JP7828212B2 - Storage case - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a storage case made of cardboard, and in particular to a storage case having an outer box that can be used as a sleeping area and an inner box provided inside the outer box for storing clothing and other items.

Currently, when guests come over or when evacuating in the event of a disaster, foldable simple beds or beds made of cardboard are sometimes used.
A bed made of cardboard is proposed, for example, in Patent Document 1.
The bed in Patent Document 1 is an assembly-type bed. The bed in Patent Document 1 includes a base body, a cardboard floor panel, and a cardboard support plate member. A pivot shaft of the movable part is provided at the boundary between the fixed part and the movable part of the floor panel. When the movable part is tilted, the support plate member is tilted in the opposite direction to the tilt direction of the movable part, and a first edge of the support plate member abuts against a second region on the upper surface of the base body, and a second edge abuts against the lower surface of the movable part.

JP 2017-121420 A

The bed in Patent Document 1 is an assembly type and can be disassembled when not in use, but a dedicated storage space is required for the components that make up the bed. In situations where it is difficult to secure such a dedicated storage space, it becomes difficult to use an assembly type bed. In particular, in homes where living space is limited, it becomes even more difficult to secure a dedicated storage space.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a storage case that can be used as a sleeping area without requiring a dedicated storage space.

The above problem is solved by the storage case of the present invention, which has an outer box with an opening and an inner box, with the inner box stored inside the outer box, the bottom wall of the outer box being used as a bed, and the outer box and inner box being made of cardboard.

The storage case of the present invention configured as described above can be used as a sleeping area and as a bed without requiring a dedicated storage space.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned storage case, the outer box and inner box have a rectangular or cubic external shape, the outer box has an outer wall and an inner wall, and of the inner walls, a first wall portion and a second wall portion that meet at the corners of the outer box are each provided with a bendable reinforcing piece made up of the inner wall, and it is preferable that the reinforcing piece of the first wall portion and the reinforcing piece of the second wall portion are engaged to form the reinforcing portion.
According to the above configuration, the durability of the outer box is improved and the load-bearing capacity is increased.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned storage case, it is more preferable that a hook-and-loop fastener is provided on the inner wall of the outer box, the hook-and-loop fastener is arranged between the outer box and the inner box, and can be folded and arranged on the outer surface of the outer box.
According to the above configuration, the outer boxes can be easily joined together, and as a result, the bed can be easily assembled.

In the above storage case, it is more preferable that a magnet is provided on the inner wall of the outer box or between the outer wall and the inner wall.
According to the above configuration, the outer boxes can be easily joined together, and as a result, the bed can be easily assembled.

Furthermore, in the above-described storage case, when a plurality of storage cases are used, it is even more preferable if the outer boxes of the plurality of storage cases can be joined together.
According to the above configuration, the sleeping area can be made to various sizes, and as a result, beds of various sizes can be made.
This becomes possible.

With the storage case of the present invention, the outer box can be removed and used as a sleeping area without requiring a dedicated storage space.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an inner box and an outer box of an example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a bed using an example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a storage state of an example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams illustrating a reinforcing portion of an example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is an enlarged schematic view showing a reinforcing portion of an example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. (a) of Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the engagement portion of the reinforcing part of a first example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a schematic diagram showing the engagement portion of the reinforcing part of a second example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of hook-and-loop fasteners in an example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the connection of an outer box using a hook-and-loop fastener of an example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of magnets in an example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing another example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention. 12A and 12B are schematic perspective views for explaining other usage forms of the storage case according to the embodiment of the present invention.

<<Regarding a storage case according to one embodiment of the present invention>>
Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiment) will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the drawings, the components are shown somewhat simplified and schematic to make the explanation easier to understand, and the sizes (dimensions) of the components and the spacing between the components shown in the drawings are different from the actual ones.
In addition, in this specification, "horizontal, vertical/right angles, parallel" includes the range of error generally accepted in the technical field of the present invention, and also includes states where the state is deviated from the strict horizontal, vertical/right angles, and parallel within a range of less than a few degrees (for example, 2 to 3 degrees).
The storage case will be described below.

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an inner box and an outer box of an example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a bed using an example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The storage case 10 shown in Fig. 1 has an outer box 12 with an opening 12a and an inner box 14 with an opening 14a. The outer box 12 and the inner box 14 have external shapes that are, for example, rectangular parallelepipeds or cubes. The outer box 12 and the inner box 14 have external shapes that are similar. The inner box 14 is stored inside the outer box 12. The inner box 14 stores, for example, clothing and the like.
The state in which the inner box 14 is stored inside the outer box 12 is called a drawer 15. The drawer 15 has a double structure of the outer box 12 and the inner box 14.
The storage case 10 has a case body 16 in which the drawer 15 is stored. Normally, the drawer 15 is used while stored in the case body 16. The drawer 15 is pulled out horizontally from the case body 16.
Clothes and the like are stored in the drawer 15, or more precisely, in the inner box 14, and the drawer 15 is pulled out as needed to remove the clothes and the like. A handle 13, for example, is provided on the side surface 12c (front surface) of the outer box 12 to make it easier to pull out the drawer 15.

When using multiple storage cases 10, multiple outer boxes 12 are prepared by removing the outer boxes 12 from each storage case 10, and then the multiple outer boxes 12 are combined to form a bed 18 as shown in Figure 3. Here, the multiple storage cases 10 are the same size. The bottom wall 12b of the outer box 12 removed from each storage case 10 is used as the sleeping area 18a of the bed 18.
When the storage case 10 is used to form the bed 18, the drawer 15 is first pulled out from the case body 16.
Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the inner box 14 is removed from the outer box 12 in the drawer 15, and the outer box 12 and the inner box 14 are separated.
The separated inner box 14 contains clothes and the like, and is stored in this state in the case body 16 shown in Fig. 1. In other words, the inner box 14 alone is used as a drawer 15.
Next, as shown in Fig. 3, the outer boxes 12 are placed with the bottom walls 12b facing upward, and multiple outer boxes 12 are lined up as shown in Fig. 3, and the outer surfaces 12e of adjacent outer boxes 12 are butted together to form a bed 18. In the bed 18, the bottom walls 12b of the outer boxes 12 form a sleeping area 18a.

As described above, by using the outer box 12 of the storage case 10 to create a bed 18, it can be used as a storage case 10 under normal circumstances, eliminating the need for a dedicated storage area for the bed or its components; the bottom wall 12b of the outer box 12 can be used as the sleeping area 18a. This effect is particularly effective in dwellings such as condominiums and apartments where living space is limited, where it is difficult to secure a dedicated storage area. It can also be used flexibly when a bed is needed, for example, when guests are staying overnight.

Beds 18 of various sizes (see FIG. 3) can be made by changing the number of outer boxes 12. The number of outer boxes 12 constituting the bed 18 is not particularly limited, and is determined appropriately depending on the height of the user, the number of storage cases 10, etc.
Furthermore, when multiple storage cases 10 are used, it is possible to connect the outer boxes 12 of the multiple storage cases 10. This allows the sleeping areas 18a (see FIG. 3) to be made in various sizes, and as a result, it is possible to create beds 18 (see FIG. 3) in various sizes.

The storage case 10 is made of cardboard, and the outer box 12, inner box 14, and case body 16 are all made of cardboard. Cardboard is a lightweight material, so the bed 18 can be easily formed from it.
The case body 16 is the frame of the storage case 10 and bears the load when the storage cases 10 are stacked. For this reason, it may not be made of cardboard, but may be made of plastic or other materials that are stronger than cardboard. Furthermore, the case body 16 is not limited to a configuration in which one drawer 15 is stored in one case body 16, but may be configured to store multiple drawers 15. For example, it may be configured to store two drawers 15 placed side by side, or two drawers placed side by side in two vertical rows, for a total of four drawers 15.

For example, as shown in Figure 4, a plurality of storage cases 10 are stacked and stored in the lower level 22b of a closet 20. The number of storage cases 10 is determined appropriately depending on the purpose and the size of the closet 20. The closet 20 is divided into an upper level 22a and a lower level 22b by a shelf 21a. The upper level 22a is further divided by a partition 21b.
As described above, when the outer box 12 is used as a bed 18, only the inner box 14 is stored as the drawer 15 in the case body 16. Therefore, even when the outer box 12 is used as a bed 18, no dedicated storage space is required. Also, because the storage case 10 is stored in the lower level 22b of the closet 20 as described above, even when the outer box 12 is not used as a bed 18, no dedicated storage space is required.

In the storage case 10, it is preferable to provide a reinforcing portion 26 (see FIG. 5) on the outer box 12. By providing the reinforcing portion 26, the durability of the bed 18 (see FIG. 3) is improved and the load capacity is also increased.
Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a reinforcing portion of an example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an enlarged view of the reinforcing portion of an example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 7(a) is a schematic diagram showing an engaging portion of the reinforcing portion of a first example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 7(b) is a schematic diagram showing an engaging portion of the reinforcing portion of a second example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention, where Fig. 7(b) shows the state before engagement.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the outer box 12 has a double structure having, for example, an outer wall 23a and an inner wall 23b.
As shown in FIG. 6 , the first wall portion 24a and the second wall portion 24b of the inner wall 23b, which are in contact with the corner 12d of the outer box 12, each have a foldable reinforcing piece 25 formed of the inner wall 23b. The reinforcing piece 25 is a part of the inner wall 23b. For example, the reinforcing piece 25 is partially cut out from the inner wall 23b and is not joined to the outer wall 23a. The reinforcing piece 25 can be bent toward the corner 12d at the bent end 23d. For example, the bent end 23d is provided on both the first wall portion 24a and the second wall portion 24b at a position equidistant from the corner 12d, and the reinforcing piece 25 has the same length.
7A, the tip 25a of the reinforcing piece 25 is formed, for example, in a sinusoidal shape. The inner wall 23b is provided with a notch that matches the shape of the tip 25a of the reinforcing piece 25. The reinforcing piece 25 is bent at the bent end 23d toward the corner 12d, and the tip ends 25a of the reinforcing pieces 25 are overlapped and engaged with each other to form the reinforcing portion 26.

The shape of the tip 25a of the reinforcing piece 25 is not particularly limited to the shape shown in Fig. 7(a) as long as it can be engaged, and may be, for example, the shape shown in Fig. 7(b). The tip 25a of the reinforcing piece 25 shown in Fig. 7(b) has, for example, a triangular notch 28a formed at a position halfway in the height direction Z, and has two trapezoidal protrusions 28b along the height direction Z.
When forming the reinforcing portion 26, the notches 28a are aligned in the height direction Z so that the trapezoidal protrusions 28b face each other. Then, the opposing protrusions 28b are engaged with each other by overlapping the upper protrusion 28b right-side up and the lower protrusion 28b left-side up in the height direction Z, for example. This forms the reinforcing portion 26 shown in FIG. 6.
The opposing protrusions 28b may be overlapped with each other, for example, by overlapping the upper protrusion 28b with the left side facing up and the lower protrusion 28b with the right side facing up in the height direction Z. The shape of the protrusions 28b is not limited to a trapezoidal shape.

7(a), the reinforcing pieces 25 are provided over the entire area of the outer box 12 in the height direction Z, but this is not limited to this. The length of the reinforcing pieces 25 in the height direction Z is set appropriately depending on the strength of the outer box 12. Furthermore, although a plurality of reinforcing pieces 25 may be provided along the height direction Z, in consideration of the assembly of the reinforcing portion 26 and the processing of the reinforcing pieces 25, it is preferable to provide one reinforcing piece 25 at each corner 12d of the outer box 12 as shown in FIG.
The outer wall 23a, the inner wall 23b, and the reinforcing piece 25 that constitutes the reinforcing portion 26 are made of cardboard.

In the storage case 10, as described above, a plurality of outer boxes 12 are joined together to form the bed 18 (see FIG. 3). In order to join the outer boxes 12 together, for example, a hook-and-loop fastener 27 (see FIG. 8) can be used.
Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of hook-and-loop fasteners in an example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the connection of an outer box using hook-and-loop fasteners in an example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, the same components as those shown in Fig. 5 to Fig. 7(a) and (b) are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in Figure 8, the hook-and-loop fastener 27 has a base portion 27a and a connecting portion 27b. The base portion 27a is disposed between the outer wall 23a and the inner wall 23b in a region 23c, and the connecting portion 27b is disposed inside the outer box 12. The connecting portion 27b is the portion that actually performs the fastening, and can be attached or detached from each other. The configuration of the connecting portion 27b is not particularly limited as long as it is a hook-and-loop fastener, and various known fasteners can be used.
The connecting portion 27b is configured to be bent at the edge 12f of the opening 12a of the outer box 12. The hook-and-loop fastener 27 can be disposed on the outer surface 12e of the outer box 12 by folding the connecting portion 27b at the edge 12f of the opening 12a of the outer box 12.
When the hook-and-loop fastener 27 is used to join the outer boxes 12 together, the joining portion 27b is folded back at the edge 12f of the outer box 12 and disposed on the outer surface 12e of the outer box 12. The outer surface 12e is the surface that faces the outer boxes 12 when they are joined together.
When the hook-and-loop fastener 27 is not used to connect the outer boxes 12 together, the connecting portion 27b of the hook-and-loop fastener 27 is folded back toward the inner wall 23b of the outer box 12 and positioned on the inner wall 23b side of the outer box 12. The inner box 14 is stored in the outer box 12 with the connecting portion 27b positioned on the inner wall 23b side of the outer box 12. Therefore, in the drawer 15 (see FIG. 1 ), the hook-and-loop fastener 27 is present between the outer box 12 and the inner box 14 and is not visible, but when the inner box 14 is removed from the outer box 12, the hook-and-loop fastener 27 is visible.
When joining the outer boxes 12, after removing the inner boxes 14, the joining portions 27b are folded back at the edges 12f of the outer boxes 12 as shown in Figure 9, and the joining portions 27b are brought together to join the outer boxes 12. As a result, a plurality of outer boxes 12 can be joined together to easily make a bed 18 (see Figure 3).

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of magnets in an example of a storage case according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, the same components as those shown in Fig. 5 to Fig. 7(a) and (b) are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.
In the storage case 10, as described above, the multiple outer boxes 12 are connected together with hook-and-loop fasteners 27 (see FIG. 8) to form the bed 18 (see FIG. 3), but other than this, for example, magnets 30 can also be used.

10, the magnet 30 is disposed between the outer wall 23a and the inner wall 23b in a space 23c. In this case, the magnet 30 is not visible even when the inner box 14 is removed from the outer box 12.
The magnet 30 may also be placed on the surface of the inner wall 23b. In this case, the magnet 30 is visible when the inner box 14 is removed from the outer box 12. Since there is a possibility that the magnet 30 may come into contact with the inner box 14 and fall off, it is preferable to place the magnet 30 between the outer wall 23a and the inner wall 23b, as shown in Figure 10.
There are no particular limitations on the magnet 30 as long as it can connect the outer boxes 12 together, but it is preferable that it is small and have strong magnetic force. For this reason, a neodymium magnet is preferred as the magnet 30. Furthermore, the shape of the magnet 30 is preferably a sheet or plate.
The number of magnets 30 is not particularly limited as long as it can connect the outer boxes 12 together, but a plurality of magnets is preferable. The number of magnets 30 is more preferably two or more per side of one box.

In the case of the magnets 30, when joining the outer boxes 12, after removing the inner boxes 14, the outer surfaces 12e of the outer boxes 12 on which the magnets 30 are provided are brought close together so that they face each other, as shown in Figure 10, and the outer boxes 12 are joined together by magnetic force. When the magnets 30 are used, the outer boxes 12 can be joined together simply by bringing them close together. As a result, the bed 18 (see Figure 3) can be easily made.
In order to connect the outer boxes 12 to each other, the opposing magnets 30 on the opposing outer boxes 12 have different poles. For example, when magnets 30 are provided on opposing outer surfaces 12e, the north pole is placed on one outer surface 12e and the south pole is placed on the other outer surface 12e. In this way, by aligning the orientation of the multiple outer boxes 12, the opposing magnets 30 have different poles.

Fig. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing another example of the storage case according to the embodiment of the present invention. Figs. 12(a) and 12(b) are schematic perspective views for explaining another usage form of the storage case according to the embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in Fig. 11, the storage case 10 may be provided with a divider plate 32 in the drawer 15. The divider plate 32 divides the inner box 14 into a first area 14c and a second area 14b. For example, summer clothes can be stored in the first area 14c and winter clothes in the second area 14b. By changing the orientation of the drawer 15 (for example, by swapping the front and back of the drawer 15), it is possible to change clothes.
The number of partition plates 32 is not limited to one, but may be multiple, and the number of partition plates 32 is determined appropriately depending on the application.

In addition, while the inner box 14 is housed in the outer box 12 with the opening 12a of the outer box 12 and the opening 14a of the inner box 14 aligned, this is not limiting. For example, as shown in FIG. 12(a), the opening 12a of the outer box 12 and the opening 14a of the inner box 14 may face each other, and the inner box 14 may be housed in the outer box 12 as shown in FIG. 12(b). This results in the inner box 14 being covered by the outer box 12 (i.e., closed). In this state, the drawer 15 is formed. When the drawer 15 shown in FIG. 12(b) is housed in the case body 16 shown in FIG. 1, the contents stored in the drawer are not immediately visible when pulled out. This makes it suitable for storing items that are not regularly used, valuables, etc. Furthermore, since the contents are not immediately visible when pulled out, this is also effective for preventing theft.
12(a) can also be provided with the partition plate 32 shown in Fig. 11. That is, the partition plate 32 can be provided in each of the inner box 14 having the reinforcing portion 26 shown in Fig. 5, the inner box 14 having the hook-and-loop fastener 27 shown in Fig. 8, and the outer box 12 having the magnet 30 shown in Fig. 10.

Up to this point, we have explained an embodiment of the storage case of the present invention, but the above embodiment is merely an example intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and does not limit the present invention. In other words, the present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention also includes equivalents.

10 Storage case 12 Outer box 12a Opening 12b Bottom wall 12c Side 12d Corner 12e Outer surface 12f Edge 13 Handle 14 Inner box 14a Opening 14b Second area 14c First area 15 Drawer 16 Case body 18 Bed 18a Sleeping area 20 Closet 21a Shelf 21b Partition 22a Upper level 22b Lower level 23a Outer wall 23b Inner wall 23c Space 23d Folded end 24a First wall 24b Second wall 25 Reinforcing piece 25a Tip 26 Reinforcing part 27 Hook-and-loop fastener 27a Base 27b Joint 28a Notch 28b Convex 30 Magnet 32 Partition plate Z height direction

Claims (4)

An outer box having an opening and an inner box,
The inner box is stored inside the outer box,
The bottom wall of the outer box is used as a bed,
The outer box and the inner box are made of cardboard,
The outer box and the inner box have an outer shape of a rectangular parallelepiped or a cube,
The outer box has an outer wall and an inner wall,
A storage case in which, of the inner walls, a first wall portion and a second wall portion that meet at the corners of the outer box are each provided with a bendable reinforcing piece made up of the inner wall, and the reinforcing piece of the first wall portion and the reinforcing piece of the second wall portion are engaged to form a reinforcing portion . 2. The storage case according to claim 1, wherein a hook-and-loop fastener is provided on the inner wall of the outer box, the hook-and-loop fastener being disposed between the outer box and the inner box and capable of being folded and disposed on the outer surface of the outer box. The storage case according to claim 1 , wherein a magnet is provided on the inner wall of the outer box or between the outer wall and the inner wall. The storage case according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein when a plurality of the storage cases are used, the outer boxes of the plurality of storage cases can be connected to each other.