CONTAINER
The container (1) comprises a number of side walls (2) meeting at corners (3), a bottom, and a top opening (4) with a detachable lid (5). At a corner (3) of the container, a curved corner section (11) of an inward directed ridge (8) of the lid (5) is provided with a bendable skirt section (12) being adapted to be bent to an outward directed position (12′) in such a way that a central part of the curved corner section (11) of the inward directed ridge (8) of the lid (5) is levered away from an outward directed ridge (6) of the top opening (4) and that engagement between the corresponding ridges (6, 8) thereby is weakened in an area at said central part.
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The present invention relates to a container comprising a number of side walls meeting at corners, a bottom, a top opening and a detachable lid covering the top opening, the top opening being provided with a peripherally extending outward directed ridge, the lid being provided with a peripherally extending downward bent engagement portion having an inward directed ridge adapted to grip under the outward directed ridge of the top opening, the lid further being provided with a skirt extending below the engagement portion from the inward directed ridge thereof, the outward directed ridge of the top opening and the corresponding inward directed ridge of the lid having curved corner sections at the corners at which the side walls of the container meet, said curved corner sections connecting side sections of the respective ridges.
EP 1 681 242 B1 (Superfos) discloses a container of this type, having four walls meeting at rounded corners. In order to open the container, a recess is formed in the skirt of the container wall near a corner, so that a pair of fingers may be inserted into the recess and thereby press upward on the skirt of the lid. However, due to the relatively small radius of the rounded corner, a considerable force may be necessary to disengage the inward directed ridge of the lid from the outward directed ridge of the top opening. Pressing on the lower edge of the thin wall of the skirt may be inconvenient for the user.
In order to overcome the force necessary to open the container, it is known to form the inward directed ridge of the lid and/or the outward directed ridge of the top opening with a smaller cross-section or a smaller protrusion in the radial direction in the area of the corner to be opened than along the rest of the peripheral extension of the lid and top opening. However, as a proper sealing effect of the lid has to be maintained, the cross-section or the protrusion in the radial direction of the ridges cannot be too small, and consequently the lid may still be somewhat difficult to open. There are also known containers having a lid with a relatively thicker skirt in the corner to be opened in order not to hurt the fingers.
The object of the present invention is to facilitate the opening of the container without compromising the sealing effect between the lid and the top opening.
In view of this object, in that at least one of the curved corner sections of the inward directed ridge of the lid is provided with a bendable skirt section being adapted to be bent to an outward directed position in such a way that a central part of the at least one curved corner section of the inward directed ridge of the lid is levered away from the outward directed ridge of the top opening and that engagement between the corresponding ridges thereby is weakened in an area at said central part.
Thereby, in order to open the container, a pair of fingers may press on the lower side of bendable skirt section, thereby bending it outward and consequently weakening the engagement between the corresponding ridges, so that the necessary opening force is reduced and opening thereby facilitated. Before opening, the engagement between the corresponding ridges is not weakened, and therefore the sealing effect is not compromised.
The cross-section and/or the radial protrusion of the corresponding ridges may additionally be reduced in the corner to be opened in order to further facilitate opening of the container. It is also possible to form the corresponding ridges of another material than the rest of the lid or of the container; for instance, one or both of the ridges or even a larger part of the corner of the lid and/or of the top opening of the container may be formed of a softer and/or more elastic material incorporated by co-injection.
Alternatively, the ridges may be formed with unreduced cross-section and/or radial protrusion along the entire periphery of the container in order to improve the sealing effect before opening the container. Due to the levering effect according to the invention, opening of the lid may still be possible and/or facilitated without changing the ridge form at the corner or corners to be opened.
In an embodiment, the bendable skirt section is prepared for bending about a bending line along which the material of the lid is weakened or about which the material of the lid is pre-bent. Thereby, the bending line may be predetermined at the design stage of the container, and it may be ensured that the bendable skirt section is bent along a line providing optimized levering effect in order to effectively lift the inward directed ridge of the lid away from the outward directed ridge of the top opening. Furthermore, bending of the bendable skirt section may be facilitated.
In an embodiment, a bending line is formed in a bending section connecting the peripherally extending downward bent engagement portion and the skirt, and the bending section has an outside extending obliquely downward and outward, the outside thereby forming an angle with both the peripherally extending downward bent engagement portion and the skirt. Thereby, bending of the bendable skirt section may start along the angled connection between the engagement portion and the bending section and further continue by bending over the entire bending section. In this way, the position of bending may be well controlled.
In an embodiment, the bending line extends below mutually contacting faces of the outward directed ridge of the top opening and the corresponding inward directed ridge of the lid, respectively. Thereby, it may be ensured that the inward directed ridge of the lid will not break during bending, and consequently the sealing effect after re-closing of the lid may be good.
In an embodiment, a protrusion is formed next to a bending line and on the outside of the engagement portion or on the outside of the bendable skirt section, and in that said protrusion is adapted to be pinched between the bendable skirt section and the engagement portion when bending the bendable skirt section to its outward directed position. Thereby, the protrusion may enhance the levering effect in order to even more effectively lever a central part of the at least one curved corner section of the inward directed ridge of the lid away from the outward directed ridge of the top opening.
In an embodiment, at least a part of the bendable skirt section is separated from the remaining part of the skirt by means of two spaced elastic elements, such as parts of the skirt having a wall thickness thinner than the remaining part of the skirt or parts of the skirt having a bellows-type configuration. Thereby, the sealing effect of the lid after re-closing of the container may be improved in that the bendable skirt section may flex elastically back at least approximately to its initial position, thereby ensuring good engagement between the inward directed ridge of the lid and the outward directed ridge of the top opening after closing.
In an embodiment, spaced elastic or expandable elements split at least part of the inward directed ridge of the lid at either side of the bendable skirt section. Thereby, disengagement between the inward directed ridge of the lid and the outward directed ridge of the top opening may be facilitated during opening of the container, thereby facilitating opening. This may be possible without compromising the sealing effect of the lid, because the spaced elastic or expandable elements may seal the split area of the inward directed ridge of the lid against fluid leakage.
In an embodiment, the bendable skirt section is separated from the remaining part of the skirt by means of two cuts or pre-cuts extending downward from an area below the inward directed ridge of the lid. This may be an embodiment easy to manufacture. In the case of pre-cuts, a tamper evident container may be provided.
In an embodiment, the bendable skirt section is separated from the remaining part of the skirt by means of at least two grooves formed in the outside surface of the skirt and extending downward from an area at the bending line to the lower edge of the skirt, said grooves reducing the wall thickness of the skirt so that the skirt may break along the grooves in order to bend the bendable skirt section to its outward directed position. This may be an embodiment easy to manufacture. In the case of pre-cuts, a tamper evident container may be provided.
In an embodiment, the bendable skirt section is reinforced against bending along a line extending in its longitudinal direction, possibly by means of ribs extending at right angles to its longitudinal direction. Thereby, the levering effect of the bendable skirt section may be improved in order to even more effectively lever the inward directed ridge of the lid away from the outward directed ridge of the top opening.
In an embodiment, the bendable skirt section is reinforced against bending along a line extending in its longitudinal direction by means of mutually spaced ribs extending at right angles to its longitudinal direction, said ribs having upper ends adapted to abut the outside of the engagement portion when bending the bendable skirt section to its outward directed position. Thereby, the abutment of the protrusions in the form of the upper ends of the ribs may enhance the levering effect in order to even more effectively lever a central part of the at least one curved corner section of the inward directed ridge of the lid away from the outward directed ridge of the top opening.
The invention will now be explained in more detail below by means of examples of embodiments with reference to the very schematic drawing, in which
At the lower, right corner 3 of the container 1 as shown in
One or more of the curved corner sections 11 of the inward directed ridge 8 of the lid 5 may be provided with such a bendable skirt section 12. Especially, two diagonally opposed corner sections 11 may be provided with a bendable skirt section 12, such as at the lower, right corner 3 and at the upper, left corner 3 of the container 1 as shown in
Although the line 12′ in
In the context of this invention, the expression inward, when relating to the ridges 6, 8 or anything else along the periphery of the container 1 means directed against a central vertical axis through the container when the container is placed with its bottom on a horizontal surface. Outward relates to the opposite direction, which is away from said vertical axis. In fact, all directions mentioned in this application relate to the container 1 when it is placed with its bottom on a horizontal surface.
Advantageously, the bendable skirt section is prepared for bending about a bending line along which the material of the lid is weakened or about which the material of the lid is pre-bent or along which the material of the lid in any other suitable way is prepared or adapted to facilitate bending.
However, in the embodiment shown in
It may be preferred that the bending line 16 extends below mutually contacting faces of the outward directed ridge 6 of the top opening 4 and the corresponding inward directed ridge 8 of the lid 5, respectively. Thereby, it may be ensured that the inward directed ridge 8 is not broken during the bending operation.
In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
The cuts 18 may in fact extend further upward and split at least part of the inward directed ridge 8 of the lid 5 at either side of the bendable skirt section 12. However, in that case it may be preferred to cover the cut at least through the inward directed ridge 8 by means of elastic or expandable elements in order to ensure the sealing effect of the lid before and preferably also after opening and re-closing. It is noted that in such an embodiment, the bending line 16 may in part or entirely extend above the angle between the engagement portion 7 and the bending section 17; in fact, it may in part or entirely extend at a level with or even above the inward directed ridge 8.
In an embodiment, at least a part of the bendable skirt section 12 is separated from the remaining part of the skirt 9 by means of two not shown spaced elastic elements, such as parts of the skirt 9 having a wall thickness thinner than the remaining part of the skirt or parts of the skirt having a bellows-type configuration. Thereby, the bendable skirt section 12 may return automatically to its initial position after opening of the lid.
In an embodiment, the bendable skirt section 12 is reinforced against bending along a line extending in its longitudinal direction, for instance, by means of reinforcing ribs or other suitable protrusions or the like. Thereby, the above-mentioned levering effect of the bendable skirt section 12 may be enhanced. In the embodiments shown in
In the embodiment shown in
It is noted that, in the embodiment shown in
Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
It is noted that in the embodiment shown in
In
Claims
1-11. (canceled)
12. A container (1) comprising a number of side walls (2) meeting at corners (3), a bottom, a top opening (4) and a detachable lid (5) covering the top opening, the top opening being provided with a peripherally extending outward directed ridge (6), the lid (5) being provided with a peripherally extending downward bent engagement portion (7) having an inward directed ridge (8) adapted to grip under the outward directed ridge (6) of the top opening, the lid (5) further being provided with a skirt (9) extending below the engagement portion (7) from the inward directed ridge (8) thereof, the outward directed ridge (6) of the top opening (4) and the corresponding inward directed ridge (8) of the lid (5) having curved corner sections (10, 11) at the corners (3) at which the side walls (2) of the container meet, said curved corner sections (10, 11) connecting side sections of the respective ridges (6, 8), where at least one of the curved corner sections (11) of the inward directed ridge (8) of the lid (5) is provided with a bendable skirt section (12) being adapted to be bent to an outward directed position (12′) in such a way that a central part of the at least one curved corner section (11) of the inward directed ridge (8) of the lid is levered away from the outward directed ridge (6) of the top opening (4) and that engagement between the corresponding ridges (6, 8) thereby is weakened in an area at said central part, wherein the bendable skirt section (12) is separated from the remaining part of the skirt (9) by means of two cut or pre-cuts extending downward from an area below the inward directed ridge (8) of the lid or by means of at least two grooves (22) formed in the outside surface of the skirt (9) and extending downward from an area at the bending line (16) to the lower edge of the skirt (9), said grooves (22) reducing the wall thickness of the skirt (9) so that the skirt is breakable along the grooves (22) in order to bend the bendable skirt section (12) to its outward directed position (12′), the bending line (16) extending below mutually contacting faces of the outward directed ridge (6) of the top opening (4) and the corresponding inward directed ridge (8) of the lid (5), respectively.
13. The container according to claim 12, wherein the bendable skirt section (12) is prepared for bending about a bending line (16) along which the material of the lid (5) is weakened or about which the material of the lid is pre-bent.
14. The container according to claim 12, wherein a bending line (16) is formed in a bending section (17) connecting the peripherally extending downward bent engagement portion (7) and the skirt (9), and in that the bending section (17) has an outside extending obliquely downward and outward, the outside thereby forming an angle with both the peripherally extending downward bent engagement portion and the skirt.
15. The container according to claim 12, wherein a protrusion is formed next to a bending line (16) and on the outside of the engagement portion (7) or on the outside of the bendable skirt section (12), and in that said protrusion is adapted to be pinched between the bendable skirt section (12) and the engagement portion (7) when bending the bendable skirt section (12) to its outward directed position (12′).
16. The container according to claim 12, wherein the bendable skirt section (12) is reinforced against bending along a line extending in its longitudinal direction, possibly by means of ribs (21) extending at right angles to its longitudinal direction.
17. The A container according to claim 12, wherein the bendable skirt section (12) is reinforced against bending along a line extending in its longitudinal direction by means of mutually spaced ribs (21) extending at right angles to its longitudinal direction, said ribs (21) having upper ends (25) adapted to abut the outside of the engagement portion (7) when bending the bendable skirt section (12) to its outward directed position (12′).
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 7, 2011
Publication Date: Apr 25, 2013
Applicant: Superfos A/S (Taastrup)
Inventor: Lars Pudselykke (Holbaek)
Application Number: 13/521,625
International Classification: B65D 43/02 (20060101);