CA1188639A - Stackable transparent container, container lid, and method for lid manufacture - Google Patents
Stackable transparent container, container lid, and method for lid manufactureInfo
- Publication number
- CA1188639A CA1188639A CA000403956A CA403956A CA1188639A CA 1188639 A CA1188639 A CA 1188639A CA 000403956 A CA000403956 A CA 000403956A CA 403956 A CA403956 A CA 403956A CA 1188639 A CA1188639 A CA 1188639A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- lid
- container
- edge
- wall
- deep
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
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- Containers Having Bodies Formed In One Piece (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present invention relates to a stackable transparent container, a lid therefor, and a method of manufacturing the lid. The container has walls made from a transparent foil blank and also has at least one connection zone running in the direction of the height dimension. The bottom of the container is connected with the walls thereof in the area of lower edges therealong. The container lid has an edge capable of overlapping the upper container edge. The height of this lid edge, when measured in the circumferential direction of the lid, is smaller than its free edge along the edge zone forming the transition to the lid portion. The container lid is formed as a deep drawn element and is manufactured in a manner whereby a deep drawable foil is placed in contact with defining surfaces of a depression of a divided tool. The shape of the depression corresponds to the shape of the lid to be manufactured. Elements of the tool are held together during the deep drawing process and thereafter such elements are separated from each other so that the deep drawn lid may be removed from the depression.
The present invention relates to a stackable transparent container, a lid therefor, and a method of manufacturing the lid. The container has walls made from a transparent foil blank and also has at least one connection zone running in the direction of the height dimension. The bottom of the container is connected with the walls thereof in the area of lower edges therealong. The container lid has an edge capable of overlapping the upper container edge. The height of this lid edge, when measured in the circumferential direction of the lid, is smaller than its free edge along the edge zone forming the transition to the lid portion. The container lid is formed as a deep drawn element and is manufactured in a manner whereby a deep drawable foil is placed in contact with defining surfaces of a depression of a divided tool. The shape of the depression corresponds to the shape of the lid to be manufactured. Elements of the tool are held together during the deep drawing process and thereafter such elements are separated from each other so that the deep drawn lid may be removed from the depression.
Description
3~
This invention relates to a stackable transparent container, the walls of which are made from a transparent foil blank. There is at least one connection zone running in the direction of the height dimension of the con-tainer. The bottom of the container is connected with the connection zone in the area oE the lower edges of the walls.
The invention also relates to a container lid having an edge which makes it possible to overlap the upper edge of the container. The length of the container, when measured in the circumferential direction of the lid along its free edge, is less than the length along the edge zone forming the tran-sition of the lid. The invention also relates to a method for the manufacture of such a container lid.
Stackable containers, i.e., containers which when empty can be inserted one inside the other to form a stack, have an advantage over non-stackable containers, such as round containers having a cylindrical wall, be-cause, for shipment or storage in an empty condition, stackable containers require significantly less space and are, therefore, more economical to transport and to store than non-stackable containers. ~lowever, even the known stackable transparent containers~ which are round containers having conical walls, are not free from all disadvantages.
The primary disadvantage is that, when the containers are in a stacked condition) the walls thereof are so tightly packed together that a solvent of an adhesive used to glue together the container cannot escape.
Specifically, the solvent is used to glue together the blank to form the walls and is also used to glue the bottom illtO the walls. These containers must, therefore, be stored individually for a relatively long period of time before being filled so that the solvent can escape. This storage arrangement is necessary in situations where the escaping solvent or the odor thereof are un---. 1 -- "
. ~
3~
desirable, as is often the case, for example~ in the packaging of food stuffs.
Lids known to be used for this type of stackable container in their non-stacked condition are shown in West German Utility Patent No. 16 64 375.
These known lids are used for closing conical containers, particularly so-called transparent containers. These lids are also made from a transparent foil but are subject to the disadvantage of a substantial manufacturing expense. Because of the conical or truncated pyramid shape o$ their edge, the known lids must be glued or welded. In many cases, furthermore, glue points or weld seams are un-desirable. These known lids and the containers associated therewith have, therefore, not found general acceptance in the market place, particularly for food stuffs.
The basic object of the invention, therefore, is to create a stack-able transparent container which avoids these disadvantages of the known stackable containers and lids. This object is achieved with a container of the type described hereinbelow, in which, not only the connection between the floors and the walls but also areas where the walls are connected together, the container is formed by at least one welded seam.
Another object of the invention is to create a container lid oE the type described hereinbelow which can `be mamlfactured more cost effectively and which also ful$ills other requirements often established for containers used in the packaging of $ood stuffs and the like. Such requirements include freedom $rom solvents and an appealing appearance.
A container with a lid of this type is completely free of solvent.
The container can, therefore, be used without limitation in any situation where a solvent would be undesirable or unallowable. ~n addition) even in situations where the walls o$ the stacked containers without lids are packed tightly to--~ 2 ~
63~
gether, the necessity of promptly separating and separately storing the containers for a given time prior to ~illing with food stuEfs is eliminated.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a stackable transparent container comprising:
a wall made from a transparent foil blank; at least one connection zone running in the direction of the height dimension of the container; a bottom connected with the connection zone near a lower side of the wall, which has the shape of a cone with a conical taper between about 2.5 and 3.5; wherein every connection zone of the wall is formed by at least one weld seam including the connection zone between the bottom and the wall; a lid with an edge overlapping an upper edge of the container; wherein the length of the lid along a free edge measured in the circumferential direction i~ less than the length measured along an edge zone forming a transition to a lid portion; and wherein the lid is deep drawn.
With the container made according to the invention, a cone is not the only possible shape for the walls. The container can also have another shape, such as that of an oval or a rectangle.
However, it is particularly advantageous with a conical container to provide a conical taper of between 2.5 and 3.5. With a container of another shape, it is advantageous to select a cor-responding inclination of the side surfaces. With this range of angle, the amount of waste in cutting the blank is relatively small. The savings in space achieved by the stackability, however, is substantial. For example, an angle lying within this range allows the height of a stack consisting of eighteen containers ~1~i3~
-to be no longer than twice -the height of a single container.
This is true wi-thou-t packing the walls of the lidless containers tightly toge-ther. ~ tight packing makes it more difficult to separate the containers iII -the stack. Such tight packing is disadvantageous, particularly if the separation is to be performed by a machine. By uslng a taper of between 2.5 and 3.5 the conical container appears to be cylindrical.
According to a further aspect oE the present invention there is provided a container lid comprising: an edge o~erlapping an upper edge of a container; wherein the length of the lid along a free edge measured in the circumferential direction is less than the length measured along an edge zone forming a transition to a lid portion; and wherein the lid is deep drawn.
By forming the container lid as a deep drawn element, manufacturing costs can be achieved which are at least not significantly hi~her than those of deep-drawn lids having a cylindrical or rectangular shape, i.e., lids having an edge whose length measured in the circumferential direction along the free edge is just as large as along the edge zone forming the transition to -the lid portion. In addition, a deep-drawn element fulfills the requirement of being free from solvents and w~ldseams because of the absence of glue points and such weld seams.
In a preferred embodiment of the container according to the invention, a flange is provided along the upper edge of the container. ~he flange - 3a -projects only outwardly beyond the wall. This type of flange not only has the advantage that the upper edge does not Eorm a sharp corner, but also that the container receives sufficient stability therefrom. Above all, the fact that the flange projects only outwardly avoids the problem of having to maintain an intermediate space between the wall surfaces during stacking. This inter-mediate space corresponds to the flange thickness which would significantly increase the spatial requirements.
~ or the lower edge of the wall, however, an inwardly projecting flange is advantageous for the purpose of aiding this flange to establish the position of the bottom.
The bottom can be formed from a flat blank. In the case of a round container, the flat blank is a disc which is advantageously welded together with the flange. The bottom can, therefore, be made from any weldable material.
Not only from a plastic foil but also, for example, from a lined material, such as a PE-coated cardboard.
In a pre$erred embodiment, however, the bottom is arranged in the interior of the walls and has a raised downwardly directed edge. The floor can then be positioned by the selection of the height of the edge so that, with identical containers, the contact between the lower edge thereof against the floor of the adjacent container holds the containers in a position in which a very slight intermediate space is present between the wall surfaces of the two containers. The stack can then be separated without difficulty. This measure does not noticably increase the stack height relative to the height of a stack in which the wall surfaces of the stacked containers are packed tightly together. This effect caused by the bottom lying higher than the lower flange can also be achieved when the bottom does not have a raised edge by providing a flat intermediate layer, such as a piece of cardboard.
6~
secause of the contact of the edge of the lid with the container, it is a simple manner to provide an automatic adhesion around the container by means of a self-adhesive band which con-nects the edge of the lid with the container. A snap closure results and prevents an unintentional removal of the lid from the container so that the adhesive band used in prior art con-tainers can be eliminated.
Since, until now, it has not been possible to manufacture a container lid with a conical or truncated conical edge rom a plastic foil, particularly a transparent foil, by deep drawing, a further object oE the invention is to provide a method by which a container lid made according to the invention can be rnanufactured cost effectively. In particular there is provided a method for manufacturing a contalner lid, comprising the steps of: bringing a deep drawable foil into a deep drawable condition;
contacting the deep drawable foil with the defining surfaces of a depression of a divided tool having a shape which corresponds to the shape of the lid to be manufactured; holding parts of the divided tool together during a deep drawing process; subsequently separating the parts of the divided tool from each other; and removing the container lid in a deep drawn condition from the separated and divided elements of the tool.
Through the use of a divided deep drawing tool with a depression corresponding to the shape of the lid, the foil can be made to conform to the bottom of this depression and to the conical or truncated dish-like side walls thereof without difficulty, for example, with compressed air. On the other hand, despite the overhand of the side walls, the container lid can easily be removed from the depression after separation of the two elements of the -tool.
The invention is described in greater detail herein-below with the ald of two exemplary embodiments of the container and of one exemplary embodiment of the container lid illustrated in the drawings.
Figure 1 shows a section of the conical container in which an identical container illustrated in dashed lines has been inserted for the purpose of stacking;
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a second exemplary embodiment in which the container has an oval shape;
Figure 3 is a partial breakaway illustration of the exemplary embodiment of a lid placed on the container;
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Figure 4 shows a longitudinal section not drawn to scale through a deep drawing tool for the manufacture of the lid lllustrated in Figure 3 prior to the beginning of the deep drawing process;
Figure 5 shows a section corresponding to Pigure 4 after completion of the deep drawing process and prior to the edge trimming process;
Figure 6 is a section corresponding to Pigure 4 after the edge trimming process is completed and after the deep drawing tool has been opened so that the finished container lid may be removed therefrom.
Ihe conical transparent container illustrated in Figure 1 consists of a wall 1 and a bottom 2. The wall is made of a segment of a circular ring CUt from a piece of polyvinyl chloride ~PVC) foil. This blank, which is curved to form a cone, is welded together along the lateral edges which overlap slight-ly. The wall 1 therefore, has a weld seam 3 extending along a line on the wall running from the lower to the upper edge. The upper edge of the wall 1 is formed by an outwardly projecting flange 4 and the lower edge is formed by an inwardly projecting flange 5.
In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 1, the conical taper of the cone formed by the wall 1 is about 3~ with an axial length of about 150 mm.
Among other things, the optimal conical taper is influenced by the height of the container.
The bott~m 2 is a deep-drawn element also made ~rom a PVC foil. It is placed within the wall 1 and has a raised downwardly directed edge 2' which lies on the ]ower flange 5 and is connected with the wall 1 by a weld seam 6.
As showll in ~igure 1, the height of the edge 2' of the bottom 2 is selected so that a second identical container 7, which is placed in the first container such that i~s lower edge lies on the bottom 2, is held at a small distance from the wall 1. It is thus assured that the second container 7 does = 6 -i3~
not adhere to the wall 1 of the first container~ and can, therefore, easily be removed from the first container.
~ urthermore, in the exemplary embodiment shown in ~igure 1 the height of the edge 2' is selected so that a stack of eighteen identical con-tainers has twice the height of a single container.
~ s may als~ be seen from Figure 1, the flange 4, provided on the upper edge, extends outwardly but does not effect the selection oE the s;ze of the intermediate space between the stacked containers. This intermediate space can, there~ore, ~e selected small enough so that easy stacking and separating of the containers forming the stack is still possible.
In the exemplary embodiment of the container made according to the invention, and shown in Figure 2, the container has an oval cross-section. A
wall 101 of this container, like the wall 1 of the container shown in Figure 1, is made from a blank which forms a segment of a circle and is cut from a trans-parent PVC foil. TRe slightly overlapping edges of this blank are welded. Thus, the wall 101 has a weld seam 103 extending along a line in the wall from the upper to the lower edge. The upper edge of the wall 101 is formed by an out-wardly projecting flange 104 and the lower edge is formed by inwardly projecting flange 105.
The blank is selected such that the conical taper of a cone formed therefrom, as first establlshed after completiQn o the weld seam 103, is about 3. The cone is then brought into the oval shape which the container has in its inished condition and is fixed in this oval shape. The wall 101 of this con-tainer, like the wall 1 o$ the first container shown in Pigure 1, therefore has an inclination relative to an imaginary longitudinal axis which corresponds to a conical taper of about 3.
The bottom 102 inserted in the wall 101 is a flat oval blank made -from a PE-coated pasteboard. The PF~coating l~es against the lower flange 105 and is welded together therewith. The container of this second embodiment shown in Figure 2 can be stacked equally as well as the container made in accor-dance with Pigure 1 and also has the same advantages thereof.
A container lid, designated generally with the reference numeral 201 in Figures 3-6, is manufactured from a transparent foil in a deep drawing process. The lid 201 consists of a circular disc-shaped element 202 and a raised edge 203. The raised edge 203 is tapered, as shown in Figure 3, toward its free edge in the manner of a cone. I'`ne length of the edge 203 measured in the circumferential direction of the lid 201 is therefore, less at its free edge than at the transition to the element 202. The conical taper of the edge is less than 12, preferably about 9.
The lid 201 is intended to be used with a conical transparent round container 204 which has, at its upper edge, an outwardly projecting flange 205. The diameter of the element 202 is, therefore, adapted to the outer dia-meter of the container 204 measured on the flange 205. l'he container has a taper between about 2.5 and 3.5, ~n order to enable an adhesive strip to be put in place along the free edge and overlapping the ~ree edge when the lid 201 is in place, the 2Q projection of the outwardly- projecting flange along the upper edge of the wall of the container as well as the conical taper of the edge 203 and the height thereof are selec*ed so that the free edge is displaced toward the center of the lid 201 by~ about the width of the flange 205 measured radially. This free edge lies a~ainst the outside o~ the wall of the container 204.
The lid 201 has no glue points whatsoever and is, thus, free of any solvent. ~n addition, the lid 201 is free of weld seams and weld lines.
In order to manufacture the lid 201, a transparent foil 206 is laid _ ~ _ in a deep drawable conditlon. The foil 206 is capable o~ being deep drawn and its thickness has been exaggerated in Figure 4. The foil 206 is laid in a warm condition on a deep drawing tool generally designated with the reference numeral 207. This deep drawing tool 207 has a depression 208 in the flat con-tact surface for the ~oil 206. The shape of the depression 208 corresponds to the shape of the lid 201 to be manufactured. The side walls 208' of the depression 208 are thus conically undercut with respect to the contact surface for the transparent oil 206.
As indicated by a partition line 209 in ~igures ~ and 5 and as shown further in Figure 6, the deep drawing tool 207 is divided along a plane running perpendicular to the contact surface for the transparent foil 206 and the bottom of the depression 208. The plane also passes through the center of this circular bottom of the depression 208. ~lamping means ~not shown) clamp the two elements of the deep drawing tool 207 together in the direction of the a~ow ~0. ~ese unillustrated clamp;ng means allow the two elements o~ the deep drawing tool 207 to be held in contact with each other.
The deep drawing process takes place in the following manner. The transparent foil 206, which is in a deep drawable condition, is subjected to excess air pressure as indicated by the arrow 211. This excess air pressure presses the foil 206 into the depression 208 and, as shown in ~igure 5, brings the oil 206 into complete contact against the bottom of the depression 208 and against the sidewalls 208'. An edge area 206' of the transparent foil 206 remains on the contact su~ace of the deep drawing tool 207 as also shown in Figure 5.
While the deep drawing tool 207 is still closed, the edge area 206' is trimmed by means of a circular blade 212. Then, as shown in Figure 6, the deep drawing tool 207 is opened. The two elements o~ the deep drawing tool 207 _ g _ 631~
are moved apart in the direction o the arrow 213 far enough to allow the container lid 201 to be easily removed from the depression 208.
The oregoing preferred embodiments are considered as illustrative only. Numerous other modifications and changes will readily occur to those skllled in the pertinent ar~..
~ lQ -~
This invention relates to a stackable transparent container, the walls of which are made from a transparent foil blank. There is at least one connection zone running in the direction of the height dimension of the con-tainer. The bottom of the container is connected with the connection zone in the area oE the lower edges of the walls.
The invention also relates to a container lid having an edge which makes it possible to overlap the upper edge of the container. The length of the container, when measured in the circumferential direction of the lid along its free edge, is less than the length along the edge zone forming the tran-sition of the lid. The invention also relates to a method for the manufacture of such a container lid.
Stackable containers, i.e., containers which when empty can be inserted one inside the other to form a stack, have an advantage over non-stackable containers, such as round containers having a cylindrical wall, be-cause, for shipment or storage in an empty condition, stackable containers require significantly less space and are, therefore, more economical to transport and to store than non-stackable containers. ~lowever, even the known stackable transparent containers~ which are round containers having conical walls, are not free from all disadvantages.
The primary disadvantage is that, when the containers are in a stacked condition) the walls thereof are so tightly packed together that a solvent of an adhesive used to glue together the container cannot escape.
Specifically, the solvent is used to glue together the blank to form the walls and is also used to glue the bottom illtO the walls. These containers must, therefore, be stored individually for a relatively long period of time before being filled so that the solvent can escape. This storage arrangement is necessary in situations where the escaping solvent or the odor thereof are un---. 1 -- "
. ~
3~
desirable, as is often the case, for example~ in the packaging of food stuffs.
Lids known to be used for this type of stackable container in their non-stacked condition are shown in West German Utility Patent No. 16 64 375.
These known lids are used for closing conical containers, particularly so-called transparent containers. These lids are also made from a transparent foil but are subject to the disadvantage of a substantial manufacturing expense. Because of the conical or truncated pyramid shape o$ their edge, the known lids must be glued or welded. In many cases, furthermore, glue points or weld seams are un-desirable. These known lids and the containers associated therewith have, therefore, not found general acceptance in the market place, particularly for food stuffs.
The basic object of the invention, therefore, is to create a stack-able transparent container which avoids these disadvantages of the known stackable containers and lids. This object is achieved with a container of the type described hereinbelow, in which, not only the connection between the floors and the walls but also areas where the walls are connected together, the container is formed by at least one welded seam.
Another object of the invention is to create a container lid oE the type described hereinbelow which can `be mamlfactured more cost effectively and which also ful$ills other requirements often established for containers used in the packaging of $ood stuffs and the like. Such requirements include freedom $rom solvents and an appealing appearance.
A container with a lid of this type is completely free of solvent.
The container can, therefore, be used without limitation in any situation where a solvent would be undesirable or unallowable. ~n addition) even in situations where the walls o$ the stacked containers without lids are packed tightly to--~ 2 ~
63~
gether, the necessity of promptly separating and separately storing the containers for a given time prior to ~illing with food stuEfs is eliminated.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a stackable transparent container comprising:
a wall made from a transparent foil blank; at least one connection zone running in the direction of the height dimension of the container; a bottom connected with the connection zone near a lower side of the wall, which has the shape of a cone with a conical taper between about 2.5 and 3.5; wherein every connection zone of the wall is formed by at least one weld seam including the connection zone between the bottom and the wall; a lid with an edge overlapping an upper edge of the container; wherein the length of the lid along a free edge measured in the circumferential direction i~ less than the length measured along an edge zone forming a transition to a lid portion; and wherein the lid is deep drawn.
With the container made according to the invention, a cone is not the only possible shape for the walls. The container can also have another shape, such as that of an oval or a rectangle.
However, it is particularly advantageous with a conical container to provide a conical taper of between 2.5 and 3.5. With a container of another shape, it is advantageous to select a cor-responding inclination of the side surfaces. With this range of angle, the amount of waste in cutting the blank is relatively small. The savings in space achieved by the stackability, however, is substantial. For example, an angle lying within this range allows the height of a stack consisting of eighteen containers ~1~i3~
-to be no longer than twice -the height of a single container.
This is true wi-thou-t packing the walls of the lidless containers tightly toge-ther. ~ tight packing makes it more difficult to separate the containers iII -the stack. Such tight packing is disadvantageous, particularly if the separation is to be performed by a machine. By uslng a taper of between 2.5 and 3.5 the conical container appears to be cylindrical.
According to a further aspect oE the present invention there is provided a container lid comprising: an edge o~erlapping an upper edge of a container; wherein the length of the lid along a free edge measured in the circumferential direction is less than the length measured along an edge zone forming a transition to a lid portion; and wherein the lid is deep drawn.
By forming the container lid as a deep drawn element, manufacturing costs can be achieved which are at least not significantly hi~her than those of deep-drawn lids having a cylindrical or rectangular shape, i.e., lids having an edge whose length measured in the circumferential direction along the free edge is just as large as along the edge zone forming the transition to -the lid portion. In addition, a deep-drawn element fulfills the requirement of being free from solvents and w~ldseams because of the absence of glue points and such weld seams.
In a preferred embodiment of the container according to the invention, a flange is provided along the upper edge of the container. ~he flange - 3a -projects only outwardly beyond the wall. This type of flange not only has the advantage that the upper edge does not Eorm a sharp corner, but also that the container receives sufficient stability therefrom. Above all, the fact that the flange projects only outwardly avoids the problem of having to maintain an intermediate space between the wall surfaces during stacking. This inter-mediate space corresponds to the flange thickness which would significantly increase the spatial requirements.
~ or the lower edge of the wall, however, an inwardly projecting flange is advantageous for the purpose of aiding this flange to establish the position of the bottom.
The bottom can be formed from a flat blank. In the case of a round container, the flat blank is a disc which is advantageously welded together with the flange. The bottom can, therefore, be made from any weldable material.
Not only from a plastic foil but also, for example, from a lined material, such as a PE-coated cardboard.
In a pre$erred embodiment, however, the bottom is arranged in the interior of the walls and has a raised downwardly directed edge. The floor can then be positioned by the selection of the height of the edge so that, with identical containers, the contact between the lower edge thereof against the floor of the adjacent container holds the containers in a position in which a very slight intermediate space is present between the wall surfaces of the two containers. The stack can then be separated without difficulty. This measure does not noticably increase the stack height relative to the height of a stack in which the wall surfaces of the stacked containers are packed tightly together. This effect caused by the bottom lying higher than the lower flange can also be achieved when the bottom does not have a raised edge by providing a flat intermediate layer, such as a piece of cardboard.
6~
secause of the contact of the edge of the lid with the container, it is a simple manner to provide an automatic adhesion around the container by means of a self-adhesive band which con-nects the edge of the lid with the container. A snap closure results and prevents an unintentional removal of the lid from the container so that the adhesive band used in prior art con-tainers can be eliminated.
Since, until now, it has not been possible to manufacture a container lid with a conical or truncated conical edge rom a plastic foil, particularly a transparent foil, by deep drawing, a further object oE the invention is to provide a method by which a container lid made according to the invention can be rnanufactured cost effectively. In particular there is provided a method for manufacturing a contalner lid, comprising the steps of: bringing a deep drawable foil into a deep drawable condition;
contacting the deep drawable foil with the defining surfaces of a depression of a divided tool having a shape which corresponds to the shape of the lid to be manufactured; holding parts of the divided tool together during a deep drawing process; subsequently separating the parts of the divided tool from each other; and removing the container lid in a deep drawn condition from the separated and divided elements of the tool.
Through the use of a divided deep drawing tool with a depression corresponding to the shape of the lid, the foil can be made to conform to the bottom of this depression and to the conical or truncated dish-like side walls thereof without difficulty, for example, with compressed air. On the other hand, despite the overhand of the side walls, the container lid can easily be removed from the depression after separation of the two elements of the -tool.
The invention is described in greater detail herein-below with the ald of two exemplary embodiments of the container and of one exemplary embodiment of the container lid illustrated in the drawings.
Figure 1 shows a section of the conical container in which an identical container illustrated in dashed lines has been inserted for the purpose of stacking;
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a second exemplary embodiment in which the container has an oval shape;
Figure 3 is a partial breakaway illustration of the exemplary embodiment of a lid placed on the container;
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3~
Figure 4 shows a longitudinal section not drawn to scale through a deep drawing tool for the manufacture of the lid lllustrated in Figure 3 prior to the beginning of the deep drawing process;
Figure 5 shows a section corresponding to Pigure 4 after completion of the deep drawing process and prior to the edge trimming process;
Figure 6 is a section corresponding to Pigure 4 after the edge trimming process is completed and after the deep drawing tool has been opened so that the finished container lid may be removed therefrom.
Ihe conical transparent container illustrated in Figure 1 consists of a wall 1 and a bottom 2. The wall is made of a segment of a circular ring CUt from a piece of polyvinyl chloride ~PVC) foil. This blank, which is curved to form a cone, is welded together along the lateral edges which overlap slight-ly. The wall 1 therefore, has a weld seam 3 extending along a line on the wall running from the lower to the upper edge. The upper edge of the wall 1 is formed by an outwardly projecting flange 4 and the lower edge is formed by an inwardly projecting flange 5.
In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 1, the conical taper of the cone formed by the wall 1 is about 3~ with an axial length of about 150 mm.
Among other things, the optimal conical taper is influenced by the height of the container.
The bott~m 2 is a deep-drawn element also made ~rom a PVC foil. It is placed within the wall 1 and has a raised downwardly directed edge 2' which lies on the ]ower flange 5 and is connected with the wall 1 by a weld seam 6.
As showll in ~igure 1, the height of the edge 2' of the bottom 2 is selected so that a second identical container 7, which is placed in the first container such that i~s lower edge lies on the bottom 2, is held at a small distance from the wall 1. It is thus assured that the second container 7 does = 6 -i3~
not adhere to the wall 1 of the first container~ and can, therefore, easily be removed from the first container.
~ urthermore, in the exemplary embodiment shown in ~igure 1 the height of the edge 2' is selected so that a stack of eighteen identical con-tainers has twice the height of a single container.
~ s may als~ be seen from Figure 1, the flange 4, provided on the upper edge, extends outwardly but does not effect the selection oE the s;ze of the intermediate space between the stacked containers. This intermediate space can, there~ore, ~e selected small enough so that easy stacking and separating of the containers forming the stack is still possible.
In the exemplary embodiment of the container made according to the invention, and shown in Figure 2, the container has an oval cross-section. A
wall 101 of this container, like the wall 1 of the container shown in Figure 1, is made from a blank which forms a segment of a circle and is cut from a trans-parent PVC foil. TRe slightly overlapping edges of this blank are welded. Thus, the wall 101 has a weld seam 103 extending along a line in the wall from the upper to the lower edge. The upper edge of the wall 101 is formed by an out-wardly projecting flange 104 and the lower edge is formed by inwardly projecting flange 105.
The blank is selected such that the conical taper of a cone formed therefrom, as first establlshed after completiQn o the weld seam 103, is about 3. The cone is then brought into the oval shape which the container has in its inished condition and is fixed in this oval shape. The wall 101 of this con-tainer, like the wall 1 o$ the first container shown in Pigure 1, therefore has an inclination relative to an imaginary longitudinal axis which corresponds to a conical taper of about 3.
The bottom 102 inserted in the wall 101 is a flat oval blank made -from a PE-coated pasteboard. The PF~coating l~es against the lower flange 105 and is welded together therewith. The container of this second embodiment shown in Figure 2 can be stacked equally as well as the container made in accor-dance with Pigure 1 and also has the same advantages thereof.
A container lid, designated generally with the reference numeral 201 in Figures 3-6, is manufactured from a transparent foil in a deep drawing process. The lid 201 consists of a circular disc-shaped element 202 and a raised edge 203. The raised edge 203 is tapered, as shown in Figure 3, toward its free edge in the manner of a cone. I'`ne length of the edge 203 measured in the circumferential direction of the lid 201 is therefore, less at its free edge than at the transition to the element 202. The conical taper of the edge is less than 12, preferably about 9.
The lid 201 is intended to be used with a conical transparent round container 204 which has, at its upper edge, an outwardly projecting flange 205. The diameter of the element 202 is, therefore, adapted to the outer dia-meter of the container 204 measured on the flange 205. l'he container has a taper between about 2.5 and 3.5, ~n order to enable an adhesive strip to be put in place along the free edge and overlapping the ~ree edge when the lid 201 is in place, the 2Q projection of the outwardly- projecting flange along the upper edge of the wall of the container as well as the conical taper of the edge 203 and the height thereof are selec*ed so that the free edge is displaced toward the center of the lid 201 by~ about the width of the flange 205 measured radially. This free edge lies a~ainst the outside o~ the wall of the container 204.
The lid 201 has no glue points whatsoever and is, thus, free of any solvent. ~n addition, the lid 201 is free of weld seams and weld lines.
In order to manufacture the lid 201, a transparent foil 206 is laid _ ~ _ in a deep drawable conditlon. The foil 206 is capable o~ being deep drawn and its thickness has been exaggerated in Figure 4. The foil 206 is laid in a warm condition on a deep drawing tool generally designated with the reference numeral 207. This deep drawing tool 207 has a depression 208 in the flat con-tact surface for the ~oil 206. The shape of the depression 208 corresponds to the shape of the lid 201 to be manufactured. The side walls 208' of the depression 208 are thus conically undercut with respect to the contact surface for the transparent oil 206.
As indicated by a partition line 209 in ~igures ~ and 5 and as shown further in Figure 6, the deep drawing tool 207 is divided along a plane running perpendicular to the contact surface for the transparent foil 206 and the bottom of the depression 208. The plane also passes through the center of this circular bottom of the depression 208. ~lamping means ~not shown) clamp the two elements of the deep drawing tool 207 together in the direction of the a~ow ~0. ~ese unillustrated clamp;ng means allow the two elements o~ the deep drawing tool 207 to be held in contact with each other.
The deep drawing process takes place in the following manner. The transparent foil 206, which is in a deep drawable condition, is subjected to excess air pressure as indicated by the arrow 211. This excess air pressure presses the foil 206 into the depression 208 and, as shown in ~igure 5, brings the oil 206 into complete contact against the bottom of the depression 208 and against the sidewalls 208'. An edge area 206' of the transparent foil 206 remains on the contact su~ace of the deep drawing tool 207 as also shown in Figure 5.
While the deep drawing tool 207 is still closed, the edge area 206' is trimmed by means of a circular blade 212. Then, as shown in Figure 6, the deep drawing tool 207 is opened. The two elements o~ the deep drawing tool 207 _ g _ 631~
are moved apart in the direction o the arrow 213 far enough to allow the container lid 201 to be easily removed from the depression 208.
The oregoing preferred embodiments are considered as illustrative only. Numerous other modifications and changes will readily occur to those skllled in the pertinent ar~..
~ lQ -~
Claims (8)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A container lid comprising:
an edge overlapping an upper edge of a container;
wherein the length of the lid along a free edge measured in the circumferential direction is less than the length measured along an edge zone forming a transition to a lid portion; and wherein the lid is deep drawn.
an edge overlapping an upper edge of a container;
wherein the length of the lid along a free edge measured in the circumferential direction is less than the length measured along an edge zone forming a transition to a lid portion; and wherein the lid is deep drawn.
2. The container lid according to claim 1 wherein the lid is formed from a deep drawable transparent foil.
3. The container lid according to claim 2, wherein an edge thereof has a circular shape and forms a cone which tapers toward the free edge thereof.
4. The container lid according to claim 1 wherein said container has an outwardly projecting flange along its upper edge; and wherein a free extremity of the upper edge is inwardly displaced approximately by the width of the flange relative to the edge zone lying against the flange.
5. A method for manufacturing a container lid, comprising the steps of:
bringing a deep drawable foil into a deep drawable condition;
contacting the deep drawable foil with the defining surfaces of a depression of a divided tool having a shape which corresponds to the shape of the lid to be manufactured;
holding parts of the divided tool together during a deep drawing process;
subsequently separating the parts of the divided tool from each other; and removing the container lid in a deep drawing condition from the separated and divided elements of the tool.
bringing a deep drawable foil into a deep drawable condition;
contacting the deep drawable foil with the defining surfaces of a depression of a divided tool having a shape which corresponds to the shape of the lid to be manufactured;
holding parts of the divided tool together during a deep drawing process;
subsequently separating the parts of the divided tool from each other; and removing the container lid in a deep drawing condition from the separated and divided elements of the tool.
6. A method according to claim 5 further comprising the step of:
trimming overlapping parts of the foil along an edge of the container lid before the separating step and after the holding step.
trimming overlapping parts of the foil along an edge of the container lid before the separating step and after the holding step.
7. A stackable transparent container comprising:
a wall made from a transparent foil blank;
at least one connection zone running in the direction of the height dimension of the container;
a bottom connected with the connection zone near a lower side of the wall, which has the shape of a cone with a conical taper between about 2.5° and 3.5°;
wherein every connection zone of the wall is formed by at least one weld seam including the connection zone between the bottom and the wall;
a lid with an edge overlapping an upper edge of the container;
wherein the length of the lid along a free edge measured in the circumferential direction is less than the length measured along an edge zone forming a transition to a lid portion; and wherein the lid is deep drawn.
a wall made from a transparent foil blank;
at least one connection zone running in the direction of the height dimension of the container;
a bottom connected with the connection zone near a lower side of the wall, which has the shape of a cone with a conical taper between about 2.5° and 3.5°;
wherein every connection zone of the wall is formed by at least one weld seam including the connection zone between the bottom and the wall;
a lid with an edge overlapping an upper edge of the container;
wherein the length of the lid along a free edge measured in the circumferential direction is less than the length measured along an edge zone forming a transition to a lid portion; and wherein the lid is deep drawn.
8. The container according to claim 7 further comprising an outwardly projecting flange extending beyond the wall along the upper edge of the container wherein said flange extend beyond the wall in such an extent that the free end of the edge of the lid which edge has a conical taper less than 12°, preferably less than 10°, lies against the outside of the wall of the con-tainer.
Applications Claiming Priority (6)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| DE19813121664 DE3121664A1 (en) | 1981-05-30 | 1981-05-30 | Stackable transparent container |
| DEP3121663.3 | 1981-05-30 | ||
| DE3121663 | 1981-05-30 | ||
| DEP3121664.1 | 1981-05-30 | ||
| DE19823203202 DE3203202A1 (en) | 1981-05-30 | 1982-01-30 | Can lid and process for producing it |
| DEP3203202.1 | 1982-01-30 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1188639A true CA1188639A (en) | 1985-06-11 |
Family
ID=27189358
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000403956A Expired CA1188639A (en) | 1981-05-30 | 1982-05-28 | Stackable transparent container, container lid, and method for lid manufacture |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1188639A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN103889612A (en) * | 2011-10-11 | 2014-06-25 | 达特怀勒医药包装比利时公司 | Method for producing a crimp cap, crimp cap and container |
-
1982
- 1982-05-28 CA CA000403956A patent/CA1188639A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN103889612A (en) * | 2011-10-11 | 2014-06-25 | 达特怀勒医药包装比利时公司 | Method for producing a crimp cap, crimp cap and container |
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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| MKEX | Expiry |