This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202210212862.5 filed on Mar. 4, 2022; Chinese Patent Application No. 202320135456.3 filed on Jan. 13, 2023. The contents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
This invention relates generally to modular storage boxes, and more specifically the connection mechanisms for attaching modular storage boxes.
In order to facilitate the user in the case of carrying multiple storage boxes (such as toolboxes) to facilitate the overall movement and use, each storage box is usually stacked together, and each storage box is usually locked together by interlocking, so as to facilitate the user to move and use. A number of ways are known for interlocking storage boxes. Now on the market, there are roughly the following three forms of locking: the first way uses a single plastic latch that can be turned to clasp the lower bottom of the box protrusion to achieve the purpose of interlocking; the second way is the conventional use of the front of the two-segment latch moved to the side to lock between the upper and lower boxes; and the third way uses a combination of steel wire and plastic to lock boxes together at the side. However, the above locking methods can only be interlocked for the same length and width of the shape of the box, and cannot be interlocked for different length and width of the size of the shape of the box, with many professional users needing to carry more and more diverse types of tools, there is an urgent need for interlocking between different sizes of the box.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a connection structure of a storage box, aiming to solve the above-mentioned deficiencies of the background technology, and to achieve automatic locking, keeping unlocking and automatic reset functions, so as to facilitate the user's operation and use.
The present invention provides a connection structure of a module comprising a first connection part located on one surface of said module, a second connection part located on another surface of said module and a stop part.
said first connection part comprising a mounting portion, a locking part movable relative to said mounting portion and a first resilient member disposed between said mounting portion and said locking portion, said first resilient member causing said locking part to automatically remain in a locked state said second connection part comprising a mating part interlockable with the locking portion, the locking part of one said module being pressed down so that it is automatically locked with the mating part of the other module by the action of said first resilient member.
When said stop part is in the locking path of the locking portion, said locking part cannot be automatically locked and said first connection part and said second connection part are in a holding unlocked state.
Further, said stop part is retractable, said stop part extending when said first connection part and said second connection part are in a hold unlocked state, and said stop part compressing when said first connection part and said second connection part are in a locked state.
Further, said stop part is provided on said locking part and is movable with said locking portion; when said first connection part and said second connection part are in a holding unlocked state, said stop part and said second connection part snap in the locking path of the locking portion.
Further, said stop part comprises a holding slot opened in the locking portion, a card block accommodated in said holding slot and a second resilient member disposed between the holding slot and the card block; when said second resilient member is extended, said card block extends out of the holding slot and when said second resilient member is compressed, said card block is compressed in the holding slot.
Further, said stop part is provided on said second connection part and remains stationary relative to said locking portion; said stop part and said locking part snap together in a locking path of the locking part when said first connection part is in a hold unlocked state with said second connection part.
Further, said locking part includes a locking clasp and a stop clasp, said locking clasp being provided in correspondence with the mating portion, and said stop clasp being provided in correspondence with the stop part.
Further, said stop clasp has an extension length in the locking direction greater than the extension length of the locking clasp in the locking direction.
Further, when said first connection part and said second connection part are in a hold unlocked state, said stop part and said stop buckle are held against each other in a locked path of the locking portion; when said first connection part and said second connection part are in a locked state, said locking buckle and mating part are locked against each other and said stop buckle is held against the stop part in a non-locked path.
Further, said stop part comprises a holding slot opened in the mating portion, a block to be accommodated in the slot and a second resilient member disposed between the holding slot and the block; when said second resilient member is compressed, said block is held against said stop clasp in a non-locking path, and when said second resilient member is extended, said block is held against said stop clasp in a locking path of the locking portion.
Further, said stop part further comprises a retaining slot and a retaining block attached to the card block, said second resilient member compressing when said retaining block is located in said retaining slot and said stop part is not located in the locking path of the locking portion.
Further, said locking part is a sliding latch for horizontal movement, a flipping latch for flipping movement, or a rotating latch for rotating movement.
The present invention also provides a storage box, said storage box is provided with a connection structure of the module as described in any of the above, said first connection part is provided on the lid of said storage box, said second connection part is provided on the bottom of said storage box body.
The present invention also provides a storage box assembly comprising a plurality of storage boxes as described above, wherein two adjacent said storage boxes are interlockable with each other by means of a first connection member and a second connection member.
The connection structure of the locker provided by the present invention, because the locking part can move relative to the mounting part and the first resilient member can drive the locking part to automatically remain in the locked state, when the two lockers are locked, the locking part of one of the lockers can automatically lock with the mating part of the other locker under the action of the first resilient member, thus realizing the automatic locking function of the first connection part and the second connection part; meanwhile, by At the same time, by setting the stopping part, the stopping part can be held in the locking path of the locking part, so that the first connection part and the second connection part are in the unlocked state, thus eliminating the need to deliberately keep the locking part in the unlocked state by hand, freeing the user's hands; and when the two lockers are unlocked and detached from each other, the locking part can be automatically reset under the drive of the first resilient member, ready for the next locking, simplifying the operation steps when locking. operation steps, convenient for users.
In yet another embodiment, the purpose of the utility model is to provide a connection structure of a storage box, aiming to solve the above-mentioned deficiencies of the background technology, and to be able to achieve automatic locking, holding unlocking and automatic reset functions, so as to facilitate the user's operation and use.
The utility model provides a connection structure of a module, comprising a first connection part located on one surface of said module, a second connection part located on another surface of said module.
said first connection portion comprising a mounting portion, a locking part movable relative to said mounting portion and a first elastic member disposed between said mounting portion and said locking portion, said first elastic member causing said locking part to be automatically maintained in a locked state
said second connection portion comprising a mating part interlocked with said locking portion, the locking part of one said module being pressed down so that it is automatically locked with the mating part of the other module by the action of said first resilient member
further comprising a stop part, said stop part being provided on said locking part and having one end rotatably connected to said locking portion, said stop part and said second connection portion being held in the locking path of the locking part when said first connection portion and said second connection portion are in a holding unlocked state.
Further, said stop part includes a latch and a second resilient member, one end of said latch being rotatably connected to said locking portion, said second resilient member keeping said latch automatically in the ejected state; when said latch is ejected and held against said mating portion, said locking part is not automatically locked and said first connection portion and said second connection portion are in the hold unlocked state.
Further, said locking part is provided with a holding slot, said holding slot having a bottom wall and two side walls, two said side walls extending upward and opposite each other along both sides of said bottom wall; said latch is retractably provided in said holding slot, one end of said second resilient member resting on said latch and the other end resting on said bottom wall; when said second resilient member is ejected, said latch extends out of said holding slot, and when said second elastic member is compressed, said latch is retracted into said holding slot.
Further, said latch is provided with an upwardly protruding stop; said stop protrudes from said holding slot against said mating part when said first connection part and said second connection part are in a holding unlocked state.
Further, said latch has opposing first and second ends, the second end being closer to the center of the module than the first end; said first end is provided with a shaft hole, said stop further comprising a rotating shaft, said ends of said rotating shaft being fixed to two said side walls, said second resilient member being a torsion spring, said first end and said second resilient member being snapped to said rotating shaft.
Further, said latch has opposing first and second ends, the second end being closer to the center of the module than the first end; said first end being pivotally connected to said locking portion, said second resilient member having both ends located between said latch and said bottom wall, said second resilient member being a telescopic spring.
Further, said second end part is provided with convex shafts on both sides, two said convex shafts are inserted in the slides of two said side walls respectively.
Further, said locking part is a sliding latch for horizontal movement, a flipping latch for flipping movement or a rotating latch for rotating movement.
The utility model also provides a storage box, including a lid and a box body, said lid is set on said box body, said storage box is provided with a connection structure of the module as described in either of the above, said first connection is set on said lid, said second connection is set on the bottom of said box body.
The utility model also provides a storage box assembly comprising a plurality of storage boxes as described above, and two adjacent said storage boxes are interlockable with each other by said first connecting member and said second connecting member.
The connection structure of the storage box provided by the utility model has the following beneficial effects.
1, the use of the first connecting part and the second connecting part with locking. When the upper locker is placed in place at the same time automatically achieve the function of two boxes locked to each other, do not need the user to put the box after the need to lock the box and then deliberately to operate both sides of the latch, only to open when the two sides of the latch can be pulled open.
2, the use of rotatable latch to make the first connection and the second connection in the unlocked state, the movement of the latch deterministic, smooth, greatly improving the convenience of the user.
The specific embodiments of the present invention are described in further detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. The following embodiments are used to illustrate the invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
The terms “first”, “second”, “third”, “fourth”, etc. (if present) in the specification and claims of the present invention are used to distinguish between “etc. (if present) are used to distinguish similar objects and need not be used to describe a particular order or sequence.
The orientation words such as top, bottom, left, right, front, back, top, bottom, etc. (if present) covered in the specification and claims of the present invention are defined in terms of the position of the structures in the attached drawings located in the drawings and the position of the structures in relation to each other, only for the clarity and convenience of expressing the technical solution. It should be understood that the use of the orientation words should not limit the scope of protection claimed in this application.
The present invention provides a connection structure of a module, a storage box having the connection structure, and a storage box assembly. The connection structure may be provided on storage box 50, and two adjacent storage boxes 50 may be matingly locked with each other by the connection structure, thereby facilitating the transportation of multiple storage boxes 50. The storage box 50 can be a tool box, tool basket, transport box, transit box and other storage devices. Storage box 50 can be any type known to those skilled in the art, which comprises of a four sidewalls protecting from a bottom with a hinged lid 52 for access to an interior thereof. Storage box 50 can have various types of lid latching mechanisms, organizational bins or structures and other features known to those skilled in the art.
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The working principle of this embodiment is as follows.
When it is necessary to lock two storage boxes up and down, press down the upper storage box to make it contact with the locking buckle 122 on the lower storage box, the locking buckle 122 on the lower storage box is squeezed to drive the locking part 12 to move towards the unlocking direction (i.e. away from the center of the storage box), at this time the first resilient member 13 compresses and accumulates force. When the upper locker moves down a certain distance, the locking buckle 122 on the locking part 12 corresponds to the slot 211 on the matching part 21, the locking buckle 122 loses the holding effect of the upper locker, the locking buckle 122 is driven by the first resilient member 13 automatically stuck into the slot 211, so that the first connection part 1 and the second connection part 2 are in a locked state, that is, to achieve the automatic locking function of the upper and lower locker. At this time, the stopping part 3 is compressed in the holding slot 31 by the compression of the second connection 2.
When it is necessary to unlock the two storage boxes, pull the locking part 12 of the lower storage box outward so that it moves toward the unlocking direction, and when the locking part 12 moves a certain distance toward the unlocking direction, the locking buckle 122 of the lower storage box is detached from the slot 211 of the upper storage box, so that the locking part 12 is unlocked with the mating part 21. At the same time, continue to pull the locking part 12 in the unlocking direction until the stopping part 3 loses the squeeze of the upper storage box, and the card block 32 automatically extends upward under the action of the second resilient member 33 to hold the holding slot 31 and snap with the recessed part 22, so that the first connection part 1 and the second connection part 2 are in the keep unlocked state, i.e., the keep unlocked function is realized. At this time, the upper and lower storage boxes can be easily unlocked and separated by simply pulling up the upper storage box. At the same time, at this time, if the user wants to lock again, just press down the card block 32 to make the card block 32 retracted into the holding slot 31. When the upper and lower two lockers separated, the card block 32 in the second resilient member 33 under the action of the extension state, the locking part 12 in the first resilient member 13 driven automatically reset in the locked state, ready for the next lock.
The advantages of the connection structure of the storage box provided in this embodiment include.
1. the connection structure of the locker has an automatic locking function, a hold unlocking function and an automatic reset function: since the locking part 12 can move horizontally relative to the mounting part 11, and the first resilient member 13 can drive the locking part 12 to automatically remain in the locked state. When two lockers are locked, the locking part 12 of one of the lockers can automatically lock with the mating part 21 of the other locker under the action of the first resilient member 13, thus realizing the automatic locking function of the first connection part 1 and the second connection part 2; at the same time, by setting the stopping part 3 and using the stopping part 3 to cooperate with the second connection part 2, the first connection part 1 and the second connection part 2 can be kept in the unlocked state when they are unlocked At the same time, after the two lockers are unlocked and separated, the locking part 12 can be automatically reset under the drive of the first resilient member 13 to prepare for the next locking, simplifying the operation steps of locking and unlocking (conventional locking and unlocking requires at least four steps, while this embodiment only requires two steps), which is convenient for users.
2, through the cooperation of the stop part 3 and the second connection part 2 to keep the unlocking function, when the user wants to re-lock (user miss-operation unlocking), just press the card block 32 downward, without separating the first connection part 1 and the second connection part 2 after re-locking, and does not harm the reliability of the structure.
As shown in
Specifically, the locking part 12 includes a locking buckle 122 and a stopper 123, the locking buckle 122 can be locked with the mating part 21 in cooperation with each other, and the stopper 123 is provided in correspondence with the stopping part 3; the stopper 123 can be held with the stopping part 3 in the locking path of the locking part 12, so that the first connecting part 1 and the second connecting part 2 are in the hold unlocked state. The extension length of the locking buckle 122 in the locking direction is smaller than the extension length of the stopper 123 in the locking direction, so that the angle required to flip when the stopper 123 and the stopping part 3 are unlocked in the locking path is maximum. When the second resilient member 33 is compressed, the locking buckle 122 and the mating part 21 are locked to each other, the card block 32 and the stopper 123 are held up and down in the vertical direction, and the first connecting part 1 and the second connecting part 2 are in the locked state; when the second resilient member 33 is extended, the card block 32 extends into the holding slot 31 and is held in the locked path with the stopper 123, and the first connecting part 1 and the second connecting part 2 are in the hold unlocked state. In other embodiments, the card block 32 and the stopper 123 can also be held in other non-locking paths, for example, the card block 32 and the stopper 123 are held in the left and right direction, and the stopper 123 only needs to hold the card block 32 in the non-locking path to fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.
Further, as shown in
The working principle of this embodiment is as follows.
When the need to lock the two storage boxes up and down, downward pressure on the upper storage box so that it is in contact with the locking buckle 122 on the lower storage box, the locking buckle 122 of the lower storage box is squeezed to drive the locking part 12 towards the unlocking direction (i.e., away from the center of the storage box), when the first resilient member 13 compressed storage force. When the upper locker moves down a certain distance, the locking buckle 122 on the locking part 12 corresponds to the slot 211 on the mating part 21, the locking buckle 122 loses the holding effect of the upper locker, the locking buckle 122 is driven by the first resilient member 13 automatically stuck into the slot 211, so that the first connection part 1 and the second connection part 2 are in a locked state, that is, to achieve the automatic locking function of the upper and lower locker. It should be noted that during this process, the upper storage box is pressed down, the card block 32 is squeezed and compressed by the stopper 123, the second resilient member 33 compresses and accumulates force, and the stopper 123 and the card block 32 are always held against the upper and lower.
When it is necessary to unlock the two storage boxes, pull the locking part 12 of the lower storage box outward to make it move in the direction of unlocking, and when the locking part 12 moves outward a certain distance, the locking buckle 122 of the lower storage box is detached from the slot 211 of the upper storage box, so that the locking part 12 is unlocked with the mating part 21. At the same time, continue to pull the locking part 12 outward until the stopping part 3 loses the hold of the stopper 123 of the lower storage box, and the card block 32 automatically extends downward under the action of the second resilient member 33 to hold the holding slot 31 and snap with the stopper 123 in the locking path of the locking part 12, so that the first connection part 1 and the second connection part 2 are in the hold unlocked state, that is, to achieve the hold unlocking function. At this time, the upper and lower storage boxes can be easily unlocked and separated by simply pulling up the upper storage box. At the same time, at this time, if the user wants to lock again, just pull up the card block 32 to make the card block 32 and stop the stopper 123 up and down again can be held. When the upper and lower two lockers separated, the card block 32 in the role of the second resilient member 33 to maintain the extended state, the locking part 12 in the first resilient member 13 driven automatically reset in the locked state, ready for the next lock.
The connection structure of the storage box provided in this embodiment also has automatic locking function, keep unlocking function and automatic reset function, and other structures and functions of this embodiment are the same or similar to the first embodiment, and will not be repeated here.
As shown in
In this embodiment, the storage box includes a lid 1101 and a box 1102, and the lid 1101 is set on the box 1102. The lid 1101 can be opened or closed relative to the box 1102. The first connection part 1000 is provided on the lid 1101 of the storage box, and the first connection part 1000 includes a mounting portion 1011, a locking part 1012 that can be moved horizontally relative to the mounting portion 1011 and a first elastic member 1013 located between the mounting portion 1011 and the locking part 1012, and the locking part 1012 can be automatically kept in the locked state under the action of the first elastic member 1013.
Further, the mounting portion 1011 is removably connected to the lid 1101. The lid 1101 is provided with a mounting slot 1111, and the mounting portion 1011 is snap-fitted into the mounting slot 1111, thereby facilitating the replacement of the mounting portion 1011. In other embodiments, the first connection part 1000 and the lid 1010 may be integrally formed or otherwise fixed or removably connected. The mounting portion 1011 is provided with a slide 1011a on the side of the mounting portion 1011 away from the lid 1101, and the locking part 1012 is provided in the slide 1011a and can be moved relative to the mounting portion 1011 in the slide 1011a. In this embodiment, the locking part 1012 is a sliding latch that moves horizontally relative to the mounting portion 1011 so that the locking part 1012 moves horizontally within the slide 1011a. In other embodiments, the locking part 1012 may also be a flip latch that moves with respect to the mounting portion 1011, or a rotary latch that moves with respect to the mounting portion 1011.
Specifically, the locking part 1012 is provided with a locking buckle 1122, with the projection of the locking buckle 1122 directed toward the center side of the storage box. When the locking buckle 1122 is stuck into the second connection part 2000, the first connection part 1000 and the second connection part 2000 can be interlocked, and when the locking buckle 1122 is disengaged from the second connection part 2000, the first connection part 1000 and the second connection part 2000 can be interlocked. At the same time, in order to facilitate the locking between the locking buckle 1122 and the second connection part 2000, the locking buckle 1122 is provided with a bevel 1122a. The locking part 1012 is provided with a holding slot 1123 on the side face away from the lid 1101, and the holding slot 1123 is located on the side of the locking buckle 1122 near the lid 1101. The holding slot 1123 has a bottom wall 1123a and two side walls 1123b, the two side walls 1123b extend upward along both sides of the bottom wall 1123a and are set opposite each other, and the stopper 3000 is set in the holding slot 1123.
Further, the first elastic member 1013 is connected between the mounting portion 1011 and the locking part 1012, and one end of the first elastic member 1013 abuts against the mounting portion 1011 and the other end abuts against the locking part 1012, so that the locking part 1012 is automatically kept in the locked state under the action of the first elastic member 1013. In order to improve the reliability of the movement of the locking part 1012, the first elastic member 1013 can be provided with two, respectively located on both sides of the slide 1011a. The first elastic member 1013 is a telescopic spring, so that the locking part 1012 moves horizontally.
Further, as shown in
The stopper 3000 is provided on the locking part 1012, and one end of it is rotatably connected with the locking part 1012. The stopper 3000 includes a card block 1036 and a second resilient member 1033, and one end of the card block 1036 is rotatably connected to the locking part 1012, and the second resilient member 1033 keeps the card block 1036 in the ejected state automatically, and when the card block 1036 is ejected and held against the mating part 1021, the locking part 1012 cannot be locked automatically, and the first connection part 1000 and the second connection part 2000 are in the unlocked state. The locking part 1012 can be locked automatically when the stopper 3000 is retracted into the locking part 1012 by pressing down. When the first connection part 1000 and the second connection part 2000 are in the locked state, the locking buckle 1122 interferes with the mating part 1021 and the stopper 3000 retracts into the locking part 1012; when the first connection part 1000 and the second connection part 2000 are in the keep unlocked state, the locking buckle 1122 does not interfere with the mating part 1022 and the stopper 3000 snaps with the mating part 1021 in the locking path of the locking part 1012.
In this embodiment, the card block 1036 is telescopically provided in the holding slot 1123 of the locking part 1012 and is also horizontally movable with the locking part 1012 relative to the mounting portion 1011, with the length of the card block 1036 extending in the same direction as the moving direction of the locking part 1012. One end of the second resilient member 1033 rests on the card block 1036 and the other end rests on the bottom wall 1123a, and when the second resilient member 1033 is popped out, the card block 1036 extends into the holding slot 1123, and when the second resilient member 1033 is compressed, the card block 1036 is retracted into the said holding slot 1123. Specifically, the card block 1036 is provided with an upwardly protruding stop 1361, which extends out of the holding slot 1123 to be held against the mating part 1021 when the first connecting part 1000 and the second connecting part are in a holding unlocked state, and the stop 1361 is used to be held against the mating part 1021. The card block 1036 has an opposite first end 1036a and a second end 1036b, and the second end 1036b is closer to the center of the storage box than the first end 1036a, and the stop 1361 is provided at the connection of the first end 1036a and the second end 1036b.
Further, as shown in
In addition, in order to facilitate the positioning of the first connecting part 1000 and the second connecting part 2000 when they are interlocked, a positioning recess 1041 can be provided on the lid 1101, and a projection 1042 can be provided at the bottom of the box 1102, and the positioning recess 1041 can just accommodate the projection 1042, and the first connecting part 1000 can be provided on both sides of the edge of the lid 1101.
The working principle of this embodiment is as follows.
As shown in
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Again, if the locking part 1012 is pulled away and then reversed and does not want to unlock the upper and lower lockers, the card block 1036 can be pressed at this time to allow the locking part 1012 to return to the locked position, so that the first connection part 1000 and the second connection part 2000 return to the locked state.
The advantages of the connection structure of the storage box provided in this embodiment include.
1000, the use of the first connection part 1000 and the second connection part 2000 with locking. When the upper locker placed in place at the same time automatically achieve the function of two boxes locked to each other, the user does not need to put the box 1102 after the need to lock the box 1102 and then deliberately to operate both sides of the locking part 1012, just pull open both sides of the locking part 1012 when opened.
2000, the use of rotatable card block 1036 to make the first connection part 1000 and the second connection part 2000 in the unlocked state, the movement of the card block 1036 deterministic, smooth use, greatly improving the convenience of the user.
As shown in
Specifically, the card block 1036 has a first end 1036a and a second end 1036b, and the second end 1036b is closer to the center of the storage box than the first end 1036a. The second end 1036b of the card block 1036 is provided with protruding shafts 1362 on both sides, and the two protruding shafts 1362 are inserted in the slide rails 1123c of the two side walls 1123b, so that the protruding shafts 1362 move back and forth in the slide rails 1123c to provide guidance for the card block 1036. Further, the card block 1036 is provided with a first projection 1363 and a second projection 1231 on the bottom wall 1123a, and the two ends of the second resilient member 1033 are provided on the first projection 1363 and the second projection 1231, respectively.
Other structures, working principles and beneficial effects of the first embodiment of this embodiment can achieve the same, here will not repeat.
The above mentioned is only the specific implementation of the utility model, but the scope of protection of the utility model is not limited to this, any technical person familiar with the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the utility model, which should be covered by the scope of protection of the utility model. Therefore, the scope of protection of the utility model shall be subject to the scope of protection of the said claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202210212862.5 | Mar 2022 | CN | national |
202320135456.3 | Jan 2023 | CN | national |
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/176,907 filed Mar. 1, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 18176907 | Mar 2023 | US |
Child | 18518200 | US |