JP7527094B2 - File Box - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a foldable file box.

File boxes with dividers for dividing the inside of the box body have been known for some time. One example of such a file box is one in which the dividers have a double structure with opposing facing plates, and which can be knocked down, in other words, the box body can be folded flat with the dividers still inside the box body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In the file box described in Patent Document 1, support plates are provided on both ends of the partition to support the partition on the box body, and in the usage position, the box body and the support plates overlap, and the box body, the support plates, and the opposing plates of the partition form a T-shape in plan view. The box body is folded flat while the box body, the support plates, and the opposing plates of the partition form a T-shape in plan view. In this configuration, regardless of which side the box body is folded on, it is necessary to fold deeply until one half of the support plate overlaps with the partition, which not only increases the thickness in the folded state, but also creates the problem of hindering light and smooth folding and worsening knockdown properties.

Patent No. 2939721

The present invention aims to improve the knockdown properties of a foldable file box with dividers, in other words, to make folding easy and smooth.

The file box of the invention described in claim 1 comprises a box body having a peripheral wall consisting of a pair of opposing end walls and a pair of opposing side walls, a partition having a double structure consisting of a pair of facing panels which divides the inside of the box body, and fixing parts which fix both ends of the partition to each end wall of the box body, and the box body can be folded flat while changing the relative angle between the fixing part and the partition, the upper edges of the two facing panels are connected to each other by a connecting part, and a slit-shaped handle insertion portion is formed in the connecting part so that a handle can pass through, and the partition and the fixing part are arranged in an S-shape overall in the usage position before the box body is folded.

The present invention aims to improve the knockdown properties of a foldable file box that has dividers, in other words, to make folding easier and smoother.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a file box according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3A and 3B are front and rear views showing the file box according to the embodiment. 3A and 3B are plan and bottom views showing the file box according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a right side view showing the file box according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a right side view showing the file box according to the embodiment when folded flat. FIG. 4 is a left side view showing the file box according to the embodiment in a folded state. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 2 . FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing the file box according to the embodiment in the process of being folded. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing the file box according to the embodiment in a folded state. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 7 . FIG. 10 is an enlarged view showing a portion B in FIG. 9 . FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the box body and the partition 2 according to the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a development view of an inner plate constituting the left side wall according to the embodiment, as viewed from the outer surface side. FIG. 13 is a development view of an inner plate constituting a right side wall according to the embodiment, as viewed from the outer surface side. FIG. 10A to 10C are explanatory diagrams showing the procedure of assembling the bottom wall according to the embodiment. 10A to 10C are explanatory diagrams showing the procedure of assembling the bottom wall according to the embodiment. 10A to 10C are explanatory diagrams showing the procedure of assembling the bottom wall according to the embodiment. 10A to 10C are explanatory diagrams showing the procedure of assembling the bottom wall according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a development view of the partition according to the embodiment, seen from the outer surface side. FIG. 22 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. 21. FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing a file box according to another embodiment in the middle of being folded. FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing a file box according to another embodiment in a folded state.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 22.

The file box F of this embodiment comprises a box body 1 having bottom flaps 151-153 that form the bottom wall 15, a partition 2 that is fixed to the inside of the box body 1 and serves as a body fixing member that prevents the bottom flaps 151-153 from being folded inward, and a flap engagement means K that engages the pair of bottom flaps 151, 152 without bending them inward. In other words, this file box F comprises the box body 1, the partition 2 that divides the inside of the box body 1, and a fixing part 3 that fixes both ends of the partition 2 to the box body 1, and allows the box body 1 to be folded flat while changing the relative angle between the fixing part 3 and the partition 2.

Here, Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a file box F according to this embodiment, Fig. 2(a) is a front view, Fig. 2(b) is a rear view, Fig. 3(a) is a plan view, Fig. 3(b) is a bottom view, and Fig. 4 is a right side view. Fig. 5 is a right side view showing the file box F folded flat, and Fig. 6 is a left side view. For convenience of explanation, in this specification, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", and "right" are used based on the front view of Fig. 2(a), and the front of the front view is referred to as the "front" and the back is referred to as the "rear".

More specifically, this file box F comprises a box body 1 having end walls 11, 12 as first peripheral walls that face each other in a pair and side walls 13, 14 as second peripheral walls that face each other in a pair, a partition 2 that divides the inside of this box body 1 into two equal parts, left and right, and fixing parts 31, 32 that fix both the front and rear ends of this partition 2 to the end walls 11, 12, respectively, so that the box body 1 can be folded until the left and right side walls 13, 14 abut or approach the partition 2. Figure 7 is a plan view along line X-X showing the box body 1 in the usage position (U), Figure 8 is a partial plan view showing the box being folded, and Figure 9 is a partial plan view showing the folded state. Figure 10 is an enlarged view of part A in Figure 7, and Figure 11 is an enlarged view of part B in Figure 9.

The box body 1 is box-shaped with left and right side walls 13, 14, front and rear end walls 11, 12, and a bottom wall 15, and is open at the top. The front end wall 11 is shorter than the rear end wall 12, and the upper edges of the side walls 13, 14 are inclined so that they gradually become lower toward the front. Figure 12 is an exploded perspective view of the box body 1 together with the partition 2, which will be described later.

As shown in Figures 7 to 9, 11 and 12, the left and right side walls 13, 14 are peripheral walls with a double structure in which decorative panels 132, 142 are attached to the outer surfaces of the inner panels 131, 141, respectively, and the thickness dimension t2 (e.g., 1.2 mm) of the decorative panels 132, 142 is set to be larger than the thickness dimension t1 (e.g., 0.7 mm) of the inner panels 131, 141. The inner panels 131, 141 and the decorative panels 132, 142 are made of synthetic resin such as polypropylene, and the decorative panels 132, 142 are attached to the outer surfaces of the inner panels 131, 141 by welding or adhesive.

The front end wall 11 is mainly composed of a front outer plate 111 that extends to the right from the front edge of the left inner plate 131, and a fixing part 31 provided at the front end of the partition 2 (described later) is attached to the left half of the inner surface of the front outer plate 111 by welding or the like. In addition, a front inner plate 112 that extends to the left from the front edge of the right inner plate 141 is attached to the right half of the inner surface of the front outer plate 111 by welding or the like.

The rear end wall 12 is mainly composed of a rear outer plate 121 that extends leftward from the rear edge of the right inner plate 141, and a fixing part 32 provided at the rear end of the partition 2 (described later) is attached to the right half of the inner surface of the rear outer plate 121 by welding or the like. Also, a rear inner plate 122 that extends rightward from the rear edge of the left inner plate 131 is attached to the left half of the inner surface of the rear outer plate 121 by welding or the like.

In other words, only the inner plates 131, 141 of the side walls 13, 14 are connected to the end walls 11, 12, and the decorative plates 132, 142 are independent of the end walls 11, 12 and the bottom wall 15.

Figure 13 is a development view of the inner plate 131 constituting the left side wall 13, seen from the outside. The front end (right end in the figure) of this inner plate 131 is connected integrally to the front outer plate 111 constituting the front end wall 11 via a mountain fold line L1, and the rear end of the inner plate 131 is connected integrally to the rear inner plate 122 constituting the rear end wall 12 via a mountain fold line L2. One of the bottom flaps 151 constituting the bottom wall 15 is connected integrally to the lower end of the inner plate 131 via a mountain fold line L3. L11 is the mountain fold line that forms the boundary between the front outer plate 111 and the bottom flap 153 described below.

Figure 14 is a development view of the inner plate 141 constituting the right side wall 14, seen from the outside. The rear end (right end in the figure) of this inner plate 141 is connected integrally to the rear outer plate 121 constituting the rear end wall 12 via a mountain fold line L4, and the rear end of the inner plate 131 is connected integrally to the front inner plate 112 constituting the front end wall 11 via a mountain fold line L5. The other bottom flap 152 constituting the bottom wall 15 is connected integrally to the lower end of the inner plate 141 via a mountain fold line L6. L12 is the mountain fold line that forms the boundary between the rear outer plate 111 and the bottom flap 153 described below.

Figure 15 is a left side view showing the decorative plate 132 attached to the outer surface of the inner plate 131 that constitutes the above-mentioned left side wall 13, and in this embodiment, it is formed slightly smaller than the inner plate 131. The right decorative plate 142 is similar to the left decorative plate 132, and is attached to the outer surface of the inner plate 141 that constitutes the right side wall 14.

The bottom wall 15 has a pair of bottom flaps 151, 152 that are continuous with the lower edges of the left and right side walls 13, 14, and another bottom flap 153 that is continuous with the lower edges of the front and rear end walls 11, 12, and is provided with a flap engagement means K associated with these bottom flaps 151-153. The flap engagement means K has a slit 151a provided in one bottom flap 151 that is continuous with the left side wall 13, and an insertion portion 152a provided in the other bottom flap 152 that is continuous with the right side wall 14 and inserted into the aforementioned slit 151a. The protruding dimension d of the insertion portion 152a is set to a value that allows the protruding end 152b to reach the slit 151a of one bottom flap 151 that is engaged with the partition 2 by utilizing the elastic deformation of the member. In addition, the bottom flaps 153 other than the pair of bottom flaps 151, 152 each have a protrusion 153a, which is inserted into the slit 151a. These protrusions 153a are inserted into the slit 151a prior to the insertion portion 152a, and the protrusions 153a have a smooth surface 153b, which is a guide surface that guides the insertion of the insertion portion 152a into the slit 151a.

In the folded state, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the bottom flaps 151, 152, and 153 of the bottom wall 15 are disengaged from each other, and the pair of bottom flaps 151 and 152 are deployed outward so as to be substantially flush with the side walls 12 and 13, while the other bottom flap 153 is deployed so as to be substantially flush with the front and rear end walls 11 and 12. From this state, the bottom wall 15 can be assembled by performing the operations shown in Figures 16 to 19. First, the box body 1, which is folded flat, is made into a cylindrical shape corresponding to the use position (U), and then the lower end flanges 24 and 25 of the partition 2, which will be described later, are horizontally folded to cover the lower opening of the box body 1, as shown in Figure 16. Then, as shown in Fig. 17, one bottom flap 151 having a slit 151a is placed over the outer surface of the lower flanges 24, 25 of the partition 2, and then, as shown in Fig. 18, the convex portion 153a of the other bottom flap 153 is engaged with the slit 151a of the bottom flap 151. This temporarily fastens the three bottom flaps 151, 153 constituting the bottom wall 15 to each other, and prevents the box body 1 from returning to the original folded position (S) due to the bending tendency. From this state, as shown in Fig. 19, the other bottom flap 152 is elastically curved in the thickness direction while the tip of the insertion portion 152a reaches the slit 151a of one bottom flap 151, and the insertion portion 152a is inserted deeply into the slit 151a while the curved shape is returned to a flat shape, completing the assembly of the bottom wall 15. That is, in this file box F, the protruding dimension d of the insertion portion 152a is set smaller than in the conventional file box, and the elastic deformation of the other bottom flap 152 is utilized to allow the insertion portion 152a to engage with the slit 151a of one bottom flap 151. Therefore, the bottom wall 15 can be assembled without first folding the one bottom flap 151 into the box body 1.

The partition 2 has a pair of facing plates 21, 22, and has a double structure in which the upper edges of the facing plates 21, 22 are connected to each other by a connecting portion 23, and fixing portions 31, 32 are provided at both front and rear ends. One fixing portion 31 that fixes one end (front end) of the partition 2 to the box body 1 protrudes to one surface (left side surface) of the partition 2 and is fixed to the front end wall 11, which is the first peripheral wall, and the other fixing portion 32 that fixes the other end (rear end) of the partition 2 to the box body 1 protrudes to the other surface (right side surface) of the partition 2 and is fixed to the rear end wall 12, which is the first peripheral wall. These fixing portions 31, 32 are integrally connected to the facing plates 21, 22 of the partition 2 via folding lines L7, L8, respectively. The facing plates 21, 22 that are located on the same side in a plan view when the box body 1 is folded are connected to the fixing portions 31, 32, respectively. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7 to Fig. 9 and Fig. 20, in this embodiment, the rear fixing part 32 is integrally connected to the rear end of the left facing plate 21, and the front fixing part 31 is connected to the front end of the right facing plate 22. The front fixing part 31 is fixed to the left half of the front outer plate 111 of the front end wall 11 by welding or the like, and the rear fixing part 32 is fixed to the right half of the rear outer plate 121 of the rear end wall 12 by welding or the like. Lower end flanges 24, 25 are integrally connected to the lower ends of the left and right facing plates 21, 22 via bending lines L9, L10, respectively. A protrusion 26 is protruding from the rear edge of the right facing plate 22, and a slit 27 is formed in the vicinity of the base end of the rear fixing part 32 connected to the rear edge of the left facing wall 21, and in the use position (U) in which the rear fixing part 32 is perpendicular to the facing plates 21, 22, the protrusion 26 is fitted into the slit 27 as shown in Fig. 10. L13 is a folding line that forms the boundary between the facing plates 21, 22 and the connection portion 23. In Fig. 1 to Fig. 3, Fig. 5, Fig. 7 to Fig. 12, and Fig. 20, a pattern is applied to the portion other than the lower end flanges 24, 25 of the partition 2 described above to make the presence of the partition 2 conspicuous.

In the use position (U) before folding the box body 1, the partition 2 and both fixing parts 31, 32 are arranged in an S-shape as a whole, as shown in Figs. 3, 7 and 12. The box body 1 can be folded in a direction in which the partition 2 and both fixing parts 31, 32 change from an S-shape to a straight line as a whole, in other words, in a direction in which the partition 2 and both fixing parts 31, 32 change from the use position (U) in which the partition 2 and both fixing parts 31, 32 are S-shaped when viewed from the front to a folded position (S) in which the partition 2 and both fixing parts 31, 32 are deployed in a substantially straight line. Figs. 9 and 11 show a state in which the partition 2 and both fixing parts 31, 32 are substantially in a straight line by folding the box body 1. The connection part 23 has a handle insertion part 23a in the form of a slit in the longitudinal middle part, through which the handle 4 can pass. In FIG. 11, the thickness of the outer plate 121 and the inner plate 122 that make up the end wall 12 are exaggerated, so it appears as if there is a relatively large step between the facing plate 21 of the partition 2 and the fixed part 32, but in reality, the outer plate 121 and the inner plate 122 are thin, so the facing plate 21 and the fixed part 32 form a substantially straight line in the folded position (S).

The handle 4 is provided so as to be movable between a recessed position (P) where its upper edge is at approximately the same height or lower than the upper edge of the rear end wall 12 and a pulled-out position (Q) where its upper edge is higher than the upper edge of the rear end wall 12 with respect to the partition 2. The solid lines in FIG. 4 show the state where the handle 4 is stored in the recessed position (P), and the imaginary lines in FIG. 4 show the state where the handle 4 is pulled out to the pulled-out position (Q). In the recessed position (P), the upper edge of the handle 4 is at approximately the same height or lower than the upper edge of the rear end wall 12, but the gripping portion 4a of the handle 4 is configured to be exposed even in the recessed position (P). As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 22, the gripping portion 4a is configured as an oval through hole extending forward and backward, and thick portions 4a1 and 4a2 are formed on both the front and rear edges and the upper edge of the through hole. The thick portions 4a1 on both the front and rear edges have the same thickness at the top as the thick portion 4a2 at the top edge, and are shaped so that the thickness gradually decreases downward.

With this configuration, in the usage position (U) before folding the box body 1, the partition 2 and both fixing parts 31, 32 are arranged in an S-shape as a whole, so that the box body 1 can be folded without the fixing parts 31, 32 overlapping with the partition 2, improving knockdown properties, in other words, making the folding work lighter and smoother. That is, conventional partitions need to be folded deeply in the direction in which their components overlap, so a large resistance force is generated when folding, whereas in the configuration of this embodiment, the fixing parts 31, 32 and the partition 2 are simply deformed to return to their original linear position during folding, so no large resistance force is generated and the folding work can be performed smoothly.

In addition, the box body 1 can be folded in a direction in which the partition 2 and both fixing parts 31, 32 as a whole change from an S-shape to a substantially straight line. In other words, the box body 1 can be folded in a direction in which the partition 2 and both fixing parts 31, 32 change from an S-shape in a plan view in the use position (U) to an unfolded position in which they unfold in a substantially straight line, i.e., the folded position (S), so that the thickness dimension in the folded position (S) can be made as small as possible.

The partition 2 has a double structure with a pair of facing plates 21 and 22, and the facing plates and the fixing parts that are located on the same side in a plan view when the box body 1 is folded, that is, one facing plate 21 and the rear fixing part 32, and the other facing plate 22 and the front fixing part 31 are connected, respectively, so that the knockdown property can be improved even if the partition 2 has a double structure. Furthermore, with such a configuration, as described above, when the fixing part 32 connected to one facing plate 21 is folded at a right angle, the fixing part 32 approaches the end face of the other facing plate 22 at a right angle. Therefore, as described above, a slit 27 is formed in the vicinity of the base end of the rear fixing part 32 connected to the rear edge of one (left) facing plate 21, and a protrusion 26 that can be engaged with the slit 27 is provided on the rear edge of the other (right) facing plate 22, and by engaging these slits 27 and protrusions 26 in the use position (U), it is possible to prevent the facing plate 22 from wobbling without adding any special member. In addition, during manufacturing, prior to the process of gluing the fixing portions 31, 32 to the front outer panel 111 or rear outer panel 121 of the end walls 11, 12, the fixing portion 32 connected to one of the facing panels 21 is bent at a right angle to engage the slit 27 with the protrusion 26, so that the aforementioned gluing process can be carried out with the shapes of the partition 2 and the fixing portions 31, 32 stabilized.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

For example, the manner in which the fixing parts are fixed to the box body is not limited to the above-described embodiment. In other words, as long as the partition and both fixing parts are arranged in an S-shape overall in the usage position before folding the box body, the shape of the fixing parts and the points of fixation to the box body may be set arbitrarily.

Instead of using a double-walled partition with paired facing plates as in the above-mentioned embodiment, it is also possible to use, for example, a configuration in which both ends of a single sheet-like member are folded to form the partition and the fixing portion.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the facing plates and the fixing parts of the facing plates located on the same side in plan view when the box body is folded are connected to each other, but conversely, the facing plates and the fixing parts of the facing plates located on different sides in plan view when the box body is folded may be connected to each other. In other words, as shown in Figures 23 and 24, the rear fixing part 32 may be integrally connected to the rear end of the right facing plate 22 via a bending line L8, and the front fixing part 31 may be connected to the front end of the left facing plate 21 via a bending line L7 (not shown). Note that Figures 23 and 24 are views corresponding to Figures 8 and 9, respectively. In these Figures 23 and 24, other parts have the same configuration as those in the above-mentioned embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding parts. Furthermore, in the file box of the present invention having a double-structure partition with paired facing panels, one facing panel may be connected to a fixed part located on the same side as viewed in plan when the box body is folded, and the other facing panel may be connected to a fixed part located on the different side as viewed in plan when the box body is folded.

In addition, the thickness dimensions of the inner panels, decorative panels, etc. that make up the peripheral wall may be set as desired.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

F... File box 1... Box body 11, 12... First peripheral wall (end wall)
13, 14...Second peripheral wall (side wall)
2: Partition 21, 22: Facing plate 31, 32: Fixed portion (U): Fixed position (S): Unfolded position (folded position)

Claims (1)

A box body having a peripheral wall including a pair of opposing end walls and a pair of opposing side walls;
A partition having a double structure including a pair of opposing plates as elements and dividing the inside of the box body;
and fixing portions for fixing both ends of the partition to the end walls of the box body,
A file box in which the box body can be folded flat while changing the relative angle between the fixing portion and the partition,
The upper edges of the two facing plates are connected to each other by a connecting portion,
The connecting portion is formed with a slit-shaped handle insertion portion through which the handle can pass,
The file box has the partition and the fixing portion arranged in an S-shape as a whole when in a usage position before the box body is folded.

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