JP2009148541A - Collapsible laundry hamper - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a collapsible laundry hamper, including a plurality of ring frames and a plurality of elongated links. <P>SOLUTION: The ring frames are pivotally connected with the links in a manner that the ring frames are parallel to and spaced from each other. The links are pivotable with respect to the ring frames between an upright position, at which the links are substantially perpendicular to the ring frames so that the collapsible laundry hamper is unfolded into an upright state, and a collapsed position, at which the links are substantially parallel to the ring frames so that the collapsible laundry is folded or collapsed into a collapsed state. The laundry hamper further includes at least one fastener for keeping the laundry hamper in the upright state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to containers or baskets, and more particularly to foldable containers, baskets or laundry baskets.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a folding basket used for washing and other applications, and this basket is folded to the bottom of the bottom and two side walls that are folded down to the bottom of the bottom 2. And two end walls.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a foldable bag used for storing laundry and other items, and this bag is pivotally attached to a rigid upper frame and a rigid lower frame. A lid, a flexible fabric side wall, and a plurality of support rods.

Patent Literature 3 discloses a collapsible laundry basket assembly, and the assembly includes a tubular support frame and an engagement bag. The support frame has first and second substantially rectangular portions intersecting each other, and the first and second portions are connected to each other by an elastic ring at the intersection of both portions.
US Pat. No. 4,781,300 US Pat. No. 5,464,113 US Pat. No. 5,667,066

  The folding basket disclosed in Patent Document 1 can be brought into an upright state by folding back side walls and end walls to an upright position, and engaging a plurality of adjacent walls with snap locks at the edge of the wall. Only possible.

  The foldable scissors disclosed in Patent Document 2 have good structural rigidity in the upright state, but can only be brought upright only by assembling the frame and the support rod. The folding basket of Patent Document 1 and the foldable basket of Patent Document 2 are troublesome to operate.

  The foldable laundry basket assembly disclosed in Patent Document 3 can be folded very easily, but the structural rigidity is not satisfactory.

  One object of the present invention is to provide a foldable laundry basket for storing or transporting laundry and other items.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a foldable laundry basket that can be folded into a very thin package for storage, transport and display.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a foldable laundry basket that is easy to fold and unfold for the user.

  Still another object of the present invention is to provide a foldable laundry basket that can be folded and unfolded between an upright state and a folded state.

  Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible laundry basket that has good structural rigidity in an upright state.

  The present invention discloses a foldable laundry basket having a plurality of ring frames and a plurality of elongated links, wherein the plurality of ring frames are arranged such that the plurality of ring frames are parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other. The link is pivotally connected to the link. The link is rotatable with respect to the ring frame between an upright position and a folded position, and in the upright position, the link is substantially perpendicular to the ring frame, and the foldable laundry basket is unfolded into an upright state and folded. In the tatami position, the link is substantially parallel to the ring frame, and the foldable laundry basket is folded or folded into a folded state.

  Preferably, the foldable laundry basket further includes at least one fastener that is rotatably provided on one ring frame of the plurality of ring frames. When the laundry basket is deployed upright, the link is held by rotating the fastener to the locked position, and the link is restricted from rotating with respect to the ring frame, and the laundry basket is upright. Maintained in a state.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the fastener is provided on one ring frame at the top of the plurality of ring frames, and the ring frame adjacent to the top ring frame has the fastener disposed in the locked position. Functions as a stopper that restricts the fastener from being released from the locked position.

  According to another embodiment of the invention, each ring frame has two angle bars, which are pivotally connected to the links via the angle bars.

  According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the laundry basket further comprises a plurality of casters provided on one ring frame at the bottom of the plurality of ring frames.

  In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, it further includes an engagement bag that is removably engaged with the laundry basket.

  The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foldable laundry basket according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the foldable laundry basket is generally designated by the reference numeral 10.

  The laundry basket 10 includes a plurality of ring frames 11 and four elongated links 12. Each ring frame 11 has two parallel angle bars 14. The plurality of ring frames are arranged parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other, and each angle bar 14 is rotatably connected to the two links 12, and the links 12 are folded in an upright position with respect to the ring frame 11. It can be rotated between tatami mat positions. In the upright position, the link is substantially perpendicular to the ring frame 11, and the laundry basket 10 is deployed to the upright state (see FIG. 1). In the folded position, the link is substantially parallel to the ring frame 11, and the laundry basket 10 is folded into a folded state (see FIG. 6).

  When viewed in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1 (i.e., from the side of the laundry basket), the top ring frame, the bottom ring frame, and the two links form a substantially parallelogram-shaped mechanism, and the laundry basket is folded into a very thin package. Heavy or foldable.

  The laundry basket 10 further includes two fasteners 13. FIG. 2, which is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 1, shows a detailed mode of the fastener 13. The two fasteners 13 are rotatably disposed on the top ring frame 11 via the angle bar 14. As shown in FIG. 4, the angle bar of the top ring frame is subjected to additional machining such as punching to form a set of tabs with holes for pivoting fasteners 13. FIG. 3 shows another angle bar without a tab 141 provided on a ring frame other than the top ring frame.

  Each fastener 13 includes a U-shaped main body 131 and a holder 133. When the laundry basket is deployed to the upright state, the clip 13 is rotated to the lock position shown in FIG. 2 to hold the link 12, and the rotation of the link 12 with respect to the ring frame 11 is restricted. It is possible to keep the bag 10 upright. The fastener is released from the locked position by a ring frame adjacent to the top ring frame (ie, the second ring frame from the top to the bottom) that abuts the horizontal portion 132, ie, the apex portion of the U-shaped body 131. Is regulated.

  As shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b for the first preferred embodiment, the link is preferably partially flat for each pivot joint, while ensuring the pivot direction of the link by surface contact, while It is possible to reduce the outward protrusion of connecting members such as rivets, bolts and pins.

  Referring to FIG. 8, FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a foldable laundry basket 10 according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. Unlike the first preferred embodiment, in the second preferred embodiment, the link 12 is directly pivotably connected to the ring frame without using an angle bar. Refer to FIG. 9 for details of the pivotable connection. And in each ring frame of 2nd preferable embodiment, the two parallel parts 111 shown by FIG. 12 are formed.

  The plurality of ring frames 11 are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other in parallel, and each part is rotatably connected to two links, and the link 12 is in an upright position and a folded position with respect to the ring frame 11. And can be rotated between. In the upright position, the link 12 is substantially orthogonal to the ring frame 11 and the laundry basket 10 is deployed to the upright position (as shown in FIGS. 8 and 13). In the folded position, the link 12 is substantially parallel to the ring frame 11, and the laundry basket 10 is folded or folded into a folded state.

  The laundry basket 10 further includes two fasteners, and details of the two fasteners are shown in FIG. The two fasteners 13 are pivotally attached to the top ring frame 11 by a tube 112, and the tube 112 is provided in a parallel portion 111 of the top ring frame 11 as shown in FIG. The tube 112 is provided to pivot the fastener 13.

  Similarly, each fastener 13 includes a U-shaped main body 131 and a holder 133. When the laundry basket is deployed to the upright state, the clip 13 is rotated to the locked position as shown in FIG. 10 to hold the link 12, and the link 12 rotates with respect to the ring frame 11. The movement is restricted and the laundry basket 10 is maintained in an upright state. The fastener can be released from the locked position by the ring frame adjacent to the top ring frame (that is, the second ring frame from the top to the bottom) that is in contact with the horizontal portion 132 of the U-shaped body 131. Be regulated.

  Preferably, a sleeve 134 is provided on the horizontal portion 132 of the U-shaped main body 131, and the sleeve 134 is formed of an elastic material. Due to the elastic deformation of the sleeve, the fastener is easily positioned in the locked position. The sleeve 134 may be formed of a hard material and movably contacted with the horizontal portion 132. In this case, the rigid sleeve functions as a roller, whereby the fastener can be easily positioned in the locked position.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the ring frame and link are preferably partially flat for the pivot joint.

  As shown in FIG. 7, an engagement bag 16 is engaged with the laundry basket when necessary. Preferably, the engagement bag 16 is detachably engaged with the laundry basket and is washable. The material of the engagement bag may be cotton, canvas, nylon or other materials commonly used in the textile industry.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of casters 15 are provided on the bottom ring frame of the laundry basket so that the laundry basket can be moved upright when necessary.

  As shown in FIG. 13, when the fastener is released from the locked position, the laundry basket can be folded by rotating the link along the direction indicated by the arrow B.

  Further, the plurality of ring frames of the laundry basket may be the same size as each other. In this case, when the laundry basket is maintained in an upright state, the laundry basket has a cylindrical shape.

  Alternatively, the plurality of ring frames may have different sizes. In general, the sizes of the plurality of ring frames are gradually increased from the bottom to the top, and the laundry basket has a cylindrical shape that gradually increases from the bottom to the top (that is, a reverse conical cone).

  The term “ring frame” used in the present application is not necessarily limited to a circle. The ring frame suitable for the laundry basket of the present invention may be oval, square, rectangular, polygonal, or any other irregular shape. Further, the term “ring frame” is not limited to the disclosed configuration. It is also possible to use a partially open configuration such as a C-shaped or U-shaped configuration.

  Although the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, it should be understood that many variations and modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the described inventive concept. The invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is intended to encompass the full scope permitted by the language of the appended claims.

1 is a perspective view showing a laundry basket according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. The elements on larger scale of FIG. 1 which show the detail of a fastener. The perspective view which shows an angle bar. The perspective view which shows the angle bar which has a tab. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows a link partially. The figure which shows a laundry basket in a folding state. The figure which shows the engagement bag engaged with the laundry basket. The perspective view which shows the laundry basket according to the 2nd preferable embodiment of this invention. The elements on larger scale of FIG. 8 which show the detail of the coupling | bond part which can be rotated. The elements on larger scale of FIG. 8 which show the detail of a fastener. The figure which shows a link separately. The figure which shows a ring frame separately. The figure which shows the rotation direction of a link.

Claims (14)

A foldable laundry basket,
Multiple ring frames,
A plurality of elongate links, wherein the ring frames are pivotally connected to the links such that the plurality of ring frames are arranged in parallel and spaced apart from each other, the links being between an upright position and a folded position In the upright position, the link is substantially perpendicular to the ring frame, the foldable laundry basket is deployed upright, and in the folded position, the link is substantially parallel to the ring frame. The foldable laundry basket is folded or folded into a folded state, and a plurality of elongated links;
At least one fastener, which is rotatably provided on one of the plurality of ring frames. When the laundry basket is unfolded upright, the fastener is rotated to the locked position. At least one fastener for holding the link, restricting the link from rotating relative to the ring frame, and maintaining the laundry basket upright by moving the link;
A foldable laundry basket.   The fastener is provided on one ring frame at the top of the plurality of ring frames. One ring frame of the plurality of ring frames adjacent to the one ring frame at the top has the fastener in the locked position. The foldable laundry basket according to claim 1, which functions as a stopper that restricts the fastener from being released from the locked position when it is disposed on the wall.   The foldable laundry basket according to claim 2, wherein each ring frame has two parallel angle bars, and the ring frames are pivotally connected to the links via the angle bars.   4. The foldable laundry basket according to claim 3, wherein at least one angle bar provided on the top ring frame is formed with two tabs having holes for pivotally attaching the fasteners.   The foldable laundry basket according to claim 3, further comprising a plurality of casters provided on one ring frame at the bottom of the plurality of ring frames.   The foldable laundry basket of claim 3, further comprising an engagement bag removably engaged with the laundry basket.   The folding ring according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of ring frames are increased in size in order from the bottom to the top, and the laundry basket maintained in an upright state has a cylindrical shape that gradually expands from the bottom to the top. Possible laundry basket.   The foldable laundry basket according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of ring frames have the same size, and the laundry basket maintained in an upright state has a cylindrical shape. A foldable laundry basket,
A plurality of ring frames, each ring frame having two portions parallel to each other;
Four elongated links, one of the two parallel portions being pivotally connected to two of the four links, the other parallel portion being within the four links. The ring frame is pivotally connected to the link so that the plurality of ring frames are arranged in parallel with each other and spaced apart from each other. Is pivotable with respect to the ring frame between an upright position and a folded position, in which the link is substantially perpendicular to the ring frame and the foldable laundry basket is unfolded and folded up In position, the link is substantially parallel to the ring frame, and the foldable laundry basket is folded or folded into a folded state;
Two fasteners that are pivotally attached to two parallel parts of one ring frame of a plurality of ring frames to hold the link, and are rotatable about each part, and the laundry basket is in an upright state Two fasteners for restricting the rotation of the link with respect to the ring frame and maintaining the laundry basket in an upright state by rotating the fastener to the locked position when deployed in
A foldable laundry basket.   The fastener is provided on one ring frame at the top of the plurality of ring frames, and one of the ring frames adjacent to the top ring frame is disposed at the lock position. The foldable laundry basket according to claim 9, which functions as a stopper for restricting the fastener from being released from the locked position when it is being used.   The portion arranged on the ring frame and pivotally connected to the link is flattened, and the portion arranged on the link and pivotally connected to the ring frame is flattened. The foldable laundry basket as described.   12. A foldable laundry basket as claimed in claim 11 wherein the top ring frame has two tabs for parallel attachment of fasteners, each in a parallel portion.   The foldable laundry basket according to claim 10, further comprising a plurality of casters provided on one ring frame at the bottom of the plurality of ring frames.   The foldable laundry basket according to claim 10, further comprising an engagement bag removably engaged with the laundry basket.

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