Cooler box

Abstract

To provide a cooler box capable of maintaining waterproofness between a box body and a lid member.SOLUTION: A cooler box 1 includes: a box body 3; a lid member 5; a first inclined surface 17a; and a seal member 9. The box body 3 has a bottom part 11, a wall part 13, a storage space S, and an opening 15. The opening 15 is provided at a tip part of the wall part 13. The lid member 5 covers the opening 15. The first inclined surface 17a is provided on either the opening 15 or the lid member 5. The first inclined surface 17a inclines outward from the storage space S in a direction extending upward from a bottom part 11. The seal member 9 is disposed on the other of the opening 15 and the lid member 5 so as to face the first inclined surface 17a. The seal member 9 comes into surface contact with the first inclined surface 17a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooler box. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, cooler boxes are provided with a structure for ensuring airtightness. For example, the cooler box of Patent Document 1 includes a box body, a lid member, a step portion, and a sealing member. The box body has a bottom portion and a wall portion. The wall portion extends upward from the bottom portion. The tip portion of the wall portion forms an opening portion. The lid member is attached to the box body so as to be able to swing, and covers the opening portion of the box body. The step portion is provided at the opening portion of the box body. The sealing member is attached to the lid member. The sealing member is disposed at the step portion. The outer surface of the sealing member contacts both the bottom surface of the step portion and the peripheral wall surface of the step portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-255053 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the cooler box of Patent Document 1, with the lid member covering the opening of the box body, the lower surface of the sealing member is pressed against the bottom surface of the stepped portion, and the outer circumferential surface of the sealing member is pressed against the peripheral wall surface of the stepped portion. In other words, in conventional cooler boxes, the sealing member is fitted into the stepped portion in a state in which deformation of the sealing member is restricted.

[0005] If the cooler box is tilted or subjected to external forces such as vibration, the liquid inside the cooler box (melted ice or seawater) may collide with the inner surface of the lid. In this case, water pressure may act unevenly on some parts of the seal member, causing a decrease in waterproofing.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a cooler box that can maintain waterproofing between the box body and the lid member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a cooler box includes a box body, a cover member, a first inclined surface, and a sealing member. The box body has a bottom, a wall, a storage space, and an opening. The bottom is disposed on a horizontal plane. The wall extends upward from the bottom. The storage space is formed by the bottom and the wall. The opening is provided at a tip of the wall.

[0008] The cover member covers the opening. The first inclined surface is provided on one of the opening and the cover member. The first inclined surface inclines from the storage space side outward in a direction extending upward from the bottom. The seal member is disposed on the other of the opening and the cover member so as to face the first inclined surface. The seal member makes contact within the plane of the first inclined surface.

[0009] In the cooler box according to the first aspect of the present invention, the first inclined surface is provided on one of the opening and the lid member, and the seal member is provided on the other of the opening and the lid member, and in this state, the seal member contacts within the plane of the first inclined surface.

[0010] In this case, when the cooler box is tilted or an external force such as vibration acts on the cooler box, the cover member moves relative to the box body due to the play between the box body and the cover member. At this time, the seal member deforms on the first inclined surface while in contact with the first inclined surface, and the compression ratio of the seal member increases.

[0011] In this way, the cooler box can maintain waterproofness between the box body and the lid member compared to the conventional technology. In particular, the cooler box can maintain waterproofness even if water pressure acts unevenly on the seal member between the box body and the lid member. In addition, in the cooler box of Patent Document 1, the seal member is fitted into the step portion in a state where the deformation of the seal member is restricted, so the lid member does not move relative to the box body.

[0012] With regard to the second aspect of the present invention, the cooler box according to the first aspect may be configured as follows: the cover member has a protruding portion disposed opposite the first inclined surface, and the protruding portion includes a second inclined surface extending in a direction intersecting with the first inclined surface.

[0013] In the cooler box according to the second aspect of the present invention, the cover member has a protrusion, and the protrusion includes a second inclined surface. In this configuration, when the cooler box is tilted or an external force such as vibration acts on the cooler box, the liquid contained in the cooler box presses the second inclined surface of the cover member. As a result, the seal member deforms on the first inclined surface while in contact with the first inclined surface, and the compressibility of the seal member increases. In other words, the waterproofness between the box body and the cover member can be maintained.

[0014] With regard to the third aspect of the present invention, the cooler box according to the second aspect may be configured as follows: The sealing member is disposed between the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface in the horizontal direction.

[0015] In the cooler box according to the third aspect of the present invention, when the cooler box is tilted or an external force such as vibration acts on the cooler box, the seal member can be deformed appropriately along the first inclined surface.

[0016] With respect to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the cooler box according to any one of the first to third aspects may be configured as follows: The opening includes an upright portion disposed at a distance from the lid member in the horizontal direction.

[0017] In the cooler box according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the movement of the lid member relative to the box body is restricted by the upright portion, making it possible to restrict excessive movement of the lid member relative to the box body. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, in a cooler box, waterproofing between the box body and the lid member can be maintained. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] Side view of a cooler box. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] Top view of the box body. [Figure 7] 7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the seal member taken along line VII in FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the seal member taken along line VIII in FIG. [Figure 9] Top view of the cooler box. [Figure 10] FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the seal member shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the seal member in FIG. 10 after deformation. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view for explaining a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] As shown in Fig. 1, a cooler box 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a box body 3, a cover member 5, a pair of opening and closing structures 7, 8, and a sealing member 9 (see Fig. 2). The box body 3 is formed in a rectangular box shape. The box body 3 is made of, for example, resin. It is preferable that the box body 3 contains a heat insulating material.

[0021] As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the box body 3 has a bottom 11, a wall 13, a storage space S, and an opening 15. In this embodiment, the bottom 11 is formed in a rectangular shape. The bottom 11 may have other shapes. As shown in Fig. 4, the bottom 11 is placed on a horizontal plane H. The horizontal plane H is a plane perpendicular to the direction in which gravity acts. The horizontal plane H includes the ground surface on which the cooler box 1 can be placed, the mounting surface of a vehicle on which the cooler box 1 can be mounted, and the like.

[0022] As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the wall portion 13 is integrally formed with the outer periphery of the bottom portion 11. The wall portion 13 extends upward from the bottom portion 11. Specifically, in a state in which the bottom portion 11 is placed on a horizontal plane H as shown in Fig. 4, the wall portion 13 surrounds the outer periphery of the bottom portion 11 and extends upward from the outer periphery of the bottom portion 11 as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the storage space S is formed by the bottom portion 11 and the wall portion 13. In the storage space S, items and contents such as ice for cooling the temperature in the storage space S and seawater for maintaining freshness in the case of fish are stored.

[0023] 2 to 4, the opening 15 is provided at a tip portion of the wall portion 13, for example, at an upper end portion of the wall portion 13. In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the opening 15 is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from above the cooler box 1.

[0024] As shown in Figs. 3 to 6, the opening 15 has a rectangular main body 17 and an upright portion 19. The main body 17 is formed in a rectangular shape. The main body 17 is formed integrally with the wall 13 at an upper end of the wall 13. In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 3, 5, and 6, the main body 17 is provided with a first inclined surface 17a.

[0025] 7 and 8, the first inclined surface 17a is inclined outward from the storage space S in the direction going upward from the bottom 11. In other words, the first inclined surface 17a is inclined so as to move away from the bottom 11 from the inner surface 13a of the wall 13 toward the outer surface 13b of the wall 13.

[0026] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the standing portion 19 is provided on the main body portion 17. Specifically, as shown in Figures 3, 4, 7, and 8, the standing portion 19 includes a pair of standing portions 19a, 19b. The pair of standing portions 19a, 19b each extend upward from the main body portion 17. The pair of standing portions 19a, 19b are provided on the main body portion 17 so as to face each other in the axial direction in which the shaft portions 7a, 8a (see Figure 9) of the pair of opening and closing structures 7, 8 extend.

[0027] In this embodiment, the axial direction and the orthogonal direction are defined as shown in Fig. 9. When the bottom 11 is placed on a horizontal plane H, the axial direction in which the shafts 7a, 8a of the pair of opening and closing structures 7, 8 extend and the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the axial direction in which the shafts 7a, 8a of the pair of opening and closing structures 7, 8 extend are defined on the horizontal plane H or on a plane parallel to the horizontal plane H.

[0028] When the bottom 11 is positioned on a horizontal plane H, the direction from one of the pair of upright portions 19a, 19b to the other of the pair of upright portions 19a, 19b on the horizontal plane H or on a plane parallel to the horizontal plane H may be interpreted as the above-mentioned axial direction.

[0029] In addition, when the bottom 11 is positioned on the horizontal plane H, the direction perpendicular to the direction from one of the pair of standing portions 19a, 19b to the other of the pair of standing portions 19a, 19b on the horizontal plane H or on a plane parallel to the horizontal plane H may be interpreted as the above-mentioned orthogonal direction.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 9, the pair of standing portions 19a, 19b are arranged on both sides of the cover member 5 in the axial direction. Each of the pair of standing portions 19a, 19b is arranged at a distance from the cover member 5 in the axial direction. That is, a gap G1 is provided between each of the pair of standing portions 19a, 19b and the outer edge portion 5a of the cover member 5. The cover member 5 moves between the pair of standing portions 19a, 19b within the range of the gap G1. In this embodiment, a gap G1 is generated in the axial direction between the box body 3 and the cover member 5, and a gap (not shown) is generated between the shaft portions 7a, 8a and the cover member 5, and these gaps become the play of the opening and closing mechanisms 7, 8.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 1 and Figs. 7 to 9, the lid member 5 is formed separately from the box body 3. As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 9, the lid member 5 is attached to and detached from the box body 3 via a pair of opening and closing structures 7, 8. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, when the lid member 5 is attached to the box body 3, the lid member 5 covers the opening 15 of the box body 3. In this state, the lid member 5 is disposed at a distance from the first inclined surface 17a of the box body 3. As shown in Fig. 7, a gap G2 between the lid member 5 and the first inclined surface 17a of the box body 3 is sealed by a seal member 9.

[0032] 7 and 8, the lid member 5 has a lid main body 21, a protrusion 23, and a groove 25. The lid main body 21 is disposed opposite to the bottom 11 of the box main body 3. In this embodiment, the lid main body 21 is formed in a rectangular shape.

[0033] The protrusion 23 protrudes from the inner surface of the lid body 21. Specifically, the protrusion 23 protrudes from the inner surface of the lid body 21 along the outer edge 5a of the lid body 21. When the lid member 5 is attached to the box body 3, the protrusion 23 is disposed opposite the first inclined surface 17a. The tip of the protrusion 23 is disposed at a distance G2 from the first inclined surface 17a.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 10, the protrusion 23 includes an outer surface 23a and a second inclined surface 23b. The outer surface 23a forms the outer surface of the protrusion 23 and the inner surface of the groove portion 25. The second inclined surface 23b forms the inner surface of the protrusion 23. The second inclined surface 23b is connected to the inner surface 21a of the lid main body 21. When the lid member 5 is attached to the box main body 3, the second inclined surface 23b extends in a direction intersecting with the first inclined surface 17a. In this embodiment, the second inclined surface 23b extends substantially perpendicular to the first inclined surface 17a.

[0035] As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, a seal member 9 is disposed in the groove 25. The groove 25 is provided on the inner surface 21a of the lid body 21 so as to be adjacent to the protrusion 23. As shown in Fig. 10, the groove 25 has a bottom surface 25a and a pair of wall surfaces 23a, 25b. The bottom surface 25a is formed on the lid body 21 so as to surround the protrusion 23. The bottom surface 25a extends outward from the outer surface 23a of the protrusion 23. The wall surface 23a is formed by the outer surface 23a of the protrusion 23. The wall surface 25b is disposed at a distance from the wall surface 23a and extends downward from the bottom surface 25a.

[0036] 9, the pair of opening and closing structures 7, 8 are attached to the cover member 5. The pair of opening and closing structures 7, 8 have shafts 7a, 8a that rotate independently with respect to the cover member 5, levers 7b, 8b that rotate independently with the shafts 7a, 8a, and engagement portions 7c, 8c that engage independently with a pair of erected portions 19a, 19b of the box body 3.

[0037] With the lid member 5 attached to the box body 3, by pulling up one of the levers 7b, 8b of the pair of opening and closing structures 7, 8, one of the shafts 7a, 8a of the pair of opening and closing structures 7, 8 rotates, and the engagement between the engagement portions 7c, 8c of the pair of opening and closing structures 7, 8 and one of the pair of standing portions 19a, 19b of the box body 3 is released. This allows the lid member 5 to rotate around the other of the shafts 7a, 8a of the pair of opening and closing structures 7, 8 relative to the box body 3, and the storage space S is opened.

[0038] With the lid member 5 placed on the box body 3, by pushing down the levers 7b, 8b of the pair of opening and closing structures 7, 8, the shafts 7a, 8a of the pair of opening and closing structures 7, 8 rotate, and the engagement portions 7c, 8c of the pair of opening and closing structures 7, 8 engage with the wall portion 13 of the box body 3. As a result, the lid member 5 is attached to the box body 3.

[0039] 7 and 8, the seal member 9 is disposed on the cover member 5 so as to face the first inclined surface 17a. The seal member 9 contacts the first inclined surface 17a within its plane. The seal member 9 is made of an elastically deformable material. The seal member 9 is preferably made of a material such as rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer.

[0040] Specifically, as shown in Figures 7, 8, and 10, the seal member 9 is disposed in the groove portion 25. As shown in Figure 10, the seal member 9 has a fitting portion 9a and a contact portion 9b. The fitting portion 9a is a portion that fits into the groove portion 25. When the cover member 5 is attached to the box body 3, at least a portion of the fitting portion 9a is disposed between the first inclined surface 17a and the second inclined surface 23b in the horizontal direction.

[0041] Here, the horizontal direction is defined on a plane parallel to the bottom 11. When the bottom 11 is disposed on a horizontal plane H, the horizontal direction is defined on the horizontal plane H or on a plane parallel to the horizontal plane H. In this embodiment, the horizontal direction includes the above-mentioned axial direction and the above-mentioned orthogonal direction.

[0042] The contact portion 9b is formed integrally with the fitting portion 9a. When the fitting portion 9a is fitted into the groove portion 25, the contact portion 9b is disposed outside the groove portion 25. When the cover member 5 is attached to the box body 3, the contact portion 9b comes into contact with the first inclined surface 17a within the plane of the first inclined surface 17a.

[0043] In cooler box 1 having the above configuration, when lid member 5 is attached to box body 3, lid member 5 is disposed at a distance G2 from first inclined surface 17a of box body 3. Gap G2 between lid member 5 and first inclined surface 17a of box body 3 is sealed by sealing member 9.

[0044] In a state where the lid member 5 is attached to the box body 3, for example, in the state shown in FIG. 10, the lid member 5 is movable relative to the box body 3 within the range of play of the pair of opening and closing structures 7, 8. In this state, when the lid member 5 moves in a direction perpendicular to the box body 3, for example, when the cooler box 1 is tilted or the second inclined surface 23b is subjected to water pressure and moves in the first direction D1 of the arrow in FIG. 11, the contact portion 9b of the seal member 9 is deformed on the first inclined surface 17a in a state where it is in contact with the first inclined surface 17a. This increases the compressibility of the seal member 9. In this way, in the cooler box 1, when the lid member 5 moves relative to the box body 3, the waterproofness between the box body 3 and the lid member 5 can be maintained.

[0045] Even when the lid member 5 moves in the axial direction relative to the box body 3, as shown in FIG. 11, the contact portion 9b of the seal member 9 deforms in contact with the first inclined surface 17a, and the compression ratio of the seal member 9 increases. Even in this case, the waterproofing between the box body 3 and the lid member 5 can be maintained. Furthermore, by abutting the outer edge portion 5a of the lid member 5 against the erected portion 19 in FIG. 8, the movement of the lid member 5 relative to the box body 3 is restricted. This makes it possible to restrict the movement of the lid member 5 relative to the box body 3.

[0046] Furthermore, in the cooler box 1 having the above configuration, if the cooler box 1 is tilted or an external force such as vibration acts on the cooler box 1 with the lid member 5 attached to the box body 3, the second inclined surface 23b of the lid member 5 is pressed in the direction D2 by the contents of the cooler box 1. In this case, the lid member 5 moves in the second direction D1 in Fig. 11 relative to the box body 3, thereby increasing the compression ratio of the seal member 9. This makes it possible to maintain the waterproofness between the box body 3 and the lid member 5.

[0047] <Modification> In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the first inclined surface 17a is provided on the main body 17 of the opening 15, and the seal member 9 is provided on the cover member 5. As shown in FIG. 12, the first inclined surface 23c may be provided on the cover member 5, and the seal member 119 may be provided on the main body 17 of the opening 15. In this case, the first inclined surface 23c is provided on the inner surface 21a side of the cover member 5. The first inclined surface 23c is provided adjacent to the second inclined surface 23b and outside the second inclined surface 23b. The groove portion 125 is formed on the main body 17 of the opening 15, and the seal member 119 is disposed in the groove portion 125. Even with this configuration, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 Cooler 3 Box body 5 Cover member 9,119 Sealing material 11 Bottom 13 Wall 15 Opening 17a,23c 1st slope 19 Vertical section 23 Protrusion 23b 2nd slope H horizontal plane S Storage space

Claims

1. A box body having a bottom portion disposed on a horizontal surface, a wall portion extending upward from the bottom portion, a storage space formed by the bottom portion and the wall portion, and an opening portion provided at a tip portion of the wall portion; A cover member for covering the opening; a first inclined surface provided on either the opening or the lid member, the first inclined surface inclined from the storage space side toward the outside in a direction from the bottom portion toward the upper side; a seal member that is disposed on the other of the opening portion and the lid member so as to face the first inclined surface and that comes into contact with the first inclined surface within a plane thereof; A cooler box equipped with

2. The cover member has a protrusion disposed opposite the first inclined surface, The protrusion includes a second inclined surface extending in a direction intersecting the first inclined surface. The cooler box according to claim 1.

3. The seal member is disposed between the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface in a horizontal direction. The cooler box according to claim 2.

4. The opening includes a standing portion disposed at a distance from the lid member in the horizontal direction. The cooler box according to claim 1.

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