Technical field

The invention relates to a locking mechanism for foldable reusable plastic crates intended for storage and transport of products, wherein the locking mechanism prevents the crate from unintentionally unfolding under heavy loads or impact and does not deform even after prolonged use.

Background

Plastic crates for storage and transportation are often used in everyday life. There are creates with fixed and folding construction. Fixed construction creates are difficult to arrange and take up too much space, which is why there has been a growing interest in foldable creates recently. Locking mechanisms have been developed to prevent the crates from opening unintentionally during use.

EP 328 6097 describes a locking mechanism for folding crates located at the intersection of the short and long sides, characterized in that, it has a protective wall, positioned at the ends of the long sides and covering the locking mechanism like a curtain, thus protecting it from opening under heavy loads.

A disadvantage of the described locking mechanism is that it allows the opening and folding of the crate in use to be carried out simply by bending the parts of the locking mechanism, whereby they come out of the locking position and may weaken or deform over time.

Summary of the invention

The object of the invention is to provide a locking mechanism for plastic foldable crates which is ergonomic, reliable and convenient to use, whereby the locking mechanism is easy, and fast to handle. According to the proposed solution, the locking mechanism is located at the intersection of the short and long sides of the foldable crate and it is cast together with the sides as an integral part. The sides of the crate include a carrier board, pockets, a slot, located between the pockets, a locking plate, that slides into the slot, and a protective wall. According to the present invention, the locking plate is formed in one of the crate sides and includes 2 inverted "L" -shaped guiding elements, connected at their lower end with a toothed ridge. A parallelepiped springy push button with a concave upper surface is formed centrally and horizontally to the ridge. The operation of the springy push button is limited by an opposite groove, formed in the adjacent side of the foldable crate. In working position, the springy button is slided in an opening, cut in the protective wall in the opposite side of the foldable crate.

The proposed locking mechanism with a springy push button allows quick and easy folding of the crates and safe operation in working position.

Another advantage of the locking mechanism is that the springy push button slides through the opening in the protective wall, thus providing access and visibility, while creating a closed area for the mechanism itself.

Brief description of the drawings

An exemplary embodiment of the locking mechanism for foldable plastic crates, object of the present invention, is shown in the attached drawings, which only explain the invention, but do not limit it, whereby:

Figure 1 shows a general view of the folding crate in working position;

Figure 2 shows a partial top and side view of the outer surface of the one side of the foldable crate with the locking plate;

Figure 3 shows a partial view from below of the inner surface of the other side of the foldable crate with the protective wall. Detailed description of the embodiments

According to Figure 1, the foldable crate 1 includes short sides 2, long sides 3 and a bottom

4. At the intersection of the short and long sides (2 and 3) is positioned a locking mechanism

5, cast as an integral part of the respective sides.

According to Figure 2, the short side 2 of the foldable crate 1 has a carrier board 6, in which is formed a locking plate 7. The locking plate 7 includes 2 inverted "L" -shaped guiding elements 8, connected at their lower end with a toothed ridge 9. A parallelepiped springy push button 10 with a concave upper surface 11 is formed centrally and horizontally to the ridge 9. The working stroke of the springy push button 10 is limited by the opposite groove 12, formed in the adjacent side of the foldable crate.

The locking plate 7 (Figure 3) is enclosed by a protective wall 13, formed in the long side 3, whereby in the protective wall 13 is cut an opening 14, receiving the springy push button 10 in working position. In the long side 3 are formed pockets 15 and a slot 16, located between the pockets 15.

Mode of operation

In the working position of the folding crate 1, the locking plate 7 slides into the slot 16, thus assuming locked position and the springy push button 9 slides into the opening 14 of the protective wall 13.