Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PP 580.2 US
TITLE OF THE INVENTION: A CONTAINER HAVING A PULL ~ING FOR
SEPARATION AND REMOVAL OF A LID
FIELD OF THE IN~ENTION
The present invention relates to an easily-opened container
comprising a container body with an opening portion and a sealed
bottom portion, a lid with a central lid portion and a peripheral
portion disposed outside the lid portion, and one or more connecting
devices sealingly fixing the lid to the container body for sea'ling of
the container and an opening means. The opening means includes a
weakened portion located in the lid and formed by a region of
material of reduced strength, the weakened portion being located
inside the connecting devices and extending in the circumFerential
direction of the opening portion and at least partially around the
opening portion. In the weakened portion, the central section is
separable from adjacent regions of the peripheral portion. The
opening means further includes means for facilitating the
above-mentioned separation.
~ACKCROUND OF THE INVEN`rION
In many contexts, there is a need for easily-opened containers.
In many physical applications, there are also requirements that the
opened container may be readily resealable. As a rule, the require-
mant of ready reclosure prevails in situations where the container is
gradually emptied of its contents in individual stages. Such batch-
wise emptying of a container is often employed when the container is
used for the storage of foods.
A further requirement placed on a container for the above-
outlined purposes is that it'must, as far as is possible, be of a
construction ~hich safeguards against unintentional opening. In
particular, in physical applications in which the lid of the
container is provided with a weakened portion, for example, a
circumferential weakened zone, there may be a risk of such uninten-
tional opening when the lid portion inside the weakened zone is
exposed to compressive forces.
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Sll~MARY OF THE IN~ENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a container in
which the above-outlined requirements have been satisfied. According
to the invention, the opening portion of the container body is, in a
defined region, provided with a depression or recess located beneath
the ~eakened portion. The opening means includes a pull unit pivot-
able supported on the container body at a fulcrum and including a
pull member and a pressure member located on opposite sides of the
fulcrum~ The pressure member rests against the outer surface of the
lid in the region of, or adjacent to, the weakened portion at a
location above the depression or recess. On raising of the pull
member, a lever action is created about the fulcrum to cause the
pressure member to produce rupture of the weakened portion. When the
weakened portion has been ruptured, relatively slight forces are
necessary to continue opening of the container by stripping at the
weakened portion,
In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pull
unit is fixed to the central lid portion, preferably by means of a
rivet-like arrangement of plastic material. In fields of application
in which the lid consists of plastic material, the rivetlike arrange-
ment also consists, as a rule, of plastic materialO When the
rivet-like arrangement consists of plastic material, it generally
constitutes an integral part of the lid.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the pressure member
terminates in the region most distal from the support point by an
edge which is located substantially above the weakened portion. The
pull member can be constituted as a pull-ring.
In yet a further preferred embodiment of the present invention,
the opening portion is provided with a flared flange to which the
peripheral portion of the lid is sealingly fixed. In certain appli-
cations, the peripheral portion of the lid consists of a flared
flange. Generally, the central peripheral portion of the lid is
located at a lower level than the flared flange of the lid, while in
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other applications, the central portion of the lid can be located
flush with or higher than its flared flange.
In still a further preferred embodiment of the present invention,
each connecting member consists of a weld which, in containers of
plastic material, is preferably formed by ultrasonic welding.
In certain applications in which the material of the container is
crystallized plastic, the weakened portion consists of a material
region of reduced crystallization.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRA~INGS
The nature of the present invention and its aspects will be more
readily understood from the following brief description of the
figures of the accompanying drawings, and discussion relating
thereto.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 is a top perspective view of a container body which forms
part of the container of the invention;
Fig. 2 shows the container body of Fig. 1 in filled condition
with an inner lid ready for application;
Fig. 3 shows the container body of Fig, 2 with the inner lid
installed thereon;
Fig, 4 shows the assembly of Fig. 3 with an outer lid ready for
application;
Fig. 5 shows the assembly of Fig. 4 with the outer lid installed
thereon;
Fig. 6 shows the assembly of Fig. 5 in a first stage of opening
the container;
Fig. 7 shows the outer lid of the container in a partially opened
condition;
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of the container, on
enlarged scale and partly in section;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of the container body
of the container, on enlarged scale and partly in section;
Figs, lOa and lOb are sectional views through a portion of the
container respectively in the sealed state and in a partially opened
state; and
Fig, 11 is a sectional view through a portion of another
embodiment of a container according to the invention.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the drawing, a container 10 is shown com-
prising a container body 11 having a closed bottom
portion 18. The container body has an opening 12
which is bounded by an anchorage portion 13 for a lid
20. Between the anchorage portion 13 and the bottom
portion 18, the container body 11 is provided with a
shoulder 14 which extends in the circumferential direc-
tion of the container and, in one preferred embodiment,
throughout the entire circumference of the container.
The shoulder 14 serves as a support and constitutes a
substrate for a supplementary, inner lid or membrane
30. The shoulder 14 is provided with at least one
circumferentially oriented and upwardly directed bead
15 (cf. Fig. 9), which has a bulge 16 in a region
where separation of the inner lid is commenced. In
some applications, the shoulder is primarily provided
to offer support at the opening 12, while in other
applications, its primary duty is to constitute an
~0 arrest means which, on resealing of the container,
restricts the movement of the lid 30 towards the bottom
portion. The present invention also contemplates
embodiments in which the shoulder or its counterpart
is omitted. Nevertheless, it will be obvious to those
skilled in the art that one of the above-disclosed
unctions of the shoulder does not preclude the others.
In certain embodiments, the container body
is provided, between the shoulder 14 and the anchorage
portion 13, with a wall portion 19 the material of
which is preferably oriented substantially in the
axial direction of the container body. The anchorage
portion 13 also has a recess or depression 17. The
recess 17 is located, in one preferred embodiment,
immediately adjacent one of the corners of the con-
tainer. As a result, its effect on the storage space
of the container will be reduced to a minimum, and, at
the same time, opening of the container starts in a
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favourable region from the point of view of broaching
and opening; in other words as regards the direction
of the tractive forces required for the continued
stripping and opening process, once the weakened por-
tion has been broached. In certain embodiments, the
container body is provided with a layer of
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barrier material 40 which, for example, may consist of aluminum foil,
ethylvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl dichloride etc.
The dimensions of the inner lid 30 are adapted to the opening 12
of the container body in order to be insertable and sealingly fixed
in the opening, for example, at the shoulder 14. In one preferred
embodiment of the present invention, such fixation is effected
against the bead 15, for example by heat sealingO The inner lid 30 is
provided with a gripping member 32 at its bounding edge 33, the
gripping member being shown in Fig. 3 as a flap 34, but may, in other
embodiments, also consist of a folded-over portion of the edge 33
which extends along a shorter or longer extent of the circumference
of the inner lid 30. In certain embodiments, a layer of barrier
material 41 is included in the inner lid, for example, barrier
material of the above-described types.
The lid 20, hereinafter occasionally designated a first lid or
outer lid - with no restrictive implication to the scope of the
present invention - is shown with an anchorage portion 23
corresponding to the anchorage portion 13 of the container body.
Through the intermediary of a weakened portion (stripping notch 22,
cf. Fig, ~3), the anchorage portion 23 merges with a central lid
portion 29 which, on opening of the container, constitutes that
portion of the lid which is removed from the container. The central
lid portion is, as a rule, provided, in the region adjacent the
stripping notch 22, with a depending portion 24a,b (cf. Figs. 4 and
8), the depth of which in a direction towards the bottom is adapted
to the distance to the above-mentioned shoulder 14, such that the
depending portion extends into proximity with the shoulder 14. In
certain embodiments of the present invention, a layer 42 of barrier
material is also included in the lid, for example of the
above-indicated types.
The anchorage portion 13 of the container body is sealingly
connected to the anchorage portion 23 of the first lid 20 by a
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permanent connection 21 which, in one preferred embodiment of the
present invention (cf Fig. ~), consists of a welded joint, for
example, realized by ultrasonic welding. In order to locate the
welded joint and facilitate its formation, at least one of the
anchorage portions 13, 23 is provided with at least one welding cam
61 facing the other anchorage portion. The position of such a welding
cam is indicated by reference numeral 61 in Fig. 4.
The first lid 20 is provided with a stripping device 50 fitted
with a pull-ring 51 located on one side of a fixation member 52 which
secures the stripping device 50 to the first lid 20. The fixation
member 52 is in the form of a rivet which is integral with the lid
~0. The pull-ring Sl is sealed in a recess in the lid 20 as evident
from Figs. 8 and lOa in order to be retracted below the surface of
tle lid in the sealed condition of the container. The stripping
device 50 is provided, on the other side of the fixation member 52,
with a projecting portion 54, which, in one preferred embodiment of
the present invention, terminates at an edge 55 abutting against the
outer surface of the lid 20. The stripping device 50 consists of a
relatively rigid material, preferably a plastic material. In or
beside the fixation region, the opening 12 is bounded by a
mechanically stable edge 100 which forms a transition between the
substantially vertical wall portion 19 and the recess 17. The
stripping device 50 rests on edge 100 which forms a fulcrum for the
stripping device, Since the distance between the edge lO0 and the
gripping portion of the pull-ring 51 is greater than the distance
between the edge lO0 and the edge 55 of the projecting portion, a
mechanical advantage will be created when the pull-ring is raised,
which intensifies the force at and facilitates rupture along the
weakened notch 22.
The weakened portion is illustrated and described as having been
formed by the groove-like notch 22, but it is obvious to those
skilled in the art that in certain embodiments, the weakened portion
could be formed by treating the plastic material to reduce the
strength of the material, for example the material could be heat-
treated to alter its crystallinity. Similarly the weakened portion is
shown in the form of a closed loop, but it is obvious
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that in certain physical applications, the weakened portion may be
disposed over only a portion of the circumference of the container
opening so that, on opening of the container, the central lid portion
29 of the first lid 20 will remain secured to the container body.
~ hen a container according to the present invention is to be put
into use, it is filled with the desired goods, whereafter the second
lid 30 (where applicable) is mounted in place and sealingly fixed
against the container body 11. Thereafter, the first lid 20 is
applied and is also sealingly fixed to the container body 11. l~hen
the container is opened, the central lid portion 29 of the lid 20
will be separated wholly or partly from the anchorage portion 23
which, in the illustrated embodiments, is effected by means of the
stripping device 50. When the pull-ring 51 is raised, the stripping
device ruptures the connection of the central lid portion 29 to the
anchorage portion 23 by severing the weakened portion 22. When
portion 22 has been severed, only relatively small forces are
required for the continued removal of the lid 20 (cf. Figs. 6 and 7).
Once the central lid portion 29 of the first lid has been removed,
the second lid 30 (where applicable) is removed by means of the
gripping device 32. The container is thereafter fully open and its
contents may be used.
The central ~lid portion 29 of the first lid 20 is suited for
reclosure of the container in that the depending portion 24 pro-
jecting towards the bottom constitutes, in certain embodiments of the
present invention, arrest means which, in cooperation with the
shoulder 14, restricts the movement of the central lid portion in a
downward direction in the container, This particularly applies when
the weakened portion is disposed substantially in alignment with the
inner surface of the wall portion 19 of the container body. In cer-
tain embodiments, the weakened portion 22 is placed such that, once
the weakened portion has been ruptured, there remains a flared flange
on the central iid portion 29 of the lid 20, this flange~ in coopera
tion with the anchorage portion 13 of the container body, restricting
movement of the lid portion 20 towards the bottom of the container.
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As a result of the above-mentioned positioning of the weakened
portion, the material of the lid of the factory-sealed container is
supported on both sides of the weakened portion by the anchorage
portion 23. This arrangement prevents the weakened portion from
rupturing due to external pressure against the inner lid portion 29
in the region of the weakened portion. The depending portion 24a,b of
the lid portion is, as a rule, dimensioned so as to abut against the
inner wall surrounding the opening 12 and thereby realize a sealing
upon reclosure of the container.
Fig. 9 illustrates an embodiment of the container in which the
regions for initiation of opening of the first lid 20 and the second
lid 3n, respectively, are located in spaced apart relationship. This
requires the central lid portion 29 of the first lid to be raised a
relatiYely great distance before the gripping member 32 of the second
lid becomes accessible, with the result that any unauthorized tampe-
ring with the container will readily become noticeable.
Fig. 11 shows d partial section through the opening portion of
another embodiment of the first lid 20. The partial section is `
located at the stripping device. At its depending portion 24a, the
lid is provided with one or more projecting portions 25 which
cooperate with the substantially vertical wall portion 19 of the
container body in the region between the shoulder 14 and the
anchorage portion 13 in order, together with the wall portion, to
form a snap engaging function. To this end, the wall portion 19 is
slightly inclined downwardly and outwardly. In order to attain a
certain spring action in the depending portion 24a of the lid, this
portion is, in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 11, composed of two
substantially vertical wall portions 26a~b which are interconnected
by a substantially horizontal wall portion 28 and, together with the
vertical wall portions, forms a channel-like groove 27. This
described construction also allows the lid to be manufactured by
thermoforming. In the drawing, the containers have been illustrated
with polygonal cross-section. Howeverv it is obvious to a person
skilled in the art that the present invention is applicable also to
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containers of any optional cross-sectional configuration, for example
circular, oval, or combinations which include parts of polygonal and
curved lines.
Even though the embodiments of the present invention described
above comprise, as a rule, an inner and an outer lid, it will be
obvious to a person skilled in this art that the present invention
also embraces containers provided with only a single lid with designs
corresponding to that described above for the first (outer) lid.
The above detailed description has referred to a limited number
of embodiments of the present invention, but those skilled in the art
will readily perceive that the present invention contemplates a large
number of embodiments which fall within the spirit and scope of the
appended claims.
WHAT IS CLAI~ED IS:
