FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a collapsible drawer, which can be folded into a flattened state for easy storage and transport.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A storage device internally defines a space for receiving articles therein. The inner space of the storage device has direct relation with an overall volume of the storage device. The larger the inner space is, the larger the volume of the cabinet is.
There is a commercially available chest of drawers having a standup outer case and multiple drawers slidably mounted in the outer case. In the event the outer case is of a fixed type that does not allow a user to disassemble it, the chest of drawers would occupy a large volume and is uneasy to transport. Therefore, the outer cases of most currently commercially available chests of drawers are of a knockdown type to enable reduced space and cost needed to store and transport the chests of drawers.
However, the drawers for such chests also have a fixed volume to result in a relatively large packing size. In order to reduce the packing size of drawers, some drawers have been designed with flared walls and accordingly, an expanded top and a reduced bottom to enable easy stacking of the drawers. Due to the flared walls, gaps are created between the outer case and the drawers slidably mounted in the outer case. This leads to a poor appearance and lowered quality of the product.
In view of the problems with the conventional non-foldable drawers, it is tried by the inventor to develop a collapsible drawer, which can have a largely reduced overall volume in a collapsed state to facilitate easy storage, warehousing, and transport thereof. Therefore, the collapsible drawer can be used with various types of sectional racks to largely reduce an overall packing size of the sectional racks to save a large amount of freight cost thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible drawer, which can be collapsed from an extended state into a flattened state to minimize the space occupied by the drawer and enable easy storage and transport of the drawer.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible drawer, which has good structural strength when being fully extended and is therefore reliable for use.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible drawer, which is usable with a knockdown chest of drawers and sectional rack available in the market. With the collapsibility of the drawers and the easily assembled and disassembled sectional rack and chest of drawer, the whole rack and chest of drawer can be collapsed to largely reduce the total packing size thereof and facilitate easy and economical warehousing and transport thereof.
To achieve the above and other objects, the collapsible drawer of the present invention is convertible between an extended state for use and a flattened state for storage. The collapsible drawer includes a bottom wall, a left wall, a right wall, a rear wall, and a front wall. The front wall, the left wall, the right wall, and the rear wall are pivotally connected at respective lower edge to a front edge, a left edge, a right edge, and a rear edge of the bottom wall, so as to be pivotally turnable relative to the bottom wall between an upright position and a folded-down position.
In the collapsible drawer of the present invention, a left hook and a right hook are provided on an inner face of each of the front wall and the rear wall. The left and right walls are formed on respective inner face with a front and a rear through hole at positions corresponding to the left and right hooks on the front wall and the rear wall. The left and right hooks on the front wall and the rear wall can be extended through the front and rear through holes on the left and right walls, so that the left and right walls are locked to between the front wall and the rear wall when these walls are in the upright position.
In the collapsible drawer of the present invention, the left and right hooks on the front wall and the rear wall respectively have a forked U-shaped distal hooking end with two spaced free ends being compressible toward each other. The distal hooking ends are provided on respective two free ends at two opposite outer sides thereof with a vertically protruded rib each. The left and right hooks are extended through the front and rear through holes on the left and right walls with the protruded ribs abutted on an outer peripheral wall of the front and rear through holes, preventing the left and right walls from separating from the front wall and the rear wall.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is an assembled front perspective view of a collapsible drawer according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded rear perspective view of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows the connection of a left wall to a bottom wall of the collapsible drawer of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 shows the connection of a right wall to the bottom wall of the collapsible drawer of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 shows the connection of a rear wall to the bottom wall of the collapsible drawer of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the collapsible drawer according to FIG. 1 with the left wall removed therefrom;
FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view showing the bottom wall of the collapsible drawer according to FIG. 1 with the rear wall and a front wall connected thereto;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the collapsible drawer of FIG. 1 with the left and the right wall thereof in a folded-down position;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing the right wall is moved across a right hook on the rear wall;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the collapsible drawer of FIG. 1 with the left wall thereof in a folded-down position;
FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing the left wall is moved across a left hook on the front wall;
FIG. 12 is a partially sectioned rear view showing the left and right hooks on the rear wall are extended through rear through holes on the left and right walls;
FIG. 13 is a partially sectioned front view showing the left and right hooks on the front wall are extended through front through holes on the left and right walls; and
FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the collapsible drawer of FIG. 1 in a fully collapsed state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A collapsible drawer according to the present invention can be extended for use or collapsed into a flattened state for storage. Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. A collapsible drawer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a bottom wall 10, a front wall 20, a left wall 30, a right wall 40 and a rear wall 50. Lower edges of the front wall 20, the left and right walls 30, 40, and the rear wall 50 are respectively pivotally connected to a front edge, a left edge, a right edge and a rear edge of the bottom wall 10, so that the front wall 20, the left and right walls 30, 40, and the rear wall 50 are pivotally turnable relative to the bottom wall 10 between an upright position and a folded-down position.
A raised wall 11, 12, 13 is formed along each of the left, right and rear edges of the bottom wall 10. Each of the raised walls 11, 12, 13 has more than two protruded blocks 111, 121, 131 provided on an inner side thereof. Each of the protruded blocks is formed with a through hole 112, 122, 132. Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the lower edges of the left and right walls 30, 40 and the rear wall 50 are respectively formed with recesses 31, 41, 51 corresponding to the protruded blocks 111, 121, 131, so that the protruded blocks 111, 121, 131 can be respectively received in the recesses 31, 41, 51. Protuberances 32, 42, 52 are respectively provided on inner wall faces of the recesses 31, 41, 51 on the left and right walls 30, 40 and the rear wall 50. The protuberances 32, 42, 52 are extended into the through holes 112, 122, 132 of the corresponding protruded blocks 111, 121, 131, so that the left and right walls 30, 40 and the rear wall 50 are pivotally turnable about the protuberances 32, 42, 52 relative to the bottom wall 10. Thus, the left and right walls 30, 40 can be pivotally turned to a folded-down position to flatly lie on the bottom wall 10, as shown in FIG. 8. The raised wall 13 at the rear edge of the bottom wall 10 has a height larger than that of the raised walls 11, 12 at the left and right edges of the bottom wall 10. Therefore, after the left and right walls 30, 40 are turned to lie on the bottom wall 10, the rear wall 50 can be further turned to a folded-down position to lie over the folded-down left and right walls 30, 40, as shown in FIG. 14.
Please now refer to FIGS. 2 and 6. Each of the raised walls 11, 12 at the left and right edges of the bottom wall 10 has a front end, on a top of which a transverse pin hole 14 is provided. The front wall 10 is provided on an inner face at positions corresponding to the two pin holes 14 with two pairs of lugs 21. The lugs 21 each are formed with a through hole 211. Two insertion pins 22 can be separately extended through the through holes 211 on the two pairs of lugs 21 and the pin holes 14 corresponding thereto, so as to pivotally connect the front wall 20 to the bottom wall 10, allowing the front wall 20 to pivotally turn about the insertion pins 22 relative to the bottom wall 10. Since the pin holes 14 on the bottom wall 10 are located at a position higher than that of the raised walls 11, 12 at the left and right edges of the bottom wall 10, the front wall 20 being turned to the folded-down position is lying over the folded-down left and right walls 30, 40, as shown in FIG. 14.
When the left and right walls 30, 40 and the rear wall 50 are extended to the upright position, the lower edges of the left and right walls 30, 40 and the rear wall 50 are respectively abutted against a top of the raised walls 11, 12, 13 at the left, right and rear edges of the bottom wall 10, preventing the left and right walls 30, 40 and the rear wall 50 from being further turned outward and kept in the upright position. When the front wall 20 is in the upright position, the inner face thereof is pressed against the front edge of the bottom wall 10, preventing the front wall 20 from being further turned outward and kept in the upright position. Referring to FIG. 7, an L-shaped hook 25 is provided on the inner face of the front wall 20 at a lower edge thereof, and a downward projected plate 15 is provided on a lower front portion of the bottom wall 10 to correspond to the L-shaped hook 25. The L-shaped hook 25 can be hooked to the downward projected plate 15 to thereby keep the front wall 20 in the upright position as shown in FIG. 7. In practical implementation of the present invention, the downward projected plate 15 can also be the front edge of the bottom wall 10.
As can be seen in FIG. 2, a left hook 23 and a right hook 24 are provided on the inner face of the front wall 20 at predetermined positions. The left hook 23 has a distal hooking end 231 being turned leftward. The right hook 24 has a distal hooking end 241 being turned rightward. Similarly, a left hook 53 and a right hook 54 are provided on an inner face of the rear wall 50 at predetermined positions. The left hook 53 has a distal hooking end 531 being turned leftward. The right hook 54 has a distal hooking end 541 being turned rightward. As can be seen in FIG. 3, a front through hole 33 and a rear through hole 34 are formed on an inner face of the left wall 30 at positions respectively corresponding to the distal hooking ends 231, 531 of the left hooks 23, 53 on the front wall 20 and the rear wall 50, allowing the distal hooking ends 231, 531 to extend through the front and rear through holes 33, 34, respectively. Similarly, as can be seen in FIG. 4, a front through hole 43 and a rear through hole 44 are formed on an inner face of the right wall 40 at positions respectively corresponding to the distal hooking ends 241, 541 of the right hooks 24, 54 on the front wall 20 and the rear wall 50, allowing the distal hooking ends 241, 541 to extend through the front and rear through holes 43, 44, respectively.
When the drawer 1 is in the extended state for use, front edges of the left and right walls 30, 40 are abutted on the inner face of the front wall 20 to prevent the front wall 20 from turning. In addition, the L-shaped hook 25 provided on the inner face of the front wall 20 at the lower edge thereof is hooked to the downward projected plate 15 at the lower front edge of the bottom wall 10, allowing the front wall 20 to be more securely held to the upright position. In the meantime, rear edges of the left and right walls 30, 40 are abutted on the inner face of the rear wall 50 to prevent the rear wall 50 from turning. Moreover, in the upright position, the left and right walls 30, 40 are locked to the front wall 20 and the rear wall 50 by the left hooks 23, 53 and right hooks 24, 54, respectively, without the risk of being unexpectedly turned and folded to thereby ensure good structural strength and reliable use of the drawer 1 in the extended state.
To extend the drawer 1 from the collapsed state for use, first turn the front wall 20 and the rear wall 50 from the folded-down position to the upright position as shown in FIG. 8. Then, turn the right wall 40, for example, from the folded-down position to the upright position. In the present invention, the bottom wall 10, the left and right walls 30, 40, the front wall 20, and the rear wall 50 are made of a plastic material. With an inherent elasticity of the plastic material, the right wall 40 can be forced to move across the right hook 24 on the front wall 20 (not shown) and across the right hook 54 on the rear wall 50 as shown in FIG. 9. Thereafter, the distal hooking ends 241, 541 of the right hooks 24, 54 on the front and rear walls 20, 50 are respectively extended through the front and the rear through hole 43, 44 on the right wall 40 to thereby hold the right wall 40 to the upright position, as shown in FIG. 10. And then, turn the left wall 30 from the folded-down position to the upright position, and force the left wall 30 to move across the left hook 23 on the front wall 20 as shown in FIG. 11 and across the left hook 53 on the rear wall 50 (not shown). Thereafter, the distal hooking ends 231, 531 of the left hooks 23, 53 are respectively extended through the front and the rear through holes 33, 34 on the left wall 30 to thereby hold the left wall 30 to the upright position. At this point, the drawer 1 is fully unfolded to the extended state as shown in FIG. 1. In the present invention, both the distal hooking ends 531, 541 of the left and right hooks 53, 54 on the rear wall 50 are in a forked U-shape, so that two free ends of both the forked distal hooking ends 531, 541 are elastically compressible toward each other. Further, the distal hooking ends 531, 541 of the left and right hooks 53, 54 are provided on respective free ends at two opposite outer sides thereof with a vertically protruded rib 532, 542 each. Once the distal hooking ends 531, 541 are respectively extended through and beyond the rear through holes 34, 44 on the left and right walls 30, 40, the two free ends thereof elastically expand with the protruded ribs 532, 542 being abutted on an outer periphery of the rear through holes 34, 44, as shown in FIG. 12. Similarly, both the distal hooking ends 231, 241 of the left and right hooks 23, 24 on the front wall 20 are in a forked U-shape, so that two free ends of both the forked distal hooking ends 231, 241 are elastically compressible toward each other. Further, the distal hooking ends 231, 241 of the left and right hooks 23, 24 are provided on respective free ends at two opposite outer sides thereof with a vertically protruded rib 232, 242. Once the distal hooking ends 231, 241 are respectively extended through and beyond the front through holes 33, 43 on the left and right walls 30, 40, the two free ends thereof elastically expand with the protruded ribs 232, 242 being abutted on an outer periphery of the front through holes 33, 43, as shown in FIG. 13. With the left and right walls 30, 40 being locked to between the front wall 20 and the rear wall 50 by the left hooks 23, 53 and the right hooks 24, 54, respectively, the left and right walls 30, 40, the front wall 20, and the rear wall 50 are more securely connected together without the risk of easily becoming loosed or detached from one another.
To change the drawer 1 from the extended state into the collapsed state, the left wall 30 and the right wall 40 are sequentially folded down first. To fold down the left wall 30, first compress the two free ends of both the distal hooking ends 231, 531 toward each other and apply a minor force to pull the left wall 30 outward, so that the left hooks 23, 53 on the front and rear walls 20, 50 are separated from the front and rear through holes 33, 34 on the left wall 30. Then, apply a minor force to pull the front wall 20 and the rear wall 50 outward, allowing the left wall 30 to be inward moved across the left hooks 23, 53 and turned toward the bottom wall 10 into the folded-down position as shown in FIG. 10. Thereafter, compress the two free ends of both the distal hooking ends 241, 541 toward each other and apply a minor force to pull the right wall 40 outward, so that the right hooks 24, 54 on the front and rear walls 20, 50 are separated from the front and rear through holes 43, 44 on the right wall 40. Then, apply a minor force to pull the front wall 20 and the rear wall 50 outward, allowing the right wall 40 to be inward moved across the right hooks 24, 54 and turned toward the bottom wall 10 into the folded-down position as shown in FIG. 8. Finally, the rear wall 50 and the front wall 20 are inward folded down to bring the drawer 1 into the fully collapsed state, as shown in FIG. 14. It should be noted that, before folding down the front wall 20, it is necessary to first release the L-shaped hook 25 on the front wall 20 from the bottom wall 10.
As aforesaid, before the left and right walls 30, 40 and the front and rear walls 20, 50 can be folded to collapse the drawer 1, the free ends of the distal hooking ends 231, 531 and 241, 541 of the left and right hooks 23, 53 and 24, 54 must first be compressed toward each other; and then, the left and right walls 30, 40 are outward pulled, and the front and rear walls 20, 50 are outward pulled. It is not able to complete the folding operation if the above procedures are not performed step by step. Therefore, the drawer 1 is safe for use without the risk of automatically becoming collapsed due to any unexpected conditions.
With the above arrangements, the collapsible drawer according to the present invention can be folded down into a flattened state to facilitate easy storage, warehousing, and transport thereof. The collapsible drawer can be used with various types of sectional racks to largely reduce an overall packing size of the sectional racks to save a large amount of freight cost thereof. Thus, the collapsible drawer of the present invention is a novel, practical and ideal design.
The present invention has been described with a preferred embodiment thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications in the described embodiment can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.
Patent Application
20110221318
