Plastic Container Hinged Snap Lid

Abstract

The present invention relates to a reusable plastic container. The container comprises a container body having side walls, end walls, and a bottom. It further includes a hinged lid with lid sections, each section having a hinged edge and at least one free edge. A hinge connects the hinged edge of a lid section to a side wall of the container body. The lid section includes a snap element engageable with a container body end wall. The snap element is configured such that inward pressure applied to an end or side wall of the container body causes the snap element to have greater engagement with the container body to increase the lid's resistance to opening when subjected to an impact.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/354,884, filed Jun. 15, 2010, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a reusable plastic container having a lid configured to increase resistance to opening when subjected to an impact.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Reusable plastic containers have in recent years been used to store and transport goods and materials via air, highway, and rail. Such goods and materials run the gamut from general merchandise, health and beauty aids, automotive parts, and grocery items. The containers are also used during manufacturing processes to move workpieces and in distribution facilities to move products. These containers are often moved on conveyor systems. Plastic containers vary in size to accommodate the goods or materials intended to be stored in them. Common sizes include 11″×15″×9″, 21″×15″×9″, 21″×15″×12″, and 24″×20″×12″, with larger sizes also available.

Reusable containers typically last for over 250 trips making them more cost effective than cardboard or other disposable containers. They are often stackable both when full and also when empty for efficient transport in a truck trailer and storage on a warehouse floor. Plastic containers are recyclable, and therefore, environmentally friendly.

Plastic containers often have hinged covers that are designed to prevent loss of product contained therein during transport and storage, and to be easily opened to provide access to the interior of the container. The containers can be designed to cooperate with plastic pallets for efficient and stable transport and storage.

It has been found that current plastic container designs with hinged lids have an unwanted tendency to open when subjected to inward pressure, such as while being conveyed. This commonly occurs as a result of containers impacting one another during end-to-end conveyance, or from containers impacting conveyor rails. Pressure on the containers causes the hinged lids to separate, thus exposing the container's contents, and increasing the chances of content contamination or loss. The hinged snap lid of the present invention addresses these and other problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a reusable plastic container. The container comprises a container body having side walls, end walls, and a bottom. It further includes a hinged lid with lid sections, each section having a hinged edge and at least one free edge. In an embodiment of the present invention, a hinge connects the hinged edge of a lid section to a side wall of the container body. The lid section includes a snap element engageable with a container body end wall. The snap element is configured such that inward pressure applied to an end or side wall of the container body causes the snap element to have greater engagement with the container body to increase the lid's resistance to opening when subjected to an impact.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the following Figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

To understand the present invention, it will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying Figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a reusable plastic container embodying the snap lid of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a reusable plastic container embodying the snap lid of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a snap lid in accord with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a top view of a reusable plastic container embodying the snap lid of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the underside of a snap lid in accord with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a detailed view of a snap lid in accord with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a reusable plastic container in accord with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of a container in accord with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a detailed view of a snap lid in accord with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the Figures, and will herein be described in detail, preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention, and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a reusable plastic container body 10 embodying a hinged snap lid 12 in accord with the present invention. The container body 10 has two side walls 14, two end walls 16, and a bottom 18. The lid 12 has two lid sections 20 and 22. The lid sections 20 and 22 each have hinged edges 24 and free edges 28, 30 and 32. The hinged edges 24 of the lid sections 20 and 22 are attached to opposing container side walls 14 by hinges 34.

Referencing FIGS. 2 through 7, in accord with an embodiment of the invention, each lid section 20 or 22 includes a snap element 36 preferably on the free edge 32 adjacent an end wall 16. The free edge 32 has a lip 38. The snap element 36 comprises a protuberance 42 on the inner surface of lip 38, which engages a rib 40 in the end wall 16. The protuberance 42 is sized such that when the container body 10 is in a stationary or neutral position, the protuberance 42 engages the rib 40 with sufficient clearance such that minimal force is required to open or close the lid sections 20 and 22. This is described in greater detail below. In an embodiment, the lip 38 is attached to a raised portion 43, which is made integral with the lid section 20 or 22 through an inner wall 45 opposite lip 38.

The protuberance 42 may extend along all or any portion of the length of the end wall 16. The rib 40 may likewise correspondingly extend along that same length. A plurality or ribs 40 and protuberances 42 may be spaced along the length of the end wall 16.

Typically during conveying, container bodies 10 are placed end-to-end such that the lids 12 or end walls 16 of adjacent containers impact each other. Because the side walls 14 and end walls 16 taper outwardly from the bottom 18, the containers 10 impact each other nearest the lid 12, resulting in an inward pressure on the lid 12 or end walls 16. When inward pressure 44 is applied to the lid 12 or end wall 16 at one end of the container body 10, the protuberance 42 at that end is forced inward toward the end wall 16 to cause greater engagement of protuberance 42 with the rib 40, thus increasing the force required to open or close lid sections 20 or 22. This increased force makes the lid sections 20 or 22 more difficult to open, effectively locking the lid 12 to the container body 10, thus making the container body 10 resistant to contamination or loss of contents.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show details of the interaction between the protuberance 42 and rib 40 when the lid 12 is in a neutral condition, and when the container body 10 is impacted from either end wall 16. FIG. 8 shows the container body 10 and hinges 24. The hinges 24 have spacing 48 such that they allow the lid 12 to shift horizontally when subjected to an impact at either end wall 16. As shown in FIG. 8, in an embodiment of the invention, the spacing is approximately 0.063 inches.

FIG. 9 shows details of areas A and B at opposite ends of the container body 10 of FIG. 8 when the lid 12 is in the neutral position, i.e., when the container body 10 is not impacted, when the lid 12 is shifted right due to an impact at the left end wall 16, or when the lid 12 is shifted left due to an impact at the right end wall 16. When the lid 12 is in the neutral position, the protuberance 42 and rib 40 at each end A and B of the container body 10 overlap approximately 0.063 inches.

An impact at the left end wall 16 causing the lid 12 to shift to the right results in an overlap of the protuberance 42 and rib 40 at the left end A of approximately 0.126 inches. The overlap effectively locks the lid 12 to the container body 10 to prevent the lid 12 from popping open during the impact. The shift of the lid 12 to the right eliminates the overlap between the rib 40 and protuberance 42 at the right end B. Alternatively, an impact at the right end wall 16 causes the lid 12 to shift to the left resulting in an overlap at the right end B of approximately 0.126 inches. Again, the overlap effectively locks the lid 12 to the container body 10 to prevent the lid 12 from popping open during the impact. The shift of the lid 12 to the left eliminates the overlap between the rib 40 and protuberance 42 at the left end A. In an alternative embodiment, inward pressure 46 on a side wall 14 could cause the end wall 16 to move outwardly from its normal position, also causing greater engagement between the protuberance 42 and rib 40. While the embodiment shown indicates the rib 40 and protuberance 42 are located along the end walls 16 of the container body 10, it will be understood that the rib 40 and protuberance 42 may also be located along the side walls 14. It is also understood that lid sections 20 and 22 may each have a snap element at each of the end walls 16.

While the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying Claims.

Claims

1. A reusable plastic container, the container comprising:

a container body having side walls, end walls, and a bottom;

a lid providing access to container contents, the lid including lid sections; and

a snap element engaging at least one lid section and at least one of the container body side walls or end walls, the snap element having a neutral position and an impact position, the snap element having greater engagement with the lid section when in the impact position.

2. The reusable plastic container of claim 1 wherein the at least one lid section includes a lip having an inner surface, and the at least one of the container body side walls or end walls includes a rib, and wherein the snap element includes a protuberance on the inner surface of the lip of the at least one lid section, the protuberance overlapping the rib on the at least one of the container body side walls or end walls.

3. The reusable plastic container of claim 1 wherein each lid section includes a hinged edge having a plurality of hinges, the hinges being spaced to permit the lid section to shift horizontally between the neutral position and the impact position.

4. The reusable plastic container of claim 2 wherein the protuberance and rib overlap to a greater extent when in the impact position than in the neutral position.

5. The reusable plastic container of claim 2 wherein the rib and protuberance are in a neutral position, and wherein the overlap between the protuberance and rib in the neutral position is in the range of approximately 0.05 inches to 0.075 inches.

6. The reusable plastic container of claim 2 wherein the rib and protuberance are in an impact position, and wherein the overlap between the protuberance and rib in the impact position is in the range of approximately 0.10 inches to 0.15 inches.

7. A reusable plastic container, the container comprising:

a container body having side walls, end walls, and a bottom;

a hinged lid providing access to container contents, the lid having lid sections, each section having a hinged edge;

a hinge connecting the hinged edge of each lid section to a side wall of the container body; and

each lid section including a snap element engageable with a container body end wall, the snap element having a neutral position and an impact position, the snap element having greater engagement when in the impact position.

8. The reusable plastic container of claim 7 wherein the snap element is configured to have greater engagement with the container body when inward pressure is applied to the lid.

9. The reusable plastic container of claim 7 wherein inward pressure applied to a side wall of the container body causes the snap element to have greater engagement with the container body.

10. The reusable plastic container of claim 7 wherein the lid sections each include a lip having an inner surface, and the end walls each include a rib, and wherein the snap element includes a protuberance on the inner surface of the lips of the lid sections, the protuberance overlapping the ribs on the container body end wall.

11. The reusable plastic container of claim 7 wherein the hinge is spaced to permit the lid section to shift horizontally when inward pressure is applied to an end wall of the container body.

12. The reusable plastic container of claim 10 wherein the protuberance and rib overlap to a greater extent when inward pressure is applied to an end wall of the container body.

13. The reusable plastic container of claim 10 wherein the rib and protuberance are in a neutral position, and wherein the overlap between the protuberance and rib in the neutral position is in the range of approximately 0.05 inches to 0.075 inches.

14. The reusable plastic container of claim 10 wherein the rib and protuberance are in an impact position, and wherein the overlap between the protuberance and rib in the impact position is in the range of approximately 0.10 inches to 0.15 inches.

15. A reusable plastic container, the container comprising:

a container body having side walls, end walls, and a bottom;

a hinged lid providing access to container contents, the lid having lid sections, each section having a hinged edge with a plurality of hinges, wherein the hinges are spaced to permit the lid section to shift horizontally between a neutral position and an impact position; and

a snap element engaging each lid section with one of the container body end walls, the snap element having greater engagement when the lid is in the impact position than in the neutral position.

16. The reusable plastic container of claim 15 wherein the lid sections each include a lip having an inner surface, a raised portion connected to the lip, and an inner wall connected to the raised portion, and wherein the container body end walls each include a rib, and wherein the snap element includes a protuberance on the inner surface of the lip of the lid sections, the protuberance overlapping the rib on the container body end walls.

17. The reusable plastic container of claim 16 wherein the protuberance and rib overlap to a greater extent when the lid section is in the impact position than in the neutral position.

18. The reusable plastic container of claim 15 wherein each lid section has a snap element at each end wall.

19. The reusable plastic container of claim 16 wherein the rib and protuberance are in a neutral position, and wherein the overlap between the protuberance and rib in the neutral position is in the range of approximately 0.05 inches to 0.075 inches.

20. The reusable plastic container of claim 16 wherein the rib and protuberance are in an impact position, and wherein the overlap between the protuberance and rib in the impact position is in the range of approximately 0.10 inches to 0.15 inches.