Patent Publication Number: US-2007095825-A1

Title: Foldable-type storage box

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a foldable-type storage box, which has a structure assembled by separated-frames, so that when unused, the storage box can be stowed after folded, thereby effectively reducing storage space and saving both transportation volume and cost; additionally, when some components are damaged, they can be changed in part, thereby saving use cost and extending service life thereof.  
      2. The Prior Arts  
      In the process of storing and transporting goods, it is required frequently to have some storage boxes for containing those goods for the purpose of convenience in storage, classification and transportation. Therefore most of general operators of warehousing service and transportation forwarding industries use lots of storage boxes in order to carry various kinds of goods. The major function of such storage boxes is to provide their internal spaces for containing goods, so empty storage box before used must still occupy the exact same space volume as itself. It has not only been stowed inconveniently but also inclined to waste the huge spaces while keeping plenty of storage boxes at the same time. For solving the above-mentioned problems, there are several kinds of foldable type storage boxes sold on the market, which can be stowed conveniently after folded when unused, thereby reducing occupied volume and space as well.  
      The defects of known storage boxes include: inferior design in folding structure, unsmooth linkage on mutual movement among components, instability found while using the storage boxes, and an unsymmetrical situation after folded, due to unsmooth operation or uneven force acted thereon, even destroying the linkage structure of the storage boxes and hence increasing use cost further.  
      Thus, it is desired to provide a foldable-type storage box that can solve all defects of the conventional foldable-type storage boxes, such as folding/unfolding operation difficult, unfolding incompletely and thus wasting storage space, or being folded incompletely and hence occupying huge storage space, and instability.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a foldable-storage box that comprises two folding board sets, a mounting frame, a bottom board and two pivotable lateral boards. The two folding board sets are assembled opposite to each other, each having an upper folding board and a lower folding board pivotably coupled with each other, a top edge of the upper folding board pivotably coupled with a longitudinal side of the mounting frame, and a bottom edge of the lower folding board pivotably coupled with a longitudinal side of the bottom board. The two pivotable lateral boards are pivotably coupled to both lateral sides of the mounting frame, respectively, opposite to each other. Each pivotable lateral board has a groove at a center of a bottom edge thereof coupled to a corresponding tab of the bottom board to enhance stability of the storage box.  
      A primary object of the present invention is to provide a foldable-type storage box, which has a structure assembled by separated-frames, so that when unused, the storage box can be stowed after folded, thereby effectively reducing storage space and saving both transportation volume and cost;  
      A secondary object of the present invention is to provide a foldable-type storage box, in which two folding board sets of the storage box are coupled to a mounting frame and a bottom board by pivoting and snapping, so as to enhance stability and loading capability of the storage box.  
      A tertiary object of the present invention is to provide a foldable-type storage box, wherein when some components are damaged, they can be changed in part, thereby saving use cost and extending service life thereof. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a foldable-type storage box in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the foldable-type storage box of the present invention;  
       FIG. 3  is a sectional view showing movement of two pivotable lateral boards of the present invention when the storage box is unfolded;  
       FIGS. 4A, 4B  and  4 C are sectional views showing movement of the storage box of the present invention when it is unfolded; and  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the foldable-type storage box of the present invention after folded. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a fordable-type storage box  1  in accordance with the present invention comprises two folding board sets  2 ,  3 , a mounting frame  4 , a bottom board  5  and two pivotable lateral boards  6 ,  7 .  
      The two folding board sets  2 ,  3  comprises a first folding board set  2  and a second folding boards set  3  assembled opposite to each other. The first folding board set  2  comprises an upper folding board  21  and a lower folding board  22  pivotably coupled with each other by pins. When the storage box  1  is to be stowed, the upper folding board  21  and the lower folding board  22  are folded inwards to form a V-shape. A top edge of the upper folding board  21  pivotably coupled with a longitudinal side of the mounting frame  4  by pins, and a bottom edge of the lower folding board  22  pivotably coupled with a longitudinal side of the bottom board  5  by pins. Moreover, the upper folding board  21  has a hook  211  at a center of a top edge thereof coupled to a corresponding groove  41  at a center of the longitudinal side of the mounting frame  4 , and the lower folding board  22  has a hook  221  at a center of a bottom edge thereof coupled to a corresponding groove  51  at a center of the longitudinal side of the bottom board  5 , so as to enhance stability and loading capacity of the storage box  1 . The second folding board set  3  comprises an upper folding board  31  and a lower folding board  32 , which has the same structure as the first folding board set  2 . Also, its linkage to the mounting frame  4  and the bottom board  5  is identical with that of the first folding board set  2 .  
      The two pivotable lateral boards  6 ,  7  comprises a first pivotable lateral board  6  and a second pivotable lateral board  7  adjacent to the two folding board sets  2 ,  3 , respectively, and assembled opposite to each other. A top edge of the first pivotable lateral board  6  pivotably coupled with a lateral side of the mounting frame  3  by pins, which can be only pivotable inwards at an angle of 90 degrees to either a vertical or horizontal position of the storage box  1 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The bottom board  5  has a tab  52  to be coupled with a groove  61  at a center of a bottom edge of the first pivotable lateral board  6  when assembled, so as to enhance stability of the box. Similarly, the second pivotable lateral board  7  has a groove  71  at a center of a bottom edge thereof, coupled with another tab  52  of the bottom board  5 . Its structure and linkage to the mounting frame  4  and the bottom board  5  are identical with those of the first pivotable lateral board  6 .  
      In operation of use, with reference to  FIG. 4 , first, raise up the mounting frame  4  to make the two folding board sets  2 ,  3  be pivoted to a upright position; then, pivot the two pivotable lateral boards  6 ,  7  from a horizontal position to a vertical position; and finally, couple the grooves  61 ,  71  of the two pivotable lateral boards  6 ,  7  to the respective corresponding tab  52  of the bottom board  5  to make the storage box  1  stable. On the contrary, in operation of stowing, tap the two pivotable lateral boards  6 ,  7  to disassemble their grooves  61 ,  71  with the respective corresponding tab  52  of the bottom board  5 ; then, pivot inwards and upwards the two pivotable lateral boards  6 ,  7  from the vertical position to the horizontal position; and finally, push down the mounting frame  4  until the two folding board sets  2 ,  3  are completely folded back, as shown in  FIG. 5 .  
      Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims.