JP7573864B2 - Foldable transportable box - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a foldable box that can be folded for transport (packaging) and transformed from a folded, flat state in which the peripheral wall panels are folded over the bottom panel into a box-like body by standing up the peripheral wall panels.

Assembled containers (folding boxes) are used in a variety of fields, and their assembly structure, materials, shape retention methods, and design are all devised according to the specific use in that field, with new ones being developed and mass-produced every day.
For example, when storing ingredients, side dishes, cooked meals, etc., a top-opening, shallow rectangular box-like body (folding box) is often used; for example, a base material made of a lightweight thin plate of paper or foam with a protective coating or film applied to the surface is cut into a predetermined unfolded shape and grooves are cut to form folded edges, and the peripheral wall is folded and raised at the folded edges and the butted ends of the corners are glued together to maintain the shape. Furthermore, this base material may be pre-printed with a design or may be provided with a waterproof coating layer, and a transparent top lid may be engaged with the top opening or a partition may be provided. These types of configurations are often used.

However, although various efforts have been made to make these folding boxes lightweight, easy to manufacture, and inexpensive to mass-produce, they still have the problem of being bulky during transportation and storage. On the other hand, if they are designed to be folded and flat and assembled at the site of use in order to avoid this, that is, to be folded and transported (packaged), then assembly work at the site and work to maintain the shape by gluing, etc. are required, and while this is convenient for transportation and packaging, there is the problem that on-site assembly work becomes very troublesome.

The present invention aims to solve these problems by providing a highly practical foldable and transportable box that can be stored in large numbers without taking up too much space when transporting or packaging, as the peripheral wall panels can be folded over the bottom panel for transport. The present invention aims to provide a highly practical foldable and transportable box that can be stored in large numbers without taking up too much space when transporting or packaging, as the peripheral wall panels can be folded over the bottom panel for transport. The present invention aims to provide a highly practical foldable and transportable box that can be quickly and easily transformed into a box-shaped body for assembly on site.

The gist of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
A rectangular bottom plate portion 1 is provided on four sides with two pairs of peripheral wall plates 2, 3 on the left and right sides and two pairs of peripheral wall plates 3 on the front and rear sides , for a total of four peripheral wall plates 2, 3, which can be raised and lowered.
The peripheral wall panels 2, 3 are folded inwardly onto the bottom panel 1 or onto other peripheral wall panels 2, 3 folded onto the bottom panel 1, so that the peripheral wall panels 2, 3 are folded flat on the bottom panel 1 , and are then raised upright to be deformed together with the bottom panel 1 into a rectangular box-shaped body 4, which can be folded and transported .
Between the ends of a pair of the upright peripheral wall plate portions 2, a tape portion 5 is provided in a bridging state so as to be perpendicular to the peripheral wall plate portions 2 and parallel to the other pair of the upright peripheral wall plate portions 3,
The tape portion 5 is configured to be folded onto the bottom plate portion 1 together with the peripheral wall plate portions 2, 3 when the peripheral wall plate portions 2, 3 are folded onto the bottom plate portion 1 in a folded flat state, and is configured to be stretched between the ends of the pair of peripheral wall plate portions 2 in an extending state by raising the pair of peripheral wall plate portions 2 extending between the ends of the pair of peripheral wall plate portions 2 to an upright state,
This relates to a foldable and transportable box, characterized in that a pair of the peripheral wall plate portions 2 are raised and the other pair of the peripheral wall plate portions 3 are raised from a lying-down state inward to a position where they abut or are close to the tape portion 5 that is stretched across the ends of the pair of peripheral wall plate portions 2, thereby being deformed and formed into the rectangular box-shaped body 4 together with the bottom plate portion 1 .

The present invention relates to a foldable and transportable box as described in claim 1, characterized in that the pair of peripheral wall plate portions 2 are connected to the edges of the bottom plate portion 1 via hinges so that a force is applied in a downward direction such that the peripheral wall plate portions 2 overlap or lean against the bottom plate portion 1, and when the ends of the pair of peripheral wall plate portions 2 are slid between each other to raise the other pair of peripheral wall plate portions 3 so as to interpose them, the force in the downward direction of the pair of peripheral wall plate portions 2 causes the peripheral wall plate portions 2, 3 to be pressed against each other and held therein , thereby maintaining the shape of the box-shaped body 4.

The present invention relates to a foldable and transportable box as described in any one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the pair of tape portions 5, which are stretched across the ends of the pair of peripheral wall plate portions 2 in an upright state raised via hinges to the bottom plate portion 1, are configured so that when the other pair of peripheral wall plate portions 3 are raised and held upright until they abut against each other and deformed together with the bottom plate portion 1 to form the rectangular box-shaped body 4 , the pair of tape portions 5 are arranged parallel to the outside of the other pair of peripheral wall plate portions 3 in positions to prevent excessive rotation and slipping out of the other pair of peripheral wall plate portions 3.

The box-shaped body 4 relates to a foldable and transportable box as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the inner surfaces of both ends of a pair of peripheral wall plate portions 2 in an upright state raised relative to the bottom plate portion 1 via hinges are pressed against the inner surfaces of both ends of another pair of peripheral wall plate portions 3 raised in an upright state until they abut against a pair of tape portions 5, thereby maintaining their shape.

The present invention is configured as described above, so that the peripheral wall panels can be folded over the bottom panel for transport, making it possible to stack a large number of boxes for storage and reduce bulk during transport and packaging, making it extremely convenient. Moreover, when assembled on-site, the boxes can be instantly and easily transformed into a box-like shape, making them extremely practical for transport.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory perspective view showing a state in which the deformation into the box-shaped body of the embodiment is completed and the device is 1 is an explanatory perspective view showing the state in which the present embodiment is used after transformation into a box-shaped body is completed, as seen from the back side. FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory back view of the deployed state before the tape portion 5 of this embodiment is provided. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the folded flat state of the present embodiment. 10 is an explanatory perspective view of the embodiment in the middle of deformation from a folded flat state to a pair of left and right peripheral wall plate portions being raised; FIG. This is an explanatory plan view of the folded, flattened state of this embodiment, with the upper pair of peripheral wall plate portions omitted and only the tape portion drawn in solid lines to show that the tape portion is folded underneath and on top of the other pair of peripheral wall plate portions.

The optimal embodiment of the present invention will be briefly explained below, showing its function based on the drawings.

The box is folded and flattened by folding a pair of peripheral wall panels 2, 3 (left and right, and front and rear) onto a rectangular bottom plate 1, and then the peripheral wall panels 2, 3 on each of the four sides are raised upright to transform into a box-like body 4 and maintain that shape. As a result, many of the boxes can be stacked and packed for transportation in this folded and flat state, allowing large quantities to be folded and transported (packaged) without taking up too much space, and making them easy and convenient to transport and store.

When in use, that is, when each of the peripheral wall panels 2, 3 is raised and upright at the site at the time of use to form the box-shaped body 4, for example, first a pair of peripheral wall panels 2 are raised, so that the tape portion 5, which was loosely folded between the ends of the pair of peripheral wall panels 2, is stretched in an erect state, and then the other pair of peripheral wall panels 3 are raised from a position lying inward on the bottom panel 1 to a position where they abut or are close to the tape portion 5 (a position where they abut once and then return slightly), and are then raised outward to an upright state to form the box-shaped body 4.

To explain further, the tape portion 5 of the present invention is configured such that, for example, the tape portion 5 is first stretched between the ends of a pair of peripheral wall plate portions 2 which are first raised, so that the pair of peripheral wall plate portions 2 are in an upright state and completely stretched in an erected state, with the width direction being vertical, and the ends being attached to the outer surfaces of the ends of the peripheral wall plate portions 2, so that the tape portion 5 is in an erected state.

Therefore, as described above, the pair of peripheral wall plate parts 2 can be raised upright by first raising each of them until the tape part 5 is fully stretched between their ends, and excessive raising is prevented. In other words, since the tape part 5 is restricted from being raised upright and rotated excessively , the tape part 5 can be automatically raised upright simply by raising it up until it is fully stretched, and adjustment of the raising force and positioning operation are hardly required.

To repeat, in the folded flat state, the pair of peripheral wall plate parts 2 can be raised to the upright position simply by raising the pair of peripheral wall plate parts 2 until the tape part 5, which is loose or folded, is tensioned, so that the pair of peripheral wall plate parts 2 can be raised in an instant and easily.

Furthermore, when the other pair of peripheral wall plates 3 lying inward on the bottom plate 1 between the ends of the pair of peripheral wall plates 2 are raised to transform into the box-shaped body 4, the other pair of peripheral wall plates 3 can be raised to the upright position simply by raising them to the adjacent position where they abut against the tape portion 5 or abut once and then return slightly, and this can also be done instantly and easily. In other words, in this case too, there is almost no need to adjust the force used to raise them or to align them, and they can be raised to the specified upright position to become the box-shaped body 4 simply by raising them to the position where they abut against the tape portion 5, so they can be raised instantly and easily, and overall they can be transformed into the box-shaped body 4 extremely instantly and easily.

The shape may be maintained by providing a positioning and locking means for positioning each of these raised positions (upright positions), or by gluing the butting edges of the ends together in the raised position. However, for example, as in the present embodiment described below , a pair of peripheral wall panels 2 may be connected to the edges of the bottom plate 1 via hinges so that the lying-down force in which they overlap or lean against the bottom plate 1 is greater than the force due to their own weight, and when the ends of the pair of peripheral wall panels 2 that have already been raised are slid against the inner surface between the ends of the other pair of peripheral wall panels 3 , the force in the attachment direction of the pair of peripheral wall panels 2 presses the two peripheral wall panels 2, 3 against each other and holds them in place, so that the shape of the box-shaped body 4 is maintained without the need for gluing. In this case, the box-like body 4 can be formed simply by standing it up without requiring any locking or gluing operation, and the shape can be maintained simply by this standing operation, so that the box-like body 4 can be transformed and maintained in an instantaneous and easy manner, resulting in a folding box with even greater practicality.

A specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

The four sides of the bottom plate 1, which is rectangular and slightly long in the front-to-rear direction, are connected via hinges made by grooves provided as folding edges, with two pairs of peripheral wall plates 2 on the left and right sides and peripheral wall plates 3 on the front and rear sides, for a total of four peripheral wall plates 2, 3, which can be raised and lowered freely.The peripheral wall plates 2, 3 are folded inward on the bottom plate 1 via these hinges, and when they are raised outward from a folded flat state, they are transformed into a box-like body 4 (for example, a shallow box-like body with an opening at the top).

In other words, this embodiment is an example of the application of the present invention to a conventional shallow folding box formed by folding one piece of base material via hinges. For example, a base material with a protective coating layer applied to the surface of a thin plate is cut into a predetermined unfolded shape, and grooves are cut to form folding edges on the four edges of the bottom plate 1 to form hinges. The four folded edges (hinge) are used to raise each of the peripheral wall plate sections 2 and 3 upright relative to the bottom plate 1, forming a shallow box-shaped body 4 (folding box).

In this embodiment, a tape portion 5 having a predetermined vertical width that is perpendicular to the peripheral wall plate portion 2 and parallel to the peripheral wall plate portion 3 of the other pair of front and rear sides is provided in an erected state between the ends of the peripheral wall plate portions 2 of the pair of left and right sides. Specifically, the pair of peripheral wall plate portions 2 are first stretched completely in an erected state between the ends of the peripheral wall plate portions 2 of the pair of left and right sides that are in an erected state via hinges relative to the bottom plate portion 1, with the width direction being vertical, and the ends being attached to the outer ends of the peripheral wall plate portions 2, providing an erected state.

To explain further, the tape portion 5 is first folded in half under the ends of the pair of left and right side peripheral plate portions 2 until the tape portion 5, which has both ends folded in half with the folded edges turned back, is fully stretched by raising the pair of left and right side peripheral plate portions 2, and then the other pair of front and rear side peripheral plate portions 3 are raised between the pair of left and right side peripheral plate portions 2 until they abut the outer surfaces of the tape portions 5 stretched in front and behind, respectively, so that the other pair of peripheral plate portions 3 also becomes upright and can be transformed into a box-shaped body 4. In the state transformed into this box-shaped body 4, the pair of front and rear tape portions 5 are arranged parallel to the outside of the other pair of peripheral plate portions 3 and in positions that prevent the other pair of peripheral plate portions 3 from slipping out and rotating excessively to the outside.

This tape section 5 is made of, for example, a transparent resin film, specifically, for example, a film made of foamed resin, ABS resin, polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, or a thin plate material made of cardboard or paperboard, and its ends are attached to the outer ends of the peripheral wall plate sections 2 on the left and right sides, respectively, and its vertical width is formed to be approximately the same as or slightly narrower than the vertical width of the peripheral wall plate sections 3 on the front and rear sides.The material, thickness, and width are set so that it will not break or come off even when a load is applied during installation or when it is abutted or supported, and the fastening means are selected.

A transparent resin tape (film) is used for this tape portion 5 so as to be unnoticeable, but it may be made of paper, or a tape (film) with a design other than colorless and transparent may be used, and product names, advertisements, etc. may be displayed by printing on this tape portion 5.
In addition, although the tape portions 5 in this embodiment are provided at the front and rear, they may also be wrapped around the entire circumference of the peripheral wall plates 2, 3 of the box-shaped body 4, attached to a pair of peripheral wall plates 2, and installed in a bridging state between the ends of this pair of peripheral wall plates 2 on the outside of the other pair of peripheral wall plates 3.

In addition, to increase the fastening strength, it is advisable to apply a protective coating layer to the outer surface of the peripheral wall plate portion 2 so that the fastening strength of the tape portion 5 is sufficiently ensured even when fastened with an adhesive.

To explain further, in this embodiment, the tape portion 5 is first raised up by raising the pair of left and right peripheral plate portions 2 with the tape portion 5 being set up between the ends of the pair of peripheral plate portions 2, and the tape portion 5 is completely tensioned between the ends of the pair of peripheral plate portions 2, and the tension of the tape portion 5 prevents it from being raised any further. Therefore, further activation (excessive rotation) is restricted, and it can be raised up to the upright position instantly and easily. In other words, there is almost no need to adjust the force to raise up or to align the position, and the tape portion 5 is tensioned and can be raised up to the upright position simply by raising it up to a position where the tape portion 5 is restricted from turning up, so this raising operation can be performed instantly and easily.

Then, the peripheral wall plate parts 3 of the other pair of front and rear sides can be raised from the inwardly lying state to a position where they abut against the tape part 5 stretched between these ends, and can be transformed into the box-shaped body 4. In other words, when the peripheral wall plate parts 3 of the other pair of front and rear sides lying on the bottom plate part 1 between the ends of the peripheral wall plate parts 2 of the pair of left and right sides are raised to the box-shaped body 4, they can also be raised to the upright position by simply raising the peripheral wall plate parts 3 of the other pair of front and rear sides to a close position where they abut against the tape part 5 or abut once and then return slightly, and further movement is restricted, so they can also be raised instantly and easily. In other words, in this case too, there is almost no need to adjust the force to raise them or perform positioning operations, and they can be raised to the upright position to become the box-shaped body 4 simply by raising them to a position where they abut against the tape part 5, so they can be raised instantly and easily, and overall, the box-shaped body 4 can be deformed and formed extremely instantly and easily.

In addition, in this embodiment, when each of the peripheral wall plates 2, 3 is deformed and formed into a box-shaped body 4 in an upright state, another pair of peripheral wall plates 3 is raised upright so as to be interposed between the inner ends of a pair of peripheral wall plates 2, and the end edges (end faces) of both ends of this other pair of peripheral wall plates 3 contact the inner ends of the pair of peripheral wall plates 2 on the left and right. However, this pair of peripheral wall plates 2 is configured so that a downward bias is generated at least by its own weight or by a reaction caused by the tension of the tape portion 5, so that it is pressed against the other pair of peripheral wall plates 3 present between the ends so as to be sandwiched therebetween, and the shape is maintained into the box-shaped body 4 by this biasing pressure contact without the use of a locking means or fastening means, and a certain degree of shape-retaining strength and rigidity is ensured simply by raising each of the peripheral wall plates 2, 3 upright.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pair of left and right side peripheral plate parts 2 are configured to have folded edges (hinge) formed on the edges of the bottom plate part so that a downward bias slightly larger than the bias due to the weight or the reaction of the tape part 5 is generated in the downward direction in which the pair of left and right side peripheral plate parts 2 overlap or fall and tilt against the bottom plate part 1. In addition, folded edges (hinge) are formed so that the other pair of front and rear side peripheral plate parts 3 also generate a downward bias near the upright position, although the downward bias is weaker than the downward bias of the pair of peripheral plate parts 2 when upright, and the hinges are formed so that the other pair of peripheral plate parts 3 generate a slight upward bias in the starting direction in the folded-down position. Specifically, the shape of the groove cut part is selected according to the material and thickness of the substrate material to form the hinge, and the predetermined downward bias and upward bias are generated.

Therefore, when this pair of peripheral wall plates 2 is raised, the other pair of peripheral wall plates 3 lying on the bottom plate 1 between them is pushed up by the lifting force of the other pair of peripheral wall plates 3, which is raised slightly between the peripheral wall plates 2 on the left and right sides. Therefore, even before the other pair of front and rear peripheral wall plates 3 are raised upright, the left and right peripheral wall plates 2 are raised upright and maintained in their upright state. Therefore, for example, after raising each pair of peripheral wall plates 2 upright with the fingers of both hands, they are maintained even without being pressed down, so that, for example, the direction can be changed by 90 degrees and the other pair of peripheral wall plates 3 can be raised upright with the fingers of both hands in the same way, and the box-shaped body 4 can be instantly and easily transformed.

In this embodiment, the peripheral wall plate portions 2 on the left and right sides are raised upright, and then the end edges (end faces) of the end portions are slid against the inner end faces of the raised peripheral wall plate portions 2 on the left and right sides to raise the peripheral wall plate portions 3 on the other pair of front and rear sides so that they are inserted into each other. As a result, at least the pair of peripheral wall plate portions 2 are biased in the attachment direction to press the peripheral wall plate portions 2, 3 against each other, so that the box-shaped body 4 is held upright and its shape is maintained without the use of adhesive or a locking structure. Of course, the shape may also be maintained by further fastening with adhesive or by a locking structure.

The structure and shape of the hinge that forms the folded edge of this embodiment can be designed as appropriate, but in this embodiment, the folded edge of the pair of front and rear side peripheral wall plate parts 3 that are first folded down and overlapped onto the bottom plate part 1 is configured to have a hinge formed by providing a single cut (groove cut part) on the back surface, and the left and right side peripheral wall plate parts 2 are further folded over the front and rear side peripheral wall plate parts 3 that overlap the bottom plate part 1, and are configured to be folded as flat as possible. In other words, the folded edge of the left and right side peripheral wall plate parts 2 is configured to have a hinge formed by providing two cuts at a predetermined interval on the back surface to allow for the thickness of the front and rear side peripheral wall plate parts 3. The tape part 5 provided between the ends of the left and right side peripheral wall plate parts 2 is configured to be automatically folded and overlapped by folding the left and right side peripheral wall plate parts 3 through the diagonal folding edges provided on both sides under the left and right side peripheral wall plate parts 2 and over the front and rear side peripheral wall plate parts 3.

The present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the specific configuration of each component can be designed as appropriate.

Reference Signs List 1 Bottom plate portion 2 Left and right peripheral wall plate portions 3 Front and rear peripheral wall plate portions 4 Box-shaped body 5 Tape portion

Claims (4)

A total of four peripheral wall plates are provided on the four sides of the rectangular bottom plate, the peripheral wall plates being on the left and right sides and the peripheral wall plates being on the front and rear sides, so that the peripheral wall plates can be raised and lowered freely.
The peripheral wall panels are folded inwardly onto the bottom panel, or folded onto other peripheral wall panels folded onto the bottom panel, so that the peripheral wall panels are folded flat on the bottom panel. When the peripheral wall panels are raised upright , the peripheral wall panels are deformed into a rectangular box-like shape together with the bottom panel, and the box is transportable by folding the peripheral wall panels from the folded flat state in which the peripheral wall panels are folded onto the bottom panel ,
Between the ends of a pair of the peripheral wall plates in an upright state , a tape portion is provided in a bridging state so as to be perpendicular to the peripheral wall plate portions and parallel to the other pair of the peripheral wall plates in an upright state ,
The tape portion is configured to be folded onto the bottom plate portion together with the peripheral wall plate portions when the peripheral wall plate portions are folded onto the bottom plate portion in a folded flat state, and is configured to be stretched between the ends of the pair of peripheral wall plate portions in an erected state by raising the pair of peripheral wall plate portions that are extended between the ends of the pair of peripheral wall plate portions,
A foldable and transportable box is characterized in that a pair of peripheral wall panels are raised and another pair of peripheral wall panels are raised from a lying-down state inward to a position where they abut or are close to the tape section that is stretched across the ends of the pair of peripheral wall panels, thereby deforming and forming the box-like body into a rectangular shape together with the bottom panel . 2. The foldable and transportable box according to claim 1, wherein the pair of peripheral wall plate portions are connected to the edges of the bottom plate portion via hinges so as to be freely raised and lowered so as to be biased in a downward direction in which they overlap or tilt toward the bottom plate portion, and when the ends of the pair of peripheral wall plate portions are slid between each other to raise the other pair of peripheral wall plate portions so as to interpose the other pair of peripheral wall plate portions, the bias in the downward direction of the pair of peripheral wall plate portions causes the peripheral wall plate portions to be pressed against each other and held therein , thereby maintaining the shape of the box-shaped body . 3. The foldable and transportable box according to claim 1, wherein the pair of tape portions stretched across the ends of the pair of peripheral wall plate portions that are in an upright state raised relative to the bottom plate portion via hinges are configured so that, when the other pair of peripheral wall plate portions are raised and held in an upright state until they abut against each other and are deformed together with the bottom plate portion into the rectangular box-like body, the pair of tape portions are arranged parallel to the outside of the other pair of peripheral wall plate portions and in positions to prevent excessive rotation of the other pair of peripheral wall plate portions from falling out to the outside . The foldable and transportable box according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the box-shaped body is configured such that the inner edges of both ends of a pair of peripheral wall panels in an upright state raised relative to the bottom panel portion via hinges are pressed against the inner edges of both ends of another pair of peripheral wall panels raised in an upright state until they abut a pair of tape portions, thereby maintaining their shape.

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