Container with internal hinge arrangement

Abstract

A container comprises two case bodies and an internal hinge arrangement which comprises two sockets holders formed on the two hinging edges of the case bodies and a hinge connector comprising a protective cover and two axis shafts provided for inserting into the socket holders, so as to form two pivot axles along the hinging edges of the case bodies, such that the two case bodies are pivotally connected together. The internal hinge arrangement provides a secure folded position to the case bodies of the container because the hinge connector is not visible or reachable when the container is in a folded position. The internal hinge arrangement provides a double axial folding and unfolding motion of the container, such that an unfolding angle between the container and the container cover can reach to at least 180°, providing a higher durability to the internal hinge arrangement and the container. By incorporating an angle retention arrangement to the internal hinge arrangement, the largest unfolding angle of the two case bodies can be limited. The angle retention arrangement can also control the folding and unfolding motion of the case bodies, assisting the user to use less energy to open up the case bodies.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a hinge, and more particularly to a hidden internal hinge connector that holds two hinge pieces together, such that the hinge pieces unfold and fold in a dual-axial manner, such that a secured folded position of two hinge pieces is provided internally, and an unfolded position between 0° to at least 180° degrees between the two hinges is allowed.

2. Description of Related Arts

Hinges, in general, are used to securely hold two things together. Some examples of uses of hinges are: door hinges used for mounting a door onto a wall of a room such that things placed within the room is protected, container hinges used for mounting a container cover to a container such that the contents in the container can be protected by the container.

Throughout the years, people has been working on how to reinforce hinges, so as to make stronger and more durable containers, and secure doors, such that things put within the containers or the room can be protected. A lot of such effort went to improving the material used to make such hinges. However, as many people has noticed, material enhancement is not very helpful in creating strong protection for things stored in the containers and room and so forth simply because as long as the hinges are off, the containers and doors can be unfolded.

Hence, no matter how strong the material of the hinge is, doors and containers supplied with such hinge cannot protect things stored behind the doors or inside the containers as well as they were thought to be.

And, as conventional hinges are on an external surface of such doors and containers, they protrude from the doors or containers. Hence, they are very prone to being damaged when they were in storage or in transit.

When a hinge as such is applied to a container such as a gift container, in order to facilitate the unfolding and closing of the container, while the container is in an unfolded position, there is a noticeable gap between the container hinge connection end and the cover hinge connection end, affecting the overall presentation of the gift container. As a result, people use different methods to hide the gap and the hinge, such as placing a piece of cloth across the container and the cover at the hinge area.

Also, because a hinge has to be attached to the container, as well as the cover in order to connect the container with the hinge, a container with a conventional hinge would have a container, a container cover, at least a hinge to connect the container and the container cover together, and each hinge would at least need two connectors such as screws to be attached to both the container and the container cover. Such containers have a lot of small elements, which make the manufacturing of parts difficult and complicate the assembly of the container.

And as the hinges connect the container with the container cover on the exterior of the container, the unfolding angle of the container is limited by the hinge, such that the container cover cannot be unfolded to a full 180°: the larger the hinge, the greater the hindrance of the unfolding angle. With the hindrance of unfolding angle of the hinge, such containers are easily damaged when the user over flip the cover of the container, which usually would pull the screws out, detaching the hinge from the container and the cover of the container.

Furthermore, conventional hinges do not provide the users with unfolding angle controlling power, such that the container can either in a folded position or a fully unfolding position.

In view of the above drawbacks of and the problems brought on by conventional hinges, a better hinge has to be provided so as to not only provide better security to the things stored inside the container or room, but also better durability, presentation appearance, fewer elements, easier assembly, better unfolding angle and control.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

A main object of the present invention is to provide a container, comprises a two case bodies, and an internal hinge arrangement, which has two socket holders and a hinge connector, such that the two case bodies are connected by the internal hinge arrangement, and protecting the connection between the case bodies.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container, wherein when the two case bodies are locked together from the interior of the container, as oppose to being conventional containers, and the hinge connector cannot be reached when the case bodies are in a folded position, such that the container cannot be easily pried open.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container, wherein the case bodies can fully unfold to at least 180°, so as to provide a better display of the contents within the container.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container, wherein the internal hinge arrangement does not protrude beyond the exterior of the container, such that the hinge is not easily damaged, which in turn would make a container with such hinge less prone to damages.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container, wherein the internal hinge arrangement does not occupy any storing space, so as to minimize storage space and lower cost. Also, such internal hinge arrangement will less likely be damaged while being stored or transported since it does not protrude beyond the boundary of the container.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container, wherein when the hinge connector connects the case bodies together, there are no visible gaps between the two longitudinal edges of the two case bodies, providing a better appearance and durability to the internal hinge arrangement as well as the container, since the container cannot be pried open as easy as conventional containers.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container, wherein the internal hinge arrangement has a protective cover to protect and cover up the connection of the case bodies and the internal hinge arrangement, such that when made into a gift container, the container does not require any extra inner linings to hide the internal hinge arrangement to provide a better presentation of the gift container.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container, wherein the internal hinge arrangement is part of the container, such that when being unfolded or folded, the two case bodies always rotate along axes that are within the container, such that the case bodies can always match with each other under the folded position, as oppose to convention hinges, which could easily be wrongly installed to the container and the container cover, such that many container covers are not properly aligned with the container, affecting the appearance and the durability of the container.

Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a container, comprising:

two case bodies, each having a longitudinal hinging edge; and

an internal hinge arrangement, which comprises:

two socket holders formed on the two hinging edges of the case bodies respectively; and

a hinge connector comprising a protective cover covering along the two hinging edges of the case bodies and two axis shafts spacedly extended along longitudinal edges of the protective cover, wherein the two axis shafts are rotatably inserted into the socket holders to form two pivot axles along the hinging edges of the case bodies respectively so as to pivotally connect the two case bodies.

These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the container according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the internal hinge arrangement according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the socket holder of the internal hinge arrangement according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the container according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the container in an unfolded position according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a container according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, wherein the container comprises two case bodies 10, and an internal hinge arrangement 20.

Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 of the drawings, internal hinge arrangement 20 comprises two socket holders 21 and a hinge connector 22. In order to fit the hinge arrangement 20 onto the two case bodies 10, each of the case bodies has a longitudinal hinging edge 11, provided for the two socket holders 21 of the internal hinge arrangement 20 to form thereon respectively.

It should be noted that the two case bodies 10 can be identical or different. They can differ in shape, size and depth, so long as their two socket holders 21 can be formed on the longitudinal hinging edges 11 respectively. Also, the container can be as small as a gift container, to a safe, and even a room, where one of the case bodies 10 is essentially a door. It can easily be seen that the internal hinge arrangement 20 can be applied to containers of any sizes as long as there are longitudinal hinging edges 11 formed on the case bodies respectively.

The hinge connector 22 of the hinge arrangement 20 comprises a protective cover 221 and two axis shafts 222. The two axis shafts 222 are spacedly extended along longitudinal edges 2211 of the protective cover 221 and are used for rotatably inserted into the socket holders 21 of the hinge arrangement 20, in such a manner that the protective cover 221 covers up the two hinging edges 11, so as to hide the socket holders 21 of the hinge arrangement and the two axis shafts 222.

The protective cover 221 has the advantages of protecting the axis shafts 222, hinging edges 11 and socket holders 21 from being reached and tempered with by the users, and also being decorative, such that the mechanical parts of the container is not shown, especially when the container is to be used as a gift box. The protective cover 221 hence not only provides better protection to the container, but also enhances the appearance and presentation of the container.

Referring to FIG. 5 of the drawings, when the two shafts 222 are rotatably inserted into the socket holders 21, two pivot axles 224 are formed along the hinging edges 11 of the case bodies 10 respectively, so as to pivotally connect the two case bodies 10. By inserting the shafts 222 into the socket holders 21, the two case bodies 10 are both securely connected to the hinge connector 22.

As can be seen, the two case bodies 10 are now connected by the hinge arrangement 20 double-axially such that, each of the two case bodies 10 can rotate along the axis shafts respectively in order to unfold up the container. The case bodies 10 can also rotate along the axis shafts, thereby unfolding the container, simultaneously, such that time and energy are saved while unfolding the container. As oppose to containers having conventional external hinges, a user has to use one hand to hold tight onto one of the case bodies while the other hand unfolds the other case body.

Referring to FIG. 6 of the drawings, because of the double-axial characteristic of the present invention, the two case bodies 10 can unfold from a folded position to an unfolded position where an unfolding angle 5 between the two case bodies varies from 0° to at least 180°. The reason is that when the two case bodies 10 unfold, because the internal hinge arrangement 20 is within a container cavity 30, the internal hinge arrangement 20 does not go in between the two unfolding case bodies 10, but is actually revealed during the process.

And because of the unfolding properties of the container incorporated with the internal hinge arrangement, viewing of the contents inside the container is more convenient, as oppose to a container with a conventional hinge, where the cover always shade up the cavity of the container, limiting viewing, as well as access to the contents within the container.

The internal hinge arrangement 20 hence will not hinder the unfolding of the two case bodies 10. And, the container will not be easily damaged by over turning the two case bodies 10. As a result, the container having such an internal hinge arrangement 20 has a greater durability than that having a conventional hinge.

It is also worth mentioning that because the internal hinge arrangement 20 is all contained by the container when the container is in a folded position. Such that the internal hinge arrangement 20 is actually protected by the two case bodies 10 when the container is in a folded position.

As a result, the internal hinge arrangement 20 cannot be reached or tempered with as long as the two case bodies 10 are in the folded position. This eliminates the weakness of a container equipped with a conventional hinge, where the container would easily be pried open through the hinge, simply because the hinge is exposed. Containers incorporated with the internal hinge arrangement 20 are therefore less prone to damages and are more sturdy and durable.

As an example, if the present invention is being incorporated with a safe, where the safe would usually have a lock to secure the opening edges together, when the safe is locked, the internal hinge arrangement 20 will no way be reached, and leaving the only place an unauthorized person can pry open the safe is the lock. This eliminated one huge area where an unauthorized person could work on with safes, better protecting contents inside the container according to the present invention.

It is also worth mentioning that, because the hinge arrangement 20 under the present invention is provided on the container internally, there are no parts protruding beyond the boundaries set by the two case bodies 10. This provides the advantages of neat stacking, and minimizing wasted storage spaces. Also, since the hinges are not exposed, they will not be easily damaged during storage and transportations processes, as in the case of containers incorporated with conventional hinges.

Referring FIG. 2 of the drawings, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the socket holders 21 of the internal hinge arrangement 20 has two tubular sockets 211 integrally formed at two side ends of each of the hinging edges 11, wherein the two tubular sockets 211 are provided for the two end portions of each of the axis shafts 222 to slidably inserted into, so as to form the pivot axle 224 along the respective hinging edge 11 of the case body 10.

The two tubular sockets 211 being integrally formed at the two side ends 111 of the hinging edges 11 means that there are no linkages or connections between the side ends 111 and the sockets 211, such that there are less weaknesses on the container, such that the container is more durable and less likely to be damaged by people or by other objects.

The two tubular sockets 211 help to ensure that the shafts 222 of the hinge connector 22 are securely held by the socket holders 21 on the case bodies 10, making sure that any force exerted on to the case bodies 10 are equally shared by the two respective socket holders 21.

According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the axis shafts 222 comprises a tubular sleeve 2222 and an elongated shaft 2223, wherein the elongated shaft 2223 is extended to the socket holder 21 through the tubular sleeve 2222 so as to pivotally connect the protective cover 221 with the respective case body 10.

And since the elongated shaft 2223 is slidably extended along the longitudinal edge 11 of the protective cover 221, the elongated shaft 2223 is coaxially aligned with the socket holders 21. By ensuring that the elongated shaft 2223 is coaxially aligned with the socket holders 21, the two case bodies 10 will be able to fold and unfold smoothly.

Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 of the drawings, in order to protect the two pivot axles 224 and for enhancing the appearance of the container, the protective cover 221 has a C-shaped cross section and an edge enclosing cavity 2212. The two hinging edges 11 of the case bodies 10 are received within the enclosing cavity 2212 when the axis shafts are engaged with the socket holders respectively.

As can be seen, the axis shafts 222 now connects the two case bodies with the hinge connector 22 in a hidden manner, not only when the container is in a folded position, but also when the container is in an unfolded position. As a result, the C-shaped cross section of the protective cover 221 further reinforces the weakest portion of any containers, the hinges.

It is worth mentioning that because of the C-shaped cross section of the protective cover 221, the details of the hinge connector, as well as the longitudinal hinging edge 11 of the case bodies are all hidden, maintaining the appearance of the container to be pleasant. As oppose to containers with conventional hinges, where all the details of the hinges can be clearly seen when such containers are in their unfolded position, no inner lining is required for the present invention in order to hide the details of the hinges.

Referring to FIG. 6 of the drawings, in order to provide containers with different display properties, the present invention further comprises an angle retention arrangement 30, which comprises a plurality of first gears 31 provided at the socket holders 21 respectively and a plurality of second gears 32 formed at the hinge connector 22. The second gears 32 rotatably engage with the first gears 31 respectively.

By adjusting area on the socket holders 21 and the hinge connector 22 to have first gears 31 and second gears 32 respectively, the pivot angle between the two case bodies 10 can be limited. Hence, the smaller the area of the socket holders 21 and the hinge connector 22, the smaller the largest pivot angle between the two case bodies 10.

Furthermore, the tightness between the two case bodies 10 are also controlled by the first gears 31 and the second gears 32, such that if the first gears 31 engage with the second gears 32 more fittingly, the two case bodies 10 will rotate around the two axis shafts 222 in a more tightened manner, allowing the container to be designed to suit different purposes.

Referring to FIG. 3 of the drawings, according to the preferred embodiment, the second gears 32 of the angle retention arrangement 30 comprises at least a pair of gear members 321 rotatably mounted on an inner side 2213 of the protective cover 221 to frictionally engage with the first gears 31 at the socket holders respectively.

Furthermore, the gear members 321 are rotatably engaged with each other. By having the gear member 321 engaged with each other, a user can unfold the case bodies with ease, since as soon as one of the gear members 321 rotates, the other gear member 321 will also rotate. As a result, the user can unfold the case bodies with less energy.

In addition, in order to ensure that the gears can engage together, each of said first gears 31 comprises a plurality of engaging teeth 311 spacedly and integrally formed on an outer surface 23 of said respective socket holder 20 to frictionally engage with said respective second gear 32.

The angle retention arrangement 30 not only provides assistance to the folding and unfolding motion of the case bodies 10, it also has a guiding effect for the two case bodies 10 to fold and unfold, such that the two case bodies 10 will always fold and unfold in the manner set by the first gears 31 and second gears 32.

As a result, the case bodies 10 always rotate along axes that are within the container, such that the case bodies 10 will always match with each other, avoiding the misalignment problem of a conventional container, which could easily affect the appearance, as well as functionality, and durability of the container.

When incorporated with a lock, the security of the present invention is further enhanced. The reason is that the lock not only locks and secures the content placed within the container, the lock also locks up the internal hinge arrangement 20, making destroying the connection between the two case bodies difficult.

As a result, the number of ways in which unauthorized persons can open up the container is reduced. Conventionally, a safe can be pried open through the hinge as well as the lock. But since the case bodies 10 of the present invention are connected internally, not externally, the unauthorized user cannot reach the internal hinge arrangement 20 and destroy the container through the hinge. Hence, such unauthorized users can only work on the lock in order to open up the safe. It means that safe manufactures can now focus on choosing the most durable locks in order to manufacture a thief-prove safe.

One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.

It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. It embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A container, comprising:

two case bodies, each having a longitudinal hinging edge; and

an internal hinge arrangement, which comprises:

two socket holders formed on said two hinging edges of said case bodies respectively; and

a hinge connector comprising a protective cover covering along said two hinging edges of said case bodies and two axis shafts spacedly extended along longitudinal edges of said protective cover, wherein said two axis shafts are rotatably inserted into said socket holders to form two pivot axles along said hinging edges of said case bodies respectively so as to pivotally connect said two case bodies.

2. The container, as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said socket holders comprises two tubular sockets integrally formed at two side ends of each of said hinging edges respectively, wherein two end portions of each of said axis shafts are slidably inserted into said two respective tubular sockets to form said pivot axle along said respective hinging edge of said case body.

3. The container, as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said axis shafts comprises a tubular sleeve extended along said longitudinal edge of said protective cover to coaxially align with said socket holders and an elongated shaft slidably extended to said socket holder through said tubular sleeve so as to pivotally connect said protective cover with said respective case body.

4. The container, as recited in claim 2, wherein each of said axis shafts comprises a tubular sleeve extended along said longitudinal edge of said protective cover to coaxially align with said socket holders and an elongated shaft slidably extended to said socket holder through said tubular sleeve so as to pivotally connect said protective cover with said respective case body.

5. The container, as recited in claim 1, wherein said protective cover has a C-shaped cross section and an edge enclosing cavity to receive said two hinging edges of said case bodies therein when said axis shafts are engaged with said socket holders respectively so as to protect said two pivot axles in said edge hiding cavity in a hidden manner.

6. The container, as recited in claim 2, wherein said protective cover has a C-shaped cross section and an edge enclosing cavity to receive said two hinging edges of said case bodies therein when said axis shafts are engaged with said socket holders respectively so as to protect said two pivot axles in said edge hiding cavity in a hidden manner.

7. The container, as recited in claim 4, wherein said protective cover has a C-shaped cross section and an edge enclosing cavity to receive said two hinging edges of said case bodies therein when said axis shafts are engaged with said socket holders respectively so as to protect said two pivot axles in said edge hiding cavity in a hidden manner.

8. The container, as recited as in claim 1, further comprising an angle retention arrangement which comprises a plurality of first gears provided at said socket holders respectively and a plurality of second gears formed at said hinge connector to rotatably engage with said first gears respectively so as to selectively retain a pivot angle between said two case bodies.

9. The container, as recited as in claim 4, further comprising an angle retention arrangement which comprises a plurality of first gears provided at said socket holders respectively and a plurality of second gears formed at said hinge connector to rotatably engage with said first gears respectively so as to selectively retain a pivot angle between said two case bodies.

10. The container, as recited as in claim 7, further comprising an angle retention arrangement which comprises a plurality of first gears provided at said socket holders respectively and a plurality of second gears formed at said hinge connector to rotatably engage with said first gears respectively so as to selectively retain a pivot angle between said two case bodies.

11. The container, as recited in claim 8, wherein said second gears comprises at least a pair of gear members rotatably mounted on an inner side of said protective cover to frictionally engage with said first gears at said socket holders respectively.

12. The container, as recited in claim 9, wherein said second gears comprises at least a pair of gear members rotatably mounted on an inner side of said protective cover to frictionally engage with said first gears at said socket holders respectively.

13. The container, as recited in claim 10, wherein said second gears comprises at least a pair of gear members rotatably mounted on an inner side of said protective cover to frictionally engage with said first gears at said socket holders respectively.

14. The container, as recited in claim 11, wherein said gear members are rotatably engaged with each other such that said first gears are engaged with each other through said gear members.

15. The container, as recited in claim 12, wherein said gear members are rotatably engaged with each other such that said first gears are engaged with each other through said gear members.

16. The container, as recited in claim 13, wherein said gear members are rotatably engaged with each other such that said first gears are engaged with each other through said gear members.

17. The container, as recited in claim 8, wherein each of said first gears comprises a plurality of engaging teeth spacedly and integrally formed on an outer surface of said respective socket holder to frictionally engage with said respective second gear.

18. The container, as recited in claim 11, wherein each of said first gears comprises a plurality of engaging teeth spacedly and integrally formed on an outer surface of said respective socket holder to frictionally engage with said respective second gear.

19. The container, as recited in claim 13, wherein each of said first gears comprises a plurality of engaging teeth spacedly and integrally formed on an outer surface of said respective socket holder to frictionally engage with said respective second gear.

20. The container, as recited in claim 16, wherein each of said first gears comprises a plurality of engaging teeth spacedly and integrally formed on an outer surface of said respective socket holder to frictionally engage with said respective second gear.