Folding box

Abstract

To provide a folding box body that is difficult to collapse when a plurality of folding boxes are folded and piled up. [Solution] The folding box body 1 includes a rectangular plate-shaped bottom 5, legs 11 fixed to the corners of the bottom 5 in an upright position relative to the bottom 5, support columns 21 that can be displaced between an upright position and a laid-down position relative to the bottom 5 and are supported by the legs 11 in the upright position, a first wall 9 and a second wall 7 supported between adjacent support columns 21 in the upright position, and a fitting hole 12 provided at the bottom of the leg 11 and shaped to correspond to the tip of the leg 11.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a foldable box for storing and transporting items. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional folding box is described in Patent Document 1. This folding box has walls connected to the bottom by hinges, and the walls can be moved between an upright position and a collapsed position. By placing all of the walls in the upright position, this folding box can store items inside and be used for transportation, etc.

[0003] Furthermore, after transportation, the wall portion can be laid down to fold the folding box body, thereby saving space.

[0004] However, with this conventional technology, multiple folded boxes are simply stacked when transporting them, which poses the problem that the multiple folded boxes stacked on top of each other in a folded state tend to collapse. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-315021 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The problem to be solved is that when multiple folding boxes are stacked in a folded state, they tend to collapse. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides a rectangular plate-shaped bottom and a each a leg portion fixed to a corner portion in an upright state relative to the bottom portion; and a leg portion displaceable between an upright state and a lying state relative to the bottom portion. and the fallen state a support portion supported by the leg portion in the upright state, a wall portion supported between the adjacent support portions in the upright state, and At the bottom a fitting hole having a shape corresponding to the tip end of the leg; an end extension portion that is a plate-like portion extending in the vertical direction and connects the leg portions adjacent to each other in a first direction in a plan view of the bottom portion above the bottom portion in the first direction, and engages with the wall portion supported between the leg portions adjacent to each other in the first direction so as to rest on the wall portion; A folding box including: [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present invention makes it possible to make a plurality of folding boxes less likely to collapse when folded and stacked. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a folding box according to a first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the front. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the folding box of FIG. 1 as seen from the side. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of two folding boxes of FIG. 1 stacked in a folded state, as viewed from the front. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state in which the folding boxes in the folded state of FIG. 3 are stacked one on top of another. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view mainly showing the legs of the folding box of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view mainly showing the legs of the folding box of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view mainly showing the legs of the folding box of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the unfolding operation of the folding box of FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the unfolding operation of the folding box of FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a folding box according to a second embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the front. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the folding box of FIG. 10 in a folded state as seen from the front. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the folding box of FIG. 10 in a partially unfolded state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The folding box 1 of one embodiment includes a bottom 5, legs 11, support posts 21, walls 7 and 9, and a fitting hole 12. The bottom 5 is a rectangular plate-shaped member. The legs 11 are fixed to the corners of the bottom 5 in an upright position relative to the bottom 5. The support posts 21 are displaceable between an upright position and a laid-down position relative to the bottom 5, and are supported by the legs 11 in the upright position. The walls 7 and 9 are supported between adjacent support posts 21 in the upright position. The fitting hole 12 is provided in the bottom 5 of the legs 11, and has a shape corresponding to the tip of the leg 11.

[0011] The leg 11 and the support 21 may include a shaft 23 and an elongated hole 11ab that rotatably support the support 21. In this case, the support 21, in an upright state, moves relative to the shaft 23 and the elongated hole 11ab, and moves down into the leg 11 to fit therein.

[0012] The leg portion 11 may have a side opening 11c that receives the support portion 21 when standing.

[0013] The walls 7 and 9 may include a pair of first walls 9 and a pair of second walls 7. The first walls 9 are fixed between a pair of support columns 21 that are adjacent to each other in a first direction in a plan view of the bottom 5 and displaceable in the same direction, and displace together with the support columns 21. The pair of second walls 7 are displaceable between an upright state and a reclined state relative to the bottom 5 between the support columns 21 that are adjacent to each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and are locked between the support columns 21 in the upright state.

[0014] The second wall portion 7 may be collapsed onto the bottom portion 5, and the first wall portion 9 may be collapsed onto the second wall portion 7 in the collapsed state.

[0015] The second wall portion 7 is formed by rotatably joining at least a pair of divided pieces 25a and 25b, and one divided piece 25a located on the tip side may be laid down and overlapped with the other divided piece 25b. [Example]

[0016] [Foldable box] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a folding box according to a first embodiment of the present invention, as seen from the front. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the folding box of FIG. 1, as seen from the side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of two folding boxes of FIG. 1 stacked in a folded state, as seen from the front. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the folding boxes of FIG. 3 stacked in a folded state. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view mainly showing the legs of the folding box of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view mainly showing the legs of the folding box of FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view mainly showing the legs of the folding box of FIG. 1.

[0017] In the following description, front and back refer to the front and back when viewed from the front of the folding box (the rear front in Figure 1), left and right refer to the left and right when viewed from the front of the folding box (the left and right in Figure 1), and up and down refer to the up and down in the direction of gravity when the folding box is placed horizontally (the up and down in Figure 1).

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the folding box 1 includes a bottom 5, legs 11, support posts 21, a pair of first walls 9, a pair of second walls 7, and a fitting hole 12.

[0019] The bottom 5 is a rectangular plate member in a plan view, and is long in the left-right direction. The bottom 5 may have the same dimensions in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions. Legs 11 are provided at the corners of the bottom 5.

[0020] The legs 11 are fixed in an upright state relative to the bottom 5. The upright state of the legs 11 relative to the bottom 5 means that the legs 11 stand upright relative to the surface of the bottom 5, and in this embodiment, this means that the legs 11 extend along the thickness direction (vertical direction) of the bottom 5.

[0021] The leg portion 11 is formed in a cylindrical shape, with an upper portion and a lower portion respectively protruding upward and downward from the bottom portion 5. The upper portion of the leg portion 11, with its top end being the tip, is the portion located at the uppermost position of the folding box body 1 in the folded state shown in Figures 3 and 4.

[0022] In this embodiment, the leg portions 11 have side openings 11c in the range of their upper portions protruding upward from the bottom portion 5, which receive the support columns 21 (described later) when the leg portions 11 are erected. The side openings 11c open the upper portions of the leg portions 11 in the left-right direction. Between the leg portions 11 facing each other in the left-right direction, the side openings 11c face each other in the left-right direction.

[0023] The upper portion of the leg portion 11 is made up of a facing portion 11a and an end portion 11b. The facing portion 11a and the end portion 11b are both formed in a plate shape.

[0024] The facing portions 11a face each other in the front-to-rear direction, which is a first direction, and have a width in the left-to-right direction, which is a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The end portions 11b have a width in the front-to-rear direction and connect the outer ends of the facing portions 11a in the left-to-right direction. As a result, the leg portions 11 define a side opening 11c between the inner ends of the facing portions 11a in the left-to-right direction.

[0025] Each of the opposing portions 11a has a positioning recess 11aa formed therein. The recess 11aa is recessed downward from the upper end of the opposing portion 11a. Furthermore, each opposing portion 11a has a vertically elongated hole 11ab formed in the vertically intermediate portion of the leg portion 11.

[0026] The lower end of the leg 11 is formed with a bulging shape, defining a bottom that abuts against the installation surface, etc. The bulging shape of the lower end of the leg 11 is a shape that protrudes in at least one of the front-to-back direction and the left-to-right direction relative to the rest of the leg 11, and in this embodiment, in both directions. This improves the stability of the installation of the leg 11.

[0027] The legs 11 that are adjacent in the front-to-rear direction are connected to each other in the front-to-rear direction at their lower parts that are located below the bottom part 5 by connecting rods 13. In this embodiment, the connecting rods 13 are rod-shaped bodies that connect the lower ends of the legs 11 together.

[0028] The connecting rod 13 may have other shapes, such as a plate-like body. The connecting rod 13 may also connect the non-bulging portions of the legs 11 that are located above the lower ends of the bulging portions. The connecting rod 13 may also be omitted.

[0029] Additionally, the upper portions of adjacent legs 11 in the front-to-rear direction are connected by end extensions 15. The end extensions 15 are plate-like bodies formed by extending the ends 11b of the legs 11 in the front-to-rear direction. In this embodiment, the end extensions 15 are provided in a range from the middle of the upper portions of the legs 11 in the vertical direction to the bottom 5.

[0030] The support column 21 can be displaced between an upright state and a lying state relative to the bottom 5, and is supported by the legs 11 in the upright state. The upright state of the support column 21 is a state in which it stands up relative to the surface of the bottom 5, similar to the legs 11, and in this embodiment refers to a state along the vertical direction. The lying state of the support column 21 is a state in which it is lying down relative to the surface of the bottom 5, and in this embodiment refers to a state in which the tip of the support column 21 is closest to the surface of the bottom 5. The support column 21 in this embodiment is configured integrally with the first wall 9.

[0031] The support column 21 is columnar and has a rectangular cross section. The support column 21 is pivotally supported between the opposing portions 11a at the top of the legs 11. When erected, the support column 21 enters the upper part of the legs 11 through the side opening 11c and fits between the opposing portions 11a so as to be sandwiched between them. When erected, the cross section of the support column 21 matches the interior of the legs 11, allowing it to descend.

[0032] The support pillar 21 has a bulging tip, which becomes the upper end when erected. With this bulging shape, the tip of the support pillar 21 bulges out in at least one of the left-right direction and the front-rear direction relative to the rest of the support pillar 21, and in this embodiment, both directions.

[0033] Furthermore, a shaft 23 is supported on the portion of the support part 21 that becomes the lower part when the support part 21 is upright. The shaft 23 slidably fits into the long hole 11ab of the leg part 11, and rotatably supports the leg part 11 relative to the support part 21. Therefore, the leg part 11 and the support part 21 include the shaft 23 and the long hole 11ab that rotatably support the support part 21.

[0034] The shaft 23 and the long hole 11ab may be reversed, with the shaft 23 provided in the leg portion 11 and the long hole 11ab provided in the support portion 21. In this case, the shaft 23 may be provided so as to bridge over the opposing portion 11a of the leg portion 11.

[0035] The shaft 23 has a diameter equal to the width of the elongated hole 11ab and is inserted through the elongated hole 11ab. The tip of the shaft 23 is bulged to prevent it from coming off. The shaft 23 is slidable along the elongated hole 11ab of the leg 11 when the support 21 is in an upright position, allowing the support 21 to move downward relative to the leg 11.

[0036] The lower part of the lowered support column 21 fits into the leg 11. Therefore, the support column 21 is configured to be lowered into the leg 11 and fitted therein by the relative movement between the shaft 23 and the long hole 11ab in the upright state.

[0037] Furthermore, a locking piece 21a is fixed to the outer surface of the support part 21 in the front-rear direction. The locking piece 21a is a protrusion that protrudes in the front-rear direction from the support part 21. When the support part 21 is lowered, the locking piece 21a engages from above with the positioning recess 11aa of the leg part 11. This positions the support part 21 in the lowered state and locks it.

[0038] Each of the pair of first walls 9 is a rectangular plate-like body. Each first wall 9 is fixed between a pair of adjacent support columns 21 in the front-to-rear direction in a plan view of the bottom 5, and displaces, i.e., stands up and lies down, together with the support columns 21. Therefore, the first wall 9 is a wall supported between adjacent support columns 21 in an upright state that displaces in the same direction.

[0039] The first wall portion 9 may be configured as a separate member from the support pillars 21 and fixed between the support pillars 21 in advance or attached later between the support pillars 21 in the upright position.

[0040] A tongue portion 9a is provided at the lower portion of the first wall portion 9 in the upright state. The tongue portion 9a is configured in a plate shape and engages with the end extension portion 15 between the leg portions 11 so as to be placed on the end extension portion 15 when the first wall portion 9 is in the upright state.

[0041] The first wall 9 is rotatably supported by the legs 11 via the shaft 23 and the long hole 11ab at a position higher than the second wall 7 in its fallen state, which will be described later. This allows the first wall 9 to be folded down onto the second wall 7 of the bottom 5.

[0042] The pair of second walls 7 are each a rectangular plate extending in the left-right direction, and are rotatably supported on the bottom 5 by hinges 17. This allows each second wall 7 to be displaced between an upright state and a laid-down state between a pair of support columns 21 adjacent to each other in the left-right direction when the bottom 5 is viewed from above.

[0043] The second wall portion 7 in the laid-down state overlaps the bottom portion 5. The second wall portion 7 in the upright state is engaged between the upright support portions 21 that face each other in the left-right direction. Therefore, the second wall portion 7 is a wall portion that is supported between the adjacent upright support portions 21.

[0044] The second wall portion 7 is locked to the support portion 21 by locking pieces 19. The locking pieces 19 are provided on both the left and right sides of the second wall portion 7. Each locking piece 19 is made of a plate material rotatably supported on the second wall portion 7, and engages with a hook 21b provided on the support portion 21 as it rotates.

[0045] The fitting holes 12 are provided at the bottoms of the legs 11 and have a shape corresponding to the upper ends, which are the tip ends, of the legs 11. Specifically, the fitting holes 12 are formed in a concave shape extending upward from the bottoms of the legs 11. These fitting holes 12 can be formed by making the lower ends of the legs 11 bulge as described above. When multiple folding boxes 1 in a folded state are stacked one above the other, the upper ends of the legs 11 of the folding box 1 in the lower layer are fitted into the fitting holes 12.

[0046] Furthermore, the fitting holes 12 in this embodiment also correspond to the tips of the support posts 21. As a result, when multiple assembled folding boxes 1 are stacked one on top of the other, the tips of the support posts 21 of the folding box 1 in the lower layer are fitted into the fitting holes 12.

[0047] [assembly] The following describes how to assemble the folding box 1 of this embodiment from the folded state shown in Fig. 3 to the state shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 8 and 9 are perspective views showing the unfolding operation of the folding box of Fig. 1.

[0048] In the folded box body 1 in the folded state shown in FIG. 3, the second wall portion 7 is laid down and overlaps the bottom portion 5, and the first wall portion 9 is laid down and overlaps the second wall portion 7.

[0049] First, one of the first walls 9 is raised from this folded state as shown in Figures 8 and 9. The first wall 9 is raised by rotating the first wall 9 and the support column 21 around the shaft 23 relative to the leg 11.

[0050] When this is done, the support pillar 21 is received into the leg 11 through the side opening 11c, and fits between the opposing parts 11a of the leg 11. Then, as shown in Figure 9, when the support pillar 21 rotates until it abuts against the end 11b of the leg 11, the support pillar 21 and the first wall 9 are in an upright position.

[0051] When the first wall 9 and the support 21 are in an upright state, the outer periphery of the support 21 coincides with the inner periphery of the leg 11. As a result, the weight of the first wall 9 and the support 21 causes the shaft 23 of the support 21 to slide down through the elongated hole 11ab, and the lower part of the support 21 fits into the leg 11. When the lower part of the support 21 fits into the leg 11, both sides in the front-to-rear direction and both sides in the left-to-right direction of the lower part of the support 21 are supported by the leg 11.

[0052] When the support column 21 is lowered, the locking piece 21a engages with the recess 11aa of the leg 11 from above, positioning and locking the lowered state, as shown in Fig. 1. Also, as shown in Fig. 2, the tongue 9a of the first wall 9 abuts on the end extension 15 so as to rest on it.

[0053] In this way, the first wall portion 9 is maintained in an upright state relative to the leg portion 11. The other first wall portion 9 is also maintained in an upright state relative to the leg portion 11 in the same manner.

[0054] Next, one of the second walls 7 is rotated from the bottom 5 and raised up between the support columns 21. In the upright state, the lock piece 19 of the second wall 7 is rotated toward the support column 21 and locked by the hook 21b.

[0055] As a result, the second wall portion 7 is supported and locked in an upright state by the support portion 21. The other second wall portion 7 is similarly caused to stand upright relative to the bottom portion 5.

[0056] In this way, the folding box 1 can be assembled as shown in Figures 1 and 2. This folding box 1 can be used to store items inside and transport. At this time, multiple folding boxes 1 can be stacked. That is, the top ends of the support posts 21 of the lower folding box 1 are fitted into the fitting holes 12 at the bottom of the legs 11 of the upper folding box 1. This allows multiple folding boxes 1 to be stacked stably.

[0057] After transportation, etc., the folding box 1 of FIGS. 1 and 2 can be returned to the folded state of FIG. 3 by following the above steps in reverse.

[0058] That is, the locking piece 19 is disengaged from the hook 21b of the support portion 21. This releases the lock of the second wall portion 7 with respect to the support portion 21. Then, the second wall portion 7 is rotated to lie down on the bottom portion 5. This is performed for both second wall portions 7.

[0059] Next, the first wall portion 9 is pulled upward, and the locking piece 21a is released upward from the recess 11aa of the leg portion 11. In this state, the first wall portion 9 is rotated and caused to fall onto the second wall portion 7 which is in a fallen state.

[0060] A plurality of folding boxes 1 in the folded state can be stacked one on top of another. That is, the upper end of the leg 11 of the lower tier is fitted into the fitting hole 12 at the bottom of the leg 11 of the upper tier. This allows the folding boxes 1 in the folded state to be stacked stably in this embodiment.

[0061] [Action and effect] The folding box body 1 has the first wall portion 9 laid down and overlapping the second wall portion 7 which is laid down and overlapping the bottom portion 5, and the folding box body 1 can be assembled by raising the first wall portion 9 and the second wall portion 7 within the range of the bottom portion 5 in a plan view, eliminating the need for surrounding space during assembly.

[0062] When stacking multiple folding boxes 1 in a folded state, the upper ends of the legs 11 of the lower folding box 1 are fitted into the fitting holes 12 at the bottom of the legs 11 of the upper folding box 1. Therefore, in this embodiment, multiple folding boxes 1 in a folded state can be stacked stably, and the collapse of the stacked folding boxes 1 can be prevented. [Example]

[0063] Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a folding box according to a second embodiment of the present invention as seen from the front. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the folding box of Fig. 10 in a folded state as seen from the front. Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing a state in which a part of the folding box of Fig. 10 is unfolded. Note that the basic configuration of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and components corresponding to those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0064] As shown in Figures 10 to 12, the folding box body 1 of this embodiment has a second wall portion 7 formed by rotatably connecting at least one pair of segments 25a and 25b, and one segment 25a located at the tip side is folded down and overlaps the other segment 25b.

[0065] Segment pieces 25a and 25b are rotatably supported at their intermediate portions by hinges 29. Segment piece 25b, which is located on the lower side when second wall portion 7 is in the upright position, is supported by hinges 17 so as to be displaceable between an upright position and a laid-down position on bottom portion 5. Segment piece 25a, which is located on the upper side when second wall portion 7 is in the upright position, rotates by hinge 29 to overlap the outer surface of segment piece 25b.

[0066] A lock pin 31 is movably supported on the split piece 25a so as to be freely engageable with and disengageable from the support part 21. A lock hole (not shown) into which the lock pin 31 fits is formed on the inner surface of the support part 21 in the left-right direction. The lock pin 31 may be applied to the first embodiment. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the lock piece 19 and hook 21b of the first embodiment may be applied instead of the lock pin 31.

[0067] In the second embodiment, the second wall portion 7 can be changed between the fully closed state shown in Fig. 10 and the half-open state shown in Fig. 12. The rest is the same as in the first embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1 Folding box 5 Bottom 7 Second wall 9 First wall 11 Legs 11ab long hole 112 Mating hole 21 Pillar section 23 axes 25a, 25b split piece

Claims

1. A rectangular plate-shaped bottom portion; legs fixed to each corner of the bottom in an upright position relative to the bottom; a support portion that is displaceable between an upright state and a lying state relative to the bottom portion and is supported by the legs in the upright state and the lying state; a wall portion supported between adjacent support columns in the upright position; a fitting hole provided at the lower end of the leg portion and having a shape corresponding to the tip end of the leg portion; an end extension portion that is a plate-like portion extending in the vertical direction and that connects the leg portions adjacent to each other in a first direction in a plan view of the bottom portion above the bottom portion in the first direction, and that engages with the wall portion supported between the leg portions adjacent to each other in the first direction so as to rest on the wall portion; A folding box body including:

2. The folding box according to claim 1, the leg portion and the support portion include a shaft and a long hole that rotatably support the support portion, In the upright state, the support portion moves downward into the leg portion and fits into the leg portion by relative movement between the shaft and the long hole. Folding box.

3. The folding box according to claim 2, The leg portion has a side opening that receives the support portion when standing. Folding box.

4. The folding box according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The wall portion includes a pair of first wall portions fixed between a pair of support columns adjacent to each other in a first direction in a plan view of the bottom portion and displacing in the same direction, and displacing together with the support columns; and a pair of second wall portions disposed between the support columns adjacent to each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, rotatably supported on the bottom between their ends in the second direction, displaceable between an upright state and a lying state relative to the bottom portion, and engaged between the support columns in the upright state. Folding box.

5. The folding box of claim 4, the second wall portion is collapsed onto the bottom portion, and the first wall portion is collapsed onto the second wall portion in the collapsed state. Folding box.

6. The folding box of claim 5, The second wall portion is formed by rotatably connecting at least a pair of divided portions, and one divided portion located at the tip side is folded down and overlapped with the other divided portion. Folding box.

7. A folding box according to claim 4, a connecting rod that connects lower ends of the legs that are adjacent in the first direction below the bottom in the first direction, Folding box.

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