Collapsible Organizer

This non-provisional application claims the benefit of, and priority to, CN Application No. 202420835085.4, entitled “A Collapsible Organizer”, filed on Apr. 22, 2024 and CN Application No. 202420843382.3, entitled “An Organizer”, filed on Apr. 22, 2024, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The present disclosure generally relates to a collapsible organizer, and more particularly to a collapsible organizer having an improved hinge and/or an improved latch.

Molded plastic collapsible organizers are known. Each side panel of the collapsible organizer is attached to a bottom panel by a hinge, and the side panel is selectively movable around the hinge between a use position substantially vertical to the bottom panel and a collapsed position parallel to the bottom panel. Adjacent side panels are attached at corners using any of a variety of methods to selectively lock the organizer in the use position. When not in use, the side panels are moved to the collapsed position to save space. However, existing collapsible organizers have a tendency for the side panels to detach from the bottom panel when in the collapsed position, which increases the possibility of collision damage during transportation.

Additionally, existing collapsible organizers generally adopt a top opening and a top lid to realize the access function. However, when a plurality of collapsible organizers are stored in a stacked state, the top lid cannot be opened directly due to the blockage of the bottom of an upper collapsible organizer, resulting in difficulties in access operations. In order to overcome this defect, the existing improvement plan adds a side opening to the collapsible organizer and a side door which can be opened or closed by a rotational movement to selectively open or close the side opening of the collapsible organizer. However, the side door of the existing collapsible organizer is generally locked by a simple locking structure with insufficient locking force, so that the side door can not be closed stably, the side door is easily opened under slight external force, which has the technical defects of poor locking reliability and low safety protection performance.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a collapsible organizer having many advantages over the prior art. In order to provide a basic understanding of the present invention, a simplified overview of some embodiments of the present invention is given below. The overview is not a general overview of the present invention, nor is it intended to identify key elements of the present invention or describe the scope of the present invention. Its sole purpose is to present some embodiments of the present invention in a simplified form.

In a first aspect, a collapsible organizer includes: a) a bottom panel; b) a side panel pivotally engaged to the bottom panel via a hinge and configured to pivot about the hinge between a use position perpendicular to the bottom panel and a collapsed position parallel to the bottom panel; c) wherein the hinge comprising: i) a hinge member fixedly engaged with the side panel; and ii) a hinge receiver fixedly engaged with the bottom panel and configured to receive a hinge pin body of the hinge member; wherein the hinge pin body comprises a non-cylindrical portion which is a columnar configuration with non-uniform thickness and comprises a plurality of thicknesses including a first thickness defining a minimum thickness; wherein the hinge pin body is permitted to detach from the hinge receiver only when a direction of the first thickness is substantially parallel to the bottom panel, and when the direction of the first thickness is substantially parallel to the bottom panel, the side panel is positioned between the use position and the collapsed position.

In a second aspect, a collapsible organizer includes: a) a bottom panel; b) a side panel pivotally engaged to the bottom panel via a hinge and configured to pivot about the hinge between a use position perpendicular to the bottom panel and a collapsed position parallel to the bottom panel; c) wherein the hinge comprising: ii) a hinge member fixedly engaged with the side panel; and ii) a hinge receiver fixedly engaged with the bottom panel and configured to receive a hinge pin body of the hinge member; wherein the hinge pin body comprises a non-cylindrical portion, and a peripheral surface of the non-cylindrical portion comprises two first sides oppositely arranged as parallel planar surfaces and two second sides oppositely arranged as arcuate surfaces; wherein a perpendicular distance between the two first sides defines a minimum dimension of a thickness of the non-cylindrical portion; wherein the hinge pin body is permitted to detach from the hinge receiver only when the two first sides are substantially perpendicular to the bottom panel, and when the two first sides are substantially perpendicular to the bottom panel, the side panel is positioned between the use position and the collapsed position.

In a third aspect, a organizer includes: a) a door frame having an opening and a straight frame member; b) a door panel pivotally engaged in the opening, the door panel having a straight edge member configured to confront the frame member when the door panel is closed and move away from the frame member when the door panel is opened; c) a latch assembly comprising: i) an actuator disposed on the frame member; and ii) a pin engaged with the actuator and extending from the actuator into the opening along a direction perpendicular to the frame member; d) a slot disposed on the edge member and confronting the pin when the door panel is closed, the slot comprising: i) a first slot portion extending along a direction parallel to the edge member; ii) a second slot portion extending along a direction perpendicular to the first slot portion and in communication with the first slot portion, the second slot portion having a slot entrance configured to receive the pin; e) wherein the actuator is configured to actuate the pin to move selectively between a first position and a second position along a direction parallel to the frame member; f) wherein the pin is configured to enter or exit the slot along the second slot portion as the door panel rotates between open and closed when the pin is in the first position and move selectively between the first position and the second position along the first slot portion when the door panel is closed.

In a fourth aspect, a organizer includes: a) a door frame having an opening and a straight frame member; b) two door panels pivotally engaged in the opening, each of the two door panels having a straight edge member configured to confront the frame member when the door panel is closed and move away from the frame member when the door panel is opened; c) a latch assembly comprising: i) an actuator disposed on the frame member; and ii) two pins engaged with the actuator and extending from the actuator into the opening along a direction perpendicular to the frame member; d) two slots respectively disposed on the edge member and each of the two slots configured to confront the corresponding pin when the door panel is closed, the slot comprising: i) a first slot portion extending along a direction parallel to the edge member; and ii) a second slot portion extending along a direction perpendicular to the first slot portion and in communication with the first slot portion, the second slot portion having a slot entrance configured to receive the pin; e) wherein the actuator is configured to actuate the two pins to move selectively between a first position and a second position along a direction parallel to the frame member; and f) wherein the pin is configured to enter or exit the corresponding slot along the second slot portion as the door panel rotates between open and closed when the pin is in the first position and move selectively between the first position and the second position along the first slot portion when the door panel is closed.

Other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions and claims.

In the following description, different embodiments of the present invention will be described. For purposes of explanation, particular structures and details are presented to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, for those skilled in the art the present invention can be realized without the need for specific details. In addition, well-known features will be omitted or simplified for clarity of the described embodiments.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, in which the same markings denote the same components in several of the accompanying drawings,illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of an organizer, andillustrates an exploded schematic view of the organizer. The organizermay include a bottom panel, a side panel, a side panel, a side panel, a door frame, a top panel, and two door panels. The side panels,,and the door frameare pivotally connected to the bottom panelby a plurality of hinges and are capable of pivoting around the hinges between a use position and a collapsed position. Specifically, in the use position, the side panels,,and the door frameare perpendicular to the bottom panel; and in the collapsed position, the side panels,,and the door frameare parallel to the bottom panel.

Each hinge comprises a hinge memberand a hinge receiver. The hinge memberis integrally moulded with and extends downwardly from lower edges of the side panels,,and the door frame. And the hinge receiveris integrally moulded with and extends upwardly from the bottom panelfor pivotally receiving the hinge member.

In a transportation or storage state, the side paneland door framemay be folded onto the bottom panel, followed by folding the side paneland side panelover the side paneland door frame. Optionally, the side paneland the side panelmay be folded preferentially onto the bottom panel, followed by folding the side paneland the door frameover the side paneland the side panel.

is a schematic view of the hinge memberon the side panelwhen viewed from an interior surface of the side panel. The remaining hinge membersare structurally and functionally identical or substantially equivalent thereto.

Referring to, the hinge memberincludes a hinge pin bodysecured to the lower edge of the side panelvia a base. An openingis formed substantially in the center of the base of the hinge membersuch that the base forms a pair of support membersthat attach the hinge pin bodyto the lower edge of the side panel. The hinge pin bodyincludes two cylindrical end portionsdisposed on the outer side of the two support membersand a non-cylindrical portiondisposed between the two support members.

A peripheral surface of the non-cylindrical portionis constructed with a first side, a second side, a third side, a fourth side, a fifth side, and a sixth sidesequentially connected, wherein the sixth sideis arranged adjacent to the first side, forming a circumferentially continuous distribution of the structure. The first sideand the fourth sideare arcuate surfaces arranged opposite each other, that the second sideand the fifth sideare parallel planar surfaces arranged opposite each other, and the third sideand the sixth sideare parallel planar surfaces arranged opposite each other. Wherein the first sideand the fourth sideare provided as circumferential surfaces is to increase the rotational flexibility of the non-cylindrical portionin the hinge receiver, it is also possible to provide at least one of the first sideand the fourth sideas a planar surface in the case of reduced flexibility.

The cross-sectional configuration of the non-cylindrical portionis defined in such a way that a width Wof the second sideand a width Wof the fifth side, which are distributed along the periphery of its cross-section, are greater than a width Wof the third sideand a width Wof the sixth side, respectively. The dimensions of the paired opposite sides of the non-cylindrical portion(e.g., the second sideversus the fifth side, the third sideversus the sixth sidemay be set asymmetrically, i.e., allowing for a difference in the width of the two sides.

The improvement of the present invention for hinges further comprises that the non-cylindrical portionis a columnar configuration with non-uniform thickness, wherein in the cross-section of the non-cylindrical portion, the perpendicular distance between the second sideand the fifth sideis defined as a minimum dimension Wmin of the thickness of the non-cylindrical portion, which will be further described below. Wherein the perpendicular distance between the circumferential surfaces of the first sideand the fourth sideis defined by a spacing between two straight lines tangent to the circumferential surfaces and parallel to each other.

is a partial perspective view of the interior of the bottom panel, showing the hinge receiver. The hinge receiverincludes a pair of bracketswhich are disposed opposite each other, and each of which is generally U-shaped. Between the pair of bracketsis a pair of lugs, which are disposed opposite each other, wherein at least one of the lugsis constructed to be slightly deformable. And wherein each of the lugsincludes an inclined surfacedisposed at the upper end thereof and facing toward the other thereby forming a downward-contracting guide opening between the two lugs. Each of the lugsalso includes a curved surfacethat engages the lower edge of the inclined surface. Optionally, the hinge receiverhas a hollow bottom. Optionally, one of the lugsmay be replaced by a wall of the bottom panelsuch that the hinge receiverhas only one lug.

As shown in, the side paneland the bottom panelare in a pre-assembled position, which is between the use position and the collapsed position, wherein the angle between the side paneland the bottom panelin this position is greater than that in the collapsed position, and is less than that in the use position, that is, more than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees, preferably close to 45 degrees, such as 30-60 degrees, and most preferably 45 degrees.

In the pre-assembled position, the direction of the minimum dimension Wmin of the non-cylindrical portionis substantially parallel to the bottom panel. In this position, the two cylindrical end portionsof the hinge memberare aligned with the two bracketsof the hinge receiver, and the hinge memberis inserted into the hinge receiverin a downward direction, with the third sideand the fifth sideof the hinge membercontacting the inclined surfacesof the two lugs, respectively. Under the application of appropriate force, the slightly deformable lugsare thus deflected outward to allow the hinge pin bodyto be completely inserted into the hinge receiverfrom the guide opening, at which point the two cylindrical end portionsof the hinge memberare received in the two bracketsof the hinge receiver, and the non-cylindrical portionof the hinge memberis disposed between the two lugsof the hinge receiver.

Similarly, as shown in, the side paneland the bottom panelare in a pre-separated position, which is at the same angle as the pre-assembled position, except that the hinge memberof the side panelhas been inserted into the hinge receiverof the bottom panel. In this position, the hinge memberinserted into the hinge receivercan be detached from the hinge receiverin an upward direction. When detached, the second sideand the sixth sideof the hinge membercontact the curved surfacesof the two lugs, respectively. Under the application of appropriate force, the slightly deformable lugsare thus deflected outward to allow the hinge pin bodyto detach from the guide opening from the hinge receiver.

As can be seen from the above, it is the key that the non-cylindrical portionof the hinge memberis aligned with the guide opening of the hinge receiverwith its minimum dimension Wmin, and therefore the second sideand the fifth side, which define the minimum dimension Wmin, are the key sides. While the third sideand the sixth sideare equivalent to guide surfaces, which are only used to guide the non-cylindrical portionto align with the guide opening with the minimum dimension Wmin. Thus the non-cylindrical portionmay also be without the third sideand the sixth side, so that the second sideis adjacent to the fourth sideand the fifth sideis adjacent to the first side.

As shown in, in the use position, the first sideand the fourth sideof the hinge membercontact the curved surfacesof the two lugs. Similarly, as shown in, in the collapsed position, the first sideand the fourth sideof the hinge membercontact the curved surfacesof the two lugs. Since the non-cylindrical portionis not aligned with the guide opening of the hinge receiverwith the minimum dimension Wmin in both positions and the hinge membercannot be detached from the hinge receivereven if the lugsis deflected outward, each hinge memberis confined within the hinge receiver.

The above structural configuration ensures that the hinge membercannot be detached from the hinge receiverwhen the organizeris in the use position and the collapsed position, which ensures enhanced user's experience while preventing mechanical wear caused by structural interference, as it effectively blocks the hinge componentfrom disengaging from the hinge receptacleduring transportation due to vibration-induced displacement.

As shown in, the stopperis fixed to the lower edge of the side paneland located in the opening. When the side panelrotates to the use position, the stopperabuts against the inner surface of the bottom panel, thereby forming a rotation stopper constraint in the outward rotation direction of the side panel. The side panels,and the door framehave the same or similar stoppers.

As shown in, the door frameincludes two side straight frame members, and further includes an upper straight frame memberand a lower straight frame memberdisposed between the two side straight frame members. Each of the two door panelsincludes a pivot sideand a free sideopposite to the pivot side, with the pivot sideadjacent and parallel to the side straight frame memberand engaged between the upper straight frame memberand the lower straight frame member. The two door panelsare rotatable about a rotation axis defined by their respective pivot sides.

The door panel framedefines an opening, which is closed by the two door panelswhen the two door panelsrotate so that the two free sidesconfront each other and are located in the opening. The upper straight frame memberof the door frameincludes a blocking member, which extends downwardly from the upper straight frame memberand thus is disposed within the opening. The blocking membermay block the two door panelsfrom rotating further into the organizer. The two door panelshave an avoidance recessat a location corresponding to the blocking membersuch that when the door panelsclose the opening, the door panelsremain flush with the surface of the door panel frame.

The door panel framealso includes an upper latch assembly, which is disposed substantially in the middle of the upper straight frame member. The upper latch assemblyincludes an actuatorand a sliding grooveextending in a lengthwise direction of the upper straight frame member, with the actuatorsliding in the sliding groove. Two pinsare integrally molded with the lower edge of the actuatorand extend downward so as to be disposed in the openingsuch that the pinscan slide in the lengthwise direction of the upper straight frame memberby sliding the actuator.

Each door panelhas an upper straight edge memberwhich confronts the upper straight frame memberof the door framewhen the openingis closed by the door panel. The top of the upper straight edge memberhas an upper slotwith an open top in correspondence with the pinof the upper latch assembly. The upper slotcomprises a first slot portionextending in a lengthwise direction of the upper straight frame memberand a second slot portionextending in a widthwise direction of the upper straight frame member. The first sectionsof both upper slotsof the two door panelsextend from their respective second sectionsin the same direction, therefore the upper slotson the two door panelsare not mirror-symmetric.

Proximal ends of the first slot portionand the second slot portionare connected to form the upper slotin a substantially L-shaped, such that the first slot portionis in communication with the second slot. A distal end of the second slot portionis oriented toward the interior of the organizerwith a slot entrancethat corresponds to the pin, while a distal end of the first slot portionis a closed end. The pinmay enter the upper slotfrom the slot entrancewhen slid to align with the slot entrance.

The upper slotand the pinare constructed such that when the pinis aligned with the slot entrance, the pinenters the upper slotfrom the slot entranceas the door panelrotates toward it and is located at the connection of the proximal ends of the first partand the second partwhen the door panelis completely closed, and then the pincan be moved toward the distal end of the first slot portionalong the first slot portionby sliding the actuator. The door panelwill be prevented from opening when the pinis located in the first slot portionand is not aligned with the slot entrance.

When the door panelis to be opened, the pinis moved along the first slot portionto the connection of the proximal ends of the first partand the second partby means of the slide actuator, and since the pinis aligned with the slot entrancethere, the pinwill exit the upper slotfrom the slot entranceas the door panelis rotated outwardly away from the pin.

A lower latch assemblywith the same structure as the upper latch assemblycan also be provided on the lower straight frame memberof the door frame, and lower slotscan be provided on the lower edge member of the door panel, accordingly. If necessary, only the upper latch assembly (corresponding to the upper slots) or the lower latch assembly (corresponding to the lower slots) can be set.

A blocking memberof the same construction as the blocking membermay also be provided in the lower straight frame member, and accordingly, an avoidance recess (not shown in the drawings) may be provided in the door panelat a position corresponding to the blocking member, and the blocking member may be provided in the upper straight frame memberor the lower straight frame memberonly, as desired.

It should be noted that the above specific embodiments are exemplary, and the person skilled in the art may come up with various solutions inspired by the disclosure of the present invention, and all of these solutions also fall within the scope of disclosure of the present invention and fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. The person skilled in the art should understand that the specification of the present invention and its accompanying drawings are illustrative and do not constitute a limitation of the claims. The scope of protection of the present invention is limited by the claims and their equivalents. The specification of the present invention contains a number of inventive ideas, such as “preferably”, “alternative embodiments” or “optionally” means that the corresponding paragraph discloses an independent idea, and the applicant The applicant reserves the right to file a separate application based on each inventive concept. Throughout the text, the features guided by “preferably” are only optional and should not be construed as mandatory, so the applicant reserves the right to waive or delete the relevant preferred features at any time.

Although the present disclosure and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present disclosure. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.