CN117184613A

CN117184613A - Locking device and combined container

Info

Publication number: CN117184613A
Application number: CN202210610129.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李跃明; 余华飞
Original assignee: Hangzhou Great Star Industrial Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hangzhou Great Star Industrial Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-05-31
Filing date: 2022-05-31
Publication date: 2023-12-08

Abstract

The present invention relates to a locking device and a combined container which can releasably lock the containers combined with each other together to achieve safe stacking and reduce potential safety hazards. The locking device comprises: a fitting for being disposed to the second container; and a lock mechanism for being operatively disposed to the first container for releasably engaging the adapter such that the locking device is switched between a locked state and an unlocked state, wherein when the lock mechanism is operated to place the locking device in the locked state, the lock mechanism and the adapter are engaged with each other for preventing separation between the first container and the second container combined with each other; when the lock mechanism is operated to place the locking device in the unlocked state, the lock mechanism and the adapter are released from each other for allowing the first container and the second container combined with each other to be separated from each other.

Description

Locking device and combined container

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of container stacking, in particular to a locking device and a combined container.

Background

The existing tool boxes/boxes often have large and small sizes and a plurality of conditions, when the tool boxes/boxes are stored in a stacked mode, so that storage space is saved, but the tool boxes/boxes are made of plastic materials, the surfaces of the tool boxes/boxes are smooth, and when the tool boxes are stacked, the bearing surfaces of the lower tool boxes/boxes and the bottom surfaces of the upper tool boxes/boxes are easy to slide relatively to topple, so that the tool boxes/boxes cannot be stacked to a higher height, and a larger storage space is needed. In addition, in the transportation process, stacking and transportation are required between a plurality of tool boxes/boxes, if stacking is simple, instability exists, transportation is difficult, and safety hazards exist.

Disclosure of Invention

An advantage of the present invention is to provide a locking device and a modular container that can releasably lock together mutually combined containers to achieve a safe stack with reduced safety hazards.

Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a locking device and a modular container wherein in one embodiment of the present invention the locking device is free to switch between a locked and unlocked state to releasably lock containers stacked upon one another for separate use while also facilitating safe stacking for storage and shipping.

Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a locking device and a combination container, wherein in one embodiment of the present invention, the locking device can be switched between a locked state and an unlocked state by a simple twisting operation or a pressing operation, which is convenient for operation.

Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a locking device and a modular container wherein expensive materials or complex structures are not required in the present invention to achieve the above advantages or objectives. The present invention thus successfully and effectively provides a solution that not only provides a simple locking device and modular container, but also increases the practicality and reliability of the locking device and modular container.

To achieve at least one of the above or other advantages and objects, the present invention provides a locking device for a first container and a second container combined with each other, the locking device comprising:

a fitting for being disposed to the second container; and

a lock mechanism for being operatively disposed to the first container for releasably engaging the adapter such that the locking device is switched between a locked state and an unlocked state, wherein when the lock mechanism is operated to place the locking device in the locked state, the lock mechanism and the adapter are engaged with each other for preventing separation between the first container and the second container combined with each other; when the lock mechanism is operated to place the lock device in the unlocked state, the lock mechanism and the adapter are released from each other for allowing the first container and the second container combined with each other to be separated from each other.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the lock mechanism comprises a lock housing for being detachably secured to the first container and a lock cylinder movably arranged to the lock housing, the lock cylinder being for movement between a locked position and an unlocked position, wherein the lock cylinder is for engaging the adapter when the lock cylinder is moved to the locked position relative to the lock housing; the lock cylinder is adapted to release the adapter when the lock cylinder is moved relative to the lock housing to the unlocked position.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the lock cylinder of the lock mechanism is a slide lock member slidably arranged in the lock housing, the slide lock member being provided with a locking hole for engaging the adapter member and an unlocking hole for releasing the adapter member, the locking hole being in communication with the unlocking hole along a sliding direction of the slide lock member, wherein the adapter member is adapted to slide between the locking hole and the unlocking hole of the slide lock member when the slide lock member slides between the locking position and the unlocking position.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the head dimension of the adapter is larger than the size of the locking hole and smaller than the size of the unlocking hole in the slide lock.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the lock housing of the lock mechanism has a plug cavity and a slide cavity in communication with each other, the slide lock member being slidably inserted into the slide cavity of the lock housing, the adapter member being adapted to be inserted into the plug cavity of the lock housing to releasably engage with the slide lock member.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the lock mechanism further comprises a change-over switch arranged between the lock housing and the slide lock member, respectively, for sliding the slide lock member between the lock position and the unlock position after the slide lock member is pressed.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the change-over switch comprises a reset element and a limit element, wherein the reset element is arranged between the lock shell and the sliding lock piece and is used for applying a force opposite to the pressing direction to the sliding lock piece; the limiting element is arranged between the lock shell and the sliding lock piece and used for releasably limiting the sliding lock piece; when the limiting element limits the sliding lock piece, the sliding lock piece is kept at the locking position under the combined action of the reset element and the limiting element; and after the limiting element and the sliding lock piece are released from limiting, the sliding lock piece automatically slides from the locking position to the unlocking position under the action of the reset element.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the slide lock is further provided with a lock groove for hooking by one end of the stopper member, an unlock guide groove communicating with a slide-out end of the lock groove, a lock guide groove communicating with a slide-in end of the lock groove, and an unlock groove communicating with both the unlock guide groove and the lock guide groove, the unlock guide groove being for guiding the one end of the stopper member to slide from the lock groove into the unlock groove, the lock guide groove being for guiding the one end of the stopper member to slide from the unlock groove into the lock groove.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the locking groove is a V-groove and the groove bottom of the locking groove at the slide-out end is lower than the groove bottom of the locking groove at the slide-in end.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the bottom of the groove on the unlocking guide groove adjacent to the slide-out end is lower than the bottom of the locking groove on the slide-out end.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the groove bottom of the locking guide groove adjacent to the slide-in end is higher than the groove bottom of the locking groove at the slide-in end.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the bottom of the unlocking guide groove adjacent to the unlocking groove is higher than the bottom of the unlocking groove, and the bottom of the locking guide groove adjacent to the unlocking groove is not higher than the bottom of the unlocking groove.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the depth of the unlocking guide groove is gradually decreased from the locking groove to the unlocking groove, and the depth of the locking guide groove is gradually decreased from the unlocking groove to the locking groove.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the locking groove, the unlocking guide groove and the locking guide groove of the slide lock together enclose a heart-shaped channel.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the limiting element is a hook rod pivoted to the lock case; the reset element is a spring.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the sliding lock piece is convexly provided with a limiting block, the lock shell is provided with a limiting groove matched with the limiting block, the limiting groove extends along the sliding direction of the sliding lock piece, and the limiting block of the sliding lock piece can be inserted into the limiting groove of the lock shell in a limiting sliding manner.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the lock housing comprises a first housing and a second housing, the first housing being detachably mounted to the second housing to form the sliding cavity between the first housing and the second housing, the mating cavity of the lock housing extending through the first housing and the second housing.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the lock housing further comprises a resilient tab provided to the first housing, the resilient tab tilting towards the slide lock member to bias the spacing element.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the lock cylinder of the lock mechanism is a rotary lock comprising a notch disc rotatably arranged in the lock housing and a knob connected to the notch disc, so that the notch disc is driven to rotate relative to the lock housing between the locking position and the unlocking position by the knob; the adapter is a locking groove seat, wherein when the knob is twisted to drive the notch disc to rotate between the locking position and the unlocking position, the notch of the notch disc correspondingly deviates from or faces the locking groove of the locking groove seat respectively.

According to one embodiment of the application, the lock housing of the lock mechanism is provided with a sliding groove matched with the lock groove seat, and the two rotating lock pieces are symmetrically arranged at the left side and the right side of the sliding groove respectively so as to be clamped from the left side and the right side of the lock groove seat.

According to one embodiment of the application, the lock housing is further provided with a clamping hole, and the rear side of the lock groove seat is provided with a clamping post matched with the clamping hole, wherein when the lock groove seat slides into the sliding groove of the lock housing, the clamping post of the lock groove seat is inserted into the clamping hole of the lock housing so as to be clamped from the rear side of the lock groove seat.

According to another aspect of the present application, there is further provided a combined container comprising:

a first container;

a second container; and

the locking device of any one of the above is correspondingly arranged between the first container and the second container, and is used for releasably locking the second container to the first container.

According to one embodiment of the application, the locking mechanism of the locking device is arranged on the first container, and the matching piece of the locking device is correspondingly arranged on the second container, so that when the second container is stacked on the first container, the locking mechanism in the locking device and the matching piece are mutually clamped to form the combined container.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the first container comprises a first container body having a first opening; the second container comprises a second container body with a second opening, wherein a locking mechanism of the locking device is arranged on the first container body, and a matching piece of the locking device is correspondingly arranged on the second container body so as to releasably lock the second container body on the first container body through the locking device.

According to one embodiment of the invention, when the locking device locks the second container body to the first container body, the second container body covers the first opening of the first container body.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first container further includes a first cover body covered on the first opening; the second container further includes a second cover body covered on the second opening, so that the second container body of the second container is stacked on the first cover body of the first container.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the first container comprises a first container body and a first cover body covered on the first container body; the second container comprises a second container body and a second cover body covered on the second container body; the locking mechanism of the locking device is mounted on the first cover body, and the matching piece of the locking device is correspondingly arranged on the second container body so as to releasably lock the second container body to the first cover body through the locking device.

The first container comprises a first cabinet body and a first drawer which is arranged on the first cabinet body in a drawable manner; the second container comprises a second cabinet body and a second drawer which is arranged on the second cabinet body in a drawable manner; the locking mechanism of the locking device is arranged on the first cabinet body, and the matching piece of the locking device is arranged on the second cabinet body, so that the first cabinet body is releasably locked and connected with the second cabinet body through the locking device.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the modular container comprises at least one pair of said locking means, the locking mechanism and the adapter of each pair of said locking means being located on opposite sides of said first container and said second container, respectively.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the locking mechanism in the locking device is arranged at a side of the first container; and the adapter in the locking device is pivotably arranged at a side of the second container.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the locking mechanism in the locking device is arranged on top of the first container; and the matching piece in the locking device is fixedly arranged at the bottom of the second container.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the combined container comprises at least one of the locking devices, the locking mechanism and the adapter in the locking device being located on the same side of the first container and the second container, respectively.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the combined container further comprises an auxiliary mechanism arranged between the first container and the second container to assist the locking means in lockably securing the second container to the first container.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the auxiliary mechanism comprises a first clamping block arranged on the first container and a second clamping groove arranged on the second container, wherein when the second container is stacked on the first container, the first clamping block is clamped into the second clamping groove to be matched with the locking device for auxiliary fixing.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the auxiliary mechanism and the locking means are located on different sides of the first container and the second container, respectively.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the locking mechanism in the locking device is arranged at the side or top of the first container; and the matching piece in the locking device is fixedly arranged at the bottom or the side part of the second container.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the combined container further comprises a third container, which third container is connected to the second container in a stacked manner.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the locking means is arranged between the third container and the second container for locking the third container and the second container together by the locking means.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the combined container further comprises a push-pull mechanism comprising a roller provided to the first container and a pull rod correspondingly provided to the first container.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a modular container according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 shows an exploded view of a modular container according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above;

fig. 3 shows a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a combined container according to the above-described first embodiment of the present invention, wherein the locking means of the enlarged portion is in a locked state;

fig. 4 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a combined container according to the above-described first embodiment of the invention, wherein the locking means of the enlarged portion is in an unlocked state;

Fig. 5 shows an example of a lock mechanism of a lock device in a combined container according to the above-described first embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 shows an exploded schematic view of a lock mechanism according to the above example of the invention;

FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of the lock mechanism according to the above example of the invention at another perspective;

fig. 8 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a lock mechanism according to the above example of the invention;

FIG. 9 shows a schematic bottom view of the lock mechanism according to the above example of the invention;

FIG. 10 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of A-A in the lock mechanism shown in FIG. 9 in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 11 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of B-B in the lock mechanism shown in FIG. 9, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 12 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of C-C in the lock mechanism shown in FIG. 9, in accordance with the present invention;

fig. 13 shows a schematic view of a pressing process of the lock mechanism according to the above example of the invention;

fig. 14 shows a modified example of the lock mechanism of the lock device in the combined container according to the above-described first embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 15 shows an exploded schematic view of a lock mechanism according to the above-described modified example of the invention;

fig. 16 shows a schematic view of a twisting process of the lock mechanism according to the above modified example of the invention;

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of a modular container according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 18 shows an exploded view of a modular container according to the above second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 19 shows an exploded view of a modular container according to the above-described second embodiment of the present invention at another view angle;

fig. 20 shows a modified example of the combination type container according to the above second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 21 shows an exploded schematic view of a combined container according to the above modified example of the present invention;

fig. 22 shows an exploded schematic view of a combined container according to the above modified example of the present invention at another view angle;

fig. 23 is a perspective view of a modular container according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 24 shows an exploded view of a combined container according to the above third embodiment of the present invention.

Description of main reference numerals: 1. a locking device; 10. a lock mechanism; 11. a lock case; 1101. a plug cavity; 1102. a sliding chamber; 1103. a limit groove; 1104. a chute; 1105. a clamping hole; 111. a first housing; 112. a second housing; 113. elastic tabletting; 12. a lock core; 121. a slide lock; 1211. a locking hole; 1212. unlocking the hole; 1213. a locking groove; 12131. a slide-out end; 12132. a slide-in end; 1214. unlocking the guide groove; 1215. a locking guide groove; 1216. unlocking grooves; 1217. a spring cavity; 1218. a limiting block; 122. rotating the locking piece; 1221. a notched disc; 12210. a notch; 1222. a knob; 13. a change-over switch; 131. a reset element; 1310. a spring; 132. a limiting element; 1320. a hooked rod; 20. a mating member; 21. tail part; 22. a head; 23. a connecting arm; 24. a locking groove seat; 241. a locking groove; 242. a clamping column; 50. an auxiliary mechanism; 51. a first clamping block; 52. a second clamping groove; 53. a second clamping block; 54. a third clamping groove; 60. a push-pull mechanism; 61. a roller; 62. a pull rod; 70. a first container; 71. a first container body; 72. a first cover; 73. a first cabinet; 74. a first drawer; 80. a second container; 81. a second container body; 82. a second cover; 83. a second cabinet; 84. a second drawer; 90. and a third container.

The foregoing general description of the invention will be described in further detail with reference to the drawings and detailed description.

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present invention will be made clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it is apparent that the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the invention.

It is noted that when an element is referred to as being "disposed" or "mounted" on another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is referred to as being "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is referred to as being "secured to" another element, it can be directly secured to the other element or intervening elements may also be present.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "or/and" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Considering that the prior containers such as tool boxes/boxes cannot be stacked at a high height due to instability when simply stacked, a large storage space is required; in the transportation process, because a reliable connecting structure is not arranged between the two components, the transportation is difficult, and potential safety hazards can exist. In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a locking device and a combined container, which can releasably lock mutually stacked containers together to realize safe stacking and reduce potential safety hazards.

In particular, referring to fig. 1 to 13, a first embodiment of the present invention provides a combined container, which may include a locking device 1 and a first container 70 and a second container 80 combined with each other, where the locking device 1 is adapted to be disposed between the first container 70 and the second container 80, respectively, so as to releasably lock the second container 80 to the first container 70, thereby helping to reduce the safety hazards of container stacking, and facilitating storage and transportation.

More specifically, as shown in fig. 2, 3 and 4, the locking device 1 may comprise a locking mechanism 10 and an adapter 20 for being provided to the second container 80. The lock mechanism 10 is adapted to be operatively disposed to the first container 70 for releasably engaging the adapter 20 to switch the locking device 1 between the locked and unlocked states. When the lock mechanism 10 is operated to place the locking device 1 in the locked state, the lock mechanism 10 and the adapter 20 are engaged with each other to prevent the first container 70 and the second container 80 stacked on each other from being separated from each other, so that the first container 70 and the second container 80 can be safely stacked together for storage and transportation; when the lock mechanism 10 is operated to place the locking device 1 in the unlocked state, the lock mechanism 10 and the adapter 20 are released from each other for allowing the first container 70 and the second container 80 stacked on each other to be separated from each other, so that the first container 70 and the second container 80 can be unstacked for the separate use of the first container 70 and the second container 80.

It is noted that the first container 70 and the second container 80 of the present application may be implemented as, but are not limited to, a tool box or a tool box for holding tools or working materials; of course, in other examples of the application, the first container 70 and the second container 80 may also be implemented as other types of boxes or boxes; alternatively, the first container 70 and the second container 80 may be implemented as other types of containers such as a tub or a cabinet, and the present application will not be described in detail.

Preferably, as shown in fig. 2, the lock mechanism 10 of the locking device 1 of the present application is detachably mounted to the first container 70 so as to repair or replace the lock mechanism 10 as needed, and also to separately manufacture or sell the lock mechanism 10.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, the lock mechanism 10 of the present application may include a lock housing 11 detachably fixed to the first container 70 and a lock cylinder 12 movably provided to the lock housing 11, the lock cylinder 12 being configured to move between a locked position and an unlocked position, wherein when the lock cylinder 12 is moved to the locked position with respect to the lock housing 11, the lock cylinder 12 is configured to engage the adapter 20 to place the locking device 1 in the locked state; and when the lock cylinder 12 is moved relative to the lock housing 11 to be in the unlocked position, the lock cylinder 12 is used to release the adapter 20 to place the lock device 1 in the unlocked state.

More specifically, as shown in fig. 2 and 4, the lock housing 11 of the lock mechanism 10 may be, but is not limited to, snapped onto the first container 70 to facilitate removal of the lock mechanism 10 from the first container 70 for servicing or updating of the lock mechanism 10 while ensuring that the lock mechanism 10 is securely mounted to the first container 70. It will be appreciated that the lock housing 11 of the lock mechanism 10 of the present application may also be removably mounted to the first container 70 by screwing or the like; of course, in other examples of the present application, the lock mechanism 10 may be non-detachably disposed on the first container 70, that is, the lock housing 11 of the lock mechanism 10 and the first container 70 may be non-detachably fastened together by riveting, welding, or integrally forming.

Illustratively, in one example of the present application, as shown in fig. 5, 6 and 7, the lock cylinder 12 of the lock mechanism 10 may be implemented as a slide lock 121, the slide lock 121 being slidably disposed to the lock housing 11; the slide lock member 121 is provided with a locking hole 1211 for engaging the mating member 20 and an unlocking hole 1212 for releasing the mating member 20, the locking hole 1211 communicating with the unlocking hole 1212 along the sliding direction of the slide lock member 121. Thus, when the slide lock member 121 is slid to the lock position, the lock hole 1211 of the slide lock member 121 corresponds to the mating member 20, so that the mating member 20 can be snapped into the lock hole 1211 of the slide lock member 121, thereby achieving a locking engagement between the mating member 20 and the lock mechanism 10, so that the lock device 1 is in the locked state; when the slide lock member 121 is slid to the unlock position, the unlock hole 1212 of the slide lock member 121 corresponds to the mating member 20, so that the mating member 20 can slide into the unlock hole 1212 from the lock hole 1211, thereby achieving unlocking between the mating member 20 and the lock mechanism 10, so that the lock apparatus 1 is in the unlock state.

In other words, the locking hole 1211 and the unlocking hole 1212 of the sliding lock 121 of the present application together form a slideway on the sliding lock 121 for the adapter 20 to slide; that is, the adapter 20 is adapted to slide between the locking hole 1211 and the unlocking hole 1212 when the slide lock member 121 slides relative to the lock housing 11, wherein the adapter 20 is engaged with the locking hole 1211 of the slide lock member 121 when the adapter 20 slides from the unlocking hole 1212 into the locking hole 1211; when the adapter 20 slides into the unlocking hole 1212 from the locking hole 1211, the adapter 20 can be disengaged from the unlocking hole 1212, so as to unlock the adapter 20 from the lock mechanism 10.

Preferably, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, the head of the adapter 20 has a size larger than the size of the locking hole 1211 in the slide lock member 121 and smaller than the size of the unlocking hole 1212, so that the head of the adapter 20 can freely enter and exit the unlocking hole 1212 and the head of the adapter 20 can be engaged with the locking hole 1211.

For example, the adapter 20 has a tail 21 disposed on the second container 80 and a size larger than the tail 21; meanwhile, the size of the locking hole 1211 in the slide lock member 121 is smaller than the size of the head 22 of the adapter member 20 and larger than the size of the tail 21 of the adapter member 20; the size of the unlocking hole 1212 is larger than the size of the head 22 of the adapter 20 to ensure that the head 22 of the adapter 20 can freely enter and exit the unlocking hole 1212, and the head 22 of the adapter 20 can be snapped into the locking hole 1211.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 6 and 7, the lock housing 11 of the lock mechanism 10 has a plug cavity 1101 and a slide cavity 1102 that communicate with each other, the slide lock piece 121 of the lock cylinder 12 being slidably inserted into the slide cavity 1102 of the lock housing 11; the adapter 20 is adapted to be inserted into the socket 1101 of the lock housing 11 to releasably engage with the slide lock 121. In other words, when the sliding lock 121 is slid forward to align the unlocking hole 1212 with the plugging cavity 1101 of the lock housing 11, the adapter 20 is unlocked and released by the unlocking hole 1212 of the sliding lock 121 to freely enter and exit the plugging cavity 1101 of the lock housing 11, so that the locking device 1 is in an unlocked state; when the sliding lock 121 is slid in the opposite direction to align the locking hole 1211 with the insertion cavity 1101 of the lock housing 11, the mating member 20 is locked and engaged by the locking hole 1211 of the sliding lock 121 to be retained in the insertion cavity 1101 of the lock housing 11, so that the locking device 1 is in a locked state.

It should be noted that the forward sliding and the backward sliding refer to sliding in opposite directions only, and if the forward sliding corresponds to the leftward sliding, the backward sliding corresponds to the rightward sliding, which is not described herein. Further, since the slide lock member 121 in the lock mechanism 10 needs to be slid in both directions during unlocking and locking, it is necessary for the user to push and pull the slide lock member 121, respectively.

In order to simplify the operation of the user, as shown in fig. 6 to 8, the lock mechanism 10 of the present application may further include a switch 13, the switch 13 being correspondingly disposed between the lock housing 11 and the slide lock member 121 for slidably switching the slide lock member 121 between the lock position and the unlock position after the slide lock member 121 is pressed. In other words, when the sliding lock 121 in the unlocked position is pressed, the switch 13 is used to switch the sliding lock 121 from the unlocked position to the locked position, so that the locking device 1 is kept in the locked state; when the slide lock member 121 in the lock position is pressed, the switch 13 is used to switch the slide lock member 121 from the lock position to the lock position, so that the lock device 1 is kept in the unlock state. Thus, the user can make the sliding lock 121 slide in both directions to switch back and forth between the locking position and the unlocking position by continuously pressing the sliding lock 121; that is, the user can switch the locking device 1 back and forth between the locked state and the unlocked state with only a simple pressing operation without applying both pushing and pulling operations to the slide lock member 121 to switch the state of the locking device 1.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 9 to 12, the switching switch 13 of the lock mechanism 10 may include a reset element 131 and a limit element 132. The reset element 131 is disposed between the lock housing 11 and the sliding lock 121, and is used for applying a force opposite to the pressing direction to the sliding lock 121, so that the sliding lock 121 has a tendency to slide out of the sliding cavity 1102 of the lock housing 11 under the action of the reset element 131. The limiting element 132 is disposed between the lock housing 11 and the sliding lock 121, and is used for releasably limiting the sliding lock 121, wherein when the limiting element 132 limits the sliding lock 121, the sliding lock 121 is stably maintained in the locking position under the combined action of the reset element 131 and the limiting element 132, so that the locking device 1 is stably maintained in the locking state; when the limiting element 132 and the sliding lock 121 are released from the limiting, the sliding lock 121 automatically slides from the locking position to the unlocking position under the action of the resetting element 131, so that the locking device 1 is stably maintained in the unlocking state.

It should be noted that, one end of the limiting element 132 may be releasably hooked to the sliding lock 121, and the other end of the limiting element 132 may be hooked to the lock case 11. Thus, when the slide lock member 121 is in the unlocked position, the slide lock member 121 partially protrudes out of the slide cavity 1102 of the lock housing 11, facilitating pressing of the slide lock member 121; when the sliding lock 121 is pressed to locate the sliding lock 121 in the locked position, the sliding lock 121 will partially retract into the sliding cavity 1102, and the limiting element 132 will hook the sliding lock 121; at this time, after the sliding lock 121 is pressed again, the limiting element 132 and the sliding lock 121 are unhooked, so that the sliding lock 121 slides from the locking position to the unlocking position under the action of the reset element 131; such repeated pressing can realize the back and forth switching of the sliding lock 121 between the locking position and the unlocking position; and can be stably maintained in the locked position or the unlocked position after switching until being pressed again. It should be understood that, in other examples of the present application, the other end of the limiting element 132 may be further connected to the lock housing 11 by means of a hinge or a pin, so long as the one end of the limiting element 132 can be guaranteed to releasably hook the sliding lock 121, which is not described in detail herein.

More specifically, as shown in fig. 7 and 8, the slide lock member 121 in the lock mechanism 10 may be further provided with a locking groove 1213, an unlocking guide groove 1214 communicating with a slide-out end 12131 of the locking groove 1213, a locking guide groove 1215 communicating with a slide-in end 12132 of the locking groove 1213, and an unlocking groove 1216 communicating with both the unlocking guide groove 1214 and the locking guide groove 1215, wherein the locking groove 1213 is for hooking by one end of the stopper element 132 to hold the slide lock member 121 in the locking position; the unlocking groove 1216 is configured to receive one end of the limiting element 132, so that the sliding lock 121 is in the unlocking position; the unlocking guide groove 1214 is used for guiding one end of the limiting element 132 to slide into the unlocking groove 1216 from the locking groove 1213 so as to move the sliding lock 121 from the locking position to the unlocking position; the locking guide groove 1215 is used to guide one end of the stopper 132 to slide into the locking groove 1213 from the unlocking groove 1216 so that the slide lock 121 moves from the unlocking position to the locking position.

In other words, as shown in fig. 13, when one end of the limiting member 132 hooks the locking groove 1213, the sliding lock 121 is stably maintained at the locking position, so that the locking device 1 is stably in the locked state. At this time, if the sliding lock 121 is pressed, one end of the limiting element 132 slides into the unlocking guide slot 1214 from the locking slot 1213, so that the one end of the limiting element 132 is unhooked from the locking slot 1213; and after the sliding lock 121 is released, one end of the limiting element 132 slides into the unlocking groove 1216 under the guidance of the unlocking guide groove 1214, so that the sliding lock 121 can automatically slide to the unlocking position under the action of the resetting element 131. After that, the sliding lock 121 is pressed and released again, one end of the limiting member 132 will slide into the locking groove 1213 from the unlocking groove 1216 under the guide of the locking guide groove 1215, so that one end of the limiting member 132 is hooked with the locking groove 1213, i.e., the sliding lock 121 can be stably maintained in the locking position by the reset member 131.

Preferably, as shown in fig. 8 and 11, the locking groove 1213 in the slide lock member 121 is implemented as a V-groove, and the groove bottom of the locking groove 1213 at the slide-out end 12131 is lower than the groove bottom of the locking groove 1213 at the slide-in end 12132 to form a blocking step at the interface between the slide-out end 12131 and the slide-in end 12132 of the locking groove 1213 to block the stopper 132 from sliding toward the slide-in end 12132. Thus, when the sliding lock 121 in the locked position is pressed, the limiting element 132 slides towards the sliding-out end 12131 to slide into the unlocking guiding groove 1214, so as to avoid the problem that the limiting element 132 fails to unlock due to sliding towards the sliding-in end 12132.

Preferably, as shown in fig. 11, the bottom of the unlocking guide groove 1214 in the sliding lock 121 adjacent to the sliding-out end 12131 is lower than the bottom of the locking groove 1213 at the sliding-out end 12131 to form a blocking step at the interface between the unlocking guide groove 1214 and the locking groove 1213 to block the stopper 132 from sliding from the unlocking guide groove 1214 into the sliding-out end 12131 of the locking groove 1213 so as to ensure smooth unlocking of the stopper 132 from the locking groove 1213.

Similarly, as shown in fig. 11, the groove bottom of the locking guide groove 1215 in the slide lock member 121 adjacent to the slide-in end 12132 is higher than the groove bottom of the locking groove 1213 at the slide-in end 12132 to form a blocking step at the interface between the locking groove 1213 and the locking guide groove 1215 to block the stopper 132 from sliding into the locking guide groove 1215 from the slide-in end 12132 of the locking groove 1213 so as to ensure smooth locking of the stopper 132 and the locking groove 1213.

Preferably, as shown in fig. 10 and 12, the bottom of the groove on the unlocking guide groove 1214 in the slide lock 121 adjacent to the unlocking groove 1216 is higher than the bottom of the unlocking groove 1216, and the bottom of the groove on the locking guide groove 1215 on the slide lock 121 adjacent to the unlocking groove 1216 is flush with the bottom of the unlocking groove 1216 to form a blocking step at the interface between the unlocking guide groove 1214 and the unlocking groove 1216 and the locking guide groove 1215 to block the stopper element 132 from sliding from the unlocking groove 1216 into the unlocking guide groove 1214 so as to ensure that the stopper element 132 can directionally slide from the unlocking groove 1216 into the locking guide groove 1215.

More preferably, as shown in fig. 10 and 12, the unlocking guide groove 1214 and the locking guide groove 1215 of the present application are each implemented as a depth-gradual groove, wherein the depth of the unlocking guide groove 1214 gradually decreases from the locking groove 1213 to the unlocking groove 1216, and the depth of the locking guide groove 1215 gradually decreases from the unlocking groove 1216 to the locking groove 1213, so as to ensure that the stopper 132 smoothly slides from the locking groove 1213 into the unlocking groove 1216 under the guide of the unlocking guide groove 1214 and smoothly slides from the unlocking groove 1216 into the locking groove 1213 under the guide of the locking guide groove 1215, so that the slide latch 121 can smoothly slide between the locking position and the unlocking position, thereby ensuring that the locking device 1 smoothly switches between the locking state and the unlocking state.

It should be noted that the sliding-out end 12131 and the sliding-in end 12132 of the locking groove 1213 of the sliding lock 121 of the present application have the same depth, respectively, and the sliding-out end 12131 of the locking groove 1213 has a depth greater than that of the sliding-in end 12132 of the locking groove 1213, so as to ensure that the limiting member 132 slides into the locking groove 1213 from the sliding-in end 12132 and slides out of the locking groove 1213 from the sliding-out end 12131. Of course, in other examples of the application, the slide-out end 12131 and the slide-in end 12132 in the locking groove 1213 may also be implemented as depth-gradual grooves, respectively, in which the depth of the slide-out end 12131 of the locking groove 1213 gradually increases in a direction toward the unlocking guide groove 1214, and the depth of the slide-in end 12132 of the locking groove 1213 gradually increases in a direction away from the locking guide groove 1215, so as to further guide the stopper element 132 to slide into the locking groove 1213 from the slide-in end 12132 and slide out of the locking groove 1213 from the slide-out end 12131.

In particular, as shown in fig. 8 and 13, the locking groove 1213, the unlocking guide groove 1214 and the locking guide groove 1215 of the present application together enclose a heart-shaped channel, so that the limiting element 132 can slide smoothly in the locking groove 1213, the unlocking guide groove 1214 and the locking guide groove 1215, which helps to ensure that the locking device 1 is switched smoothly between the locked state and the unlocked state.

According to the above example of the present application, as shown in fig. 6 and 7, the limiting element 132 in the switch 13 of the lock mechanism 10 may be, but is not limited to, implemented as a hooking rod 1320 pivotally connected to the lock housing 11, the head of the hooking rod 1320 being adapted to hook the locking groove 1213 of the slide lock 121 and to slide in the unlocking groove 1216, the unlocking guide groove 1214 and the locking guide groove 1215. It will be appreciated that the tail of the hooking rod 1320 of the present application also has a hooking structure to hook the pivoting hole of the lock housing 11 to pivot between the hooking rod 1320 and the lock housing 11, so as to ensure that the hooking rod 1320 can be releasably hooked to the locking groove 1213 of the sliding lock 121.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 6 and 7, the reset element 131 in the switch 13 of the lock mechanism 10 may be implemented as, but is not limited to, a spring 1310, wherein one end of the spring 1310 is fixedly connected to the lock housing 11, and the other end of the spring 1310 is fixedly connected to the sliding lock 121 to apply an elastic force to the sliding lock 121, so that the sliding lock 121 can have a tendency to slide from the locking position to the unlocking position under the action of the spring 1310. It will be appreciated that the spring 1310 of the present application may be implemented as a tension spring such that the spring 1310 is stretched to accumulate elastic potential energy when the slide lock member 121 is pressed; alternatively, the spring 1310 may be implemented as a compression spring so that the spring 1310 is compressed to accumulate elastic potential energy when the slide latch 121 is pressed. Of course, in other examples of the present application, the reset element 131 may be implemented as a rubber band or a magnetic element, as long as the required force can be applied to the sliding lock 121, which will not be described in detail.

Preferably, as shown in fig. 6, 7 and 10, the slide lock member 121 is further provided with a spring chamber 1217 for receiving the spring 1310 so that the spring 1310 is deformed within the spring chamber 1217, not only facilitating assembly of the spring 1310, but also effectively protecting the spring 1310 from external factors. It can be appreciated that the sliding lock 121 and the lock housing 11 are provided with a limiting post matched with the spring 1310, so that two ends of the spring 1310 are respectively sleeved on the corresponding limiting posts, and assembly of the locking device 1 is simplified.

More preferably, as shown in fig. 7 and 10, the spring cavity 1217 and the unlocking groove 1216 are symmetrically disposed at opposite sides of the slide lock 121, respectively, and the spring cavity 1217 and the unlocking groove 1216 extend along the sliding direction of the slide lock 121, ensuring that the slide lock 121 can slide smoothly to the unlocking position under the action of the spring 1310.

According to the above example of the present application, as shown in fig. 7 and 8, the sliding lock member 121 of the lock mechanism 10 is convexly provided with a stopper 1218, the lock housing 11 is provided with a stopper groove 1103 that matches the stopper 1218, the stopper groove 1103 extends along the sliding direction of the sliding lock member 121, and the stopper 1218 of the sliding lock member 121 is inserted into the stopper groove 1103 of the lock housing 11 in a stopper sliding manner, so as to prevent the sliding lock member 121 from sliding out of the sliding cavity 1102 of the lock housing 11, and ensure that the sliding lock member 121 can be stably maintained in the unlocking position.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 6 and 7, the lock housing 11 of the lock mechanism 10 may include a first housing 111 and a second housing 112, wherein the first housing 111 is detachably mounted to the second housing 112 to form the sliding chamber 1102 between the first housing 111 and the second housing 112, such that the switch 13 is capped in the sliding chamber 1102, preventing the switch 13 from being disturbed by the external environment, ensuring the normal operation of the switch 13. At the same time, the insertion cavity 1101 of the lock housing 11 penetrates the first housing 111 and the second housing 112, so that the mating member 20 can be inserted into the insertion cavity 1101 to be releasably engaged with the sliding lock member 121.

Preferably, as shown in fig. 7 and 10, the lock housing 11 may further include an elastic pressing piece 113 provided to the first housing 111, the elastic pressing piece 113 being tilted toward the slide lock member 121 to bias the stopper 132, so as to ensure that the stopper 132 can stably catch the locking groove 1213 and stably slide along the unlocking groove 1216, the unlocking guide groove 1214, and the locking guide groove 1215.

More preferably, as shown in fig. 10, the elastic pressing piece 113 of the lock housing 11 correspondingly biases the head of the hooking rod 1320, so that the head of the hooking rod 1320 is closely attached to the bottoms of the locking groove 1213, the unlocking guiding groove 1214, the locking guiding groove 1215 and the unlocking groove 1216, so that the head of the hooking rod 1320 can be effectively hooked on the locking groove 1213 or unhooked from the locking groove 1213, so that the locking device 1 can be efficiently switched between the locking state and the unlocking state, and the state switching failure is avoided.

It should be noted that, as shown in fig. 6 and 9, the elastic pressing piece 113 of the present application may be integrally formed with the first housing 111, so as to reduce the manufacturing cost of the lock housing 11. Of course, in other examples of the present application, the elastic pressing piece 113 may be separate from the first housing 111, for example, the elastic pressing piece 113 may be implemented as a metal sheet fixed to the first housing 111, which will not be described in detail herein.

According to the above-described first embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the lock mechanism 10 in the locking device 1 of the present application is adapted to be located at the top or side of the first container 70, and the adapter 20 is adapted to be located at the bottom or side of the second container 80, wherein the second container 80 is securely stacked on the first container 70 when the adapter 20 is snapped onto the lock mechanism 10.

Illustratively, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the first container 70 of the combined container may include a first container body 71 having a first opening and a first cover 72 covered on the first container body 71; accordingly, the second container 80 may include a second container body 81 having a second opening and a second cover 82 covered on the second container body 81. The lock mechanism 10 of the locking device 1 is mounted on the top wall of the first cover 72, and the adapter 20 is correspondingly fixed on the bottom wall of the second container body 81, wherein when the second container 80 is stacked on the first container 70, the lock mechanism 10 of the locking device 1 can clamp the adapter 20 from up and down direction, so as to realize stable locking between the first container 70 and the second container 80, and facilitate storage and transportation. It is to be understood that the adapter 20 of the present application may be integrally formed with the second container body 81, or may be fixed to the second container body 81 by screwing or riveting.

Alternatively, in the above-described first embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 2 and 4, the combined container may include two of the locking devices 1, the two locking devices 1 being symmetrically disposed between the first container 70 and the second container 80 to securely lock the first container 70 and the second container 80 stacked on each other by the two locking devices 1. In other words, the two locking devices 1 are reversely disposed at opposite sides of the first container 70 and the second container 80 to switch the two locking devices 1 between the locked state and the unlocked state by pressing the sliding locks 121 in the lock mechanisms 10 of the two locking devices 1 in opposite directions.

It is noted that in the above example of the application, the lock device 1 is to slidingly operate the lock cylinder 12 of the lock mechanism 10 to achieve switching between the unlocked state and the locked state, but this is only an example. It will be appreciated that in other examples of the application, the locking device 1 may also be operated such as by rotation to effect a switch between an unlocked state and a locked state.

Fig. 14 to 16 show an exemplary variant of the locking device 1 according to the first embodiment described above, wherein the lock cylinder 12 of the lock mechanism 10 is embodied as a rotary lock 122, the rotary lock 122 comprising a notch disc 1221 rotatably arranged to the lock housing 11 and a knob 1222 connected to the notch disc 1221 for driving the rotation of the notch disc 1221 relative to the lock housing 11 between a locked position and an unlocked position by means of the knob 1222; accordingly, the adapter 20 is embodied as a locking socket 24. Thus, when the knob 1222 of the rotary lock 122 is twisted to drive the notch plate 1221 to rotate to the locking position, the notch 12210 of the notch plate 1221 faces away from the locking groove 241 of the locking groove seat 24, and the notch plate 1221 is partially clamped into the locking groove 241 of the locking groove seat 24, so as to achieve a locking engagement between the lock mechanism 10 and the adapter 20, so that the locking device 1 is in a locking state; when the knob 1222 of the rotary lock 122 is twisted to drive the notch plate 1221 to rotate to the unlocking position, the notch 12210 of the notch plate 1221 faces the locking groove 241 of the locking groove seat 24, so that the notch plate 1221 is disengaged from the locking groove seat 24, and the unlocking between the lock mechanism 10 and the adapter 20 is achieved, so that the locking device 1 is in the unlocking state.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 14 and 15, each of the lock mechanisms 10 may include two of the rotary locks 122 arranged at intervals, and the lock groove holder 24 is adapted to be placed between the two rotary locks 122 such that two lock grooves 241 of the lock groove holder 24 correspond to the two rotary locks 122 one by one, respectively. Thus, the two rotating locks 122 can be engaged with the locking groove seat 24 from two opposite sides of the locking groove seat 24, so as to realize stable locking of the locking device 1. It will be appreciated that the lock housing 11 of the lock mechanism 10 of the present application is adapted to be removably mounted to the top of the first container 70; correspondingly, the locking groove seat 24 of the adapter 20 is adapted to be correspondingly disposed at the bottom of the second container 80, so as to firmly lock the first container 70 and the second container 80 by the locking device 1.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 15, the lock housing 11 of the lock mechanism 10 is provided with a sliding slot 1104 matching the lock slot seat 24, and two rotation lock members 122 are symmetrically disposed on the left and right sides of the sliding slot 1104 to engage from the left and right sides of the lock slot seat 24.

Preferably, as shown in fig. 15, the lock housing 11 of the lock mechanism 10 is further provided with a clamping hole 1105, and the rear side of the lock slot seat 24 is convexly provided with a clamping post 242 matched with the clamping hole 1105, when the lock slot seat 24 slides into the sliding slot 1104 of the lock housing 11, the clamping post 242 of the lock slot seat 24 is inserted into the clamping hole 1105 of the lock housing 11 to clamp the lock housing 11 from the rear side of the lock slot seat 24; thereby matching the clamping between the rotating lock piece 122 and the locking groove seat 24 to further enhance the locking stability of the locking device 1.

More preferably, as shown in fig. 16, the notch 12210 of the notch plate 1221 in the lock mechanism 10 is implemented as a flat notch, so that when the notch 12210 of the notch plate 1221 faces the lock groove 241 of the lock groove seat 24, all the solid parts of the notch plate 1221 are not inserted into the lock groove 241 of the lock groove seat 24, ensuring complete disengagement between the lock mechanism 10 and the mating member 20; when the notch plate 1221 is rotated 180 ° so that the notch 12210 of the notch plate 1221 faces away from the locking groove 241 of the locking groove seat 24, the solid portion of the notch plate 1221 can be inserted into the locking groove 241 of the locking groove seat 24 as much as possible, so as to ensure reliable engagement between the lock mechanism 10 and the adapter 20.

It should be noted that in other embodiments of the present application, the number of the locking devices 1 in the combined container is not limited to two, but may be implemented as one or more; in addition, the locking device 1 may be provided at any position between the first container 70 and the second container 80 as long as the first container 70 and the second container 80 can be releasably locked. It is understood that the combined container of the present application is not limited to two containers, i.e. the combined container of the present application may comprise three or more containers, as long as there is one locking device 1 releasably locking two adjacent containers together, which is within the scope of the present application; at this time, the other adjacent two containers may be locked by the other locking device 1, or may be connected by an existing connection method; or the two adjacent containers are matched with other connection modes through the locking device 1 so as to realize safe stacking.

Fig. 17 to 19 show an exemplary combination container according to a second embodiment of the present application. The combined container according to the second embodiment of the present application is different from the above-described first embodiment of the present application in that: the two locking devices 1 are disposed on the same side of the first container 70 and the second container 80 in the same direction so that the two locking devices 1 are switched between the locked state and the unlocked state by pressing the sliding locks 121 in the lock mechanisms 10 of the two locking devices 1 in the same direction.

Alternatively, in order to improve stacking stability between the first container 70 and the second container 80, the second container body 81 of the second container 80 of the present application is adapted to be partially inserted into the first cover 72 of the first container 70 to restrict a relative position between the first container 70 and the second container 80 in a front-rear left-right direction. At the same time, the locking device 1 of the present application limits the relative position between the first container 70 and the second container 80 from the up-down direction.

According to the above example of the present application, the combined container may further comprise an auxiliary mechanism 50, the auxiliary mechanism 50 being provided between the first container 70 and the second container 80 to assist the locking device 1 in lockably securing the second container 80 to the first container 70, helping to ensure a firm stack therebetween.

Preferably, as shown in fig. 18 and 19, the auxiliary mechanism 50 may include a first catching block 51 provided to the first cover 72 and a second catching groove 52 correspondingly provided to the second container body 81, wherein when the second container 80 is stacked on the first container 70, the first catching block 51 catches into the second catching groove 52 to further restrict the relative position between the first container 70 and the second container 80 from the up-down direction. It will be appreciated that the adapter 20 and the second clamping groove 52 of the present application are respectively located on opposite sides of the second container body 81; the locking mechanism 10 and the first latch 51 of the present application are respectively located on opposite sides of the first cover 72, so as to achieve a fixed stack between the first container 70 and the second container 80 by the locking of the locking device 1 and the cooperation of the locking engagement between the first latch 51 and the second latch 52.

It should be noted that, in other examples of the present application, the auxiliary mechanism 50 may be implemented as various buckles or catches, as long as the containers can be securely stacked together in cooperation with the locking device 1, which is not described in detail herein.

According to the above-described second embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 17 and 18, the combined container may further include a third container 90, the third container 90 being stacked on the second container 80, and the locking device 1 being provided between the third container 90 and the second container 80 to lock the second container 80 and the third container 90 together by the locking device 1.

Alternatively, the locking mechanism 10 of the locking device 1 is mounted on a side wall of the second cover 82 of the second container 80, and the mating member 20 of the locking device 1 is correspondingly disposed on a side wall of the third container 90, so that the locking mechanism 10 engages with the mating member 20 from a side (such as a left-right direction or a front-rear direction), thereby realizing locking between the second container 80 and the third container 90.

Preferably, the adapter 20 is pivotally connected to the side wall of the third container 90, so that after the third container 90 is stacked on the second container 80, the adapter 20 pivots relative to the third container 90 to insert the corresponding lock mechanism 10 from the side of the second container 80 for engagement.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 17 and 19, the adapter 20 further includes a connecting arm 23, one end of the connecting arm 23 is pivotally connected to the side wall of the third container 90, and the other end of the connecting arm 23 is fixedly connected to the tail 21, so that the head 22 of the adapter 20 protrudes from the connecting arm 23, so as to ensure that the head 22 of the adapter 20 can be inserted into the plugging cavity 1101 of the lock housing 11 of the lock mechanism 10 to be locked by the lock cylinder 12 of the lock mechanism 10.

Preferably, the side wall of the third container 90 is further provided with a recess adapted to the connection arm 23, so that after the adaptor 20 is removed from the lock mechanism 10, the connection arm 23 of the adaptor 20 is adapted to be received in the recess of the third container 90, so as to prevent the connection arm 23 protruding downward from the third container 90 to affect the placement and use of the third container 90.

It is noted that the third container 90 of the present application may be implemented as a container without a lid or as a container with a lid; similarly, the first container 70 and the second container 80 of the present application may be implemented as a container without a cover, in which case the locking mechanism 10 of the locking device 1 is mounted to the side walls of the first container body 71 and the second container body 81, respectively, so that the second container body 81 and the third container 90 can serve as the covers of the first container 70 and the second container 80 to close the openings of the first container body 71 and the second container body 81, respectively, when the second container body 81 and the third container 90 are respectively stacked on the corresponding first container body 71 and the second container body 81 by being locked by the locking device 1, respectively, so that the structure of the combined container is simplified and the cost is reduced.

Further, in the above-described second embodiment of the present application, the second container 80 and the third container 90 may be, but not limited to, locked by two locking devices 1, wherein two locking devices 1 are respectively provided at left and right sides or front and rear sides of the second container 80 and the third container 90, respectively, to safely stack the second container 80 and the third container 90 together. Of course, in other examples of the present application, only one locking device 1 may be disposed between the second container 80 and the third container 90, and the locking device may cooperate with the locking of the auxiliary mechanism 50 to achieve safe stacking therebetween.

Fig. 20 to 22 show a modified example of the combined container according to the above second embodiment of the present application, wherein the auxiliary mechanism 50 further includes a second latch 53 provided to the second cover 82 and a third latch groove 54 provided to the third container 90 and engaged with the second latch 53, wherein the second latch 53 of the second container 80 is latched into the third latch groove 54 of the third container 90 when the third container 90 is stacked on the second container 80. At this time, only one locking device 1 is required between the second container 80 and the third container 90 to achieve safe stacking.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 21 and 22, the connecting arm 23 of the adapter 20 of the locking device 1 is adapted to be fixed to the side wall of the third container 90, and when stacking the third container 90 on the second container 80, the third container 90 needs to be pushed laterally to the second container 80, so that the head 22 of the adapter 20 is inserted into the inserting cavity 1101 in the lock mechanism 10 to achieve locking while the second locking block 53 is locked into the third locking groove 54.

It should be noted that, in the second embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 17 and 18, the combined container may further include a push-pull mechanism 60, where the push-pull mechanism 60 includes a roller 61 disposed on the first container 70 and a pull rod 62 correspondingly disposed on the first container 70, so that the combined container is implemented as a pull rod container, such as a pull rod case, and is convenient to carry.

Furthermore, although the above-described embodiment of the present application has been described with reference to a stacking box, the present application is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but is merely exemplary; it will be appreciated that in other examples of the application, the modular container may also be implemented as a stacking drawer cabinet or the like.

Fig. 23 to 24 exemplarily show a combination type container according to a third embodiment of the present application. The combined container according to the third embodiment of the present application is different from the above-described first embodiment of the present application in that: the first container 70 may include a first cabinet 73 and a first drawer 74 drawably provided to the first cabinet 73; the second container 80 may include a second cabinet 83 and a second drawer 84 drawably provided to the second cabinet 83. In this way, the two locking devices 1 are symmetrically disposed between the first container 70 and the second container 80 to switch the two locking devices 1 between the locked state and the unlocked state by reversely pressing the slide lock pieces 121 in the lock mechanisms 10 of the two locking devices 1.

Preferably, the lock housing 11 of the lock mechanism 10 in the locking device 1 is integrally formed with the first cabinet 73, and the adapting piece 20 in the locking device 1 is integrally formed with the second cabinet 83, so as to reduce the assembling difficulty of the locking device 1 and improve the locking stability between the first container 70 and the second container 80.

More preferably, a plurality of the lock mechanisms 10 are provided at the top of the first cabinet 73 and the second cabinet 83, respectively; accordingly, a plurality of the mating members 20 are respectively disposed at bottoms of the first and second cabinets 73 and 83. Thus, the second container 80 may be lockably stacked above the first container 70 or lockably stacked below the first container 70; further, a plurality of the first containers 70 or a plurality of the second containers 80 may be stacked together in sequence.

It is noted that in this third embodiment of the application, although each container shown in the drawings is illustrated as comprising two drawers, it is by way of example only; in other examples of the application, each container may also include one or more drawers, which are not described in detail herein.

The technical features of the above embodiment may be arbitrarily combined, and all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiment are not described for brevity of description, however, as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of the technical features, they should be considered as the scope of the description.

The foregoing examples illustrate only a few embodiments of the application, which are described in detail and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the application. It should be noted that it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that several variations and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the application, which are all within the scope of the application. Accordingly, the scope of protection of the present application is to be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A locking device for a first container and a second container combined with each other, the locking device comprising:

a fitting for being disposed to the second container; and

2. The lock apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lock mechanism includes a lock housing for being detachably secured to the first container and a lock cylinder movably disposed to the lock housing, the lock cylinder for moving between a locked position and an unlocked position, wherein the lock cylinder is for engaging the adapter when the lock cylinder is moved to the locked position relative to the lock housing; the lock cylinder is adapted to release the adapter when the lock cylinder is moved relative to the lock housing to the unlocked position.

3. The lock device according to claim 2, wherein the lock cylinder of the lock mechanism is a slide lock member slidably provided to the lock housing, the slide lock member being provided with a lock hole for engaging the mating member and an unlock hole for releasing the mating member, the lock hole being communicated with the unlock hole along a sliding direction of the slide lock member, wherein the mating member is adapted to slide between the lock hole and the unlock hole of the slide lock member when the slide lock member slides between the lock position and the unlock position.

4. A lock according to claim 3, wherein the head dimension of the adapter is greater than the size of the locking aperture in the slide lock and less than the size of the unlocking aperture.

5. The lock apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the lock housing of the lock mechanism has a plug cavity and a slide cavity in communication with each other, the slide lock member being slidably inserted into the slide cavity of the lock housing, the adapter member being adapted to be inserted into the plug cavity of the lock housing to releasably engage with the slide lock member.

6. The lock apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the lock mechanism further comprises a change-over switch provided between the lock case and the slide lock member, respectively, for slidably switching the slide lock member between the lock position and the unlock position after the slide lock member is pressed.

7. The lock apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the change-over switch includes a reset member and a limit member, the reset member being disposed between the lock case and the slide lock member for applying a force against the slide lock member in a pressing direction; the limiting element is arranged between the lock shell and the sliding lock piece and used for releasably limiting the sliding lock piece; when the limiting element limits the sliding lock piece, the sliding lock piece is kept at the locking position under the combined action of the reset element and the limiting element; and after the limiting element and the sliding lock piece are released from limiting, the sliding lock piece automatically slides from the locking position to the unlocking position under the action of the reset element.

8. The lock catch device according to claim 7, wherein the slide lock member is further provided with a lock groove for hooking by one end of the stopper member, an unlock guide groove communicating with a slide-out end of the lock groove, a lock guide groove communicating with a slide-in end of the lock groove, and an unlock groove communicating with both the unlock guide groove and the lock guide groove, the unlock guide groove being for guiding the one end of the stopper member to slide from the lock groove into the unlock groove, the lock guide groove being for guiding the one end of the stopper member to slide from the unlock groove into the lock groove.

9. The lock catch of claim 8, wherein the locking groove is a V-groove and a groove bottom of the locking groove at the slide-out end is lower than a groove bottom of the locking groove at the slide-in end.

10. The lock engagement device according to claim 9, wherein a groove bottom of the unlock guide groove adjacent to the slide-out end is lower than a groove bottom of the lock groove at the slide-out end.

11. The lock catch according to claim 9, wherein a groove bottom of the lock guide groove adjacent to the slide-in end is higher than a groove bottom of the lock groove at the slide-in end.

12. The lock engagement device according to claim 9, wherein a bottom of the unlock guide groove adjacent to the unlock groove is higher than a bottom of the unlock groove, and a bottom of the lock guide groove adjacent to the unlock groove is not higher than a bottom of the unlock groove.

13. The lock engagement device according to claim 12, wherein a depth of the unlock guide groove is gradually smaller from the lock groove to the unlock groove, and a depth of the lock guide groove is gradually smaller from the unlock groove to the lock groove.

14. The lock device according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the lock groove, the unlock guide groove, and the lock guide groove of the slide lock together define a heart-shaped passage.

15. The lock device according to any one of claims 8 to 13, wherein the limiting element is a hook lever pivotally connected to the lock housing; the reset element is a spring.

16. The lock device according to any one of claims 7 to 13, wherein the slide lock member is provided with a stopper protruding upward, the lock housing is provided with a stopper groove matched with the stopper, the stopper groove extends along a sliding direction of the slide lock member, and the stopper of the slide lock member is inserted into the stopper groove of the lock housing in a stopper sliding manner.

17. The lock apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the lock housing includes a first housing and a second housing, the first housing being detachably mounted to the second housing to form the sliding cavity therebetween, the mating cavity of the lock housing extending through the first housing and the second housing.

18. The lock apparatus of claim 17, wherein the lock housing further comprises a resilient tab disposed on the first housing that is tilted toward the slide lock to bias the spacing element.

19. The lock apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the lock cylinder of the lock mechanism is a rotary lock including a notch plate rotatably provided to the lock housing and a knob connected to the notch plate to drive the notch plate to rotate relative to the lock housing between the lock position and the unlock position by the knob; the adapter is a locking groove seat, wherein when the knob is twisted to drive the notch disc to rotate between the locking position and the unlocking position, the notch of the notch disc correspondingly deviates from or faces the locking groove of the locking groove seat respectively.

20. The lock device according to claim 19, wherein the lock housing of the lock mechanism is provided with a slide groove matching with the lock groove seat, and the two rotation lock pieces are symmetrically disposed on the left and right sides of the slide groove, respectively, so as to engage from the left and right sides of the lock groove seat.

21. The lock catch of claim 20, wherein the lock housing is further provided with a detent and a post matching the detent is provided on a rear side of the lock housing, wherein the post of the lock housing is to be inserted into the detent of the lock housing to engage from the rear side of the lock housing when the lock housing is slid into the slide slot of the lock housing.

22. A modular container comprising:

a first container;

a second container; and

a locking device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 21, disposed between the first and second containers, respectively, for releasably locking the second container to the first container.

23. The combination container of claim 22, wherein the locking mechanism of the locking device is disposed on the first container and the mating member of the locking device is correspondingly disposed on the second container such that when the second container is stacked on the first container, the locking mechanism of the locking device and the mating member engage one another to form the combination container.

24. The combination container of claim 22, wherein the first container comprises a first container body having a first opening; the second container comprises a second container body with a second opening, wherein a locking mechanism of the locking device is arranged on the first container body, and a matching piece of the locking device is correspondingly arranged on the second container body so as to releasably lock the second container body on the first container body through the locking device.

25. The combination container of claim 24, wherein the second container body covers the first opening of the first container body when the locking device locks the second container body to the first container body.

26. The combination container of claim 24, wherein the first container further comprises a first cover that is covered over the first opening; the second container further includes a second cover body covered on the second opening, so that the second container body of the second container is stacked on the first cover body of the first container.

27. The combination container of claim 22, wherein the first container comprises a first container body and a first cover covered on the first container body; the second container comprises a second container body and a second cover body covered on the second container body; the locking mechanism of the locking device is mounted on the first cover body, and the matching piece of the locking device is correspondingly arranged on the second container body so as to releasably lock the second container body to the first cover body through the locking device.

28. The combination container of claim 22, wherein the first container comprises a first cabinet and a first drawer drawably disposed to the first cabinet; the second container comprises a second cabinet body and a second drawer which is arranged on the second cabinet body in a drawable manner; the locking mechanism of the locking device is arranged on the first cabinet body, and the matching piece of the locking device is arranged on the second cabinet body, so that the first cabinet body is releasably locked and connected with the second cabinet body through the locking device.

29. The combination container of any one of claims 22 to 28, wherein the combination container comprises at least one pair of said locking means, the locking mechanism and the adapter of each pair of said locking means being located on opposite sides of the first container and the second container, respectively.

30. The combination container of claim 29, wherein the lock mechanism in the locking device is disposed on a side of the first container; and the adapter in the locking device is pivotably arranged at a side of the second container.

31. The combination container of claim 29, wherein the lock mechanism in the locking device is disposed on top of the first container; and the matching piece in the locking device is fixedly arranged at the bottom of the second container.

32. The combination container of any one of claims 22 to 28, comprising at least one of the locking devices, wherein the locking mechanism and the adapter in the locking device are located on the same side of the first container and the second container, respectively.

33. The combination container of claim 32, further comprising an assist mechanism disposed between the first container and the second container to assist the locking device in lockably securing the second container to the first container.

34. The combination container of claim 33, wherein the auxiliary mechanism comprises a first latch disposed on the first container and a second latch disposed on the second container, wherein the first latch snaps into the second latch when the second container is stacked on the first container to cooperate with the locking device for auxiliary securement.

35. The combination container of claim 34, wherein the assist mechanism and the locking device are located on different sides of the first container and the second container, respectively.

36. The combination container of claim 35, wherein the lock mechanism in the locking device is disposed on a side or top of the first container; and the matching piece in the locking device is fixedly arranged at the bottom or the side part of the second container.

37. The combination container of any one of claims 22 to 28, further comprising a third container, the third container being stackable connected to the second container.

38. The combination container of claim 37, wherein the locking means is provided between the third container and the second container to lock the third container and the second container together by the locking means.

39. The combination container of any one of claims 22 to 28, further comprising a push-pull mechanism comprising a roller disposed on the first container and a pull rod correspondingly disposed on the first container.