JP7849838B2 - container - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a container that is box-shaped overall, has a top opening and a side opening, the top opening is opened and closed by a lid, and the side opening is opened and closed by a door member.

Conventionally, a type of container of this kind is known in which a door member is hinged to the lower edge of the side opening. Furthermore, in this container, an engaging portion on the door member engages with the opening edges on both sides of the side opening, locking the door member into a closed position (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-131108 (Figures 1 and 9)

However, the conventional containers described above have a problem in that the door members deform under internal load from the contents, and there is a need to increase the strength of the door members against such loads.

To solve the above problems, the container of this disclosure comprises: a container body having an overall box shape and having a top opening and a side opening; a lid for opening and closing the top opening; a door member hinged to the lower edge of the side opening for opening and closing the side opening; a side locking member supported by the door member and moving between a locked position where it engages with the side portion of the door member on the container body to lock the door member in a closed state and an unlocked position where the engagement is released; an upper locking member supported by the door member and moving between a locked position where it engages with the upper portion of the door member on the lid to lock the door member in a closed state and an unlocked position where the engagement is released; and an operating part shared by the side locking member and the upper locking member for operating the side locking member and the upper locking member from the locked position to the unlocked position.

In the container of this disclosure, a door member hinged to the lower edge of the side opening is provided with a lateral locking member and an upper locking member. The lateral locking member engages with the lateral portion of the door member on the container body to lock the door member in the closed position, and the upper locking member engages with the upper portion of the door member on the lid to lock the door member in the closed position. That is, the door member of the container of this disclosure, including its lower hinged connection portion, is supported at its top, bottom, and sides by the container body and lid. This increases the strength of the door member against the load it receives from the inside due to the stored cargo. Furthermore, since the operating mechanism is shared between the lateral locking member and the upper locking member, the unlocking operation can be easily performed.

Perspective view of a container according to one embodiment of the present disclosure Perspective view of the folded container Exploded perspective view of the container body Perspective view of a partially broken container in a folded state. Perspective view of a container with the lid positioned at the lower end. Perspective view of a container with the lid closed. Perspective view of a container with the lid open. Side view of a container with the lid positioned at the lower end and the door members folded over. Perspective view of the rear inner surface of the lid Perspective view of the upper rear of the container Perspective view of the upper surface of the lid Perspective view of the front side of the opening wall Perspective view of the rear side of the opening wall Perspective view of the outer surface of the second side wall body Perspective view of the inner surface of the second side wall body. Perspective view of the front side of the upper and lower door members. Perspective view of the rear side of the upper door member and the lower door member. Perspective view of the folded door components. Perspective view of the folded door components. Side view of the folded door component. Perspective view of the composite locking member (A) Perspective view of a partial fracture of the second side wall body locked in the closed position, (B) Perspective view of a partial fracture of the second side wall body with the lock released. Side cross-sectional view of the second side wall body in the closed position of the door member. Perspective view of the container during the process of opening the door component. Perspective view of stacked containers

The following describes an embodiment of the container 10 of this disclosure with reference to Figures 1 to 25. As shown in Figure 1, the container 10 of this embodiment has a box-shaped container body 10H having a top opening W1 and a side opening W2, to which a lid 90 for opening and closing the top opening W1 and a door member 50 for opening and closing the side opening W2 are assembled. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the container 10 is foldable. While all components of the container 10 of this embodiment are molded from resin, metal components may also be included.

First, the structure of the container body 10H will be described below. As shown in Figure 3, the container body 10H has a rectangular bottom wall 11 with a planar shape elongated in the first horizontal direction H1, a pair of first side walls 30 facing each other in the first horizontal direction H1, and a pair of second side walls 40 facing each other in the second horizontal direction H2. Each pair of first side walls 30 consists of a pair of first side wall base portions 31 rising from the bottom wall 11 and a pair of first side wall bodies 32 hinged to them. Each pair of second side walls 40 consists of a pair of second side wall base portions 41 rising from the bottom wall 11 and a pair of second side wall bodies 42 hinged to them. Furthermore, each hinged connection limits the range of rotation so that the first side wall bodies 32 and the second side wall bodies 42 do not rotate outward from their upright position, but rotate inward until they reach a horizontal position.

Furthermore, the pair of second side wall bases 41 are higher than the pair of first side wall bases 31. As shown in Figure 4, the container body 10H is folded by first folding the pair of first side wall bodies 32 onto the bottom wall 11, and then folding the pair of second side wall bodies 42 onto the pair of first side wall bodies 32. The container body 10H is then returned to its assembled state by raising the pair of second side wall bodies 42 and the pair of first side wall bodies 32 in the reverse order. Unless otherwise specified, the following explanation assumes the container body 10H is in its assembled state.

As shown in Figure 5, each first side wall body 32 is sandwiched between the side edges of a pair of second side wall bodies 42 in the second horizontal direction H2. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, each second side wall body 42 is provided with a pair of side projections 43 that extend vertically along both side edges and project toward the first side wall body 32. These pair of side projections 43 overlap the outer surface of the side edges of each first side wall body 32 in the assembled state. In addition, each side projection 43 is provided with multiple through holes 43A arranged vertically, and multiple projections 32T that engage with these through holes 43A are formed on the outer surface of each side edge of the first side wall body 32.

As shown in Figure 5, each first side wall body 32 is provided with a locking member 34 at its upper end to lock the first side wall body 32 in an upright position. The locking member 34 includes a center member 35 and a pair of side locking members 36.

The center member 35 is positioned in the lateral center of the outer surface of the upper end of the first side wall body 32, and is supported so as to be vertically slidable by reinforcing ribs 32L on the outer surface of the first side wall body 32, and is covered from the outside by a cover member 38. An operating section 35B provided on the center member 35 faces outwards through an operating window 38W formed in the cover member 38. The center member 35 is also provided with a pair of elastic pieces (not shown). These elastic pieces contact the reinforcing ribs 32L, biasing the center member 35 to the locked position at the upper end of its movable range.

A pair of side lock members 36 are rod-shaped, extending from both sides of the center member 35. They are supported so as to be slidable laterally on the first side wall body 32, passing through through holes 36K formed in the reinforcing ribs 32L. One end of each side lock member 36 is cam-coupled to the center member 35 at the rear of the cover member 38, and moves in conjunction with the center member 35 between an unlocked position where the pair of center members 35 are close together and a locked position where they are far apart. As shown in Figure 3, a pair of notches 36A are formed on both sides of the first side wall body 32, opposite to the tips of the side lock members 36 in the locked position. Furthermore, the tips of each side lock member 36 are provided with inclined guide surfaces 36G on the opposite side of the surface facing the notches 36A.

The side lock member 36 engages with the engaging projection 44 of the second side wall body 42 shown in Figure 13, thereby locking the first side wall body 32 in an upright position. Specifically, the engaging projection 44 is a projection that protrudes from the inner surface of the second side wall body 42 and faces the opposite side of the side wall 43, and has a recess 44S on the side facing the side wall 43. Then, as the first side wall body 32 moves from a tilted state to an upright position, the side lock member 36 slides against the inclined guide surface 36G of the side lock member 36 in the locked position, and the side lock member 36 moves to the unlocked position. When the first side wall body 32 is in an upright position, as shown in Figure 1, the engaging projection 44 is received by the notch 36A of the first side wall body 32, and the side lock member 36 elastically returns to the locked position and fits into the recess 44S of the engaging projection 44. As a result, the first side wall body 32 is locked in an upright position. Furthermore, by operating the control unit 35B to move the side lock member 36 to the unlocked position, the first side wall body 32 can be tilted inward.

As shown in Figure 5, a projection 37 is provided on the upper surface of the first side wall body 32. The projection 37 is positioned in the lateral center of the upper surface of the first side wall body 32 and is shaped like a protruding piece. When the container body 10H is assembled and the lid 90 is closed, the projection 37 engages with the slit-shaped engagement hole 91K (see Figure 7) formed in the lid 90.

The lid 90 will now be described. As shown in Figure 1, the lid 90 is connected to the second side wall body 42 of the pair of second side wall bodies 42 that does not have a side opening W2. Hereafter, when distinguishing between the pair of second side wall bodies 42, the second side wall body 42 having the side opening W2 will be referred to as the "front second side wall body 42," and the other second side wall body 42 will be referred to as the "rear second side wall body 42." Furthermore, with respect to the front second side wall body 42 and the door member 50 that closes its side opening W2, the outer surface will be appropriately referred to as the "front," and the inner surface as the "rear." In addition, with respect to the lid 90, the first horizontal direction H1 will be referred to as the "lateral direction," the second horizontal direction H2 in the closed state will be referred to as the "front-to-back direction," the side with the side opening W2 in the closed state will be referred to as the "front side," "front part," etc., and the opposite side will be referred to as the "rear side," "rear part," etc.

As shown in Figure 6, the lid 90 rotates from a closed state, with the top opening W1 of the container body 10H closed, to the upright position shown in Figure 7, centered on the upper end of the rear second side wall body 42. From there, it can slide down to the lower end position shown in Figure 8 while maintaining the upright position. To achieve this, as shown in Figure 7, a pair of rail sections 95 extending in the front-rear direction are provided at positions near both ends of the inner surface of the lid 90 in the lateral direction. A pair of engagement grooves 95M are provided on the sides of these rail sections 95 facing opposite directions. Both ends of these engagement grooves 95M are closed. The lid 90 is assembled to the rear second side wall body 42 via a pair of first hinge members 45 and a pair of second hinge members 46, as shown in Figure 9.

Specifically, the first hinge member 45 has a shape in which a projection 45B protrudes from one side edge of the slide plate 45A. When the slide plate 45A is received in the engagement groove 95M, the projection 45B protrudes more than the rail portion 95 from the inner surface of the lid 90. Furthermore, a cylindrical portion 45C protrudes from one side of the projection 45B, facing the slide plate 45A across the rail portion 95. A hinge hole 45D extending laterally penetrates both the projection 45B and the cylindrical portion 45C.

The second hinge member 46 has a shape in which a support pin 46B extends from one side of a rectangular block 46A, and the support pin 46B passes through the hinge hole 45D. Furthermore, the block 46A is provided with a projection 46T (see Figure 10) on one side adjacent to the side having the support pin 46B.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, a pair of notches 42K are formed at the upper end of the rear second side wall body 42, near both ends in the lateral direction. The notches 42K open to the inner, outer, and upper surfaces of the rear second side wall body 42, and are narrower below a certain point in the vertical direction. Also, as shown in Figure 10, hinge holes 46J that penetrate horizontally are provided in the walls on both sides of the lower end of the notches 42K. Moreover, a pair of block receiving holes 46V that open horizontally are provided at both ends in the lateral direction of the upper part of the rear second side wall body 42, and the block receiving holes 46V and the notches 42K are in communication via the hinge holes 46J. Additionally, engagement holes 46W provided on the upper rear surface of the rear second side wall body 42 are in communication with the pair of block receiving holes 46V.

Then, with the projection 45B of the first hinge member 45 received at the lower end of the notch 42K, the second hinge member 46 is inserted into the block receiving hole 46V from the support pin 46B side, and the support pin 46B is passed through the hinge holes 45D and 46J. Furthermore, the engagement of the projection 46T with the engagement hole 46W prevents the second hinge member 46 from coming out of the block receiving hole 46V. As a result, the lid 90 rotates and slides as described above.

As shown in Figure 11, upper surface projections 91 are formed along the outer edges of all four sides of the upper surface of the lid 90, except for the middle portion of the rear edge. The upper surface projections 91 consist of corner ridges 91L located at the four corners of the upper surface of the lid 90, front ridges 91A connecting the corner ridges 91L at the front edge of the lid 90, and side ribs 91B connecting the corner ridges 91L at both sides of the outer surface of the lid 90.

The planar shape of the corner embankment section 91L is L-shaped, following the outer edges of the four corners of the cover body 90, and has a roughly rectangular cross-section with a flat upper surface. Furthermore, the upper surfaces of the four corner embankment sections 91L are located within the same plane (i.e., they are flush).

The side rib 91B is formed by extending the inner wall of the adjacent corner embankment portion 91L. Furthermore, the aforementioned engagement hole 91K opens outside the side rib 91B, and a reinforcing projection 91C protrudes from the opening edge onto the upper surface.

The front embankment section 91A has a shape that is slightly lower than the corner embankment section 91L, and the upper surfaces of the corner embankment section 91L and the front embankment section 91A are gently sloped. In addition, a handgrip section 92 is provided in the central part of the front embankment section 91A. The handgrip section 92 includes an outer handgrip section 92B, which is formed by removing the area from the outer wall of the front embankment section 91A to the outer edge of the upper wall, and an inner handgrip section 92A, which is formed by creating a corrugated shape with multiple arc-shaped recesses on the inner wall of the front embankment section 91A. Thus, the handle portion 92 is provided only on the front edge, which is one of the four outer edges of the lid 90. Furthermore, the inner handle portion 92A of the handle portion 92 has a wavy shape suitable for gripping the fingertips. Therefore, when opening and closing the lid 90, the operator is guided to place their hand on the front edge, preventing them from operating the lid 90 by placing their hand on the rear edge or side edges. In particular, on the rear edge of the lid 90, the upper projection 91 is removed from the portion opposite the handle portion 92, preventing the lid 90 from being opened by placing a hand on the rear edge, which is the pivot point of the lid 90.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, engagement grooves 94 are formed on almost the entire front edge of the inner surface of the lid 90, except for the area where the handle portion 92 is on the reverse side. These engagement grooves 94 are formed by leaving the lower surfaces of the corner embankment portion 91L and the front embankment portion 91A open. Moreover, as shown in Figure 22(A), a pair of guide slopes 94G are formed on the lower ends of both sides of the outer handle portion 92B on the front outer surface of the lid 90.

The following describes the front second side wall body 42. As shown in Figure 1, the front second side wall body 42 is provided with the aforementioned side opening W2. The side opening W2 is formed in the area of the second side wall body 42 excluding the sides and bottom, and is generally a horizontally elongated rectangle. Furthermore, a pair of opening walls 48 protrude from the inner edges of the second side wall body 42 on the inner surfaces of one pair of side openings W2. As shown in Figure 12, each opening wall 48 extends from the upper end to a position near the lower end of the side opening W2 with a constant width, and is provided with a triangular rib portion 48A that gradually widens from the position near the lower end towards the lower end. The lower end of the triangular rib portion 48A is connected to the lower inner surface of the side opening W2. As a result, the portion of the side opening W2 inside the pair of opening walls 48 has a rectangular shape with both lower corners chamfered.

The opening wall 48 has a first closing engagement portion 66, a receiving hole 52W, a second closing engagement portion 47, and a receiving hole 56W arranged at intervals from the upper end towards the lower end. The first closing engagement portion 66 comprises a base projection 66A protruding from the upper end of the front surface of the opening wall 48, and a locking projection 66T hanging down from its tip. The second closing engagement portion 47 has a pair of opposing walls 47B protruding from the outer surface of the opening wall 48 and facing each other in the vertical direction, a strip plate 47C connecting their tips, and an engagement hole 47A surrounded by the pair of opposing walls 47B and the strip plate 47C, opening laterally toward the side opening W2. The receiving holes 52W and 56W penetrate the opening wall 48.

Furthermore, the sides of the first closing engagement portion 66 and the second closing engagement portion 47 are connected to the inner surface of the side opening W2, and the front surfaces of the first closing engagement portion 66 and the second closing engagement portion 47 are flush with the tip surface of the vertical rib 71B that forms the inner surface of the side opening W2.

At both lateral ends of the front second side wall body 42, the aforementioned vertical ribs 71B, which form the inner surface of the side opening W2, and vertical ribs 71A, which form the lateral side surface of the front second side wall body 42, extend throughout the entire vertical dimension of the second side wall body 42. A tag housing section 70 is provided between these vertical ribs 71A and 71B.

Specifically, the vertical ribs 71A and 71B are connected at multiple positions from their upper to lower ends by the horizontal ribs 71L2 and 71L3. Furthermore, the lower horizontal ribs 71L3 have end faces flush with the end faces of the vertical ribs 71A and 71B, while the other horizontal ribs 71L2 have end faces offset rearward from the end faces of the vertical ribs 71A and 71B. The portion above the horizontal rib 71L3 located near the lower end between the vertical ribs 71A and 71B forms the tag housing section 70.

Furthermore, the tag housing section 70 is provided with vertical ribs 71L1 that are perpendicular to the central portions of the multiple horizontal ribs 71L2 and have tip surfaces flush with those horizontal ribs 71L2, and multiple pairs of locking projections 72 that protrude from multiple positions in the vertical direction of the vertical ribs 71A and 71B so as to approach each other. The rear surfaces of the multiple pairs of locking projections 72 are located slightly forward of the tip surfaces of the horizontal ribs 71L2 and vertical ribs 71L1.

The tag storage section 70 accommodates, for example, resin or paper tags as follows: The tag is inserted from diagonally in front and above between a pair of locking projections 72 at the top of the tag storage section 70 and the transverse rib 42J on the upper surface of the second side wall body 42, and then tucks behind multiple pairs of locking projections 72. Once the entire tag is housed in the tag storage section 70, it elastically returns to a flat position, preventing it from falling out within the tag storage section 70.

As shown in Figure 14, a pair of projections 49 protrude from both lateral ends of the upper surface of the front second side wall body 42. When the lid 90 is closed, the projections 49 engage with the engagement grooves 94, restricting the rearward sliding of the lid 90.

Next, the door member 50 will be described. The door member 50 is hinged at its lower end to the lower edge of the side opening W2, and rotates approximately 180 degrees outward from the closed position (see Figures 14 and 15) when the side opening W2 is closed, to the fully open position where it hangs down from the lower edge of the side opening W2, as shown in Figure 1. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 14, the door member 50 has an intermediate hinge portion 50R in the middle of its vertical direction, and is divided into an upper door member 51 above the intermediate hinge portion 50R and a lower door member 55 below it. Hereafter, in the description of the components of the door member 50, unless otherwise specified, "upper side, lower side, front side, rear side, etc. of the door member 50 in the closed position" will simply be referred to as "upper side, lower side, front side, rear side, etc."

As shown in Figure 16, the upper door member 51 is a roughly elongated rectangle, while the lower door member 55 is a rectangle with the same overall length in the horizontal direction as the upper door member 51 but a larger overall length in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the lower door member 55 is provided with two hinge recesses 59A on its lower edge that open forward and downward, and correspondingly, as shown in Figure 14, the side opening W2 is provided with two hinge recesses 59B on its lower edge that open forward and upward. A pair of intermediate hinge members 59 are received across the pair of upper and lower hinge recesses 59A and 59B, and hinge pins 59C protruding to the sides from the upper and lower ends of each intermediate hinge member 59 engage with engagement holes 59D (see Figures 12, 14, and 16) formed on both sides of the upper and lower hinge recesses 59A and 59B. As a result, the lower door member 55 rotates approximately 180 degrees outward from the closed position to the fully open position, as described above, while rotation inward from the closed position is restricted.

Furthermore, the rotation of the lower door member 55 inward from the closed position is restricted by the fact that both sides of the lower door member 55 overlap the opening wall 48 in the closed position, and, as shown in Figure 15, the projection 55R protruding downward from the lower edge of the rear surface of the lower door member 55 engages with the stepped recess 42R (see Figure 19) formed at the rear of the lower edge of the side opening W2.

As shown in Figure 16, hinge connection portions 58A are provided at three locations on the upper edge of the lower door member 55. As shown in Figure 17, each hinge connection portion 58A has a hinge pin 58P inserted between the tips of a pair of projecting pieces 58T that protrude diagonally upward and backward from the lower door member 55 and face each other laterally. Furthermore, the portion of the upper surface of the lower door member 55 facing the hinge pin 58P is recessed.

As shown in Figure 16, the upper door member 51 is provided with three hinge connection parts 58B at three locations on the lower edge, corresponding to the three hinge connection parts 58A of the lower door member 55. As shown in Figure 17, each hinge connection part 58B has a shape in which a hinge groove 58M that opens toward the rear is provided on a projection that extends downward and backward from the upper door member 51. In addition, each hinge pin 58P is received in each hinge groove 58M to form the aforementioned intermediate hinge part 50R (see Figure 15). Then, the intermediate hinge part 50R causes the upper door member 51 to rotate approximately 180 degrees inward relative to the lower door member 55, from an unfolded state where it is located on the same plane as the lower door member 55 (see Figures 14 and 15), to a folded state where the inner surface of the upper door member 51 overlaps the inner surface of the lower door member 55, as shown in Figures 18 to 20. Note that the door member 50 shown in Figures 14 and 15 is both in the unfolded state and in the closed state with the side opening W2 closed.

Furthermore, the lower door member 55 is restricted from rotating outward from its extended state by the intermediate hinge portion 50R. Moreover, when the door member 50 is closed, both sides of the upper door member 51 overlap the opening wall 48 in the closed position, thereby restricting the upper door member 51 from rotating inward relative to the lower door member 55.

As shown in Figure 15, the upper door member 51 is divided into an upper region X1 and a lower region X2 in the vertical direction, and the thickness differs between these upper and lower regions X1 and X2. Similarly, the lower door member 55 is divided into an upper region Y1, a middle region Y2, and a lower region Y3 in the vertical direction, and the thickness differs between these upper, middle, and lower regions Y1, Y2, and Y3. Here, the thickness of the upper door member 51 refers to the combined thickness of the main plate wall 51H (see Figure 16) that separates the inside and outside of the container 10, and the multiple reinforcing ribs 51L (see Figure 16) that protrude from its outer surface. Similarly, the thickness of the lower door member 55 refers to the combined thickness of the main plate wall 55H and the reinforcing ribs 55L (see Figure 16).

As shown in Figure 17, in the upper door member 51, the main plate wall 51H of the upper region X1 protrudes inward relative to the main plate wall 51H of the lower region X2. Also, as shown in Figure 16, the tip surface (front end surface) of the reinforcing rib 51L is a flat surface that is flush with the surface and parallel to the vertical direction. As a result, the upper region X1 of the upper door member 51 is thicker than the lower region X2. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 15, a stepped portion 51D is formed between the upper region X1 and the lower region X2 of the main plate wall 51H, extending across the entire lateral direction of the upper door member 51. The stepped portion 51D is also bent downward in a crank shape in the lateral middle portion of the upper door member 51. Moreover, the stepped surface of the stepped portion 51D is inclined with respect to the vertical direction.

As shown in Figure 17, in the lower door member 55, the main plate wall 55H of the upper region Y1 protrudes inward relative to the main plate wall 55H of the middle region Y2. Furthermore, a stepped portion 55D is formed between the upper region Y1 and the middle region Y2 of the main plate wall 55H, extending across the entire lateral length of the lower door member 55. Moreover, in the lateral middle portion of the lower door member 55, the stepped portion 55D bends upward in a crank shape, and the stepped surface of the stepped portion 55D is inclined with respect to the vertical direction.

Furthermore, the main plate wall 55H of the lower region Y3 is inclined from its upper end to an intermediate position in the vertical direction, gradually moving backward as it moves downward from the main plate wall 55H of the middle region Y2, and from that intermediate position to the lower end, it is parallel to the vertical direction. Moreover, at both lateral ends of the main plate wall 55H in the lower region Y3, as shown in Figure 17, a pair of corner recesses 55J are formed, extending from a position near the upper end to the lower end to receive the lower ends (triangular rib portions 48A) of the aforementioned pair of opening walls 48. Also, as shown in Figure 16, the tip surface (front end surface) of the reinforcing rib 55L of the lower door member 55 is a flat surface that is flush with the surface and parallel to the vertical direction. As a result, the lower door member 55 is thicker in the upper region Y1 and lower region Y3 than in the middle region Y2.

Then, when the door members 50 are folded over, as shown in Figure 20, the thickened upper region X1 of the upper door member 51, which protrudes inward, overlaps with the thinner, recessed middle region Y2 of the lower door member 55, and the thickened upper region Y1 of the lower door member 55 overlaps with the thinner, recessed lower region X2 of the upper door member 51.

As shown in Figure 16, a pair of notches 55K are formed on both side edges of the lower door member 55 by cutting out their upper ends in a rectangular shape. The lower ends of these notches 55K are located slightly below the stepped portion 55D. In contrast, as shown in Figure 17, a pair of projections 52 are provided on the inner surface of the upper door member 51 at both ends of the stepped portion 51D. Then, as shown in Figure 19, when the door members 50 are folded over, the pair of projections 52 overlap the lower edges of the pair of notches 55K (in Figure 19, since the upper and lower parts of the lower door member 55 are reversed, this overlaps the upper part of the notches 55K), thereby stabilizing the upper door member 51 relative to the lower door member 55.

As shown in Figures 15 and 23, when the door member 50 is closed, the pair of projections 52 are received by the pair of receiving holes 52W on both sides of the side opening W2, so as not to interfere with the opening wall 48 and not to protrude into the inside of the container 10.

As shown in Figure 16, a pair of auxiliary locking members 67 are assembled to both lateral ends of the upper region Y1 of the lower door member 55. Therefore, the lower door member 55 has the following structure: The upper region Y1 of the lower door member 55 is surrounded by reinforcing ribs 55L. At both lateral ends of the upper region Y1, a pair of rectangular cover walls 67D are provided, supported by the tips of the reinforcing ribs 55L and covering the main plate wall 55H from the front. Furthermore, a pair of arch-shaped ribs 67F, curved to bulge away from the cover walls 67D, are positioned near both lateral ends of the upper region Y1, spanning between the upper and lower reinforcing ribs 55L of the upper region Y1. Each cover wall 67D also has a laterally extending engagement hole 67E. In addition, the space between the cover walls 67D and the main plate wall 55H is open in both lateral directions by slits that penetrate the reinforcing ribs 55L.

On the other hand, the pair of auxiliary locking members 67 has a structure in which an operating portion 67A is provided at one end of a strip-shaped locking piece 67B that extends laterally. The operating portion 67A is a D-shaped ring with a curved portion on the side away from the locking piece 67B. A projection 67C also protrudes from the front surface of the locking piece 67B. The locking piece 67B is inserted into the space between the cover wall 67D and the main plate wall 55H from the arch-shaped rib 67F side, and the projection 67C is received in the engagement hole 67E, and the operating portion 67A is positioned between the arch-shaped rib 67F and the cover wall 67D. As a result, the auxiliary locking member 67 is supported so as to be slidable laterally. In the locked position, where the projection 67C is located at one end of the engagement hole 67E, the locking piece 67B protrudes from the side surface within the notch 55K of the lower door member 55 (see Figure 16). In the unlocked position, where the projection 67C is located at the other end of the engagement hole 67E, the locking piece 67B no longer protrudes from the side surface of the lower door member 55 (see Figure 19). When the auxiliary locking member 67 is moved from the unlocked position to the locked position in the closed position of the lower door member 55, the tip of the locking piece 67B engages with the engagement hole 47A of the second closing engagement portion 47 shown in Figure 12, thereby locking the lower door member 55 in the closed position. Furthermore, the thickness of the auxiliary locking member 67 is smaller than the amount of protrusion of the reinforcing rib 55L from the main plate wall 55H, so that the entire auxiliary locking member 67 fits within the lower door member 55 of the upper region Y1 in the thickness direction.

A composite locking member 60 is assembled to the upper region X1 of the upper door member 51. Therefore, the upper door member 51 has the following structure. Specifically, as shown in Figure 16, a pair of notches 51K are formed on both side edges of the upper door member 51, similar to the lower door member 55. The lower end of each notch 51K is located midway in the vertical direction of the upper region X1, and a protective projection 51M protrudes from the rear edge of the lower end surface of the notch 51K, with the upper end of the protective projection 51M located midway in the vertical direction of the notch 51K. Furthermore, the upper region X1 is surrounded by reinforcing ribs 51L and is divided into multiple sections in the lateral direction. Of the multiple reinforcing ribs 51L in the upper region X1, multiple vertically elongated reinforcing ribs 51L are unevenly distributed at both ends in the lateral direction and are provided with through holes 51N. Furthermore, the elongated reinforcing rib 51L that forms the upper surface of the upper door member 51 at the upper end of the upper region X1 has a pair of through holes 63A formed at two rearward positions in the lateral direction. The elongated reinforcing rib 51L that extends laterally at the lower end of the upper region X1 is provided with a handle projection 61T that hangs downward from its central tip in the lateral direction.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 21, the composite locking member 60 has a center member 61 and a pair of lateral locking members 62 extending from the center member 61 to both sides, with the pair of lateral locking members 62 and the center member 61 being separate components.

The lateral locking member 62 has a flattened cross-sectional shape in the front-rear direction and extends laterally. A locking hole 62A is formed at the base end of the lateral locking member 62, penetrating in the front-rear direction. A pair of inclined surfaces are formed at both the upper and lower ends of the rear surface of the tip of the lateral locking member 62. The upper of these inclined surfaces serves as a guide portion 62G that slides against the aforementioned first closing engagement portion 66 (see Figure 12). By providing a pair of inclined surfaces, with one of them serving as the guide portion 62G, the pair of lateral locking members 62 have the same shape, thus enabling parts commonality.

The center member 61 has a horizontally elongated, flat front wall 61F with a rib 61L on its rear surface. A rectangular opening in the center of the center member 61 is formed in the lateral direction. A pair of connecting parts 61G are provided at both ends of the center member 61 in the lateral direction. Each connecting part 61G is provided with a groove 61M that extends laterally, sandwiched from above and below by a pair of ribs 61L, and one end of the groove 61M opens to the side surface of the center member 61. Furthermore, a pair of protrusions 61N protrude from the upper and lower opening edges on the rear surface of the groove 61M, approaching each other. In addition, an engaging arm 61H is formed on the front wall 61F by cutting off a portion of the part facing the groove 61M in a cantilevered shape. A locking projection 61J is provided on the rear surface of the tip of the engaging arm 61H. Then, the base end of the lateral locking member 62 is inserted into the groove 61M from the side of the center member 61, and the locking projection 61J engages with the locking hole 62A of the lateral locking member 62, thereby fixing each lateral locking member 62 to the center member 61.

A pair of elastic pieces 64 are provided on the lower surface of the center member 61. These elastic pieces 64 extend diagonally downward from both lateral ends of the lower surface of the center member 61, approaching each other. Furthermore, the central portion of the lower surface of the center member 61 protrudes downward from both ends in the lateral direction.

A pair of upper locking members 63 are provided at positions near both ends of the upper surface of the center member 61 in the lateral direction. The pair of upper locking members 63 have their thickness direction oriented in the front-to-back direction and are positioned at the rear of the upper surface of the center member 61 in the front-to-back direction. Furthermore, the tip of each upper locking member 63 has chamfered edges at both corners in the lateral direction, and only the corner between the tip and rear surfaces is chamfered in the front-to-back direction. The chamfered rear surface serves as a guide portion 63G.

The composite locking member 60 is assembled by first housing the center member 61 in the central part of the upper region X1 surrounded by the reinforcing rib 51L, and then inserting a pair of lateral locking members 62 through the through holes 51N from both sides of the upper door member 51 into the grooves 61M of the pair of connecting portions 61G of the center member 61. This assembles the composite locking member 60 to the upper door member 51, supporting it so that it can slide vertically. In this state, the entire composite locking member 60 fits within the upper door member 51 of the upper region X1 in the thickness direction of the upper door member 51.

The composite locking member 60 is normally positioned at the upper end of its movable range due to the elastic force of a pair of elastic pieces 64. As shown in Figure 22(A), a pair of upper locking members 63 protrude upward from the upper door member 51 through a pair of through holes 63A, and as shown in Figure 16, the tips of a pair of lateral locking members 62 protrude upward from the protective projection 51M. Furthermore, when the composite locking member 60 moves to the unlocked position at the lower end of its movable range, as shown in Figure 22(B), the pair of upper locking members 63 no longer protrude upward from the upper door member 51, and the amount of upward protrusion of the tips of the pair of lateral locking members 62 from the protective projection 51M decreases.

The door member 50 is locked in the closed position by the composite locking member 60 as follows. For example, when the lid 90 closes the top opening W1 and the open door member 50 is moved to the closed position, in the process the guide portion 62G of the lateral locking member 62 (see Figure 21) overlaps with the inclined surface 66G at the lower end of the locking projection 66T of the first closing engagement portion 66 (see Figure 12), and the guide portion 63G of the upper locking member 63 (see Figure 22(A)) overlaps with the guide inclined surface 94G of the lid 90. Then, when the door member 50 is pushed into the closed position, the composite locking member 60 moves from the locked position to the unlocked position due to the sliding contact between the overlapping surfaces described above (see Figure 22(B)). When the door member 50 reaches the closed position, the elastic force of the elastic piece 64 causes the composite locking member 60 to return to the locked position. As shown in Figure 23, the lateral locking member 62 engages with the locking projection 66T from the rear, and as shown in Figure 22(A), the upper locking member 63 engages with the engagement groove 94 of the lid 90, locking the door member 50 in the closed position. Furthermore, even if the operation of the operation unit 61S is stopped after the composite locking member 60 is held in the unlocked position and the door member 50 is closed, the door member 50 will similarly remain locked in the closed position.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 22(B), the through-hole 63A is positioned on the rear side of the reinforcing rib 51L on the upper surface of the upper door member 51, as described above. A significant amount of wall material remains on the front side of the reinforcing rib 51L. The upper locking member 63 is supported evenly from both the front and rear by this wall material of the reinforcing rib 51L and the main plate wall 51H on the rear side of the through-hole 63A, thus increasing the locking strength of the upper locking member 63.

As shown in Figure 17, the rear surface of the lower door member 55 is provided with a pair of folding engagement portions 56 for locking the door member 50 in a folded state by a composite locking member 60. Each folding engagement portion 56 is positioned below the lateral end of the middle region Y2 of the lower door member 55 and has a support projection 56A protruding from the rear surface of the lower door member 55 and a locking projection 56T protruding upward from the tip of the support projection 56A. Furthermore, the side of the locking projection 56T opposite to the lower door member 55 is an inclined surface 56G that is inclined in the vertical direction. As shown in Figures 15 and 23, when the door member 50 is closed, the pair of folding engagement portions 56 are received by a pair of receiving holes 56W on both sides of the side opening W2, so as not to interfere with the opening wall 48 and not to protrude into the inside of the container 10.

The door member 50 is locked in a folded state by the composite locking member 60 and the folding engagement portion 56 as follows. That is, as shown in Figure 24, when the door member 50 is opened and the upper door member 51 is folded relative to the lower door member 55, and the inner surface of the upper door member 51 is placed on the inner surface of the lower door member 55, the guide portion 62G of the lateral locking member 62 slides against the inclined surface 56G of the folding engagement portion 56, and the composite locking member 60 moves from the locked position to the unlocked position. Then, when the door member 50 is in a folded state, the elastic force of the elastic piece 64 causes the composite locking member 60 to return to the locked position, and as shown in Figure 20, the lateral locking member 62 engages with the locking projection 56T of the folding engagement portion 56, and the door member 50 is locked in a folded state. Furthermore, even if the operation of the operating unit 61S is stopped after the composite locking member 60 is held in the unlocked position and the door member 50 is folded over by operating the operating unit 61S, the door member 50 will remain locked in the folded over position in the same manner.

As shown in Figure 4, a bottom projection 11T protrudes from the entire bottom surface of the bottom wall 11, excluding the outer edge. As shown in Figure 25, when multiple containers 10 are stacked, the bottom projection 11T of the upper container 10 fits inside the top projection 91 of the lower container 10. Furthermore, when containers 10 are stacked on top of a container 10 with its lid 90 open, the bottom projection 11T of the upper container 10 fits into the top opening W1 of the lower container 10. Additionally, as shown in Figure 3, a pair of protrusions 11K are provided on the upper surface of the front second side wall base 41, directly below the pair of upper locking members 63 mentioned earlier. Finally, as shown in Figure 4, when the container 10 is folded, the pair of protrusions 11K engage with the engagement groove 94 of the lid 90, restricting the rearward sliding of the lid 90.

This concludes the explanation of the structure of the container 10 in this embodiment. Next, the operation and effects of this container 10 will be explained. The container 10 can be used, for example, as a transport container for carrying goods shipped from a factory, and also as a display case (or display case for exhibiting goods) for displaying goods in a retail store. Specifically, the container 10 is assembled at the factory shipping the goods, as shown in Figure 5, with the door member 50 closed and the lid 90 open. Then, after multiple goods are placed into the container 10 through the top opening W1 as cargo, the lid 90 is closed as shown in Figure 6.

Then, the projections 37 and 49 on the upper surface of the container body 10H shown in Figure 7 engage with the engagement holes 91K or engagement grooves 94 of the lid 90, restricting the sliding movement of the lid 90 relative to the container body 10H. Then, as shown in Figure 22(A), the upper locking member 63 on the upper surface of the door member 50 engages with the engagement grooves 94 of the lid 90, thereby supporting the upper part. At this time, as shown in Figure 14, the door member 50 is also supported on its sides by the engagement of a pair of lateral locking members 62 and a pair of first closing engagement parts 66. In other words, including the lower hinge connection portion, the door member 50 is supported at its top, sides, and bottom by the container body 10H and the lid 90, and locked in a closed state. This increases the support strength of the door member 50 in the closed state and improves its durability against being pushed from the inside by the stored cargo. Furthermore, since the pair of lateral locking members 62 and upper locking members 63 are passed through through holes 51N and 63A in the reinforcing ribs 51L of the door member 50, and their forward and backward movement relative to the door member 50 is restricted, the load on the door member 50 is reliably transmitted to the lateral locking members 62 and upper locking members 63, improving the support strength. Moreover, the door member 50 is equipped with a pair of auxiliary locking members 67, and when these are moved to the locked position, they engage with a pair of second closing engagement parts 47, supporting each side of the door member 50 at two points, further increasing the support strength of the door member 50 in the closed state.

At the store, multiple containers 10 are stacked so that all side openings W2 face the same direction, and the door member 50 is opened. To open the door member 50, the pair of auxiliary locking members 67 are moved closer to each other to the unlocked position. Then, for example, by placing the thumb and index finger on the operating part 61S of the composite locking member 60 and the handle projection 61T below it, and pushing down the composite locking member 60 toward the handle projection 61T, the composite locking member 60 is moved to the unlocked position, and both the lock on the door member 50 by the lateral locking member 62 and the lock on the door member 50 by the upper locking member 63 are released. Then, when the door member 50 is opened and the upper door member 51 and the lower door member 55 are overlapped, the door member 50 is locked in the folded state by the engagement of the pair of lateral locking members 62 and the pair of folding engagement parts 56 as described above (see Figure 20). This allows the container 10 to function as a display case, enabling customers to remove products from the container 10 through the side opening W2.

Once the product is empty, the container 10 is returned to its closed position by reversing the procedure described above, and locked by the composite locking member 60 and the auxiliary locking member 67. Then, as shown in Figure 2, the container 10 is folded and returned to the product factory.

As described above, the container 10 of this embodiment is equipped with a door member 50 hinged to the lower edge of the side opening W2, and includes a lateral locking member 62 and an upper locking member 63. Therefore, when closed, the door member 50 is supported at its top, bottom, and sides by the container body 10H and the lid 90, increasing its strength against the load it receives from the inside due to the stored contents. Furthermore, since the operating part 61S is shared between the lateral locking member 62 and the upper locking member 63, the lock release operation can be easily performed.

[Other embodiments]
(1) In the above embodiment, the composite locking member 60 was configured to slide vertically as a whole, but any structure is acceptable as long as it can lock the door member 50 in the closed and folded state. Specifically, the composite locking member 60 may be configured such that, in response to the operation of the operating unit 61S, a pair of lateral locking members 62 move laterally, while the upper locking member 63 moves vertically. The operating unit 61S may be operated by sliding or by rotating.

(2) In the above embodiment, the center member 61 and the lateral locking member 62 are separate parts, but they may be the same part formed integrally. Similarly, the center member 61 and the upper locking member 63 are the same part formed integrally, but they may be separate parts.

(3) In the above embodiment, there were two upper locking members 63 for the door member 50, but there may be one or three or more. Also, although the upper locking members 63 passed through the through-holes 63A of the reinforcing rib 51L and were supported by the reinforcing rib 51L from the front, back, left, and right, for example, a notch may be provided in the reinforcing rib 51L instead of the through-holes 63A, so that the upper locking members 63 are not supported by the reinforcing rib 51L.

(4) In the above embodiment, the locking positions of the composite locking member 60 with respect to the first closing engagement portion 66 and the folding engagement portion 56 are both the same position within the movable range of the composite locking member 60, but they may be different. However, if they are the same position, the engagement and disengagement operations of the composite locking member 60 with respect to the first closing engagement portion 66 and the folding engagement portion 56 will be the same, improving operability. To configure the composite locking member 60 to have different locking positions with respect to the first closing engagement portion 66 and the folding engagement portion 56, for example, the protruding direction of the locking projection 56T in the aforementioned folding engagement portion 56 can be reversed vertically, releasing the elastic piece 64 from the composite locking member 60 so that it is not biased towards one end of the movable range, while the composite locking member 60 is locked to both the one end and the other end of the movable range.

(5) In the above embodiment, the composite locking member 60 for locking the door member 50 in a folded state and the composite locking member 60 of the folded engagement portion 56 were arranged on the upper door member 51, while the folded engagement portion 56 was arranged on the lower door member 55. However, the reverse is also possible. For example, the aforementioned pair of auxiliary locking members 67 provided on the lower door member 55 may be used as locking members for locking in a folded state, and a pair of folded engagement portions may be provided that protrude from the inner outer edge of the upper door member 51 and engage with the pair of auxiliary locking members 67. However, if the composite locking member 60 is provided on the upper door member 51 and the folded engagement portion 56 is provided on the lower door member 55, as in this embodiment, the operation of engaging and disengaging the composite locking member 60 with the folded engagement portion 56 is easy, and the engagement between the folded engagement portion 56 and the composite locking member 60 is easy to visually confirm.

(6) In the container 10 of the above embodiment, the door member 50 rotated only outward from the closed position, but the door member 50 may also rotate inward. Also, the upper door member 51 rotated only inward relative to the lower door member 55, but the upper door member 51 may also rotate outward relative to the lower door member 55. Specifically, with the lower door member 55 locked in the closed position by the auxiliary locking member 67, the upper door member 51 may be rotated outward or inward to partially open the side opening W2.

(7) In the container 10 of the above embodiment, the door member 50 was configured to rotate approximately 180 degrees outward from the closed position. However, in cases where the door member 50 rotates only to an angle of less than 180° outward from the closed position (for example, 90° or 120°), the door member 50 may be configured to lock in a folded state.

(8) The lid 90 is structured to rotate from a closed state, where the top opening W1 of the container body 10H is closed, to an upright position around the upper end of the rear second side wall body 42, and then slide down to the lower end position while maintaining the upright position. However, it may also be structured to not rotate or not slide, or the lid 90 may be detachable from the container body 10H. Furthermore, the lid 90 for closing the top opening W1 of the container body 10H may be composed of multiple lids (for example, two lids, a first lid and a second lid).

(9) Although the container 10 of the above embodiment is equipped with a lid 90, it may also be configured to be equipped with the above-described door member 50 without the lid 90.

(10) The container 10 of the above embodiment is foldable, but a non-foldable container may also be provided with a side opening and a door member.

(11) The planar shape of the container 10 in the above embodiment is rectangular, but it may also be square. If the planar shape is rectangular, the door member 50 may be positioned on either the long side or the short side. Furthermore, the door member 50 may be provided on two or more side walls.

<Note>
The following describes the features extracted from the above embodiment, showing their effects and other details as needed. For ease of understanding, the corresponding components in the above embodiment are indicated in parentheses; however, these features are not limited to the configurations indicated in parentheses.

[Feature 1]
The container body (10H) is box-shaped and has a top opening (W1) and a side opening (W2); a lid (90) opens and closes the top opening (W1); a door member (50) is hinged to the lower edge of the side opening (W2) and opens and closes the side opening (W2); and a side locking member (62) is supported by the door member (50) and moves between a locked position that engages with the side portion of the door member (50) on the container body (10H) to lock the door member (50) in a closed state and an unlocked position that releases the engagement. The container (10) comprises: an upper locking member (63) supported by the door member (50) and moving between a locked position in which it engages with the upper portion of the door member (50) on the lid (90) to lock the door member (50) in a closed state, and an unlocked position in which the engagement is released; and an operating unit (61S) shared by the lateral locking member (62) and the upper locking member (63) for operating the lateral locking member (62) and the upper locking member (63) to move from the locked position to the unlocked position.

[Feature 2]
The container (10) according to feature 1, wherein the lateral locking member (62), the upper locking member (63), and the operating part (61S) move up and down together, and the locked position of each of the lateral locking member (62), the upper locking member (63), and the operating part (61S) is located above the unlock position.

[Feature 3]
The container (10) according to feature 1 or 2, wherein the upper locking member (63) moves up and down by operation of the operating part (61S), and the outer surface of the door member (50) is provided with a reinforcing rib (51L) that extends laterally along its upper edge, and a through hole (63A) is formed in the reinforcing rib (51L) through which the upper locking member (63) passes.

[Feature 4]
A container (10) according to any one of features 1 to 3, comprising: a biasing means (64) for biasing a composite locking member (60) including the lateral locking member (62), the upper locking member (63), and the operating part (61S) to the locked position; and guide parts (62G, 63G) provided on one or both of the container body (10H) and the lid (90) and the composite locking member (60), which slide against each other in the process of closing the door member (50) and guide the composite locking member (60) from the locked position to the unlocked position against the biasing means (64).

[Feature 5]
The container (10) according to feature 3 or 4, wherein the through hole (63A) is located near the base end of the reinforcing rib (51L).

The container (10) of Feature 1 is equipped with a door member (50) hinged to the lower edge of the side opening (W2), and includes a lateral locking member (62) and an upper locking member (63). The lateral locking member (62) engages with the lateral portion of the door member (50) on the container body (10H) to lock the door member (50) in a closed position, while the upper locking member (63) engages with the upper portion of the door member (50) on the lid (90) to lock the door member (50) in a closed position. In other words, the door member (50) of the container (10) of this disclosure, including its lower hinged connection portion, is supported at the top, bottom, and sides by the container body (10H) and the lid (90) and locked in a closed position. As a result, the strength of the container (10) of this disclosure against the load that the door member (50) receives from the inside due to the stored goods is increased. Furthermore, since the operating part (61S) is shared between the lateral locking member (62) and the upper locking member (63), the lock release operation can be easily performed.

The door member (50) may rotate inward or outward. Furthermore, the direction of movement of the lateral locking member (62) and the upper locking member (63) may be different, but if they are the same, as in the container (10) of Feature 2, the structure can be simplified. Also, as in the container (10) of Feature 3, if the upper locking member (63) passes through a through-hole (63A) formed in the reinforcing rib (51L) on the upper surface of the door member (50), the upper locking member (63) is supported by the opening edge of the through-hole (63A), thereby improving the strength of the lock. To improve this strength, it is preferable that the through-hole (63A) is located near the base end of the reinforcing rib (51L).

Furthermore, according to the configuration of Feature 4, the composite locking member (60), including the lateral locking member (62), the upper locking member (63), and the operating part (61S), is biased to the locked position by the biasing means (64). When the door member (50) is pushed from the open position to the closed position, the guide portions (62G, 63G) provided on the composite locking member (60) slide against one or both of the container body (10H) and the lid (90), guiding the composite locking member (60) from the locked position to the unlocked position against the biasing means (64). When the door member (50) reaches the closed position, the composite locking member (60) returns to the locked position, locking the door member (50) in the closed position.

While this specification and its drawings disclose specific examples of the technology included in the claims, the technology described in the claims is not limited to these specific examples. It also includes various modifications and alterations of these examples, as well as parts of these examples taken independently.

10 Container 10H Container body 50 Door component 51L Reinforcement rib 60 Composite lock component 61S Operating part
62 Side locking member 62G, 63B Guide part 63 Upper locking member 63A Through hole 90 Cover W1 Top opening W2 Side opening

Claims (5)

The container body is box-shaped overall and has an opening on the top and on the sides,
A lid that opens and closes the aforementioned top opening,
A door member is hinged to the lower edge of the side opening to open and close the side opening,
A side locking member is supported by the door member and moves between a locked position, which engages with the side portion of the door member in the container body to lock the door member in a closed state, and an unlocked position, which releases the engagement.
An upper locking member is supported by the door member and moves between a locked position, which engages with the upper portion of the door member on the lid to lock the door member in a closed state, and an unlocked position, which releases the engagement.
A container comprising an operating unit shared by the lateral locking member and the upper locking member, for operating the lateral locking member and the upper locking member from the locked position to the unlocked position. The lateral locking member, the upper locking member, and the operating part move up and down together.
The container according to claim 1, wherein the lock positions of the lateral locking member, the upper locking member, and the operating part are located above the respective unlock positions. The upper locking member moves up and down by the operation of the operating part .
The outer surface of the door member is provided with reinforcing ribs that extend laterally along its upper edge.
The container according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing rib has a through hole through which the upper locking member passes. A biasing means for biasing the composite locking member, which includes the lateral locking member, the upper locking member, and the operating portion, to the locked position,
A container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a guide portion provided on one or both of the container body and the lid and the composite locking member, which slides against each other in the process of closing the door member and guides the composite locking member from the locked position to the unlocked position against the biasing means . The container according to claim 3, wherein the through-hole is located near the base end of the reinforcing rib.