FOLDABLE TRANSPORT CONTAINER

Abstract

The invention relates to a foldable transport container (10), which can be moved between an unfolded transport position and a folded position, with a base (12), a lid (16), a side wall (14a) carrying the lid (16) and three further side walls (14), wherein the lid (16) is pivotably connected to the supporting side wall (14a) about a pivot axis, characterised in that interlocking or engageable closure means (30) for fixing the transport container (10) in the folded position have corresponding first and second closure elements (32, 34), which are designed to be brought into engagement with one another in the folded position, wherein at least one first closure element (32) is arranged in the region of the lid (16) and at least one second closure element (34) is arranged in the region of a lower base edge (18) of the further side walls (14).

Claims

1.-13. (canceled)

14. A foldable transport container, which can be moved between an unfolded transport position and a folded position, the foldable transport container comprising: a base; a lid; a side wall carrying the lid; and three further side walls (14); wherein the lid is pivotably connected to a supporting side wall about a pivot axis; wherein interlocking or engageable closures for fixing the transport container in the folded position have corresponding first and second closure elements, which are configured to be brought into engagement with one another in the folded position; wherein at least one first closure element is arranged in a region of the lid and at least one second closure element is arranged in a region of a lower base edge of the further side walls; wherein the pivot axis is predetermined by a fold line which the lid forms with the supporting side wall; and wherein the fold line runs between a lower edge and an upper edge of the supporting side wall.

15. The foldable transport container according to claim 14, wherein: the closures have mutually corresponding first and further second closure elements, which are configured to be brought into engagement with one another, in particular for closing the lid in the unfolded transport position, wherein at least one first closure element is arranged in a region of the lid and at least one further second closure element is arranged in a region of the upper edges of the further side surfaces.

16. The foldable transport container according to claim 15, wherein: the first closure element extends over at least a section of an outer edge of the lid and the further second closure element extends over at least a section along the upper edge.

17. The foldable transport container according to claim 14, wherein: the first closure element extends over at least a section of an outer edge of the lid and the second closure element extends over at least a section along the lower edge.

18. The foldable transport container according to claim 14, wherein the fold line is parallel to the upper edge of the supporting side wall and/or parallel to the lower edge of the side wall.

19. The foldable transport container according to claim 18, wherein the fold line is in a direction parallel to the base surface specified by the base.

20. The foldable transport container according to claim 14, wherein the fold line runs along a central longitudinal axis of the supporting side wall.

21. The foldable transport container according to claim 14, wherein the lid has a further fold line which runs parallel to the fold line.

22. The foldable transport container according to claim 21, wherein, in the unfolded transport position, the further fold line can be brought into contact with the upper edge of the supporting side wall.

23. The foldable transport container according to claim 22, wherein the further fold line can be brought into contact with the upper edge of the supporting side wall by pivoting the lid about the pivot axis.

24. The foldable transport container according to claim 21, wherein the fold line and the further fold line are arranged at a distance from one another which corresponds to half the distance from the upper edge of the supporting side wall to the lower edge of the side wall.

25. The foldable transport container according to claim 14, wherein two further opposing end-side side surfaces are configured to be pressed towards one another in order to move the transport container from the unfolded transport position into the folded position.

26. The foldable transport container according to claim 25, wherein the two further opposing end-side side surfaces have material weakenings which provide defined folding edges when the transport container is moved from the unfolded transport position to the folded position.

27. The foldable transport container according to claim 14, wherein, in the folded position, the lid is arranged flush with the base.

Description

[0032] The invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments that are illustrated in the figures, wherein identical parts or, in particular, parts which correspond in terms of their function, are provided with the same reference numerals in all figures. The figures schematically show the following:

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a foldable transport container according to a possible exemplary embodiment of the invention in a closed, unfolded transport position;

[0034] FIG. 2 shows the transport container in an open, unfolded transport position;

[0035] FIG. 3 shows the transport container in a partially folded intermediate position;

[0036] FIG. 4 shows the transport container in a further, partially folded intermediate position;

[0037] FIG. 5 the transport container in a folded position.

[0038] FIGS. 1 to 5 schematically show a foldable transport container 10 in different perspective views; the function of the folding in particular is illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 5, which enables moving or transferring the transport container 10 from an unfolded transport position shown in FIG. 2 into a folded position shown in FIG. 5.

[0039] In the essentially completely folded out and closed transport position of FIG. 1, the transport container 10 presents itself as a usual transport crate or transport box with a base 12 and four side walls 14, 14a, which delimit the loadable interior of the transport container 10 at the edges. The loadable interior can be closed by means of a pivotable lid 16, which can be brought into contact with the upper edges 20 of the side walls 14, 14a delimiting the interior in particular.

[0040] To close the lid 16, releasable closure means 30 are provided, which in the exemplary embodiment shown are designed as a zipper (also know as a zip or zip fastener). In alternative embodiments, other interlocking or engageable closure means 30 can also provide, in particular, a positive and/or non-positive fastening of the lid 16 to the side walls 14, for example with the aid of several snap buttons or the like.

[0041] The closure means 30 have, in particular, mutually corresponding first and second closure elements 32, 34, 36, which in the illustrated exemplary embodiment are designed in a manner known per se as strips that can be arranged opposite one another and have rows of teeth protruding on the edge and which can be brought into engagement with one another to provide a particularly positive fastening. The first closure element 32 is formed by a row of teeth which runs circumferentially around the lid 16 along an outer edge 17 of the lid 16. The second closure element 34 is designed to correspond to the first closure element 32 and extends circumferentially around the base 12 or along lower edges 18 of the side surfaces 14. A further second closure element 36 extends circumferentially along upper edges 20 of the side surfaces 14. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the mutually corresponding first and second closure elements 32, 34 form a zipper which serves to fix the transport container in the folded position (see FIG. 5 in particular).

[0042] In the exemplary embodiment shown, the mutually corresponding first and further second closure elements 32, 36 form a zipper, which is used in particular to close the lid 16 or to releasably fix the lid 16 to the side walls 14 (see FIG. 1 in particular).

[0043] As can be seen in particular in FIG. 2, the lid 16 is pivotably attached to a rear side wall 14a of the transport packaging 10, so that it can be pivoted about a pivot axis for opening and closing the transport packaging 10. This pivot axis is essentially determined by the connecting line of the lid 16 with the rear side wall 14a, which also defines a fold line 22.

[0044] During opening, closing or folding in and out the transport container 10, the lid 16 typically pivots about at least an angular range around the pivot axis predetermined by the fold line 22. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the fold line 22 runs along the central longitudinal axis of the essentially rectangular side wall 14a supporting the lid 16.

[0045] A further fold line 24 runs parallel to the fold line 22 and divides the lid 16 into two lid sections 161, 162 that can be pivoted towards one another. The further fold line 24 is predetermined, for example, by a targeted weakening of the material, such as a crease. During opening, closing or folding in and out of the transport container 10, the lid sections 161, 162 generally pivot relative to one another, as illustrated in particular in FIGS. 2 to 5.

[0046] The four side walls 14, 14a are pivotably connected to the base 12 about their respective lower edges 18, 18a. In addition, adjacent side walls 14, 14a can be pivoted relative to one another, wherein the associated pivot axes each run along the lateral edges 21. In the unfolded transport position, the side walls 14a, 14 support each other so that they run essentially perpendicular to the base 12.

[0047] The transport container 10 also has two side walls 14, which are arranged opposite each other at the end side and are designed in particular to be pressed in towards one another for transferring the transport container 10 from the transport position (FIG. 2) into the folded position (FIG. 5) and are thereby defined to fold. For this purpose, the two side walls have material weakenings 15, for example in the form of grooves, which divide the corresponding side surfaces, as shown in FIG. 2, into three approximately triangular surface sections 141, 142, 143.

[0048] When transferring the transport container 10 from the transport position into the folded position, the central surface sections 141 of the two further opposing end-side side walls 14 are folded inwards towards the base 12 (see in particular FIG. 3), so that they are substantially brought into planar contact with the base 12. The other two edge-side surface sections 142, 143 fold onto the central surface section 141 and thus substantially come into planar contact with the same. The supporting side wall 14a is tilted in the direction of the base 12 about a pivot axis running along the lower edge 18a and can thereby be substantially brought into planar contact with the folded surface sections 143. The side wall 14 opposite the supporting side wall 14a carries out a correspondingly opposite movement, so that it can be substantially brought into planar contact with the surface sections 142. The lid section 162 pivots about the fold line 22 in such a way that the further fold line 24 can be arranged essentially flush with the lower edge 18a of the supporting side wall 14a. The lid section 161 pivots about the further fold line 24 in order to be arranged essentially flush with the base 12, in particular in such a way that the side walls 14, 14a folded in between the base 12 and the cover 16 are preferably completely covered by the lid section 161.

[0049] In the folded position of FIG. 5, the side walls 14 are completely folded between the lid section 161 and the base 12, which are arranged essentially congruently opposite one another. To fix the transport container 10 in the folded position, it is provided in particular that the first closure element 32, which runs around the edge of the lid section 161, is brought into engagement with the second closure element 34, which runs around the edge of the base 12 along the lower edges 18.

REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0050] 10 Container [0051] 12 Base [0052] 14a Supporting side wall [0053] 14 Further side wall [0054] 141 Area section [0055] 142 Area section [0056] 143 Area section [0057] 15 Material Weakening [0058] 16 Lid [0059] 161 Lid section [0060] 162 Lid section [0061] 17 Outer edge [0062] 18 Lower edge (of the supporting side wall) [0063] 18 Lower edge [0064] 20a Upper edge (of the supporting side wall) [0065] 20 Upper edge [0066] 21 Lateral edge [0067] 22 Fold line [0068] 24 Further fold line [0069] 30 Closure means [0070] 32 First closure element [0071] 34 Second closure element [0072] 36 Further second closure element