Patent ID: 6519816
Filing Date: 2003-02-18
Classification: B65D,Y10T

Abstract:
A container coupling device comprising: a flange having top and bottom surfaces and being adapted to be arranged between upper and lower containers; upper and lower positioning protrusions integrally provided on said top and bottom surfaces of said flange, respectively, and adapted to be inserted into engaging holes formed in opposing parts of the upper and lower containers for preventing displacement of the upper and lower containers, said upper positioning protrusion having two sides, a top surface and a downwardly extending hole formed in said top surface of said upper positioning protrusion; a rotary shaft inserted in said downwardly extending hole and rotatably supported; an engaging member having two ends and being provided on a top end of said rotary shaft so as to be engageable and disengageable relative to the engaging hole of the upper container; and a turning amount limiting mechanism for allowing said rotary shaft to rotate between an engaged position in which said two ends of said engaging member protrude outwardly from said two sides of said upper positioning protrusion and a disengaged position in which said engaging member is entirely received within an outer periphery of said upper positioning protrusion; wherein said turning amount limiting mechanism comprises a through hole formed in said lower positioning protrusion so as to communicate with said downwardly extending hole, and a lever mounted to said rotary shaft at a position opposite said through hole, to thereby limit a rotation amount of said rotary shaft by abutment of said lever on inner peripheral sides of said through hole.