AU2005202986B2

AU2005202986B2 - Container lid with locking ring

Info

Publication number: AU2005202986B2
Application number: AU2005202986A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Frank Christopher Mandile; Kenneth Allan Maxwell; Robert Cecil Mcfadyen; Norman Donald Olsen
Original assignee: VIP Plastic Packaging Pty Ltd
Current assignee: VIP Plastic Packaging Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2000-09-08
Filing date: 2005-07-07
Publication date: 2005-09-08
Anticipated expiration: 2021-09-10
Also published as: AU2001285604B2; AU2005202986A1

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant: VISY PACKAGING PTY LTD A.C.N. 095 313 723 Invention Title: CONTAINER LID WITH LOCKING RING The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 2 In CONTAINER LID WITH LOCKING RING ;Field of the invention The present invention relates to container lids In having locking rings to close a container.

1-1 Background of the invention 00 There has been a long felt need in the packaging industry, particularly with regard to the packaging of 10 liquid products such as paint, for a container lid which In Sdoes not require a metal locking ring. The addition of a C( metal locking ring is a relatively expensive solution and not favoured by container manufacturers or packagers.

Whilst plastic locking rings have been developed, the use of a separate locking ring with for example a plastic container of paint, means that packagers have to conduct several more steps in the packaging process.

Another proposal has been to provide a tear off locking ring. However, once torn off, the locking ring is permanently disabled. Such a solution is of little use for the packaging of paint, because paint containers require the lid to be opened, then tinted, resealed, mixed and then transported.

It would therefore be useful to provide a container lid having a locking ring function which is capable of being manufactured in an all plastic construction.

Summary of the invention The present invention provides a container lid for an open-topped container having a rim surrounding the open top and a container body extending from the rim, said lid having at its periphery a structure for engaging the rim of the container to close the open top, said structure including a plurality of depending flexible fingers for engaging part of the container to hold the lid in its closed position, and a locking ring means associated with said structure and movable from a closed position in which H:\krystalm\keep\Speci\200S202986 Visydoc 15/08/05 3 CI the locking ring means holds the fingers in engagement Zwith said part of the container, to an open position in which the fingers are released to allow the lid to be removed from the container.

In one form, each finger has an inwardly directed IDabutment adapted to engage said part of the container, and 00 the fingers are preferably formed to flex with respect to the peripheral structure.

SThe locking ring means is preferably integral with or captured by or combined with said peripheral structure and C the locking ring is preferably moulded from a suitable plastics material in the same mould as the lid.

Brief description of the drawings An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompany drawings, in which: -Figure-l illustrates an underneath perspective view of a pail lid embodying the invention; Figure 2 illustrates a side elevation of a pail and the pail lid of Figure 1 with the locking ring segment removed to illustrate finger formations of the lid; Figure 3 illustrates a partial cross section through the pail lid and locking ring assembly of Figure 1 in an open condition attached to a pail; Figure 4 illustrates a partial cross section through the pail lid and locking ring assembly of Figure 1 in a closed condition attached to a pail; Figure 5 illustrates a partial cross section though the pail lid and locking ring assembly of Figure 2 in a closed condition, through the lever and latch member; Figure 6 illustrates a partial cross section through the pail lid and locking ring assembly of Figure 5 in an open condition, through the lid skirt's stationary portion.

H:\melindaf\keep\Speci's\P57511 container lid with locking ring.doc 7/07/05 4 Detailed description of the embodiment In the following description of an embodiment of the invention, regard should first be had to the description O contained in Parent Application 2001285604, the contents of which are incorporated herein by cross reference, which 00 describes, with reference to Figures 1 to 9 of the C( drawings thereof, the basic structure and function of the C( lid and locking ring closure to be described below.

C1 10 The invention, as disclosed in the following embodiment, includes a container lid 1 for an open-topped container, such as a pail 10, having a rim 8 surrounding the open top and a container body 10 extending from the rim 8, said lid 1 having at its periphery a structure 4, 6 for engaging the rim of the container 10 to close the open top, said structure 4,6 including a plurality of depending flexible fingers 202 for engaging part of the container 76 to hold the lid 1 in its closed position, and a locking ring means 24,36 associated with said structure 4,6 and movable from a closed position Fig 4 in which the locking ring means holds the fingers 202 in engagement with said part 76 of the container 10, to an open position Fig 3 in which the fingers 202 are released to allow the lid 1 to be removed from the container 10. In the embodiment, the fingers 202 each have an inwardly directed flange or abutment 206 which engages the part of the container 76 as illustrated in Fig 4, and the fingers 202 are formed to flex with respect to the peripheral structure 4,6.

Illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 is a lid and locking ring assembly 200 embodying the invention, which is similar to the first embodiment of Figures 1 to 9 of the said parent application. Like parts have been like numbered. The embodiment of Figures 1 to 6 differs from H:\melindaf\keep\Speci's\P57511 container lid with locking ring.doc 7/07/05 5 that of Figures 1 to 9 of the parent application by the annular sealing channel 6 including a series of discrete extensions or fingers 202, which extend downwardly from O the annular sealing channel 6, and which are able to flex with respect to the sealing channel 6.

00 The embodiment of Figures 1 to 6 will function in C substantially the same manner as the embodiment of Figures C- 1 to 9 of the parent application referred to above, except that the skirt 26 and second flange 30 will not directly C- 10 engage the locking flange 76 on pail 10 but rather will engage a grove 204 on the outwardly directed face of the fingers 202. As the lever 36 is moved closer to the lid 1, the flange 30 will continue to move the fingers 202 until an inwardly projecting flange 206 on fingers 202 is moved into position under the locking flange 76, thereby interlocking the pail lid and locking ring assembly 200 onto.a pail.

This arrangement is thought to be particularly useful with larger size drums and pails. This arrangement is expected to perform well in a situation where a paid is dropped and the pail impacts the ground on the locking ring segment. It is expected that the top portion 14 of the annular sealing channel 6 will not be able to move away from the sealing rim 8 of the pail 10 by virtue of firstly the frictional force of the skirt 16 against sealing lip 20 as well as the engagement of projection 206 under the locking flange 76 on pail As envisaged in said parent application, the lid and locking ring may be moulded in a manner similar to that illustrated in Figures 16 to 22 of the parent, with a series of frangible means such as gates 303 interconnecting the peripheral structure and locking ring means or segments. In such an arrangement, the gates 303 H.\melindaf\keep\Speci's\P5751l container lid with locking ring.doc 7/07/05 6 Sare broken when the lid is first used, as described in further detail in said parent specification.

As illustrated in Figure 3, the pail 10 has the O sealing lip 20 and a locking flange 76. Each of these features has a tapered surface, which tapers in a radially 00 outward and axially downward direction. The amount of C- taper provided will depend upon sealing requirements and CI user's packaging requirements. The tapers provided are useful but not essential, to assist the lid and locking CI 10 ring assembly 100, 200 to be attached to a pail with the levers 36 in a closed condition. However, as can be seen from Figures 23 to 25 of said parent application, even if such a taper is not provided, as is the case with a metal pail with a rolled rim, the pail lid and locking ring assembly when in a closed condition can still be pressed onto the pail to close and seal to pail.

-The fact that hinges 22 and straps 34 have a central portion and a hinge line or axis of rotation at either end of the central portion, allows the respective locking ring segments to be formed in a mould at a sufficient distance away from the outer periphery of the lid.

When moulding the locking ring segments 200, 202, the locking ring segments are given a radius of curvature, which is greater than the radius of the outer periphery of the lid. By also moulding the assemblies 200 from a material which has a shape memory, the locking ring segment 200 will rotate away from the lid when the lever is moved to the open condition, by virtue of a bias provided by the shape memory of the material. While this may not be sufficient to clear all portions of the locking ring segment away from the locking flange of a pail, it can be sufficient to allow the lid and locking ring assembly to be lifted off he paid as described above.

H:\melindaf\keep\Speci's\P575 11 container lid with locking ring.doc 7/07/05 7 -i A feature of note in the cross section of Figure 13 is the shape and construction of the internal surface of skirt 16 and the termini 217 on the annular sealing O channel. Assembly 200 the internal surface of the skirt 16 terminates in termini 217, which is an inwardly angled

ID

00 surface.

CI Preferably the assembly 200 is moulded from CI polypropylene but could be made from polyethylene, nylon, or any other appropriate polymeric material. The material CI 10 selection will be dependent upon the contents to be stored in the pail, the manufacturing process and the load or stresses applied to the assemblies.

While the above description refers specifically to pails, which may be of metal or plastic construction, it will be readily understood that the inventions disclosed herein can be applied to other containers, such as jars or tubes, which may be made from materials such as glass or other materials.

a H\melindaf\keep\Speci'S\P5751l container lid with locking ring.doc 7/07/05

Claims

2. The lid of claim 1, wherein each finger has an inwardly directed abutment adapted to engage said part of the container.
3. The lid of claim 1 or 2, wherein the lid and the locking ring means are moulded from a suitable plastics material in the same mould.
4. The lid of claim 3, wherein the locking ring means is connected to the peripheral structure when moulded by frangible means which are broken to release the locking ring means for use when the lid is fitted to a container.
5. The lid of any preceding claim, wherein the locking ring means if formed to engage the fingers to move them into engagement with a locking flange means formed on the H:\krystalm\keep\Speci\2005202986 Visy.doc 15/08/05 9 container body and which defines said part of the container. O 6. The lid of any preceding claim, wherein said locking ring means includes one or more locking ring segments 00 connected to said structure by lever means, by means of Ci which the segments are moved between the open and closed CI positions. CI 10 7. The lid of claim 6, wherein said lever connects to said lid by a rotatable connection.
8. The lid of claim 6 or 7, wherein said lever connects to another end of said locking ring segment by a rotatable connection.
9. -The lid of claim 7 or 8, wherein said rotatable connection includes a pivot and a pivot hole.
10. The lid of claim 9, wherein said pivot is located on an end of said lever and said pivot holder is located on said lid or on said another end of said locking ring segment.
11. The lid of claim 7 or 8, wherein said rotatable connection is formed by hinge.
12. The lid of claim 11, wherein said hinge is'formed by a web of material integrally formed with said lid and said locking ring segment and which joins said locking ring segment to said lid or said another end of said locking ring segment. H;\melindaf\keep\Speci'B\P57511 container lid with locking ring.doc 7/07/05 10
13. The lid of any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein rotation of said lever around rotatable connection will cause said second radially extending flange to move into O or out of engagement with said container locking flange or said container lid depending upon the direction of 00 rotation of said lever. CI 14. The lid of any one of claims 7 to 13, wherein said lever is attached to said locking ring by a strap. CI The lid of claim 14, wherein said strap can be integrally formed with said lever and said locking ring segment.
16. The lid of claim 15, wherein said strap is formed separately and assembled to both said locking ring segment and said lever.
17. The lid of claim 15 or 16, wherein said strap is substantially inextensible.
18. The lid of claims 14 to 17, wherein said strap is bendable.
19. The lid of any one of the previous claims, wherein said at least on locking ring segment is of any appropriate arc length. The lid of claim 19, wherein said locking ring segment is of an arc length in the range of 90° to an approximately 3600.
21. The lid of claim 19, wherein when one locking ring H:\melindaf\keep\Speci's\P57511 container lid with locking ring.doc 7/07/05 11 segment is provided it has an arc length of the order of 3550
22. The lid of claim 19, wherein when two locking ring segments are provided and each segment arc length is in the range of 1000 to 1600. 00 C 23. The lid and at least one locking ring segment as C claimed in claim 19, wherein when four locking ring segments are used an arc length in the range of c approximately 750 to 850 is provided.
24. The lid of claims 6 to 23, wherein said lever includes a latch member mounter thereon, which cooperates with said lid or said at least one locking ring segment, so that when said lever is in a closed position, said latch member is releasably held relative to said or said at least one locking ring segment.
25. The lid of claim 24, wherein said latch member is formed from a radially extending member when in the closed position, which terminates in a downwardly axially extending shoulder to engage a formation on said lid or an edge of said first radially extending flange on said at least one locking ring segment, to hold said lever in a closed position.
26. The lid of any preceding claim, wherein said fingers are formed to flex with respect to the peripheral structure.
27. The lid of any preceding claim, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying Hz\krystalm\keep\Speci\2005202986 Visy.doc 15/08/05 12 Sdrawings.
28. A container and lid combination, said container lid O being as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 27, said container including a sealing ring near to said open end, 00 and a locking flange downwardly displaced from sail CI sealing ring, said sealing ring and said locking flange C1 each being annular and having an incline surface which Sserves to open out said container lid and at least one CI 10 locking ring segment, enabling said container to receive a closed lid and locking ring segment. a 7 511 container lid with locking ring.doc 7/07/05