Container having a closable loading opening

Abstract

A container, in particular a pallet container, having at least one side wall, a loading opening that can be closed by a flap, and a device for holding the flap in a closed position. The holding device includes a retainer, which is arranged on the side wall or on the flap and which is intended to hold the flap in the closed position and is designed so that the flap is movable to the closed position when a counterforce exerted by the retainer is overcome. The holding device holds the flap in the closed position by latching the flap on the retainer, by latching the retainer on the side wall, or by latching the retainer on a holding member that is provided to receive the retainer and is arranged on the flap or on the side wall.

Claims

1. A container, comprising: a side wall having a loading opening closable by a flap; and a holding device for holding the flap in a closed position, wherein the holding device comprises a retainer, which is arranged on an edge of the side wall or on an edge of the flap, the retainer having a holding body that protrudes from the edge of the side wall in a direction of the opposing edge of the flap or from the edge of the flap in a direction of the opposing edge of the side, the holding body being provided to hold the flap in the closed position with a counterforce, the holding body being configured so that the flap is movable to the closed position when a counterforce exerted by the holding body is overcome, wherein a) the retainer is non-slidably fixed to the side wall, and the holding body in the closed position, seen in a closing direction of the flap, latches in front of a front-most edge of flap and is arranged on an outer side of the container, or b) the retainer is non-slidably fixed on the flap and holding body in the closed position, seen in the closing direction of the flap, latches behind a rear-most edge of side wall and is arranged on an inner side of the container.

2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the flap is movable from the closed position when the counterforce is overcome.

3. The container according to claim 1, wherein the holding device is provided so as to hold the flap in the closed position by latching the flap on the retainer, by latching the retainer on the side wall, or by latching the retainer on a holding member that is provided to receive the retainer and is arranged on the flap or on the side wall.

4. The container according to claim 1, wherein the retainer is arranged on an edge of the flap directed away from a hinge that connects the flap to the side wall, or on an edge of the side wall directed away from the hinge, or near a respective edge.

5. The container according to claim 1, wherein the container is provided so that the retainer, the flap, the side wall and/or the holding member elastically deform when the counterforce is overcome.

6. The container according to claim 5, wherein the holding body has a convex curvature at least in part.

7. The container according to claim 5, wherein a notch is formed on a edge of the side wall or of the flap, in which notch the holding body engages in the closed position.

8. The container according to claim 5, wherein the holding body engages behind an edge of the flap or of the side wall in the closed position.

9. The container according to claim 5, wherein the holding member has a recess into which the holding body latches in the closed position.

10. The container according to claim 5, wherein the holding body protrudes from the flap in a direction in which the flap is to be closed, or protrudes from the side wall in a direction, in which the flap is to be opened.

11. The container according to claim 5, wherein the holding body and a link element of the holding member have an angled shape.

12. The container according to claim 11, wherein the holding body and link element form a right angle shape.

13. The container according to claim 11, wherein the holding body and link element are hook-shaped.

14. The container according to claim 1, wherein the holding device comprises an abutment element that prevents movement of the flap from the closed position in another possible flap direction.

15. The container according to claim 14, wherein the abutment element prevents movement of the flap from the closed position in the flap direction toward an interior of the container.

16. The container according to claim 14, wherein the abutment element protrudes from the flap via a side edge of the flap lying opposite an edge of the side wall directed toward the loading opening, and/or protrudes from the side wall via an edge of the side wall directed toward the loading opening, lying opposite an edge of the flap.

17. The container according to claim 16, wherein the abutment element protrudes from an outer face of the flap.

18. The container according to claim 16, wherein the abutment element protrudes from an inner face of the side wall.

19. The container according to claim 14, wherein the retainer and the abutment element are together secured on the side wall or on the flap.

20. The container according to claim 19, wherein the retainer and the abutment element are formed as one piece.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) In the drawing:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a container according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a detail of the container according to FIG. 1 in a side view,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a component part of the container according to FIG. 1,

(5) FIG. 4 shows a detail of the container according to FIG. 1, seen from above in cross section and in various positions,

(6) FIG. 5 shows details of various containers according to the invention from above and in cross section,

(7) FIG. 6 shows a further container according to the invention, and details thereof in various views,

(8) FIG. 7 shows details of a further container according to the invention, and

(9) FIG. 8 shows details of a further container according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(10) A container 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a base 16, side walls 2, 14, and a cover 15. The base 16 consists of a molded plastics part and has, at its four corners, feet 18, which are formed as deepenings of the base 16 and between which there is space for engagement of a lifting fork of a fork-lift truck.

(11) The side walls 2, 14 consist of a plastics material structured with a form resembling corrugated board and are welded at their vertical edges in such a way that they can be folded there. Furthermore, the shorter side walls 14 are provided at their center with a fold line running parallel to the edges and similarly welded. The cover 15 can be lifted completely from the side walls 2, 14, and the side walls 2, 14 can be removed from the base 16, folded together and laid on the base, and enclosed between the base 16 and the cover 15. As is known from DE 295 01 254 U1, the container can then be stored with minimum space requirements when it is not loaded. The base 16, the side walls 2, 14 and/or the cover 15 can also be interconnected by hinges, as is described in the German patent applications no. 10 2009 024 081.0 and no. 10 2009 024 043.8.

(12) A loading opening 3, which is closed by a flap 4, is provided in the side wall 2 of the container 1. The flap 4 is formed by a wall portion which can be folded out and which is connected to the side wall 2 by an articulated fold 9 that is provided on a lower side of the loading opening 1 and that forms a hinge. As is shown more clearly in the subsequent figures, a holding element 6 is arranged on each of the two side edges 20 of the flap 4.

(13) The holding element 6 comprises a securing portion 24, which is shown in FIG. 3 and with which the holding element 6 is secured on the flap 4 by means of a rivet 25 or the like, and a retainer 10 which protrudes from the securing portion 24 and has a substantially round outer contour.

(14) As FIG. 4 shows, the holding element 6 is secured with its securing portion 24 on an outer face 22 of the flap 4. On the side edge 20 of the flap 4, a cutting (not shown here) is formed for receiving the holding element 6, which cutting is provided in such a way that an outer edge portion 25 of the securing portion 24 ends flush with the side edge 20. As FIG. 4 further shows, the side edge 20 of the flap 4 and a loading-opening edge 7 directed toward the flap 4 are beveled in order to receive the retainer 10.

(15) In order to close the loading opening 3 with the flap 4, the latter is first of all brought to the position shown in FIG. 4a, in which the retainer 10 bears on the inner face of the side edge 7 of the side wall 2. In order to move the flap 4 by hand from this position in the closure direction shown by the arrow SR, the fingers are placed over the upper edge 13 of the side wall 2 and the thumb presses against the holding element 6, such that the retainer 10 is pressed past the loading-opening edge 7. In doing this, the side wall 2 and the flap 4 bend elastically to a slight extent. The retainer 10 then latches on the edge 7 of the side wall 2 in a closed position of the flap 4.

(16) In order to move the flap 4 from the closed position again, the retainer 10 is pressed by hand past the edge 7 in the opening direction shown by the arrow R, with the side wall 2 and the flap 4 elastically deforming again.

(17) Whereas the holding device 5 shown in FIGS. 4a and b is suitable in particular for a hinged connection of the flap 4 to the side wall 2, in which the flap 4 can only be folded outward, the illustrative embodiment according to FIG. 4c has an abutment piece 21 which is arranged on the inner face of the side wall 2 and which protrudes from the side wall 2 across the loading opening 3, thus ensuring that the flap 4 cannot fold inward into the interior of the container. Mechanical overloading of the fold 9 is avoided in this way.

(18) Reference is now made to FIGS. 5 to 7, where identical parts or parts with an identical action are designated by the same reference number as in FIGS. 1 to 4, with a letter added in each case to the reference number in question.

(19) A further holding device 5f shown in FIGS. 7a and b has a holding element 6f, which is shown in detail in FIG. 7c and which is arranged with a securing portion 24f on an outer face of a flap 4f. An abutment element 29, formed on the holding element 6f, protrudes as a rectilinear continuation of the securing portion 24f across an edge 7f of the side wall 2f directed toward the loading opening, and it thus ensures that the flap 4f cannot fold inward into the interior of the container. As is shown in particular in FIG. 7b, a retainer 10f protruding from the securing portion 24e engages behind the edge 7f of the side wall 2f in the closed position of the flap 4f and thus holds the flap 4f in the closed position, with the abutment element 29 bearing on the outer face of the side wall 2f.

(20) A further holding device shown in FIG. 5a differs from those according to FIGS. 4a and b in that a holding element 6a is arranged on an inner face 23 of a flap 4a. Advantageously, the holding element 6a is then not visible from the outside and is protected from mechanical loads acting on the container from the outside.

(21) In a further embodiment, not shown here, the holding element 6a is formed both on the inner face 23 and also on the outer face of the container. In a holding device of this kind, which is particularly suitable for containers in which the hinged connection between the flap 4a and the side wall 2a allows the flap 4 to fold both inward and also outward, the holding elements 6a hold the flap 4a in both directions, and the flap 4a can be moved from the closed position in both directions, as is described above.

(22) FIG. 5b shows a holding element 6b, which is likewise arranged on an inner face 23b of a flap 4b of a container and which is suitable in particular for containers in which a loading-opening edge 7b and inside edge 20b of a flap 4b have a rectangular shape in cross section. Although a retainer 10b protrudes across the edge 20b of the flap 4b, it does not protrude into the area between the side wall 2b and the flap 4b, and instead, when seen in the closure direction, is arranged behind the flap 1b and the side wall 2b.

(23) FIG. 5c shows a further illustrative embodiment, in which a protuberance is formed on a side edge 20c of a flap 4c and forms a retainer 10c. For the retainer 10c, a cutting is provided on an edge 7c of the side wall 2c, into which cutting the retainer 10c latches in the closed position.

(24) In a further illustrative embodiment, shown in FIG. 5d, holding element 6d is secured on a side wall 2d. A flap 4d can be brought to a closed position and from a closed position in a similar way to that described with reference to FIGS. 4a and b, the difference from the previous embodiment being that an edge 20d of the flap 4d is pushed past a retainer 10d of the holding element 6d.

(25) A holding element 6g in the illustrative embodiment according to FIG. 8 is arranged on an inner face of a side wall 2g and has an abutment element 29g which, on the inner face of a container 1g, protrudes across a side wall 20g of a flap 4g directed toward a loading opening of the container 1g. In the closed position shown in FIG. 8b, the flap 4g is held in the closed position by the holding element 6g. The abutment element 29g bears on the outer face of the flap 4g and thus ensures that the flap 4g cannot be folded inward into the interior of the container. Advantageously, the abutment element 29g also ensures that the flap 4g cannot be swiveled into the interior of the container 1g.

(26) A container 1e shown in FIG. 6 is provided, on each of the side edges 7e of a flap 4e, with a retainer 6e, which is formed by a strip extending across the full length of the side edges 7e. The retainer 6e comprises a holding body 10e, which can be seen in detail in FIGS. 6c, 6d and 6e and which juts out in the closure direction of the flap 4e and, at its end, is thickened to form a hook. A holding member 11 for the retainer 6e is arranged on a loading-opening edge 20e and is formed by a strip that has the same shape as the strip of the retainer 6e, and a mating hook for the hook of the holding body 10e is thus formed by a thickening at the end of a link element 28 protruding in the opening direction of the flap 4e. The strip of the holding member 11 is arranged lying opposite the retainer 6e and in the opposite direction, in such a way that the hook and the mating hook protrude in opposite directions and engage in each other in the closed position. Material cuttings 26, 27 are provided in both strips, such that space is available for an elastic bending of the hook and of the mating hook when these are pushed past each other during movement to and from the closed position. In the areas where they are moved relative to each other, the hook and the mating hook are rounded in order to permit a smooth movement of the flap 4e to and from the closed position.

(27) While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.