Reusable hinged-lid shipping/storage box

Abstract

A box has a pair of cover halves having inner edges pivoted at hinges and outer edges each formed with a plurality of projecting tabs and a plurality of complementary seats. The cover halves are pivotal between a coplanar closed position with the tabs half fitting complementarily in the seats and an open position extending nonparallel to each other and with the outer edges spaced from each other. The cover halves have at ends of their outer edges corners that are closely juxtaposed with the side walls in the closed position. Latches at each of the corners are each formed by a tongue projecting generally radially outward relative to the respective axis from one of the cover halves and a hole open only radially of the respective axis on the other of the cover halves. Each tongue fits in the respective hole in the closed position.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A box comprising: 
 floor and side walls;    a pair of parallel and spaced hinges at upper edges of the side walls and defining respective generally parallel hinge axes;    respective cover halves having inner edges pivoted at the hinges and outer edges each formed with a plurality of outwardly projecting tabs and a plurality of outwardly open complementary seats, the cover halves being pivotal about the respective axes between a generally coplanar closed position with the tabs of the outer edge of each cover half fitting complementarily in the seats of the outer edge of the other cover half and an open position extending, nonparallel to each other from the respective axes and with the outer edges spaced from each other, the cover halves having at ends of their outer edges corners that are closely juxtaposed with the side walls in the closed position;    latches at each of the corners and each comprised of a tongue projecting generally radially outward relative to the respective axis from one of the cover halves and a hole open only radially of the respective axis on the other of the cover halves, each tongue fitting in the respective hole ir the closed position.    
     
     
         2 . The box defined in  claim 1  wherein one corner of each outer edge has the tongue and the other corner of each outer edge has the hole.  
     
     
         3 . The box defined in  claim 1  wherein each tongue and each hole are of generally square cross section.