Locking arrangements for side walls of rigid, foldable or collapsible boxes

Abstract

Locking arrangements for the side walls of rigid boxes of the foldable or removable wall type, with the boxes being made up by a bottom wall, two head walls opposing each other and two main side walls opposing each other and respectively perpendicular to the head walls, where the locking arrangements are located in the upper zone of the side edges of the side walls.

1 . Locking arrangements for side walls of rigid boxes of the foldable or removable wall type, with said boxes being made up by a bottom wall ( 2 ), two head walls ( 4 ) opposing each other and two main side walls ( 6 ) opposing each other and respectively perpendicular to the head walls  4 , where said means are located in the upper zone of the side edges of said side walls ( 4 ,  6 ) and consist in: 
 a) sliding fastening elements or front release buckles where the upper zone of the side edges of main side walls ( 6 ) have their corresponding projecting fasteners ( 10 ), which main planes are parallel to the plane of said main wall;    b) a housing box for the fastener ( 12 ) located at the corresponding upper zone of the side edges of said head walls; they are oriented to the inlet openings of said fasteners-housing box in order to allow the entering of the corresponding fastener projection according to a relative displacement which is perpendicular to the plane of the corresponding head wall;    c) a portion of a perimetric frame ( 16 ) which is an integral part of each one of said fastener projections, with said portion of perimetric frame having an end ( 18 ) which is farther from the corresponding main side wall;    d) a wedge portion ( 17 ) joined in one of its edges to said end ( 18 ) oriented in a slightly oblique plane as regards the main plane of said perimetric frame and using the area encircling the same; said wedge portion has an operating side ( 19 ) opposing to its joining edge to said end ( 18 ); said operating side projects from the wedge portion of the plane of said perimetric frame and in such a way that this operating frame ( 19 ) is oriented to the inside of the box but deeper than the end edge ( 18 ) of the perimetric frame ( 16 ); and    e) a driving area ( 13 ) defined in each one of said fastener-housing boxes and restricted in one of its sides by a portion of the stop column ( 14 ) which is an integral part of the corresponding head wall and oriented parallel to the side edge thereof.    
   
   
       2 . Locking arrangements for side walls of rigid boxes as in  claim 1 , where said side head walls and said main side walls are independent from said bottom wall, with the edged of bottom walls and lower edges of head walls and lower edges of side walls being provided with supplementary hinge means in order to allow a pivoting assembly of side walls in relation to the bottom wall.  
   
   
       3 . Locking arrangements for side walls of rigid boxes as in  claim 1 , where said side head walls and said main side walls form a single assembly with said bottom wall, with the area of lower edges of said side walls ( 4 ,  6 ) being flexible and defining the hinge areas between these walls and said bottom wall.  
   
   
       4 . Locking arrangements for side walls of rigid boxes as in any of claims  1  through  3 , where said locking arrangements include rigid guiding projections ( 20 ), which extend above and below the corresponding fastener ( 10 ) in a direction which is parallel to the plane of the corresponding main side wall; with the upper zones of the side edges of each head wall having two corresponding housing boxes for guides ( 22 ) in order to receive said rigid guides, being operating oriented to the inlet openings of these housing boxes for guides, so that to allow the entering of the corresponding rigid guide according to a relative displacement which is perpendicular to the plane of the corresponding head wall.