Folding container

Abstract

To provide a folding container which can be easily folded and which prevents hands and feet from being pinched during the folding work. [Solution] The device comprises a bottom frame (20), an upper frame (30), a long side panel (4) between the bottom frame (20) and the upper frame (30) and rotatable relative to the bottom frame (20) and the upper frame (30), and a short side panel (5) between the bottom frame (20) and the upper frame (30) and rotatable relative to the bottom frame (20), the long side panel (4) being divided into upper and lower parts and having an upper side panel (41u) and a lower side panel (41d) that can be folded via hinges (42), and a round drop (47) being provided at the bending portion when the upper side panel (41u) and the lower side panel (41d) are folded.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a foldable container in which the long side panels and the short side panels are foldable relative to the bottom frame or the top frame of a base member. [Background technology]

[0002] The long and short side panels of a folding container can be folded relative to the bottom frame or the upper frame, and the long and short side panels are assembled when storing items, and folded when not storing items, and another folding container can be stacked on top of it to save space.

[0003] The folding storage cart 1 described in Patent Document 1 has a pair of long side plate portions 41a (41b) and a pair of short side plate portions 51a (51b). Note that the names and symbols of the various parts of the folding storage cart 1 described in Patent Document 1 shall be those described in Patent Document 1 and shall be used as is.

[0004] The longitudinal side plate portion 41a (41b) consists of an upper longitudinal side plate portion 42 and a lower longitudinal side plate portion 43, and the upper longitudinal side plate portion 42 is rotatable around a horizontal axis relative to the upper longitudinal frame portion 31a (31b), and the lower longitudinal side plate portion 43 is rotatable around a horizontal axis relative to the lower longitudinal frame portion 11a (11b).Furthermore, the upper longitudinal side plate portion 42 and the lower longitudinal side plate portion 43 are connected via hinges 47 and are rotatable around a horizontal axis, and when the storage cart 1 is assembled, the upper longitudinal side plate portion 42 and the lower longitudinal side plate portion 43 are flush and vertical.

[0005] The short side plate portion 51a (51b) is rotatable about a horizontal axis relative to the upper short frame portion 32a (32b), and when the storage cart 1 is assembled, the short side plate portion 51a (51b) is in a vertical position.

[0006] At this time, the upper longitudinal side plate portion 42 and the lower longitudinal side plate portion 43, which are in a vertical state, do not bend because the short side plate portion 51a (51b) is located between the upper longitudinal side plate portion 42 and the lower longitudinal side plate portion 43 (inside the storage cart 1).

[0007] To fold the storage cart 1, first, the short side plate portion 51a (51b) is rotated in such a way that the handle portion 55 attached thereto is lifted toward the inward side of the storage cart 1.

[0008] Next, by lifting the short side plate portion 51a (51b) slightly above the horizontal position, the upper long side plate portion 42 and the lower long side plate portion 43 can be folded, and by folding the upper long side plate portion 42 and the lower long side plate portion 43 while lowering the upper long frame portion 31a (31b) and the upper short frame portion 32a (32b), the folding of the storage cart 1 is completed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-23318 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] Incidentally, in the folding storage cart 1 described in Patent Document 1, the upper long side plate portion 42 and the lower long side plate portion 43 are prevented from folding until the short side plate portion 51a (51b) is raised and made horizontal, but as soon as the short side plate portion 51a (51b) is made horizontal, the upper long side plate portion 42 and the lower long side plate portion 43 become foldable.

[0011] Furthermore, if the handle portion 55 of the short side plate portion 51a (51b) is not grasped, the upper long side plate portion 42 and the lower long side plate portion 43 will fold, causing the upper frame (upper long side frame portion 31a (31b) and lower long side frame portion 11a (11b)) to fall, resulting in the problem that hands or feet may be pinched between the folded upper long side plate portion 42 and lower long side plate portion 43.

[0012] This is because when the short side plate portion 51a (51b) is in a horizontal position, the left and right long side plate portions 41a (41b) can be folded simultaneously, and also because there is nothing to control the folding operation until the folding is completed.

[0013] Therefore, with the folding storage cart 1 described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary for two or more people to work on it, or the size must be such that the folding operation is easy to perform, and there is also the problem that the storage cart 1 cannot be made large.

[0014] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a folding container that can be easily folded by a single worker and that can prevent accidents of hands or feet getting caught by folding the left and right longitudinal side panels one by one. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] In order to solve the above problems, a folding container according to the present invention may include a base member having a rectangular bottom frame, an upper frame located above the base member and having the same shape as the bottom frame, long side panels provided on long side surfaces between the bottom frame and the upper frame so as to be rotatable with respect to at least the bottom frame or the upper frame, and short side panels provided on short side surfaces between the bottom frame and the upper frame so as to be rotatable with respect to at least the bottom frame or the upper frame, the long side panels being divided into upper and lower parts and comprising an upper side panel and a lower side panel, the upper side panel and the lower side panel being foldable via hinges, the short side panels being foldable and supported rotatably with respect to the bottom frame, and locking means being provided at bending portions of the upper side panel and the lower side panel when folded so that the upper side panel and the lower side panel are locked in a flush state.

[0016] In the foldable container according to the present invention, the locking means may be provided on the side where the bent portion between the upper side plate and the lower side plate forms a valley fold.

[0017] In the folding container according to the present invention, the locking means may include a slide pin slidably provided on the upper side plate or the lower side plate, and a receiver provided on the lower side plate or the upper side plate and into which the slide pin is inserted.

[0018] The folding container according to the present invention may be configured such that the slide pin is slidably provided on the upper side plate, the receiver is provided on the lower side plate, and the container is locked by inserting the slide pin into the receiver.

[0019] The folding container according to the present invention may also comprise short side panel locking means comprising: a handle provided on the outside of the upper frame or the bottom frame and positioned outside the short side panel in the upright state; a locking plate provided on the inside of the upper frame or the bottom frame and positioned inside the short side panel in the upright state and clamping the rotating end of the short side panel together with the handle; a support shaft supported on the short side frame body of the upper frame or the bottom frame and having the handle and the locking plate fixed to both ends; and an index plunger provided on the locking plate for locking and maintaining the clamped state of the short side panel.

[0020] In the folding container according to the present invention, the frame bodies constituting the frame body of the side plate body may be connected to each other via connecting elbows. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the present invention, the left and right longitudinal side panels are each divided into upper and lower halves to form upper and lower side panels, and the upper and lower side panels are foldable via hinges. Locking means is provided at the bending points when the upper and lower side panels are folded, and the upper and lower side panels are locked in a flush state. In this case, when folding the foldable container, the left and right longitudinal side panels can be folded one at a time, and therefore, when one longitudinal side panel is folding, the other will not be folded, thereby preventing accidents where hands, feet, etc. are unintentionally pinched when the panels are folded.

[0022] In addition, since the long side panels can be folded one by one, the folding work is easy, and in particular, since there is no need to support one long side panel while folding the other long side panel, the work can be done by one person, which also makes it possible to make the folding container larger.

[0023] According to the present invention, if a locking means is provided on the side where the bent portion between the upper side plate and the lower side plate forms a valley fold, the operation of setting and releasing the lock can be made easier.

[0024] According to the present invention, when the locking means is configured from a slide pin slidably mounted on the upper side plate or the lower side plate, and a receiving body mounted on the lower side plate or the upper side plate and into which the slide pin is inserted, the locking means can have a relatively simple and inexpensive structure.

[0025] According to the present invention, if the slide pin of the locking means is provided on the side (upper side) where it locks due to its own weight, the lock will not be released in the assembled state, allowing for safe transportation work.

[0026] According to the present invention, if the index plunger that locks and maintains the clamped state of the short side plate is provided inside the short side plate in the short side plate locking means, the short side plate cannot be folded as long as the top plate is closed and locked, and therefore it is possible to prevent loaded luggage and the like from being removed from the folding container.

[0027] According to the present invention, when the frame bodies are connected to each other via connecting elbows, the frame bodies can be firmly connected to each other and the efficiency of the assembly work of the side plate bodies can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a foldable container according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] The rectangular handle is shown enlarged, with (a) being a front view and (b) being a side view. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6]This figure, together with Figures 7 to 9, is intended to explain the folding procedure of the foldable container, and shows the container in an assembled state. [Figure 7] This shows one of the long side panels folded down. [Figure 8] This shows the completed folding state. [Figure 9] Shows a collapsed container stacked on top of another container. [Figure 10] 11 and 12 show the specific structure of the side plate body, and this figure is a front view. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is an exploded enlarged view showing a corner of the side plate body. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] The present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiment, with the side of the foldable container 1 from which the long side panels 4 can be seen being the front.

[0030] 1 to 12 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention, in which a folding container 1 comprises a base member 2 having a rectangular bottom frame 20, an upper frame 30 located above the base member 2 and having the same shape as the bottom frame 20, long side panels 4 provided between opposing long side frame bodies 21 of the bottom frame 20 and the long side frame body 31 of the upper frame 30, and short side panels 5 provided between opposing short side frame bodies 22 of the bottom frame 20 and the short side frame body 32 of the upper frame 30.

[0031] The bottom frame 20 is provided with connecting members 23 that connect the centers of the opposing long-side frame bodies 21 on the left and right, and connecting members 23 that connect the centers of the opposing short-side frame bodies 22 on the front and rear, and these frame bodies 21, 22 and connecting members 23 are made of, for example, rectangular hollow pipes made of aluminum alloy. Note that reinforcing metal fittings 20a bent into an L shape are provided at each of the four corners of the bottom frame 20, and the upper edges of the reinforcing metal fittings 20a protrude above the top surface of the bottom frame 20.

[0032] Auxiliary members 24 having approximately the same cross-sectional shape and length as the two left and right long side frame bodies 21 are attached to the upper surfaces thereof, so as to secure space when the short side plates 5 are folded against the bottom frame 20.

[0033] Each of the frame bodies 21, 22 of the bottom frame 20 has a deep channel groove that opens inward of the bottom frame 20, formed integrally on one side of the hollow pipe that makes up the frame body, and a bottom plate 25 is attached so that it fits into this groove. This bottom plate 25 is made of, for example, plastic board (sometimes called "danpla") or Texel (registered trademark), and is lightweight.

[0034] Three caster mounting plates 26 are provided at both ends and approximately the center of the bottom frame 20 in the longitudinal (front-rear) direction so as to span the longitudinal side frame body 21 from below, thereby forming the base member 2.

[0035] Fixed casters 27 are attached to both left and right ends of a caster mounting plate 26 in the center of the base member 2, and swivel casters 28 are attached to the center of the caster mounting plates 26 in the short (left and right) direction at both front and rear ends.

[0036] The folding container 1 is provided with one swivel caster 28 on each side of the front and rear, and one fixed caster 27 on each side of the front and rear central portions, so that the folding container 1 can be moved in the front-rear direction and in the left-right bending direction depending on the direction in which the worker pushes or pulls the folding container 1.

[0037] The upper frame 30 has a shape similar to the bottom frame 20, but the long-side frame members 31 and the short-side frame members 32 do not have deep channels, and therefore no plastic boards or other boards are used. However, the two short-side frame members 32 have top panels 34 attached to them at laterally spaced positions via hinges 33, which open like doors in a plan view. Note that only one top panel 34 is shown in Figure 3; the others are omitted. The top panels 34 prevent rainwater from entering during transport. These top panels 34 are made of plastic board or other materials, reducing their weight. The four corners of the upper frame 30 each have L-shaped reinforcing brackets 30a, the lower edges of which protrude below the underside of the upper frame 30.

[0038] A handle 35 is attached to the center of the top plate 34 near the opening edge, making it easy to open and close the top plate 34. The handle 35 is attached to the top plate 34 with screws or the like, but it is preferable to provide a screw cover for waterproofing.

[0039] A handle 36 made of a roughly rectangular round bar is attached to the longitudinal center of the long side frame body 31 of the upper frame 30 via a hinge 37. Specifically, one side of the rectangular handle 36 serves as a rotation axis 36a, and a receiving portion 38 that rotatably supports this rotation axis is attached to the long side frame body 31 of the upper frame 30, thereby forming the hinge 37.

[0040] The rectangular handle 36 is rotatable between a horizontal position overlapping the top plate 34 and a substantially vertical position rotated 270 degrees to the opposite side.

[0041] The position where the rectangular handle 36 is rotated upward and overlaps the top plate 34 coincides with the position of the wheels 27a of the fixed casters 27 of the upper folding container 1 when another folding container 1 is stacked on top of this folding container 1.

[0042] The longitudinal side panels 4 cover two opposing longitudinal sides of the folding container 1, and are made up of two upper and lower side panels 41 of approximately the same size connected via hinges 42. Each of the two side panels 41 consists of a rectangular frame 43 and a panel 44 embedded in the frame 43. The frame 43 of this side panel 41 is a rectangular hollow pipe integrally formed with a deep channel groove, similar to the frames 21, 22, 31, and 32, and the panel 44 is made of plastic board or the like.

[0043] The upper and lower side plates 41u and 41d are configured such that the outer sides of the connecting portions of the side plates 41u and 41d are bent in a valley shape by the hinges 42.

[0044] By dividing the longitudinal side plate 4 into upper and lower side plate bodies 41u, 41d, it is possible to fold the smaller ones by dividing the longitudinal side plate 4 into several smaller ones rather than folding one large longitudinal side plate 4 onto the bottom frame 20 or the upper frame 30, which requires less folding action, makes the folded state more compact, and simplifies the folding work.

[0045] The upper frame body 43u of the upper longitudinal side plate 4 is rotatably attached to the longitudinal side frame body 31 of the upper frame 30 via a rubber hinge 45, and the lower frame body 43d of the lower longitudinal side plate 4 is similarly rotatably attached to the longitudinal side frame body 21 of the bottom frame 20 via a rubber hinge 45, so that when the upper and lower side plate bodies 41u, 41d are folded using the hinges 42, the two upper and lower rubber hinges 45 maintain both the bottom frame 20 and the upper frame 30 in a horizontal position.

[0046] The upper and lower side plates 41u and 41d are each provided with a hollow angular pipe reinforcing member 46 at the center in the front-rear direction, and the upper and lower reinforcing members 46, 46 are provided with a round drop 47.

[0047] Specifically, the slide pin 47a of the round drop 47 is provided on the auxiliary material 46 of the upper side plate 41u, and the receiving body 47b is provided on the auxiliary material 46 of the lower side plate 41d (in other words, the round drop 47 is provided at the bending part when the upper side plate 41u and the lower side plate 41d are folded), and when the long side plate 4 is not folded, the slide pin 47a is dropped and inserted into the receiving body 47b, thereby entering a locked state.

[0048] By providing such round recesses 47 on the upper and lower side plates 41u, 41d and locking them, the upper and lower side plates 41u, 41d can be prevented from being folded.

[0049] By inserting a spacer member into the hinge of the hinge 42, interference with the round drop 47 can be avoided when the upper and lower side plates 41u and 41d are folded.

[0050] The short side panels 5 cover two opposing short side surfaces of the folding container 1, and are made up of a rectangular frame 51 and a panel 52 embedded in the frame 51. The frame 51 is a rectangular hollow pipe integrally formed with a deep channel groove, similar to the frames 21, 22, 31, and 32, and the panel 52 is made of plastic board or the like.

[0051] The lower frame body 51d of such a short side panel 5 is rotatably attached to the short side frame body 22 of the bottom frame 20 via a rubber hinge 53. This rubber hinge 53 acts to tilt the short side panel 5 inward, but prevents it from tilting outward.

[0052] When such a short side panel 5 is set up vertically (assembled), its upper frame body 51u is in close proximity to the short side frame body 32 of the upper frame 30 from below, and the short side panel 5 is maintained in a vertical position by a short side panel locking means 54 provided in the center of the short side frame body 32 of the upper frame 30.

[0053] Specifically, the short side plate locking means 54 has a handle 56 at the outer end of a support shaft 55 that passes through the short side frame body 32 of the upper frame 30, and a lock plate 57 at the inner end, and an index plunger 58 is provided near the lower end of the lock plate 57.

[0054] The handle 56 is attached to the short-side frame body 32 so as to extend downward, and the lock plate 57 is attached to the inner end of the support shaft 55. Furthermore, the handle 56 and the lock plate 57 are both fixed to the support shaft 55, and the support shaft 55 is journaled to the short-side frame body 32, i.e., supported so as to be freely rotatable. This allows the handle 56 and the lock plate 57 to rotate in a pendulum-like manner around the support shaft 55 relative to the short-side frame body 32.

[0055] The lock plate 57 is longer than the width of the upper frame 51u of the short side plate 5, and the handle 56 is formed to be even longer than the lock plate 57.

[0056] The distance between the handle 56 and the lock plate 57 is set slightly larger than the width of the upper frame 51 u of the short side plate 5 .

[0057] Then, the handle 56 and the lock plate 57 are set horizontally and aligned with the short side frame body 32, and the short side plate 5 is set vertically, and in this state the handle 56 and the lock plate 57 are made vertical to clamp the rotating end of the short side plate 5.

[0058] When the handle 56 and lock plate 57 are held vertically, a lock hole 51h is formed in the position of the short-side frame body 32 corresponding to the tip of the index plunger 58, and by fitting the tip of the index plunger 58 into this lock hole 51h, the lock plate 57 is maintained in a horizontal position.

[0059] Although not shown in the figures, when the lock plate 57 is in a horizontal position, a hole is formed in the short side frame 32 at the position where the tip of the index plunger 58 corresponds, and by fitting the tip of the index plunger 58 into this hole, the lock plate 57 is maintained in a horizontal position.

[0060] In addition, a vertically extending auxiliary member 59 is provided in the center of the left and right of the short side panel 5, and a handle 60 is attached to this auxiliary member 59, making it easy to open and close the short side panel 5.

[0061] Next, the folding and assembling procedures for the foldable container 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0062] To fold the foldable container 1, first, the top panel 34 is rotated upward to open the top surface of the foldable container 1.

[0063] Next, the short side panel locking means 54 is released, and the short side panel 5 is folded inward. The short side panel locking means 54 is released by pulling the tip of the index plunger 58 out of the lock hole 51h and rotating the lock plate 57. This operation is extremely simple, as it only requires opening the top panel 34 and then operating the short side panel locking means 54 located at the top of the short side panel 5.

[0064] The short side panels 5 can be folded simply by tilting them inward after releasing the above-mentioned short side panel locking means 54. Before folding the short side panels 5, the open top panel 34 is rotated to cover the top surface of the foldable container 1. Until one short side panel 5 has been completely folded, the other short side panel 5 will not be folded by the short side panel locking means 54.

[0065] Furthermore, even when the short side plate locking means 54 is released and the two short side plates 5 are folded, the round drops 47 of the two long side plates 4 are in a locked state, so the two long side plates 4 maintain their self-standing state and are not folded.

[0066] After one short side plate 5 has been completely folded, the other short side plate 5 is folded. Until one short side plate 5 has been completely folded, the other short side plate 5 is prevented from being folded by the short side plate locking means 54.

[0067] After the short side panels 5 are folded, the top panel 34 is rotated to cover the top surface of the foldable container 1.

[0068] Furthermore, even when the short side plate locking means 54 is released and the two short side plates 5 are folded, the round drops 47 of the two long side plates 4 are in a locked state, so the two long side plates 4 maintain their self-standing state and are not folded.

[0069] Next, the round stopper 47 of one of the long side panels 4 is removed and the long side panel 4 is folded down. At this time, the worker holds the rectangular handle 36 at the top of the upper frame 30 with one hand and unlocks the round stopper 47 with the other hand, but because the long side panel 4 is supported with the other hand, the folding operation of the long side panel 4 can be suppressed.

[0070] Even if the lock of the round drop 47 of one of the long side plates 4 is released, the round drop 47 of the other long side plate 4 is in a locked state, so the other long side plate 4 is in a free-standing state and the folding of one of the long side plates 4 is not completed completely, so that it will not be folded unintentionally and pinch a hand, foot, etc.

[0071] Next, the round stopper 47 of the other long side panel 4 is removed and that long side panel 4 is folded. In this case, just as when folding one of the long side panels 4, the worker holds the rectangular handle 36 at the top of the upper frame 30 with one hand and unlocks the round stopper 47 with the other hand. Again, because the rectangular handle 36 is being supported with one hand, the panel does not fold suddenly, and there is no risk of hands or feet getting caught.

[0072] In addition, the two left and right longitudinal side panels 4 can be folded one side at a time, allowing the folding work to be performed by one worker, and even for containers larger than the container shown in Patent Document 1, the folding and assembly work can be performed by one worker.

[0073] The rectangular handles 36 on the top of the long side panels 4 are rotated upward to a horizontal position. At this time, the upper frame 30 is covered by the top panel 34, so the rectangular handles 36 are positioned above the top panel 34.

[0074] After completing the folding of a folding container 1 as described above, when stacking another folding container 1, the upper folding container 1 can be easily positioned by positioning the wheels 27a of the fixed casters 27 of the upper folding container 1 to be stacked inside the rectangular handle 36. Moreover, to position the wheels 27a of the fixed casters 27 on the rectangular handle 36, the folding container 1 to be stacked on top of the folding container 1 below it is placed, and then the folding container 1 to be stacked is pushed forward so that the wheels 27a of the fixed casters 27 climb over one side of the rectangular handle 36, and the wheels 27a can be easily positioned inside the rectangular handle 36, and this operation can also be easily performed by a single worker.

[0075] The procedure for assembling the foldable container 1 is roughly the reverse of the folding procedure described above.

[0076] First, the stacked foldable containers 1 are lowered by grasping and pulling the foldable container 1 from the short side panel 5. When the foldable container 1 is pulled forward or backward, the wheel 27a of the fixed caster 27 located on the rectangular handle 36 of the lower foldable container 1 climbs over one piece of the handle 26, allowing it to be pulled down.

[0077] Next, hold the rectangular handle 36 of one of the long side panels 4 with one hand and pull it upward, stretching the two folded side panels 41u and 41d until they are flush with each other. Keeping the hand holding the rectangular handle 36, lock the round drop 47. This prevents the long side panel 4 from folding even if you let go of the hand holding the rectangular handle 36.

[0078] Moving on to the other long side panel 4, the other long side panel 4 is also stretched and made flush in the same way as the first long side panel 4. In this state, the two round drops 47 act to prevent the long side panel 4 from folding, so the worker can let go of his hands.

[0079] Since the two long side plates 4 are self-supporting, when assembling the two short side plates 5, they can be assembled separately without needing to support other members.

[0080] Then, the short side plate 5 is rotated to stand upright. At this time, the upper edge (rotating end) of the short side plate 5 hits the reinforcing metal fitting 30a provided on the upper frame 30, preventing further rotation.

[0081] Next, by rotating the top plate 34 and opening the top surface of the folding container 1, the index plunger 58 of the short side plate locking means 54 provided inside the short side frame body 32 can be operated.

[0082] Since the lock plate 57 of the short side plate locking means 54 is in a horizontal position, the knob of the index plunger 58 is pulled to make the lock plate 57 rotatable and set it in a vertical position.

[0083] As a result, the upper frame body 51u of the short side plate 5 is sandwiched between the handle 56 and the lock plate 57, and the tip of the index plunger 58 is fitted into the lock hole 51h formed in the upper frame body 51u, thereby locking the plate.

[0084] In this way, the index plunger 58 that locks the lock plate 57 is provided inside the short side frame body 32, so that the short side plate locking means 54 cannot be operated unless the top plate 34 is opened to expose the top surface of the folding container 1, and so as long as the top plate 34 is kept closed and locked, the short side plates 5 cannot be folded, and therefore it is possible to prevent loaded luggage and the like from being removed from the folding container 1.

[0085] 10 to 12 show an example of a specific structure of the side plate body 41. The upper frame 30 and the short side plates 5 may also be formed with a similar structure.

[0086] The frame body 43 of the side plate body 41 consists of connecting elbows 70 made of synthetic resin at the four corners, a hollow frame body 71 connecting the upper and lower or left and right connecting elbows 70, and triangular corner members 72 attached to the inner corners of the frame body 71 where they intersect at right angles.

[0087] The connecting elbow 70 is composed of a cubic corner member 70a and fitting members 70b which are integrally provided to protrude from two orthogonal faces of the corner member 70a and which fit onto the ends of the frame body 71.

[0088] The frame body 71 is composed of a hollow square pipe 71a and a groove portion 71b that projects from one side of the square pipe 71a and forms a deep channel groove.

[0089] The frame body 43 is formed by fitting the ends of the square pipes 71a of the frame body 71 into the two fitting members 70b of each connecting elbow 70, respectively.

[0090] When fitting the connecting elbow 70 to the frame body 71, a recess 71d is formed in one of the grooves 71b (the perpendicular frame body 71) so that the grooves 71b of the two orthogonal frame bodies 71 do not interfere with each other, and the grooves 71b of the frame bodies 71 communicate with each other. Note that the grooves 71b may be cut at an angle to prevent the ends of the grooves 71b of the frame body 71 from interfering with each other.

[0091] The triangular corner member 72 is formed from a plate having a thickness approximately equal to the spacing between the grooves 71b of the frame body 71, and is inserted into the corner formed by the grooves 71b of the two frame bodies 71 when the two frame bodies 71 are fitted into the connecting elbow 70.

[0092] The panel 44 is roughly rectangular overall, but the corners 44a are cut diagonally so as not to interfere with the triangular corner members 72 when assembled into the frame body 43, and its thickness is formed to be approximately the same as the spacing between the grooves 71b of the frame body 71.

[0093] Two small holes 72a are formed in the triangular corner member 72, and small holes 71c are also formed near both ends of the groove portion 71b, so that when the triangular corner member 72 is inserted into the groove portions 71b at the four corners of the frame body 43, the small holes 72a in the triangular corner member 72 and the small holes 71c in the groove portions 71b are connected to each other.

[0094] With the triangular corner member 72 inserted into the grooves 71b of the two orthogonal frame bodies 71, screws 73 are inserted into the small holes 71c and 72a and fastened, thereby attaching the triangular corner member 72 to the frame body 43. This firmly joins the two orthogonal frame bodies 71 together with the connecting elbow 70 and the triangular corner member 72. The triangular corner member 72 is not limited to a triangle and may be trapezoidal. Also, while the triangular corner member 72 is attached with screws, it is not limited to this and may also be attached with rivets.

[0095] To assemble the side plate body 41, first connect the three frame bodies 71 to the three connecting elbows 70, attach triangular corner members 72 to each corner to create a U-shaped frame body 43, and then insert and slide the panel 44 into each groove portion 71b from the open side of the U-shape.

[0096] At this time, since each corner of the U-shaped frame body 43 is firmly joined by the connecting elbow 70 and the triangular corner member 72, the U-shaped opening end of the frame body 43 does not open, and the panel 44 can be smoothly inserted and slid into the groove portion 71b.

[0097] Next, a frame body 71 equipped with a connecting elbow 70 and a triangular corner member 72 is connected to the opening side of the U-shaped frame body 43 to form the side plate body 41. The side plate body 41 can be made even stronger by screwing the peripheral edge of the panel 44, particularly the edge extending in the longitudinal direction, into the groove 71b.

[0098] In this way, by connecting two frame bodies 71 together using connecting elbow 70 and further attaching triangular corner member 72, the two frame bodies 71 can be connected firmly and accurately at right angles, and the efficiency of the assembly work of the side plate body 41 can be improved.

[0099] The mounting structure of the triangular corner member 72 to the corner portion and the mounting structure of the panel 44 to the frame body 71 are not limited to those described above, and various types (1) and (2) are possible.

[0100] For example, (1) grooves may be formed on the panel 44 side of the triangular corner member 72, and the corners of the panel 44 may be inserted into these grooves. In this case, the four corners of the panel 44 are inserted into the triangular corner member 72, so the periphery of the panel 44 does not have to be inserted into the grooves 71b of the frame body 71. Of course, the periphery of the panel 44 may also be inserted into the grooves 71b as described above.

[0101] When the panel 44 is inserted into the groove provided in the triangular corner member 72, the panel 44 may be fastened to the groove 71b of the triangular corner member 72 by screws.

[0102] Also, (2) the triangular corner member 72 may be made thinner and inserted into the groove 71b together with the panel 44 and screwed in. In this case, the periphery of the panel 44 will be fitted loosely into the groove 71b of the frame body 71 with a slight gap, so it is preferable to fill it with material or screw it in place. In this case, it is optional whether the triangular corner member 72 is positioned on the outside or inside of the side plate body 41.

[0103] As described above, in the folding container 1 according to the present invention, the upper side plate 41u and the lower side plate 41d are locked in a flush state, so that when folding the folding container 1, the left and right long side plates 4 can be folded one by one. Therefore, when one long side plate 4 is being folded, the other long side plate 4 will not be folded, and therefore it is possible to prevent accidents such as hands or feet being pinched when the long side plates are unintentionally folded.

[0104] In addition, since the long side panels 4 can be folded one by one, the folding work can be easily performed, and in particular, since there is no need to support one long side panel 4 while folding the other long side panel 4, the work can be done by one person, which also makes it possible to make the foldable container 1 larger.

[0105] In the above embodiment, the folding container 1 is provided with the casters 27, 28, but the present invention can also be applied to a folding container such as a storage box that does not have casters.

[0106] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the round drop 47 has been described as an example of the locking means for locking the upper side plate 41u and the lower side plate 41d together, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a structure in which one end of a rod is detachably attached to one side plate and the other end is detachably attached to the other side plate may also be used.

[0107] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the locking means (specifically, the round drop 47) is provided on the valley fold side between the upper side plate 41u and the lower side plate 41d. This is because the valley fold side of the side plate 41 is on the outside of the folding container 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the locking means (for example, the round drop 47) may be provided on the inside of the folding container 1.

[0108] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the short side plate locking means 54 is provided on the short side frame body 32 of the upper frame 30, but this is not limited to this and it may also be provided on the short side frame body 22 of the bottom frame 20.

[0109] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the specific configuration is not limited to the above embodiments, and the present invention also includes design changes that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention. For example, while the short side panels 5 are rotatably attached to the bottom frame 20, the short side panels 5 may be rotatably attached to the upper frame 30.

[0110] The top plate 34 may also be supported rotatably relative to the short side frame body 32 via a removable hinge, so that the top plate 34 can be removed from the foldable container 1 after being released. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 1 Folding container 2 Base material 20 Bottom Frame 22 Short side frame 30 Upper Frame 32 Short side frame 4 Longitudinal side boards 41 Side plate 41u Upper side plate 41d Lower side plate 42 Hinge 43 Frame 47 Round drop (locking member) 47a Slide pin 47b Receptacle 5 Short side panel 54 Short side plate locking means 55 Spindle 56 Handle 57 Lock Plate 58 Index Plunger 70 Connecting elbow 71 Frame body

Claims

1. a rectangular bottom frame; an upper frame positioned above the bottom frame; a longitudinal side plate provided on a longitudinal side surface between the bottom frame and the upper frame; a short side plate provided on a short side surface between the bottom frame and the upper frame so as to be rotatable relative to the bottom frame or the upper frame; a short side panel locking means for maintaining the short side panels in a vertical state, the short side panel locking means being operated from inside the upper frame when unlocking the short side panels in a vertical state, A foldable container characterized by:

2. The longitudinal side plate has an upper side plate body and a lower side plate body connected via a hinge, a locking means for preventing the upper side plate and the lower side plate from being folded; 2. The foldable container according to claim 1, wherein the foldable container is a folding container.

3. The locking means is provided on the side where the bent portion between the upper side plate and the lower side plate forms a valley fold.

3. The foldable container according to claim 2.

4. The locking means includes a slide pin slidably provided on the upper side plate or the lower side plate; a receiving body provided on the lower side plate or the upper side plate and into which the slide pin is inserted, 3. The foldable container according to claim 2.

5. The slide pin is slidably provided on the upper side plate, and the receiving body is provided on the lower side plate, and the slide pin is locked by being inserted into the receiving body.

5. The collapsible container according to claim 4.

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