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(11) | EP 0 798 227 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Box and connecting means intended therefor |
| (57) The invention relates to a box comprising a container which is hingedly connected
to a lid (14), which in the closed position can be freely removed from the container
from inside, characterized by connecting means (22,24,26) which connect the lid (14)
to the container in all positions other than the closed position. This box complies with i.a. NEN-EN 71-1, which specifies safety requirements for toys. Furthermore, the box includes deformable parts which prevent fingers from being pinched under the lid when the lid is closed. |
[0001] The invention relates to a box comprising a container which by means of one or more hinges is hingedly connected to a lid, which hinges allow unhindered removal of the lid in all positions of the lid.
[0002] Such a box for storing toys is known as the "Pirate-box"® marketed by Messrs Curver. This box consists of a container which is connected to a lid by means of three hinges.
[0003] Since such a box is used as a toy, it must comply with safety standard NEN EN 71-1. This standard requires that it be possible for a toy that can hold a child and is provided with a lid to be easily opened from inside, that is, with a force not exceeding 50 N. In that standard, "to open" means to open by means of translation as well as to open by means of rotation of the lid.
[0004] The "Pirate-Box" complies with this requirement in that the hinges each consist of two interacting hinge parts with the first hinge part consisting of a hinge pin attached to a container sidewall and a second hinge part attached to the lid, consisting of a profile in which there is a recess which accurately encloses the hinge pin over half of its circumferential surface. This construction allows the closed lid to be freely opened from inside in all positions of the lid.
[0005] A drawback of the known box is that the lid, when in any other than the closed position, for example during opening, also easily detaches from the container.
[0007] This object of the invention is achieved in that connecting means are present that do not form part of the hinges and that provide a connection between the lid and the container in all positions other than the closed position.
[0008] The box of the invention in closed condition permits unhindered removal of the lid from the container while the connecting means preclude such unhindered removal in all positions other than the closed position of the lid.
[0009] Where in the foregoing and hereafter mention is made of the closed position of the lid, this should be understood to mean all those positions of the lid in which it seals the container or in which it is opened at an angle of at most 20°. Where in the foregoing and hereafter mention is made of the opening of the lid, this should be understood to mean the hingedly opening of the lid unless otherwise indicated.
[0010] Where in the foregoing and hereafter mention is made of unhindered in relation to removal of the lid, this should be understood to mean that the hinge parts and the means of attachment either do not offer any resistance to the lid-to-container connection being released or offer a resistance of at most 50 N.
[0011] Where in the foregoing and hereafter mention is made of all positions other than the closed position of the lid, this should be understood to mean all positions which the lid can assume between the closed position and a maximum opening angle allowed by the construction of the lid and the container.
[0012] The box comprises a lid and a container, which container generally consists of a bottom and container sidewalls and has an open top plane. The container sidewalls may or may not be flanged at the side of the top plane. The lid generally has a flanged edge. The box is made of, for example, plastic. Generally, one of the container sidewalls is connected to the lid by means of one or more hinges. The hinges generally consist of two interacting hinge parts. These consist of, for example, a first hinge part consisting of at least a hinge pin and a second hinge part comprising a profile in which there is situated a U-shaped recess which is open on one side and which accurately encloses the hinge pin over at least a portion of its circumferential surface.
[0013] The connecting means which in all positions other than the closed position provide a connection between the lid and the container do not form part of one or more hinges.
[0014] The hinges must allow unhindered removal of the lid from the container in all positions of the lid.
[0015] The hinges may consist of, for example, a first hinge part comprising a profile in which there is situated a U-shaped recess which is open on one side and which accurately encloses a second hinge part consisting of a hinge pin over not more than half of the circumferential surface, as is known from the "Pirate-box". The hinge pin, which preferably is attached to the container, is enclosed by the profile on the side facing away from the bottom of the box and must allow of being brought into the recess without resistance. In that case, the connecting means separate from the hinges may consist of, for example, a pawl attached to the lid or to the edge, if present, of the lid, which pawl rotates behind a lip or bracket attached to the container as the lid is opened. It is preferred for there to be no contact between the pawl and the lip or bracket when the pawl rotates behind the lip or bracket so that the connection is established completely or practically frictionlessly and without material deformation.
[0016] An advantage of connecting means which establish the connection between the lid and the container completely or practically frictionlessly is that they pose no resistance to the opening of the lid so that the lid can easily be opened by, for example, children. A further advantage of the fact that the connecting means establish the connection completely or practically frictionlessly is that, when the lid is opened, they do not transmit a couple to the container so that an empty, if of plastic construction often light, container remains upright. Connecting means that do transmit a couple to the container will tend to cause an empty container to turn over.
An advantage of the fact that the connecting means establish the connection without any material deformation is particularly important with boxes of which the lid-to-container connection is established frequently, which in the case of toys will often be the case as a result of frequent opening and closing of the lid. Repeated establishment of the lid-to-container connection by material deformation eventually causes failure of the connection as a result of wear, stress relaxation or fatigue of the material used. This phenomenon does not arise in the box of the invention.
[0017] It is preferred for the box of the invention to incorporate connecting means which include deformable components which release the lid-to-container connection under the influence of a force which acts on a hinge point of the lid, is at a right angle to the plane of the lid and is directed away from the lid.
[0018] Such a force arises when closure of the lid is prevented by there being an object present between a container sidewall and the lid. Such a force also arises when opening of the lid is prevented by there being an object present between the lid or an edge present on the lid and the container sidewall situated on the hinge side.
[0019] The deformability of the components which ensure that the lid-to-container connection is released on exertion of a force prevents (children's) fingers from being pinched when the lid is closed or fully opened.
[0020] Where in the foregoing and hereafter mention is made of deformable components, this should be understood to mean components that undergo elastic deformation under the influence of the forces described above. Such deformation must cause mutual displacement of the two parts that make up the rotatable latch, as a result of which deformation the lid-to-container connection is released.
[0021] Where in the foregoing and hereafter mention is made of the plane of the lid, this should be understood to mean a plane connected to the lid, which plane forms the top plane of the container when the lid is in the closed position.
[0022] Preferably, use is made of a lid with a flanged edge. Attaching the pawl at the extremity of the edge allows the edge to function as a deformable component. This edge can undergo elastic deformation under the influence of the force exerted on the pawl so that the pawl disengages from the lip or bracket and the lid-to-container connection is released.
[0023] The advantage of using the flanged edge as a deformable component is that the deformation needed for the release can take place in a relatively large area. Consequently, the amount of deformation in any one place is only slight, so that the risk of stress relaxation is limited and the connection can be released more often without the force required for deforming the edge and so releasing the connection becoming too small, as a result of which the lid would detach from the container too easily in positions other than the closed position. This advantage, too, is particularly important with boxes in which the lid-to-container connection is frequently undone, as in the case of toys.
[0024] The force at which the connection is released depends on the shape of the lid's edge and on whether or not the container sidewall is flanged on the side of the top plane. The force at which the connection is released can readily be determined on the basis of the shape chosen so as to prevent any risk of (children's) fingers being pinched between the lid and the container sidewall from arising when the lid is closed. Here, a balance should be struck between the risk of injury from piching and too easy detachment of the lid in any position other than the closed position. Preferably, the maximum force at which the lid-to-container connection is released is between 1 and 50 N.
[0025] Serious injury as a result of pinching during closure of the lid is prevented by releasing the lid-to-container connection in any event at a force exceeding 50 N. A force of at least 1 N is required so as to prevent the lid-to-container connection from being released too easily when the lid is opened. To prevent any risk of pinching the maximum force at which the lid-to-container connection is released preferably is between 10 and 40 N, more preferably between 20 and 30 N.
[0026] This ensures a good connection between the lid and the container in all positions other than the closed position of the lid, with hardly any risk of injury from fingers being pinched.
[0027] The force at which the lid should be released in order to prevent the risk of injury depends on the shape chosen for the edge of the lid and on whether or not the container sidewall is flanged on the side of the top plane. If the edges of the container sidewall and the lid are not flanged, in which case the edges will often be sharp, the lid-to-container connection preferably is released at a maximum force of 1 N. In case all edges are flanged and the risk of injury as a result of pinching is clearly smaller, the lid-to-container connection can be released at a maximum force of 50 N.
Depending on the shape chosen, it is preferred for the maximum force at which the lid-to-container connection is released and at which there is no risk of injury from pinching to be chosen as high as possible inasmuch as the lid then detaches less easily from the container.
[0028] Release of the lid-to-container connection at a certain maximum force between 1 and 50 N can generally be achieved by a suitable choice of the stiffness of the deformable parts. The desired stiffness can readily be adjusted by the choice of the material from which the box is manufactured or by varying the geometry of the deformable parts.
[0029] If the deformable parts consist of the flanged edge on the lid, the desired stiffness can readily be adjusted by varying the thickness of the edge or by providing one or more reinforcing ribs on the edge at the location of the pawl.
[0030] Preferably, means can also be provided on the lid, the container or the connecting means that confine the angle through which the lid can be opened.
[0031] This, in conjunction with the deformable parts that release the lid-to-container connection, ensures that the lid-to-container connection is also released when an attempt is made to open the lid beyond a maximum angle permitted by the construction of the lid and the container. This prevents the risk of pinching from arising when one or more fingers are present on the side of the hinge parts between the container sidewall and the outside of the lid. When pinching takes place on the outside of the lid, the distance to the angle of rotation in general is smaller than when pinching takes place during closure; consequently, the pinching forces are larger, and the provision of means that confine the angle through which the lid can be opened is to be preferred to further limitation of the force at which the lid-to-container connection is released. The latter might lead to the force at which the lid-to-container connection is released becoming smaller than necessary for preventing fingers being pinched as the lid is closed.
[0032] A further advantage of the means that permit a confined opening angle of the lid is that the lid-to-container connection is undone before any risk arises of parts that make up the rotatable latch breaking off.
[0033] Another advantage of the means that permit a confined opening angle of the lid is that they enable the projection of the centre of gravity of the opened lid to be chosen so near to the container that the container, even when empty, with the lid in open position will not fall over as a result of the weight of the opened lid.
[0034] These means may be for example stops provided on the lid or on the container or on parts of the connecting means of the invention.
[0035] Preferably, the angle through which the lid can be opened is confined to an angle sufficiently large to cause the projection of the lid's centre of gravity to fall outside the line around which the lid rotates so that the opened lid remains in the open position without any additional provisions. Here, a balance should be struck between the angle at which the projection of the opened lid's centre of gravity is so near to the container that the container, even when empty, will not fall over with the lid in open position and the angle at which the opened lid remains in open position without any additional provisions.
[0036] Both of the aforementioned preferences are usually satisfied by a maximum opening angle which lies between 80° and 120° from the closed position of the lid.
[0037] Depending on the size and the weight of the lid, a plurality of hinges and/or connecting means can be applied. In general, at least two hinges and two connecting means of the invention are applied for attachment of a lid to a container.
[0038] Other characteristics and advantages will be apparent from the following description, reference being made to the attached drawings.
In the drawings,
Figure 1 is a plan view of an opened lid and a container sidewall at the location of an embodiment of the connecting means of the box;
Figure 2 is a cross-section along line A-A in Figure 1 with the lid in open position;
Figure 3 is a cross-section along line B-B in Figure 1 with the lid in open position;
Figure 4 is a corresponding cross-section as in Figure 2 with the lid in closed position;
Figure 5 is a corresponding cross-section as in Figure 3 with the lid in closed position;
Figure 6 is a cross-section along line C-C in Figure 4 and Figure 5.
Figure 7 is the same cross-section as in Figure 2 with the lid opened to approximately 35°;
Figure 8 is the same cross-section as in Figure 3 with the lid opened to approximately 35°;
[0039] In Figure 1, 2 is a sidewall of a container with flanged container sidewall 4. Hinge pin 10 is secured in a recess 6 in the flanged container sidewall. The edge 12 of the lid 14 is provided with two ribs 18 which are connected to one another through a wall 16. Figure 2 shows two hinge parts: a first hinge part consisting of a profile 18 in which there are present U-shaped recess 20 which is open on one side and a second hinge part which contains the hinge pin 10.
Figure 1 further shows that the edge of the lid is also provided with two ribs 22. This part of the container can also be seen in Figure 3. To the ribs 22 is attached the pawl 24, which in the open position is situated behind the lip 26 on the flanged top edge 4. Figure 3 also shows a wall 28 which connects the lid to the container and which in this design, together with the edge 12, forms part of the deformable part which under the influence of a force causes a mutual displacement of the pawl and the lip, causing the lid-to-container connection to be released. The ribs 22 ensure that the pawl 24 is not deformed when the lid is subjected to a force but that the deformation needed for release of the connection takes place in the flanged edge 4 or/and in the edge 28 of the lid. These ribs also ensure that the stiffness of the deformable parts is sufficiently high so as to release the lid-to-container connection only at a force of between 1 and 50 N. Figure 3 also shows a stop 36, which confines the opening angle of the lid to approx. 90°. In Figure 4, the two hinge parts can be seen with the lid in closed position. Figure 4 shows how the U-shaped recess 20 encloses the hinge pin 10 on the top side and leaves it clear at the underside.
This figure shows that the lid, when in closed position, can be freely removed. Figure 6 shows the position of a stop 36 and the ribs 30 and 32, which are connected by shaft 10. The ribs 32 and 34, together with lip 26, make up a latch behind which pawl 24 rotates when the lid is opened.
In Figure 8 can be seen that the pawl 24 rotates behind lip 26 when the lid is closed.
1. Box comprising a container which by means of one or more hinges is hingedly connected
to a lid, which hinges allow unhindered removal of the lid in all positions of the
lid, characterized in that connecting means are present that do not form part of the
hinges and that provide a connection between the lid and the container in all positions
other than the closed position.
2. Box according to Claim 1 characterized in that the connecting means include deformable
parts which release the lid-to-container connection under the influence of a force
which acts on a hinge point of the lid, is at a right angle to the plane of the lid
and is directed away from the lid.
3. Box according to Claim 2 characterized in that the deformable parts release the lid-to-container
connection at a maximum force which lies between 1 and 50 N.
4. Box according to either of Claims 2 and 3, provided with means of confining the angle
through which the lid can be opened.
5. Box provided with connections as substantially described and illustrated in the drawings.
6. Connecting means applicable in a box according to any one of the foregoing claims.