached to the box body, and hooks are symmetrically provided on the front and rear sides of the box body, forming downward engaging portions at the tip edges of the horizontal portions of the horizontal portions, and a horizontally elongated opening is formed at the base of the horizontal portions, with which the engaging portion of another inner box can be engaged from above.

[0008] The box body can be made by combining a main material which is folded to form a rectangular bottom panel, left and right side panels, and front and rear hooks, with front and rear connecting materials which connect the front and rear ends of each side panel.

[0009] Also, each of the engaging portions may be formed in the shape of a pair of left and right tongue pieces.

[0010] The gist of the invention of claim 5 is that it comprises an inner box for a storage device of any of claims 1 to 4, a storage shelf in which storage spaces in which multiple inner boxes can be connected vertically are arranged in multiple rows and stages, and a transport device that accesses any storage space in the storage shelf and transports the inner boxes individually in and out of the storage spaces.

[0011] In addition, each storage space may have a clearance gap d above the inner box when stored, and a downward engagement distance a of the engagement portion of the connected hook, such that a>d. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the configuration of the invention of claim 1, the hooks on the front and rear sides of the box body can connect multiple inner boxes vertically by engaging the engaging parts of other inner boxes from above with the openings at the base of each horizontal part. Meanwhile, multiple inner boxes connected via hooks in this way can be easily moved in and out from the outside even when stored in a single storage space of a storage shelf, and the space efficiency of the storage facility including the storage shelf can be significantly improved compared to the conventional example in which a single inner box is stored in each storage space.

[0013] The box body can be assembled with a minimum number of parts by combining the main material including the front and rear hooks with the front and rear connecting materials, making it easy to assemble and reducing costs. The main material and connecting materials are each formed by bending steel plates, and can be assembled together by spot welding, for example.

[0014] The pair of left and right tongue-shaped engaging portions can effectively utilize the intermediate notch as an access space for spot welding.

[0015] According to the configuration of the invention of claim 5, the storage shelf can store multiple inner boxes connected vertically in each storage space, which improves the space efficiency of the storage facility compared to conventional storage shelves that store a single inner box individually in each storage space. Furthermore, the inner boxes in each storage space can be individually loaded and unloaded via a transport device.

[0016] Furthermore, by setting the engagement distance of the engagement part of the connected hook to be a>d with respect to the clearance d above the inner box in each storage space, it is possible to minimize the possibility of a serious accident occurring when an inner box becomes inadvertently uncoupled due to excessive vibration during an earthquake, causing the inner box to fall out of the storage space. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] Diagram of the inner box [Diagram 2] Exploded perspective view of the main parts of the inner box [Diagram 3] Inner box connection operation diagram (1) [Figure 4] Inner box connection operation diagram (2) [Diagram 5] Schematic cross-section of the storage facility [Figure 6] Inner box loading / unloading operation diagram (1) [Figure 7] Inner box loading / unloading operation diagram (2) [Figure 8] Enlarged side view of the main part of the storage shelf [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the operation of a main part of an engagement unit; [Figure 10] Schematic diagram of the inner box loading and unloading operation DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] An inner box D for a storage device comprises a shallow rectangular parallelepiped box body 10 and an upper lid 20 attached to the box body 10 (FIG. 1). Note that FIGS. 1(A) to 1(C) are a perspective view, a plan view, and a side view of the inner box D, respectively.

[0020] The box 10 is constructed by combining a main member 11 made by bending a steel plate and front and rear connecting members 12, 13 (FIGS. 1 and 2). The main member 11 has a rectangular bottom plate 11a, left and right side plates 11b, 11b, and front and rear standing plates 11c, 11c. At the top of each standing plate 11c, a pair of downward engaging portions 11e, 11e is formed by bending the leading edge of a horizontal portion 11d. A horizontal opening 11f corresponding to the engaging portions 11e, 11e is formed at the base of the horizontal portion 11d, and the opening 11f extends beyond the bending portion of the standing plate 11c and the horizontal portion 11d to the side of the standing plate 11c. The front and rear hooks H, H including the opening 11f, the horizontal portion 11d, and the engaging portions 11e, 11e are formed symmetrically with the same shape and size.

[0021] The front and rear connecting members 12, 13 are assembled to the main member 11 as a box body 10 by, for example, spot welding so as to connect the front end and rear end of the left and right side plates 11b, 11b of the main member 11, respectively. The connecting members 12, 13 are formed with inward joints 12a, 12a, 13a, 13a for spot welding at both ends of each. In addition, an upward joint 11g is protruding into the opening 11f at the center of the rear standing plate 11c, and the joint 11g is spot welded to the central lower part of the rear connecting member 13. The same is true for the front standing plate 11c and the front connecting member 12. In addition, in each hook H, the notch 11h between the tongue-shaped engagement parts 11e, 11e is useful as an access space for spot welding to the joint 11g at the center of the standing plate 11c.

[0022] The top cover 20 comprises a fixing member 21 attached to the top surface of the rear end of the box 10, and a lid body 22 connected to the front edge of the fixing member 21 via hinges 22a, 22a (Fig. 1). The lid body 22 can be opened upwards using a handle 22b, and can be locked with a key 22c. Name plates 14 for identifying the inner box D are attached to the front and rear sides of the box 10. However, only the name plate 14 on the front side of the box 10 is shown in Fig. 1.

[0023] Multiple inner boxes Da, Db can be connected via their respective hooks H, H (FIG. 3). However, when describing multiple inner boxes D, it will be easier to understand them as inner boxes Da, Db. Note that FIG. 3(A) is an exploded perspective view of the main parts showing the manner in which the inner boxes Da, Db are connected, and FIG. 3(B) is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the main parts of FIG. 3(A).

[0024] For example, when the engaging portions 11e, 11e of the hook H on the rear side of one inner box Da engage with the opening 11f of the hook H on the front side of the other inner box Db from above (Figs. 3(A), (B), and 4(A)), the inner boxes Da and Db can be connected vertically via both hooks H. Then, when one inner box Da is pulled (in the direction of arrow K1 in Fig. 4(B)), the other inner box Db can be pulled and moved in the same direction, and when one inner box Da is pushed (in the direction of arrow K2 in Fig. 4(C)), the other inner box Db can be pushed and moved in the same direction. However, in Figs. 4(B) and (C), the distance between the inner boxes Da and Db changes by an amount equivalent to the horizontal width of the opening 11f of each hook H.

[0025] Since the hooks H, H on the front and rear sides of each inner box D are formed symmetrically with the same shape and size, the inner boxes Da, Db can also be connected in the reversed front-to-rear direction to that shown in Figures 3 and 4. That is, the engaging portions 11e, 11e of the hook H on the front side of the inner box Db can be engaged with the openings 11f of the hook H on the rear side of the inner box Da from above. The inner boxes Da, Db can also be connected with their respective front sides or rear sides facing each other, and they can be connected in any combination of orientations.

[0026] The storage equipment includes a pair of front and rear storage shelves 30, 30 arranged facing each other inside the storage A, and a stacker crane type transport device 40 installed between the storage shelves 30, 30 (FIG. 5). Note that the side of each storage shelf 30 facing the transport device 40 is the front, and the opposite side is the rear.

[0027] Each storage shelf 30 supports shelves 32, 32... in multiple stages via regularly aligned and erected supports 31, 31... (Figs. 5 and 6(A)), forming multiple storage spaces 33, 33... in which the front and rear inner boxes Da, Db are connected and stored in multiple stages in double rows. The front and rear ends of each shelf 32 are formed with low mountain-shaped ribs 32a with downwardly sloping surfaces and upwardly standing stoppers 32b (Fig. 8), and the inner boxes Da, Db on the shelves 32 are stored in the storage spaces 33 via the ribs 32a and stoppers 32b. Each storage space 33 is set such that the downward engagement distance a>d of the engagement portion 11e of the hook H of the front inner box Da is greater than the clearance d above the front and rear inner boxes Da, Db.

[0028] However, in each storage space 33, the front and rear inner boxes Da, Db are connected in a vertical row by engaging the engaging portion 11e of the hook H of the front inner box Da with the hook H of the rear inner box Db. Also, in Figs. 6(A)-(C) and 8, only the upper and lower shelf boards 32, 32 of the storage space 33 that stores the inner boxes Da, Db are shown.

[0029] The transport device 40 includes support columns 41, a rectangular carriage 42 that is long in the front-rear direction, and a loading / unloading unit 43 and an engagement unit 44 that are mounted on the carriage 42 (FIGS. 5 and 6(A)). The support columns 41 for the carriage 42 are erected on a traveling cart (not shown) that travels back and forth along the front of the storage shelves 30. The transport device 40 moves the traveling cart and raises and lowers the carriage 42 along the support columns 41 via the guide frames 42a, thereby positioning the carriage 42 in front of any storage space 33 of each storage shelf 30, and can access any storage space 33 of the front and rear storage shelves 30 via the loading / unloading unit 43 and the engagement unit 44.

[0030] The loading / unloading unit 43 includes left and right timing belts 43a, 43a that run horizontally via front and rear sprockets 43b, 43b. The timing belts 43a, 43a are disposed along the respective long sides of the carriage 42, and the intermediate portions between the front and rear sprockets 43b, 43b are slidably supported by support members (not shown).

[0031] The engagement unit 44 is disposed between the timing belts 43a, 43a of the loading / unloading unit 43 and has a pair of upwardly facing engagement members 44a, 44a at the front and rear. The engagement members 44a of the engagement unit 44 move up and down on the upper running parts of the timing belts 43a, 43a (FIGS. 6(A) and (C)), and can move back and forth along the timing belts 43a, 43a (FIGS. 6(A) to (C)). The engagement unit 44 can engage horizontal rods 44b at the upper ends of the engagement members 44a from below with the hooks H of the inner box Da, for example (FIG. 9).

[0032] Of the front and rear inner boxes Da, Db which are connected and stored in any storage space 33 of the storage shelf 30, the procedure for carrying out the front inner box Da is, for example, as shown in Figs. 6(A) to 6(C).

[0033] First, the carriage 42 of the conveying device 40 is brought face to face with the storage space 33 in which the inner box Da to be removed is stored (Figure 6(A)), and the engagement unit 44 is raised sufficiently close to the storage space 33 (in the direction of arrow L1 in the same figure) to engage the engagement member 44a with the hook H of the inner box Da.

[0034] Next, the loading / unloading unit 43 and the engaging unit 44 are driven at the same speed to pull out the inner box Da onto the timing belts 43a, 43a of the loading / unloading unit 43 (in the direction of arrow L2 in FIG. 6B), and the rear inner box Db connected to the inner box Da can also be pulled out all at once. Then, when the rear inner box Db is pulled out to the front end of the shelf board 32 (FIG. 6C), the engaging unit 44 is lowered (in the direction of arrow L3 in the same figure) and the carriage 42 is raised to disconnect the inner boxes Da and Db (in the direction of arrow L4 in the same figure), and further, the inner box Da is separated from the inner box Db via the loading / unloading unit 43 (in the direction of arrow L5 in the same figure), and the inner box Da can be carried out onto the carriage 42.

[0035] The above unloading operation can be summarized, for example, as shown in the second line of Fig. 10(B). When only the inner box Db is stored at the front end of the storage space 33, the engaging member 44a of the engaging unit 44 is engaged with the hook H of the inner box Db according to Fig. 6(A), and then the inner box Db is pulled out onto the carriage 42 via the loading / unloading unit 43 and the engaging unit 44, and unloaded (corresponding to the first line of Fig. 10(B)).

[0036] Next, the procedure for carrying in an inner box Da into an arbitrary storage space 33 is, for example, as shown in Figures 7(A) to (C). However, it is assumed that another inner box Db has already been stored in the storage space 33 in advance.

[0037] First, the carriage 42 carrying the inner box Da on the loading / unloading unit 43 is adjusted to an appropriate height so as to face the storage space 33, the loading / unloading unit 43 is driven to move the inner box Da forward as far as possible toward the storage space 33 (FIG. 7(A)), and then the carriage 42 is lowered to connect the inner box Da to the inner box Db (in the direction of the arrow L1 in FIG. 7(B)). After that, the engaging unit 44 is raised to engage the engaging member 44a with the hook H of the inner box Da (in the direction of the arrow L2 in the same figure), and the loading / unloading unit 43 and the engaging unit 44 are driven at the same speed to push the inner boxes Da and Db into the storage space 33 at once and carry them in (in the direction of the arrow L3 in FIG. 7(C)). Once the inner boxes Da and Db have been carried into the prescribed positions, the engaging unit 44 is lowered to disengage the engaging member 44a from the hook H of the inner box Da (in the direction of the arrow L4 in the figure), and the engaging unit 44 is retracted onto the carriage 42. However, the above carrying-in operation can be summarized, for example, as shown in the second line of Fig. 10(A).

[0038] Also, if the storage space 33 is empty, the inner box Da on the carriage 42 can be directly pushed into the storage space 33 in accordance with FIG. 7(C) without going through the connection procedure of FIGS. 7(A) and (B) (corresponding to the first line of FIG. 10(A)).

[0039] When the rear inner box Db of the inner boxes Da, Db connected and stored in the storage space 33 is to be removed, first, the front and rear inner boxes Da, Db are pulled out all at once according to Figs. 6(A)-(C), the front inner box Da is separated and removed onto the carriage 42, and then the carriage 42 is moved and the inner box Da on the carriage 42 is carried into another storage space 33 of any of the storage shelves 30 and removed according to Figs. 7(A)-(C). However, the storage space 33 used for removal at this time may have another inner box Db stored therein in advance, or may be empty. Next, the carriage 42 is returned to the front of the original storage space 33, and the inner box Db to be removed, which has been pulled out to the front end of the storage space 33 due to the removal of the inner box Da, is pulled out onto the carriage 42 and removed. The above procedure can be summarized as shown in the third line of FIG. 10(B).

[0040] Meanwhile, a booth (not shown) is provided adjacent to the storage facility A. The booth is equipped with a desk having an opening with a sliding lid for accessing the inside of the inner box D, an operation panel, and the like, and a customer who has a key for opening the inner box D can specify a specific inner box D in the storage shelf 30 via the operation panel, have it transported to the opening of the booth, and return the inner box D to the storage shelf 30 after use.

[0041] The storage shelf 30 of the storage A is provided with a delivery space that is bidirectionally connected to the opening on the booth side via a transport conveyor. The transport device 40 can transport a specified inner box D out of the storage space 33 of the storage shelf 30 to the delivery space, and transport an inner box D to be returned to the delivery space to the specified storage space 33 for loading. The overall operation of the storage device as described above, and specific examples of the transfer unit 43 and engagement unit 44 of the transport device 40 are disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

[0042] However, instead of being of the stacker crane type, the transport device 40 may be a large rectangular carriage equivalent to the spacing between the storage shelves 30, 30 times the overall width, which is raised and lowered between the storage shelves 30, 30 via a fixed frame (not shown). In this case, the transport device 40 moves the loading / unloading unit 43 and the engagement unit 44 on the carriage back and forth together along the front surface of each storage shelf 30, and moves the engagement unit 44 back and forth toward each storage shelf 30, thereby being able to access any storage space 33 of the storage shelves 30, 30.

[0043] In the above description, the correspondence between each inner box D and the storage space 33 of the storage shelf 30 in which it is stored may be fixed in advance for each inner box D, including whether it is located at the front or rear of the storage space 33. Alternatively, the correspondence may be changed as appropriate each time each inner box D is loaded or unloaded, and the correspondence may be updated and stored as needed in the memory of a control computer for the entire system including the transport device 40. In order to smoothly operate such a control computer, an IC chip may be attached to each inner box D, and the ID information of each inner box D stored in the IC chip may be electronically readable from the outside. The ID information of each inner box D may be displayed, for example, by characters, symbols, various codes, etc. on the front and rear name plates 14, and may be optically readable from the outside.

[0044] For example, even when the front inner box Da is evacuated to another storage space 33 in order to carry out the rear inner box Db within the storage space 33, by updating and storing the information of the evacuation storage space 33 that stores the inner box Da, there is no need to return the inner box Da to its original storage space 33. Also, even when two or more booths are installed side by side, it is not necessarily necessary to return the inner box D returned from each booth to its original storage space 33, and in any case, the operational efficiency of the entire system can be easily improved.

[0045] Two or more inner boxes D can be connected vertically and stored in each storage space 33. Furthermore, the storage shelves 30 may be disposed on only one side of the transport device 40 within the storage facility A. [Industrial Applicability]

[0046] This invention can improve the space efficiency of a storage facility by connecting multiple inner boxes vertically and storing them in each storage space of a storage shelf, and is particularly suitable for use in stores, offices, warehouses, etc. where only a relatively small installation area can be secured. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] A...Storage D, Da, Db…Inner box H…hook 10…Box body 11…Main material 11a...Bottom plate 11b...Side plate 11d…Horizontal part 11e...Engagement part 11f…Opening 12, 13...Connecting material 20…Top lid 30…Storage shelf 33…Storage space 40...Transportation device Patent applicant: Fuji Seiko Co., Ltd. Okamura Corporation

Claims

1. An inner box for a storage device comprises a box body and a top lid attached to the box body, and hooks are symmetrically provided on the front and rear sides of the box body, each forming a downward engaging portion at the tip edge of a long horizontal portion, and a long horizontal opening is formed at the base of the horizontal portion so that the engaging portion of another inner box can engage with it from above.

2. The inner box for a storage device as described in claim 1, characterized in that the box body is a combination of a rectangular bottom plate, left and right side plates, a main material that is folded to form the front and rear hooks, and front and rear connecting materials that connect the front and rear ends of each side plate.

3. 2. The inner box for a storage device according to claim 1, wherein each of said engagement portions is formed in a pair of left and right tongue pieces.

4. 3. The inner box for a storage device according to claim 2, wherein each of said engagement portions is formed in the shape of a pair of tongue pieces on the left and right.

5. A storage device comprising: an inner box for the storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 4; a storage shelf in which storage spaces in which a plurality of the inner boxes can be connected vertically to store items are arranged in multiple rows and stages; and a transport device that accesses any of the storage spaces in the storage shelf and transports the inner boxes individually in and out of the storage spaces.

6. The storage device according to claim 5, characterized in that each storage space is set such that a > d, where d is the clearance above the inner box when stored and a is the downward engagement distance a of the engagement portion of the hook when connected.

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