U.S. patent application number 12/389333 was filed with the patent office on 2009-09-10 for interlocking container.
This patent application is currently assigned to LOCK & LOCK Co., Ltd. Invention is credited to Chang Ho Kim.
Application Number | 20090223853 12/389333 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40548859 |
Filed Date | 2009-09-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090223853 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kim; Chang Ho |
September 10, 2009 |
INTERLOCKING CONTAINER
Abstract
The present invention relates to an interlocking container that
has a wing provided on the exterior wall of a container body
containing contents and fixes the other container body interlocked
above the container body by means of the wing. The interlocking
container includes a container body that includes a projecting
portion bent downward, which is provided at the circumference of an
exterior wall, a first groove grooved at an upper end of the
projecting portion in a predetermined depth, and a hill portion
that is provided at an entrance of the first groove and projects
from an upper end of the projecting portion; a wing that includes a
pair of hinges projecting at one side of the exterior wall, a
support body hinge-coupled with the hinge, and a fixation
projecting piece projecting on one end of the support body to form
a predetermined angle to the support body, which fits in the first
groove through the fixation projecting piece; and a cover that
includes the projecting portion provided at the circumference of
the exterior wall and the hill portion provided on the top surface
of the projecting portion, which covers the upper part of the
container body. According to the present invention, fastening force
between interlocked containers is improved, contents stored in the
container are prevented from being leaked to the outside, and a
lifespan is also increased.
Inventors: |
Kim; Chang Ho; (Seoul,
KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
AMPACC LAW GROUP
3500 188th St. SW
Lynnwood
WA
98037
US
|
Assignee: |
LOCK & LOCK Co., Ltd
Asan
KR
|
Family ID: |
40548859 |
Appl. No.: |
12/389333 |
Filed: |
February 19, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/509 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 45/22 20130101;
B65D 21/0213 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/509 |
International
Class: |
B65D 21/00 20060101
B65D021/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 7, 2008 |
KR |
10-2008-0021396 |
Claims
1. An interlocking container, comprising: a first container body
having walls defining an opening at a top surface, the first
container body having a projecting portion provided proximate an
outer surface of the walls and extending downward, a first groove
provided at an upper end of the projecting portion, and a hill
portion projecting upward from the upper end of the projecting
portion and defining the first groove; a wing having a pair of
hinges projecting at one side of the exterior wall, a support body
hinge coupled with the hinge, and a fixation projecting piece
projecting on one end of the support body to form a predetermined
angle with respect to the support body, the fixation projecting
piece configured to be secured to a first groove of a second
container body; and a cover having a projecting portion provided
proximate an edge of the cover and extending downward, a first
groove provided at an upper end of the projecting portion, and a
hill portion projecting upward from the upper end of the projecting
portion and defining the first groove, the cover being configured
to cover the opening of the first container body.
2. The interlocking container according to claim 1, wherein the
first container body includes: a second groove defined by the walls
of the first container body and the projecting portion; and a
packing made of a flexible material provided within the second
groove.
3. The interlocking container according to claim 1, wherein the
wing further includes a handle provided in the support body.
4. The interlocking container according to claim 1, wherein the
first container body further includes a joining fixation portion
that connects the hinge formed on one surface of the first
container body with the hinge formed on the other surface of the
first container body in order to fix the container body.
5. The interlocking container according to claim 1, wherein the
interlocking container is molded by a plastic material and is
transparent.
6. The interlocking container according to claim 1, wherein the
cover includes a grippable handle mounted on a top surface
thereof.
7. An interlocking container, comprising: a container body having a
lip provided proximate an upper portion of the container body and
and a bottom provided proximate a lower portion of the container
body, the lip defining an opening of the container body, the bottom
being configured to be inserted into an opening of another
container body to be placed below the container body; a wing
provided proximate the upper portion of the container body and
having a latch ; and a projecting component provided proximate the
lower portion of the container body, the projecting component
having an upper groove and a lower groove, the upper groove being
configured to receive a latch of a wing of the another container
body to be placed below the container body, the lower groove having
an elastic material therein to receive a lip of the another
container body to be placed below the container body.
8. The interlocking container of claim 7, wherein the bottom of the
container body has length and width that are smaller than length
and width of the opening of the another container body.
9. The interlocking container of claim 7, wherein the opening of
the container body is configured to receive a bottom of another
container body to be placed on top of the container body, and
wherein the latch of the wing of the container body is configured
to be secured to an upper groove of the another container body to
be placed on top of the container body.
10. The interlocking container of claim 7, wherein the latch of the
of the wing of the container body is configured to be secured to a
groove of a lid to securely enclose the opening of the container
body with the lid.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The present invention relates to an interlocking container.
More particularly, the present invention relates to an interlocking
container that has a wing provided on the exterior wall of a
container body containing contents and fixes the other container
body interlocked above the container body by means of the wing.
[0003] 2. Related Art
[0004] In general, a container body containing food is molded by
synthetic resin, heat-resistant glass, heat-resistant ceramics,
etc. which are materials permitted for food storage. Among them,
the product molded by the synthetic resin can be mass-produced, is
low-priced, and is convenient to handle, as a result the product
molded by the synthetic resin is most widely used. Locking devices
are provided in a main body and a cover of the container in order
to safely keep and store food stored in an airtight container and
prevent the food from being leaked.
[0005] A plurality of suspension projections projecting outward
from an edge of the container body are formed in the container body
at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction. Locking
wings which are rotatable up and down around a hinge are formed in
the cover and coupling holes into which the suspension projections
of the container body are inserted are formed in the locking wings.
In the container, the suspension projections are elastically
inserted into and coupled to the coupling holes of the locking wing
by rotating and pressing each of the locking wings to the container
body in a state in which an opening of the container body is
covered with the cover. However, since the coupling holes of the
locking wings are not completely coupled with the suspension
projections of the container body, fastening force between the
containers is loose, which results in the stored contents
frequently being discharged to the outside in the known
container.
[0006] In addition, it is very difficult to form the known
container in multiple layers. As less people eat at home and the
size of the family decreases, various foods are cooked in smaller
portions more frequently than cooking one type of food in a large
amount at home. Therefore, the number of kinds of the stored food
increases. In this case, several containers are required rather
than the container's own size. However, in the case when several
containers are used, several containers occupy too much space
inside of a refrigerator. As a result, a multi-layered container in
which several container bodies can be interlocked while only one
cover is used is required. However, in the case when the container
is molded to interlock the containers in multiple layers, a packing
must be disposed on each of the container bodies in addition to the
cover in order to improve airtightness of each container body. The
multi-layered container must have a structure in which the packing
can be disposed on the cover and each container body. However, the
known container does not have such a structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention is contrived to solve the
above-mentioned problems. An object of the present invention is to
provide an interlocking container that has grooves grooved at a
projecting portion in a predetermined depth through the projecting
portion formed on the exterior wall of a container body and a hill
portion for closing a part of each of the grooves in the container
body and fixation projecting pieces that are inserted into the
grooves and are suspended by the hill portion to prevent food from
being leaked in a wing.
[0008] Further, another object of the present invention is to
provide an interlocking container that considers the aesthetics by
disposing a packing in the projecting portion of the container body
and the grooves formed on the exterior wall of the container
body.
[0009] The present invention is contrived to achieve the
above-mentioned objects. There is provided an interlocking
container that includes a container body that includes a projecting
portion bent downward, which is provided at the circumference of an
exterior wall, a first groove grooved at an upper end of the
projecting portion in a predetermined depth, and a hill portion
that is provided at an entrance of the first groove and projects
from an upper end of the projecting portion; a wing that includes a
pair of hinges projecting at one side of the exterior wall, a
support body hinge-coupled with the hinge, and a fixation
projecting piece projecting on one end of the support body to form
a predetermined angle to the support body, which fits in the first
groove through the fixation projecting piece; and a cover that
includes the projecting portion provided at the circumference of
the exterior wall and the hill portion provided on the top surface
of the projecting portion, which covers the upper part of the
container body.
[0010] Preferably, the container body has a flexible packing
provided in a second groove that is formed by the exterior wall and
the projecting portion.
[0011] Preferably, the wing further includes a handle provided on
one surface of the support body and the container body further
includes a joining fixation portion that connects the hinge formed
on one surface of the container body with the hinge formed on the
other surface of the container body in order to fix the container
body.
[0012] Preferably, the interlocking container is molded by a
plastic material and is transparent.
[0013] Preferably, the cover includes a grippable handle mounted on
the top surface thereof.
[0014] In one embodiment, an interlocking container comprises a
container body having a lip provided proximate an upper portion of
the container body and and a bottom provided proximate a lower
portion of the container body. The lip defines an opening of the
container body. The bottom is configured to be inserted into an
opening of another container body to be placed below the container
body. The interlocking container further includes a wing provided
proximate the upper portion of the container body and having a
latch. The interlocking container further includes projecting
component provided proximate the lower portion of the container
body. The projecting component has an upper groove and a lower
groove, the upper groove being configured to receive a latch of a
wing of the another container body to be placed below the container
body, the lower groove having an elastic material therein to
receive a lip of the another container body to be placed below the
container body.
[0015] In yet another embodiment, the bottom of the container body
has length and width that are smaller than length and width of the
opening of the another container body.
[0016] In yet another embodiment, the opening of the container body
is configured to receive a bottom of another container body to be
placed on top of the container body, wherein the latch of the wing
of the container body is configured to be secured to an upper
groove of the another container body to be placed on top of the
container body.
[0017] The present invention takes the following effects in
accordance with the above-mentioned configuration. First, it is
possible to remarkably improve a fastening force between containers
interlocked through grooves formed in a container body and a
fixation projecting pieces formed in a wing. It is possible to
increase a lifespan of the interlocking container by preventing
movement of the interlocking container and preventing a wearing
phenomenon generated due to fiction between the containers through
inserting a packing into a gap between the exterior wall and the
projecting portion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an interlocking container
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an interlocking
container according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a major part in a state before
one surface of an interlocking container is joined according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a major part in a state after
one surface of an interlocking container is joined according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a container body shown
in FIG. 2 taken along the line A-A' according to an embodiment of
the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a cover shown in FIG. 2
taken along the line B-B' according to an embodiment of the present
invention; and
[0024] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an interlocking container
according to another embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0025] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention
will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying
drawings. First of all, we should note that in giving reference
numerals to elements of each drawing, like reference numerals refer
to like elements even though like elements are shown in different
drawings. Further, in describing the present invention, well-known
functions or constructions will not be described in detail since
they may unnecessarily obscure the understanding of the present
invention. Hereinafter, the preferred embodiment of the present
invention will be described, but it will be understood to those
skilled in the art that the spirit and scope of the present
invention are not limited thereto and various modifications and
changes can be made.
[0026] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an interlocking container
according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an
exploded perspective view of an interlocking container according to
an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view
of a major part in a state before one surface of an interlocking
container is joined according to an embodiment of the present
invention. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a major part in a state
after one surface of an interlocking container is joined according
to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a
cross-sectional view of a container body shown in FIG. 2 taken
along the line A-A' according to an embodiment of the present
invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a cover shown in
FIG. 2 taken along the line B-B' according to an embodiment of the
present invention. Hereinafter, an interlocking container according
to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with
reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.
[0027] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the interlocking container 100
according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a
container body 110, a wing 130, and a cover 150.
[0028] The container body 110 has a tub shape and is formed in a
structure in which walls 112 are integrally provided at a
circumference end of a top surface of a bottom 111. Therefore, the
container body 110 has a space having a predetermined size so as to
store contents therein. Inner and outer edges of the container body
110 are preferably curved by considering aesthetic.
[0029] The container body 110 has a pair of hinges 113 disposed at
exterior upper ends of sides thereof and is hinge-coupled with the
wing 130 through the hinge 113. Further, the container body 110 has
joining fixation portions 114, such that the hinges 113 are not
easily broken even due to a small external shock. The joining
fixation portions 114 projects in a predetermined thickness so as
to interconnect the hinges 113 projecting on one surface and the
other surface thereof.
[0030] The container body 110 has a projecting portion 115 bent
downward, which is formed on an exterior lower periphery thereof.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the container body 110 has first
grooves 116 of a right triangle formed above the projecting portion
115 and the container body 110 fits in the wing 130 disposed in the
other container body through the first grooves 116. FIG. 3
illustrates a state before the wing 130 is fitted into the first
grooves 116 and FIG. 4 illustrates a state after the wing 130 is
fitted into the first grooves 116.
[0031] The container body 110 has a hill portion 117 that projects
from the top surface of the projecting portion 115 and closes a
part of each of the first grooves 116, which are formed at
entrances of the first grooves 116 so as to further improve
fit-coupling force with the wing 130. In this case, the hill
portion 117 preferably has a triangle pole shape or a semicircular
pole shape, such that the wing 130 can easily slide to the first
grooves 116. Meanwhile, the first grooves 116 are not limited to
the right triangle shape, but the first grooves 116 may have a
general triangle shape or a semicircular shape. Further, it is
apparent that each first groove 116 has a size equal to a length of
each fit-in wing 130.
[0032] The container body 110 has second grooves 118 grooved
upward, which are formed below the first grooves 116 by the
projecting portion 115. Hereinafter, refer to FIG. 5. In the
embodiment of the present invention, the second grooves 118 allows
the container body to be coupled with an upper end of the other
container body and secures the coupling force between the container
bodies altogether with the first grooves 116. The second grooves
118 may include a packing 119 filled up therein. Herein, the
projecting portion 115, the first groove 116, and the second groove
118 may be collectively referred to as a projecting component.
[0033] In another embodiment of the present invention, the location
of the wing and projecting portion on the container body can be
reversed. For example, the wing is placed proximate a lower portion
of the container body, and the projecting portion is placed
proximate an upper portion of the container body. In such an
embodiment, the cover (or lid) is provided with a wing that is
configured to latch onto the projecting portion provided proximate
the upper portion of the container body. In the embodiment of the
present invention, the packing 119 serves to remove the movability
while increasing airtightness between the container bodies. The
packing 119 is preferably made of a rubber material having
flexibility so as to prevent the lifespan of the second groove 118
from being shortened due to wearing of the second groove 118, which
may be generated by frequent fitting therein.
[0034] Meanwhile, the container body 110 also includes a bottom
protrusion 120 protruding downward from a bottom surface of the
bottom 111. The bottom protrusion 120 is preferably formed on one
periphery by considering easy standing of the container body 110.
When the container body 110 includes the bottom protrusion 120, it
is possible to prevent the entire bottom surface of the bottom 111
from being dirty due to outside wastes and when the container body
110 comes in contact with a cold material, etc., it is possible to
prevent inner heat from being discharged through the bottom
111.
[0035] As described above, the wing 130 is hinge-coupled with the
pair of hinges 113 formed on one surface of the container body 110.
More specifically, the wing 130 is hinge-coupled with the hinges
113 by inserting protrusions formed at both ends of the wing 130
into grooves of the hinges 113. Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 1
to 5, the wing 130 coupled to the container body 110 will be
described over all. First, a role and a disposing structure of the
wing 130 are described. Thereafter, a shape of the wing 130 is
described. The shape of the wing 130 is clearly shown in FIGS. 3 to
5. Therefore, it is preferable to refer to FIGS. 3 to 5 for
description of the shape of the wing 130.
[0036] The wing 130 serves to fix the other container body
interlocked on the container body 110 in the embodiment of the
present invention. Therefore, although the wing 130 is preferably
provided on each side of the container body 110, the embodiment of
the present invention needs not to be limited thereto. This reason
is that the wing 130 can sufficiently carry out the fixing role
even by disposing the wings 130 at both sides of the container body
110, which face each other.
[0037] As shown in FIG. 2, by considering that the container body
110 has a substantially rectangular shape, four wing portions
including two first wing portions 131 in a horizontal direction and
two second wing portions 132 in a vertical direction are mounted in
the container body 110 as the wing 130.
[0038] Next, the shape of the wing 130 will be described. The wing
130 includes a support body 133, a handle 134, and a fixation
projecting piece 135 in the embodiment of the present invention.
The support body 133 is a body forming a background of the wing 130
and is supported on the container body 110 by protrusions that are
disposed at both ends thereof. The support body 133 includes a
handle 134 and the fixation projecting piece 135 that project in
different directions at one end of the support body.
[0039] The handle 134 is used as a handle to allow a user to easily
operate the wing 130 by means of user' hands. The handle 134
projects outwards. It is most preferable that the handle 134
projects upward in an outer diagonal direction by considering that
the handle 134 may be easily broken due to a small external shock
when the handle 134 excessively projects outwards, the handle 134
must be convenient to grip, while having an aesthetic appearance.
Meanwhile, in the embodiment of the present invention, the handle
134 generally has a length equal to a length of the support body
133, but the length of the handle 134 is not necessarily limited
thereto.
[0040] The fixation projecting piece 135 is directly inserted into
the first groove 116 of the container body 110 in the wing 130 and
projects in a direction opposite to the handle 134. The fixation
projecting piece 135 preferably project in a perpendicular
direction to the support body 133. This reason is that the
movability of the other container body can be more efficiently
removed by allowing the fixation projecting piece 135 to be closely
contacted with the other container body in this case.
[0041] The fixation projecting piece 135 has a structure in which
one end of a bottom surface projects downward in the embodiment of
the present invention. By this structure, it is possible to prevent
the fixation projecting piece 135 from being separated from the
first groove 116 after being inserted into the first groove
116.
[0042] The cover 150 is used as a cover that closes an opened top
part of the container body 110. In the embodiment of the present
invention, the cover 150 has a projecting portion 115 bent
downward, which is formed on a side periphery thereof, and includes
the hill portion 117 above the projecting portion 115 and the
second groove 118 and the packing 119 below the projecting portion
115. The projecting portion 115, the hill portion 117, the second
groove 118, and the packing 119 have been already described above.
Therefore, the detailed description thereof will be herein
omitted.
[0043] As described above, the interlocking container 100 according
to the embodiment of the present invention is realized by
interlocking the plurality of container bodies 110. The container
bodies 110 interlocked on each container body are fastened with
each other by means of the wing 120 and an inner space of the
uppermost container body 110 is closed by the cover 150, whereby
the interlocking container 100 can perform as the container.
[0044] The interlocking container 100 is preferably made of a
light-weight material such as a plastic material by considering
portability in the embodiment of the present invention. Further,
the interlocking container 100 is preferably manufactured by a
transparent material in order to observe the present state (i.e.,
deterioration or not) of the contents stored therein.
[0045] Meanwhile the interlocking container 100 preferably has a
handle provided on the top surface of the cover 150 so as to be
gripped for easy transport. Referring to FIG. 7, reference numeral
710 represents the handle and reference numeral 700 represents an
interlocking container including the handle 710 according to
another embodiment.
[0046] The spirit of the present invention has been just
exemplified. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art
that various modifications, changes, and substitutions can be made
without departing from the essential characteristics of the present
invention. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present
invention and the accompanying drawings are used not to limit but
to describe the spirit of the present invention. The scope of the
present invention is not limited only to the embodiments and the
accompanying drawings. The protection scope of the present
invention must be analyzed by the appended claims and it should be
analyzed that all spirits within a scope equivalent thereto are
included in the appended claims of the present invention.
[0047] The interlocking container can store various and many
contents rather than a general container. Accordingly, it is
expected that the interlocking container will be spread more widely
than the general container hereinafter. Therefore, the interlocking
container according to the present invention has high industrial
availability.
* * * * *