Paint container
A container includes a can, a lid support coupled to a rim of a can, and a removable lid coupled to the lid support. The lid support is formed to include an upwardly opening paint overflow trough. The lid includes a pry flange arranged to be pried by a tool to remove the lid from the lid support to gain access into an interior region formed in the can.
The present disclosure relates to containers, and particularly to containers made of plastics material and used to store paint. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to paint cans and lids.
SUMMARYIn accordance with the present disclosure, a container includes a can, a lid support mounted on a rim of the can, and a removable lid arranged normally to close an opening provided in the lid support into an interior region formed in the can. Each of the can, lid support, and lid is made of a plastics material. A tool can be used to pry the lid away from the lid support to access paint or other material stored in the interior region of the can.
In illustrative embodiments, retaining walls included in the lid support cooperate to form a narrow, annular, lid-retention groove receiving a peripheral portion of the lid to limit radially inward and outward movement of the lid in the lid-retention groove. Thus, the retaining walls act to minimize the possibility that the lid will separate inadvertently from the lid support should a paint can filled with paint be dropped on the floor.
Also in illustrative embodiments, an upstanding annular fence included in the lid support provides one of the retaining walls defining the lid-retention groove. This upstanding annular fence cooperates with a surrounding annular fence to define an upwardly opening paint overflow trough arranged to surround the annular lid-retention groove. The floor of the paint overflow trough lies above the can rim while the floor of the lid-retention groove lies below the can rim.
In other illustrative embodiments, spin-weld lugs are provided on the lid support and located in the paint overflow trough to engage a rotating tool used to rotate the lid support relative to the rim of an underlying can to spin-weld the lid support to the rim of the can. Each spin-weld lug extends between the two upstanding annular fences that are arranged to define the paint overflow trough. The spin-weld lugs are uniformly spaced apart along the floor of the paint overflow trough.
Additional features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
A container 10 includes a can 12, a lid support 14 coupled to can 12, and a lid 16 as suggested, for example, in
Can 12 includes a floor 24 and an annular side wall 26 extending upwardly from floor 24 to define an interior region 28 as suggested in
Lid support 14 includes a rim mount 32 that is adapted to be coupled to rim 30 of can 12 as suggested in
Lid 16 includes a closure 36 and a closure anchor ring 38 arranged to extend around closure 36 as suggested in
As suggested in
Lid retainer 20 includes an annular first upstanding fence 44 including radially inwardly facing retaining wall 42 as shown, for example, in
As suggested in
Rim mount 32 further includes a radially inwardly extending annular retainer support 54 as shown, for example, in
Lid retainer 20 includes a flex ring 56 coupled to a lower portion of annular first upstanding fence 44 and configured to extend radially inwardly and then upwardly as suggested in
As suggested in
Lid retainer 20 is also formed to include an upwardly opening annular end flange receiver 66 arranged to open into lid-retention groove 39 as suggested in
A peripheral portion 18 of closure anchor ring 38 of lid 16 extends into lid-retention groove 39 of lid retainer 20 to couple lid 16 to lid support 14 as suggested, for example, in
Peripheral portion 18 of closure anchor ring 38 further includes a radially outwardly extending tool-engaging pry flange 74 as shown best in
In an illustrative embodiment, peripheral portion 18, flex ring 56, and first upstanding fence 44 are made of elastic materials and deform elastically to allow movement of peripheral portion 18 into and out of lid-retention groove 39. As illustrated in
Closure 36 of lid 16 includes a ceiling 80, an annular upright side wall 82 coupled to closure anchor ring 38, and a frustoconical ceiling support 84 as shown, for example, in
In the illustrated embodiment, frustoconical ceiling support 84 is arranged to converge in a direction toward the ceiling and away from floor 24 of can 12 (as shown in
As shown, for example, in
In practice, lid support 14 is welded to can 12. Can 12 is then filled with paint. Lid 16 is then snapped onto lid support 14 in such a manner that a seal and a lock are created to prevent can 12 from opening or leaking inadvertently. When lid 16 is secure, a tool 22 is required to open can 12.
Claims
1. A container comprising
- a can including a floor and a side wall extending upwardly from the floor to define an interior region and terminating at a rim,
- a lid including a closure and a closure anchor ring arranged to extend around the closure, the closure anchor ring including a radially inwardly extending locking flange, and
- a lid support coupled to the rim of the can and formed to include an opening into the interior region of the can, the annular lid support includes a rim mount coupled to the rim of the can and a lid retainer coupled to the rim mount and arranged to extend from the rim mount in a radially inwardly extending direction to overlie the interior region of the can and define the opening into the interior region, the lid retainer being formed to include a lid-retention groove bounded in part by a radially outwardly facing retaining wall and an opposing radially inwardly facing retaining wall and a locking flange receiver located above the radially outwardly facing retaining wall, and wherein the closure anchor ring extends into the lid-retention groove to lie in a space between the radially outwardly and inwardly facing retaining walls when the lid is mounted on the lid support to close the opening into the interior region of the can and to position the radially inwardly extending locking flange in the locking flange receiver, the radially outwardly and inwardly facing retaining walls are arranged to lie in confronting relation to the closure anchor ring located therebetween to limit movement of the lid relative to the lid support in radially inward and outward directions while the lid is mounted on the lid support.
2. The container of claim 1, wherein the closure anchor ring further includes a radially outwardly extending tool-engaging pry flange and the radially outwardly extending tool-engaging pry flange is arranged to overlie the radially inwardly facing retaining wall of the lid retainer when the lid is mounted on the lid support.
3. The container of claim 2, wherein the lid retainer includes a first upstanding fence including the radially inwardly facing retaining wall and the rim mount includes a second upstanding fence that is arranged to surround the first upstanding fence to define an upwardly opening paint overflow trough therebetween.
4. The container of claim 3, wherein the rim mount further includes inner and outer rim flanges that are arranged to extend downwardly from the second upstanding fence and lie in spaced-apart relation to one another to define a rim-receiving channel therebetween, the rim of the can is arranged to extend into the rim-receiving channel, and the rim mount further includes a radially inwardly extending annular retainer support coupled to the lid retainer and arranged to provide an upwardly facing annular trough floor providing a boundary of the upwardly opening paint overflow trough and extending between the first and second fences.
5. The container of claim 3, wherein the rim mount further includes an upwardly facing annular trough floor arranged to extend between the first and second upstanding fences and located above the rim of the can.
6. The container of claim 3, wherein the lid retainer includes a flex ring formed to include the locking flange receiver and the radially outwardly facing retainer wall below the locking flange receiver, the radially outwardly facing retainer wall of the flex ring and an opposing radially inwardly facing surface of the first upstanding fence cooperate to define an end flange receiver opening into the lid-retention groove and wherein the closure anchor ring further includes a downwardly extending end flange located below the radially inwardly extending locking flange and arranged to extend into the end flange receiver and lie in closely confronting relation to the radially outwardly facing retainer wall of the flex ring and the opposing radially inwardly facing surface of the first upstanding fence further to limit movement of the lid relative to the lid support in radially inward and outward directions while the lid is mounted on the lid support.
7. The container of claim 1, wherein the radially outwardly facing retainer wall and a lower portion of the radially inwardly facing retainer wall cooperate to define an end flange receiver arranged to lie below the locking flange receiver and open into the lid-retention groove and wherein the closure anchor ring further includes a downwardly extending end flange located below the radially inwardly extending locking flange and arranged to extend into the end flange receiver and lie in closely confronting relation to the radially outwardly facing retainer wall and the lower portion of the radially inwardly facing retainer wall further to limit movement of the lid relative to the lid support in radially inward and outward directions while the lid is mounted on the lid support.
8. The container of claim 7, wherein the closure of the lid includes a ceiling, an upright side wall coupled to the closure anchor ring, and a frustoconical ceiling support having a radially innermost portion coupled to the ceiling and a radially outermost portion coupled to the upright side wall and arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the end flange of the closure anchor ring to locate the radially outwardly facing retaining wall of the lid retainer therebetween.
9. The container of claim 8, wherein the frustoconical ceiling support is arranged to converge in a direction extending toward the ceiling and away from the floor of the can to locate the ceiling above the rim of the can to maximize the interior region of the can when the lid is mounted on the lid support.
10. The container of claim 1, wherein the closure includes a ceiling, an upright side wall coupled to the closure anchor ring, and a frustoconical ceiling support having a radially innermost portion coupled to the ceiling and a radially outermost portion coupled to the upright side wall, the closure anchor ring further includes a radially outwardly extending tool-engaging pry flange, and wherein the ceiling is arranged to lie at a first distance above the rim of the can and the radially outwardly extending tool-engaging pry flange is arranged to lie above the ceiling at a greater second distance above the rim of the can.
11. The container of claim 10, wherein the lid retainer includes a first upstanding fence including the radially inwardly facing wall and the radially outwardly extending tool-engaging pry flange is arranged to overlie the radially inwardly facing retaining wall of the first upstanding fence when the lid is mounted on the lid support.
12. The container of claim 11, wherein the rim mount includes a second upstanding fence that is arranged to surround the first upstanding fence to define an upwardly opening paint overflow trough therebetween and an upwardly facing annular trough floor that is arranged to extend between the first and second upstanding fences and is located above the rim of the can.
13. The container of claim 1, wherein the lid retainer includes a first upstanding fence and the rim mount includes a second upstanding fence that is arranged to surround the first upstanding fence to define an upwardly opening paint overflow trough therebetween and an upwardly facing annular trough floor arranged to extend between the first and second upstanding fences and located above the rim of the can.
14. The container of claim 13, wherein the can and the lid support are made of a weldable plastics material and the rim mount further includes at least one spin-weld lug located in the upwardly opening paint overflow trough and coupled to the upwardly facing annular trough floor to provide means for receiving a rotary drive torque applied by an external apparatus to rotate the lid support at a high speed relative to the can to spin and weld the lid support to the rim of the can.
15. The container of claim 13, wherein the closure anchor ring further includes a radially outwardly extending tool-engaging pry flange and the radially outwardly extending tool-engaging pry flange is arranged to overlie the first upstanding fence when the lid is mounted on the lid support.
16. The container of claim 13, wherein the first upstanding fence includes the radially inwardly facing retaining wall.
17. The container of claim 16, wherein the closure anchor ring further includes a radially outwardly extending tool-engaging pry flange and the radially outwardly extending tool-engaging pry flange is arranged to overlie the radially inwardly facing retaining wall of the lid retainer when the lid is mounted on the lid support.
18. A container comprising
- a can including a floor and a side wall extending upwardly from the floor to define an interior region and terminating at a rim,
- a lid support coupled to the rim of the can and formed to include an opening into the interior region of the can, the lid support including an annular first upstanding fence, an annular second upstanding fence arranged to surround the annular first upstanding fence to define an upwardly opening paint overflow trough therebetween, and an upwardly facing annular trough floor arranged to extend between the annular first and second upstanding fences, and
- a lid including a closure and a closure anchor ring arranged to extend around the closure and formed to include a peripheral portion coupled to the lid support to orient the closure to close the opening into the interior region of the can formed in the lid support, the closure anchor ring further including a radially outwardly extending tool-engaging pry flange coupled to the peripheral portion and arranged to overlie the annular first upstanding fence.
19. The container of claim 18, wherein the pry flange is also arranged to overlie a portion of the upwardly facing annular trough floor located between the annular first and second upstanding fences.
20. The container of claim 18, wherein the upwardly facing annular trough floor is located above the rim of the can.
21. The container of claim 18, wherein the closure includes a ceiling, an upright side wall coupled to the closure anchor ring, and a frustoconical ceiling support having a radially innermost portion coupled to the ceiling and a radially outermost portion coupled to the upright side wall and wherein the ceiling is arranged to lie at a first distance above the rim of the can and the radially outwardly extending tool-engaging pry flange is arranged to lie above the ceiling at a greater second distance above the rim of the can.
22. The container of claim 19, wherein the upwardly facing annular trough floor is located above the rim of the can.
23. A container comprising
- a can including a floor and a side wall extending upwardly from the floor to define an interior region and terminating at a rim,
- a lid support coupled to the rim of the can and formed to include an opening into the interior region of the can, the lid support being formed to include a radially outwardly opening locking flange receiver channel bounded by spaced-apart, confronting, axially upwardly and downwardly facing surfaces included in the lid support, the lid support also being formed to include an upwardly opening annular end flange receiver channel bounded by spaced-apart, confronting, radially outwardly and inwardly facing surfaces included in the lid support, the upwardly opening annular end flange receiver channel being arranged to lie in a position between the radially outwardly opening locking flange receiver channel and the rim of the can, and
- a lid including a closure and a closure anchor ring arranged to extend around the closure and formed to include a peripheral portion coupled to the lid support to orient the closure to close the opening into the interior region of the can formed in the lid support, the lid including a radially inwardly extending locking flange arranged to extend into the radially outwardly opening locking flange receiver channel formed in the closure anchor ring and an axially downwardly extending end flange arranged to extend into the upwardly opening annular end flange receiver channel to limit movement of the lid relative to the lid support in radially inward and outward directions while the lid is mounted on the lid support.
24. The container of claim 23, wherein the peripheral portion of the closure anchor ring further includes a radially outwardly extending tool-engaging pry flange arranged to overlie the radially inwardly facing surface bounding the upwardly opening annular end flange receiver.
25. The container of claim 23, wherein the closure of the lid includes a ceiling, an upright side wall coupled to the closure anchor ring, and a frustoconical ceiling support having a radially innermost portion coupled to the ceiling and a radially outermost portion coupled to the upright side wall and arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the end flange of the closure anchor ring to locate the radially outwardly facing retaining wall of the lid retainer therebetween.
26. The container of claim 25, wherein the frustoconical ceiling support is arranged to converge in a direction extending toward the ceiling and away from the floor of the can to locate the ceiling above the rim of the can to maximize the interior region of the can when the lid is mounted on the lid support.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 26, 2004
Publication Date: Mar 2, 2006
Inventors: Gary Maholm (Evansville, IN), David Jochem (Evansville, IN), Donald Scott (Wadesville, IN), Aaron Rees (Newburgh, IN)
Application Number: 10/927,333
International Classification: B65D 51/18 (20060101); B65D 41/16 (20060101);