EP3536626B1 - Storage box - Google Patents
Storage box Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP3536626B1 EP3536626B1 EP19161193.8A EP19161193A EP3536626B1 EP 3536626 B1 EP3536626 B1 EP 3536626B1 EP 19161193 A EP19161193 A EP 19161193A EP 3536626 B1 EP3536626 B1 EP 3536626B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- box body
- box
- fitting
- drawer
- storage
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Active
Links
- 210000000078 claw Anatomy 0.000 claims description 45
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 claims description 12
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 claims description 12
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 claims description 9
- 239000004743 Polypropylene Substances 0.000 description 13
- 230000002787 reinforcement Effects 0.000 description 9
- 239000011347 resin Substances 0.000 description 8
- 229920005989 resin Polymers 0.000 description 8
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 7
- 230000000052 comparative effect Effects 0.000 description 6
- -1 polypropylene Polymers 0.000 description 6
- 229920001155 polypropylene Polymers 0.000 description 6
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000000295 complement effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 210000004124 hock Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 230000001629 suppression Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D21/00—Nestable, stackable or joinable containers; Containers of variable capacity
- B65D21/02—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together
- B65D21/06—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together with movable parts adapted to be placed in alternative positions for nesting the containers when empty and for stacking them when full
- B65D21/064—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together with movable parts adapted to be placed in alternative positions for nesting the containers when empty and for stacking them when full the movable parts being an attached or integral cover made of one or two pieces
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D25/00—Details of other kinds or types of rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D25/005—Side walls formed with an aperture or a movable portion arranged to allow removal or insertion of contents
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
- B65D85/18—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for wearing apparel, headwear or footwear
- B65D85/187—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for wearing apparel, headwear or footwear for footwear
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a storage box.
- a shoe packaging box (storage box) described in JP-A-2010-189005 includes a box body opening upward and a lid that closes an opening of the box body.
- the box body is made of a transparent resin sheet.
- the box body When in use, the box body can be folded into a box shape, and when not in use, the box body can be folded and stored. Accordingly, for example, an improvement of transportation efficiency when a box body is transported may be achieved.
- some of the storage boxes for example, have a box body formed into a box shape opening upward and forward in order to provide an openable and closable lid at a front end portion of the storage box.
- CN205060459 discloses a storage box with horizontally retractable slider at the bottom portion which have shaped outer ends on one side of the box to cooperate with complementary shaped outer ends of slider on the opposite side so as to hock adjacent boxes together in order to increase stability.
- DE29900982 discloses a stackable storage box with cooperating protrusions on both sides at the bottom and on a lid so as to interlock two vertically stacked boxes. However, the boxes cannot be nested within each other.
- FR1292340 discloses a stackable storage box with guides on the inside side walls allowing a guided movement of two boxes into a nested position.
- US3534866 discloses a stackable storage box with guides on the inside side walls allowing a guided movement of two boxes into a nested position and with cooperating protrusions which allow a stacked arrangement of boxes if these are horizontally offset to one another
- the box body In the box-shaped storage box, the box body is typically configured to be unfoldable in order to achieve rigidity of the box body. Therefore, for example, in order to improve transportation efficiency, it is preferable to configure the box body to be nestable so as to allow other box bodies to be stacked inside one box body. Furthermore, in this case, it is desirable to have a structure that achieves stability of the box bodies in a nested state.
- the invention provides a storage box including: a box body formed into a box shape opening upward and forward, the box body having an interior configured as a storage section; and an upper cover detachably attached to the box body, the upper cover being configured to close an opening on an upper side of the box body, wherein the box body is configured to be nestable with another box body in such a manner as to allow the box bodies to be stacked in a vertical direction, and a lower end portion of a side wall of the box body includes a fitting portion and a fitting target portion formed to be fitted to each other when the box bodies are nested.
- the invention provides a storage box in which the fitting portion is formed into a rib shape protruding widthwise inward of the box body from the side wall and extending in the vertical direction, and the fitting target portion includes an groove portion opening widthwise outward and downward of the box body.
- the box bodies are nested, an upper end portion of the fitting portion of the box body disposed below is inserted into an interior of the groove portion of the box body disposed above.
- the invention provides a storage box in which an upper end surface of the fitting portion and an upper end surface of the groove portion are inclined upward in front view as it goes widthwise inward of the box body.
- the invention provides a storage box further including a lid that is detachably attached to the box body for opening and closing an opening on a front side of the box body, wherein the upper cover is provided with a holding mechanism on a lower surface of the upper cover, and the holding mechanism holds the lid in a state of being detached from the box body.
- the invention provides a storage box in which the holding mechanism includes a holding claw engageable with an outer peripheral edge portion of the lid.
- the invention provides a storage box including a supporting portion at a front end portion of a bottom wall of the box body, the supporting portion being configured to rotatably support the lid, in which the supporting portion is formed in a recessed shape opening downward in side view, and extends over an entire width of the box body.
- the invention provides a storage box further including a drawer stored in the storage section so as to be slidable in the front-back direction, the drawer being formed into a box shape opening upward and forward or upward, in which the drawer is configured to be nestable with another drawer in such a manner as to allow the drawers to be stacked in the vertical direction.
- the invention provides a storage box in which the drawer is formed into a box-shape opening upward and forward, a front cover is detachably attached to the drawer, the front cover covers the opening on the front side of the drawer, and the front cover has a thickness dimension smaller than a height dimension of the fitting portion in the vertical direction.
- the invention provides a storage box in which the drawer is formed into a box-shape opening upward and forward, a front cover is detachably attached to the drawer, the front cover closes the opening on the front side of the drawer, and the bottom wall of the box body is provided with a cover storage section, and the cover storage section is configured to store the front cover in a state of being detached from the drawer.
- the invention provides a storage box further including a frame member configured to cover the box body and the upper cover, the frame member being detachably attached to front end portions of the boxy body and the upper cover, the frame member being provided with an insertion portion that allows insertion of the drawer when the drawer is slid, in which the frame member has a thickness dimension smaller than a height dimension of the fitting portion in the vertical direction.
- the invention provides a storage box further including a frame member configured to cover the box body and the upper cover, the frame member being detachably attached to front end portions of the boxy body and the upper cover, the frame member being provided with an insertion portion that allows insertion of the drawer when the drawer is slid, in which the bottom wall of the box body is provided with a frame member storage section, and the frame member storage section is configured to store the frame member in a state of being detached from the box body and the upper cover.
- reliable stability is provided when the box bodies are nested.
- FIG. 1A to Fig. 10B a storage box 10 as a "storage box” according to a first embodiment will be described.
- Arrows UP, arrows FR, and arrows RH indicated as needed in the drawings represent an upper side, a front side, and a right side (one side in a width direction) of the storage box 10, respectively.
- up, down, front, rear, left, and right indicate upward and downward directions, forward and rearward directions, and leftward and rightward directions of the storage box 10 unless otherwise specifically indicated.
- the storage box 10 is formed into a hollow and substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape.
- the storage box 10 is configured as a storage box for storing, for example, shoes and clothes.
- the storage box 10 includes a box body 20 as a "box body” that constitutes a main body of the storage box 10, an upper cover 50 that constitutes an upper end portion of the storage box 10, and a door 40 as a "lid” configured to be openable and closable at a front end portion of the storage box 10.
- the upper cover 50 and the door 40 are detachably (removably) attached to the box body 20.
- the storage box 10 is configured to be stackable so as to allow a plurality of the storage boxes 10 to be stacked in the vertical direction.
- the box bodies 20 are configured to be nestable so as to allow a plurality of the box bodies 20 to be stacked in the vertical direction by accommodating other box bodies 20 in one box body 20 (see Fig. 1B ).
- the upper cover 50 is configured to allow a plurality of the upper covers 50 to be stacked in the vertical direction.
- the box body 20 is made of a resin material (polypropylene (PP) in the present embodiment), and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening upward and forward.
- the box body 20 includes a substantially rectangular plate-shaped bottom wall 20A having a thickness direction in the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction in the front-back direction, a pair of left and right side walls 20B extending upward from both end portions of the bottom wall 20A in the width direction, and a rear wall 20C extending upward from a rear end portion of the bottom wall 20A.
- An interior of the box body 20 is a storage section 20D for storing contents (illustration is omitted) such as shoes as an object to be stored.
- the side walls 20B of the box body 20 are inclined widthwise inward of the box body 20 as it goes downward in front view. Accordingly, the box bodies 20 are configured to be nestable in a state in which the storage box 10 is disassembled.
- the rear wall 20C of the box body 20 is inclined forward as it goes downward in side view.
- the angle of inclination to the vertical direction of the side walls 20B is set larger than the angle of inclination to the vertical direction of the rear wall 20C.
- only the side walls 20B may be inclined, and the rear wall 20C may be vertical without being inclined.
- Each of the lower end portions of the side walls 20B of the box body 20 is provided with a fitting rib 22 as a "fitting portion” and a fitting target portion 24 used when a plurality of the box bodies 20 are nested.
- the fitting rib 22 and the fitting target portion 24 form a pair, and the fitting rib 22 and the fitting target portion 24 forming the pair are formed at four places in the box body 20.
- the pairs of fitting rib 22 and fitting target portion 24 are formed respectively on front end portions (two places) and rear end portions (two places) at the lower end portions of the left and right side walls 20B.
- the fitting rib 22 protrudes widthwise inward of the box body 20 from the lower end portion of the side wall 20B and extends upward from the bottom wall 20A.
- An upper end surface of the fitting rib 22 is inclined upward as it goes widthwise inward of the box body 20 in front view.
- the fitting target portion 24 is disposed close to a rear side of the fitting rib 22.
- the fitting target portions 24 protrude widthwise inward of the box body 20 from the side walls 20B to and upward from the bottom wall 20A.
- the fitting target portions 24 are each provided with a groove portion 24A, and the groove portion 24A is open widthwise outward and downward of the box body 20. That is, the groove portions 24A are exposed to the exterior at lower corners of the box body 20 (storage box 10).
- the groove portion 24A is disposed rearward of the fitting rib 22 by a distance L1 (see Fig. 10A ).
- an upper end surface of the groove portion 24A is inclined upward as it goes widthwise inward of the box body 20, corresponding to the upper end surface of the fitting rib 22. Accordingly, an upper end surface of the fitting target portion 24 is also inclined upward and widthwise inward of the box body 20 corresponding to the upper end surface of the groove portion 24A. Therefore, when the fitting rib 22 is in contact with and is fitted to the groove portion 24A, the nested state is maintained even when a load from above (the longitudinal direction) is applied, and the buckling of the fitting rib 22 is prevented.
- the groove width of the groove portion 24A is set to be slightly larger than the thickness dimension (the dimension in the front-back direction) of the fitting rib 22, and the groove depth dimension of the groove portion 24A in the vertical direction is set to be smaller than the height dimension of the fitting rib 22 in the vertical direction.
- the thickness dimension of the fitting rib 22 is set to be smaller as it goes upward. In other words, side surfaces of the fitting rib 22 are slightly inclined so as to approach each other as it goes upward.
- the upper end portion of the fitting rib 22 in the lower (one) box body 20 is inserted into the groove portion 24A of the upper (the other) box body 20. Accordingly, when the box bodies 20 are nested, the upper box body 20 is supported from the lower side by the fitting rib 22 of the lower box body 20 and is placed apart upward from the lower box body 20. Further, in this state, the upper box body 20 is placed at a position shifted forward by the distance L1 between the groove portion 24A and the fitting rib 22 with respect to the lower box body 20 (see Fig. 1B and Fig. 10B ). Furthermore, in this state, the fitting rib 22 comes into contact with an inner peripheral surface of the groove portion 24A, whereby the relative displacement of the upper box body 20 with respect to the lower box body 20 in the front-back direction is suppressed.
- the box body 20 includes a flange 26 for fixing the upper cover 50 described later on an upper end portion thereof.
- the flange 26 is projected to the outside of the box body 20 and is extended over the entire circumference of the box body 20 in plan view. In other words, the flange 26 extends in the front-back direction on the left and right side walls 20B and extend in the left-right direction on the rear wall 20C.
- flange portions 28 are formed in the front end of the left and right side walls 20B and extend widthwise outward of the box body 20.
- the flange portions 28 are formed in a step-like shape. This forms a front side shouldered portion 28A on the flange portion 28.
- the dimension (thickness dimension) L2 (see Fig. 10A ) in the front-back direction of the flange portion 28 (including the front side shouldered portion 28A) is set to be the same as the distance L1 between the groove portion 24A and the fitting rib 22.
- the flange portions 28 function as guide portions during the operation for nesting the box bodies 20.
- the front surface portions of the flange portions 28 are provided so that the front appearance of the box body when viewed from the front becomes rectangular even when the side walls 20B are inclined.
- the maximum dimension of the thickness of the fitting rib 22 described above may be 1/5 to 3/5 of the distance L1 between the groove portion 24A and the fitting rib 22.
- a supporting portion 30 for rotatably supporting a door 40 is formed at the front end portion of the bottom wall 20A of the box body 20.
- the supporting portion 30 is formed in a substantially inverted U shape (recessed shape) opening downward in side view and extends over the entire width of the box body 20.
- the supporting portion 30 includes a support rear wall portion 30A extending upward from the bottom wall 20A of the box body 20, a support top wall portion 30B extending forward from the upper end portion of the support rear wall portion 30A, and a support front wall portion 30C extending downward from the front end portion of the support top wall portion 30B.
- the support front wall portion 30C is connected to the flange portions 28 so that a front surface of the support front wall portion 30C and front surfaces of the flange portions 28 described above are flush with each other. Furthermore, a lower end of the support front wall portion 30C is disposed above lower surface of the bottom wall 20A of the box body 20. Also, the front surfaces of the support front wall portion 30C and the flange portions 28 are arranged along a plane orthogonal to the front-back direction. Note that the height of the supporting portion 30 is set lower than the height of the fitting rib 22.
- the supporting portion 30 is formed with a pair of left and right supporting recesses 30D, and the supporting recesses 30D are disposed at positions symmetrical with respect to the widthwise center of the box body 20.
- the supporting recesses 30D are formed into a recessed shape opening upward and forward.
- a support hole 30D1 is formed to penetrate through a side wall of the supporting recess 30D on the widthwise center side of the box body 20.
- the support hole 30D1 extends in the vertical direction, and an upper edge of the support hole 30D1 is curved into a semicircular shape opening downward. Also, a lower end portion of the support hole 30D1 extends to an end of a bottom wall of the supporting recess 30D.
- a rear shouldered portion 32 is formed at the rear end portion of the bottom wall 20A of the box body 20.
- the rear shouldered portion 32 is raised one step upward.
- a bottom drawn part 20A1 which is raised one step upward is formed on the bottom wall 20A of the box body 20.
- the bottom drawn part 20A1 is formed into a rectangular shape substantially similar to the bottom wall 20A in plan view. Accordingly, the bottom drawn part 20A1 is configured to provide the bottom wall 20A with sufficient rigidity.
- a side drawn part 20B1 protruding widthwise inward of the box body 20 is formed at the lower end portion of each side wall 20B of the box body 20 in an intermediate portion in the front-back direction (specifically, at a position between the front side fitting rib 22 and the fitting target portion 24 and the rear side fitting rib 22 and the fitting target portion 24).
- the side drawn part 20B1 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape in side view. Accordingly, the side drawn part 20B1 provides sufficient rigidity for the side wall 20B.
- the door 40 is made of a resin material (polypropylene (PP) in the present embodiment).
- the door 40 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape having a thickness direction in a front-back direction and a longitudinal direction in a left-right direction, and is disposed above the supporting portion 30 of the box body 20 and between the left and right front side shouldered portions 28A.
- a pair of left and right hinge portions 42 are integrally formed on a lower end portion of the door 40, and the hinge portions 42 protrude downward from the door 40 and are disposed at positions corresponding to the supporting recesses 30D of the box body 20.
- the hinge portion 42 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape having a longitudinal direction in the left-right direction in front view, and is formed in a recessed shape opening rearward. In other words, the hinge portion 42 includes a pair of left and right hinge side walls 42A.
- the hinge portion 42 is provided with a hinge axis 42B integrally formed on the hinge side wall 42A on a widthwise center side of the door 40.
- the hinge axis 42B is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and protrudes from the hinge side wall 42A toward the widthwise center of the door 40.
- An inclined surface 42B1 is formed at the lower end portion of a distal end portion of the hinge axis 42B, and the inclined surface 42B1 is inclined downward as it goes toward the proximal end of the hinge axis 42B.
- the hinge axis 42B is inserted into the support hole 30D1 of the box body 20, and is rotatably supported by the support hole 30D1 (see Figs. 2A and 2B ). This makes the door 40 rotatably mounted on the box body 20, and the opening on the front side of the box body 20 openable by the door 40.
- a handle 44 is formed integrally with the upper end portion of the door 40 at the widthwise center portion thereof.
- the handle 44 is formed in a plate shape having a thickness direction in the vertical direction, and protrudes forward from the door 40.
- a front end portion of the handle 44 is curved in a substantially arc shape that is convex toward the front in plan view.
- a door hook 46 protruding upward is integrally formed with the handle 44 at the widthwise center thereof, and the door hook 46 extends in the left-right direction.
- a rear surface of the door hook 46 is inclined downward as it goes toward the rear.
- a pair of left and right notches 40A are formed in an upper end portion of the door 40 at positions widthwise outside of the handle 44, and the notches 40A are formed in a groove shape opening upward in front view. Further, a portion between the pair of left and right notches 40A in the upper end portion of the door 40 is a deformable portion 48, and the deformable portion 48 is configured to be elastically deformable in the front-back direction (thickness direction of the door 40). Then, the user holds the handle 44 and presses the handle 44 downward, so that the deformable portion 48 is elastically deformed in the front-back direction.
- the upper cover 50 is made of a resin material (polypropylene (PP) in the present embodiment) .
- the upper cover 50 is formed into a relatively shallow rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening downward.
- the upper cover 50 includes a cover body 52 having a thickness direction in the vertical direction and a longitudinal direction in the front-back direction and a surrounding wall 54 extending downward from an outer peripheral edge portion of the cover body 52.
- the surrounding wall 54 is configured to extend around an entire circumferential direction of the cover body 52.
- Engaging hook portions 54A are formed on left and right side walls of the surrounding wall 54 at front end and rear end portions, respectively.
- the engaging hook portion 54A protrudes widthwise inward of the upper cover 50 from a distal end portion (lower end portion) of the surrounding wall 54 and extends in the front-back direction.
- the surrounding wall 54 is formed with an engaging hook portion 54B at a widthwise center portion of the back wall thereof. The engaging hook portion 54B protrudes forward from the distal end portion (lower end portion) of the surrounding wall 54 and extends in the left-right direction.
- the surrounding wall 54 is placed outside the upper end portion of the box body 20, and the engaging hook portions 54A and 54B are placed adjacently under the flange 26 of the box body 20 and engage the flange 26 in the vertical direction. This makes the upper cover 50 assembled to the box body 20 in a state in which an upward movement of the upper cover 50 is limited, and makes the upper cover 50 close the upper opening of the upper cover 50.
- the length of the surrounding wall 54 protruding from the cover body 52 is set so as to allow the lower end portion of the surrounding wall 54 to engage the door hook 46 of the door 40. This makes the lower end portion of the front wall of the surrounding wall 54 engage the door hook 46 of the door 40, and thus maintains a state of the door 40 remain closing the front opening of the box body 20.
- the cover body 52 is provided with a mounting recess 52A that is one step lower on the lower side over a portion excluding an outer periphery.
- the mounting recess 52A is formed in a substantially rectangular shape corresponding to the bottom wall 20A (specifically, the bottom wall 20A excluding the supporting portion 30 and the rear shouldered portion 32) of the box body 20 in plan view. Then, when the storage boxes 10 are stacked with each other, the bottom wall 20A of the box body 20 of the upper storage box 10 is placed on the mounting recess 52A of the cover body 52 of the lower storage box 10 and fitted into the mounting recess 52A (see Fig. 9 ).
- the cover body 52 includes a fitting mechanism 60 to be fitted with the upper end portion of the box body 20 and a holding mechanism 80 for housing and holding the door 40 in a disassembled state inside the cover body 52.
- a fitting mechanism 60 to be fitted with the upper end portion of the box body 20
- a holding mechanism 80 for housing and holding the door 40 in a disassembled state inside the cover body 52.
- the fitting mechanism 60 includes pairs of left and right first protrusions 62, second protrusions 64, third protrusions 66, fourth protrusions 68, and fifth protrusions 70.
- the first protrusions 62 to the fifth protrusions 70 are provided on the outer periphery of a lower surface of the cover body 52.
- the pair of left and right first protrusions 62 are provided on a rear end portion on the lower surface of the upper cover 50 and disposed outside the engaging hook portion 54B with respect to the width direction of the upper cover 50, and protrude downward from the cover body 52.
- the first protrusion 62 is formed in a substantially U-shape opening rearward, as viewed from the lower side, and connected to the rear wall of the surrounding wall 54.
- the first protrusion 62 includes a pair of left and right fitting wall portions 62A having a thickness direction in the left-right direction and extending forward from the surrounding wall 54, and a connecting wall portion 62B having a thickness direction in the front-back direction and extending in the left-right direction. Front end portions of the pair of left and right fitting wall portions 62A are connected by the connecting wall portion 62B.
- the pair of fitting wall portions 62A are each provided with a fitting groove 62C opening downward. Then, in the assembled state of the upper cover 50 to the box body 20, the upper end portion of the rear wall 20C of the box body 20 is fitted into the fitting grooves 62C from the lower side. Further, in this assembled state, the upper end of the rear wall 20C of the box body 20 is in contact with bottom surfaces of the pair of fitting grooves 62C. Accordingly, a downward movement of the rear end portion of the upper cover 50 is limited in the assembled state of the upper cover 50 to the box body 20.
- a front portion with respect to the fitting groove 62C protrudes downward further than the lower end of the surrounding wall 54, and the rear portion with respect to the fitting groove 62C is disposed above a lower end of the surrounding wall 54C. Then, when the upper covers 50 are stacked, the lower ends of the first protrusions 62 abut on the outer periphery of the rear end of the lower cover body 52.
- the pair of left and right second protrusions 64 are provided at the rear corner portions of the lower surface of the upper cover 50 and protrude downward from the cover body 52.
- the second protrusions 64 are each formed in a substantially L shape, as viewed from the lower side, and connected to the surrounding wall 54.
- the second protrusion 64 includes a fitting wall portion 64A having a thickness direction in the left-right direction and extending forward from the rear wall of the surrounding wall 54 and fitting wall portion 64B having a thickness direction in the front-back direction and extending widthwise inward of the upper cover 50 from the side wall of the surrounding wall 54.
- the fitting wall portion 64A is provided with a fitting groove 64C opening downward, and the fitting wall portion 64B is provided with a fitting groove 64D opening downward. Then, in the assembled state of the upper cover 50 to the box body 20, the upper end portion of the rear wall 20C of the box body 20 is fitted into the fitting grooves 64C from the lower side, and the upper end portions of the side walls 20B of the box body 20 are fitted into the fitting grooves 64D from the lower side. Furthermore, in this assembled state, the upper end of the box body 20 is in contact with bottom surfaces of the fitting grooves 64C and the fitting grooves 64D. Accordingly, a downward movement of the upper cover 50 at the rear corner portions is limited in the assembled state of the upper cover 50 to the box body 20.
- the second protrusion 64 a portion on the front side of the fitting groove 64C and on the right side of the fitting groove 64C protrudes downward further than the lower end of the surrounding wall 54, and the position of a lower end of the second protrusion 64 in the vertical direction is aligned with the position of a lower end of the first protrusion 62. Accordingly, when the upper covers 50 are stacked, the lower ends of the second protrusion 64 come into contact with the rear both corner portions of the lower cover body 52.
- the pair of left and right third protrusions 66 are provided at front corner portions of the lower surface of the upper cover 50 and protrude downward from the cover body 52.
- the third protrusion 66 is formed in a substantially U-shape opening widthwise outward of the upper cover 50 as viewed from below, and is connected to the side wall of the surrounding wall 54.
- the third protrusion 66 includes a pair of front and rear fitting wall portions 66A having a thickness direction in the front-back direction and extending widthwise inward of the upper cover 50 from the side wall of the surrounding wall 54, and a connecting wall portion 66B having a thickness direction in the left-right direction and extending in the front-back direction. Inner end portions of the pair of fitting wall portions 66A in the width direction of the upper cover 50 are connected by the connecting wall portion 66B.
- the pair of fitting wall portions 66A are each provided with a fitting groove 66C opening downward.
- the upper end portions of the side walls 20B of the box body 20 are fitted into the fitting grooves 66C from the lower side. Furthermore, in this assembled state, the upper end of the box body 20 is in contact with the bottom surfaces of the fitting grooves 66C. Accordingly, a downward movement of the upper cover 50 at front corner portions is limited in the assembled state of the upper cover 50 to the box body 20.
- the pair of left and right fourth protrusions 68 are provided at both end portions of the lower surface of the upper cover 50 in the width direction, and protrude downward from the intermediate portion of the upper cover 50 in the front-back direction.
- the fourth protrusion 68 is formed in a substantially U-shape opening widthwise outward of the upper cover 50 as viewed from the lower side, and is connected to the side wall of the surrounding wall 54.
- the fourth protrusion 68 includes a pair of front and rear fitting wall portions 68A having a thickness direction in the front-back direction and extending widthwise inward of the upper cover 50 from the side wall of the surrounding wall 54, and a connecting wall portion 68B having a thickness direction in the left-right direction.
- the inner end portions of the pair of fitting wall portions 68A in the width direction of the upper cover 50 are connected by the connecting wall portion 68B.
- the pair of fitting wall portions 68A are each provided with a fitting groove 68C opening downward.
- the upper end portions of the side walls 20B of the box body 20 are fitted into the fitting grooves 68C from the lower side.
- the upper end of the box body 20 is in contact with a bottom surfaces of the fitting grooves 68C. Accordingly, a downward movement of the intermediate portion in the front-back direction at the both end portions of the upper cover 50 in the width direction is limited in the assembled state of the upper cover 50 to the box body 20.
- an inner portion of the fourth protrusion 68 with respect to the fitting groove 68C of the fitting wall portion 68A in the width direction of the upper cover 50 protrudes downward further than the lower end of the surrounding wall 54, and an outer portion of the fitting wall portion 68A with respect to the fitting groove 68C in the width direction of the upper cover 50 is disposed above the lower end of the surrounding wall 54.
- the position of a lower end of the fitting wall portion 68A in the vertical direction is aligned with the position of the lower end of the first protrusion 62. This brings the lower ends of the fitting wall portions 68A into contact with the outer periphery widthwise outside of the lower cover body 52 when the upper covers 50 are stacked.
- a lower end portion of the connecting wall portion 68B protrudes downward further than the lower ends of the pair of fitting wall portions 68A.
- the lower end portions of the connecting wall portions 68B are placed widthwise inside of the upper cover 50 and adjacently to left and right edge portions of the mounting recess 52A of the cover body 52 disposed below. Accordingly, when a plurality of the upper covers 50 are stacked, the movement in the left-right direction of the upper cover 50 located above with respect to the upper cover 50 disposed below is limited by the connecting wall portion 68B.
- a pair of left and right fifth protrusions 70 are provided at both end portions of the lower surface of the upper cover 50 in the width direction and protrude downward from the cover body 52 between the third protrusion 66 and the fourth protrusion 68.
- the fifth protrusions 70 is configured in the same manner as the fourth protrusion 68.
- the fifth protrusions 70 each include a pair of front and rear fitting wall portions 70A having a thickness direction in the front-back direction and extending widthwise inward of the upper cover 50 from the side wall of the surrounding wall 54, and a connecting wall portion 70B having a thickness direction in the left-right direction and extending in the front-back direction. Inner ends of the pair of fitting wall portions 70A in the width direction of the upper cover 50 are connected by the connecting wall portion 70B.
- the pair of fitting wall portions 70A are each provided with a fitting groove 70C opening downward.
- the upper end portions of the side walls 20B of the box body 20 are fitted into the fitting grooves 70C from the lower side. Furthermore, in this assembled state, the upper end of the box body 20 is in contact with the bottom surfaces of the fitting grooves 70C. Accordingly, a downward movement of the front portion of the both end portions of the upper cover 50 in the width direction is limited in the assembled state of the upper cover 50 to the box body 20.
- the position of a lower end of the fitting wall portion 70A in the vertical direction is aligned with the position of the lower end of the first protrusion 62. Accordingly, the lower ends of the fitting wall portions 70A are brought into contact with the outer periphery widthwise outside of the cover body 52 on the lower side when a plurality of the upper covers 50 are stacked.
- a lower end portion of the connecting wall portion 70B protrudes downward further than the lower ends of the pair of fitting wall portions 70A.
- the lower end portions of the connecting wall portions 70B are placed widthwise inside of and adjacently to the upper cover 50 with respect to left and right edge portions of the mounting recess 52A of the lower cover body 52. Accordingly, when a plurality of the upper covers 50 are stacked, the movement in the left-right direction of the upper cover 50 located above with respect to the upper cover 50 disposed below is limited by the connecting wall portion 70B.
- a holding mechanism 80 includes rear holding claws 82 as a pair of left and right “holding claws” and front holding claws 84 as a pair of left and right “holding claws”.
- the rear holding claws 82 and the front holding claws 84 are provided on the lower surface of the cover body 52.
- the pair of left and right rear holding claws 82 are provided at the rear end portion of the upper cover 50 and are disposed in the proximity to the first protrusions 62 at positions widthwise outside of the upper cover 50.
- the rear holding claws 82 each include a holding strip 82A having a thickness direction in the front-back direction and extending downward from the cover body 52, and a holding hook 82B protruding forward from a lower end portion of the holding strip 82A.
- the rear holding claws 82 each are configured to be elastically deformable in the front-back direction.
- the pair of left and right front holding claws 84 are provided at the both end portions of the upper cover 50 in the width direction, are disposed at positions apart from the rear holding claws 82 forward by a predetermined distance, and are disposed outside of the rear holding claws 82 in the width direction of the upper cover 50.
- the front holding claws 84 each include a holding strip 84A having a thickness direction in the front-back direction and extending downward from the cover body 52, and a holding hook 84B protruding rearward from a lower end portion of the holding strip 84A.
- the front holding claws 84 are configured to be elastically deformable in the front-back direction.
- the dimension in the front-back direction between the holding strip 82A of the rear holding claws 82 and the holding strip 84A of the front holding claws 84 is set to be slightly larger than the dimension of the door 40 in the vertical direction.
- a space between the rear holding claws 82 and the front holding claws 84 in the interior of the upper cover 50 is a door housing 86 for storing the door 40. In the disassembled state of the storage box 10, the door 40 can be stored in the door housing 86.
- the lower end portion of the door 40 engages the holding hook 82B of the rear holding claws 82 and the upper end portion of the door 40 engages the holding hook 84B of the front holding claws 84, so that the door 40 is held in the door housing 86 (see Fig. 8 ).
- the hinge portion 42 of the door 40 is arranged between the rear holding claws 82 and the second protrusion 64.
- the distal end portion of the handle 44 of the door 40 is placed in the mounting recess 52A of the upper cover 50 on the lower side, so that interference between the handle 44 of the door 40 and the upper cover 50 is avoided.
- the door 40 is rotatably provided at the front end portion of the storage box 10. Therefore, when contents such as shoes are stored in the storage box 10, the user grips the handle 44 of the door 40 and releases an engaged state between the door hook 46 of the door 40 and the surrounding wall 54 of the upper cover 50, so that the opening at the front end portion of the storage box 10 will be opened. Accordingly, the contents such as shoes are stored in the storage box 10 through the opening.
- one box body 20 is placed on top of the other box body 20. Then, the lower end portion of the one box body 20 is inserted into the interior of the upper end portion of the other box bod 20 from above as illustrated in Fig. 10A . In this case, the one box body 20 is inserted into the other box body 20 with the groove portion 24A of the fitting target portion 24 of the one box body 20 aligned with the fitting rib 22 of the other box body 20.
- a rear surface of the flange portion 28 (specifically, the front side shouldered portion 28A) of the one box body 20 is placed at a position adjacent to the front side of the flange portion 28 of the other box body 20. Accordingly, the flange portion 28 (specifically, the front side shouldered portion 28A) which constitutes the front end portion of the box body 20 functions as a positioning portion for determining the relative position between the upper and lower box bodies 20 during the nesting operation.
- the one box body 20 is moved downward. Specifically, the one box body 20 is moved downward with a rear surface of the flange portion 28 (the front side shouldered portion 28A) of the one box body 20 moved along a front surface of the flange portion 28 of the other box body 20. Accordingly, the flange portion 28 (the front side shouldered portion 28A) which constitutes the front end portion of the box body 20 functions as a guide portion during the nesting operation.
- the upper box body 20 is placed at a position shifted forward by the front-back distance L1 between the groove portion 24A and the fitting rib 22 with respect to the lower box body 20.
- L1 front-back distance between the groove portion 24A and the fitting rib 22 with respect to the lower box body 20.
- the door 40 When attaching the door 40 to the upper cover 50 in a state in which the storage box 10 is disassembled, the door 40 is placed in the door housing 86 of the door 40. Specifically, the door 40 is placed substantially parallel to the upper cover 50 so that the rear surface of the door 40 faces the lower surface of the upper cover 50. Also, in this state, the door 40 is disposed such that the hinge portion 42 of the door 40 is positioned between the rear holding claw 82 of the upper cover 50 and the second protrusion 64. In this state, when the door 40 is moved closer to the upper cover 50, the lower end portion of the door 40 comes into contact with the holding hooks 82B of the rear holding claws 82, and the rear holding claws 82 elastically deform rearward. At this time, the upper end portion of the door 40 comes into contact with the holding hooks 84B of the front holding claws 84, and the front holding claws 84 elastically deform forward.
- the fitting ribs 22 and the fitting target portions 24 used when nesting the box body 20 are provided on the lower end portion of the side walls 20B of the box body 20.
- the box body 20 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening upward and forward.
- the upper end portion of the box body 20 corresponds to an open end, and thus the bending rigidity of the side walls 20B of the box body 20 is relatively low.
- the box body 20 formed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening upward and forward has a structure in which the amount of displacement of the upper end portions of the side walls 20B due to the deflection deformation of the side walls 20B is increased.
- the state of the nested box bodies 20 may become unstable.
- the box bodies 20 in this comparative example for example, when the side walls 20B of the box body 20 are subjected to deflection deformation by an external force, the upper end portions of the side walls 20B are significantly displaced. Consequently, in the nested state, the fitting state between the fitting portion and the fitting target portion of the box bodies 20 may be released. Accordingly, for example, when a plurality of the box bodies 20 are transported or stored in a nested state, there is a possibility that the nested state of the box bodies 20 may be broken.
- the box body 20 of the comparative example when the box bodies 20 are nested in three or more stages, it is required to fit the upper end portions of the side walls 20B of the box bodies 20 in the third and upper stages to the upper end portions of the side walls 20B of the box bodies 20 in the already nested state. Then, at the time of this fitting operation, an external force acts on the upper end portions of the side walls 20B of the box bodies 20 in the already nested state from the box bodies 20 to be newly nested. For this reason, there is a possibility that the fitting state of the box bodies 20 in the already nested state is released. In this case, it is necessary to fit the new box body 20 to the lower box bodies 20 with an operation of restoring the box bodies 20 in the non-fitting state back to the fitting state. Therefore, the operation of nesting the box bodies 20 may become complicated.
- the fitting ribs 22 and the fitting target portions 24, which are to be used when nesting the box bodies 20, are provided at the lower end portions of the side walls 20B of the box body 20.
- the lower end portions of the side walls 20B are connected to the bottom wall 20A of the box body 20.
- the fitting ribs 22 and the fitting target portions 24 are provided on the side walls 20B at areas subjected to a relatively small amount of displacement. Therefore, the amount of displacement of the fitting ribs 22 and the fitting target portions 24 when the side walls 20B are deformed by deflection can be significantly reduced with respect to the comparative example described above. Therefore, even with the box body 20 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening upward and forward, the stability of the box bodies 20 in the nested state is achieved.
- upper end portions of the side walls 20B of the box bodies 20 are not fitted together as in the comparative example. Therefore, even when the box bodies 20 are nested in three or more stages, it is possible to suppress an external force by the new box body 20 acting on the upper end portions of the side walls 20B of the box bodies 20 in the already nested state. Therefore, when a new box body 20 is nested in the box bodies 20 in the already nested state, unintended release of the fitting state of the box bodies 20 in the already nested state may be suppressed. Accordingly, unlike the comparative example described above, it is possible to suppress the need for performing the operation of restoring the box bodies 20 that are in the non-fitting state back to the fitting state again. As a result, suppression of the complexity of the operation of nesting the box bodies 20 in three or more stages as well as improvement of the operability for the user are both achieved.
- the box bodies 20 can be nested together by fitting the upper end portions of the fitting ribs 22 of one box body 20 into the groove portion 24A of the other box body 20.
- a plurality of the box bodies 20 can be nested by groove fitting. Therefore, a plurality of the box bodies 20 can be nested with a simple configuration.
- the fitting ribs 22 protrude widthwise inward of the box body 20 at the lower end portions of the side walls 20B and extend upward from the bottom wall 20A. Therefore, the fitting ribs 22 also act as reinforcement ribs for the side walls 20B. Therefore, reinforcement of the side walls 20B is achieved by utilizing the fitting ribs 22 used for nesting.
- the fitting ribs 22 protrude widthwise inward of the box body 20. Therefore, the fitting ribs 22 can be made invisible from the outside of the storage box 10. Also, the groove portions 24A of the fitting target portions 24 to which the fitting ribs 22 are fitted are exposed to the outside at a lower corner of the box body 20 (storage box 10). Therefore, in the storage box 10, the groove portions 24A exposed to the outside can be disposed at a relatively inconspicuous positions. Furthermore, the depth of the vertical direction in the groove portion 24A is set smaller than the dimension of the vertical direction of the fitting rib 22. Therefore, the area for providing the groove portion 24A exposed to outside the storage box 10 can be made relatively small. As described above, the fitting ribs 22 and the fitting target portions 24 (the groove portions 24A) can be provided on the box body 20 with the design of the storage box 10 maintained.
- the upper end surfaces of the fitting ribs 22 and the upper end surfaces of the groove portions 24A in the fitting target portions 24 are inclined upward in front view as it goes widthwise inward of the box body 20. Therefore, when the fitting ribs 22 are fitted in the groove portions 24A, the upper end surfaces of the fitting ribs 22 and the upper end surfaces of the groove portions 24A are brought into contact with each other. Accordingly, when nesting a plurality of the box bodies 20, the fitting ribs 22 and the groove portions 24A engage in the left-right direction. Therefore, when the fitting rib 22 is in contact with and is fitted to the groove portion 24A, the nested state is maintained even when a load from above (the longitudinal direction) is applied, and the buckling of the fitting rib 22 is prevented.
- the stability of the box bodies 20 in the nested state is achieved further reliably.
- the fitting state of the fitting ribs 22 and the groove portions 24A can be maintained desirably. Therefore, the stability of the box bodies 20 in the nested state is achieved further reliably.
- the upper cover 50 includes the door housing 86 for storing the door 40 disassembled from the box body 20 and the holding mechanism 80 for holding the door 40. For this reason, in the state in which the storage box 10 is disassembled, the door 40 can be held in the state assembled to the upper cover 50. Accordingly, for example, packaging performance for transporting the storage boxes 10 in a disassembled state is improved. Further, for example, for storing the storage box 10 in a disassembled state when the storage box 10 is not used, storage is achieved with the door 40 assembled to the upper cover 50 and stored. Accordingly, the storage performance of the upper cover 50 and the door 40 is improved, and the loss of the door 40 is prevented.
- the holding mechanism 80 is configured to include the rear holding claws 82 and the front holding claws 84. Then, the rear holding claws 82 engage the lower end portion of the door 40, and the front holding claws 84 engage the upper end portion of the door 40, whereby the door 40 is held by the upper cover 50. Therefore, the door 40 can be held by the upper cover 50 with a simple configuration.
- the distal end portion of the handle 44 of the door 40 is disposed within the mounting recess 52A of the lower upper cover 50. Therefore, interference between the door 40 and the upper cover 50 is avoided. Therefore, even with a configuration in which the door 40 is held by the upper cover 50, the door 40 can be held by the upper cover 50 with the stacking performance of the upper cover 50 maintained.
- the supporting portion 30 for rotatably supporting the door 40 is provided at the front end portion of the bottom wall 20A.
- the supporting portion 30 is formed in a substantially U shape opening downward in side view, and extends over the entire width of the box body 20. This makes it possible to reinforce the front end portion of the box body 20 by utilizing the supporting portion 30 for supporting the door 40 in a rotatable manner.
- the bending rigidity of the front end portion of the box body 20 can be increased by utilizing the supporting portion 30, and the rigidity of the whole box body 20 can be increased accordingly.
- the posture of each box body 20 in the nested state can be stabilized, and the stability of the box bodies 20 in the nested state can be further enhanced.
- a storage box 100 as a "storage box” according to a second embodiment will be described.
- the storage box 100 is configured in the same manner as the storage box 10 of the first embodiment except for the following points. Note that like members of the storage box 100 those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals in Fig. 11A to Fig. 13 .
- a drawer 110 is stored in an interior of a storage section 20D of the box body 20 in a manner slidably in the front-back direction. Specifically, the entire drawer 110 is stored in the interior of the storage section 20D (at a position indicated in Fig. 11B , and the position of the drawer 110 will be referred to as a "storage position", hereinafter), the drawer 110 is configured to slide forward (be drawn) from the storage position.
- the drawer 110 is made of a resin material (polypropylene (PP) in the present embodiment), and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening upward and forward.
- the drawer 110 includes a substantially rectangular plate-shaped bottom wall 110A having a thickness direction in the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction in the front-back direction, a pair of left and right side walls 110B extending upward from both end portions of the bottom wall 110A in the width direction, and a rear wall 110C extending upward from a rear end portion of the bottom wall 110A.
- An interior of the drawer 110 is configured to be a storage space 110D for storing contents such as shoes or clothes as an object to be stored.
- the width dimension of the drawer 110 is set to be smaller than the width dimension of the box body 20.
- the vertical dimension (height dimension) of the drawer 110 is set to be smaller than the vertical dimension (height dimension) of the box body 20.
- the side walls 110B of the drawer 110 are inclined widthwise inward of the drawer 110 as it goes downward in front view.
- the rear wall 110C is inclined forward as it goes downward in side view.
- An angle of inclination of the side walls 110B with respect to the vertical direction is set to be substantially the same as an angle of inclination of the rear wall 110C.
- the drawer 110 is configured to be nestable so as to allow one drawer 110 to be stacked in another drawer 110 in the vertical direction (see Fig. 13 ). Specifically, when the drawers 110 are nested in the vertical direction, the drawers 110 are nested in the vertical direction with the side walls 110B and the rear wall 110C of the upper drawer 110 in contact with the side walls 110B and the rear wall 110C of the lower drawer 110.
- a front cover 120 is detachably (removably) attached to a front end portion of the drawer 110. Accordingly, an opening on the front side of the drawer 110 is closed with the front cover 120.
- the front cover 120 is made of a resin material (polypropylene (PP) in the present embodiment), and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening rearward and relatively shallow.
- a thickness dimension T1 (which is a dimension in the front-back direction, see Fig. 12 ) of the front cover 120 is set to be smaller than a height dimension H1 (see Fig. 5 ) of the fitting rib 22 of the box body 20 in the vertical direction.
- the thickness dimension T1 of the front cover 120 is set to be smaller than the dimension obtained by subtracting a height dimension H2 from the height dimension H1 of the fitting rib 22, where H2 is a height dimension (see Fig. 5 ) from the lower surface of the box body 20 to the upper end of the groove portion 24A.
- the supporting portion 30 of the box body 20 is omitted.
- the fitting ribs 22 and the fitting target portions 24 in pairs which are to be used when nesting the box bodies 20, are provided at front end portions (two places) and rear end portions (two places) of the lower end portions of the left and right side walls 20B of the box body 20. Therefore, in the second embodiment as well, the stability of the box bodies 20 in the nested state is achieved as in the first embodiment.
- the drawer 110 is slidably stored in the interior of the storage section 20D of the storage box 100. Therefore, predetermined contents such as clothes and shoes can be stored in the storage space 110D of the drawer 110 by pulling the drawer 110 out forward from the storage position. Therefore, improved convenience as the drawer for users is achieved.
- the drawers 110 are configured to be nestable in the vertical direction. Therefore, as illustrated in Fig. 13 , in a state in which the storage box 100 is disassembled, the nested drawers 110 may be stored in the interior of the uppermost one of the nested box bodies 20. Accordingly, for example, in the storage box 100 having the drawer 110, improved transportation efficiency of the storage box 100 and improved storage performance of the storage box 100 are achieved.
- the thickness dimension T1 of the front cover 120 is set to be smaller than the height dimension of the fitting rib 22 of the box body 20 in the vertical direction. Specifically, the thickness dimension T1 is set to be smaller than the dimension obtained by subtracting the height dimension H2 from the height dimension H1 of the fitting rib 22. Therefore, the thickness dimension T1 of the front cover 120 is set to be smaller than the distance between the bottom walls 20A of the box bodies 20 facing each other in the vertical direction when a plurality of the box bodies 20 are nested. Accordingly, as illustrated in Fig. 13 , a plurality of the box bodies 20 can be nested in the vertical direction with the front cover 120 placed on the bottom wall 20A of each box body 20. Therefore, for example, the storage box 100 provides further improved transport efficiency and further improved storage performance.
- the drawers 110 are configured to be nestable in the vertical direction.
- the drawer 110 may be provided with the fitting ribs 22 and the fitting target portions 24 in pairs like those on the box body 20 on lower end portions of the side walls 110B of the drawer 110 in the second embodiment. Accordingly, the stability of the drawers 110 in the nested state is increased, and the drawers 110 may be prevented from being collapsed by an application of a load from above (vertical direction), so that the nested state may be maintained.
- the drawing height of the bottom drawn part 20A1 of the bottom wall 20A of the box body 20 is larger than those of the first and second embodiments, and the front end of the bottom drawn part 20A1 extends to the front end of the box body 20.
- the drawing height of the bottom drawn part 20A1 is set to be larger than the thickness dimension T1 of the front cover 120 and smaller than the height dimension H1 of the fitting rib 22.
- the drawer 110 is configured to slide over the bottom drawn part 20A1.
- a pair of front and rear reinforcement ribs 20A2 extending downward are integrally provided.
- the reinforcement ribs 20A2 extend in the left-right direction.
- the bottom drawn part 20A1 is provided at the center portion thereof with a storage recess 20A3 as a "cover storage section" for storing the front cover 120.
- the storage recess 20A3 is formed in a recessed shape protruding downward from the bottom drawn part 20A1 and opening upward, and is formed in a substantially rectangular shape having a longitudinal direction in the front-back direction in plan view.
- an outer shape of the storage recess 20A3 in plan view is set to be slightly larger than the outer shape of the front cover 120, and the storage recess 20A3 is configured to allow storage of the front cover 120 in the interior thereof.
- the storage recess 20A3 includes a hole portion 20A4 formed to penetrate through a bottom wall thereof, and the hole portion 20A4 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape which is similar to the storage recess 20A3.
- composite mold set mold
- the bottom wall of the storage recess 20A3 is disposed at a position slightly above the bottom wall 20A of the box body 20, and the bottom wall is configured not to protrude downward from the bottom wall 20A of the box body 20.
- the nested drawers 110 may be stored in the interior of the uppermost one of the nested box bodies 20 in the modified example of the second embodiment as well. Accordingly, for example, in the storage box 100 having the drawer 110, improved transportation efficiency of the storage box 100 and improved storage performance of the storage box 100 are achieved.
- the storage recess 20A3 for storing the front cover 120 is formed on the bottom wall 20A of the box body 20. Accordingly, a plurality of the box bodies 20 can be nested in the vertical direction with the front cover 120 stored and held in the interior of the storage recess 20A3. Therefore, for example, the storage box 100 may be transported and stored in a state in which the front cover 120 is stored in the storage recess 20A3 of the box body 20 in a stable manner.
- a storage box 200 as a "storage box” according to a third embodiment will be described.
- the storage box 200 is configured in the same manner as the storage box 100 of the second embodiment except for the following points. Note that like members in the storage box 200 those of the second embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals in Fig. 16A to Fig. 18 .
- the drawer 110 in the storage box 200, the drawer 110 is formed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening only upward. Therefore, the drawer 110 is provided with a front wall 110E extending upward from a front end portion of the bottom wall 110A.
- the angles of inclination of the side walls 110B and the rear wall 110C of the drawer 110 with respect to the vertical direction are set to be larger than those of the second embodiment, and are set to be larger than an angle of inclination of the front wall 110E with respect to the vertical direction. Accordingly, in the third embodiment as well, the drawer 110 is configured to be nestable in the vertical direction (see Fig. 18 ).
- the drawers 110 are nested in the vertical direction, the drawers 110 are nested with the side walls 110B, the rear wall 110C, and the front wall 110E of the upper drawer 110 in contact with the side walls 110B, the rear wall 110C, and the front wall 110E of the lower drawer 110.
- the drawing height of the bottom drawn part 20A1 of the bottom wall 20A of the box body 20 is larger than those of the first and second embodiments, and the front end of the bottom drawn part 20A1 extends to the front end of the box body 20 in the same manner as the modified example of the second embodiment.
- the drawer 110 is configured to slide over the bottom drawn part 20A1.
- the pair of front and rear reinforcement ribs 20A2 extending downward are integrally provided.
- the reinforcement ribs 20A2 extends in the left-right direction.
- a shouldered portion 50A which is one step lower, is formed on an upper surface of a front end portion of the upper cover 50.
- a frame member 210 having a substantially rectangular frame shape is provided at a front end portion of the storage box 200.
- the frame member 210 is made of a resin material (polypropylene (PP) in the present embodiment).
- the frame member 210 includes a panel portion 212 of a substantially rectangular plate shape having a thickness direction in the front-back direction, and an outer peripheral wall 214 extending rearward from the outer peripheral edge portion of the panel portion 212.
- the reinforcement ribs 20A2 of the box body 20 and the shouldered portion 50A of the upper cover 50 are fitted inside the outer peripheral wall 214 of the frame member 210, and the frame member 210 is detachably attached to the box body 20 and the upper cover 50.
- the panel portion 212 is also provided with an insertion portion 212A having a substantially rectangular tubular shape, and an interior of the insertion portion 212A penetrates therethrough in the front-back direction.
- the insertion portion 212A has a similar shape to the shape of the drawer 110 in front view. When the drawer 110 is slid, the drawer 110 is inserted through the interior of the insertion portion 212A.
- a thickness dimension T2 (which is a dimension in the front-back direction, see Fig. 17 ) of the frame member 210 is set to be smaller than the height dimension H1 (see Fig. 5 ) of the fitting rib 22 of the box body 20 in the vertical direction.
- the thickness dimension T2 of the frame member 210 is set to be smaller than the dimension obtained by subtracting the height dimension H2 from the lower surface of the box body 20 to the upper end of the groove portion 24A from the height dimension H1 of the fitting rib 22.
- the fitting ribs 22 and the fitting target portions 24 in pairs which are to be used when nesting the box bodies 20, are provided at front end portions (two places) and rear end portions (two places) at the lower end portions of the left and right side walls 20B of the box body 20. Therefore, in the third embodiment as well, the stability of the box bodies 20 in the nested state is achieved as in the first and second embodiments .
- the drawer 110 is slidably stored in an interior of the storage section 20D of the storage box 200. Therefore, in the same manner as the second embodiment, contents such as shoes can be stored in the storage space 110D of the drawer 110 by pulling the drawer 110 out forward from the storage position. Therefore, improved convenience for users is achieved.
- the drawer 110 is configured to be nestable in the vertical direction. Therefore, as illustrated in Fig. 18 , in a state in which the storage box 200 is disassembled, the nested drawers 110 may be stored in the interior of the uppermost one of the nested box bodies 20. Accordingly, for example, in the storage box 200 having the drawer 110, improved transportation efficiency of the storage box 200 and improved storage performance of the storage box 200 are achieved.
- the frame member 210 having a substantially rectangular frame shape is provided at a front end portion of the storage box 200.
- the reinforcement ribs 20A2 of the box body 20 and the shouldered portion 50A of the upper cover 50 are fitted inside the outer peripheral wall 214 of the frame member 210 and the frame member 210 is detachably attached to the box body 20 and the upper cover 50. Accordingly, reinforcement of the front end portion of the storage box 200 is achieved by using the frame member 210 configured to close the opening on the front side of the storage box 200.
- the thickness dimension T2 of the frame member 210 is set to be smaller than the height dimension H1 of the fitting rib 22 of the box body 20 in the vertical direction. Specifically, the thickness dimension T2 of the frame member 210 is set to be smaller than the dimension obtained by subtracting the height dimension H2 from the height dimension H1 of the fitting rib 22. Therefore, the thickness dimension T2 of the frame member 210 is set to be smaller than the distance between the bottom walls 20A (bottom drawn part 20A1) of the box bodies 20 facing each other in the vertical direction when a plurality of the box bodies 20 are nested. Accordingly, as illustrated in Fig.
- a plurality of the box bodies 20 can be nested in the vertical direction with the frame member 210 placed on the bottom wall 20A (bottom drawn part 20A1) of each box body 20. Therefore, for example, further improved transportation efficiency of the storage box 200 having the frame member 210 and further improved storage performance of the storage box 200 are achieved.
- the drawing height of the bottom drawn part 20A1 of the box body 20 is set to be larger than the thickness dimension T2 of the frame member 210.
- the bottom drawn part 20A1 is provided at the center portion thereof with a storage recess 20A5 as a "frame member storage section" for storing the frame member 210.
- the storage recess 20A5 is formed in a recessed shape protruding downward from the bottom drawn part 20A1 and opening upward, and is formed in a substantially rectangular shape having a longitudinal direction in the front-back direction in plan view.
- an outer shape of the storage recess 20A5 in plan view is set to be slightly larger than the outer shape of the frame member 210, and the storage recess 20A5 is configured to allow storage of the frame member 210.
- the storage recess 20A5 includes a hole portion 20A6 formed to penetrate through the bottom wall thereof, and the hole portion 20A6 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape which is similar to the storage recess 20A5.
- composite mold set mold
- the nested drawers 110 may be stored in the interior of the uppermost one of the nested box bodies 20 in the modified example of the third embodiment as well. Accordingly, for example, in the storage box 200 having the drawer 110, improved transportation efficiency of the storage box 200 and improved storage performance of the storage box 200 are achieved.
- the storage recess 20A5 for storing the frame member 210 is formed on the bottom wall 20A of the box body 20. Accordingly, a plurality of the box bodies 20 can be nested in the vertical direction with the frame member 210 stored and held in the interior of the storage recess 20A5. Therefore, for example, the storage box 200 may be transported and stored in a state in which the frame member 210 is stored in the storage recess 20A5 of the box body 20 in a stable manner.
- the first to the third embodiments propose a fitting structure such that the fitting ribs 22 of the lower box body 20 are fitted into the groove portions 24A of the upper box body 20 when the box bodies 20 are nested.
- the fitting structure is not limited thereto.
- a configuration in which the fitting ribs of the upper box body 20 fit the groove portions of the lower box body 20 is also applicable.
- fitting ribs protruding widthwise outward of the box body 20 are formed at lower end portions of the side walls 20B of the box body 20.
- fitting target portions having a groove portion opening widthwise inward of the box body 20 protrude widthwise inward of the box body 20 from the lower end portions of the side walls 20B.
- the upper end surfaces of the fitting ribs 22 of the box body 20 and the upper end surfaces of the groove portions 24A are disposed so as to incline upward as it goes inward in the width direction of the box body 20 in front view.
- the upper end surfaces of the fitting ribs 22 and the upper end surfaces of the groove portions 24A may be formed along a surface orthogonal to the vertical direction (that is, a horizontal surface).
- the holding mechanism 80 for holding the door 40 on the upper cover 50 includes the rear holding claws 82 and the front holding claws 84 configured to engage the outer periphery of the door 40.
- the configuration of the holding mechanism 80 is not limited thereto.
- one of the rear holding claws 82 and the front holding claws 84 may be omitted and instead of the omitted holding claws, a hook-like member configured to lock the outer peripheral end portion of the door 40 may be provided on the upper cover 50.
- the box body 20, the door 40, the upper cover 50, the drawer 110, the front cover 120, and the frame member 210 are made of PP.
- these members may be made of a resin material such as ABS and PE.
- plate thicknesses of the box body 20, the door 40, the upper cover 50, the drawer 110, the front cover 120, and the frame member 210 are not specifically limited.
- the plate thicknesses of these members may be set in a range from 0.5 mm to 6 mm, preferably from 0.6 mm to 3.5 mm, more preferably from 0.8 mm to 2.5 mm. In a case where these members are made of ABS, the plate thicknesses of these members may range from 0.5 mm to 1.6 mm.
- pairs of the fitting ribs 22 and the fitting target portions 24 are provided on the front end portions and the rear end portions of the lower end portions of the side walls 20B of the box bodies 20.
- the pairs of the fitting ribs 22 and the fitting target portions 24 may be provided at positions depending on the size of the entire storage box.
- the pairs of the fitting rib 22 and the fitting target portion 24 may be provided either one of the front and the rear, that is, only at the front (two places on the left and right) or only at the rear (two places on the left and right) at the lower end portions of the left and right side walls 20B of the box bodies 20, or may be provided only near the intermediate portions in the front-back direction (two places on the left and right).
- the front cover 120 is detachably attached to the front end portion of the drawer 110
- the frame member 210 is detachably attached to the box body 20 and the upper cover 50
- the storage box may be configured to have a combined configuration including the second embodiment and the third embodiment.
- such a configuration is also applicable in which the drawer 110 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening forward and upward, the front cover 120 is provided at the front end portion of the drawer 110, and the frame member 210 is attached to the box body 20 and the upper cover 50.
- the storage recess 20A5 may be formed in the bottom wall 20A of the box body 20 to store the front cover 120 and the frame member 210 in the interior of the storage recess 20A5 during the operation of nesting a plurality of the box bodies 20.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Stackable Containers (AREA)
Description
- The present invention relates to a storage box.
- A shoe packaging box (storage box) described in
JP-A-2010-189005 - In addition, some of the storage boxes, for example, have a box body formed into a box shape opening upward and forward in order to provide an openable and closable lid at a front end portion of the storage box.
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CN205060459 discloses a storage box with horizontally retractable slider at the bottom portion which have shaped outer ends on one side of the box to cooperate with complementary shaped outer ends of slider on the opposite side so as to hock adjacent boxes together in order to increase stability. -
DE29900982 discloses a stackable storage box with cooperating protrusions on both sides at the bottom and on a lid so as to interlock two vertically stacked boxes. However, the boxes cannot be nested within each other. -
FR1292340 -
US3534866 discloses a stackable storage box with guides on the inside side walls allowing a guided movement of two boxes into a nested position and with cooperating protrusions which allow a stacked arrangement of boxes if these are horizontally offset to one another - In the box-shaped storage box, the box body is typically configured to be unfoldable in order to achieve rigidity of the box body. Therefore, for example, in order to improve transportation efficiency, it is preferable to configure the box body to be nestable so as to allow other box bodies to be stacked inside one box body. Furthermore, in this case, it is desirable to have a structure that achieves stability of the box bodies in a nested state.
- In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the invention to provide storage boxes that provide reliable stability when their box bodies are nested.
- This object is solved with the invention as set out in claim 1. More specifically, the invention provides a storage box including: a box body formed into a box shape opening upward and forward, the box body having an interior configured as a storage section; and an upper cover detachably attached to the box body, the upper cover being configured to close an opening on an upper side of the box body, wherein the box body is configured to be nestable with another box body in such a manner as to allow the box bodies to be stacked in a vertical direction, and a lower end portion of a side wall of the box body includes a fitting portion and a fitting target portion formed to be fitted to each other when the box bodies are nested.
- According to a preferred embodiment the invention provides a storage box in which the fitting portion is formed into a rib shape protruding widthwise inward of the box body from the side wall and extending in the vertical direction, and the fitting target portion includes an groove portion opening widthwise outward and downward of the box body. When the box bodies are nested, an upper end portion of the fitting portion of the box body disposed below is inserted into an interior of the groove portion of the box body disposed above.
- According to another preferred embodiment the invention provides a storage box in which an upper end surface of the fitting portion and an upper end surface of the groove portion are inclined upward in front view as it goes widthwise inward of the box body.
- According to a preferred embodiment the invention provides a storage box further including a lid that is detachably attached to the box body for opening and closing an opening on a front side of the box body, wherein the upper cover is provided with a holding mechanism on a lower surface of the upper cover, and the holding mechanism holds the lid in a state of being detached from the box body.
- According to a preferred embodiment the invention provides a storage box in which the holding mechanism includes a holding claw engageable with an outer peripheral edge portion of the lid.
- According to a preferred embodiment the invention provides a storage box including a supporting portion at a front end portion of a bottom wall of the box body, the supporting portion being configured to rotatably support the lid, in which the supporting portion is formed in a recessed shape opening downward in side view, and extends over an entire width of the box body.
- According to a preferred embodiment the invention provides a storage box further including a drawer stored in the storage section so as to be slidable in the front-back direction, the drawer being formed into a box shape opening upward and forward or upward, in which the drawer is configured to be nestable with another drawer in such a manner as to allow the drawers to be stacked in the vertical direction.
- According to a preferred embodiment the invention provides a storage box in which the drawer is formed into a box-shape opening upward and forward, a front cover is detachably attached to the drawer, the front cover covers the opening on the front side of the drawer, and the front cover has a thickness dimension smaller than a height dimension of the fitting portion in the vertical direction.
- According to a preferred embodiment the invention provides a storage box in which the drawer is formed into a box-shape opening upward and forward, a front cover is detachably attached to the drawer, the front cover closes the opening on the front side of the drawer, and the bottom wall of the box body is provided with a cover storage section, and the cover storage section is configured to store the front cover in a state of being detached from the drawer.
- According to a preferred embodiment the invention provides a storage box further including a frame member configured to cover the box body and the upper cover, the frame member being detachably attached to front end portions of the boxy body and the upper cover, the frame member being provided with an insertion portion that allows insertion of the drawer when the drawer is slid, in which the frame member has a thickness dimension smaller than a height dimension of the fitting portion in the vertical direction.
- According to a preferred embodiment the invention provides a storage box further including a frame member configured to cover the box body and the upper cover, the frame member being detachably attached to front end portions of the boxy body and the upper cover, the frame member being provided with an insertion portion that allows insertion of the drawer when the drawer is slid, in which the bottom wall of the box body is provided with a frame member storage section, and the frame member storage section is configured to store the frame member in a state of being detached from the box body and the upper cover.
- According to one or more embodiments of the invention, reliable stability is provided when the box bodies are nested.
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Fig. 1A is a perspective view of box bodies of storage boxes according to a first embodiment, illustrating a state before nesting the box bodies;Fig. 1B is a perspective view of the box bodies illustrated inFig. 1A in a nested state; -
Fig. 2A is a perspective view illustrating the storage box according to the first embodiment; -
Fig. 2B is an exploded perspective view illustrating the storage box inFig. 2A in a disassembled state; -
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the box body illustrated inFig. 2 ; -
Fig. 4A is a plan view of the box body illustrated inFig. 3 ; -
Fig. 4B is a front view of the box body; -
Fig. 5A is a cross-sectional view (a cross-sectional view taken along theline 5A-5A inFig. 4A ) of a fitting rib illustrated inFig. 4A ; -
Fig. 5B is a cross-sectional view (a cross-sectional view taken along theline 5B-5B inFig. 4A ) illustrating a fitting target portion inFig. 4A ;Fig. 5C is a cross-sectional view illustrating a fitting state between the fitting rib and a groove portion of the fitting target portion when the box bodies are nested; -
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a door illustrated inFigs. 2A and 2B ; -
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an upper cover illustrated inFigs. 2A and 2B when viewed from a lower side; -
Fig. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the door is attached to the upper cover; -
Fig. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a plurality of the storage boxes illustrated inFig. 2A are stacked; -
Fig. 10A is a left side view of front portions of the box bodies illustrated inFig. 3 for explaining an initial state of nesting of the box bodies; -
Fig. 10B is a left side view of the front portions of the box bodies illustrated inFig. 3 for explaining a state of completion of nesting of the box bodies; -
Fig. 11A is a perspective view illustrating a storage box according to a second embodiment; -
Fig. 11B is a cross-sectional side view (a cross-sectional view taken along theline 11B-11B inFig. 11A ) of the storage box illustrated inFig. 11A ; -
Fig. 12 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state in which the storage box illustrated inFig. 11A is disassembled; -
Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional side view illustrating the plurality of the box bodies and drawers of the storage boxes illustrated inFig. 11A in a nested state; -
Fig. 14 is a perspective view, partly exploded, of a box body of a storage box according to a modified example of the second embodiment; -
Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional side view illustrating a plurality of the box bodies and drawers of the storage boxes according to the modified example of the second embodiment in a nested state; -
Fig. 16A is a perspective view illustrating a storage box according to a third embodiment; -
Fig. 16B is a cross-sectional side view (a cross-sectional view taken along theline 16B-16B inFig. 16A ) of the storage box illustrated inFig. 16A ; -
Fig. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the storage box illustrated inFig. 16A ; -
Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional side view illustrating a plurality of the box bodies and drawers of the storage boxes illustrated inFig. 17A in a nested state; -
Fig. 19 is a perspective view, partly exploded, of a box body of a storage box according to a modified example of the third embodiment; and -
Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional side view illustrating a plurality of the box bodies and drawers of the storage boxes according to the modified example of the third embodiment in a nested state. - Referring now to
Fig. 1A to Fig. 10B , astorage box 10 as a "storage box" according to a first embodiment will be described. Arrows UP, arrows FR, and arrows RH indicated as needed in the drawings represent an upper side, a front side, and a right side (one side in a width direction) of thestorage box 10, respectively. In the following description, up, down, front, rear, left, and right indicate upward and downward directions, forward and rearward directions, and leftward and rightward directions of thestorage box 10 unless otherwise specifically indicated. - As illustrated in
Figs. 2A and 2B , thestorage box 10 is formed into a hollow and substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape. In the present embodiment, thestorage box 10 is configured as a storage box for storing, for example, shoes and clothes. Thestorage box 10 includes abox body 20 as a "box body" that constitutes a main body of thestorage box 10, anupper cover 50 that constitutes an upper end portion of thestorage box 10, and adoor 40 as a "lid" configured to be openable and closable at a front end portion of thestorage box 10. Theupper cover 50 and thedoor 40 are detachably (removably) attached to thebox body 20. - The
storage box 10 is configured to be stackable so as to allow a plurality of thestorage boxes 10 to be stacked in the vertical direction. In addition, in the state in which thestorage boxes 10 are disassembled, thebox bodies 20 are configured to be nestable so as to allow a plurality of thebox bodies 20 to be stacked in the vertical direction by accommodatingother box bodies 20 in one box body 20 (seeFig. 1B ). Further, in a state in which thestorage box 10 is disassembled, theupper cover 50 is configured to allow a plurality of the upper covers 50 to be stacked in the vertical direction. Respective configurations of thestorage box 10 will be described below. - As illustrated in
Fig. 3 andFigs. 4A and 4B , thebox body 20 is made of a resin material (polypropylene (PP) in the present embodiment), and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening upward and forward. Specifically, thebox body 20 includes a substantially rectangular plate-shapedbottom wall 20A having a thickness direction in the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction in the front-back direction, a pair of left andright side walls 20B extending upward from both end portions of thebottom wall 20A in the width direction, and arear wall 20C extending upward from a rear end portion of thebottom wall 20A. An interior of thebox body 20 is astorage section 20D for storing contents (illustration is omitted) such as shoes as an object to be stored. - The
side walls 20B of thebox body 20 are inclined widthwise inward of thebox body 20 as it goes downward in front view. Accordingly, thebox bodies 20 are configured to be nestable in a state in which thestorage box 10 is disassembled. Therear wall 20C of thebox body 20 is inclined forward as it goes downward in side view. The angle of inclination to the vertical direction of theside walls 20B is set larger than the angle of inclination to the vertical direction of therear wall 20C. Alternatively, out of theside walls 20B and therear wall 20C, only theside walls 20B may be inclined, and therear wall 20C may be vertical without being inclined. - Each of the lower end portions of the
side walls 20B of thebox body 20 is provided with afitting rib 22 as a "fitting portion" and afitting target portion 24 used when a plurality of thebox bodies 20 are nested. Thefitting rib 22 and thefitting target portion 24 form a pair, and thefitting rib 22 and thefitting target portion 24 forming the pair are formed at four places in thebox body 20. Specifically, the pairs offitting rib 22 andfitting target portion 24 are formed respectively on front end portions (two places) and rear end portions (two places) at the lower end portions of the left andright side walls 20B. - As illustrated in
Fig. 5A , thefitting rib 22 protrudes widthwise inward of thebox body 20 from the lower end portion of theside wall 20B and extends upward from thebottom wall 20A. An upper end surface of thefitting rib 22 is inclined upward as it goes widthwise inward of thebox body 20 in front view. - As illustrated in
Fig. 3 andFig. 4A , thefitting target portion 24 is disposed close to a rear side of thefitting rib 22. Thefitting target portions 24 protrude widthwise inward of thebox body 20 from theside walls 20B to and upward from thebottom wall 20A. As illustrated inFigs. 3 and 5 (B) , thefitting target portions 24 are each provided with agroove portion 24A, and thegroove portion 24A is open widthwise outward and downward of thebox body 20. That is, thegroove portions 24A are exposed to the exterior at lower corners of the box body 20 (storage box 10). Thegroove portion 24A is disposed rearward of thefitting rib 22 by a distance L1 (seeFig. 10A ). - Also, an upper end surface of the
groove portion 24A is inclined upward as it goes widthwise inward of thebox body 20, corresponding to the upper end surface of thefitting rib 22. Accordingly, an upper end surface of thefitting target portion 24 is also inclined upward and widthwise inward of thebox body 20 corresponding to the upper end surface of thegroove portion 24A. Therefore, when thefitting rib 22 is in contact with and is fitted to thegroove portion 24A, the nested state is maintained even when a load from above (the longitudinal direction) is applied, and the buckling of thefitting rib 22 is prevented. Furthermore, the groove width of thegroove portion 24A is set to be slightly larger than the thickness dimension (the dimension in the front-back direction) of thefitting rib 22, and the groove depth dimension of thegroove portion 24A in the vertical direction is set to be smaller than the height dimension of thefitting rib 22 in the vertical direction. The thickness dimension of thefitting rib 22 is set to be smaller as it goes upward. In other words, side surfaces of thefitting rib 22 are slightly inclined so as to approach each other as it goes upward. - Then, as illustrated in
Fig. 5C , in the state where thebox bodies 20 are nested, the upper end portion of thefitting rib 22 in the lower (one)box body 20 is inserted into thegroove portion 24A of the upper (the other)box body 20. Accordingly, when thebox bodies 20 are nested, theupper box body 20 is supported from the lower side by thefitting rib 22 of thelower box body 20 and is placed apart upward from thelower box body 20. Further, in this state, theupper box body 20 is placed at a position shifted forward by the distance L1 between thegroove portion 24A and thefitting rib 22 with respect to the lower box body 20 (seeFig. 1B andFig. 10B ). Furthermore, in this state, thefitting rib 22 comes into contact with an inner peripheral surface of thegroove portion 24A, whereby the relative displacement of theupper box body 20 with respect to thelower box body 20 in the front-back direction is suppressed. - As illustrated in
Fig. 3 andFigs. 4A and 4B , thebox body 20 includes aflange 26 for fixing theupper cover 50 described later on an upper end portion thereof. Theflange 26 is projected to the outside of thebox body 20 and is extended over the entire circumference of thebox body 20 in plan view. In other words, theflange 26 extends in the front-back direction on the left andright side walls 20B and extend in the left-right direction on therear wall 20C. - In addition,
flange portions 28 are formed in the front end of the left andright side walls 20B and extend widthwise outward of thebox body 20. Theflange portions 28 are formed in a step-like shape. This forms a front side shoulderedportion 28A on theflange portion 28. Furthermore, the dimension (thickness dimension) L2 (seeFig. 10A ) in the front-back direction of the flange portion 28 (including the front side shoulderedportion 28A) is set to be the same as the distance L1 between thegroove portion 24A and thefitting rib 22. When thebox bodies 20 are nested, theflange portions 28 of the nestedbox bodies 20 are placed adjacent to each other in the front-back direction. In other words, theflange portions 28 function as guide portions during the operation for nesting thebox bodies 20. In addition, the front surface portions of theflange portions 28 are provided so that the front appearance of the box body when viewed from the front becomes rectangular even when theside walls 20B are inclined. Note that the maximum dimension of the thickness of thefitting rib 22 described above may be 1/5 to 3/5 of the distance L1 between thegroove portion 24A and thefitting rib 22. - Further, a supporting
portion 30 for rotatably supporting adoor 40, which will be described later, is formed at the front end portion of thebottom wall 20A of thebox body 20. The supportingportion 30 is formed in a substantially inverted U shape (recessed shape) opening downward in side view and extends over the entire width of thebox body 20. Specifically, the supportingportion 30 includes a supportrear wall portion 30A extending upward from thebottom wall 20A of thebox body 20, a supporttop wall portion 30B extending forward from the upper end portion of the supportrear wall portion 30A, and a supportfront wall portion 30C extending downward from the front end portion of the supporttop wall portion 30B. The supportfront wall portion 30C is connected to theflange portions 28 so that a front surface of the supportfront wall portion 30C and front surfaces of theflange portions 28 described above are flush with each other. Furthermore, a lower end of the supportfront wall portion 30C is disposed above lower surface of thebottom wall 20A of thebox body 20. Also, the front surfaces of the supportfront wall portion 30C and theflange portions 28 are arranged along a plane orthogonal to the front-back direction. Note that the height of the supportingportion 30 is set lower than the height of thefitting rib 22. - The supporting
portion 30 is formed with a pair of left and right supportingrecesses 30D, and the supportingrecesses 30D are disposed at positions symmetrical with respect to the widthwise center of thebox body 20. The supporting recesses 30D are formed into a recessed shape opening upward and forward. A support hole 30D1 is formed to penetrate through a side wall of the supportingrecess 30D on the widthwise center side of thebox body 20. The support hole 30D1 extends in the vertical direction, and an upper edge of the support hole 30D1 is curved into a semicircular shape opening downward. Also, a lower end portion of the support hole 30D1 extends to an end of a bottom wall of the supportingrecess 30D. - On the other hand, a rear shouldered
portion 32 is formed at the rear end portion of thebottom wall 20A of thebox body 20. The rear shoulderedportion 32 is raised one step upward. Further, a bottom drawn part 20A1 which is raised one step upward is formed on thebottom wall 20A of thebox body 20. The bottom drawn part 20A1 is formed into a rectangular shape substantially similar to thebottom wall 20A in plan view. Accordingly, the bottom drawn part 20A1 is configured to provide thebottom wall 20A with sufficient rigidity. Furthermore, a side drawn part 20B1 protruding widthwise inward of thebox body 20 is formed at the lower end portion of eachside wall 20B of thebox body 20 in an intermediate portion in the front-back direction (specifically, at a position between the front sidefitting rib 22 and thefitting target portion 24 and the rear sidefitting rib 22 and the fitting target portion 24). The side drawn part 20B1 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape in side view. Accordingly, the side drawn part 20B1 provides sufficient rigidity for theside wall 20B. - As shown in
Fig. 6 , thedoor 40 is made of a resin material (polypropylene (PP) in the present embodiment). In addition, thedoor 40 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape having a thickness direction in a front-back direction and a longitudinal direction in a left-right direction, and is disposed above the supportingportion 30 of thebox body 20 and between the left and right front side shoulderedportions 28A. A pair of left andright hinge portions 42 are integrally formed on a lower end portion of thedoor 40, and thehinge portions 42 protrude downward from thedoor 40 and are disposed at positions corresponding to the supportingrecesses 30D of thebox body 20. Thehinge portion 42 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape having a longitudinal direction in the left-right direction in front view, and is formed in a recessed shape opening rearward. In other words, thehinge portion 42 includes a pair of left and righthinge side walls 42A. - The
hinge portion 42 is provided with ahinge axis 42B integrally formed on thehinge side wall 42A on a widthwise center side of thedoor 40. Thehinge axis 42B is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and protrudes from thehinge side wall 42A toward the widthwise center of thedoor 40. An inclined surface 42B1 is formed at the lower end portion of a distal end portion of thehinge axis 42B, and the inclined surface 42B1 is inclined downward as it goes toward the proximal end of thehinge axis 42B. Thehinge axis 42B is inserted into the support hole 30D1 of thebox body 20, and is rotatably supported by the support hole 30D1 (seeFigs. 2A and 2B ). This makes thedoor 40 rotatably mounted on thebox body 20, and the opening on the front side of thebox body 20 openable by thedoor 40. - A
handle 44 is formed integrally with the upper end portion of thedoor 40 at the widthwise center portion thereof. Thehandle 44 is formed in a plate shape having a thickness direction in the vertical direction, and protrudes forward from thedoor 40. A front end portion of thehandle 44 is curved in a substantially arc shape that is convex toward the front in plan view. Adoor hook 46 protruding upward is integrally formed with thehandle 44 at the widthwise center thereof, and thedoor hook 46 extends in the left-right direction. A rear surface of thedoor hook 46 is inclined downward as it goes toward the rear. When thedoor hook 46 engages with anupper cover 50 described later, thedoor 40 keeps the opening of thebox body 20 closed. - A pair of left and
right notches 40A are formed in an upper end portion of thedoor 40 at positions widthwise outside of thehandle 44, and thenotches 40A are formed in a groove shape opening upward in front view. Further, a portion between the pair of left andright notches 40A in the upper end portion of thedoor 40 is adeformable portion 48, and thedeformable portion 48 is configured to be elastically deformable in the front-back direction (thickness direction of the door 40). Then, the user holds thehandle 44 and presses thehandle 44 downward, so that thedeformable portion 48 is elastically deformed in the front-back direction. - As shown in
Figs. 2A, 2B andFig. 7 , theupper cover 50 is made of a resin material (polypropylene (PP) in the present embodiment) . Theupper cover 50 is formed into a relatively shallow rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening downward. Specifically, theupper cover 50 includes acover body 52 having a thickness direction in the vertical direction and a longitudinal direction in the front-back direction and a surroundingwall 54 extending downward from an outer peripheral edge portion of thecover body 52. The surroundingwall 54 is configured to extend around an entire circumferential direction of thecover body 52. - Engaging
hook portions 54A are formed on left and right side walls of the surroundingwall 54 at front end and rear end portions, respectively. In other words, in the surroundingwall 54, the fourengaging hook portions 54A are formed. The engaginghook portion 54A protrudes widthwise inward of theupper cover 50 from a distal end portion (lower end portion) of the surroundingwall 54 and extends in the front-back direction. Also, the surroundingwall 54 is formed with anengaging hook portion 54B at a widthwise center portion of the back wall thereof. The engaginghook portion 54B protrudes forward from the distal end portion (lower end portion) of the surroundingwall 54 and extends in the left-right direction. The surroundingwall 54 is placed outside the upper end portion of thebox body 20, and theengaging hook portions flange 26 of thebox body 20 and engage theflange 26 in the vertical direction. This makes theupper cover 50 assembled to thebox body 20 in a state in which an upward movement of theupper cover 50 is limited, and makes theupper cover 50 close the upper opening of theupper cover 50. - Also, in the assembled state of the
upper cover 50 to thebox body 20, the length of the surroundingwall 54 protruding from thecover body 52 is set so as to allow the lower end portion of the surroundingwall 54 to engage thedoor hook 46 of thedoor 40. This makes the lower end portion of the front wall of the surroundingwall 54 engage thedoor hook 46 of thedoor 40, and thus maintains a state of thedoor 40 remain closing the front opening of thebox body 20. - The
cover body 52 is provided with a mountingrecess 52A that is one step lower on the lower side over a portion excluding an outer periphery. The mountingrecess 52A is formed in a substantially rectangular shape corresponding to thebottom wall 20A (specifically, thebottom wall 20A excluding the supportingportion 30 and the rear shouldered portion 32) of thebox body 20 in plan view. Then, when thestorage boxes 10 are stacked with each other, thebottom wall 20A of thebox body 20 of theupper storage box 10 is placed on the mountingrecess 52A of thecover body 52 of thelower storage box 10 and fitted into the mountingrecess 52A (seeFig. 9 ). - Further, the
cover body 52 includes afitting mechanism 60 to be fitted with the upper end portion of thebox body 20 and aholding mechanism 80 for housing and holding thedoor 40 in a disassembled state inside thecover body 52. Hereinafter, thefitting mechanism 60 and theholding mechanism 80 will be described. - The
fitting mechanism 60 includes pairs of left and rightfirst protrusions 62,second protrusions 64,third protrusions 66,fourth protrusions 68, andfifth protrusions 70. Thefirst protrusions 62 to thefifth protrusions 70 are provided on the outer periphery of a lower surface of thecover body 52. - The pair of left and right
first protrusions 62 are provided on a rear end portion on the lower surface of theupper cover 50 and disposed outside the engaginghook portion 54B with respect to the width direction of theupper cover 50, and protrude downward from thecover body 52. Thefirst protrusion 62 is formed in a substantially U-shape opening rearward, as viewed from the lower side, and connected to the rear wall of the surroundingwall 54. Specifically, thefirst protrusion 62 includes a pair of left and rightfitting wall portions 62A having a thickness direction in the left-right direction and extending forward from the surroundingwall 54, and a connectingwall portion 62B having a thickness direction in the front-back direction and extending in the left-right direction. Front end portions of the pair of left and rightfitting wall portions 62A are connected by the connectingwall portion 62B. - The pair of
fitting wall portions 62A are each provided with afitting groove 62C opening downward. Then, in the assembled state of theupper cover 50 to thebox body 20, the upper end portion of therear wall 20C of thebox body 20 is fitted into thefitting grooves 62C from the lower side. Further, in this assembled state, the upper end of therear wall 20C of thebox body 20 is in contact with bottom surfaces of the pair offitting grooves 62C. Accordingly, a downward movement of the rear end portion of theupper cover 50 is limited in the assembled state of theupper cover 50 to thebox body 20. - Also, in the
first protrusion 62, a front portion with respect to thefitting groove 62C protrudes downward further than the lower end of the surroundingwall 54, and the rear portion with respect to thefitting groove 62C is disposed above a lower end of the surrounding wall 54C. Then, when the upper covers 50 are stacked, the lower ends of thefirst protrusions 62 abut on the outer periphery of the rear end of thelower cover body 52. - The pair of left and right
second protrusions 64 are provided at the rear corner portions of the lower surface of theupper cover 50 and protrude downward from thecover body 52. Thesecond protrusions 64 are each formed in a substantially L shape, as viewed from the lower side, and connected to the surroundingwall 54. Specifically, thesecond protrusion 64 includes afitting wall portion 64A having a thickness direction in the left-right direction and extending forward from the rear wall of the surroundingwall 54 andfitting wall portion 64B having a thickness direction in the front-back direction and extending widthwise inward of theupper cover 50 from the side wall of the surroundingwall 54. - The
fitting wall portion 64A is provided with afitting groove 64C opening downward, and thefitting wall portion 64B is provided with afitting groove 64D opening downward. Then, in the assembled state of theupper cover 50 to thebox body 20, the upper end portion of therear wall 20C of thebox body 20 is fitted into thefitting grooves 64C from the lower side, and the upper end portions of theside walls 20B of thebox body 20 are fitted into thefitting grooves 64D from the lower side. Furthermore, in this assembled state, the upper end of thebox body 20 is in contact with bottom surfaces of thefitting grooves 64C and thefitting grooves 64D. Accordingly, a downward movement of theupper cover 50 at the rear corner portions is limited in the assembled state of theupper cover 50 to thebox body 20. - Also, in the
second protrusion 64, a portion on the front side of thefitting groove 64C and on the right side of thefitting groove 64C protrudes downward further than the lower end of the surroundingwall 54, and the position of a lower end of thesecond protrusion 64 in the vertical direction is aligned with the position of a lower end of thefirst protrusion 62. Accordingly, when the upper covers 50 are stacked, the lower ends of thesecond protrusion 64 come into contact with the rear both corner portions of thelower cover body 52. - The pair of left and right
third protrusions 66 are provided at front corner portions of the lower surface of theupper cover 50 and protrude downward from thecover body 52. Thethird protrusion 66 is formed in a substantially U-shape opening widthwise outward of theupper cover 50 as viewed from below, and is connected to the side wall of the surroundingwall 54. Specifically, thethird protrusion 66 includes a pair of front and rearfitting wall portions 66A having a thickness direction in the front-back direction and extending widthwise inward of theupper cover 50 from the side wall of the surroundingwall 54, and a connectingwall portion 66B having a thickness direction in the left-right direction and extending in the front-back direction. Inner end portions of the pair offitting wall portions 66A in the width direction of theupper cover 50 are connected by the connectingwall portion 66B. - The pair of
fitting wall portions 66A are each provided with afitting groove 66C opening downward. In the assembled state of theupper cover 50 to thebox body 20, the upper end portions of theside walls 20B of thebox body 20 are fitted into thefitting grooves 66C from the lower side. Furthermore, in this assembled state, the upper end of thebox body 20 is in contact with the bottom surfaces of thefitting grooves 66C. Accordingly, a downward movement of theupper cover 50 at front corner portions is limited in the assembled state of theupper cover 50 to thebox body 20. - Also, an inner portion of the
third protrusion 66 from thefitting groove 66C in the width direction of theupper cover 50 protrudes downward further than the lower end of the surroundingwall 54, and an outer portion of thethird protrusion 66 from thefitting groove 66C in the width direction of theupper cover 50 is disposed above the lower end of the surroundingwall 54. Furthermore, the position of the lower end of thethird protrusion 66 in the vertical direction is aligned with the position of the lower end of thefirst protrusion 62. This brings the lower ends of thethird protrusions 66 into contact with the front corner portions of thelower cover body 52 when the upper covers 50 are stacked. - The pair of left and right
fourth protrusions 68 are provided at both end portions of the lower surface of theupper cover 50 in the width direction, and protrude downward from the intermediate portion of theupper cover 50 in the front-back direction. Thefourth protrusion 68 is formed in a substantially U-shape opening widthwise outward of theupper cover 50 as viewed from the lower side, and is connected to the side wall of the surroundingwall 54. Specifically, thefourth protrusion 68 includes a pair of front and rearfitting wall portions 68A having a thickness direction in the front-back direction and extending widthwise inward of theupper cover 50 from the side wall of the surroundingwall 54, and a connectingwall portion 68B having a thickness direction in the left-right direction. The inner end portions of the pair offitting wall portions 68A in the width direction of theupper cover 50 are connected by the connectingwall portion 68B. - The pair of
fitting wall portions 68A are each provided with afitting groove 68C opening downward. In the assembled state of theupper cover 50 to thebox body 20, the upper end portions of theside walls 20B of thebox body 20 are fitted into thefitting grooves 68C from the lower side. Furthermore, in this assembled state, the upper end of thebox body 20 is in contact with a bottom surfaces of thefitting grooves 68C. Accordingly, a downward movement of the intermediate portion in the front-back direction at the both end portions of theupper cover 50 in the width direction is limited in the assembled state of theupper cover 50 to thebox body 20. - Also, an inner portion of the
fourth protrusion 68 with respect to thefitting groove 68C of thefitting wall portion 68A in the width direction of theupper cover 50 protrudes downward further than the lower end of the surroundingwall 54, and an outer portion of thefitting wall portion 68A with respect to thefitting groove 68C in the width direction of theupper cover 50 is disposed above the lower end of the surroundingwall 54. The position of a lower end of thefitting wall portion 68A in the vertical direction is aligned with the position of the lower end of thefirst protrusion 62. This brings the lower ends of thefitting wall portions 68A into contact with the outer periphery widthwise outside of thelower cover body 52 when the upper covers 50 are stacked. - Furthermore, in the
fourth protrusion 68, a lower end portion of the connectingwall portion 68B protrudes downward further than the lower ends of the pair offitting wall portions 68A. When a plurality of the upper covers 50 are stacked, the lower end portions of the connectingwall portions 68B are placed widthwise inside of theupper cover 50 and adjacently to left and right edge portions of the mountingrecess 52A of thecover body 52 disposed below. Accordingly, when a plurality of the upper covers 50 are stacked, the movement in the left-right direction of theupper cover 50 located above with respect to theupper cover 50 disposed below is limited by the connectingwall portion 68B. - A pair of left and right
fifth protrusions 70 are provided at both end portions of the lower surface of theupper cover 50 in the width direction and protrude downward from thecover body 52 between thethird protrusion 66 and thefourth protrusion 68. Thefifth protrusions 70 is configured in the same manner as thefourth protrusion 68. In other words, thefifth protrusions 70 each include a pair of front and rearfitting wall portions 70A having a thickness direction in the front-back direction and extending widthwise inward of theupper cover 50 from the side wall of the surroundingwall 54, and a connectingwall portion 70B having a thickness direction in the left-right direction and extending in the front-back direction. Inner ends of the pair offitting wall portions 70A in the width direction of theupper cover 50 are connected by the connectingwall portion 70B. - The pair of
fitting wall portions 70A are each provided with afitting groove 70C opening downward. In the assembled state of theupper cover 50 to thebox body 20, the upper end portions of theside walls 20B of thebox body 20 are fitted into thefitting grooves 70C from the lower side. Furthermore, in this assembled state, the upper end of thebox body 20 is in contact with the bottom surfaces of thefitting grooves 70C. Accordingly, a downward movement of the front portion of the both end portions of theupper cover 50 in the width direction is limited in the assembled state of theupper cover 50 to thebox body 20. - Also, an inner portion of the
fitting wall portion 70A in the width direction of theupper cover 50 with respect to thefitting groove 70C protrudes downward further than the lower end of the surroundingwall 54, and an outer portion of thefitting wall portion 70A in the width direction of theupper cover 50 with respect to thefitting groove 70C is disposed above the lower end of the surroundingwall 54. The position of a lower end of thefitting wall portion 70A in the vertical direction is aligned with the position of the lower end of thefirst protrusion 62. Accordingly, the lower ends of thefitting wall portions 70A are brought into contact with the outer periphery widthwise outside of thecover body 52 on the lower side when a plurality of the upper covers 50 are stacked. - Furthermore, in the
fifth protrusions 70, a lower end portion of the connectingwall portion 70B protrudes downward further than the lower ends of the pair offitting wall portions 70A. When a plurality of the upper covers 50 are stacked, the lower end portions of the connectingwall portions 70B are placed widthwise inside of and adjacently to theupper cover 50 with respect to left and right edge portions of the mountingrecess 52A of thelower cover body 52. Accordingly, when a plurality of the upper covers 50 are stacked, the movement in the left-right direction of theupper cover 50 located above with respect to theupper cover 50 disposed below is limited by the connectingwall portion 70B. - A holding
mechanism 80 includesrear holding claws 82 as a pair of left and right "holding claws" andfront holding claws 84 as a pair of left and right "holding claws". Therear holding claws 82 and the front holdingclaws 84 are provided on the lower surface of thecover body 52. - The pair of left and right
rear holding claws 82 are provided at the rear end portion of theupper cover 50 and are disposed in the proximity to thefirst protrusions 62 at positions widthwise outside of theupper cover 50. Therear holding claws 82 each include a holdingstrip 82A having a thickness direction in the front-back direction and extending downward from thecover body 52, and a holdinghook 82B protruding forward from a lower end portion of the holdingstrip 82A. Therear holding claws 82 each are configured to be elastically deformable in the front-back direction. - The pair of left and right
front holding claws 84 are provided at the both end portions of theupper cover 50 in the width direction, are disposed at positions apart from therear holding claws 82 forward by a predetermined distance, and are disposed outside of therear holding claws 82 in the width direction of theupper cover 50. Thefront holding claws 84 each include a holdingstrip 84A having a thickness direction in the front-back direction and extending downward from thecover body 52, and a holdinghook 84B protruding rearward from a lower end portion of the holdingstrip 84A. Thefront holding claws 84 are configured to be elastically deformable in the front-back direction. - The dimension in the front-back direction between the holding
strip 82A of therear holding claws 82 and the holdingstrip 84A of the front holdingclaws 84 is set to be slightly larger than the dimension of thedoor 40 in the vertical direction. In addition, a space between the rear holdingclaws 82 and the front holdingclaws 84 in the interior of theupper cover 50 is adoor housing 86 for storing thedoor 40. In the disassembled state of thestorage box 10, thedoor 40 can be stored in thedoor housing 86. Specifically, the lower end portion of thedoor 40 engages the holdinghook 82B of therear holding claws 82 and the upper end portion of thedoor 40 engages the holdinghook 84B of the front holdingclaws 84, so that thedoor 40 is held in the door housing 86 (seeFig. 8 ). - In the state in which the
door 40 is stored in thedoor housing 86, thehinge portion 42 of thedoor 40 is arranged between the rear holdingclaws 82 and thesecond protrusion 64. In addition, when the upper covers 50 are stacked in this state, the distal end portion of thehandle 44 of thedoor 40 is placed in the mountingrecess 52A of theupper cover 50 on the lower side, so that interference between thehandle 44 of thedoor 40 and theupper cover 50 is avoided. - Subsequently, an operation and effects of the present embodiment will be shown by describing a procedure of nesting the
box bodies 20 and a procedure of assembling thedoor 40 to theupper cover 50 when thestorage box 10 is in a disassembled state. - In the
storage box 10 configured in this manner, thedoor 40 is rotatably provided at the front end portion of thestorage box 10. Therefore, when contents such as shoes are stored in thestorage box 10, the user grips thehandle 44 of thedoor 40 and releases an engaged state between thedoor hook 46 of thedoor 40 and the surroundingwall 54 of theupper cover 50, so that the opening at the front end portion of thestorage box 10 will be opened. Accordingly, the contents such as shoes are stored in thestorage box 10 through the opening. - As illustrated in
Fig. 1A , in order to nest a plurality of thebox bodies 20 in a state in which thestorage box 10 is disassembled, onebox body 20 is placed on top of theother box body 20. Then, the lower end portion of the onebox body 20 is inserted into the interior of the upper end portion of theother box bod 20 from above as illustrated inFig. 10A . In this case, the onebox body 20 is inserted into theother box body 20 with thegroove portion 24A of thefitting target portion 24 of the onebox body 20 aligned with thefitting rib 22 of theother box body 20. At this time, a rear surface of the flange portion 28 (specifically, the front side shoulderedportion 28A) of the onebox body 20 is placed at a position adjacent to the front side of theflange portion 28 of theother box body 20. Accordingly, the flange portion 28 (specifically, the front side shoulderedportion 28A) which constitutes the front end portion of thebox body 20 functions as a positioning portion for determining the relative position between the upper andlower box bodies 20 during the nesting operation. - Then, from the state illustrated in
Fig. 10 (A) , the onebox body 20 is moved downward. Specifically, the onebox body 20 is moved downward with a rear surface of the flange portion 28 (the front side shoulderedportion 28A) of the onebox body 20 moved along a front surface of theflange portion 28 of theother box body 20. Accordingly, the flange portion 28 (the front side shoulderedportion 28A) which constitutes the front end portion of thebox body 20 functions as a guide portion during the nesting operation. - Then, by moving the one
box body 20 downward to a position indicated inFig. 10B , the upper end portion of thefitting rib 22 of theother box body 20 is inserted into thegroove portion 24A of the onebox body 20, and the upper end surface of thefitting rib 22 comes into contact with the upper end surface of thegroove portion 24A. Accordingly, nesting is completed in a state in which the onebox body 20 is supported by thefitting rib 22 of theother box body 20 from the lower side. Then, by repeating the nesting operation described above as illustrated inFig. 1B , a plurality of thebox bodies 20 are nested in the vertical direction (sixbox bodies 20 are nested in the vertical direction in the example illustrated inFig. 1B ). Further, when thebox bodies 20 are nested, theupper box body 20 is placed at a position shifted forward by the front-back distance L1 between thegroove portion 24A and thefitting rib 22 with respect to thelower box body 20. In other words, when thebox bodies 20 are nested, it is not necessary to invert, in the front-back direction, theupper box body 20 with respect to thelower box body 20, and the upper andlower box bodies 20 are placed in the same orientation. Therefore, operability during the nesting operation is improved. - When attaching the
door 40 to theupper cover 50 in a state in which thestorage box 10 is disassembled, thedoor 40 is placed in thedoor housing 86 of thedoor 40. Specifically, thedoor 40 is placed substantially parallel to theupper cover 50 so that the rear surface of thedoor 40 faces the lower surface of theupper cover 50. Also, in this state, thedoor 40 is disposed such that thehinge portion 42 of thedoor 40 is positioned between the rear holdingclaw 82 of theupper cover 50 and thesecond protrusion 64. In this state, when thedoor 40 is moved closer to theupper cover 50, the lower end portion of thedoor 40 comes into contact with the holding hooks 82B of therear holding claws 82, and therear holding claws 82 elastically deform rearward. At this time, the upper end portion of thedoor 40 comes into contact with the holding hooks 84B of the front holdingclaws 84, and the front holdingclaws 84 elastically deform forward. - From this state, when the
door 40 is moved closer to theupper cover 50, the lower end portion of thedoor 40 engages with the holding hooks 82B of therear holding claws 82, and the upper end portion of thedoor 40 engages the holdinghook 84B of the front holdingclaws 84. Accordingly, thedoor 40 is assembled to theupper cover 50 and is held by the upper cover 50 (seeFig. 8 ). - Here, in the
box body 20 of thestorage box 10, thefitting ribs 22 and thefitting target portions 24 used when nesting thebox body 20 are provided on the lower end portion of theside walls 20B of thebox body 20. For this reason, the stability of thebox bodies 20 in the nested state is achieved
In other words, thebox body 20 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening upward and forward. For this reason, in thebox body 20, the upper end portion of thebox body 20 corresponds to an open end, and thus the bending rigidity of theside walls 20B of thebox body 20 is relatively low. Thus, when an external force acts on theside walls 20B of thebox body 20 and theside walls 20B bend in the left-right direction, the upper end portion of theside wall 20B is significantly displaced in the left-right direction. In particular, the amount of displacement at the front end of the upper end portions of theside walls 20B is increased. That is, thebox body 20 formed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening upward and forward has a structure in which the amount of displacement of the upper end portions of theside walls 20B due to the deflection deformation of theside walls 20B is increased. - Therefore, assuming that the fitting portion and the fitting target portion used for nesting the
box bodies 20 are provided at the upper end portions of theside walls 20B of the box bodies 20 (hereinafter, this case is referred to as comparative example), the state of the nestedbox bodies 20 may become unstable. In other words, in thebox bodies 20 in this comparative example, for example, when theside walls 20B of thebox body 20 are subjected to deflection deformation by an external force, the upper end portions of theside walls 20B are significantly displaced. Consequently, in the nested state, the fitting state between the fitting portion and the fitting target portion of thebox bodies 20 may be released. Accordingly, for example, when a plurality of thebox bodies 20 are transported or stored in a nested state, there is a possibility that the nested state of thebox bodies 20 may be broken. - Also, for example, in the case of the
box body 20 of the comparative example, when thebox bodies 20 are nested in three or more stages, it is required to fit the upper end portions of theside walls 20B of thebox bodies 20 in the third and upper stages to the upper end portions of theside walls 20B of thebox bodies 20 in the already nested state. Then, at the time of this fitting operation, an external force acts on the upper end portions of theside walls 20B of thebox bodies 20 in the already nested state from thebox bodies 20 to be newly nested. For this reason, there is a possibility that the fitting state of thebox bodies 20 in the already nested state is released. In this case, it is necessary to fit thenew box body 20 to thelower box bodies 20 with an operation of restoring thebox bodies 20 in the non-fitting state back to the fitting state. Therefore, the operation of nesting thebox bodies 20 may become complicated. - In contrast, according to the
box body 20 of the present embodiment, thefitting ribs 22 and thefitting target portions 24, which are to be used when nesting thebox bodies 20, are provided at the lower end portions of theside walls 20B of thebox body 20. The lower end portions of theside walls 20B are connected to thebottom wall 20A of thebox body 20. In other words, according to the present embodiment, thefitting ribs 22 and thefitting target portions 24 are provided on theside walls 20B at areas subjected to a relatively small amount of displacement. Therefore, the amount of displacement of thefitting ribs 22 and thefitting target portions 24 when theside walls 20B are deformed by deflection can be significantly reduced with respect to the comparative example described above. Therefore, even with thebox body 20 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening upward and forward, the stability of thebox bodies 20 in the nested state is achieved. - Also, in the present embodiment, upper end portions of the
side walls 20B of thebox bodies 20 are not fitted together as in the comparative example. Therefore, even when thebox bodies 20 are nested in three or more stages, it is possible to suppress an external force by thenew box body 20 acting on the upper end portions of theside walls 20B of thebox bodies 20 in the already nested state. Therefore, when anew box body 20 is nested in thebox bodies 20 in the already nested state, unintended release of the fitting state of thebox bodies 20 in the already nested state may be suppressed. Accordingly, unlike the comparative example described above, it is possible to suppress the need for performing the operation of restoring thebox bodies 20 that are in the non-fitting state back to the fitting state again. As a result, suppression of the complexity of the operation of nesting thebox bodies 20 in three or more stages as well as improvement of the operability for the user are both achieved. - Further, in the present embodiment, the
box bodies 20 can be nested together by fitting the upper end portions of thefitting ribs 22 of onebox body 20 into thegroove portion 24A of theother box body 20. In other words, a plurality of thebox bodies 20 can be nested by groove fitting. Therefore, a plurality of thebox bodies 20 can be nested with a simple configuration. - Also, the
fitting ribs 22 protrude widthwise inward of thebox body 20 at the lower end portions of theside walls 20B and extend upward from thebottom wall 20A. Therefore, thefitting ribs 22 also act as reinforcement ribs for theside walls 20B. Therefore, reinforcement of theside walls 20B is achieved by utilizing thefitting ribs 22 used for nesting. - Furthermore, the
fitting ribs 22 protrude widthwise inward of thebox body 20. Therefore, thefitting ribs 22 can be made invisible from the outside of thestorage box 10. Also, thegroove portions 24A of thefitting target portions 24 to which thefitting ribs 22 are fitted are exposed to the outside at a lower corner of the box body 20 (storage box 10). Therefore, in thestorage box 10, thegroove portions 24A exposed to the outside can be disposed at a relatively inconspicuous positions. Furthermore, the depth of the vertical direction in thegroove portion 24A is set smaller than the dimension of the vertical direction of thefitting rib 22. Therefore, the area for providing thegroove portion 24A exposed to outside thestorage box 10 can be made relatively small. As described above, thefitting ribs 22 and the fitting target portions 24 (thegroove portions 24A) can be provided on thebox body 20 with the design of thestorage box 10 maintained. - Further, the upper end surfaces of the
fitting ribs 22 and the upper end surfaces of thegroove portions 24A in thefitting target portions 24 are inclined upward in front view as it goes widthwise inward of thebox body 20. Therefore, when thefitting ribs 22 are fitted in thegroove portions 24A, the upper end surfaces of thefitting ribs 22 and the upper end surfaces of thegroove portions 24A are brought into contact with each other. Accordingly, when nesting a plurality of thebox bodies 20, thefitting ribs 22 and thegroove portions 24A engage in the left-right direction. Therefore, when thefitting rib 22 is in contact with and is fitted to thegroove portion 24A, the nested state is maintained even when a load from above (the longitudinal direction) is applied, and the buckling of thefitting rib 22 is prevented. Therefore, the stability of thebox bodies 20 in the nested state is achieved further reliably. As a result, the fitting state of thefitting ribs 22 and thegroove portions 24A can be maintained desirably. Therefore, the stability of thebox bodies 20 in the nested state is achieved further reliably. - Further, the
upper cover 50 includes thedoor housing 86 for storing thedoor 40 disassembled from thebox body 20 and theholding mechanism 80 for holding thedoor 40. For this reason, in the state in which thestorage box 10 is disassembled, thedoor 40 can be held in the state assembled to theupper cover 50. Accordingly, for example, packaging performance for transporting thestorage boxes 10 in a disassembled state is improved. Further, for example, for storing thestorage box 10 in a disassembled state when thestorage box 10 is not used, storage is achieved with thedoor 40 assembled to theupper cover 50 and stored. Accordingly, the storage performance of theupper cover 50 and thedoor 40 is improved, and the loss of thedoor 40 is prevented. - Also, the holding
mechanism 80 is configured to include therear holding claws 82 and the front holdingclaws 84. Then, therear holding claws 82 engage the lower end portion of thedoor 40, and the front holdingclaws 84 engage the upper end portion of thedoor 40, whereby thedoor 40 is held by theupper cover 50. Therefore, thedoor 40 can be held by theupper cover 50 with a simple configuration. - Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when the upper covers 50 in a state of having the
door 40 assembled are stacked, the distal end portion of thehandle 44 of thedoor 40 is disposed within the mountingrecess 52A of the lowerupper cover 50. Therefore, interference between thedoor 40 and theupper cover 50 is avoided. Therefore, even with a configuration in which thedoor 40 is held by theupper cover 50, thedoor 40 can be held by theupper cover 50 with the stacking performance of theupper cover 50 maintained. - Further, in the
box body 20, the supportingportion 30 for rotatably supporting thedoor 40 is provided at the front end portion of thebottom wall 20A. In addition, the supportingportion 30 is formed in a substantially U shape opening downward in side view, and extends over the entire width of thebox body 20. This makes it possible to reinforce the front end portion of thebox body 20 by utilizing the supportingportion 30 for supporting thedoor 40 in a rotatable manner. In other words, the bending rigidity of the front end portion of thebox body 20 can be increased by utilizing the supportingportion 30, and the rigidity of thewhole box body 20 can be increased accordingly. As a result, the posture of eachbox body 20 in the nested state can be stabilized, and the stability of thebox bodies 20 in the nested state can be further enhanced. - Referring now to
Fig. 11A to Fig. 13 , astorage box 100 as a "storage box" according to a second embodiment will be described. Thestorage box 100 is configured in the same manner as thestorage box 10 of the first embodiment except for the following points. Note that like members of thestorage box 100 those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals inFig. 11A to Fig. 13 . - In other words, the
door 40 of thestorage box 10 of the first embodiment is omitted in thestorage box 100. In addition, in thestorage box 100, adrawer 110 is stored in an interior of astorage section 20D of thebox body 20 in a manner slidably in the front-back direction. Specifically, theentire drawer 110 is stored in the interior of thestorage section 20D (at a position indicated inFig. 11B , and the position of thedrawer 110 will be referred to as a "storage position", hereinafter), thedrawer 110 is configured to slide forward (be drawn) from the storage position. - The
drawer 110 is made of a resin material (polypropylene (PP) in the present embodiment), and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening upward and forward. Specifically, thedrawer 110 includes a substantially rectangular plate-shapedbottom wall 110A having a thickness direction in the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction in the front-back direction, a pair of left andright side walls 110B extending upward from both end portions of thebottom wall 110A in the width direction, and arear wall 110C extending upward from a rear end portion of thebottom wall 110A. An interior of thedrawer 110 is configured to be astorage space 110D for storing contents such as shoes or clothes as an object to be stored. The width dimension of thedrawer 110 is set to be smaller than the width dimension of thebox body 20. The vertical dimension (height dimension) of thedrawer 110 is set to be smaller than the vertical dimension (height dimension) of thebox body 20. - The
side walls 110B of thedrawer 110 are inclined widthwise inward of thedrawer 110 as it goes downward in front view. Therear wall 110C is inclined forward as it goes downward in side view. An angle of inclination of theside walls 110B with respect to the vertical direction is set to be substantially the same as an angle of inclination of therear wall 110C. Accordingly, thedrawer 110 is configured to be nestable so as to allow onedrawer 110 to be stacked in anotherdrawer 110 in the vertical direction (seeFig. 13 ). Specifically, when thedrawers 110 are nested in the vertical direction, thedrawers 110 are nested in the vertical direction with theside walls 110B and therear wall 110C of theupper drawer 110 in contact with theside walls 110B and therear wall 110C of thelower drawer 110. - A
front cover 120 is detachably (removably) attached to a front end portion of thedrawer 110. Accordingly, an opening on the front side of thedrawer 110 is closed with thefront cover 120. Thefront cover 120 is made of a resin material (polypropylene (PP) in the present embodiment), and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening rearward and relatively shallow. A thickness dimension T1 (which is a dimension in the front-back direction, seeFig. 12 ) of thefront cover 120 is set to be smaller than a height dimension H1 (seeFig. 5 ) of thefitting rib 22 of thebox body 20 in the vertical direction. Specifically, The thickness dimension T1 of thefront cover 120 is set to be smaller than the dimension obtained by subtracting a height dimension H2 from the height dimension H1 of thefitting rib 22, where H2 is a height dimension (seeFig. 5 ) from the lower surface of thebox body 20 to the upper end of thegroove portion 24A. - In the second embodiment, the supporting
portion 30 of thebox body 20 is omitted. In the same manner as the first embodiment, thefitting ribs 22 and thefitting target portions 24 in pairs, which are to be used when nesting thebox bodies 20, are provided at front end portions (two places) and rear end portions (two places) of the lower end portions of the left andright side walls 20B of thebox body 20. Therefore, in the second embodiment as well, the stability of thebox bodies 20 in the nested state is achieved as in the first embodiment. - In addition, in the second embodiment, the
drawer 110 is slidably stored in the interior of thestorage section 20D of thestorage box 100. Therefore, predetermined contents such as clothes and shoes can be stored in thestorage space 110D of thedrawer 110 by pulling thedrawer 110 out forward from the storage position. Therefore, improved convenience as the drawer for users is achieved. - In the second embodiment, the
drawers 110 are configured to be nestable in the vertical direction. Therefore, as illustrated inFig. 13 , in a state in which thestorage box 100 is disassembled, the nesteddrawers 110 may be stored in the interior of the uppermost one of the nestedbox bodies 20. Accordingly, for example, in thestorage box 100 having thedrawer 110, improved transportation efficiency of thestorage box 100 and improved storage performance of thestorage box 100 are achieved. - Also, in the second embodiment, the thickness dimension T1 of the
front cover 120 is set to be smaller than the height dimension of thefitting rib 22 of thebox body 20 in the vertical direction. Specifically, the thickness dimension T1 is set to be smaller than the dimension obtained by subtracting the height dimension H2 from the height dimension H1 of thefitting rib 22. Therefore, the thickness dimension T1 of thefront cover 120 is set to be smaller than the distance between thebottom walls 20A of thebox bodies 20 facing each other in the vertical direction when a plurality of thebox bodies 20 are nested. Accordingly, as illustrated inFig. 13 , a plurality of thebox bodies 20 can be nested in the vertical direction with thefront cover 120 placed on thebottom wall 20A of eachbox body 20. Therefore, for example, thestorage box 100 provides further improved transport efficiency and further improved storage performance. - In the second embodiment, the
drawers 110 are configured to be nestable in the vertical direction. However, thedrawer 110 may be provided with thefitting ribs 22 and thefitting target portions 24 in pairs like those on thebox body 20 on lower end portions of theside walls 110B of thedrawer 110 in the second embodiment. Accordingly, the stability of thedrawers 110 in the nested state is increased, and thedrawers 110 may be prevented from being collapsed by an application of a load from above (vertical direction), so that the nested state may be maintained. - Referring now to
Fig. 14 andFig. 15 , a modified example of thestorage box 100 according to the second embodiment will be described. In this modified example, the drawing height of the bottom drawn part 20A1 of thebottom wall 20A of thebox body 20 is larger than those of the first and second embodiments, and the front end of the bottom drawn part 20A1 extends to the front end of thebox body 20. The drawing height of the bottom drawn part 20A1 is set to be larger than the thickness dimension T1 of thefront cover 120 and smaller than the height dimension H1 of thefitting rib 22. Thedrawer 110 is configured to slide over the bottom drawn part 20A1. At the front end portion of the bottom drawn part 20A1 of thebox body 20, a pair of front and rear reinforcement ribs 20A2 extending downward are integrally provided. The reinforcement ribs 20A2 extend in the left-right direction. - The bottom drawn part 20A1 is provided at the center portion thereof with a storage recess 20A3 as a "cover storage section" for storing the
front cover 120. The storage recess 20A3 is formed in a recessed shape protruding downward from the bottom drawn part 20A1 and opening upward, and is formed in a substantially rectangular shape having a longitudinal direction in the front-back direction in plan view. In addition, an outer shape of the storage recess 20A3 in plan view is set to be slightly larger than the outer shape of thefront cover 120, and the storage recess 20A3 is configured to allow storage of thefront cover 120 in the interior thereof. Further, the storage recess 20A3 includes a hole portion 20A4 formed to penetrate through a bottom wall thereof, and the hole portion 20A4 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape which is similar to the storage recess 20A3. In this configuration, when molding thebox body 20 and thefront cover 120 with a mold, composite mold (set mold) is available. The bottom wall of the storage recess 20A3 is disposed at a position slightly above thebottom wall 20A of thebox body 20, and the bottom wall is configured not to protrude downward from thebottom wall 20A of thebox body 20. - As illustrated in
Fig. 15 , in a state in which thestorage box 100 is disassembled, the nesteddrawers 110 may be stored in the interior of the uppermost one of the nestedbox bodies 20 in the modified example of the second embodiment as well. Accordingly, for example, in thestorage box 100 having thedrawer 110, improved transportation efficiency of thestorage box 100 and improved storage performance of thestorage box 100 are achieved. - In the modified example of the second embodiment, the storage recess 20A3 for storing the
front cover 120 is formed on thebottom wall 20A of thebox body 20. Accordingly, a plurality of thebox bodies 20 can be nested in the vertical direction with thefront cover 120 stored and held in the interior of the storage recess 20A3. Therefore, for example, thestorage box 100 may be transported and stored in a state in which thefront cover 120 is stored in the storage recess 20A3 of thebox body 20 in a stable manner. - Referring now to
Fig. 16A to Fig. 18 , astorage box 200 as a "storage box" according to a third embodiment will be described. Thestorage box 200 is configured in the same manner as thestorage box 100 of the second embodiment except for the following points. Note that like members in thestorage box 200 those of the second embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals inFig. 16A to Fig. 18 . - In the other words, in the
storage box 200, thedrawer 110 is formed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening only upward. Therefore, thedrawer 110 is provided with afront wall 110E extending upward from a front end portion of thebottom wall 110A. In the third embodiment, the angles of inclination of theside walls 110B and therear wall 110C of thedrawer 110 with respect to the vertical direction are set to be larger than those of the second embodiment, and are set to be larger than an angle of inclination of thefront wall 110E with respect to the vertical direction. Accordingly, in the third embodiment as well, thedrawer 110 is configured to be nestable in the vertical direction (seeFig. 18 ). Specifically, when a plurality of thedrawers 110 are nested in the vertical direction, thedrawers 110 are nested with theside walls 110B, therear wall 110C, and thefront wall 110E of theupper drawer 110 in contact with theside walls 110B, therear wall 110C, and thefront wall 110E of thelower drawer 110. - In the third embodiment, the drawing height of the bottom drawn part 20A1 of the
bottom wall 20A of thebox body 20 is larger than those of the first and second embodiments, and the front end of the bottom drawn part 20A1 extends to the front end of thebox body 20 in the same manner as the modified example of the second embodiment. Thedrawer 110 is configured to slide over the bottom drawn part 20A1. At the front end portion of the bottom drawn part 20A1 of thebox body 20, the pair of front and rear reinforcement ribs 20A2 extending downward are integrally provided. The reinforcement ribs 20A2 extends in the left-right direction. - Further, in the third embodiment, a shouldered
portion 50A, which is one step lower, is formed on an upper surface of a front end portion of theupper cover 50. - In the third embodiment, a
frame member 210 having a substantially rectangular frame shape is provided at a front end portion of thestorage box 200. Theframe member 210 is made of a resin material (polypropylene (PP) in the present embodiment). Theframe member 210 includes apanel portion 212 of a substantially rectangular plate shape having a thickness direction in the front-back direction, and an outerperipheral wall 214 extending rearward from the outer peripheral edge portion of thepanel portion 212. The reinforcement ribs 20A2 of thebox body 20 and the shoulderedportion 50A of theupper cover 50 are fitted inside the outerperipheral wall 214 of theframe member 210, and theframe member 210 is detachably attached to thebox body 20 and theupper cover 50. - The
panel portion 212 is also provided with aninsertion portion 212A having a substantially rectangular tubular shape, and an interior of theinsertion portion 212A penetrates therethrough in the front-back direction. Theinsertion portion 212A has a similar shape to the shape of thedrawer 110 in front view. When thedrawer 110 is slid, thedrawer 110 is inserted through the interior of theinsertion portion 212A. - A thickness dimension T2 (which is a dimension in the front-back direction, see
Fig. 17 ) of theframe member 210 is set to be smaller than the height dimension H1 (seeFig. 5 ) of thefitting rib 22 of thebox body 20 in the vertical direction. Specifically, the thickness dimension T2 of theframe member 210 is set to be smaller than the dimension obtained by subtracting the height dimension H2 from the lower surface of thebox body 20 to the upper end of thegroove portion 24A from the height dimension H1 of thefitting rib 22. - In the same manner as the first and second embodiments, the
fitting ribs 22 and thefitting target portions 24 in pairs, which are to be used when nesting thebox bodies 20, are provided at front end portions (two places) and rear end portions (two places) at the lower end portions of the left andright side walls 20B of thebox body 20. Therefore, in the third embodiment as well, the stability of thebox bodies 20 in the nested state is achieved as in the first and second embodiments . - In addition, in the third embodiment, the
drawer 110 is slidably stored in an interior of thestorage section 20D of thestorage box 200. Therefore, in the same manner as the second embodiment, contents such as shoes can be stored in thestorage space 110D of thedrawer 110 by pulling thedrawer 110 out forward from the storage position. Therefore, improved convenience for users is achieved. - In the third embodiment, the
drawer 110 is configured to be nestable in the vertical direction. Therefore, as illustrated inFig. 18 , in a state in which thestorage box 200 is disassembled, the nesteddrawers 110 may be stored in the interior of the uppermost one of the nestedbox bodies 20. Accordingly, for example, in thestorage box 200 having thedrawer 110, improved transportation efficiency of thestorage box 200 and improved storage performance of thestorage box 200 are achieved. - In the third embodiment, the
frame member 210 having a substantially rectangular frame shape is provided at a front end portion of thestorage box 200. The reinforcement ribs 20A2 of thebox body 20 and the shoulderedportion 50A of theupper cover 50 are fitted inside the outerperipheral wall 214 of theframe member 210 and theframe member 210 is detachably attached to thebox body 20 and theupper cover 50. Accordingly, reinforcement of the front end portion of thestorage box 200 is achieved by using theframe member 210 configured to close the opening on the front side of thestorage box 200. - Also, in the third embodiment, the thickness dimension T2 of the
frame member 210 is set to be smaller than the height dimension H1 of thefitting rib 22 of thebox body 20 in the vertical direction. Specifically, the thickness dimension T2 of theframe member 210 is set to be smaller than the dimension obtained by subtracting the height dimension H2 from the height dimension H1 of thefitting rib 22. Therefore, the thickness dimension T2 of theframe member 210 is set to be smaller than the distance between thebottom walls 20A (bottom drawn part 20A1) of thebox bodies 20 facing each other in the vertical direction when a plurality of thebox bodies 20 are nested. Accordingly, as illustrated inFig. 18 , a plurality of thebox bodies 20 can be nested in the vertical direction with theframe member 210 placed on thebottom wall 20A (bottom drawn part 20A1) of eachbox body 20. Therefore, for example, further improved transportation efficiency of thestorage box 200 having theframe member 210 and further improved storage performance of thestorage box 200 are achieved. - Referring now to
Fig. 19 andFig. 20 , a modified example of thestorage box 200 according to the third embodiment will be described. In this modified example, the drawing height of the bottom drawn part 20A1 of thebox body 20 is set to be larger than the thickness dimension T2 of theframe member 210. The bottom drawn part 20A1 is provided at the center portion thereof with a storage recess 20A5 as a "frame member storage section" for storing theframe member 210. The storage recess 20A5 is formed in a recessed shape protruding downward from the bottom drawn part 20A1 and opening upward, and is formed in a substantially rectangular shape having a longitudinal direction in the front-back direction in plan view. In addition, an outer shape of the storage recess 20A5 in plan view is set to be slightly larger than the outer shape of theframe member 210, and the storage recess 20A5 is configured to allow storage of theframe member 210. Further, the storage recess 20A5 includes a hole portion 20A6 formed to penetrate through the bottom wall thereof, and the hole portion 20A6 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape which is similar to the storage recess 20A5. In this configuration, when molding thebox body 20 and theframe member 210 with a mold, composite mold (set mold) is available. The bottom wall of the storage recess 20A5 is disposed at a position slightly above thebottom wall 20A of thebox body 20, and the bottom wall is configured not to protrude downward from thebottom wall 20A of thebox body 20. - In a state in which the
storage box 200 is disassembled, the nesteddrawers 110 may be stored in the interior of the uppermost one of the nestedbox bodies 20 in the modified example of the third embodiment as well. Accordingly, for example, in thestorage box 200 having thedrawer 110, improved transportation efficiency of thestorage box 200 and improved storage performance of thestorage box 200 are achieved. - In the modified example of the third embodiment, the storage recess 20A5 for storing the
frame member 210 is formed on thebottom wall 20A of thebox body 20. Accordingly, a plurality of thebox bodies 20 can be nested in the vertical direction with theframe member 210 stored and held in the interior of the storage recess 20A5. Therefore, for example, thestorage box 200 may be transported and stored in a state in which theframe member 210 is stored in the storage recess 20A5 of thebox body 20 in a stable manner. - Note that the first to the third embodiments (including modified examples of the second and third embodiments) propose a fitting structure such that the
fitting ribs 22 of thelower box body 20 are fitted into thegroove portions 24A of theupper box body 20 when thebox bodies 20 are nested. However, the fitting structure is not limited thereto. For example, a configuration in which the fitting ribs of theupper box body 20 fit the groove portions of thelower box body 20 is also applicable. In this case, fitting ribs protruding widthwise outward of thebox body 20 are formed at lower end portions of theside walls 20B of thebox body 20. Further, at the lower end portions of theside walls 20B of thebox body 20, fitting target portions having a groove portion opening widthwise inward of thebox body 20 protrude widthwise inward of thebox body 20 from the lower end portions of theside walls 20B. - In the first to the third embodiments (including the modified examples of the second and third embodiments), the upper end surfaces of the
fitting ribs 22 of thebox body 20 and the upper end surfaces of thegroove portions 24A are disposed so as to incline upward as it goes inward in the width direction of thebox body 20 in front view. However, the upper end surfaces of thefitting ribs 22 and the upper end surfaces of thegroove portions 24A may be formed along a surface orthogonal to the vertical direction (that is, a horizontal surface). - In the first embodiment, the holding
mechanism 80 for holding thedoor 40 on theupper cover 50 includes therear holding claws 82 and the front holdingclaws 84 configured to engage the outer periphery of thedoor 40. However, the configuration of theholding mechanism 80 is not limited thereto. For example, in theholding mechanism 80, one of therear holding claws 82 and the front holdingclaws 84 may be omitted and instead of the omitted holding claws, a hook-like member configured to lock the outer peripheral end portion of thedoor 40 may be provided on theupper cover 50. - In the first to the third embodiments (including the modified examples of the second and the third embodiments), the
box body 20, thedoor 40, theupper cover 50, thedrawer 110, thefront cover 120, and theframe member 210 are made of PP. However, these members may be made of a resin material such as ABS and PE. - In the first to the third embodiments (including the modified examples of the second and the third embodiments), plate thicknesses of the
box body 20, thedoor 40, theupper cover 50, thedrawer 110, thefront cover 120, and theframe member 210 are not specifically limited. However, the plate thicknesses of these members may be set in a range from 0.5 mm to 6 mm, preferably from 0.6 mm to 3.5 mm, more preferably from 0.8 mm to 2.5 mm. In a case where these members are made of ABS, the plate thicknesses of these members may range from 0.5 mm to 1.6 mm. - In the first to the third embodiments (including the modified examples of the second and the third embodiments), pairs of the
fitting ribs 22 and thefitting target portions 24 are provided on the front end portions and the rear end portions of the lower end portions of theside walls 20B of thebox bodies 20. However, the pairs of thefitting ribs 22 and thefitting target portions 24 may be provided at positions depending on the size of the entire storage box. The pairs of thefitting rib 22 and thefitting target portion 24 may be provided either one of the front and the rear, that is, only at the front (two places on the left and right) or only at the rear (two places on the left and right) at the lower end portions of the left andright side walls 20B of thebox bodies 20, or may be provided only near the intermediate portions in the front-back direction (two places on the left and right). - In the second embodiment, the
front cover 120 is detachably attached to the front end portion of thedrawer 110, and in the third embodiment, theframe member 210 is detachably attached to thebox body 20 and theupper cover 50. However, the storage box may be configured to have a combined configuration including the second embodiment and the third embodiment. In other words, such a configuration is also applicable in which thedrawer 110 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape opening forward and upward, thefront cover 120 is provided at the front end portion of thedrawer 110, and theframe member 210 is attached to thebox body 20 and theupper cover 50. In this case, in the same manner as the modified example of the third embodiment, the storage recess 20A5 may be formed in thebottom wall 20A of thebox body 20 to store thefront cover 120 and theframe member 210 in the interior of the storage recess 20A5 during the operation of nesting a plurality of thebox bodies 20. - The
storage boxes storage boxes storage boxes -
- 10
- Storage box
- 20
- Box body
- 20A3
- Storage recess (cover storage section)
- 20A5
- Storage recess (frame member storage section)
- 20D
- Storage section
- 22
- Fitting rib (fitting portion)
- 24
- Fitting target portion
- 24A
- Groove portion
- 40
- Door (lid)
- 50
- Upper cover
- 80
- Holding mechanism
- 82
- Rear holding claw (holding claw)
- 82B
- Holding hook
- 84
- Front holding claw (holding claw)
- 100
- Storage box
- 110
- Drawer
- 120
- Front cover
- 200
- Storage box
- 210
- Frame member
Claims (11)
- A storage box comprising:a box body(20) formed into a box shape opening upward and forward, the box body(20) having an interior configured as a storage section(20D); andan upper cover(50) detachably attached to the box body(20), the upper cover(50) being configured to close an opening on an upper side of the box body(20), characterized in thatthe box body(20) is configured to be nestable with another box body(20) in such a manner as to allow the box bodies to be stacked in a vertical direction,anda lower end portion of a side wall of the box body(20) includes a fitting portion(22) and a fitting target portion(24) formed to be fitted to each other when the box bodies are nested.
- The storage box according to claim 1, wherein
the fitting portion(22) protrudes widthwise inward of the box body(20) from the side wall and is formed into a rib shape extending in the vertical direction,
the fitting target portion(24) includes a groove portion(24A) opening widthwise outward of the box body(20) and downward, and
when the box bodies are nested, an upper end portion of the fitting portion(22) of the box body(20) disposed below is inserted into an interior of the groove portion(24A) of the box body(20) disposed above. - The storage box according to claim 2, wherein an upper end surface of the fitting portion(22) and an upper end surface of the groove portion(24A) are inclined upward in front view as they go widthwise inward of the box body(20).
- The storage box according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a lid(40) that is detachably attached to the box body(20) for opening and closing an opening on a front side of the box body(20), wherein
the upper cover(50) is provided with a holding mechanism(80) on a lower surface of the upper cover(50), and
the holding mechanism(80) holds the lid(40) in a state of being detached from the box body(20). - The storage box according to claim 4, wherein the holding mechanism(80) includes a holding claw(82, 84) engageable with an outer peripheral edge portion of the lid(40).
- The storage box according to any one of claims 4 and 5, further comprising:a supporting portion(30) at a front end portion of a bottom wall of the box body(20), the supporting portion(30) being configured to rotatably support the lid(40), whereinthe supporting portion(30) is formed in a recessed shape opening downward in side view, and extends over an entire width of the box body(20).
- The storage box according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:a drawer(110) slidably stored in the storage section so as to be movable in the front-back direction, the drawer(110) being formed into a box shape opening upward and forward or upward, whereinthe drawer(110) is configured to be nestable with another drawer(110) in such a manner as to allow the drawers(110) to be stacked in the vertical direction.
- The storage box according to claim 7, wherein
the drawer(110) is formed into a box-shape opening upward and forward,
a front cover is detachably attached to the drawer(110),
the front cover closes the opening on the front side of the drawer(110), and
the front cover has a thickness dimension smaller than a height dimension of the fitting portion(22) in the vertical direction. - The storage box according to claim 7, wherein
the drawer(110) is formed into a box shape opening upward and forward,
a front cover is detachably attached to the drawer(110),
the front cover closes the opening on the front side of the drawer(110),
the bottom wall of the box body(20) is provided with a cover storage section(20A3), and
the cover storage section(20A3) is configured to store the front cover in a state of being detached from the drawer(110). - The storage box according to claim 7, further comprising:a frame member (210)configured to cover the box body(20) and the upper cover(50), the frame member(210) being detachably attached to front end portions of the boxy body and the upper cover(50),the frame member(210) being provided with an insertion portion that allows insertion of the drawer(110) when the drawer(110) is slid, whereinthe frame member(210) has a thickness dimension smaller than a height dimension of the fitting portion(22) in the vertical direction.
- The storage box according to claim 7, further comprising:a frame member(210) configured to cover the box body(20) and the upper cover(50), the frame member(210) being detachably attached to front end portions of the boxy body and the upper cover(50),the frame member(210) being provided with an insertion portion that allows insertion of the drawer(110) when the drawer(110) is slid, whereinthe bottom wall of the box body(20) is provided with a frame member(210) storage section(20A5), and the cover storage section(20A3) is configured to store the frame member(210) in a state of being detached from the box body(20) and the upper cover(50).
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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JP2018041399 | 2018-03-08 | ||
JP2019021343A JP6568330B1 (en) | 2018-03-08 | 2019-02-08 | Storage box |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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EP3536626A1 EP3536626A1 (en) | 2019-09-11 |
EP3536626B1 true EP3536626B1 (en) | 2020-10-28 |
Family
ID=66290167
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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EP19161193.8A Active EP3536626B1 (en) | 2018-03-08 | 2019-03-07 | Storage box |
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Families Citing this family (1)
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CN112937452B (en) * | 2021-03-18 | 2024-02-06 | 南方佛吉亚汽车部件有限公司 | Armrest box with detachable sliding storage box |
Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US20170137173A1 (en) * | 2015-11-12 | 2017-05-18 | Akro-Mils, A Division Of Myers Industries, Inc. | Hanging, stackable and nestable industrial bin |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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FR1292340A (en) * | 1961-03-22 | 1962-05-04 | Shopping crate | |
US3534866A (en) * | 1968-12-30 | 1970-10-20 | Shell Oil Co | Stacking and nesting bin box |
DE29900982U1 (en) * | 1999-01-21 | 2000-07-06 | Emil Lux GmbH & Co KG, 42929 Wermelskirchen | Containers for the storage of small parts |
JP2010189005A (en) | 2009-01-20 | 2010-09-02 | Owada Ko | Shoes packaging box |
CN205060459U (en) * | 2015-09-02 | 2016-03-02 | 方光明 | Combined shoe box |
-
2019
- 2019-03-07 EP EP19161193.8A patent/EP3536626B1/en active Active
Patent Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20170137173A1 (en) * | 2015-11-12 | 2017-05-18 | Akro-Mils, A Division Of Myers Industries, Inc. | Hanging, stackable and nestable industrial bin |
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