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Patent 2893568 Summary

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(12) Patent Application: (11) CA 2893568
(54) English Title: CONTAINER LID
(54) French Title: COUVERCLE DE CONTENANT
Status: Deemed Abandoned and Beyond the Period of Reinstatement - Pending Response to Notice of Disregarded Communication
Bibliographic Data
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC):
  • B65D 55/06 (2006.01)
  • B65D 43/02 (2006.01)
(72) Inventors :
  • STEVENS, SHANNA L. (United States of America)
(73) Owners :
  • WELLS ENTERPRISES, INC.
(71) Applicants :
  • WELLS ENTERPRISES, INC. (United States of America)
(74) Agent: GOWLING WLG (CANADA) LLP
(74) Associate agent:
(45) Issued:
(22) Filed Date: 2015-06-09
(41) Open to Public Inspection: 2015-12-10
Availability of licence: N/A
Dedicated to the Public: N/A
(25) Language of filing: English

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT): No

(30) Application Priority Data:
Application No. Country/Territory Date
62/010,241 (United States of America) 2014-06-10

Abstracts

English Abstract


A container lid system is compatible with traditional metal-rimmed paper ice
cream containers, and protects the user from interaction with any sharp metal
edges or
points. The lid system includes a protector strip disposed over the metal rim,
which
completely shields the user from contact with any sharp rim edges. A
selectively
removable and replaceable lid allows the containers to be shipped, opened and
used while
maintaining protection of with the rim. The lid may also serve as, or be
provided with, a
replaceable night cover compatible with the protected rim. Accordingly, the
metal rim
strip is never exposed to the user's hands or arms during use of the ice cream
container,
either during initial removal of the lid or when replacing and subsequently
removing of
the night cover.


Claims

Note: Claims are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A container lid system comprising:
a container body defining an interior container volume with an access opening;
a reinforcement strip fixed to said access opening, said reinforcement strip
having
an interior portion protruding at least partially into said container volume;
a protector strip attached to said reinforcement strip and covering said
interior
portion of said reinforcement strip;
a lid sized to be received over said access opening to substantially seal said
interior container volume; and
a tear-away strip removably affixed to said lid such that said lid is affixed
to said
protector strip when said tear-away strip is affixed to said lid, and said lid
is removable
from said protector strip when said tear-away strip is removed from said lid.
2. The container lid system of claim 1, wherein:
said protector strip comprises a peripheral portion of said lid sized to be
received
on said reinforcement strip; and
said tear-away strip comprises an interior tear-away strip disposed between
said
peripheral portion of said lid and a central portion of said lid, such that
said central
portion of said lid is removable to unseal said interior container volume
while said
peripheral portion remains attached to said reinforcement strip.
3. The container lid system of claim 2, wherein said interior tear-away
strip is
removably affixed to an interior portion of said protector strip by a loop of
thinned and/or
perforated material corresponding to a circumference of said access opening.
4. The container lid system of claim 2, further comprising a secondary lid
sized to be
received over said peripheral portion of said lid to selectively reseal said
interior
container volume after said tear-away strip is removed.
5. The container lid system of claim 4, wherein:
14

said reinforcement strip is made of a metal material;
said protector strip is made of a flexible polymer material;
said lid is made of one of a paper material and a flexible polymer; and
said secondary lid is made of a flexible polymer material.
6. The container lid system of claim 1, wherein:
at least one of said reinforcement strip and said protector strip has an
exterior
portion protruding radially outwardly beyond an adjacent outer surface of said
container
body;
said lid comprises a peripheral portion sized to be received on said protector
strip;
and
said tear-away strip comprises an exterior tear-away strip including a
radially-
inwardly extending protrusion removably affixed to an edge of said peripheral
portion of
said lid, said radially-inwardly extending protrusion radially overlapping
said exterior
portion of said reinforcement strip such that said peripheral portion of said
lid is fixed to
said reinforcement strip until said tear-away strip is removed from said
peripheral
portion.
7. The container lid system of claim 6, wherein said exterior tear-away
strip is
removably affixed to an outer portion of said protector strip by a loop of
thinned and/or
perforated material corresponding to a circumference of said access opening.
8. The container lid system of claim 6, further comprising a secondary lid
sized to be
received over said peripheral portion of said lid to selectively reseal said
interior
container volume after said tear-away strip is removed, said secondary lid
formed as a
part of said lid without said tear-away strip.
9. The container lid system of claim 8, wherein:
said reinforcement strip is made of a metal material;
said protector strip is made of a flexible polymer material;

said lid is made of one of a paper material and a flexible polymer material;
and
said secondary lid is made of a flexible polymer material.
10. A container lid system comprising:
a container with a container body defining an interior container volume with
an
access opening;
a reinforcement strip fixed to said access opening, said reinforcement strip
having
an interior portion protruding at least partially into said container volume;
a protector means for protecting a user of said container from said
reinforcement
strip;
a lid means for substantially sealing said interior container volume; and
a dislodging means for separating said protector means from said lid means,
said
dislodging means manipulable by a user of said container lid system to remove
said lid
means to access said interior container volume.
11. The container lid system of claim 10, wherein said dislodging means
also
comprises a tamper-evidencing means for indicating whether the interior
container
volume has been accessed.
12. The container lid system of claim 10, wherein said lid means comprises
a means
for selectively resealing said interior container volume after said dislodging
means has
been used to separate said protector means from said lid means.
13. The container lid system of claim 12, wherein said dislodging means
comprises
an exterior tear-away strip disposed at a peripheral portion of said lid
means, said
dislodging means including a barrier means for preventing removal of said lid
means
from said protector means when said exterior tear-away strip is affixed to
said lid means.
16

14. The container lid system of claim 10, further comprising a means for
selectively
resealing said interior container volume after said dislodging means has been
used to
separate said protector means from said lid means.
15. The container lid system of claim 14, wherein said dislodging means
comprises
an interior tear-away strip disposed between said lid means and said protector
means.
16. A method of manufacturing a container comprising:
providing a container body defining an interior container volume with an
access
opening disposed at a boundary of the interior container volume;
affixing a reinforcement strip to the access opening, such that an interior
portion
of the reinforcement strip protrudes at least partially into the container
volume;
attaching a protector strip to the reinforcement strip to cover the interior
portion
of the reinforcement strip, such that the interior portion is rendered
inaccessible by a user
when the protector strip is attached to the reinforcement strip; and
providing a lid with a tear-away strip attached thereto, the tear-away strip
removably affixed to the lid by a loop of thinned and/or perforated material
corresponding to the boundary of the interior container volume.
17. The method of claim 16, in combination with a method of selectively
accessing
the interior volume of the container comprising:
with the lid secured to the container body, removing the tear-away strip by
tearing
the tear-away strip away from the lid along the loop of thinned and/or
perforated
material, while leaving the protector strip affixed to the access opening; and
removing at least a portion of the lid to expose the interior container volume
via
the access opening.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the lid includes a peripheral
attachment portion
sized to be selectively received over the protector strip after said step of
removing the
tear away strip, the method further comprising:
17

removably replacing the lid to re-seal the interior container volume via the
access
opening, said step of removably replacing comprising attaching the peripheral
attachment
portion to the access opening over the protector strip.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein:
the protector strip is formed from a peripheral portion of the lid;
said step of removing at least a portion of the lid comprises removing a
central
portion of the lid;
said step of removing the tear-away strip comprises dislodging the peripheral
portion from the central portion to enable said step of removing.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising removably attaching a
secondary lid
to the protector strip to re-seal the interior container volume via the access
opening.
18

Description

Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


CA 02893568 2015-06-09
WLL0005-01-US
Shanna L. Stevens
CONTAINER LID
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to containers, and, more
specifically, to
disposable food containers and lid systems useable with the same.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Food containers, such as ice cream containers, may be used for
bulk
delivery of a food product from a manufacturer or distributor to a vendor or
end user. For
example, in the ice cream industry, ice cream is delivered to ice cream
vendors in three
gallon wound paper containers. At the upper end of each container is a metal
strip which
covers the lip of the bucket opening, and serves to maintain the shape and
structural
integrity of the paper container as ice cream is dispensed. Typically, these
three gallon
containers are provided with a paper lid which fits over the metal rim to seal
the ice
cream within the bucket during transportation and delivery.
[0003] In some cases, the three gallon container capacity is sufficient
for several
days of demand for a particular product (e.g., a particular ice cream flavor).
At the end of
each day after initially opening the bucket, the paper lid may be replaced on
the top of the
bucket in order to maintain product freshness and prevent contamination.
However, the
paper lid delivered with the bucket may lose its shape after several uses. In
some cases, a
"night cover" made of plastic may be provided for overnight storage of a
partially used
ice cream container, rather than reusing the original paper cover.
[0004] The metal rim on the upper lip of the container is typically
formed as a
metal strip which is folded over the lip, such that the strip mounts to the
upper edge of the
container with the edges of the metal strip facing downward. In one
configuration, this
metal strip extends around the circular periphery of the container lip (the
container being
generally cylindrical), with the ends of the metal strip overlapping one
another. An
example of this configuration is shown as container 22 in Fig. 1 in
association with other
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aspects of the present disclosure discussed below in the Detailed Description.
While this
configuration is suitable for maintaining the shape and integrity of the ice
cream
container, the overlapping ends of the metal strip may occasionally form a
sharp edge or
corner accessible to a worker scooping ice cream from the bucket. This sharp
corner may
pose a risk of scraping or cutting the hand or arm of the user as ice cream is
scooped out
of the container.
SUMMARY
[0005] The present disclosure provides a container lid system compatible
with
traditional metal-rimmed paper ice cream containers which protects the user
from
interaction with any sharp metal edges or points. The lid system includes a
protector strip
disposed over the metal rim, which completely shields the user from contact
with any
sharp rim edges. A selectively removable and replaceable lid allows the
containers to be
shipped, opened and used while maintaining protection of with the rim. The lid
may also
serve as, or be provided with, a replaceable night cover compatible with the
protected
rim. Accordingly, the metal rim strip is never exposed to the user's hands or
arms during
use of the ice cream container, either during initial removal of the lid or
when replacing
and subsequently removing of the night cover.
[0006] In one form thereof, the present disclosure provides a container
lid system
comprising: a container body defining an interior container volume with an
access
opening; a reinforcement strip fixed to the access opening, the reinforcement
strip having
an interior portion protruding at least partially into the container volume; a
protector strip
attached to the reinforcement strip and covering the interior portion of the
reinforcement
strip; a lid sized to be received over the access opening to substantially
seal the interior
container volume; and a tear-away strip removably affixed to the lid such that
the lid is
affixed to the protector strip when the tear-away strip is affixed to the lid,
and the lid is
removable from the protector strip when the tear-away strip is removed from
the lid.
[0007] In another form thereof, the present disclosure provides a
container lid
system comprising: a container with a container body defining an interior
container
2
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volume with an access opening; a reinforcement strip fixed to the access
opening, the
reinforcement strip having an interior portion protruding at least partially
into the
container volume; a protector means for protecting a user of the container
from the
reinforcement strip; a lid means for substantially sealing the interior
container volume;
and a dislodging means for separating the protector means from the lid means,
the
dislodging means manipulable by a user of the container lid system to remove
the lid
means to access the interior container volume.
[0008] In yet another form thereof, the present disclosure provides a
method of
manufacturing a container comprising: providing a container body defining an
interior
container volume with an access opening disposed at a boundary of the interior
container
volume; affixing a reinforcement strip to the access opening, such that an
interior portion
of the reinforcement strip protrudes at least partially into the container
volume; attaching
a protector strip to the reinforcement strip to cover the interior portion of
the
reinforcement strip, such that the interior portion is rendered inaccessible
by a user when
the protector strip is attached to the reinforcement strip; and providing a
lid with a tear-
away strip attached thereto, the tear-away strip removably affixed to the lid
by a loop of
thinned and/or perforated material corresponding to the boundary of the
interior container
volume.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this
disclosure,
and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention
itself will
be better understood by reference to the following description of an
embodiment of the
invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective, exploded view of an ice cream container
with a
protector strip and removable lid in accordance with the present disclosure;
[0011] Fig. 2 is a perspective, exploded view of the ice cream container
and lid
system shown in Fig. 1, in which the protector strip is shown mounted to the
upper
container rim;
3
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[0012] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the ice cream container shown in
Fig. 1
with the lid system mounted thereto;
[0013] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the ice cream container and lid
system
shown in Fig. 3, in which an exterior tear-away strip of the lid system is
shown in the
process of removal;
[0014] Fig. 5 is a perspective, exploded view of the ice cream container
and lid
system of Fig. 4, in which the exterior tear-away strip is completely removed
and the lid
is removed;
[0015] Fig. 6 is an elevation, cross-section view of the ice cream
container rim
and lid system of Fig. 3, taken along the line VI-VI of Fig. 3;
[0016] Fig. 6A is an elevation, cross-section view of an alternative ice
cream
container rim and lid system similar to the ice cream container rim and lid
system of Fig.
6;
[0017] Fig. 7 is another elevation, cross-section view of the container
and lid
system of Fig. 6, illustrating removal of the exterior tear-away strip and
container lid;
[0018] Fig. 7A is another elevation, cross-section view of the container
and lid
system of Fig. 6A, illustrating removal of the exterior tear-away strip and
container lid;
[0019] Fig. 8 is a perspective, exploded view of an ice cream container
and lid
system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0020] Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the container and shipping lid
shown in Fig.
8, with the shipping lid mounted to the container;
[0021] Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the container and shipping lid of
Fig. 9, in
which a central portion of the shipping lid is in the process of being
removed;
4
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[0022] Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the container and lid system of
Fig. 8, in
which the central portion of the shipping lid is removed and a night cover is
being
attached;
[0023] Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the container and lid system
shown in Fig.
8, with the night cover attached to the container;
[0024] Fig. 13 is an elevation, cross-section view of the container rim
and
shipping lid shown in Fig. 9, taken along the line XIII-XIII;
[0025] Fig. 14 is another elevation, cross-section view of the rim and
shipping lid
shown in Fig. 13, together with the night cover of Fig. 11; and
[0026] Fig. 15 is an elevation, cross-sectional view of the container rim
and night
cover shown in Fig. 12, taken along the line XV-XV.
[0027] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts
throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate
exemplary
embodiments of the invention and such exemplifications are not to be construed
as
limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] The present disclosure provides a container lid system including a
permanently mounted protector strip and a selectively removable cover which is
compatible with the protector strip for transportation and/or storage of the
container and
contents. For purposes of the present disclosure, "permanently mounted" does
not
indicate that the protector strip is non-removable from the container to which
it is
attached, but rather that the protector strip may be mounted to the container
prior to
delivery to the end user and may remain mounted throughout use by the end user
without
compromising the intended use and function of the container and lid system.
[0029] Turning to Fig. 1, container and lid system 20 is illustrated in
an exploded
view, with ice cream container 22, protector strip 24 and lid assembly 26
shown.
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Container 22 includes a substantially cylindrical container body 28 with a
closed lower
end and an open upper end defining access opening 30. Container body 28 may be
of a
known configuration, e.g., a wound paper board construction of a type commonly
used
for containing food product P such as ice cream. Reinforcement strip 32 is
attached at
the circular upper rim of container body 28, and is sized and shaped to
maintain the
circular shape and overall structural integrity of access opening 30. In
particular,
reinforcement strip 32 is a folded piece of substantially rigid sheet metal
with a length
slightly longer than the circumference of access opening 30, such that when
mounted to
container 22 as shown in Fig. 1, reinforcement strip 32 has overlapping ends
34. As
illustrated in Fig. 6, reinforcement strip 32 has a folded, generally "P-
shaped" cross-
section including a downwardly extending interior portion 36 disposed along
the interior
wall of container body 28, and an exterior portion 38 which curls around an
upper rim or
lip 40 of container 22. Thus rim 40 and exterior portion 38 of reinforcement
strip 32
protrude radially outwardly beyond the outer (cylindrical) surface of body 28
of container
22, as illustrated.
[0030]
Turning back to Fig. 1, protector strip 24 is formed as a length of plastic or
other flexible, moldable and/or pliable material, such as a polymer material,
and is sized
to fit over reinforcement strip 32, as shown in Fig. 2. The material and
geometry of
protector strip 24 is chosen such that the edges and corners of protector
strip 24 are not
sharp and pose no threat of puncture to the skin of users of container and lid
system 20,
as further described below. Protector strip 24 defines a generally P-shaped
cross-section
(as shown in Fig. 6) which corresponds to the P-shaped cross-section of
reinforcement
strip 32. Accordingly, protector strip 24 includes interior portion 42 which
extends
downwardly from rim 40 of container 22 into the interior cavity of container
22. Interior
portion 42 is generally linear in cross-section, and extends downwardly past
the
corresponding end of interior portion 36 of reinforcement strip 32. This
downward
extension ensures that a user of container and lid assembly 20 removing
product P via
access opening 30 is not exposed to interior portion 36 of reinforcement strip
32, and
therefore is protected from any sharp edges or corners thereof, such as sharp
edges or
corners at overlapping ends 34 (Fig. 1). Retention nubs 39 protrude radially
outwardly to
6
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interact with the lower end of reinforcement strip, as illustrated, in order
to form a
physical barrier to accidental removal of protector strip 24, e.g., when
withdrawing one's
hand from opening 30. Protector strip 24 may also be adhesively attached to
reinforcement strip 32 and/or container body 28 to the same end.
100311 The linear profile of interior portion 42 gives way at its upper
end to an
outwardly curving arcuate exterior portion 44, which curves radially outwardly
around
upper rim 40 and exterior portion 38 of reinforcement strip 32 as illustrated.
In an
exemplary embodiment, the overall length of reinforcement strip 32 is
substantially equal
to the circumference of upper rim 40, such that the respective ends of
protector strip 24
meet at junction 46 (Figs. 1 and 2) rather than forming overlapping ends as
described
above with respect to reinforcement strip 32.
100321 Referring again to fig. 1, container and lid assembly 20 further
includes lid
assembly 26 receivable upon protector strip 24 and over upper rim 40 of
container 22 to
enclose access opening 30, thereby selectively sealing the interior volume of
container 22
and product P contained therein. Lid assembly 26 includes lid 48 and exterior
tear-away
strip 50. As will be described in further detail below, exterior tear-away
strip 50 is
attached to lid 48 upon initial manufacture of lid assembly 26, and lid
assembly 26 is
affixed to container 22 (and, specifically, to protector strip 24) such that
lid assembly 26
remains permanently affixed during transportation and distribution of
container 22 and
lid assembly 20. Stated another way, lid assembly 26 serves as a shipping lid
when tear-
away strip 50 is attached to lid 48, in that tear-away strip 50 prevents
removal of lid 48
unless and until strip 50 is permanently removed therefrom. In this way, tear-
away strip
50 serves as a tamper-evident construct, because access to product P is
prevented until
tear-away strip 50 is irreplaceably removed from lid assembly 26.
[00331 More specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, tear-away strip 50 includes
a
radially-inwardly extending protrusion 52 positioned such that physical
interaction
between protrusion 52 and rim 40 of container 22 (as well as exterior portions
38, 44 of
reinforcement and protector strips 32 and 24, respectively) poses a barrier to
lifting lid 48
away from container 22. Moreover, tear-away strip 50 is sized and shaped to
ensure that
7
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lid 48 cannot be removed from container without removal, fracture or
substantial plastic
deformation of tear-away strip 50. In this way, lid assembly 26 may be said to
be
"permanently" or "non-removably" affixed to container 22 as long as tear-away
strip 50
remains in place.
[0034] Figs. 6A and 7A illustrate an alternative embodiment of container
20,
shown as container 20A. Container 20A is similar to container 20 described
above, and
structures of container 20A analogous to corresponding structures of container
20 are
denoted with a common reference number, except with "A" appended to reference
numbers of non-identical structures. Except as otherwise set forth below, the
structures
of container 20A are identical or substantially unchanged from their
counterparts in
container 20, and the features, functions and uses of container and lid
assembly 20 also
apply to container and lid assembly 20A.
[0035] Alternative lid 48A and tear away strip 50A adapted for
compatibility with
alternative container 22A and reinforcement strip 32A. As shown, container 22A
has an
upper rim 40A which lacks the "rolled" structure depicted in Figs. 6 and 7.
Instead, rim
40A is simply a continuation of the cylindrical wall of container 22A
terminating at an
upper end. Reinforcement strip 32A defines a U-shaped, or "flattened-P" shaped
structure which is folded over rim 40A in a generally similar fashion to
reinforcement
strip 32 described above. Specifically, downwardly extending interior portion
36A is
disposed along the interior wall of container body 28A, and an exterior
portion 38A curls
around lip 40A of container 22A. Exterior portion 38A of reinforcement strip
32A
protrudes radially outwardly beyond the outer (cylindrical) surface of body
28A of
container 22A, as illustrated. In one embodiment, indentation 41A may be
formed in
lower portion 36A, e.g., at intervals around the periphery of rim 40A, in
order to affix
reinforcement strip 32A to container 22A. Similar indentations may also be
made in
reinforcement strip 32 (not shown). The opposing end of exterior portion 38A
may
further "pinch" the material of container wall 28A for further augment the
affixation of
reinforcement strip 32A to container 22A.
8
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[0036] Protector strip 24A is similarly formed to protector strip 24, and
includes
interior portion 42A extending below the bottom end of reinforcement strip 32A
and a
curled exterior portion 44A along its upper end as shown.
[0037] Tear-away strip 50A includes a radially-inwardly extending
protrusion
52A, similarly configured to protrusion 52 of tear-away strip 50. Physical
interaction
between protrusion 52A and exterior portions 38A, 44A of reinforcement and
protector
strips 32A and 24A, respectively, poses a barrier to lifting lid 48A away from
container
22A. This barrier ensures that lid 48A cannot be removed from container
without
removal or substantial deformation of tear-away strip 50A, such that lid 48A
may be said
to be "permanently" or "non-removably" affixed to container 22A as long as
tear-away
strip 50A remains in place. Tear-away strip 50A is removable using the same
principle
as tear-away strip 50, described in further detail below.
[0038] Turning to Figs. 4 and 7, removal of tear-away strip 50 from lid
48 is
illustrated. Tab 54 may be grasped by a user of container and lid assembly 20,
and then
pulled away from lid 48 as illustrated. A thinned and/or perforated boundary
56 between
tear-away strip 50 and lid 48 guides and facilitates the point of separation
of tear-away
strip 50 from lid 48. In particular, thinned and/or perforated boundary 56 is
sized and
shaped to allow separation of tear-away strip 50 from lid 48 "by hand," i.e.,
without the
use of tools or mechanical advantage, by a typical user of container and lid
assembly 20
including adolescent and older people.
[0039] The thinned and/or perforated boundary 56 forms a loop around the
entire
circumference of lid assembly 26, such that continued pulling on tab 54
continues this
separation until tear-away strip 50 is completely removed from lid 48 as
illustrated in Fig.
5. Once completely removed, the physical impediment to removal of lid 48 posed
by
protrusion 52 is no longer present, and lid 48 becomes selectively removable
and
replaceable from access opening 30 by the user of container and lid assembly
20. In this
way, the removal of tear-away strip 50 from lid 48 transitions the lid from a
tamper-
evident "shipping lid" structure and function to a replaceable "night cover"
structure and
function.
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[0040] As shown in Fig. 5, tear-away strip 50 may be removed along
direction Di
(or any direction away from container 22) and discarded. Lid 48 may then be
lifted away
from container 22 and protector strip 24 along direction D2. In order to
provide a "snap
fit" functionality to lid 48, an inwardly extending ridge 58 may be formed
along an inner
surface at a lower axial end of lid 48. As best seen in Fig. 7, ridge 58 is
positioned to
abuttingly engage the adjacent exterior portion 44 of protector strip 24. The
material of
lid 48 may be chosen to be flexible enough to deform during installation and
removal of
lid 48, such that ridge 58 is allowed to deflect outwardly to clear exterior
portion 44 and
facilitate removal of lid 48.
[0041] In an exemplary embodiment, both lid 48 and tear-away strip 50 are
made
from a polymer material. In another exemplary embodiment, lid 48 may be formed
from
a paper material, and bonded to tear-away strip 50 by welding (e.g.,
ultrasonic welding)
to tear-away strip 50. In still another embodiment, tear-away strip 50 and lid
48 may
both be formed from a paper material, with perforation and/or material
thinning to
facilitate removal of strip 50 from lid 48.
[0042] With tear-away strip 50 removed, lid 48 operates as a night cover
as noted
above, because lid 48 is selectively removable from and reattachable to upper
rim 40 of
container 22 via protector strip 24. Advantageously, the design of Figs. 1-7
provides a
shipping cover in the form of lid assembly 26 which can be converted to a
night cover by
removal of tear-away strip 50. This modularity cooperates with the provision
of protector
strip 24, described in detail above, to ensure that protector strip 24 can be
installed upon
manufacture and/or filling of container 22, and need never be removed by the
vendor or
end user from the underlying reinforcement strip 32. Thus, the user of
container and lid
assembly 20 need never see or otherwise interact with any sharp metal edges
which may
be present on reinforcement strip 32. Moreover, this arrangement allows for
the use of an
industry standard design of container 22 (i.e., a wound paper material with a
metal
reinforcement strip 32), which offer significant economies of scale, while
also protecting
users from any sharp edges that may be present on reinforcement strip 32.
US 53602337 02

CA 02893568 2015-06-09
[0043] Turning now to Figs. 8-15, an alternative container and lid
assembly 120
is illustrated. Assembly 120 is similar to assembly 20 described above, and
structures of
assembly 120 analogous to corresponding structures of assembly 20 are denoted
with a
common reference number, except with 100 added to reference numbers of non-
identical
structures. The features, functions and uses of container and lid assembly 20
also apply
to container and lid assembly 120, except as otherwise noted. For example, lid
assembly
126 and its relation to lid 148 differs from lid assembly 26 and lid 48, as
described in
detail below.
[0044] Lid assembly 126 includes protector strip 124 having interior
portion 142
and exterior portion 144 which cooperate to cover and protect reinforcement
strip 32, in
similar fashion to protector strip 24 described in detail above. Moreover, lid
assembly
126 is received upon and interfaces with container 22 in a substantially
identical fashion
as lid assembly 26 described above. However, lid assembly 126 further includes
a central
portion or inset 170 which is removably affixed to interior portion 142 of
protector strip
124 by a thinned or perforated boundary loop 156 of material, as best seen in
Fig. 13.
[0045] When inset 170 is so affixed to protector strip 124 (Fig. 9), and
protector
strip 124 is affixed to the upper peripheral end of container body 28, lid
assembly 126
serves as a shipping lid. That is, inset 170 seals access opening 30 from
outside
contaminants and user access, creating a sealed interior cavity to protect
product P
contained therein. Similar to assembly 20 described above, thinned boundary
156
connects interior tear-away strip 150, to protector strip 124. In the present
embodiment,
tear-away strip 150 is not a separate component from inset 170, but rather
constitutes the
outer peripheral portion of inset 170. However, it is also contemplated that
tear-away
strip 150 may be formed as a separate strip of material which dislodges from
both inset
170 and protector strip 124, as required or desired for a particular
application.
[0046] Similar to tear-away strip 50 described above, interior tear-away
strip 150
provides a tamper-evident seal for the interior cavity of container 22, in
that access to
product P requires destruction of the thinned boundary loop 156 via the
tearing away of
interior tear-away strip 150.
11
US 53602337 02

CA 02893568 2015-06-09
[0047] To remove inset 170, a user may grasp tab 154 and pull away tear-
away
strip 150, carrying inset 170 with it, as illustrated in Fig. 10. When the
entire thinned or
perforated boundary loop 156 has been torn, inset 170 becomes dislodged from
protector
strip 124, as shown in Fig. 11, and may be removed along direction D3 (or any
suitable
direction) and discarded. At this point, access opening 30 is exposed and
product P may
be dispensed by a user of container and lid assembly 120.
[0048] If it is desired to reseal access opening 30, a separate night
cover 148 may
be provided which is sized and shaped to fit over protector strip 24 and rim
40 of
container body 28 in similar fashion to lid 48 described in detail above.
Specifically,
night cover 148 may be advanced downwardly along direction D4 (Figs. 11 and
14) so
that inwardly extending ridge 58 forms a "snap fit" over exterior portion 44
of protector
strip 124 in similar fashion to ridge 58 of lid 48 described in detail above.
With night
cover 148 securely fastened to container 22, as shown in Figs. 12 and 15, the
interior
cavity of container 22 is resealed and any remaining product P contained
therein is
protected from contamination and user access until night cover 148 is again
removed.
[0049] Advantageously, container and lid assembly 120 provides the
removable
inset 170 with less overall material than container and lid assembly 20, which
necessarily
includes lid 48. Container and lid assembly 120 may therefore selectively
exclude night
cover 148, such as for users who anticipate or expect to use the entire
contents of
container 22 without needing to reseal access opening 30 (e.g., for overnight
storage of
left over product P). Thus, the user of cover and lid assembly 120 is
presented with a
potential savings as compared to container and lid assembly 20, because the
user has the
option to use or avoid night cover 148 according to his or her discretion.
[0050] While this invention has been described as having an exemplary
design,
the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of
this
disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations,
uses, or
adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this
application is
intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within
known or
12
US 53602337.02

CA 02893568 2015-06-09
customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall
within the
limits of the appended claims.
13
US 53602337 02

Representative Drawing
A single figure which represents the drawing illustrating the invention.
Administrative Status

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Event History

Description Date
Application Not Reinstated by Deadline 2019-06-11
Time Limit for Reversal Expired 2019-06-11
Deemed Abandoned - Failure to Respond to Maintenance Fee Notice 2018-06-11
Change of Address or Method of Correspondence Request Received 2018-01-10
Inactive: Cover page published 2015-12-30
Application Published (Open to Public Inspection) 2015-12-10
Amendment Received - Voluntary Amendment 2015-10-29
Inactive: First IPC assigned 2015-06-21
Inactive: IPC assigned 2015-06-21
Inactive: IPC assigned 2015-06-21
Inactive: Filing certificate - No RFE (bilingual) 2015-06-18
Letter Sent 2015-06-18
Application Received - Regular National 2015-06-11
Inactive: Pre-classification 2015-06-09
Inactive: QC images - Scanning 2015-06-09

Abandonment History

Abandonment Date Reason Reinstatement Date
2018-06-11

Maintenance Fee

The last payment was received on 2017-05-18

Note : If the full payment has not been received on or before the date indicated, a further fee may be required which may be one of the following

  • the reinstatement fee;
  • the late payment fee; or
  • additional fee to reverse deemed expiry.

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Please refer to the CIPO Patent Fees web page to see all current fee amounts.

Fee History

Fee Type Anniversary Year Due Date Paid Date
Application fee - standard 2015-06-09
Registration of a document 2015-06-09
MF (application, 2nd anniv.) - standard 02 2017-06-09 2017-05-18
Owners on Record

Note: Records showing the ownership history in alphabetical order.

Current Owners on Record
WELLS ENTERPRISES, INC.
Past Owners on Record
SHANNA L. STEVENS
Past Owners that do not appear in the "Owners on Record" listing will appear in other documentation within the application.
Documents

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Document
Description 
Date
(yyyy-mm-dd) 
Number of pages   Size of Image (KB) 
Description 2015-06-08 13 620
Claims 2015-06-08 5 184
Abstract 2015-06-08 1 20
Drawings 2015-06-08 10 232
Representative drawing 2015-11-12 1 9
Representative drawing 2015-12-29 1 8
Cover Page 2015-12-29 2 42
Filing Certificate 2015-06-17 1 178
Courtesy - Certificate of registration (related document(s)) 2015-06-17 1 103
Courtesy - Abandonment Letter (Maintenance Fee) 2018-07-22 1 173
Reminder of maintenance fee due 2017-02-12 1 111
Amendment / response to report 2015-10-28 11 252