JP7654466B2 - Storage box - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a storage box made of cardboard.

Conventionally, plastic containers are known as bottomed, rectangular cylindrical storage boxes used to store and transport various parts in manufacturing plants and the like. This type of plastic container has downwardly protruding locking portions at the four corners of the bottom to prevent the four corners of the upper and lower plastic containers from shifting when stacked one on top of the other, and these locking portions lock onto the upper end of the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall of the plastic container stacked below.

In response to this, a storage box capable of storing parts in the same way as a container is known, as described in Patent Document 1. This storage box is formed by folding a corrugated cardboard sheet with numerous creases along the creases.

In the storage box described in Patent Document 1, a rectangular tubular body is formed by four side panels that stand up from the periphery of a rectangular bottom panel, and each of these side panels consists of an outer panel and an inner panel, and the inner panel is locked by inserting a locking tongue formed on the lower end of the inner panel into an opening formed in the bottom panel.

Utility Model Registration No. 3216071

However, the storage boxes described in Patent Document 1 do not have a structure for locking the storage boxes together (so-called stacking) like plastic containers, so there is a possibility that the four corners of the storage boxes may become misaligned when stacked.

In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a cardboard storage box that can be stacked and locked together.

The storage box of the present invention is a cardboard storage box having a rectangular cylindrical body extending in the vertical direction and a bottom that closes the lower opening of the body, the body being made of a pair of first panels that face each other in a first direction and a pair of second panels that face each other in a second direction that intersects with the first direction, and the four corners of the bottom are each formed with a corner opening that penetrates the bottom in the vertical direction, the first panels being made of a first inner panel and a first outer panel that overlap in the first direction and are connected at their upper ends, and the second panels being made of a second inner panel and a second outer panel that overlap in the second direction and are connected at their upper ends. The box has two outer panels, the first inner panel has a first protrusion formed on both ends of its lower end in the second direction, which is inserted into the corner opening and protrudes from the underside of the bottom, and the second inner panel has a second protrusion formed on both ends of its lower end in the first direction, which is inserted into the corner opening and protrudes from the underside of the bottom, and the first protrusion and the second protrusion inserted into the same corner opening form locking parts that are locked to the four corners of the upper end side of the body of another box stacked below when multiple storage boxes are stacked one on top of the other.

According to the present invention, a first protrusion and a second protrusion protrude downward from the corner opening at the four corners of the storage box. When multiple storage boxes are stacked one on top of the other, these protruding first protrusions and second protrusions become locking parts that lock onto the four corners of the upper end of the body of another storage box stacked below. Because the storage box of the present invention has these locking parts, it can be locked when cardboard storage boxes are stacked.

In the present invention, the second panel is provided with a connecting piece that connects the upper end of the second inner panel and the upper end of the second outer panel only at the middle portion in the first direction, the second inner panel is formed so that the length in the first direction is greater than the inner dimension of the container in the first direction, and has a pair of vertical fold lines extending in the up-down direction, the vertical fold lines are formed so as to connect the area of the lower end of the second inner panel that is sandwiched between the two second protrusions from the outside of the area of the upper end of the second inner panel that is connected to the connecting piece, and the second inner panel is folded at the vertical fold lines, and the side edges of the second inner panel are preferably abutted against the four corners of the body.

With this configuration, the side edges of the second inner plate abut against the four corners of the body, and the outer edges of the second protrusions on the extensions of the side edges of the second inner plate can abut against the four corners of the upper end of the body of another storage box stacked below, allowing cardboard storage boxes to be more securely locked together when stacked.

In addition, in the storage box of the present invention, it is preferable that the first inner plate has a first protrusion crease line extending from the inner edge of the first protrusion to a side edge of the first inner plate adjacent to the first protrusion, and the second inner plate has a second protrusion crease line extending from the inner edge of the second protrusion to a side edge of the second inner plate adjacent to the second protrusion.

With this configuration, the lowest storage box can be folded horizontally along the first and second protrusion fold lines, which extend laterally, by simply placing it on the ground, and can be stored inside the body.

Furthermore, in a storage box having a first protruding crease line and a second protruding crease line, it is preferable that the first protruding crease line extends upward from the base end of the first protruding portion on the side edge of the first inner plate, and the second protruding crease line extends upward from the base end of the second protruding portion on the side edge of the second inner plate.

With this configuration, when the first protrusion and the second protrusion are folded, the outer edges are folded in a direction away from each other, so they can be folded without abutting each other. Therefore, the first protrusion and the second protrusion support each other by abutting their outer edges against each other, and it is possible to prevent them from breaking.

In addition, in a storage box having a first protruding crease line and a second protruding crease line, it is preferable that the first inner plate has an inclined side edge in which the width direction length of the first inner plate gradually decreases toward the tip of the first protruding portion.

With this configuration, the second protrusion slides along the inclined side edge, wraps around the outer periphery of the first protrusion, and pushes the first protrusion from the outside to bend it, so the folding order can be determined, and the outer edges of the first protrusion and the second protrusion abut against each other to support each other and prevent them from breaking.

FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the right panel, the front panel, the left panel, and the rear panel in a folded state. 13 is a plan view showing the right inner panel, the front inner panel, the left inner panel, and the rear inner panel folded. FIG. FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which two storage boxes are stacked one on top of the other.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the storage box 1 of this embodiment is for storing products, is formed in a bottomed rectangular tube shape, and can be stacked vertically.

The storage box 1 has a rectangular cylindrical body 2, which has a right panel 3, a front panel 4, a left panel 5, a rear panel 6, and a bottom 7. These four panels 3 to 6 are all of the same height, rectangular, and integrally formed. Furthermore, the right panel 3 and the left panel 5 are formed as a pair with the same shape, and the front panel 4 and the rear panel 6 are formed as a pair with the same shape. As a result, the body 2 is configured in a hollow cylindrical shape.
In the drawing, the left-right direction corresponds to the "first direction" of the present invention, the front-to-back direction corresponds to the "second direction" of the present invention, the right panel 3 and the left panel 5 correspond to the "first panel" of the present invention, and the front panel 4 and the rear panel 6 correspond to the "second panel" of the present invention.

The right panel 3 includes a right inner panel 3a and a right outer panel 3b that overlap each other in the left-right direction, the front panel 4 includes a front inner panel 4a and a front outer panel 4b that overlap each other in the front-rear direction, the left panel 5 includes a left inner panel 5a and a left outer panel 5b that overlap each other in the left-right direction, and the rear panel 6 includes a rear inner panel 6a and a rear outer panel 6b that overlap each other in the front-rear direction.
In addition, the right inner plate 3a and the left inner plate 5a correspond to the "first inner plate" of the present invention, the right outer plate 3b and the left outer plate 5b correspond to the "first outer plate" of the present invention, the front inner plate 4a and the rear inner plate 6a correspond to the "second inner plate" of the present invention, and the front outer plate 4b and the rear outer plate 6b correspond to the "second outer plate" of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the storage box 1 is assembled from corrugated cardboard 10 that has been punched into a roughly rectangular shape.

As shown in an expanded view in Figure 2, the corrugated cardboard 10 has a right outer panel 3b, a front outer panel 4b, a left outer panel 5b, and a rear outer panel 6b connected in the left-right direction, and the right inner panel 3a, the front inner panel 4a, the left inner panel 5a, and the rear inner panel 6a are connected to the upper edges of the right outer panel 3b, the front outer panel 4b, the left outer panel 5b, and the rear outer panel 6b via a right connecting piece 13, a front connecting piece 14, a left connecting piece 15, and a rear connecting piece 16, and the first to fourth bottom flaps 7a to 7d are connected to the lower edges of the right outer panel 3b, the front outer panel 4b, the left outer panel 5b, and the rear outer panel 6b.

First, the right skin 3b, the front skin 4b, the left skin 5b and the rear skin 6b will be described.
The right skin 3b, the front skin 4b, the left skin 5b, and the rear skin 6b are all rectangular. The right skin 3b, the front skin 4b, the left skin 5b, and the rear skin 6b are connected to their respective right side edges in this order via fold lines L1 to L3. Furthermore, an adhesive strip 11 is connected to the left end edge of the right skin 3b via a fold line L4.

Next, the right connecting piece 13, the front connecting piece 14, the left connecting piece 15 and the rear connecting piece 16 will be described.
The right connecting piece 13, the front connecting piece 14, the left connecting piece 15 and the rear connecting piece 16 are all generally trapezoidal in shape.

A right connection piece 13 is connected to the upper edge of the right skin 3b via fold line L5, a front connection piece 14 is connected to the upper edge of the front skin 4b via fold line L6, a left connection piece 15 is connected to the upper edge of the left skin 5b via fold line L7, and a rear connection piece 16 is connected to the upper edge of the rear skin 6b via fold line L8.

The right inner plate 3a is connected to the upper edge of the right connection piece 13 via fold line L9, the front inner plate 4a is connected to the upper edge of the front connection piece 14 via fold line L10, the left inner plate 5a is connected to the upper edge of the left connection piece 15 via fold line L11, and the rear inner plate 6a is connected to the upper edge of the rear connection piece 16 via fold line L12. The front connection piece 14 and the rear connection piece 16 correspond to the "connection pieces" of the present invention.

Notches 13a to 16a are formed on both left and right ends of each of the connection pieces 13 to 16. As a result, each connection piece 13 to 16 connects the horizontal center (left and right direction in FIG. 2) of each of the outer plates 3b to 6b to the horizontal center (left and right direction in FIG. 2) of each of the inner plates 3a to 6a. The notches 13a to 16a cut out a horizontally elongated rectangle not only in each of the connection pieces 13 to 16 but also in a portion of the lower end side of each of the inner plates 3a to 6a.

In addition, the right connecting piece 13 and the left connecting piece 15 have inverted trapezoidal openings 13b, 15b formed in the center in the horizontal direction (left-right direction in Figure 2), and each is divided into two. The openings 13b, 15b are cut out in a horizontally elongated rectangular shape not only in the right connecting piece 13 and the left connecting piece 15, but also in part of the lower end side of the right inner plate 3a and the left inner plate 5a. The length of the openings 13b, 15b is approximately twice the length of the notches 13a, 15a.

Next, the right inner plate 3a, the front inner plate 4a, the left inner plate 5a and the rear inner plate 6a will be described.
The right inner plate 3a, the front inner plate 4a, the left inner plate 5a and the rear inner plate 6a are all generally concave in shape. The length (width) in the left-right direction of the front inner plate 4a and the rear inner plate 6a is greater than the distance between the right outer plate 3b and the left outer plate 5b when assembled into a box shape.

Right inner plate 3a has a right protrusion 23 that protrudes upward formed on each of the left and right ends of the upper end. Furthermore, front inner plate 4a has a front protrusion 24 that protrudes upward formed on each of the left and right ends of the upper end. Furthermore, left inner plate 5a has a left protrusion 25 that protrudes upward formed on each of the left and right ends of the upper end. Furthermore, rear inner plate 6a has a rear protrusion 26 that protrudes upward formed on each of the left and right ends of the upper end.

The right protrusion 23 and the left protrusion 25 correspond to the "first protrusion" of the present invention, and the front protrusion 24 and the rear protrusion 26 correspond to the "second protrusion" of the present invention.

The right inner plate 3a, the front inner plate 4a, the left inner plate 5a, and the rear inner plate 6a each have two protruding crease lines 33-36 formed on the base end side of each of the protruding portions 23-26 for folding the protruding portions 23-26. The protruding crease lines 33, 35 correspond to the "first protruding crease line" of the present invention, and the protruding crease lines 34, 36 correspond to the "second protruding crease line" of the present invention.

Each of the protrusion crease lines 33-36 is formed so as to slope downward from the inner edge of each of the protrusions 23-26 toward the adjacent side edge of each of the inner panels 3a-6a, and the vertical positions of their tips (the intersections of each of the crease lines 33-36 with the side edges of each of the inner panels 3a-6a) are all generally consistent.

In addition, rectangular notches 53-56 are formed on the upper edges of the right inner plate 3a, front inner plate 4a, left inner plate 5a, and rear inner plate 6a. Of these, two notches 53 and two notches 55 are formed. These are recesses for fitting the insertion piece 70a of the cardboard bottom plate 70, which will be described later.

The outer edges of the right protrusion 23 and the left protrusion 25 are cut out so that the tips of the right inner plate 3a and the left inner plate 5a taper upward, forming inclined side edges 23a, 25a.

The front protrusion 24 and the rear protrusion 26 protrude slightly higher than the right protrusion 23 and the left protrusion 25. In addition, the front inner plate 4a and the rear inner plate 6a have vertical fold lines 44, 46 that extend vertically from the inside of the base ends of the front protrusion 24 and the rear protrusion 26 to the notches 14a, 16a. In addition, the front inner plate 4a and the rear inner plate 6a have handle openings 4a1, 6a1, and the front outer plate 4b and the rear outer plate 6b have handle openings 4b1, 6b1 that are paired with the front connecting piece 14 and the rear connecting piece 16 on either side.

The bottom 7 is an assembly type known as an American lock or hell bottom, and is composed of four right bottom flaps 7a, a front bottom flap 7b, a left bottom flap 7c, and a rear bottom flap 7d, and closes the lower opening of the torso 2. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a bottom panel 70 is laid on top of each bottom flap 7a to 7d for reinforcement.

The right bottom flap 7a is connected to the lower edge of the right outer panel 3b via the fold line L13. The right bottom flap 7a is roughly trapezoidal in shape, and a bottom notch 17a is formed at each of the left and right ends of the upper end.

The front bottom flap 7b is connected to the lower edge of the front outer panel 4b via a fold line L14.
Front bottom flap 7b is generally L-shaped with a bottom notch 17b1 formed at the left end of the upper end and a bottom notch 17b2 formed at the right end of the upper end.

The left bottom flap 7c is connected to the lower edge of the left outer panel 5b via fold line L15. The left bottom flap 7c has a generally inverted concave shape, and bottom notches 17c are formed on both the left and right ends of the upper end.

The rear bottom flap 7d is connected to the lower edge of the rear outer panel 6b via a fold line L16.
Rear bottom flap 7d is generally L-shaped with a bottom notch 17d1 formed at the right end of its upper end and a bottom notch 17d2 formed at the left end of its upper end.

In this embodiment, the bottom 7 has a bottom plate 70 (see FIG. 3) laid on top of each bottom flap 7a to 7d for reinforcement.

The bottom plate 70 is formed in a rectangular shape, and each side edge has an outwardly protruding insertion piece 70a, one on the top and bottom and two on the left and right.

Next, a procedure for assembling the container 1 will be described.
First, the front outer panel 4b is folded along the fold line L1, and the adhesive strip 11 is folded along the fold line L2. Then, the left outer panel 5b is folded along the fold line L3, and the rear outer panel 6b is folded along the fold line L4, and the adhesive strip 11 is adhered to the inner surface of the rear outer panel 6b with an adhesive (not shown). As a result, the storage box 1 is formed into a rectangular tube shape.

Next, the left bottom flap 7c, the front bottom flap 7b, the rear bottom flap 7d, and the right bottom flap 7a are folded and overlapped in that order, and the protruding portion at the tip (the lower end in FIG. 2) of the right bottom flap 7a is inserted into the recess at the tip side (the lower end in FIG. 2) of the left bottom flap 7c by pushing it toward the internal space of the box. This forms the bottom 7, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 4.

Here, the bottom notches 17a to 17d2 when the bottom 7 is formed will be described.
The bottom notch 17a of the right bottom flap 7a, the bottom notch 17b1 of the front bottom flap 7b, and the bottom notch 17d1 of the rear bottom flap 7d are formed so that their cut-out spaces coincide when in a horizontal position, and the bottom notch 17c of the left bottom flap 7c, the bottom notch 17b2 of the front bottom flap 7b, and the bottom notch 17d2 of the rear bottom flap 7d are formed so that their cut-out areas coincide when in a horizontal position, so that each pair forms corner openings 27 at each of the four corners of the bottom 7.

Next, the front connection piece 14 is folded horizontally along the fold line L6, and the front inner plate 4a is folded downward along the fold line L10. Similarly, the rear connection piece 16 is folded horizontally along the fold line L8, and the rear inner plate 6a is folded downward along the fold line L12.

As a result, the front protrusion 24 and the rear protrusion 26 are inserted into the opposing corner openings 27 and protrude from the underside of the bottom 7 (see Figures 1 and 6).

The front inner plate 4a and the rear inner plate 6a have a length (width) in the left-right direction that is greater than the distance between the right outer plate 3b and the left outer plate 5b when assembled into a box shape, so when they are folded downward, they are inserted between the right outer plate 3b and the left outer plate 5b while being slightly folded into the bottom shape at the vertical fold lines 44, 46, respectively.

As a result, the side edges of the front inner plate 4a and the rear inner plate 6a are pressed against the inner surfaces of the right outer plate 3b and the left outer plate 5b by the restoring forces of the vertical fold lines 44, 46, so that simply by folding the front inner plate 4a and the rear inner plate 6a so that they overlap the front outer plate 4b and the rear outer plate 6b, the side edges of the front inner plate 4a and the rear inner plate 6a are reliably positioned at the four corners of the body 2. In other words, the front inner plate 4a and the front outer plate 4b (the rear inner plate 6a and the rear outer plate 6b) are configured as an inverted trapezoid as a whole.

As a result, the outer edges of the front protrusions 24 and rear protrusions 26 extending from the side edges of the front inner plate 4a and rear inner plate 6a also extend substantially directly downward from the four corners of the body 2.

Next, the right connecting piece 13 is folded horizontally along fold line L5, and the right inner panel 3a is folded downward along fold line L9. Similarly, the left connecting piece 15 is folded horizontally along fold line L7, and the left inner panel 5a is folded downward along fold line L11. At this time, the side edges of the right inner panel 3a and the left inner panel 5a abut against the surfaces of the already folded front inner panel 4a and rear inner panel 6a (the surfaces facing the internal space in the areas laterally outboard of the vertical fold lines 44, 46).

As a result, the right protrusion 23 and the left protrusion 25 are inserted into the opposing corner openings 27 and protrude from the underside of the bottom 7 (see Figures 1 and 6).

As shown in FIG. 6, the front protrusion 24 and the right protrusion 23 are inserted into the corner opening 27 formed in the front right corner of the bottom 7, and protrude from the underside of the bottom 7 to form the locking portion 8 that is roughly shaped like the letter "I."

Similarly, a set of front protrusion 24 and left protrusion 25 is formed at the front left corner, a set of rear protrusion 26 and right protrusion 23 is formed at the rear right corner, and a set of rear protrusion 26 and left protrusion 25 is formed at the rear left corner.

As described above, the notches 13a-16a are formed in a horizontally elongated rectangular shape not only in each of the connecting pieces 13-16 but also in a portion of the lower end of each of the inner panels 3a-6a. Therefore, when each of the inner panels 3a-6a is folded inwardly on the outer panels 3b-6b via each of the connecting pieces 13-16, the inner panels 3a-6a are one step lower at each of the four corners of the body 2, and four step portions 9 are formed (see Figures 1 and 7).

Similarly, the openings 13b, 15b are also cut out in a horizontally elongated rectangle, not only through the right connecting piece 13 and the left connecting piece 15, but also through a portion of the lower end of the right inner panel 3a and the left inner panel 5a. When the right inner panel 3a and the left inner panel 5a are folded over on the inside of the right outer panel 3b and the left outer panel 5b via the connecting pieces 13, 15, the right inner panel 3a and the left inner panel 5a side become one step lower in the center of the right panel 3 and the left panel 5, and two auxiliary step portions 9a are formed (see Figure 1).

Finally, the bottom plate 70 is inserted into the body 2, and the insertion pieces 70a fit into the notches 53-56 formed in each of the inner plates 3a-6a, so that the bottom plate 70 connects and engages the bottom 7 and the body 2.

As a result of the above, the storage box 1 shown in Figure 1 is assembled from the corrugated paperboard 10 and the bottom panel 70.

Next, the effects of the storage box 1 according to this embodiment will be described.
The storage box 1 is constructed such that the right panel 3, front panel 4, left panel 5 and rear panel 6 are formed by overlapping the inner panels 3a to 6a and the outer panels 3b to 6b, and the bottom 7 is formed by overlapping the flaps 7a to 7d and the bottom panel 70, so that the box has high strength and can be used in place of or together with a plastic container.

In particular, in the storage box 1, the side edges of the front inner panel 4a and the rear inner panel 6a abut against the four corners of the body 2, further increasing the strength of the box.

The bottom 7 of the storage box 1 is of a prefabricated type known as an American lock or bottom lock, so as long as products are stored inside and the convex part of the right bottom flap 7a is pressed against the other bottom flaps 7b to 7d, the bottom is unlikely to fall out.

Furthermore, the bottom 7 and the body 2 are connected by fitting the insert piece 70a of the bottom plate 70 into the notches 53-56 formed in each of the inner plates 3a-6a, further increasing the strength of the box.

In the storage box 1 of this embodiment, locking portions 8 are formed on the lower end side and step portions 9 are formed on the upper end side of the four corners of the body 2, so that when multiple storage boxes 1 are stacked one on top of the other, the locking portions 8 of the upper storage box 1 can be fitted into the step portions 9 of the lower storage box 1 and abut against the outer plates 3b to 6b of the lower storage box 1. This allows the upper storage box 1 to be locked to the lower storage box 1, preventing multiple stacked storage boxes 1 from wobbling back and forth and side to side.

In particular, in the storage box 1 of this embodiment, the side edges of the front inner plate 4a and the rear inner plate 6a abut against the four corners of the body 2, so that the outer edges of the front protrusions 24 and the rear protrusions 26 extending from the side edges of the front inner plate 4a and the rear inner plate 6a also extend directly downward from the four corners of the body 2.

As a result, the outer edges of the front protrusions 24 and rear protrusions 26 of the locking portions 8 of the upper storage box 1 can be brought into contact with the corners (fold lines L1-L4) of the outer panels 3b-6b of the lower storage box 1, further preventing multiple stacked storage boxes 1 from wobbling in the front-to-back and side-to-side directions.

In particular, the uneven features of this storage box 1 are the same as those of the plastic container described above, so it is possible to use the storage box 1 alone, or to use the storage box 1 and the plastic container together at the same time.

Furthermore, since the storage box 1 of this embodiment has the auxiliary step portion 9a, even when the first tier of storage boxes 1 are aligned vertically and the second tier of storage boxes 1 are aligned horizontally, so that they are stacked in an alternating row, the outer edges of the front protrusion 24 and the rear protrusion 26 can be stored in the step portion 9 and the auxiliary step portion 9a, and the stacked storage boxes 1 can be prevented from wobbling in the front, back, left and right directions. Also, since the storage box 1 of this embodiment has the auxiliary step portion 9a, two storage boxes with half the area of the bottom (the length of the right panel and the left panel is equal to the length of the front panel 4 and the rear panel 6, and the length of the front panel and the rear panel is half the length of the right panel and the left panel) can be stacked side by side on top of each other.

Furthermore, in the storage box 1 of this embodiment, two protrusion creases 33-36 for folding each of the protrusions 23-26 are formed on the base end side of each of the protrusions 23-26, so that when multiple storage boxes 1 are stacked, the locking portion 8 of the bottom storage box 1 can be temporarily folded upward.

As a result, the entire underside of the bottom 7 can be placed on the floor, which helps prevent the boxes from becoming unstable when stacked. At the same time, because the folding position is determined proactively, it is possible to prevent the load on the locking part 8 from being mistakenly transferred to each of the inner panels 3a to 6a, which would cause each of the inner panels 3a to 6a to shift upward and accidentally unfold the box.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the storage box 1 of this embodiment, the front protrusion 24 and the rear protrusion 26 are slightly longer than the right protrusion 23 and the left protrusion 25, so the front protrusion 24 and the rear protrusion 26 start to bend before the right protrusion 23 and the left protrusion 25.

Therefore, in the storage box 1 of this embodiment, the bending order is determined, so it is possible to avoid a situation in which one protrusion and the other protrusion try to bend at the same time, collide with each other, and end up supporting each other, making it difficult to bend.

In particular, in the storage box 1 of this embodiment, the shorter right protrusion 23 and left protrusion 25 are formed with inclined side edges 23a, 25a, which prevents the right protrusion 23 and left protrusion 25 from becoming an obstacle when the front protrusion 24 and rear protrusion 26 begin to bend.

In addition, in the storage box 1 of this embodiment, the protruding crease lines 33-36 are formed so as to slope downward as they approach the side edge of each of the inner panels 3a-6a. This is to avoid a situation in which, if the protruding crease lines 33-36 were all formed horizontally (left and right in Fig. 2), one protruding part (for example, the front protruding part 24) would bend in the direction in which the other protruding part (for example, the right protruding part 23) would cross the other protruding part (for example, the right protruding part 23) and collide with each other while trying to bend at the same time (unless some ingenuity such as the inclined side edges 23a, 25a is formed), causing them to support each other and make bending difficult.

In other words, in the storage box 1, the protrusion crease lines 33-36 are formed at an angle, so that each protrusion 23-26 is folded while rotating slightly toward the center of the bottom 7. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which parts that make up the same locking part 8 (for example, the outer edge of the front protrusion 24 and the outer edge of the right protrusion 23) support each other, making it difficult to bend.

In addition, in the storage box 1 of this embodiment, the vertical positions of the tips of the protruding crease lines 33-36 (the intersections of the crease lines 33-36 with the side edges of the inner panels 3a-6a) are all generally consistent, so for example, in the case of the front left locking portion 8, the front protrusion 24, which begins to bend first while rotating, can push in the right protrusion 23 located on the inside and bend them together at the right protruding crease line 33.

When the bottommost storage box 1 is reloaded, the elastic restoration of the protruding fold lines 33-36 causes each of the protrusions 23-26 to protrude downward again, allowing them to abut against the step 9 of the lower storage box 1 once again.

Finally, modified examples of the storage box 1 will be described.
In this embodiment, the storage box 1 is described with a view to being used in common with a plastic container, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the storage box 1 may be used alone.

In this embodiment, the inner plates 3a to 6a and the outer plates 3b to 6b are connected via the connecting pieces 13 to 16, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the inner plates 3a to 6a and the outer plates 3b to 6b may be directly connected. Also, in this embodiment, the connecting pieces 13 to 16 are generally trapezoidal, but the present invention is not limited to this, and they may be rectangular or elliptical.

In this embodiment, taking the front panel 4 as an example, the length (width) in the left-right direction of the front inner panel 4a is made larger than the distance between the right outer panel 3b and the left outer panel 5b when assembled into a box shape, notches 14a are formed at the left and right ends of the front connection piece 14, and further, a vertical fold line 44 is formed that extends perpendicularly to the front inner panel 4a, so that the front inner panel 4a is configured like the bottom of a ship.

However, the vertical fold line 44 can be omitted, and the front inner plate 4a can be bow-shaped. Furthermore, since the present invention is not limited to the side edges of the front inner plate 4a and the rear inner plate 6a being disposed at the four corners of the body 2, in the case of the front plate 4 as an example, the length (width) in the left-right direction of the front inner plate 4a can be equal to or smaller than the inner dimensions of the box, and the notch 14a can be omitted.

In this embodiment, the cutouts 13a to 16a are carved out to the lower end of each of the inner panels 3a to 6a (see FIG. 2) to form a stepped portion 9 resembling a plastic container, but the stepped portion 9 can be omitted, so the lower end of each of the inner panels 3a to 6a does not have to be carved out. In this case, the locking portion 8 can be locked on the surface of each of the inner panels 3a to 6a facing the internal space.

In this embodiment, two protruding crease lines 33-36 for folding each of the protruding portions 23-26 are formed on the base end side of each of the protruding portions 23-26, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the protruding crease lines 33-36 can be omitted.

In this embodiment, the projection crease lines 33-36 are formed to slope downward from the inner edge of each projection 23-26 toward the adjacent side edge of each inner plate 3a-6a, but the present invention is not limited to this, and there is no limit to the angle at which they extend as long as each projection 23-26 can be folded toward the bottom 7. However, it is easier to accommodate each projection 23-26 in the corner opening 27 if the slope is horizontal to downward.

In this embodiment, the vertical positions of the tips of the protrusions 23-26 (intersections of the creases 33-36 and the side edges of the inner panels 3a-6a) of the protrusion creases 33-36 are generally all the same, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the case of the front right locking portion 8, the tip of the front protrusion crease line 34 of the front protrusion 24 and the tip of the right protrusion crease line 33 of the right protrusion 23 may be either above or below. However, if the tip of the protrusion crease line on the side that is folded inward (upper) (in this example, the right protrusion 23) is positioned lower, the inner protrusion (in this example, the right protrusion 23) can be pushed in and folded at the same time when folding the outer protrusion (in this example, the front protrusion 24).

In this embodiment, the right protrusion 23 and the left protrusion 25 have inclined side edges 23a, 25a formed on their outer edges, but the present invention is not limited to this. The outer edges of the right protrusion 23 and the left protrusion 25 may be cut out toward the center in the left-right direction, or conversely, may not be cut out at all.

In this embodiment, the front protrusion 24 and the rear protrusion 26 are described as protruding slightly higher than the right protrusion 23 and the left protrusion 25, but the present invention is not limited to this, and there is no restriction on the vertical relationship, and they may be at the same height.

In this embodiment, a bottom plate 70 is used, but the bottom plate 70 does not have to be used. Instead, a plate portion for forming the bottom plate may be provided adjacent to the upper end edges of the right inner plate 3a and the left inner plate 5a in FIG. 2, and these may be butted together.

In this embodiment, the bottom 7 is described as an assembled type known as an American lock or a hell bottom, but the present invention is not limited to this. As long as a bottom notch is formed to create the corner opening 27, there is no limitation on the configuration of the bottom 7, and it may be a rectangular inner flap and outer flap that make up a so-called mandarin orange box.

1 Storage box 2 Body 3 Right panel (first panel)
3a Right inner plate (first inner plate)
3b Right outer panel (first outer panel)
5 Left side plate (first side plate)
5a Left inner plate (first inner plate)
5b Left outer plate (first outer plate)
4 Front plate (second face plate)
4a Anterior inner plate (second inner plate)
4b Front outer plate (second outer plate)
6 Rear plate (second plate)
6a Posterior medial plate (second medial plate)
6b Rear outer plate (second outer plate)
7 Bottom portion 8 Locking portion 14 Front connection piece (connection piece)
16 Rear connection piece (connection piece)
23 Right protrusion (first protrusion)
24 Front projection (second projection)
25 Left protrusion (first protrusion)
26 Rear projection (second projection)
23a Slanted side edge 25a Slanted side edge 27 Corner opening 33 Right protrusion crease line (first protrusion crease line)
34 Front protrusion crease line (second protrusion crease line)
35 Left protrusion crease line (first protrusion crease line)
36 Posterior protrusion crease line (second protrusion crease line)
44 Vertical fold line 46 Vertical fold line

Claims (4)

A cardboard storage box having a rectangular tubular body extending in the vertical direction and a bottom that closes a lower opening of the body,
The body portion includes a pair of first panels facing each other in a first direction and a pair of second panels facing each other in a second direction intersecting the first direction,
At each of the four corners of the bottom portion, a corner opening is formed which penetrates the bottom portion in the up-down direction,
The first panel includes a first inner panel and a first outer panel that overlap in the first direction and are connected at upper ends,
The second panel includes a second inner panel and a second outer panel that overlap in the second direction and are connected at upper ends,
the first inner plate has a first protrusion formed on each of both ends of a lower end thereof in the second direction, the first protrusion being inserted into the corner opening and protruding from a lower surface of the bottom portion,
the second inner plate has second protrusions formed on both end sides of a lower end thereof in the first direction, the second protrusions being inserted into the corner openings and protruding from a lower surface of the bottom portion,
the first protrusion and the second protrusion inserted into the same corner opening constitute locking portions that are locked to the four corners of the upper end side of the body portion of another storage box stacked below when a plurality of the storage boxes are stacked vertically,
the second panel includes a connection piece that connects an upper end of the second inner panel and an upper end of the second outer panel only at a middle portion in the first direction,
The second inner plate has a length in the first direction greater than an inner dimension of the container in the first direction, and has a pair of vertical fold lines extending in the up-down direction,
the vertical fold line is formed so as to connect an area of the upper end of the second inner plate that is connected to the connecting piece to an area of the lower end of the second inner plate that is sandwiched between both second protrusions,
The second inner panel is folded along the vertical crease lines and has side edges abutted against the four corners of the body portion. A cardboard storage box having a rectangular tubular body extending in the vertical direction and a bottom that closes a lower opening of the body,
The body portion includes a pair of first panels facing each other in a first direction and a pair of second panels facing each other in a second direction intersecting the first direction,
At each of the four corners of the bottom portion, a corner opening is formed which penetrates the bottom portion in the up-down direction,
The first panel includes a first inner panel and a first outer panel that overlap in the first direction and are connected at upper ends,
The second panel includes a second inner panel and a second outer panel that overlap in the second direction and are connected at upper ends,
the first inner plate has a first protrusion formed on each of both ends of a lower end thereof in the second direction, the first protrusion being inserted into the corner opening and protruding from a lower surface of the bottom portion,
the second inner plate has second protrusions formed on both end sides of a lower end thereof in the first direction, the second protrusions being inserted into the corner openings and protruding from a lower surface of the bottom portion,
the first protrusion and the second protrusion inserted into the same corner opening constitute locking portions that are locked to the four corners of the upper end side of the body portion of another storage box stacked below when a plurality of the storage boxes are stacked vertically,
the first inner panel has a first projection crease line extending from an inner edge of the first projection to a side edge of the first inner panel adjacent the first projection;
The second inner panel has a second protrusion crease line extending from an inner edge of the second protrusion to a side edge of the second inner panel adjacent the second protrusion. The storage box according to claim 2,
The first protrusion crease line extends upward from a base end of the first protrusion portion on a side edge of the first inner plate,
A storage box, characterized in that the second protrusion fold line extends upward from a base end of the second protrusion portion on a side edge of the second inner plate. The storage box according to claim 3,
The storage box according to claim 1, wherein the first inner plate has an inclined side edge whose widthwise length gradually decreases toward the tip of the first protrusion.