Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CONTAINER
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a container particularly
but not exclusively for containing food, whose lid
engages with the container body against accidental
opening.
BACKG$OUND OF THE INVENTION
Containers of this type in general have been known, such
as the one as disclosed in US Patent No. 4,915,292 and
shown in Figures 10 and 11 of the accompany drawings.
This container essentially has an upright tubular body 1,
of given cross-section, provided with. outwardly .turned
edges 2. Y~Tith the tubular body ~., tse~o box-like lids 3 and
3' cooperate, having mating cross-sections, and provided
with inwardly turned edges 4 and adapted. to close
respective t~p and bottom ends of the body 1.
The lids 3 of this container are secure and cannot be
removed without destruction,. Despite of the secure
disposition, the lids 3 are not sealingl.y engaged with
the body 1, and this makes the container unsuitab3~e for
containing matter that can leak such as powder or liquid.
The invention seeks to mitigate or at least alleviate such
a drawback by providing an improved container.
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SUi~IARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, there is provided a container
comprising a body and a lid for closing an opening of the
body. The body has a base and a peripheral wall
upstanding therefrom to define a receptacle. The
peripheral wall defines the . opening which has a
circumferential edge portion that turns outwardly along
its entire length to have a first cross-section. The lid
has a circumferential edge portion that turns downwardly
along its entire length to have a second cross-section
complementary in shape to and for enclosing the first
cross-section for surface sealing ezagagement therewith.
The lid edge portion includes at least two flaps on
different sides of the~lick which are foldable inwardly
and upwardl~a to be resiliently s~:lf-e~spanding for. 3ac~aring
resiliently at an acute angle against an outer surface of
the bode ~rs.ll to there~ay maar~tai.n the seala.nc~ engagement,
with the lid edge portion forming a gap ~,a~ith the body
wall outer surface across which the flaps extend.
Preferably, the body wall is inclined from bottom to top
at an acute angle outwardly.
It is preferred that the gap has a width and the flaps
have a dimension measured from the lid edge portion that
is larger than. the width of the gap such that the flaps
are resiliently flippable outwardly. through an over-
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centre action while bearing against the body wall outer
surface upon removal of the lid from the body.
It is further preferred that the body wall is inclined
from bottom to top at an acute angle outwardly.
In a preferred embodiment, the lid edge portion turns
upwardly along its entire length before turning
downwardly to thereby form an annular rib including the
second cross-section.
More .preferably, the annular rib includes an inner side
that has a profile complementary in shape to that of a
tap Ia~.rt of an inner surface of the body wall for surface
sealing engagement therewith.
More preferably, the lid edge portion turns downwardiy
along' its entire length. before turning up~,sarc~.l~- to ac.~ oin
the annular rib~ ,thereby farming an annular groove
immediately within the annular rib.
It is preferred that the flaps are integrally connected
to the lid edge portion slang fold lines such that the
flaps are readily foldable.
Qreferably, the body wall outer surface has a relatively
rough surface tea~ture for frictional. engagement by the
flaps,.
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More preferably, the body is moulded from paper pulp.
Further more preferably, the lid is also moulded from
paper pulp.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The invention will now be more particularly described, by
way of example only, with reference to Figures 1 to 9 of
the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 is a top perspective view crf an embodiment of a
container in a.ecord.arace with the invention~ ~~hich has a
~.5 body and Iid for closing the body;
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the container
of fio~ure 1,. showing ita body and la.d~ seps.rately;
Figure 3 is a top plan view of the body of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the body of
Figure 3, taking along tine IV-IV;
~5 Figure 5 is another doss-sectional side view of the body
of Figure 3, taking along line V-V;
Figure 6 is a top plan view of the lid of figure 2;
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Figure 7 is a cross-sectional side view of the lid of
Figure 6, taking along line VII-VII;
5 Figure 8 is another cross-sectional side view of the lid
of Figure 6, taking along line VIII-VIII;
Figure 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional side view of the
container of Figure 1, illustrating inter-engagement
between the lid and the body;
Figure 10 is a perspective view of a prior art container,
which has a body and top and bottom lids closing the body;
and
Figure 13. is a cross-section,s.l side: viewer of the conte.inea
of Figure 10, illustrating inter-engagement between the
lids a.nd the body.
DETAIbED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIPlEN'r
Referring to Figures 1 to 9 of the drawings, there is
shown a container 10 embodying the invention, which
M
container 10 comprises a body 100 having a top opening
and a separate lid 200 fox closing the opening of the
body 100. The body 100 and the lid 200 are both moulded
from virgin paper pulp for example. 'The body 100 has a
generally square base 110 and a four-sided peripheral
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wall 120 upstanding integrally therefrom, while gradually
axpar~,ding, to define .a receptacle for containing matter
such as food and in particular food with liquid content
(i.e. juice, sauce or soup) ar mere liquid. The
5~~peripheral wall 3.20 is inclined slightly outwards from
bottom to top at an acute angle of about 15°.
The body wall 120 defines the opening that has a
circumferential edge portion 3.22 which turns outwardly
along its entire length to have a cross-section 1220.
Mare specifically, the body edge portion 122 is smoothly
cv.rved outwardly and then, slightly downwardly such that
the crass-section 122 has a relatively shallow inverted
tT- shape .
The lid 200 is of a generally square shs.pe, having a.
central panel 21.0 and an integrally connected peripheral
portion 220 4urrounding the panel 25Ø The peripheral
portion 220 has a circumferential edge portion 222 that
turns upwardly and then downwardly along its entire
length to farm a hollow annular rib 2228 of a second
cross-section 2220 for enclosing the first cross-section
1220 of the body edge portion 1,22. The second ,cross-
section 2220 has a relati~rely deep .inverted T7-shape
including an upper part that is complementary in shape to
and matches with the first cross-section 1220 for surface
sealing engagement therewith.
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The circumferential rib 2228 of the lid 200 has opposite
inner and outer sides slightly diverging downwardly. The
rib's inner side has a profile complementary in shape to
that of the top part of an inr~er surface 120A of the body
wall 120 for surface sealing engagement therewith.
Downwardly, the rib's outer side is slightly taller than
the rib's inner side and extends beyond the body edge
portion 122 to form an annular gap 223 with and around an
outer surface 120B of the body wall 120.
As between the central panel 210 and the circumferential
rib 2228, the peripheral portion 220 turns initially
dawnwardly along its entire length from the panel 210 and
then outwardly before turning upwardly to adjoin the rib
2228, thereby farming an annular groove 2246 iediately
within the annular rib 222,. The presence of the groove
2246 allows the adjacent inner side of the rib 2228 to
r
e~,tend rela.tivel~~ deeper int~ the container bod~° 100.
This enlarges the area of se ling engagement of the lid
edge portion 222 with the body edge portion 122
dawnwardly from the top of the-inner surface 120A of the
body wall 120, whereby the lid 200 can seal more
effectively with the body 100 against leakage of liquid
content.
The lid edge portion 222 includes four flaps (or tabs)
226 on respective opposite sides of the lid 200, which
are intearallv~ connected to the lid edge portion 222
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along respective vureakened fold lines 225 farmed by, for
example, punched slots or pressed dashes or simply a pre-
formed crease such that the flaps 226 are readily
foldable about these lines 225. Hefore the lid 200 is
used, the flaps~226 should first be folded about the
lines 225 inwardly and upwardly into the rib 2228,
thereby providing respective hooks (or clasps) 226H. By
reason of the integral connection along the fold lines
225, the in-turned hooks 226H are resiliently self
expanding.
The upward angular disposition of the hooks 226H enables .
easy placement of the lid 200 onto the body 1.00. When the
lid 200 closes upon the body opening~ the hooks 226H of
the lid 200 are pressed to contract through pivoting
about their fold. linsa 225 upo~x hitting the edge portion,
122 of the body 100, thereby giving way to the body edge
portiora 1.22 which is then ses.lingly engaged b~ the lid
edge portion 222. ~s soon. as the hooks 226H are lowered
?0 past the body edge portion ,122, they immediately flip
back and expand by resiliency a.nd thus bear with their
distal en.ds/edges upwardly , resiliently against the
inclined outer surface x20 of the body wall 120 at
positions below and inwardly of the body edge porti~n
122.
In .such a closed condition of the container 14, the hooks
226H extend at an acute angle (about 45°) inwardly and
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upwardly across the gap 223. Given that the body wall
outer surface 1208 is inclined outwardly (and
downwardly), the hooks 2~26H act at an acute angle upon
and bear against the inclined wall surface 1208 to
thereby encourage and maintain the sealing engagement
between the lid 200 and the body 100, counteracting
removal of the lid 200 from the body 100, In this regard,
the wall, surface 1208 is made to have a relatively rough
surface texture for frictional engagement by the hooks
226H.
The lid 200 can easily be opened by being pulled,
conveniently at one corner or on one Side thereof,
upwardly away from the body 100. In this regard, the gaga
223 has a width G and the hooks ~~26H have a ci.ix~en.sion H
measured from the lid edge portion 222 that is ls.rger
than the gap width G. Thus, upon lifting of the lid 200
i
f~:om the body 100, the h~o~~s 226H s.re resiliently
flippable downwardly and outwardly through aaa over-centre
action, with their distal ends/edges continuing to grip
the body wall outer surface 1208 for the time being, to
thereby release the body 100. By over-centre action, the
hooks 226H pivot pastN a "centre" angular position at
which compression of the hooks 226H maximizes.
It is envisaged that the subject container l0 can be
designed to have any other su~.table shapes, for example
includia~g a generally rectangular, triangular or circular
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base. The number of sides of the container body wall 120
is not restricted, nor is the number of flaps/hooks 226H.
Thus, in the case of a three-sided container body 100,
the associated lid 200 may have only two flaps 226H
5 (ir~,stead of three) on different i.e. adjacent (rather
than opposite) sides.
The invention has been given by way of e~cample only, and
various other modifications of andlor alterations to the
10 described embodiment may be made by persons skilled in the
art without departing from the scope of the invention as
specified in the appended claims.
