Collapsible storage container

Abstract

A storage container includes a rectangular frame formed from pivotally connected bottom, top, left, and right panels and is therefore collapsible into a flat state to have a largely reduced volume to enable convenient storage and transport thereof at reduced cost. Any two of the four panels that are adjacent to each other are provided at joints with tenons and corresponding mortises. When the rectangular frame is in a standup state with the corresponding tenons and mortises engaged with one another, the mutually pivotally turnably connected panels of the storage container are held in place to always keep the storage container in a stable and upright position.

1 . A collapsible storage container, comprising:
 a bottom panel being provided with a left wall portion and a right wall portion upward extended from two upper lateral edges of the bottom panel; the upward left and right wall portions being provided at predetermined positions with two recesses each, which are internally provided with an annular ring each to define an axial central through hole; and the upward left and right wall portions being provided at respective front end with an upward projected substantially T-shaped tenon;   a top panel being provided with a left wall portion and a right wall portion downward extended from two lower lateral edges of the top panel; the downward left and right wall portions being provided at predetermined positions with two recesses each, which are internally provided with an annular ring each to define an axial central through hole; and the downward left and right wall portions being provided at respective front end with a downward projected substantially reverse T-shaped tenon;   a left panel being provided at an upper edge with two longitudinally extended shafts corresponding to the two recesses at the downward left wall portion of the top panel to axially movably extend through the central holes of the annular rings in the two recesses, and at a lower edge with two longitudinally extended shafts corresponding to the two recesses at the upward left wall portion of the bottom panel to axially movably extend through the central holes of the annular rings in the two recesses, such that the left panel is pivotally turnable about the shafts at the upper and the lower edge thereof relative to the top and the bottom panel, respectively; and the left panel being provided at an upper front surface with a reverse T-shaped mortise for engaging with the downward extended reverse T-shaped tenon provided at the front end of the left wall portion of the top panel, and at a lower front surface with a T-shaped mortise for engaging with the upward extended T-shaped tenon provided at the front end of the left wall portion of the bottom panel; and   a right panel being provided at an upper edge with two longitudinally extended shafts corresponding to the two recesses at the downward right wall portion of the top panel to axially movably extend through the central holes of the annular rings in the two recesses, and at a lower edge with two longitudinally extended shafts corresponding to the two recesses at the upward right wall portion of the bottom panel to axially movably extend through the central holes of the annular rings in the two recesses, such that the right panel is pivotally turnable about the shafts at the upper and the lower edge thereof relative to the top and the bottom panel, respectively; and the right panel being provided at an upper front surface with a reverse T-shaped mortise for engaging with the downward extended reverse T-shaped tenon provided at the front end of the left wall portion of the top panel, and at a lower front surface with a T-shaped mortise for engaging with the upward extended T-shaped tenon provided at the front end of the right wall portion of the bottom panel.   
   
   
       2 . The collapsible storage container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the bottom panel is provided at a rear left and a rear right end with a reverse T-shaped mortise each, and the left and right panels are provided at respective lower rear end with a downward projected reverse T-shaped tenon to be fitly received in the reverse T-shaped mortises at the rear left an rear right ends of the bottom panel, respectively. 
   
   
       3 . The collapsible storage container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the top panel is provided at a rear left and a rear right end with a T-shaped mortise each, and the left and right panels are provided at respective upper rear end with an upward projected T-shaped tenon to be fitly received in the T-shaped mortises at the rear left and rear right ends of the top panel, respectively. 
   
   
       4 . The collapsible storage container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the annular rings on the bottom and top panels are provided at respective top with an axial groove to communicate the central through holes of the annular rings with external space; and the shafts on the left and right panels are provided at respective front end with a size-reduced flat section, at where the shafts are separately guided into the central through holes of corresponding annular rings via the axial grooves. 
   
   
       5 . The collapsible storage container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the right wall portion of the bottom panel is slightly higher than the left wall portion of the bottom panel, and the right wall portion of the top panel is slightly shorter than the left wall portion of the top panel; the left panel and the right panel have the same height; and the four pairs of shafts at the upper and lower edges of the left and right panels pivotally connecting the left and the right panel to the top and the bottom panel actually form four vertexes of a parallelogram. 
   
   
       6 . The collapsible storage container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the bottom panel is provided at and along an inner side of the left wall portion thereof with a flat-topped belt portion that has a top lower than that of the left wall portion, and at and along an outer side of the right wall portion thereof with a flat-topped belt portion that has a top higher than that of the right wall portion, such that when the left and right panels are pivotally turned into an upright position, a lower edge surface of the left panel is pressed against the belt portion at the inner side of the left wall portion of the bottom panel, and a lower edge surface of the right panel is pressed against the belt portion at the outer side of the right wall portion of the bottom panel. 
   
   
       7 . The collapsible storage container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the top panel is provided at an outer side of the left wall portion thereof with a flat-topped belt portion that has a bottom higher than that of the left wall portion, and at an inner side of the right wall portion thereof with a flat-topped belt portion that has a bottom higher than that of the right wall portion, such that when the left and right panels are pivotally turned into an upright position, an upper edge surface of the left panel is pressed against the belt portion at the outer side of the left wall portion of the top panel, and an upper edge surface of the right panel is pressed against the belt portion at the inner side of the right wall portion of the top panel. 
   
   
       8 . The collapsible storage container as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a back panel for closing a rear open side of a rectangular frame formed from the bottom, the top, the left, and the right panel. 
   
   
       9 . The collapsible storage container as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the back panel is provided at upper, lower, left, and right edges with at least one protrusion each; and wherein the top, bottom, left, and right panels are provided at respective inner side on an edge adjacent to the back panel with a channel corresponding to the protrusions at the upper, lower, left, and right edges of the back panel, respectively, for engaging with the protrusions. 
   
   
       10 . The collapsible storage container as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a door, and an upper and a lower hinge device for mounting the door to a front open side of a rectangular frame formed from the bottom, the top, the left, and the right panel; each of the upper and lower hinge devices including a pivot shaft and two locating pins; the locating pins of the upper and lower hinge devices being inserted into two pin holes correspondingly provided at predetermined positions on an inner front side of the top and the bottom panel, respectively; and the pivot shaft of the upper and the lower hinge device being respectively received in a retaining slot correspondingly provided at an inner upper and an inner lower corner of the door. 
   
   
       11 . The collapsible storage container as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising at least one shelf and at least one pair of rails for supporting the shelf thereon; and wherein the left panel is correspondingly provided on inner front and rear edge surfaces with at least one rail holder each, so that at least one rail may be horizontally held to and between two corresponding rail holders on the inner side of the left panel, and the right panel is correspondingly provided on inner front and rear edge surfaces with at least one rail holder each, so that at least one rail may be horizontally held to and between two corresponding rail holders on the inner side of the right panel; whereby the at least one shelf may be horizontally supported on the at least one pair of rails correspondingly held to the left and the right panel to thereby divide an internal space of the storage container into at least an upper and a lower subspace. 
   
   
       12 . The collapsible storage container as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising at least one drawer and at least one pair of rails for slidably supporting the drawer thereon; and wherein the left panel is correspondingly provided on inner front and rear edge surfaces with at least one rail holder each, so that at least one rail may be horizontally held to and between two corresponding rail holders on the inner side of the left panel, and the right panel is correspondingly provided on inner front and rear edge surfaces with at least one rail holder each, so that at least one rail may be horizontally held to and between two corresponding rail holders on the inner side of the right panel; whereby the at least one drawer may be horizontally supported on the at least one pair of rails correspondingly held to the left and the right panel.