Storage box

A storage box is configured to include a rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped case main body that is opened to a front side and an upper side, a top plate that is assembled to an upper end part of the case main body, and a rectangular frame-shaped frame member is assembled to the front end part of the case main body and the front end part of the top plate. As a result, the rigidity of the front end part of the storage box can be increased by the frame member. In addition, the opening-closing panel is rotatably assembled to the frame member. The opening-closing panel is disposed at the rotation position by being rotated from the closed position to the front side, and by sliding from the rotation position to the rear side the rail portion of the case main body is slid, and then, is disposed at the housing position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to a storage box.

Background Art

A storage box disclosed in JP-A-2016-94239 below is configured to include a box main body that is opened to an upper side and a front side, and a top plate portion and a lid opening-closing portion that are assembled to the box main body. The lid opening-closing portion is configured to be movable between a closed position that covers a front opening portion and an open position that is disposed in a gap between the top plate portion and a side plate portion of the box main body. At the open position of the lid opening-closing portion, since the lid opening-closing portion is stored inside the box main body, it is easy to put storage articles in and out of the storage box.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, in the storage box described above, when the top plate portion is assembled to the box main body, since the storage box is formed to be a bottomed rectangular cylindrical shape that is open to the front side, a rigidity of a front end part of the storage box tends to be lower than the rigidity of other portions. Therefore, there is a room for improvement in terms of increasing the rigidity of the storage box.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a storage box in which the rigidity can be increased.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a storage box includes: a rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped case main body that is opened to a front side and an upper side; a top plate that is assembled to an upper end part of the case main body; a pair of left and right rail portions that are formed on an upper end side part of a side wall of the case main body; a frame member that is formed in a rectangular frame shape, includes an opening portion inside, and is assembled to a front end part of the case main body and a front end part of the top plate; and an opening-closing panel that is assembled to the frame member so as to be rotatable between a closed position that closes the opening portion and a rotation position that is rotated from the closed position to the front side, and slides on the rail portion and is disposed at a housing position by sliding from the rotation position to the rear side.

In the storage box according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, an upper end part of the opening-closing panel is provided with a hinge piece formed to protrude toward an outside in a width direction, the hinge piece is configured to include a rotation rib that extends in a protrusion direction of the hinge piece and is guided by the frame member when the opening-closing panel is rotated, and a slide rib that extends in the protrusion direction of the hinge piece and sliding on the rail portion when the opening-closing panel slides, and a thickness of the slide rib is set to be thicker than a thickness of the rotation rib.

In the storage box according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the frame member is provided with a support wall formed to support both side parts of the opening-closing panel in the width direction at the housing position, a rear end surface of both side parts of the opening-closing panel in the width direction is inclined to the rear side as going toward a lower side, and the slide rib protrudes toward the rear side from the upper end part of both side parts of the opening-closing panel in the width direction.

In the storage box according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a distance in a front-rear direction from a front surface of the opening-closing panel to a rear end surface of the slide rib is set to be the same as a thickness of a lower end part of both side parts of the opening-closing panel in the width direction.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the rigidity can be increased.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, a storage box10according to a present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Arrows UP, FR, and RH appropriately illustrated in the drawings indicate an upper side, a front side, and a right side (one side in the width direction) of the storage box10, respectively. In the description below, an up-low direction, a front-rear direction, and a left-right direction will be referred to as a vertical direction, a front-rear direction, and a left-right direction of the storage box10unless otherwise specified.

Regarding Overall Configuration of Storage Box

As illustrated inFIG. 1, the storage box10is formed in a hollow, substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape. The storage box10is configured to include a case main body20that configures a main body of the storage box10, a top plate40that configures an upper end part of the storage box10, a frame member50that configures a front end part of the storage box10, and an opening-closing panel60that is assembled to the frame member50so as to be open and closed. The top plate40and the frame member50are assembled to the case main body20so that they can be disassembled (attachable and detachable).

As illustrated inFIG. 2, the storage box10is configured to be vertically stackable by stacking the storage boxes10(FIG. 2illustrates an example of stacking the storage boxes10in two stages). Furthermore, as illustrated inFIG. 3, when the storage box10is disassembled, the case main body20is configured to be vertically nested by stacking the case main bodies20(FIG. 3illustrates an example of nesting the case main body20in three stages). In addition, in a state in which the storage box10is disassembled, the frame member50to which the opening-closing panel60is assembled is held by the top plate40, and the top plate40in this state can be stacked vertically. In this way, in the packaging state of the storage box10, or the like, the top plate40holding the frame member50and the opening-closing panel60can be stacked on the upper side of the nested case main body20. Hereinafter, each configuration of the storage box10will be described.

Regarding Case Main Body

As illustrated inFIG. 4toFIG. 8C, the case main body20is made of a resin material and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape opened to the upper side and the front side. Specifically, the case main body20is configured to include a substantially rectangular plate-shaped bottom wall21having the vertical direction as a plate thickness direction and the front-rear direction as a longitudinal direction, a pair of left and right side walls22extending from both end parts of the bottom wall21in the width direction to the upper side, and a rear wall23extending from a rear end part of the bottom wall21to the upper side. The inside of the case main body20is configured as a storage portion24for storing the storage articles.

The side wall22is inclined toward the outside of the case main body20in the width direction in a front view as going toward the upper side. In addition, the rear wall23is inclined to the rear side in a side view as going toward the upper side. As a result, in a disassembled state of the storage box10, the case main body20is disposed inside another case main body20, and thus, the case main body20can be nested.

In a portion excluding outer peripheral portions at the left and right and an outer peripheral portion at the rear side, a drawer portion21A which goes up to the upper side by one stage is formed on the bottom wall21. The drawer portion21A is formed in a substantially rectangular shape with the front-rear direction as a longitudinal direction in a plan view. In addition, the left and right end parts at the front end part of the drawer portion21A are extended to the outside of the case main body20in the width direction, and are connected to a lower end part of the side wall22. At a boundary portion of the left and right side walls of the drawer portion21A and the bottom wall21, a side step portion21B (refer toFIG. 5) is formed, which is bent in a substantially crank shape and goes up to higher than the bottom wall21by one stage, and the side step portion21B extends in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, at the boundary portion of the rear wall23and the bottom wall21, a rear step portion21C (refer toFIG. 4) is formed, which is bent in a crank shape and goes up to higher than the upper side of the bottom wall21by one stage, and the rear step portion21C extends in the left-right direction.

At the front end part of the case main body20, a case side mounting portion25for mounting the frame member50described later is formed. The case side mounting portion25includes a pair of left and right side flange portions25A that are bent outside in the width direction of the case main body20at the front end part of the side wall22, and a lower flange portion25B that is bent to the lower side at the front end part of the drawer portion21A. Both the left and right end parts of the lower flange portion25B are connected to the lower end part of the side flange portion25A. In addition, the outer peripheral portion of the case side mounting portion25is configured as a mounting wall portion25C, and the mounting wall portion25C is bent to the front side at a distal end part of the side flange portion25A and the lower flange portion25B. The mounting wall portion25C at the lower side is disposed on the upper side of the bottom wall21.

At the upper end side part of the side wall22, a rail step portion22A is formed, which is bent toward the outside of the case main body20in the width direction in a substantially crank shape. Specifically, the rail step portion22A is configured to include a first step wall22A1that is bent toward the outside of the case main body20in the width direction at an upper end side part of the side wall22, and a second step wall22A2that is bent toward the upper side at a distal end part of the first step wall22A1. The front end part of the first step wall22A1is connected to the upper end part of the side flange portion25A, and the front end part of the second step wall22A2is connected to the upper end parts of the left and right mounting wall portions25C.

A stopper portion26protruding to the upper side is formed at an intermediate part of the first step wall22A1in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, at the end part of a center side of the case main body20in the width direction in the first step wall22A1, a rail wall27extending to the upper side is formed. The rail wall27extends from the front end part of the first step wall22A1to the rear side with the left-right direction as the plate thickness direction, and is connected to the stopper portion26. A rail portion28is formed by the rail wall27, the first step wall22A1and the second step wall22A2, and the rail portion28is formed in a groove shape open to the upper side and the front side, and extends in the front-rear direction.

At the lower end part of the side wall22of the case main body20, the engaging rib30(in a broad sense, an element recognized as “engagement portion”) used when nesting the case main body20, and an engaged portion31are provided. The engaging rib30and the engaged portion31form a pair, and the engaging rib30and the engaged portion31forming the pair are formed in four places in the case main body20. Specifically, the pairs of engaging rib30and the engaged portion31are formed at the front end part (2places) and the rear end part (2places) of the lower end parts of the left and right side walls22, respectively.

As illustrated inFIG. 8A, the engaging rib30protrudes from the lower end part of the side wall22toward the inside of the case main body20in the width direction. In addition, the two engaging libs30disposed at the rear end part of the side wall22are extended from the bottom wall21to the upper side, and the two engaging libs30disposed at the front end part of the side wall22are extended from the drawer portion21A of the bottom wall21to the upper side. The vertical positions of the upper end surfaces of the four engaging libs30are the same. That is, the length of the two engaging libs30in the vertical direction disposed at the rear side is set to be longer than the length of the two engaging libs30in the vertical direction disposed at the front side, and the upper end parts of the four engaging libs30are disposed at the upper side of the drawer portion21A. In addition, the upper end surface of the engaging rib30is inclined toward the upper side as going toward the inside of the case main body20in the width direction in a front view, and the corner portion of the engaging rib30is curved in a substantially arc shape.

As illustrated inFIG. 7, the engaged portion31is disposed close to the rear side of the engaging rib30. The engaged portion31protrudes from the side wall22to the inside of the case main body20in the width direction and protrudes from the bottom wall21to the upper side. As illustrated inFIG. 8B, an engagement groove portion31A is formed in the engaged portion31, and the engagement groove portion31A is open to the outside of the case main body20in the width direction and the lower side thereof. That is, the engagement groove portion31A is exposed to the outside at the corner portion of the lower side of the case main body20(the storage box10).

In addition, the upper end surface of the engagement groove portion31A is inclined to the upper side as going toward the inside of the case main body20in the width direction corresponding to the upper end surface of engaging rib30. In addition, the corner portion of the upper side of the engagement groove portion31A is curved in an arc shape corresponding to the corner portion of the engaging rib30. The corner portion of the upper side of the engagement groove portion31A may have an acute angle shape instead of an arc shape. Furthermore, a groove width of the engagement groove portion31A is set to be slightly larger than a thickness dimension (dimension in the front-rear direction) of the engaging rib30, a groove depth dimension of the engagement groove portion31A in the vertical direction is set to be smaller than a height dimension of the engaging rib30in the vertical direction. The thickness dimension of the engaging rib30is set so as to become smaller as going toward the upper side. That is, the side surfaces of the engaging rib30are slightly inclined so as to approach each other as going toward the upper side.

As illustrated inFIG. 8C, in a state in which the case main bodies20are nested, the upper end part of the engaging rib30in the case main body20at the lower side (one side) is inserted into the engagement groove portion31A in the case main body20at the upper side (the other side), the upper end surface of the engaging rib30comes in contact with the upper end surface of the engagement groove portion31A. As a result, when nesting the case main bodies20, the case main body20at the upper side is supported from the lower side by the engaging rib30of the case main body20at the lower side, and is disposed while being separated from the case main body20at the lower side. In addition, in this state, since the engaging rib30comes in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the engagement groove portion31A, in the front-rear direction, a relative displacement of the case main body20at the upper side with respect to the case main body20at the lower side is suppressed.

Regarding Top Plate

As illustrated inFIG. 4,FIG. 5,FIG. 9, andFIG. 10, the top plate40is made of a resin material, and is formed in a substantially rectangular box shape having a relatively shallow bottom that is open to the lower side. Specifically, the top plate40is configured to include a substantially rectangular plate-shaped top plate main body41in which the vertical direction is the plate thickness direction and the front-rear direction is the longitudinal direction, and a top plate peripheral wall portion42bent to the lower side at an outer peripheral edge of the top plate main body41. A top plate groove portion41A opened to the upper side is formed at the outer peripheral portion of the top plate main body41, and the top plate groove portion41A extends along a circumferential direction of the top plate40and is formed in a rectangular ring shape in a plan view.

On a lower surface of the top plate40, a plurality of mounting pieces43are formed at positions between the left and right top plate peripheral wall portions42and the rear side top plate peripheral wall portion42and the top plate groove portion41A. The mounting piece43is disposed with the circumferential direction of the top plate groove portion41A as the plate thickness direction, and is disposed with a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction of the top plate groove portion41A. In addition, the mounting piece43is disposed so as to be separated from the top plate peripheral wall portion42at an inner side of the top plate40. The upper end part of the side wall22of the case main body20and the upper end part of the rear wall23are inserted between the top plate peripheral wall portion42of the top plate40and the mounting piece43, and the top plate40is assembled on the case main body20.

The outer peripheral portion in the center part of the top plate main body41(portion surrounded by the top plate groove portion41A) is configured as a grounding portion41B, and the grounding portion41B is slightly raised to the upper side of the top plate main body41. In the stacking state of the storage box10, the side step portion21B of the case main body20at the upper side is grounded on the grounding portion41B of the top plate40at the lower side, and a central part of the top plate40at the lower side is engaged into the left and right side step portion21B (refer to the case main body20indicated by the chain double-dashed line inFIG. 5). As a result, a shift in the left-right direction between the storage boxes10is suppressed when stacking the storage box10. In addition, in the state of stacking of the storage box10, the rear step portion21C of the case main body20at the upper side is grounded to an upper surface of the rear end part of the top plate40at the lower side, and the bottom wall21on a rear end side of the case main body20at the upper side is inserted into an inner peripheral portion of the top plate groove portion41A of the top plate40at the lower side (refer to the case main body20indicated by a chain double-dashed line inFIG. 4). As a result, when stacking the storage boxes10, the storage box10at the upper side is suppressed from being shifted to the front side from the storage box10at the lower side.

On the lower surface of the left and right top plate groove portions41A, a pair of left and right first engagement pieces44(refer toFIG. 9) are respectively formed in the intermediate part in the front-rear direction and in the rear side portion. That is, four first engagement pieces44are formed in the top plate main body41. The first engagement piece44extends in the front-rear direction with the left-right direction as the plate thickness direction, and protrudes from the top plate groove portion41A to the lower side. In addition, on the lower surface of the top plate groove portion41A at the rear side, a pair of left and right second engagement pieces45are formed. The second engagement piece45extends in the left-right direction with the front-rear direction as the plate thickness direction, and protrudes from the top plate groove portion41A to the lower side. When vertically stacking the top plates40in the packaging state of the storage box10, or the like, the first engagement piece44and the second engagement piece45of the top plate40at the upper side are inserted into an outer peripheral side portion of the top plate groove portion41A of the top plate40at the lower side. As a result, in a state of vertically stacking the top plates40, a movement of the top plate40at the upper side in the left-right direction and to the rear side are restricted by the first engagement piece44and the second engagement piece45.

On the lower surface of the center part of the top plate main body41(the portion surrounded by the top plate groove portion41A), a pair of left and right holding portions46(seeFIG. 9) are formed in the intermediate part in the front-rear direction and the rear side portion. That is, four holding portions46are formed on the top plate main body41. The holding portion46is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape having the left-right direction as a plate thickness direction. A holding hook portion46A is formed at the lower end part of the holding portion46, and the holding hook portion46A protrudes from the holding portion46toward the center side of the top plate40in the width direction. In addition, the holding portion46is disposed corresponding to an outer shape of the frame member50described later.

In addition, the front end part of the top plate40is configured as a top plate side mounting portion47for mounting a frame member50described later. The top plate side mounting portion47is formed in a shape lower than the upper surface of the top plate main body41and the left and right side surfaces of the top plate peripheral wall portion42by one stage.

Regarding Frame Member

As illustrated inFIG. 4andFIG. 11, the frame member50is made of a resin material, has a rectangular frame shape in a front view, and has a concave shape opened to the rear side. Specifically, the frame member50is configured to include a frame main body51formed in a rectangular frame plate shape with the front-rear direction as a plate thickness direction, a frame outer peripheral wall52bent to a rear side on an outer peripheral edge of the frame main body51, and a frame inner peripheral wall53bent to a rear side on an inner peripheral edge portion of the frame main body51. The case side mounting portion25of the case main body20and the top plate side mounting portion47of the top plate40are engaged between the frame outer peripheral wall52and the frame inner peripheral wall53of the frame member50, and thus, the frame member50is assembled on the case main body20and the top plate40. As a result, when vertically stacking the storage boxes10, since the rectangular shaped frame member50is vertically disposed side by side, a front appearance of the storage box10in the stacking state is configured to be rectangular (refer toFIG. 2). In addition, when disposing the storage boxes10side by side, the side surfaces of the frame members50disposed side by side are brought into close contact with each other to dispose the storage box10.

As illustrated inFIGS. 12A, 12BandFIG. 13, at the distal end part (rear end part) of the frame inner peripheral wall53, a concave shaped hinge housing portion54that is open to the rear side is formed at both corner portions of the upper side. The hinge housing portion54is disposed on the front side of the rail portion28(specifically, the rail wall27) of the case main body20. In addition, a protrusion portion55protruding to the inside of the frame member50is formed on the frame inner peripheral wall53on a portion except the frame inner peripheral wall53at the upper side and the hinge housing portion54. The protrusion portion55extends in the circumferential direction of the frame inner peripheral wall53, and is formed in a substantially U-shape that is open to the upper side in a front view. As a result, an opening portion56that is configured with the upper end part and the protrusion portion55of the frame inner peripheral wall53is formed inside the frame member50.

In addition, the protrusion portion55is formed in a substantially L-shape when viewed from the longitudinal direction. Specifically, the protrusion portion55includes a first protrusion wall55A extending from the distal end part (rear end part) of the frame inner peripheral wall53to the inside of the frame member50and a second protrusion wall55B extending from the distal end part of the first protrusion wall55A to the rear side. Furthermore, a support wall57is formed at both end parts of the protrusion portion55in the longitudinal direction, and the support wall57is disposed with the vertical direction as the plate thickness direction and is connected to the protrusion portion55and the frame inner peripheral wall53. In addition, the position of the upper surface of the support wall57in the vertical direction substantially coincides with the position of the upper surface of the rail wall27of the case main body20. Furthermore, a space on the upper side of the support wall57is configured as a frame side insertion portion58, and the frame side insertion portion58communicates with the hinge housing portion54and the opening portion56. That is, the lower part of the frame side insertion portion58is formed by the support wall57.

At the lower end part of the frame member50, a concave shaped hand holding concave portion50A opened to the upper side and the front side is formed on the left-right direction center part. Furthermore, an engaging hook59is formed on the left-right direction center part of the second protrusion wall55B at the lower side, the engaging hook59protrudes from the second protrusion wall55B to the upper side and extends in the left-right direction.

In the packaging state of the storage box10, or the like, the frame member50is disposed at the lower side of the top plate40in the area surrounded by the top plate groove portion41A, and is held by the holding portion46. Specifically, the holding hook portion46A of the holding portion46in the top plate40engages with the outer peripheral portion of the frame member50, and the frame member50is held by the top plate40. In the state in which the frame member50is held by the top plate40, the thickness dimension of the frame member50is set to be equal to or less than the depth dimension of the top plate groove portion41A such that the frame member50does not protrude more than the top plate groove portion41A.

Regarding Opening-Closing Panel

As illustrated inFIG. 14, the opening-closing panel is made of a resin material and is formed with the front-rear direction as the plate thickness direction and the left-right direction as the longitudinal direction and having a substantially rectangular plate shape. The opening-closing panel60is disposed at the inside of the frame inner peripheral wall53of the frame member50and at the front side of the protrusion portion55of the frame member50(That is a position illustrated inFIG. 1and hereinafter, this position of the opening-closing panel60is referred to as a “closed position”). As a result, the opening portion56of the frame member50is closed by the opening-closing panel60which is in the closed position. In addition, the dimension of the opening-closing panel60in the width direction is set to be slightly smaller than the distance between the left and right frame inner peripheral walls53of the frame member50. As a result, at the closed position of the opening-closing panel60, a back lash of the opening-closing panel60at the left and right with respect to the frame member50is suppressed.

In addition, although details will be described later, the opening-closing panel60is configured so as to be disposed at a housing position (position illustrated inFIG. 15B) in which the panel slides from the rotation position to the rear side, via a rotation position (the position illustrated inFIG. 15A) in which the panel is rotated from the closed position to the front side, by the opening-closing operation of the user. Specifically, at the rotation position of the opening-closing panel60, the opening-closing panel60is disposed to be in a horizontal state. By sliding the opening-closing panel60in the horizontal state to the rear side, the opening-closing panel60is disposed to be at the housing position, and at the housing position, most of the opening-closing panel60is disposed inside the case main body20.

On the outer peripheral edge of the opening-closing panel60, a panel outer peripheral wall61extending to the rear side is integrally formed, and the panel outer peripheral wall61is formed over an entire circumference of the opening-closing panel60. Specifically, the panel outer peripheral wall61is configured to include a panel side wall61A extending to the rear side from the both end parts of the opening-closing panel60in the width direction, a panel upper wall61B extending to the rear side from the upper end part of the opening-closing panel60, and a panel lower wall61C extending to the rear side from the lower end part of the opening-closing panel60. As a result, both side parts of the opening-closing panel60in the width direction are configured as the panel side walls61A. A thickness T1of the panel side wall61A in the front-rear direction becomes thicker and thicker as going from the upper side to the lower side. Specifically, in a side view, the distal end surface (rear end surface) of the panel side wall61A is inclined toward the rear side as going toward the lower side. That is, in the horizontal state of the opening-closing panel60at the rotation position, the distal end surface of the panel side wall61A is set to be inclined toward the lower side as going toward to the front side.

In addition, on the upper end part of the left and right panel side walls61A, a pair of left and right hinge pieces62are formed on the rear end part of the panel side wall61A, and the hinge piece62protrudes from the panel side wall61A to the outside of the opening-closing panel60in the width direction with the front-rear direction as the plate thickness direction. In addition, the distal end part of the hinge piece62is bent to the rear side. A base end part of the hinge piece62is disposed inside the hinge housing portion54and the frame side insertion portion58of the frame member50(refer toFIGS. 12A to 12B). As a result, the lower end part of the hinge piece62is supported by the lower end part of the hinge housing portion54of the frame member50, and the movement of the opening-closing panel60to the front side in the upper end part is restricted by the hinge housing portion54.

As illustrated inFIGS. 12A, 12B, andFIG. 13, a rotation rib63is integrally formed with the lower end part of the hinge piece62. The rotation rib63extends in the left-right direction and is formed from the base end part to the distal end part of the hinge piece62. The rotation rib63is formed in a substantially rectangular shape with the front-rear direction as the longitudinal direction in a sectional view seen from the left-right direction, and protrudes to the front side and the rear side with respect to the hinge piece62. Specifically, an amount of protrusion of the rotation rib63from the hinge piece62to the rear side is larger than an amount of protrusion of the rotation rib63from the hinge piece62to the front side, and the rear end part of the rotation rib63protrudes to the rear side from the distal end surface in the upper end part of the panel side wall61A. Furthermore, the lower surface of the rotation rib63is curved in an arc shape that is convex downward and obliquely backward, and is disposed so as to be closed to the upper side of the lower side corner portion of the hinge housing portion54in the frame member50.

Therefore, when the opening-closing panel60is rotated from the closed position to the rotation position, the lower surface of the rotation rib63is guided by the lower side corner portion of the hinge housing portion54so that the hinge piece62rotates inside the hinge housing portion54(refer to the opening-closing panel60indicated by the arrow and the chain double-dashed line inFIG. 13).

A slide rib64is integrally formed on the intermediate part of the hinge piece62in the vertical direction. Similarly to the rotation rib63, the slide rib64extends in the left-right direction and is formed from the base end part to the distal end part of the hinge piece62. The slide rib64is formed in a substantially rectangular shape with the front-rear direction as the longitudinal direction in a sectional view seen from the left-right direction, and protrudes to the front side and the rear side with respect to the hinge piece62. Specifically, an amount of protrusion of the slide rib64from the hinge piece62to the front side is set to be the same as the amount of protrusion of the rotation rib63from the hinge piece62to the front side. On the other hand, an amount of protrusion of the slide rib64from the hinge piece62to the rear side is set to be larger than the amount of protrusion of the rotation rib63from the hinge piece62to the rear side, and the rear end part of the slide rib64protrudes to the rear side from the distal end surface of the upper end part in the panel side wall61A. More specifically, a distance L from the front surface of the opening-closing panel60in the front-rear direction to the rear end surface of the slide rib64is set to be the same as a maximum value T1max of the thickness T1of the panel side wall61A. That is, the distance L is set to be the same as the thickness T1max of the lower end part of the panel side wall61A.

The rear end surface of the slide rib64is configured as a sliding surface64A, and the sliding surface64A is curved in a substantially arc shape that is convex toward the rear side seen from the left-right direction. When the opening-closing panel60is rotated to the rotation position, the sliding surface64A of the slide rib64is in contact with the upper surface of the support wall57of the frame member50(refer to the opening-closing panel60indicated by the chain double-dashed line inFIG. 13). When the opening-closing panel60slides toward the rear side from the rotation position to the housing position, the distal end part of the hinge piece62is inserted into the rail portion28of the case main body20, and the sliding surface64A of the slide rib64slides on the rail wall27of the case main body20. In addition, when the opening-closing panel60slides, the panel side wall61A slides back and forth inside the frame side insertion portion58. Furthermore, a thickness T2(dimension in the vertical direction, refer toFIG. 13) of the slide rib64is set to be thicker (larger) than a thickness T3(dimension in the vertical direction, refer toFIG. 13) of the rotation rib63.

A stiffening rib65is integrally formed on the upper end part of the hinge piece62. Similarly to the rotation rib63, the stiffening rib65extends in the left-right direction and is formed from the base end part to the distal end part of the hinge piece62. The stiffening rib65is formed in a substantially rectangular shape with the front-rear direction as the longitudinal direction in a sectional view seen from the left-right direction, and protrudes to the front side and the rear side with respect to the hinge piece62. Specifically, an amount of protrusion of the stiffening rib65from the hinge piece62to the front side is set to be the same as the amount of protrusion of the rotation rib63from the hinge piece62to the front side. In addition, an amount of protrusion of the stiffening rib65from the hinge piece62to the rear side is set to be the same as the amount of protrusion of the rotation rib63from the hinge piece62to the rear side. At the housing position of the opening-closing panel60, the stiffening rib65of the hinge piece62is in contact with the stopper portion26of the case main body20, and the movement of the opening-closing panel60to the rear side is restricted.

Furthermore, on the outer peripheral portion of the opening-closing panel60, a panel groove portion60A opened to the front side is formed. The panel groove portion60A extends along the circumferential direction of the opening-closing panel60and is formed in a rectangular ring shape in a front view. On the panel groove portion60A at the lower side, a lock portion66is formed which protrudes to the lower side in the center part of the opening-closing panel60in the width direction. At the lower end part of the lock portion66, a panel hook portion66A which protrudes toward the lower side is formed. At the closed position of the opening-closing panel60, the panel hook portion66A and the engaging hook59of the frame member50are engaged with each other, and the rotation of the opening-closing panel60to the front side is restricted.

Furthermore, at the lower end part of the opening-closing panel60, a handle portion67is formed at the center part in the width direction, and the lower end part of the handle portion67is cut out in a concave shape opened to the lower side. At the closed position of the opening-closing panel60, the handle portion67is disposed within the hand holding concave portion50A of the frame member50. In this way, the user can hold the handle portion67and operate the opening-closing panel60.

When assembling the opening-closing panel60to the frame member50, the opening-closing panel60in the horizontal state is disposed at the rear side of the frame member50, and the panel side wall61A of the opening-closing panel60is inserted into the frame side insertion portion58of the frame member50from the rear side. As a result, the hinge piece62of the opening-closing panel60is disposed within the frame side insertion portion58and the hinge housing portion54, and the opening-closing panel60is in a state of being disposed in the rotation position. In this state, the opening-closing panel60assembled to the frame member50can be disposed at the closed position by relatively rotating the opening-closing panel60with respect to the frame member50. Then, the assembly of the storage box10is completed by assembling the frame member50to the case main body20and the top plate40in the state in which the opening-closing panel60is assembled to the frame member50. In addition, in the packaging state of the storage box10, or the like, by holding the frame member50to which the opening-closing panel60is assembled to, by the top plate40, the top plates40holding the frame member50and the opening-closing panel60can be stacked vertically.

Operational Effects

Next, operational effects of the present embodiment will be described.

In the storage box10configured as described above, as illustrated inFIG. 1, at the closed position of the opening-closing panel60, the opening portion56of the frame member50is closed by the opening-closing panel60. When storing a storage article in the storage portion24of the case main body20, the user holds the handle portion67of the opening-closing panel60and rotates the opening-closing panel60toward the front side. In this way, the lower surface of the rotation rib63of the hinge piece62in the opening-closing panel60is guided by the corner portion of the lower side of the hinge housing portion54of the frame member50, and the and the hinge piece62rotates inside the hinge housing portion54. As a result, the opening-closing panel60is disposed at the rotation position (refer toFIG. 15A).

Next, the user presses the opening-closing panel60at the rotation position to the rear side to slide. As a result, the distal end part of the hinge piece62in the opening-closing panel60is inserted into the rail portion28of the case main body20, and the sliding surface64A of the slide rib64at the hinge piece62slides on the rail wall27of the case main body20. At this time, the panel side wall61A of the opening-closing panel60slides inside the frame side insertion portion58of the frame member50. The upper end part of the hinge piece62comes into contact with the stopper portion26of the case main body20, and thus, the sliding of the opening-closing panel60to the rear side is restricted, and the opening-closing panel60is disposed at the housing position. As a result, the opening portion56of the frame member50is opened in a state in which the opening-closing panel60is housed inside the storage box10. Therefore, the user can store the storage article into the storage portion24of the case main body20from the opening portion56.

After storing the storage article in the storage portion24of the case main body20, the user pulls the opening-closing panel60from the housing position to the rotation position, and by rotating the opening-closing panel60at the rotation position to the rear side, the opening-closing panel60is disposed at the closed position. As a result, the opening portion56is closed by the opening-closing panel60.

Here, the storage box10is configured to include a rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped case main body20opened to the front side and the upper side, and a top plate40assembled to the upper end part of the case main body20, and a rectangular frame-shaped frame member50is assembled to the front end part (case side mounting portion25) of the case main body20and the front end part (top plate side mounting portion47) of the top plate40. Therefore, the front end part of the case main body and the front end part of the top plate40are reinforced by the frame member50. As a result, the rigidity of the front end part of the storage box10can be increased by the frame member50. In addition, the opening-closing panel60is rotatably assembled to the frame member50. The opening-closing panel60is disposed at the rotation position by being rotated from the closed position to the front side, and by sliding from the rotation position to the rear side the rail portion28of the case main body20is slid, and then, is disposed at the housing position. As a result, at the housing position, since most of the opening-closing panel60is housed in the case main body20, it is possible to improve the convenience for users when taking the storage article in and out of the storage box10.

In addition, the frame member50is formed in a rectangular frame shape. As a result, when vertically stacking the storage box10, since the rectangular shaped frame members50are vertically disposed side by side, the front appearance of the storage box10in the stacking state can be made rectangular. In addition, when horizontally disposing the storage box10side by side, the storage box10can be disposed while the side surfaces of the frame members50disposed side by side can be brought into close contact with each other. Therefore, it is possible to improve the design when disposing a plurality of storage boxes10side by side. In addition, the opening portion56of the storage box10is configured with the frame member50which is a single member. Therefore, it is possible to improve a design of the storage box10when the opening portion56is opened.

In addition, a pair of left and right hinge pieces62protruding to the outside in the width direction are formed in the upper end part of the opening-closing panel60. In the hinge piece62, the rotation rib63that is guided by the hinge housing portion54of the frame member when the opening-closing panel60rotates, and the slide rib64that slides on the rail portion28(rail wall27) of the case main body20when the opening-closing panel60slides, and the thickness T2of the slide rib64is set to be thicker than the thickness T3of the rotation rib63. Therefore, the opening-closing panel60can be slid satisfactorily and a wear of the slide rib64can be reduced. In addition, by providing the rotation rib63and the slide rib64separately, it is possible to reduce the wear of the rotation rib63and the slide rib64when the opening-closing panel60rotates and slides.

In addition, at the housing position of the opening-closing panel60, the support wall57that supports the lower end part of the panel side wall61A of the opening-closing panel60is provided on the frame member50. Furthermore, the distal end surface (rear end surface) of the panel side wall61A of the opening-closing panel60is inclined to the rear side as going toward the lower side, and the rear end part of the slide rib64of the opening-closing panel60protrudes to the rear side from the upper end part of the panel side wall61A. As a result, it is possible to improve the design of the storage box10when the opening-closing panel60is disposed in the housing position, while improving the sliding performance of the opening-closing panel60. Hereinafter, this point will be described in comparison with the opening-closing panel60in a comparison example.

In an opening-closing panel60of the comparison example, a distal end surface (rear end surface) of the panel side wall61A of the opening-closing panel60is formed along the vertical direction. That is, a thickness T1of the panel side wall61A in the opening-closing panel60is set to be constant in the vertical direction. In addition, in the opening-closing panel60of the comparison example, a position of the rear end surface of the slide rib64of the opening-closing panel60In the front-rear direction and a position of the distal end surface of the panel side wall61A are coincident with each other. That is, the rear end part of the slide rib64does not protrude toward the rear side from the distal end surface of the panel side wall61A.

Here, at the time when the opening-closing panel60slides from the rotation position to the rear side, the slide rib64of the opening-closing panel60slides on the upper surface of the rail wall27of the case main body20, and the panel side wall61A of the opening-closing panel60slides inside the frame side insertion portion58of the frame member50. That is, the panel side wall61A slides on the upper side of the support wall57of the frame member50.

As illustrated inFIG. 16A, when the opening-closing panel60in the comparison example in the horizontal state slides from the rotation position to the rear side, since the rear end surface of the slide rib64does not protrude toward the rear side from the distal end surface of the panel side wall61A, the distal end surface of the panel side wall61A slides while being into contact with the support wall57. Therefore, in the opening-closing panel60in the comparison example, the sliding resistance when the opening-closing panel60slides tends to increase.

In addition, for example, if the center part of the opening-closing panel60in the width direction is warped to the front side after the opening-closing panel60is molded, a gap G between the front surface of the opening-closing panel60and the upper end of the opening portion of the frame member50in the vertical direction becomes small. As a result, in the opening-closing panel60in the comparison example, due to the warping of the opening-closing panel60after molding, the opening-closing panel60interferes with the opening portion56(of the upper end part), and thus, there is a possibility that the opening-closing panel60cannot be slid satisfactorily.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described above, the distal end surface (rear end surface) of the panel side wall61A of the opening-closing panel60is inclined to the rear side as going to the lower side, and the rear end part of the slide rib64of the opening-closing panel60protrudes toward the rear side from the upper end part of the panel side wall61A. Therefore, as illustrated inFIG. 16B, in the opening-closing panel60in the present embodiment, when sliding the opening-closing panel60in the horizontal state from the rotation position to the rear side, it is possible to prevent the distal end surface of the panel side wall61A from coming into contact with the support wall57(refer to the opening-closing panel60indicated by a chain double-dashed line inFIG. 16B). Therefore, compared to the comparison example described above, the sliding resistance of the opening-closing panel60during sliding can be reduced.

In addition, If the center part of the opening-closing panel60in the width direction is warped to the front side after the opening-closing panel60is molded, it is possible to slide the opening-closing panel60to the rear side by making the opening-closing panel60to be slightly inclined to the lower side as going to the front side (refer to the opening-closing panel60indicated by the chain dashed line inFIG. 16B). In this way, the gap G in the vertical direction between the front surface of the opening-closing panel60and the upper end of the opening portion56of the frame member50when sliding the opening-closing panel60can be made larger than that in the comparison example described above. Therefore, for example, even if the center part of the opening-closing panel60in the width direction after molding is warped to the front side, the interference between the opening-closing panel60and the opening portion56(of the upper end part) is suppressed, and thus, it is possible to satisfactorily slide the opening-closing panel60.

Moreover, the distance L from the front surface of the opening-closing panel60to the rear end surface of the slide rib64in the front-rear direction is set to be the same as the thickness T1max in the lower end part of the panel side wall61A. At the housing position of the opening-closing panel60, the distal end surface of the lower end part in the panel side wall61A is supported from the lower side by the support wall57of the frame member50. That is, the thick lower end part of the panel side wall61A is supported by the support wall57. Therefore, the opening-closing panel60can be disposed at the housing position while being in the horizontal state. As a result, it is possible to prevent the gap G in the vertical direction between the upper end of the opening portion56of the frame member50and the front surface of the opening-closing panel60at the housing position of the opening-closing panel60from increasing. As described above, while improving the sliding performance of the opening-closing panel60, it is possible to improve the design of the storage box10when the opening-closing panel60is disposed at the housing position.

In addition, in the present embodiment, in the disassembled state of the storage box10, by engaging the upper end part of the engaging rib30of the case main body20at the lower side into the engagement groove portion31A of the case main body20at the upper side, it is possible to nest the case main bodies20. That is, it is possible to nest a plurality of case main bodies20by the groove engagement. Therefore, it is possible to nest a plurality of case main bodies20with a simple configuration.

In addition, the upper end surface of the engaging rib30and the upper end surface of the engagement groove portion31A in the engaged portion31are inclined toward upper the side in a front view as going toward the inside of the case main body20in the width direction. Therefore, when the engaging rib30is engaged in the engagement groove portion31A, the upper end surface of the engaging rib30and the upper end surface of the engagement groove portion31A come in contact with each other. As a result, when nesting the plurality of case main bodies20, the engaging rib30and the engagement groove portion31A are engaged in the left-right direction. Accordingly, when the engaging rib30comes in contact with the with the engagement groove portion31A to engaged, even if a load is applied from above (vertical direction), the state of nesting can be maintained, and thus, it is possible to prevent the side wall22of the case main body20from being deformed to the outside in the width direction. Therefore, it is possible to secure the stability of the state in which the case main body20is nested.

In addition, the top plate40includes a holding portion46that holds the frame member50. Therefore, in the disassembled state of the storage box10, the frame member50to which the opening-closing panel60assembled can be held by the top plate40. As a result, for example, the packaging performance can be improved such as when the storage box10is transported in the disassembled state.