FOLDING BOX

Abstract

A folding box (100), comprising: a bottom plate (1), and a pair of first side plates (2) and a pair of a second side plates (3) capable of being folded with respect to the bottom plate (1). The first side plates (2) and the second side plates (3) are releasably interlocked via a locking mechanism (4). The locking mechanism (4) comprises a handle (41), a locking member (42), and a guidance feature (31). When the first side plates (2) and the second side plates (3) are in a locked state, the handle (41) restricts the position of the locking member (42), thus limiting the movement of the locking member (42), when the handle (41) restricts the position of the locking member (42), thus limiting the movement of the locking member (42), when the handle (41) moves and provides the locking member (42) space required for movement of the locking member (42), the locking member (42) cooperates with the guidance feature (31) to drive the locking member (42) to move so as to unlock the same. When the folding box is empty and recycled, the side plates are easy and convenient to unlock, and are difficult to be unlocked by an accidental triggering when using.

Claims

1. A folding box comprising a bottom plate, a pair of first side plates and a pair of second side plates, the first side plates and the second side plates are hinged to the bottom plate and foldable with respect to the bottom plate, and the first side plates and the second side plates are releasably interlocked via a locking mechanism, wherein the locking mechanism comprises: a handle being movably mounted on the first side plates; a locking member for interlocking adjacent the first side plates and the second side plates; a guide feature provided on the second side plates; wherein when the first side plates and the second side plates are in a locked sate, the handle restricts the position of the locking member, thus limiting movement of the locking member, and after the handle moves and provides the locking member with space required for the movement, the locking member cooperates with the guide feature so as to drive the locking member to move and thus being unlocked.

2. The folding box according to claim 1, wherein the locking member is provided with a latch and a first latch tab, the latch being capable of cooperating with the guide feature so as to drive the first latch to move and drive the first latch tab to deform and thus being unlocked, and upon locking, the first latch tab can reposition and drive the latch to reset.

3. The folding box according to claim 1, wherein the second side plates are provided with a stop, and both left and right edges of the second side plates extend vertically a connection portion, and upon locking, one end of the locking member is located between the stop and the connection portion, and the guide feature is provided on the stop.

4. The folding box according to claim 1, wherein the inner wall of the first side plates extend a mounting wall parallel to the inner wall of the first side plates, and one of the first side plates and the handle is provided with a hook and the other is provided with a trough, and the handle is housed in the space formed between inner wall of the first side plates and the mounting wall, and the hook cooperates with the trough so that the handle can slide up and down along the first side plates.

5. The folding box according to claim 1, wherein one end of the locking member is provided with a latch, and the other end is provided with a latch tab, and outer side of the locking member is provided with a stopper projection and a trigger projection; the first side plates is provided with a stopper hole and a trigger hole and inner side of the first side plates is provided with a stop, and the second side plates is provided with a trigger portion; wherein the stopper projection is engaged with the stopper hole so that the locking member can be held in the locked state, and the trigger projection cooperates with the trigger portion so that the stopper projection can disengage from the stopper hole, and the stop cooperates with the first latch tab, so that the latch tab is deformed upon unlocking and drive the locking member to reset upon locking.

6. The folding box according to claim 1, wherein the locking member is provided with a latch and a first latch tab, one end of the first latch tab is hinged to the first side plates, and other end of the first latch is fixed on the latch, and when the first side plates and the second side plates are in the locked state, one end of the latch is restricted by the handle, while other end of the latch extends into the second side plates, and upon unlocking, one end of the latch disengages from the handle and other end of the latch cooperates with the stop feature so that the latch disengages from the second side plates and thus being unlocked.

7. The folding box according to claim 1, wherein the handle and the locking member is configured that when the first side plates and the second side plates are in the locked state, both ends of the handle respectively abut against one end of two locking members, while after the handle moves by a predetermined distance, both ends of the handle disengage from the locking member.

8. The folding box according to claim 1, wherein both ends of the handle are provided with a gripping portion, and when the first side plates and the second side plates are in the locked state both ends of the handle hold one end of two locking member respectively, while the handle moves by a predetermined distance and the first side plates is pushed toward the inside of the folding box the gripping portion of the handle disengages from the locking member.

9. The folding box according to claim 8, wherein the stopper feature is configured as a projection provided on inner wall of the second side plates with a guide slope, and the locking member is provided with a latch and a latch tab, and one end of the latch tab is hinged to the first side plates, and the other end is fixed on the latch, when the first side plates and the second side plates are in a locked state, one end of the latch is held in the gripping portion of the handle while the other end of the latch extends into the second side plates, upon unlocking, one end of the latch disengages from the handle and the other end of the latch cooperates with the raised guide slope so that the latch disengages from the second side plates and thus being unlocked.

10. A folding box comprising a bottom plate, a pair of first side plates and a pair of second side plates, the first side plates and the second side plates are hinged to the bottom plate and foldable with respect to the bottom plate, and the first side plates and the second side plates are releasably interlocked via a locking mechanism, wherein the locking mechanism comprises: a handle being movably mounted on the first side plates; a locking member for interlocking the adjacent first side plates and the second side plates and provided with a latch and a first latch tab; A guide feature provided on the second side plates; wherein when the first side plates and the second side plates are in a locked sate, the handle restricts the position of the locking member, thus limiting the movement of the locking member, and after the handle moves and provides the locking member with the space required for movement, the locking member cooperates with the guide feature so as to drive the latch to move and drive the first latch tab to deform and thus being unlocked, and upon locking, the first latch tab can reset and drive the latch to reset.

11. The folding box according to claim 10, wherein the locking member further comprises a second latch tab provided on outer side of the locking member, and the second latch tab is provided with a stopper projection and a trigger projection, and the first side plates are respectively provided with a stopper hole for housing the stopper projection and a trigger hole for housing the trigger projection, wherein the stopper projection cooperates with the stopper hole so that the locking member can be kept in an unlocked state, and the trigger projection is able to be triggered by the second side plates so that the stopper projection disengages from the stopper hole.

12. The folding box according to claim 10, wherein the locking member also comprises the third latch tab provided on the upper side or the lower side of the locking member, and the third locking tab is capable of cooperating with the first side plates.

13. The folding box according to claim 11, wherein the locking member also comprises the third latch tab provided on the upper side or the lower side of the locking member, and the third locking tab is capable of cooperating with the first side plates.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a folding box according to an embodiment of the present invention, part of which is cut to show a locking mechanism;

[0038] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a locking mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] FIG. 3a is a perspective view of the first side plate on which the locking mechanism of FIG. 2 is mounted;

[0040] FIG. 3b is an enlarged view of the part L of FIG. 3a;

[0041] FIG. 4 is a front view of a side plate provided with locking mechanism of FIG. 2;

[0042] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along line C-C of FIG. 4;

[0043] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of part D of FIG. 5;

[0044] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of part A of FIG. 1;

[0045] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of part B of FIG. 1;

[0046] FIG. 9 is a front view of the locking mechanism of FIG. 2 in the locked state;

[0047] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of part E in FIG. 9;

[0048] FIG. 11 is a front view of the locking mechanism of FIG. 2 in the unlocked condition;

[0049] FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of part F in FIG. 11;

[0050] FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of the locking mechanism in the unlocked state;

[0051] FIG. 14-15 is an enlarged view of the part G of FIG. 13, showing the movement of the locking member in the locking mechanism in the locking process;

[0052] FIG. 16 is a perspective view the folding box of FIG. 1 viewed from another perspective;

[0053] FIG. 17-19 is an enlarged view of part H of FIG. 16, showing the locking process of the adjacent side plates of the folding box;

[0054] FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the folding box of FIG. 1 viewed from another perspective;

[0055] FIG. 21-23 is an enlarged view of part I of FIG. 20, showing the unlocking process of the adjacent side plates of the folding box;

[0056] FIG. 24 shows an exploded perspective view of a locking mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0057] FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the side plates provided with the locking mechanism of FIG. 24, part of which is cut to show part of the locking mechanism;

[0058] FIG. 26-28 is an enlarged view of part J of the FIG. 25, showing the unlocking process of the adjacent side plates of the folding box;

[0059] FIG. 29 is another perspective view of the side plates provided with the locking mechanism of FIG. 24;

[0060] FIG. 30 is an enlarged view of part K of the FIG. 29;

[0061] FIG. 31 is an exploded perspective view of the locking mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

[0062] FIG. 32 is a perspective view of the side plates used for mounting the locking mechanism of FIG. 31.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0063] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompany drawings in order to provide a clearer understanding of the objects, features and advantages of the present invention. It is to be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, but merely to illustrate the spirit of the invention.

[0064] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a folding box 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, part of which is cut to show the locking mechanism. As shown in FIG. 1, the folding box 100 comprises a bottom plate 1, a pair of first side plates 2, 2 and a pair of second side plates 3, 3, wherein the first side plates 2 and the second side plates 3 are respectively hinged to the bottom plate 1 and are capable of being foldable with respect to the bottom plate 1. The adjacent first side plate and second side plate can be releasably interlocked via a locking mechanism 4. Preferably, both of the first side plates and the second side plates are double smooth side plates. In the embodiment, the first side plate is shorter than the second side plate, so the first side plate is also referred to a short side plate and the second side plate is also referred to a long side plate. The long and short side plates are preferably made of high strength materials, such as high strength plastics.

[0065] In the embodiment, the locking mechanism 4 comprises a handle 41, a locking member 42 and a guide feature 31 (such as a projection 31 provided with guide slope shown in FIGS. 17 to 19), wherein the handle is mounted on the first side plate so as to be movable up and down. The locking member 42 serves to interlock the adjacent first side plate 2 and second side plate 3. Specifically, when the first side plate 2 and the second side plate 3 are in a locked state, the handle 41 restricts the locking member 42 so as to limit the movement of the locking member 42. While the handle 41 moves upwardly (in the other embodiments may also move downwardly) by a predetermined distance to provide the locking member 42 with the space required for movement, the locking member 42 is capable of cooperating with the guide feature such as a guide slope, for example, moving along the guide slope, thereby driving the locking member 42 to move (retract) and thus being unlocked, as will be described in further detail below.

[0066] FIG. 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the locking mechanism 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the middle of the handle 41 is a hand-held portion, and both ends of it are provided with an abutment portion 411. The abutment portion 411 is provided with a handle guide slope 4111. Preferably, both ends of the handle 41 are provided with a handle elastic piece 412, which is used for driving the handle 41 to reset after moving. Both ends of the handle 41 are also provided with a trough 414, which is used for cooperating with the hook 25 of the first side plates 2 (as shown in FIG. 3b) so that the handle 41 connects to the first side plate 2 and moves up and down along the first side plate 2.

[0067] Also as shown in FIG. 2, the locking member 42 is provided with a latch 422 at one end and a V-shaped elastic piece 421 at the other end (also referred to a first latch tab, in the other embodiments, the first latch tab may also be of other shapes, as long as it can drive the locking member to retract upon locking). The latch 422 is provided with a circular guide surface. The locking member 42 is provided with a second latch tab 423 on the outer side (preferably in the middle), and the second latch tab 423 is provided with a stopper projection 424 and a trigger projection 425. The term “outer side” herein refers to the same side as the outside of the folding box. The locking member 42 is provided with a third latch tab 424 on the upper side (in the other embodiments, the third latch tab can be provided on the lower side of the locking member). The third latch tab 424 is used when the latch is in full release (i.e., the latch is in a locked and extended state) while the first side plate is in a folded state, at this time, the first side plate moves towards upright direction (the box is unfolded and locked), and the latch will be guided along the stop of the second side plate, forcing the third latch tab 424 to elastically deform, so that the latch swings toward the upper edge of the first side plate. When the latch crosses over the stop of the long side plate, the outer side of the third latch tab is always confined in the corresponding mounting portion of the first side plate, and the latch tab is pushed between the stop of the second side plate and the connection portion of the second side plate via a resilient reset member so that the long side plate is in the locked state.

[0068] The locking member 42 is provided with a locking guide slope 425 (as shown in FIG. 10) corresponding to the first guide slope 4111 at the same end as the V-shaped elastic piece 421. Upon unlocking, the locking guide slope 425 can move along the handle guide slope 4111.

[0069] As shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, the inner wall of the first side plate 2 extends a mounting wall 21 parallel to the inner wall of the first side plate. A hook 25 is also formed on the inner wall of the side plate. At the time of assembly, the handle 41 is housed in the space formed between the inner wall of the first side plate and the mounting wall 21, and the hook 25 is engaged with the trough 414 so that the handle can slide up and down along the first side plate 2. It is to be noted that the hook herein may also be provided on the handle, and accordingly, the trough is provided on the first side plate, which can achieve the same function as well.

[0070] The first side plate 2 is also provided with a stopper hole 26 and a trigger hole 27 (for example, shown in FIGS. 7 and 8). The inner side of the first side plate 2 is provided with a stopper rib 22. And the second side plate 3 is provided with a trigger portion 32 (as shown in FIG. 22), wherein the stopper projection 424 provided on the locking member is engaged with the stopper hole 26 so that the locking member 42 can be kept in the unlocked state. The trigger projection 425 is engaged with the trigger portion 32 so that the stopper projection 424 can be disengaged from the stopper hole 26. The stopper rib 22 is engaged with the V-shaped elastic piece so that the V-shaped elastic piece can be deformed upon unlocking and drive the locking member 42 to reset upon locking.

[0071] The inner wall of the second side plate 3 is provided with a projection (also referred to as a stop portion) 31 with a guide slope 311 near the first side plate. And both edges of left side and right side of the second side plate 3 extend a connection portion 33. Under the locked state, one end (latch end) of the locking member 42 is located between the projection 31 and the connection portion 33 and is confined by the projection 31 and connection portion 33.

[0072] The locking and unlocking (folding and unfolding) process of the folding box according to the present invention is as follows: when side plates are folded or unfolded upright, the arc surface of the latch provided on the first side plate 2 guides to the guide slope of the stop portion on the second side plate, so as to facilitate the latch to eject back toward the middle of the first side plate or to swing toward the upper edge of the first side plate. The V-shaped elastic piece is used to drive the latch to move out toward the outer edge of the first side plate (the reset when the arc surface of the latch crosses over the stop of the long side plate, then ejects to the direction of the long side plate) when the first side plate and the second side plate are locked. The third latch tab 424 is used when the latch is in full release (i.e., the latch is in a locked and extended state) while the first side plate is in folded state, at this time, the first side plate is moved in upright direction (the box is unfolded and locked), and the latch will guide along the stop of the second side plate, forcing the third latch tab 424 to elastically deform, the latch swinging toward the upper edge of the first side plate. When the latch crosses over the stop of the long side plate, the outer side of the third latch tab is always confined in the corresponding mounting portion of the first side plate, and the latch tab is pushed between the stop of the second side plate and the connection portion of the second side plate via a resilient reset so that the long side plate is in the locked state. Upon unlocking, the handle is first lifted upwards to provide an avoid space for the movement of the locking member, and the first side plate is pushed inwardly, the latch guiding along the guide slope of the stop of the second side plate, forcing it to retract toward the middle of the first side plate. And when the latch is about to cross over the stop, the oppressed second latch tab 423 restores and ejects with the stopper projection 424 provided on the second latch tab 423, entering the stopper hole 26 of the first side plate. At the same time, the stopper projection 424 of the second latch tab 423 is anchored in the stopper hole 26, so that the latch in the unlocked state. Upon locking, the first side plate moves in the upright direction, and the trigger projection 425 of the latch touches the edge of end face of the long side plate (i.e., the trigger portion 32 on the connecting portion 33), forcing the trigger projection 425 of the latch to retreat and causing the second latch tab 423 deform in the direction of the inside of the box while the stopper projection 424 of the latch also disengages from the stopper hole 26 of the first side plate. And the latch is pushed between the stopper of the second side plate and the connection portion end via the resilient reset of the V-shaped elastic piece (first latch tab) so that the first side plate and the second side plate are in the locked state.

[0073] FIG. 24 to FIG. 30 show a locking member 5 of the folding box according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 24, both ends of the handle 51 are provided with a gripping portion 513. When the first side plate 2 and the second side plate 3 are in the locked state, one end of each of two locking members 52 are held by both ends of the handle respectively by means of the gripping portion 513 (shown in FIG. 26). While the handle moves up or down by a predetermined distance and the first side plate is pushed inwardly, griping ends 513 at both ends of the handle disengage from the locking member 52 (shown in FIG. 28).

[0074] Also as shown in FIG. 24, the locking member 52 is provided with a latch 521 and a latch tab 522. The latch 521 is provided with an elongated hinge hole 5211. One end of the latch toward the second side plate extends a clamped end 523. One end of the latch tab 522 is fixed on the latch, and the other end is provided with a hinge pin 524. At the time of assembly, the latch 521 movably connects to the first side plate, and the latch tab 522 is hinged to the first side plate 2, as shown in FIG. 30.

[0075] When the first side plate 2 and the second side plate 3 are in a locked state, the clamped end of the latch 52 is held by the gripping portion 513 of the handle, and the other end of the latch 52 extends into the second side plate, and specifically extends between the projection (the stop) of the second side plate and connection portion. Upon unlocking, the clamped end of the latch disengages from the gripping portion of the handle and the latch is engaged with guide slope of the projection so that the latch is disengaged from the second plate and unlocked. Specifically, upon unlocking, when the handle is lifted up, the griping portion of the handle disengages from the latch 52, at the same time, the side plate is pushed toward the folding direction (toward the inside of the folding box), and the end of the latch interferences with the stop of the side plate to force the latch elastic piece to elastically deform (inwardly curved), and at this time the latch is guided along the slope of the stop of the second side plate and retracts toward the middle of the first side plate so as to be unlocked. After the latch crosses over the stop, the latch is ejected and substantially parallel to the first side plate by recovery of the latch tab, and when the first plate is locked upright, the latch guides along the slope of the stop of the side plate to deform the elastically shrapnel so as to retract back to the middle of the side plate. After crossing over the stop, the elastic piece is restored, the latch extends and the side plate is locked.

[0076] FIG. 31-32 show a modified example of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-23. The locking member 6 of the embodiment differs from the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-23 in that the handle 6 is rotatabely mounted to the first side plate 2 via a pin 611. The handle 61 rotates inwardly when the side plate is unlocked, so that the farthest end 612 of the handle dislocates from the latch 52 so that the latch has a space to retract toward the middle of the side plate. The rest is basically the same, no longer elaborate here.

[0077] It is to be noted that the principle of the present invention is that: under the locked state, the handle limits movement of the locking member so that the adjacent two side plates remain in locked state, and under the unlocked state, the handle moves to provide an avoiding space for the locking member, where the locking member can cooperate with the guide feature and retract into the first side plate. The manner in which the handle moves herein included suitable means such as moving up and down, moving left and right or rotating about an axis, as long as the handle is moved to provide the locking member with avoid space retracting back to the inside of first side plate.

[0078] While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the above teachings of the present invention. These equivalents are also intended to be within the scope of the claims appended hereto.