JP7681531B2 - Storage Box - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a storage box to be installed outdoors. More specifically, the present invention relates to a storage box to be installed outdoors and suitable for use in temporarily storing household items (such as small items to be used outdoors or household garbage) or parcels.

2. Description of the Related Art A wide variety of storage boxes for outdoor installation have been known.
In particular, storage boxes for storing garbage (hereinafter, those for this purpose will be referred to as garbage storage boxes) come in large ones for use in apartment complexes and housing estates, and small ones for individual households, and are used for different purposes.
An example of a large-sized trash storage box is the conventional technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, and an example of a small-sized trash storage box is the conventional technology disclosed in Patent Document 2.

A large garbage storage box like that described in Patent Document 1 is a box-shaped box with a large width, depth, and height in order to store garbage bags for several to a dozen households. In order to make it easier to insert garbage bags into such a box-shaped box, the front wall is low to make the opening large, and a lid is attached to cover the opening. In many cases, the lid is opened and closed by sliding a curved arc-shaped lid body or by opening and closing a flat lid body that is inclined downward at the front when closed.
However, this structure has the disadvantage that when the lid is opened, rainwater adhering to the lid body splashes forward, causing rainwater to splash on people putting garbage in or taking it out.

A small trash storage box like that in Patent Document 2 is a small box-shaped box because it only needs to store a small amount of trash. In order to make it easier to put trash bags in and take them out, such a small box-shaped box has an opening at the top and an openable lid attached to it. Therefore, the upper edges of the four periphery of the box-shaped box are horizontal, and the lid is also horizontal when closed.
Although Patent Document 2 does not explicitly state whether the lid is horizontal when closed, it can be determined from the drawings that the lid is installed horizontally. With this structure, rainwater collects on the horizontal lid when it rains, and when the lid is opened, the rainwater collected on the lid splashes in all directions, which can result in rainwater splashing on people taking garbage in and out and on the surrounding area.

JP 2015-74542 A JP 2000-335703 A

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide an outdoor storage box that can prevent rainwater from accumulating on the lid and prevent rainwater on the lid from splashing on people.

A storage box according to a first aspect of the present invention is a storage box comprising a main body having a storage section inside and an opening at the top , and a lid attached to the main body for opening and closing the opening, wherein the main body comprises a front panel, a right side panel, a left side panel, and a rear panel, and further comprises a front frame provided on an upper portion of the front panel, a right side frame provided on an upper portion of the right side panel, a left side frame provided on an upper portion of the left side panel, and a rear frame provided on an upper portion of the rear panel, and the lid comprises a front lid frame, a right lid frame, a left lid frame, and a rear lid frame. and a roof body provided inside the lid frame, the upper surface of the roof body being lower than the upper surface of the lid frame body and having a downward slope toward the rear lid frame when the lid is closed, the rear lid frame being rotatably attached to the rear frame of the main body , the rear lid frame being provided with a drain outlet through which rainwater flowing from the roof body passes and a drip section through which rainwater flowing down from the drain outlet flows rearward, a downward rib being formed at the rear end of the drip section, and an upward rib being formed at the front end of the upper surface of the rear frame .
The storage box of the second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the roof body is provided with a groove for directing rainwater flowing along the upper surface of the roof body rearward, and the drain outlet of the rear cover frame is provided at a position corresponding to the rear end of the groove .
The storage box of the third invention is characterized in that, in the first or second invention, a damper connecting the lid and the rear frame is provided at approximately the center of the lid and the rear frame in the left-right direction.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the following effects are achieved.
a) Since the upper surface of the roof body is configured to be lower than the upper surface of the lid frame body, rainwater does not splash onto the front, right and left sides of the main body when the lid is opened, thereby preventing rainwater from splashing on the person opening the lid.
b) The roof body installed inside the lid frame has a downward slope toward the rear (i.e., toward the rear lid frame) when the lid is closed (i.e., in the closed lid state) , so that rainwater that falls on the roof body can naturally flow away to the rear .
c) Rain that falls on the roof body flows through the drainage hole and drip edge formed in the rear cover frame to the rear of the main body, and then flows down the downward ribs, preventing rainwater from running down the wall and entering the storage area.
d) Even if some of the rainwater that has run off the drain at the top of the rear frame tries to flow forward, it is blocked by the upward rib at the front end, effectively preventing the rainwater from entering the storage compartment.
According to the second invention, rainwater that falls on the roof body is collected in the gutter, but is then drained directly downward and rearward through a drainage outlet provided corresponding to the rear end of the gutter, so that rainwater does not accumulate on the roof body and can be prevented from seeping into the inside of the storage section.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the opening and closing speed of the lid can be adjusted by providing a damper. Also, by providing the damper at the approximate center of the lid and the rear frame in the left-right direction, the opening angle of the lid can be increased without increasing the gap between the lid and the main body.

1 is a perspective view of a storage box A according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a front view of the storage box A of FIG. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the storage box A of FIG. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the storage box A of FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 2. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 4. 1 is a perspective view of a storage box A with the lid open. FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of FIG. 8 .

Next, an embodiment in which the storage box of the present invention is used as a garbage storage box will be described with reference to the drawings.
In this specification, the terms front, back, left and right are used based on the front, back, left and right directions shown by the arrows in FIG.
First, the basic structure of the storage box A will be described with reference to FIGS.
The storage box A of this embodiment is composed of a rectangular parallelepiped main body 1 and a lid 4. The inside of the main body 1 is a storage section 2 (a storage section for storing garbage, etc.), and the top surface is an opening 3. The lid 4 is attached to the main body 1 so that the opening 3 can be opened and closed.

The main body 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
The main body 1 has pillars 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d standing at the four corners.
Between the left and right support columns 15a, 15b on the front side, a front panel 11 is provided. The front panel 11 is made up of three aluminum panels 11a, 11b, and 11c connected together.
Between the front and rear support pillars 15b, 15c on the right side, a right side panel 12 is provided. The right side panel 12 is formed by connecting three aluminum panels 12a, 12b, 12c to one another.
Between the front and rear support posts 15a, 15d on the left side is provided a left side panel 13. The left side panel 13 is formed by connecting three aluminum panels 13a, 13b, 13c to one another.
Between the left and right rear support columns 15c, 15d is provided a rear panel 14. The rear panel 14 is formed by connecting three aluminum panels 14a, 14b, 14c to one another.

In the storage box A of this embodiment, the front panel 11, right side panel 12, left side panel 13 and rear panel 14 are each made up of three panels, but the number of panels can be any number, two or less, or four or more.
The front panel 11, right side panel 12, left side panel 13 and rear panel 14 form a panel body, and the storage section 2 is enclosed by this panel body.

A front frame 21 is provided at the top of the front panel 11 of the main body 1. A right side frame 22 is provided at the top of the right side panel 12. A left side frame 23 is provided at the top of the left side panel 13. A rear frame 24 is provided at the top of the rear panel 14. The four side frames 21-24 may be attached to the four panels 11-14 in any manner, as long as each frame 21-24 is provided at the top of each panel 11-14.

The front frame 21, right side frame 22, left side frame 23 and rear frame 24 are all made of aluminum material and form a panel frame. Specifically, the illustrated frames 21, 22, 23 and 24 are fitted to the upper ends of the front panel 11, right side panel 12, left side panel 13 and rear panel 14, and are fixed with screws.

A front lower frame 31, a right lower frame 32, a left lower frame 33, and a rear lower frame 34 are provided between the lower ends of the four pillars 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d. The four lower frames 31 to 34 can be attached to the four pillars 15a to 15d in any manner, and can be attached by various means such as screws.

5 and 6, a bottom plate 37 is supported by the front lower frame 31 and the rear lower frame 34. The bottom plate 37 is composed of six aluminum panels 37a to 37f, with gaps provided between adjacent panels 37a to 37f.
Bagged garbage (garbage bags) and the like are placed on this bottom plate 37. Even if moisture leaks from the garbage bags, it can drip onto the ground through gaps without accumulating inside the storage section 2.

The lid 4 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 7. The lid 4 is made up of a lid frame 5 and a roof 6 provided inside the lid frame 5. The lid frame 5 is made up of a front lid frame 51, a right lid frame 52, a left lid frame 53, and a rear lid frame 54.
The roof body 6 is made up of three panels 16a, 16b, and 16c, and is provided inside the lid frame body 5. As described above, the roof body 6 has a downward slope toward the rear, but by providing it inside the lid frame body 5, the slope is not noticeable and the lid 4 appears flat, improving its appearance.
Although the roof body 6 is inserted into the lid frame body 5 and fixed thereto, the fixing method is not limited to this.

As can be seen from Figures 1 and 6, the roof body 6 is provided inside the lid frame body 5, so that the top surface of the roof body 6 is lower than the top surfaces of the right lid frame 52 and the left lid frame 53 of the lid frame body 5. This prevents rainwater from splashing to the left and right sides of the lid 4 when the lid 4 is opened.

Next, the opening and closing structure of the lid 4 and the drainage mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS.
The rear cover frame 54 of the cover 4 is rotatably attached to the rear frame 24 of the main body 1. Any means may be used for rotatably attaching the cover 4, but in this embodiment, a hinge 7 is used. There are two hinges 7, one on the left and one on the right (see FIG. 3), and they are attached to the rear side of the rear cover frame 54.
In this embodiment, the hinge 7 is attached to the rear frame 24 via an auxiliary metal fitting 71, but it may also be attached directly.
The lid 4 rotates about a hinge 7, so that when the front side of the lid 4 is lifted, it can be opened to open the opening 3 (see FIG. 7), and when the front side is lowered, it can be closed (see FIG. 1), to close the opening 3.

The above-described main body 1 and lid 4 are each made of aluminum material, and therefore have sufficient strength and are lightweight.
However, this does not preclude the above members from being made of other materials such as plastic.

As shown in Figures 1 and 8, the roof body 6 of the lid 4 has a downward slope toward the rear lid frame 54 when the lid is closed. This slope does not need to be large, as long as it allows rainwater to naturally flow toward the rear. Specifically, an inclination angle of about 1 to 3 degrees with respect to the horizontal is sufficient.

9, the rear lid frame 54 of the lid 4 is made of a member integrally formed with a roof body receiving portion 54c having a box-shaped cross section, a drip edge portion 54d extending outward from the outer (rear) end of the roof body receiving portion 54c, a vertical plate portion 54a extending upward from the outer upper end of the roof body receiving portion 54c, and a horizontal plate portion 54b at the upper end of the vertical plate portion 54a. The rear lid frame 54 is an aluminum shaped member, but is not limited to this.
A downward rib 54e is provided on the outer end of the drain 54d, which can prevent rainwater from running down the wall surface and entering the interior.
The rear end of the roof body 6 is inserted between the horizontal plate portion 54b and the roof body receiving portion 54c on the left side in the figure (inside the lid 4) of the rear lid frame 54 constructed as described above.

Between the three panels 16a, 16b, and 16c that make up the roof body 6, there are grooves 6a for fitting each panel together (see FIG. 1). Rainwater that falls on the upper surface of the roof body 6 flows over the upper surfaces of the panels 16a, 16b, and 16c, but most of it flows into the grooves 6a and is then carried backward.
Drainage holes 55 are formed on the rear side of the rear cover frame 54, specifically on the vertical plate portion 54a. As shown in Fig. 3, the drainage holes 55 are formed at four locations spaced apart in the width direction of the rear cover frame 54. The locations where the drainage holes 55 are formed correspond to the panel fitting grooves 6a.

The above structure allows rainwater collected in the groove 6a of the roof body 6 to flow toward the rear end of the roof body 6. Furthermore, as shown by arrows y1 to y6 in Figure 9, rainwater flowing through the groove 6a (arrow y1) flows out of the drainage outlet 55 formed in the rear lid frame 54 (arrow y2), and then flows through the drainage section 54d toward the rear of the storage box A (arrow y3). The flowing rainwater flows down along the rear panel 14 of the main body 1. This prevents rainwater from accumulating on the roof body 6, preventing rainwater from splashing on people who open the lid 4.

The drainage hole 55 may be provided in the vertical plate portion 54a of the rear cover frame 54 as described above, or may be formed by drilling a hole in the roof receiving portion 54c. In this case, the roof receiving portion 54c may be changed from a box-shaped cross section to a flat plate-shaped cross section. In this way, after rainwater flows out of the drainage hole in the roof receiving portion 54c, it flows rearward along the upper horizontal plate 24b of the rear frame 24 and then flows down along the rear panel 14, preventing rainwater from entering the interior of the storage section 2.

As shown in detail in FIG. 9, the rear frame 24 of the main body 1 comprises a vertical plate 24a, an upper horizontal plate 24b connected thereto, a rib 24c rising from the inner end of the upper horizontal plate 24b, and a receiving member 24d having a box-shaped cross section.
The rear frame 24 has a configuration in which the ribs 24c rise slightly higher than the upper horizontal plate 24b, so that the rear upper end of the rear frame 24 (the outer end of the upper horizontal plate 24b) is lower than the front upper end of the rear frame 24 (the upper end of the ribs 24c). Therefore, even if rainwater flows out of the drainage port 55 of the rear cover frame 54 and falls onto the upper surface of the rear frame 24 (arrow y4), it is blocked by the ribs 24c (arrow y5), flows rearward along the upper horizontal plate 24b (arrow y6), and further flows down along the rear panel 14. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent rainwater from entering the interior of the storage section 2.

Although not shown, the front frame 21, right side frame 22, and left side frame 23 of the main body 1 are provided with ribs similar to the rib 24c of the rear frame 24. These ribs have a blocking effect similar to the rib 24c of the rear frame 24, so they can effectively prevent rainwater from entering the interior of the storage section 2.

In the above embodiment, the upper horizontal plate 24b of the rear frame 24 is provided with the rib 24c, but the upper horizontal plate 24b may be inclined so that the front upper end is higher and the rear upper end is lower without providing the rib 24c. In this case, the rainwater flowing out from the drain port 55 of the rear cover frame 54 can be discharged to the rear side by the inclined upper horizontal plate 24b.
In addition, the inclined structure of the upper horizontal panel 24b can also be adopted in the upper horizontal panels of the front frame 21, right side frame 22, and left side frame 23 of the main body 1, thereby preventing rainwater from entering the interior of the storage section 2.

Next, the opening and closing structure of the lid 4 will be described in further detail with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 8, the hinge 7 described above is fixed to an auxiliary metal fitting 71 which is fixed to the rear cover frame 54 of the cover 4 and the rear frame 24 of the main body 1 with screws.
Therefore, when the front portion of the lid 4 is held by hand and moved up and down, the lid 4 rotates about the hinge 7, and the lid 4 opens and closes.

In addition, a damper 8 is attached between the cover 4 and the rear frame 24 of the main body 1 .
The damper 8 is a cylinder filled with an inert gas (e.g., argon gas), and is a functional member that expands with a small force when no external force is applied, and contracts with a small force when an external force is applied. The illustrated damper 8 is covered with a protective rubber tube 85.
A piston 81 of the damper 8 is fixed with screws to the receiving member 24d of the rear frame 24 of the main body 1 via a bracket 83. A cylinder 82 of the damper 8 is fixed with screws to the underside of the lid 4 via a bracket 84.

Specifically, the cylinder 82 of the damper 8 is fixed to a bracket 84 via a mounting member 56 provided on the underside of the lid 4. This mounting member 56 is an aluminum shaped member attached so as to span between the front lid frame 51 and the rear lid frame 54, and it increases the strength of the lid 4 and also functions as a mounting base for the damper 8.
The method of connecting the rear frame 24 or the lid 4 to the damper 8 is arbitrary; for example, the roof body 6 of the lid 4 and the damper 8 may be directly connected.

As shown in Fig. 8, a collared screw 86 may be provided on the bracket 83 of the damper 8. The collar used here is a small-diameter tubular member that can be fitted onto the head of the screw or the threaded portion of the screw. The material of the collar is not particularly limited, but it is preferably made of resin.
If this collar is fitted onto the head of the screw, or fitted onto a threaded portion that is longer than the plate thickness of the bracket 83 so that the collar is on the outside of the bracket 83, it will come into contact with the head of the piston 81 when the damper 8 is erected (when the lid 4 is open), and the collar will function as a stopper. In this case, when the lid 4 is opened and the damper 8 stands up while extending, as shown in Figure 7, with the lid 4 wide open, the head of the piston 81 of the damper 8 will come into contact with the collar of the collared screw 86, preventing the lid 4 from opening any further. This makes it possible to prevent excessive force from being applied to the hinge 7 when the lid 4 is opened.

The collared screw 86 can be provided (attached) after the storage box is installed. By providing the collared screw 86 after installation, the opening angle of the lid 4 can be adjusted according to the installation situation.
The collar of the collared screw 86 may be a separate member from the screw, or may be an integral part of the screw. If the collar is a separate member, it is possible to replace only the collar if it is damaged, which improves maintainability.

As shown in FIG. 7, the damper 8 is attached to approximately the center of the width (left-right) of the main body 1 and the lid 4. In other words, the damper 8 is not attached between the right side frame 22 and the right side lid frame 52, and between the left side frame 23 and the left side lid frame 53. In this specification, the term "approximately the center" includes both a position that is exactly in the center and a position that is slightly shifted left-right.

The damper 8 allows the lid 4 to be opened and closed with a light force. Since the dampers 8 are not located on either the left or right side of the lid 4, the following effects are obtained.
(1) The lid 4 can be opened and closed stably with one damper 8.
(2) Since the lid 4 and the rear frame 24 are connected by the damper 8, the opening angle of the lid 4 can be made larger, making it easier to put in and take out items.
(3) When the lid 4 and the rear frame 24 are connected with the damper 8, the gap between the lid frame body 5 and the panel frame body can be made smaller than when the damper 8 is provided between the right side frame 22 and the right side lid frame 52 and between the left side frame 23 and the left side lid frame 53, resulting in a better appearance.

The storage box of the present invention is small and suitable for home use, but it can also be used in offices, hospitals, schools, and other places. Typical uses include temporary storage of garbage, temporary storage of household items (for example, small items such as balls and bats used outdoors), and delivery boxes, but it can be used for a variety of purposes without being limited to these.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Main body 2 Storage section 3 Opening 4 Lid 5 Lid frame 6 Roof 7 Hinge 8 Damper 11 Front panel 12 Right side panel 13 Left side panel 14 Rear panel 21 Front frame 22 Right side frame 23 Left side frame 24 Rear frame 51 Front lid frame 52 Right side lid frame 53 Left side lid frame 54 Rear lid frame 55 Drain hole A Storage box

Claims (3)

A storage box including a main body having a storage section inside and an opening on the top , and a lid attached to the main body for opening and closing the opening,
the main body comprises a front panel, a right side panel, a left side panel, and a rear panel, and further comprises a front frame provided on an upper portion of the front panel, a right side frame provided on an upper portion of the right side panel, a left side frame provided on an upper portion of the left side panel, and a rear frame provided on an upper portion of the rear panel;
The lid includes a lid frame body formed of a front lid frame, a right lid frame, a left lid frame, and a rear lid frame, and a roof body provided inside the lid frame body,
The roof body has an upper surface lower than an upper surface of the lid frame body , and has a downward slope toward the rear lid frame in a closed state,
The rear cover frame is rotatably attached to the rear frame of the main body ,
The rear cover frame is provided with a drainage outlet through which rainwater flows from the roof body and a drip edge portion through which the rainwater that flows down from the drainage outlet flows rearward, and a downward rib is formed at the rear end of the drip edge portion,
An upward rib is formed at the front end of the upper surface of the rear frame.
A storage box characterized by: The roof body is provided with a groove for directing rainwater flowing on the upper surface of the roof body backward,
2. The storage box according to claim 1, wherein the drain hole of the rear cover frame is provided at a position corresponding to a rear end of the groove . 3. The storage box according to claim 1 , wherein a damper that connects the lid and the rear frame is provided at approximately the center of the lid and the rear frame in the left-right direction.