AU2011204619B2

AU2011204619B2 - Container

Info

Publication number: AU2011204619B2
Application number: AU2011204619A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Lars Pudselykke
Original assignee: Superfos AS
Current assignee: Berry Superfos Randers AS
Priority date: 2010-01-11
Filing date: 2011-01-07
Publication date: 2016-05-19
Anticipated expiration: 2031-01-07
Also published as: ZA201205618B; WO2011083139A1; TN2012000354A1; RU2531898C2; ES2472946T3; NZ601237A; PL2523866T3; RU2012133071A; CA2786808C; AU2011204619A1; US20130098914A1; CA2786808A1; USD826045S1; MA33990B1; PT2523866E; EP2523866B1; EP2523866A1; DK2523866T3; MX2012008013A

Abstract

The container (1) comprises a number of side walls (2) meeting at corners (3), a bottom, and a top opening (4) with a detachable lid (5). At a corner (3) of the container, a curved corner section (11) of an inward directed ridge (8) of the lid (5) is provided with a bendable skirt section (12) being adapted to be bent to an outward directed position (12') in such a way that a central part of the curved corner section (11) of the inward directed ridge (8) of the lid (5) is levered away from an outward directed ridge (6) of the top opening (4) and that engagement between the corresponding ridges (6, 8) thereby is weakened in an area at said central part.

Description

WO 2011/083139 PCT/EP20111/050152 1 Container The present invention relates to a container comprising a number of side walls meeting at corners, a bottom, a top opening and a detachable lid cover 5 ing the top opening, the top opening being provided with a peripherally ex tending outward directed ridge, the lid being provided with a peripherally ex tending downward bent engagement portion having an inward directed ridge adapted to grip under the outward directed ridge of the top opening, the lid further being provided with a skirt extending below the engagement portion 10 from the inward directed ridge thereof, the outward directed ridge of the top opening and the corresponding inward directed ridge of the lid having curved corner sections at the corners at which the side walls of the container meet, said curved corner sections connecting side sections of the respective ridges. 15 EP 1 681 242 B1 (Superfos) discloses a container of this type, having four walls meeting at rounded corners. In order to open the container, a recess is formed in the skirt of the container wall near a corner, so that a pair of fingers may be inserted into the recess and thereby press upward on the skirt of the lid. However, due to the relatively small radius of the rounded corner, a con 20 siderable force may be necessary to disengage the inward directed ridge of the lid from the outward directed ridge of the top opening. Pressing on the lower edge of the thin wall of the skirt may be inconvenient for the user. In order to overcome the force necessary to open the container, it is known to 25 form the inward directed ridge of the lid and/or the outward directed ridge of the top opening with a smaller cross-section or a smaller protrusion in the radial direction in the area of the corner to be opened than along the rest of the peripheral extension of the lid and top opening. However, as a proper sealing effect of the lid has to be maintained, the cross-section or the protru 30 sion in the radial direction of the ridges cannot be too small, and conse quently the lid may still be somewhat difficult to open. There are also known WO 2011/083139 PCT/EP2011/050152 2 containers having a lid with a relatively thicker skirt in the corner to be opened in order not to hurt the fingers. The object of the present invention is to facilitate the opening of the container 5 without compromising the sealing effect between the lid and the top opening. In view of this object, in that at least one of the curved comer sections of the inward directed ridge of the lid is provided with a bendable skirt section being adapted to be bent to an outward directed position in such a way that a cen 10 tral part of the at least one curved corner section of the inward directed ridge of the lid is levered away from the outward directed ridge of the top opening and that engagement between the corresponding ridges thereby is weakened in an area at said central part. 15 Thereby, in order to open the container, a pair of fingers may press on the lower side of bendable skirt section, thereby bending it outward and conse quently weakening the engagement between the corresponding ridges, so that the necessary opening force is reduced and opening thereby facilitated. Before opening, the engagement between the corresponding ridges is not 20 weakened, and therefore the sealing effect is not compromised. The cross-section and/or the radial protrusion of the corresponding ridges may additionally be reduced in the corner to be opened in order to further facilitate opening of the container. It is also possible to form the correspond 25 ing ridges of another material than the rest of the lid or of the container; for instance, one or both of the ridges or even a larger part of the corner of the lid and/or of the top opening of the container may be formed of a softer and/or more elastic material incorporated by co-injection. 30 Alternatively, the ridges may be formed with unreduced cross-section and/or radial protrusion along the entire periphery of the container in order to im- 3 The present invention seeks to facilitate the opening of the container without compromising the sealing effect between the lid and the top opening. In view of this aim, in that the bendable skirt section is separated from the remaining part of the skirt by means of at least two grooves formed in the outside surface of the skirt and extending downward from an area at the bending line to the lower edge of the skirt, said grooves reducing the wall thickness of the skirt so that the skirt may break along the grooves in order to bend the bendable skirt section to its outward directed position. Thereby, in order to open the container, a pair of fingers may press on the lower side of bendable skirt section, thereby bending it outward and consequently weakening the engagement between the corresponding ridges, so that the necessary opening force is reduced and opening thereby facilitated. Before opening, the engagement between the corresponding ridges is not weakened, and therefore the sealing effect is not compromised. The cross-section and/or the radial protrusion of the corresponding ridges may additionally be reduced in the corner to be opened in order to further facilitate opening of the container. It is also possible to form the corresponding ridges of another material than the rest of the lid or of the container; for instance, one or both of the ridges or even a larger part of the corner of the lid and/or of the top opening of the container may be formed of a softer and/or more elastic material incorporated by co-injection. Alternatively, the ridges may be formed with unreduced cross-section and/or radial protrusion along the entire periphery of the container in order to improve the sealing effect before opening the container. Due to the levering effect according to the invention, opening of the lid may still be possible and/or facilitated without changing the ridge form at the corner or corners to be opened.

WO 2011/083139 PCT/EP2011/050152 4 In an embodiment, a protrusion is formed next to a bending line and on the outside of the engagement portion or on the outside of the bendable skirt section, and in that said protrusion is adapted to be pinched between the bendable skirt section and the engagement portion when bending the bend 5 able skirt section to its outward directed position. Thereby, the protrusion may enhance the levering effect in order to even more effectively lever a cen tral part of the at least one curved corner section of the inward directed ridge of the lid away from the outward directed ridge of the top opening. 10 In an embodiment, at least a part of the bendable skirt section is separated from the remaining part of the skirt by means of two spaced elastic elements, such as parts of the skirt having a wall thickness thinner than the remaining part of the skirt or parts of the skirt having a bellows-type configuration. Thereby, the sealing effect of the lid after re-closing of the container may be 15 improved in that the bendable skirt section may flex elastically back at least approximately to its initial position, thereby ensuring good engagement be tween the inward directed ridge of the lid and the outward directed ridge of the top opening after closing. 20 In an embodiment, spaced elastic or expandable elements split at least part of the inward directed ridge of the lid at either side of the bendable skirt sec tion. Thereby, disengagement between the inward directed ridge of the lid and the outward directed ridge of the top opening may be facilitated during opening of the container, thereby facilitating opening. This may be possible 25 without compromising the sealing effect of the lid, because the spaced elastic or expandable elements may seal the split area of the inward directed ridge of the lid against fluid leakage. In an embodiment, the bendable skirt section is separated from the remaining 30 part of the skirt by means of two cuts or pre-cuts extending downward from an area below the inward directed ridge of the lid. This may be an embodi- WO 2011/083139 PCT/EP2011/050152 5 ment easy to manufacture. In the case of pre-cuts, a tamper evident con tainer may be provided. In an embodiment, the bendable skirt section is separated from the remaining 5 part of the skirt by means of at least two grooves formed in the outside sur face of the skirt and extending downward from an area at the bending line to the lower edge of the skirt, said grooves reducing the wall thickness of the skirt so that the skirt may break along the grooves in order to bend the bend able skirt section to its outward directed position. This may be an embodi 10 ment easy to manufacture. In the case of pre-cuts, a tamper evident con tainer may be provided. In an embodiment, the bendable skirt section is reinforced against bending along a line extending in its longitudinal direction, possibly by means of ribs 15 extending at right angles to its longitudinal direction. Thereby, the levering effect of the bendable skirt section may be improved in order to even more effectively lever the inward directed ridge of the lid away from the outward directed ridge of the top opening. 20 In an embodiment, the bendable skirt section is reinforced against bending along a line extending in its longitudinal direction by means of mutually spaced ribs extending at right angles to its longitudinal direction, said ribs having upper ends adapted to abut the outside of the engagement portion when bending the bendable skirt section to its outward directed position. 25 Thereby, the abutment of the protrusions in the form of the upper ends of the ribs may enhance the levering effect in order to even more effectively lever a central part of the at least one curved corner section of the inward directed ridge of the lid away from the outward directed ridge of the top opening. 30 The invention will now be explained in more detail below by means of exam ples of embodiments with reference to the very schematic drawing, in which 6 the lower edge of the skirt, said grooves reducing the wall thickness of the skirt so that the skirt may break along the grooves in order to bend the bendable skirt section to its outward directed position. This may be an embodiment easy to manufacture. In the case of pre-cuts, a tamper evident container may be provided. In an embodiment, the bendable skirt section is reinforced against bending along a line extending in its longitudinal direction, possibly by means of ribs extending at right angles to its longitudinal direction. Thereby, the levering effect of the bendable skirt section may be improved in order to even more effectively lever the inward directed ridge of the lid away from the outward directed ridge of the top opening. In an embodiment, the bendable skirt section is reinforced against bending along a line extending in its longitudinal direction by means of mutually spaced ribs extending at right angles to its longitudinal direction, said ribs having upper ends adapted to abut the outside of the engagement portion when bending the bendable skirt section to its outward directed position. Thereby, the abutment of the protrusions in the form of the upper ends of the ribs may enhance the levering effect in order to even more effectively lever a central part of the at least one curved corner section of the inward directed ridge of the lid away from the outward directed ridge of the top opening. According to one aspect, the present invention provides a container including a number of side walls meeting at corners, a bottom, a top opening, the top opening being provided with a peripherally extending outward directed ridge, and a detachable lid covering the top opening, the lid being provided with a peripherally extending downward bent engagement portion having a peripherally extending inward directed ridge adapted to grip under the outward directed ridge of the top opening, the lid further being provided with a skirt extending below the engagement portion from the inward directed ridge thereof; the outward directed ridge of the top opening and the corresponding inward directed ridge of the lid having curved corner sections at the corners at which the side walls of the container meet, said curved corner sections connecting side sections of the respective ridges, where at least one of the curved corner sections of the inward directed ridge of the lid is provided with a bendable skirt section being adapted to be 6A bent about a bending line to an outward directed position where the outer surface of the bendable skirt section abuts the outer surface of the engagement portion in such a way that a central part of the at least one curved corner section of the inward directed ridge of the lid can be levered away from the outward directed ridge of the top opening so that engagement between the corresponding ridges thereby is weakened in an area at said central part, where the bendable skirt section is arranged to, in said outward directed position, be approximately horizontal or be angled relative to the horizontal such that the outer free end of the bendable skirt section is directed obliquely upwards or obliquely downwards, and where the bendable skirt section is separated from the remaining part of the skirt in order to bend the bendable skirt section to said outward directed position by means of two cuts or pre-cuts extending downward from an area below the inward directed ridge of the lid or by means of at least two grooves formed in the outside surface of the skirt and extending downward from an area at the bending line to the lower edge of the skirt, said grooves reducing a wall thickness of the skirt so that the skirt is breakable along the grooves. The invention will now be explained in more detail below by means of examples of embodiments with reference to the very schematic drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a cross-section through a corner of the container according to the invention along the line indicated in Fig. 3; Fig. 2 is a top view of the container; WO 2011/083139 PCT/EP2011/050152 7 opening 4 and a detachable lid 5 covering the top opening, see also Fig. 1. The container 1 and the lid 5 comprised by the container are preferably pro duced in plastic material by injection moulding. The top opening 4 is provided with a peripherally extending outward directed ridge 6, and the lid 5 is pro 5 vided with a peripherally extending downward bent engagement portion 7 having an inward directed ridge 8 adapted to grip under the outward directed ridge 6 of the top opening 4. In the embodiment shown, a membrane 20 of the lid is lowered in relation to the downward bent engagement portion 7 by means of a wall 19. The lid 5 is further provided with a skirt 9 extending be 10 low the engagement portion 7 from the inward directed ridge 8 thereof. The outward directed ridge 6 of the top opening 4 and the corresponding inward directed ridge 8 of the lid 5 have curved corner sections 10, 11 at the corners 3 at which the sides of the container 1 meet, said curved corner sections 10, 11 connecting side sections of the respective ridges 6, 8. The curved corner 15 section 10 of the outward directed ridge 6 and the curved corner section 11 of the inward directed ridge 8 are visible in cross-section in Fig. 1. At the lower, right corner 3 of the container 1 as shown in Fig. 2, the curved corner section 11 of the inward directed ridge 8 of the lid 5 is provided with a 20 bendable skirt section 12 being adapted to be bent to an outward directed position as it is seen in the figure and, for instance, approximately directed as indicated by the line 12' in Fig. 1. As it may be seen in Fig. 1, the container 1 is further provided with a skirt section 24 extending downwards at the outside of the upper edge of the side walls 2. A grip opening not shown in Fig. 1 may 25 be provided in the skirt section 24 below the bendable skirt section 12, so that a finger may be inserted into the grip opening in order to grip below the edge of the bendable skirt section 12 to bend it to its outward directed posi tion. Alternatively, a grip opening may be provided in the bendable skirt sec tion 12 itself or any other suitable gripping means, such as a protrusion, may 30 be provided on the bendable skirt section 12 in order to facilitate gripping.

WO 2011/083139 PCT/EP2011/050152 8 One or more of the curved corner sections 11 of the inward directed ridge 8 of the lid 5 may be provided with such a bendable skirt section 12. Especially, two diagonally opposed corner sections 11 may be provided with a bendable skirt section 12, such as at the lower, right corner 3 and at the upper, left cor 5 ner 3 of the container 1 as shown in Fig. 2. This may be advantageous, for instance, in an embodiment as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, wherein the container is substantially rectangular and is provided with diagonally opposed grip openings 23 in a skirt section 24 extending at the outside of the upper edge of the side walls 2. Due to this configuration, the lid 5 may be mounted on the 10 opening 4 of the container in any of two possible positions, thereby facilitating the assembly. In any of these positions, a bendable skirt section 12 will be placed above a corresponding grip opening 23 in the skirt section 24. Although the line 12' in Fig. 1 is shown as an approximately horizontal line, 15 the bendable skirt section 12 may just as well be adapted to be bent to an outward directed position that is angled relative to the horizontal, for instance so that the outer free end of the bendable skirt section 12 is directed obliquely upwards. Alternatively, the outer free end of the bendable skirt sec tion 12 may, in the bent out position of the bendable skirt section 12, be di 20 rected obliquely downwards. The arrow 13 indicates the bending direction in which the bendable skirt section 12 is bent in such a way that a central part of the curved corner section 11 of the inward directed ridge 8 of the lid 5 is levered away from the outward directed ridge 6 of the top opening 4 and that engagement between the corresponding ridges 6, 8 thereby is weakened in 25 an area at said central part. The curved corner section 11 of the inward di rected ridge 8 of the lid 5 is shown in cross-section in Fig. 1 and is not visible in Fig. 3; however, it is noted that the curved corner section 11 of the inward directed ridge 8 extends between the marks 14 and 15 in Fig. 3 and follows the rounded lines that are seen on the top side of the lid and that extend be 30 tween these marks 14, 15. The above-mentioned central part of the curved WO 2011/083139 PCT/EP2011/050152 9 corner section 11 of the inward directed ridge 8 of the lid 5 may, for instance, extend about 1/3 or about 1/2 of the length of the curved corner section 11. In the context of this invention, the expression inward, when relating to the 5 ridges 6, 8 or anything else along the periphery of the container 1 means di rected against a central vertical axis through the container when the con tainer is placed with its bottom on a horizontal surface. Outward relates to the opposite direction, which is away from said vertical axis. In fact, all directions mentioned in this application relate to the container 1 when it is placed with 10 its bottom on a horizontal surface. Advantageously, the bendable skirt section is prepared for bending about a bending line along which the material of the lid is weakened or about which the material of the lid is pre-bent or along which the material of the lid in any 15 other suitable way is prepared or adapted to facilitate bending. However, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, a bending line 16 is formed in a bending section 17 connecting the peripherally extending downward bent engagement portion 7 and the skirt 9. The bending section 17 has an outside 20 extending obliquely downward and outward, the outside thereby forming an angle with both the peripherally extending downward bent engagement por tion 7 and the skirt 9. In Fig. 1, the bending line 16 is indicated in the area of the angle formed between the outside of the bending section 17 and the downward bent engagement portion 7; however, depending on the exact 25 configuration of the form of the lid 5, the bending line 16 may also be located further downwards of the bending section 17. In fact, in order to optimize the levering effect of the bendable skirt section 12, the bending line 16 may fol low a path of different heights along the length of the curved corner section 11 of the inward directed ridge 8. For instance, the bending line 16 may be 30 positioned slightly higher at the central part of the curved corner section 11 than at end parts of the curved corner section 11. For instance, in another WO 2011/083139 PCT/EP2011/050152 10 embodiment, the bending line 16 may be positioned slightly lower at the cen tral part of the curved corner section 11 than at end parts of the curved cor ner section 11. 5 It may be preferred that the bending line 16 extends below mutually contact ing faces of the outward directed ridge 6 of the top opening 4 and the corre sponding inward directed ridge 8 of the lid 5, respectively. Thereby, it may be ensured that the inward directed ridge 8 is not broken during the bending op eration. 10 In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, it is seen that the bending line 16 is formed in a bending section 17 located well below the inward directed ridge 8 of the lid 5. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, it is seen that the bending line 16 is formed in a bending section 17 located at the upper part of the inward 15 directed ridge 8 of the lid 5. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, it is seen that that the bendable skirt sec tion 12 is separated from the remaining part of the skirt 9 by means of two cuts 18 or pre-cuts extending downward from an area below the inward di 20 rected ridge 8 of the lid 5. In further embodiments, one or more further cuts separating the bendable skirt section 12 into two or more parts may be pro vided. The cuts 18 may in fact extend further upward and split at least part of the 25 inward directed ridge 8 of the lid 5 at either side of the bendable skirt section 12. However, in that case it may be preferred to cover the cut at least through the inward directed ridge 8 by means of elastic or expandable elements in order to ensure the sealing effect of the lid before and preferably also after opening and re-closing. It is noted that in such an embodiment, the bending 30 line 16 may in part or entirely extend above the angle between the engage- WO 2011/083139 PCT/EP2011/050152 11 ment portion 7 and the bending section 17; in fact, it may in part or entirely extend at a level with or even above the inward directed ridge 8. In an embodiment, at least a part of the bendable skirt section 12 is sepa 5 rated from the remaining part of the skirt 9 by means of two not shown spaced elastic elements, such as parts of the skirt 9 having a wall thickness thinner than the remaining part of the skirt or parts of the skirt having a bel lows-type configuration. Thereby, the bendable skirt section 12 may return automatically to its initial position after opening of the lid. 10 In an embodiment, the bendable skirt section 12 is reinforced against bend ing along a line extending in its longitudinal direction, for instance, by means of reinforcing ribs or other suitable protrusions or the like. Thereby, the above-mentioned levering effect of the bendable skirt section 12 may be en 15 hanced. In the embodiments shown in Figs. 4 to 12, this is done by means of ribs (21) extending at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the bendable skirt section 12. Thereby, it may be ensured that the bendable skirt section 12 does not bend itself; on the contrary, it is rather bent in relation to the en gagement portion 7 about a bending line 16. 20 In the embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the bendable skirt section 12 is separated from the remaining part of the skirt 9 by means of two grooves 22 formed in the outside surface of the skirt 9 and extending downward from an area at the bending line 16 to the lower edge of the skirt 9. The grooves 22 25 reduce the wall thickness of the skirt 9 from a normal thickness T to a re duced thickness t, so that the skirt may break along the grooves 22 in order to bend the bendable skirt section 12 to its outward directed position 12'. In the embodiment shown, the grooves 22 are seen to have a substantially tri angular cross-sectional form. Furthermore, in the embodiment shown, the 30 bendable skirt section 12 is separated into two separate bendable skirt sec tions 12a, 12b by means of a groove 22' similar to the grooves 22 separating WO 2011/083139 PCT/EP2011/050152 12 the bendable skirt section 12 from the remaining part of the skirt 9. The pro vision of this additional groove 22' may further facilitate the bending up of the bendable skirt section 12 in that the separation of the bendable skirt section 12 into two separate bendable skirt sections 12a, 12b may reduce tensions in 5 the bendable skirt section 12 during bending, especially in the longitudinal direction of, and near the lower edge of, the bendable skirt section 12. In other embodiments, the bendable skirt section 12 may further be separated into more separate bendable skirt sections by means of more supplementary grooves 22'. 10 It is noted that, in the embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the grooves 22, 22' extend up to the obliquely, downward extending outside of the bending section 17 connecting the peripherally extending downward bent engage ment portion 7 and the skirt 9. As the bending section 17 in this embodiment 15 is located at the upper part of the inward directed ridge 8 of the lid 5, the grooves 22, 22' providing the reduced wall thickness t also extend up to the upper part of the inward directed ridge 8; however, because of the thickness of the inward directed ridge 8, the inward directed ridge 8 may not break when the skirt is broken along the grooves 22 in order to bend the bendable 20 skirt section 12 to its outward directed position 12'. Therefore, when the bendable skirt section 12 is bent to its outward directed position 12', the part of the inward directed ridge 8 located above the grooves 22 may twist about its longitudinal axis in order to enable a central part of the curved corner sec tion 11 of the inward directed ridge 8 of the lid 5 to be levered away from the 25 outward directed ridge 6 of the top opening 4, whereby engagement between the corresponding ridges 6, 8 is weakened in an area at said central part. Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5, it is noted, as ex plained above, that the bendable skirt section 12 is reinforced against bend 30 ing along a line extending in its longitudinal direction by means of mutually spaced ribs 21 extending at right angles to its longitudinal direction, whereby WO 2011/083139 PCT/EP2011/050152 13 the levering effect may be enhanced. The ribs 21 have upper ends 25 adapted to abut the outside of the engagement portion 7 when bending the bendable skirt section 12 to its outward directed position 12'. It is noted that, in this embodiment, the upper ends 25 of the ribs 21, in the not bent position 5 of the bendable skirt section 12, are positioned above the bending section 17 and extend obliquely upwards in radial outward direction. During the bending operation, at a point in time, the upper ends 25 of the ribs 21 will abut the outside of the engagement portion 7, whereby the levering effect may be fur ther enhanced. 10 In the embodiment shown in Figs. 6 to 12, the configuration of the top open ing 4, the peripherally extending outward directed ridge 6, the lid 5, the pe ripherally extending downward bent engagement portion 7, the inward di rected ridge 8 and the skirt 9 corresponds to a large extend to that of the em 15 bodiment shown in Fig. 1. However, the bendable skirt section 12 is rein forced against bending by means of mutually spaced ribs 21 extending at right angles to its longitudinal direction in a similar way to the embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5. However, as it may be seen in Fig. 6, in this em bodiment, the upper ends 25 of the ribs 21, in the not bent position of the 20 bendable skirt section 12, are positioned above the bending section 17 and extend obliquely downwards in radial outward direction. Further, it is noted that the bending line 16, due to the ribs 21, is formed somewhat above the bending section 17 that is located well below the inward directed ridge 8 of the lid 5. The bending line 16 is, though, formed below the inward directed 25 ridge 8. During the bending operation, at a point in time, the upper ends 25 of the ribs 21 will abut the outside of the engagement portion 7, whereby the levering effect may be further enhanced. Due to the, in radial outward direc tion, obliquely downwards extent of the upper ends 25 of the ribs 21, the bendable skirt section 12 may be bent to a position even further than the po 30 sition 12' indicated in Fig. 6, in which position the bendable skirt section 12 may extend obliquely upwards in radially outwards direction, before the upper WO 2011/083139 PCT/EP2011/050152 14 ends 25 of the ribs 21 abut the outside of the engagement portion 7. This may be advantageous in this embodiment, wherein the bending section 17, as mentioned above, is located well below the inward directed ridge 8 of the lid 5, and wherein the bending line 16 is located below the inward directed 5 ridge 8. It is noted that in the embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5 as well as in the embodiment shown in Figs. 6 to 12, the grooves 22, 22' are formed in the outside surface of the skirt 9; however, they may just as well be formed in the 10 inside surface of the skirt 9. In the latter case, the grooves 22, 22' may pref erably extend no further up than to the lower area of the inward directed ridge 8 of the lid 5 in order not to break through the ridge. In Fig. 2 it is seen that, in the shown embodiment, the substantially straight 15 side walls 2 bend slightly in outward direction. They may, for instance, curve with a radius of 2 metres, but just as well with a radius of 30 centimetres or even less, whereas the curved comer section 10 of the outward directed ridge 6 and the curved corner section 11 of the inward directed ridge 8 may curve with a radius of about 3 centimetres. However, with the improvements 20 according to the invention, the radii of the curved corner sections 10, 11 may be even smaller, such as about 1 to 2 centimetres. These radii may however just as well be larger than 3 centimetres. The container may have any suit able number of side walls 2.

15 lid 5, and wherein the bending line 16 is located below the inward directed ridge 8. It is noted that in the embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5 as well as in the embodiment shown in Figs. 6 to 12, the grooves 22, 22 are formed in the outside surface of the skirt 9; however, they may just as well be formed in the inside surface of the skirt 9. In the latter case, the grooves 22, 22 may preferably extend no further up than to the lower area of the inward directed ridge 8 of the lid 5 in order not to break through the ridge. In Fig. 2 it is seen that, in the shown embodiment, the substantially straight side walls 2 bend slightly in outward direction. They may, for instance, curve with a radius of 2 metres, but just as well with a radius of 30 centimetres or even less, whereas the curved corner section 10 of the outward directed ridge 6 and the curved corner section 11 of the inward directed ridge 8 may curve with a radius of about 3 centimetres. However, with the improvements according to the invention, the radii of the curved corner sections 10, 11 may be even smaller, such as about 1 to 2 centimetres. These radii may however just as well be larger than 3 centimetres. The container may have any suitable number of side walls 2. Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps. The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

Claims

1. A container including - a number of side walls meeting at corners, - a bottom, - a top opening, the top opening being provided with a peripherally extending outward directed ridge, and - a detachable lid covering the top opening, the lid being provided with a peripherally extending downward bent engagement portion having a peripherally extending inward directed ridge adapted to grip under the outward directed ridge of the top opening, - the lid further being provided with a skirt extending below the engagement portion from the inward directed ridge thereof; - the outward directed ridge of the top opening and the corresponding inward directed ridge of the lid having curved corner sections at the corners at which the side walls of the container meet, said curved corner sections connecting side sections of the respective ridges, - where at least one of the curved corner sections of the inward directed ridge of the lid is provided with a bendable skirt section being adapted to be bent about a bending line to an outward directed position where the outer surface of the bendable skirt section abuts the outer surface of the engagement portion in such a way that a central part of the at least one curved corner section of the inward directed ridge of the lid can be levered away from the outward directed ridge of the top opening so that engagement between the corresponding ridges thereby is weakened in an area at said central part, - where the bendable skirt section is arranged to, in said outward directed position, be approximately horizontal or be angled relative to the horizontal such that the outer free end of the bendable skirt section is directed obliquely upwards or obliquely downwards, and - where the bendable skirt section is separated from the remaining part of the skirt in order to bend the bendable skirt section to said outward directed position by means of two cuts or pre-cuts extending downward from an area below the inward directed ridge of the lid or by means of at least two grooves formed in the outside surface of the skirt and extending downward from an area at the bending line to the lower edge of the skirt, 17 said grooves reducing a wall thickness of the skirt so that the skirt is breakable along the grooves.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the bendable skirt section is prepared for bending about the bending line along which the material of the lid is weakened or about which the material of the lid is pre-bent.

3. A container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bending line is formed in a bending section connecting the peripherally extending downward bent engagement portion and the skirt, and the bending section has an outside extending obliquely downward and outward, the outside thereby forming an angle with both the peripherally extending downward bent engagement portion and the skirt.

4. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a protrusion is formed next to a bending line and on the outside of the engagement portion or on the outside of the bendable skirt section, and in that said protrusion being adapted to be pinched between the bendable skirt section and the engagement portion when bending the bendable skirt section to its outward directed position.

5. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bendable skirt section is reinforced against bending along a line extending in its longitudinal direction, possibly by means of ribs extending at right angles to its longitudinal direction.

6. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bendable skirt section is reinforced against bending along a line extending in its longitudinal direction by means of mutually spaced ribs extending at right angles to its longitudinal direction, said ribs having upper ends adapted to abut the outside of the engagement portion when bending the bendable skirt section to its outward directed position.

7. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bending line is arranged below or at the same level as the mutually contacting faces of the outward 18 directed ridge of the top opening and the corresponding inward directed ridge of the lid, respectively.