CN112888637B

CN112888637B - Sealable lid and container comprising said lid

Info

Publication number: CN112888637B
Application number: CN201980067563.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 黄少华; 潘顺笙
Original assignee: Planning Wang Co ltd
Current assignee: Planning Wang Co ltd
Priority date: 2018-08-21
Filing date: 2019-08-20
Publication date: 2022-10-28
Anticipated expiration: 2039-08-20
Also published as: CN112888637A; TW202014351A; WO2020039336A1; TWI705925B

Abstract

The invention relates to a lid (10) for a container (1), comprising a top plate (12), a bottom plate (14) and a movable plate (15), wherein the movable plate (15) is movably arranged between the top plate (12) and the bottom plate (14). When the lid (10) is placed on the container body (20), the position and height of the bottom plate (14) relative to the container body (20) of the container (1) are constant regardless of whether the container (1) is opened or closed, so that the internal volume of the container (1) is maintained constant. This provides the convenience of opening and closing the container (1) without difficulty. The invention also provides a container (1) comprising a sealable lid (10).

Description

Sealable lid and container comprising said lid

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional patent application is claimed in provisional patent application No. 62/720,383, filed on 21.8.8.2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of lids for containers. In particular, the present invention relates to a lid capable of forming a hermetic and watertight seal for a container, such as a food and/or drink container, preferably a thermally insulated food container. The lid is configured with a sealing mechanism controllable by a pivoting handle to provide an unexpected solution for easily opening and closing the container in a simple manner.

Background

In conventional food containers equipped with a sealable lid, sealing between the lid and the container body is achieved using a sealing member disposed circumferentially around a lower portion of the lid. The lid is configured with a movable floor that is mechanically connected to a button or handle on top of the lid. Operation of the button or handle causes the bottom plate to move up or down to compress the sealing member. The sealing member then expands to press against the inner wall of the container body to seal the container.

However, such sealing mechanisms open and close the container with the bottom plate moving up and down. The main disadvantage is that when the container contains high temperature contents in the closed condition, the floor of the lid is pushed downwardly to its lower position to bias the sealing member against the inner wall of the container body. Then, the internal volume of the container decreases and the internal pressure of the container increases. Therefore, when it is desired to seal the container in its closed state, it is necessary to apply a relatively large force with a human hand in order to operate a button or handle to make the container airtight. Likewise, when it is desired to open the sealed container, a greater amount of force is required to operate the button or handle in order to open or remove the lid from the container. This type of food container makes it difficult for the elderly and children to use the sealable food container.

To address the above-mentioned deficiencies, most sealable containers available on the market are provided with gas valves for equalizing the pressure inside and outside the container. On the one hand, the gas valve requires more structural components and will affect the sealing properties, especially when storing liquid contents. On the other hand, when the container is designed to be thermally insulated, the gas valve will also reduce the ability to keep the temperature.

Accordingly, there is a need for a sealable container lid, particularly suitable for insulated and drink containers, which lid is easily manufactured at low cost and allows for easy opening and closing. There is also a need for a container lid that can be easily disassembled and reassembled for easy cleaning.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made to meet the above-mentioned needs, and therefore it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a container lid which, while simple in construction, produces an air-and liquid-tight seal for the container.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container lid having a simple and effortless mechanism for opening and closing the container in an airtight manner.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a container lid that enables the internal volume of the container to be maintained and thus the internal pressure of the container to be constant, thereby providing a sealable container that can be easily opened and closed without difficulty, whether the container is open or closed.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved by a container lid provided according to the present invention. A cap adapted for use with a container having a container body on which the cap is placed, comprising:

a cover having a top plate;

a handle having a pivot end pivotally mounted to the top panel;

a bottom plate operably coupled to the top plate;

a movable plate movably disposed between the top plate and the bottom plate, wherein the movable plate is driven to move between a first position and a second position by a pivoting motion of the handle relative to the top plate; and

a sealing member disposed between the lid and the bottom panel, the sealing member biased against an inner wall of the container body to hermetically seal the container when the movable plate is in the first position, and biased away from the inner wall of the container body to release a seal when the movable plate is in the second position.

In one embodiment of the invention, the top plate may include one or more locking tabs extending downwardly from a lower surface of the top plate, each tab having a stem and a hook disposed at an end of the stem; and a corresponding number of locking studs formed on the base plate, positioned to releasably lock with the locking tabs. Preferably, the top plate comprises four locking tabs extending circumferentially downwardly from the lower surface of the top plate at equal angular intervals, each releasably locked with four locking studs of the bottom plate.

In one embodiment of the invention, the cap may have a skirt portion with internal threads that matingly engage corresponding threads formed on the outer surface of the container body.

In another embodiment of the invention, the top plate may have a receiving chamber for receiving the handle, the receiving chamber being configured with a window for passage of the pivot end of the handle, and two opposing notches provided on both sides thereof, the two notches being configured such that two pivots formed on two opposing sides of the handle are pivotally carried in the notches, respectively. Preferably, the handle further has a free end for operating the handle and flush with the top panel. According to the present invention, the handle may be pivoted at an angle in the range of 0 to 90 degrees with respect to the top plate. When the handle is at an angle of 0 degrees relative to the top panel (i.e. parallel thereto), the container is in a first fully airtight closed condition; and when the handle is positioned at a 90 degree angle relative to the top panel, the container is in a second fully unsealed state.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the movable plate may comprise a plate member including a protrusion formed with a substantially flat top surface on which the handle acts and a recessed bottom surface for receiving an anchor end of a spring member which is forced to move the movable plate upwardly so that pivotal movement of the handle acting on the protrusion causes the movable plate to move in a vertical direction between the first and second positions. The movable plate may further comprise a wall extending from a peripheral edge of the plate member and one or more slots through which the locking tabs of the top plate are locked with the corresponding locking studs of the bottom plate. Advantageously, the height of the peripheral wall of the movable plate may be configured to be less than the length of the stem of the locking tab to allow the movable plate to be movable in the length direction of the locking tab between the first position and the second position.

In some embodiments of the invention, the sealing member may be configured to include a first portion having a groove engageable with an outer edge of the bottom plate, and a second portion continuing the first portion and extending upwardly from the first portion, the second portion being adapted to abut an outer surface of the movable plate, whereby the sealing member is biased against the inner wall of the container body when the movable plate is driven to move downwardly by the handle to the first position, and is released when the movable plate is driven to move upwardly by the handle to the second position.

In some embodiments of the invention, the sealing member may be configured to include a first portion having a groove engageable with a flange formed on a neck extending downward from the movable plate, and a second curved portion continuing the first portion and extending laterally from the first portion such that the second curved portion is biased against the inner wall of the container body when the movable plate is driven to move downward to the first position by the handle and is released when the movable plate is driven to move upward to the second position by the handle.

Advantageously, the bottom plate may include an upper plate portion made of a plastic material or silicon, and a lower plate portion made of a metal material and fixed to the upper plate portion. The metal lower plate portion is advantageous in correspondence with the high-temperature contents stored in the container main body.

A second aspect of the invention provides a container comprising a container body comprising a wall structure having an open top, defining a receiving means for receiving contents to be stored, and a lid according to the invention.

According to the present invention, the sealable cover controls the movement of the movable plate disposed between the top plate and the bottom plate using a pivoting handle to create a seal or release the seal between the cover and the container body. The bottom panel remains substantially stationary during the opening and closing process of the container, so that the internal volume of the container is constant during the opening and closing operation of the container, and thus the internal pressure of the container will not increase, providing easy opening and closing of the container with little effort.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of the invention and its embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary insulated container constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the container shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective top view of the lid body with the top panel of the lid shown in fig. 1, with the handle removed.

Fig. 4A is a bottom perspective view of the cover with the top plate shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 4B is a perspective view of the cover with the top plate shown in fig. 3, with the bottom of the top plate shown at another angle.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the top plate shown in fig. 3 taken along line I-I of fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a movable plate of the cover shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the assembly of the movable plate and the sealing member shown in fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a bottom perspective view of the assembly of the cover and top plate, movable plate and sealing member.

Fig. 9 is a perspective sectional view of the sealing member shown in fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the container shown in fig. 1 in a hermetically closed state.

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the container shown in fig. 1 in an unsealed and ready to open condition.

Figure 12 is an exploded isometric view of a thermal container constructed in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 13 is a top perspective view of the top panel of the lid shown in fig. 12 with the handle removed.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the top plate shown in fig. 13, showing the bottom of the top plate.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the assembly of the cover with the top plate, movable plate and sealing member.

Fig. 16 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the sealing member shown in fig. 12.

Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the container shown in fig. 12 in an airtight closed state.

Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the container shown in fig. 1 in a state ready for opening.

Like parts are designated with like reference numerals throughout the drawings.

Detailed Description

While the invention has been shown and described with respect to the preferred embodiments, the container lid and sealing ring may be constructed in many different configurations, sizes, forms and materials.

Referring to the drawings, fig. 1 to 11 show an insulated container 1 constructed in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. The substantially cylindrical shaped container 1 comprises a sealable lid 10 and a container body 20, the lid being placed over the container body. As shown in fig. 1, the container is in an airtight closed state in which the contents inside the container body 20 are well sealed. The container may be of the type having the need to maintain high or low temperature thermal insulation in order to store food, beverages and other items for a period of time.

Sealable lid 10 comprises a lid 11 having a top plate 12; a handle 13 having a pivot end 131 and a free end 132, said pivot end 131 being pivotally mounted to the top panel 12, said free end 132 being operable to operate said handle; a bottom plate 14 operatively joined to the top plate 12; and a movable plate 15 disposed between the top plate 12 and the bottom plate 14. For pivotal mounting on the top plate 12, the handle 13 is provided with two pivots 133 mounted on opposite sides of the pivot end 131. At the pivot end 131 of the handle, as shown in FIG. 2, an extension 134 between two pivots 133 is laterally formed in operative rotational abutment with the movable plate 15. The handle 13 can be pivotally rotated about the pivot end 131 to seal or unseal the container 1.

Turning to fig. 3-5, a cover 11 having a top panel 12 is shown. The cap has a skirt 111 extending downwardly from the periphery of the cap. The skirt 111 is configured and dimensioned to cover the opening of the container body 20, and the internal threads of the skirt 111 matingly engage corresponding threads formed on the outer surface of the container body 20.

As shown, the top plate 12 includes four locking tabs 121, the locking tabs 121 extending circumferentially downward from the lower surface of the top plate 12 at equal angular intervals. Each of the locking tabs 121 has a stem 1211 and an outwardly facing hook 1212 disposed at an end of the stem 1211. The top plate 12 further includes a receiving chamber 122 in the center of the top plate 12, the receiving chamber 122 for receiving the handle 13. The receiving chamber 122 is so configured as to allow the handle 13 to be flush with the top panel 12 in the closed state of the container 1, as shown in fig. 1. The receiving chamber 122 has a window 124 for the pivot end 131 of the handle 13 to pass through to abut the movable plate, as will be discussed below. The receiving chamber 122 further has two opposed notches 123 on either side thereof, and the notches 123 are positioned and dimensioned such that the notches 123 are respectively adapted to carry two pivot shafts 133 formed on the pivot end 131 of the handle 13, thereby allowing pivotal movement of the handle 13 relative to the top panel 12. In this embodiment, the handle 13 pivots at an angle between 0 ° and 90 ° with respect to the top plate 12.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the top plate 12 taken along line I-I of fig. 1. Three locking tabs 121 can be seen in this cross-sectional view and the notches 123 for pivotally mounting the pivot 133 of the handle 13 become more apparent.

In this embodiment, the bottom plate 14 is substantially disc-shaped, and includes an upper plate portion 141 made of, for example, a plastic material or silicone rubber, and a lower plate portion 142 made of a metal material such as stainless steel or aluminum. Generally, upper plate portion 141 and lower plate portion 142 are secured together by adhesives or other methods known in the art. The lower plate part 142 made of metal, which is directly in contact with the high-temperature contents in the container 1, is designed to provide durability against the high-temperature contents and resistance to high temperature. As seen in fig. 2, four locking studs 143 are created on the top surface of the upper plate portion 141, which are positioned corresponding to the locking tabs 121, releasably locking with the locking tabs 121. In this embodiment, the locking studs 143 are locked with the locking tabs 121 by rotating the bottom plate 14 relative to the top plate 11, whereby the bottom plate 14 is locked with the top plate 12 as an assembly.

One of the features of the present invention is a movable plate 15, as shown in fig. 6, which is movably disposed between the top plate 12 and the bottom plate 14. The movable plate 15 includes a plate member 151 formed with a protrusion 152 (see fig. 2). The movable plate 15 further includes a wall 153 extending from the periphery of the plate member 151 and four slots 154 positioned in correspondence with the locking tabs 121. The height of the wall 153 of the movable plate 15 is less than the length of the stem 1211 of the locking tab 121 so that the movable plate is movable in the length direction of the locking tab between a first lower position (see fig. 10) in which the container is in a hermetically closed state and a second upper position (see fig. 11) in which the container is in an unsealed state. The locking tabs 121 of the top plate 12 are movable through the corresponding slots 154 to lock with the locking posts 143 of the bottom plate 14. It will be appreciated that the movable plate 15 cannot rotate relative to the top plate because of the provision of the locking tab 121.

Protrusion 152 has a substantially planar top surface 1521 and a recessed bottom surface 1522. The top surface 1521 abuts against the extension 134 of the handle 13 so that it is subjected to the action exerted by the handle 13. Recessed bottom surface 1522 is configured to snugly receive the anchor end of a spring member, such as compression spring 16. As seen in fig. 8, the compression spring 16 is arranged to continuously apply an upward force to the movable plate 15, causing the movable plate 15 to move upward upon removal of the pressure applied by the handle 13 on the movable plate 15, which in turn causes the compression spring 16 to be released. The other end of the compression spring 16 contacts the upper plate portion 141 of the bottom plate 14. In other words, pivotal movement of the handle 13 relative to the top panel 12 may urge the movable plate 15 to move upwardly and downwardly between the first lower position and the second upper position.

Turning back now to fig. 6 and 7, a neck 155 projects downwardly and circumferentially from the bottom of the movable plate 15. A flange 156 is formed on the outer surface of the neck 155 for engagement with the sealing member 17, as will be discussed below.

The sealing member 17 is provided between the lid 11 and the bottom plate 14. Fig. 9 shows an example configuration of the sealing member 17, which comprises a first portion 171 and a second curved portion 172, the first portion 171 having a groove 173, the groove 173 engaging a flange 156 formed on the neck 155 of the movable plate 15, the second curved portion 172 continuing the first portion 171 and extending laterally from the first portion 171. The second curved portion 172 is shaped and dimensioned to: when the movable plate 15 is driven to move downward by the handle to compress the compression spring 16 and reach the first lower position, the second curved portion 172 is biased against the inner wall of the container body 20, and when the handle 13 is rotated upward, the movable plate 15 is driven to move upward by the compression spring 16 to reach the second upper position, the second curved portion 172 is released. When the movable plate 15 is in the first lower position, the second curved portion 172 of the sealing member 17 is biased to expand and form a seal between the lid 10 and the container body 20 (see fig. 10). The sealing member 17 disposed between the cap 10 and the container body 20 helps to preserve items, such as food and/or drink, stored in the container body 20. To access the contents stored in the container body 20, the user rotates the handle 13 upwardly 90 to release the sealing member 17, and the sealing member 17 is biased away from the inner wall of the container body 20 and returns to its original uncompressed form, thereby releasing the lid 10 from the container body 20. At this time, the user can easily remove the cover 10 from the container body 20 to access the contents contained therein.

Referring to fig. 10 and 11, a mechanism for sealing the container 1 by pivotally rotating the handle 13 mounted on the cap 10 according to the present invention will now be described in detail. These two figures show the movement of the handle 13, the movable plate 12 and the sealing member 17.

Fig. 10 shows the lid 10 making the container body 20 airtight, with the container 1 in its airtight closed state. As shown, the container 1 is of the double-walled construction type, which provides good insulating properties. When a user is to place the lid 10 over the container body 20 and seal, he can manipulate the free end 132 of the handle 13 to lay the handle 13 flat (i.e., at a 0 angle) on the top panel 12 to pivot the handle 13 downwardly relative to the top panel 12. The movable plate 15 is caused to move downwardly to its first lower position because the pivot end 131 of the handle 13 acts on the protrusion 152 of the movable plate 15. The handle 13 is flush with the top plate 12 while the extension 134 at the pivot end 131 of the handle 13 depresses the top surface 1521 of the protrusion 152 of the movable plate 15 and, thus, the compression spring 16. The sealing member 17 engaged with the flange 156 of the movable plate 15 is then forced to bias the second curved portion 172 toward and against the inner wall 21 of the container body 20, thereby making the container body 20 airtight (fig. 10). In this closed and sealed state, the container 1 has excellent seal tightness and thermal insulation capability.

When the user is to separate the lid 10 from the container body 20 to place the contents or access the contents stored in the container body 20, the user may flip the free end 132 of the handle 13 up by 90 °, the pressure applied by the pivot end 131 of the handle 13 to the protrusion 152 of the movable plate 15 is removed, causing the movable plate 15 to move upwardly to its second upper position by always applying an upward spring force to the compression spring 17 on the movable plate 15. The sealing member 17 is then released, restoring its uncompressed state (fig. 11). In the uncompressed state, the sealing member 17 is held a small distance from the inner wall 21 of the container body 20, allowing the cap 10 to be unscrewed from the container body 20 without difficulty.

As discussed above, the bottom plate 14 is secured to the top plate 12 by locking the locking studs 143 with the locking tabs 121, the bottom plate 14 engaging the top plate 12 in a substantially stationary manner during the pivoting movement of the handle 13. Thus, the height of the bottom plate 14 relative to the container body 20 remains constant. It is clear that the inner volume of the container 1, i.e. the space defined by the inner wall 21 of the container 20 and the bottom panel 14, will not change during the process of opening or closing said container by operating the handle 13. Unlike the case of the prior art container in which the internal volume decreases and the internal pressure increases, closing and sealing the container 1 by the lid 10 of the present invention will not reduce the internal volume of the container 1 and therefore the internal pressure will not increase. This provides a solution for easy opening and closing of sealable containers, which is beneficial for elderly and children.

Fig. 12-18 illustrate a container constructed in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. The container of this embodiment is substantially the same in construction as the container 1 shown in the first embodiment described above, and comprises a sealable lid 10 and a container body 20 over which the lid 10 is placed. Sealable lid 10 comprises a lid 11 having a top plate 12; a handle 13 having a pivot end 131 pivotally mounted to the top panel 12 and a free end 132 for operating the handle; a bottom plate 14 operatively joined to the top plate 12; a movable plate 15 movably disposed between the top plate 12 and the bottom plate 14; a spring member 16 that moves the movable plate 15 upward by being applied with force; and a sealing member 18 mounted to be biased toward or away from an inner wall 21 of the container body 20.

The lid 10 of this embodiment differs from the lid of the first embodiment in that the top panel 12 is additionally formed with a downwardly extending wall 125, said wall 125 being tightly abutted at the inner surface of the skirt 111 of the lid body 11, for example by an overmoulding technique. In this case, internal threads are formed on the inner surface of the downwardly extending wall 125 of the top panel 12 for mating engagement with corresponding threads formed on the outer surface of the container body. The wall 125 of the top panel 12 is over-molded with the skirt of the lid to provide additional protection and insulation to the overall lid 10.

Another difference between the container of this second embodiment and that discussed above in the first embodiment is the sealing member. The sealing member 18 of this embodiment is shown in fig. 16. Sealing member 18 is configured to include a first portion 181 having a recess 183 engageable with an outer edge of bottom plate 14, and a second portion 182 continuing first portion 181 and extending upwardly therefrom. When the movable plate 15 is pressed by the handle 13 to move downwardly to its first lower position, the second portion 182 abuts snugly against the outer surface of the movable plate 15 and is biased against the inner wall 21 of the container body 20. In this state, the contact area between the sealing member 18 and the container body 20 increases, thereby creating a seal therebetween (fig. 17). When the handle 13 is turned up by 90 °, the movable plate 15 is driven to move upwards to its second lower position by the compression spring 16, the sealing member 18 is then released and moved away from the inner wall 21 of the container body 20. The contact area between the sealing member 18 and the inner wall 21 of the container body 20 is reduced so that the sealing action is no longer present, with the lid 10 loosely placed in the opening of the container in a condition in which the lid 10 can be removed to be opened.

In the above-described embodiments, the lid and the components of the container body are preferably made of a polymer or plastic, which can be easily manufactured, cleaned, and stored, except that the lower plate portion of the bottom plate is made of metal. Preferably, the polymer or plastic may be selected from the group consisting of Polyoxymethylene (POM) and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS). However, it will be appreciated that the lid and other components of the container may be made of any suitable material or materials.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a container comprising a container body and a sealable lid having a floor, the height of the floor will not change after the lid is placed over the container body whether the container is opened or closed. This design allows the internal volume of the container to be maintained constant, a technical effect achieved by providing a movable plate configured between top and bottom plates that can be raised or lowered to release or squeeze the sealing member against the container body.

Furthermore, since all the components of the cap can be easily separated from each other, the container can be easily assembled or disassembled for cleaning.

Described above are preferred embodiments of a sealable lid for thermally insulating food containers. It will be understood that the lid can be used for all kinds of containers intended to contain solid or liquid contents at any temperature that the material of the container can withstand.

While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Modifications and variations of the present invention may be effected without departing from the novel aspects of the invention as defined in the claims, and the application is limited only by the scope of the claims.

Reference numerals

1. Container

10. Cover

11. Cover body

111. Skirt section

12. Top board

121. Locking tab

1211. Rod part

1212. Hook

122. Receiving chamber

123. Notch (S)

124. Window opening

125. Downwardly extending wall

13. Handle bar

131. Pivot end

132. Free end

133. Pivot shaft

134. Extension piece

14. Base plate

141. Upper plate part

142. Lower plate part

143. Locking stub

15. Movable board

151. Plate member

152. Protrusion part

1521. The top surface

1522. Lower concave surface

153. Wall of movable plate

154. Slotted hole

155. Neck part

156. Flange

16. Compression spring

17 18 sealing member

171 181 first part

172 182 second part

173 183 groove

20. Container body

21. An inner wall.

Claims

1. A cap for a container having a container body on which the cap is placed, the cap comprising:

a lid having a top plate;

a handle having a pivot end pivotally mounted to the top panel;

a bottom plate operably engaged to the top plate;

2. The lid of claim 1, wherein the top plate includes one or more locking tabs extending downwardly from a lower surface of the top plate, each tab having a stem and a hook disposed at an end of the stem; and a corresponding number of locking studs formed on the base plate, positioned to be releasably locked with the locking tabs.

3. The lid of claim 2, wherein the top plate includes four locking tabs extending circumferentially downwardly from a lower surface of the top plate at equal angular intervals, each releasably locked with four locking studs of the bottom plate.

4. A cap as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said cap body has a skirt portion with internal threads for mating engagement with corresponding threads formed on the outer surface of the container body.

5. The lid of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the top panel has a receiving chamber for receiving the handle, the receiving chamber being configured with a window for the passage of the pivot end of the handle and two opposing notches provided on either side thereof, the two notches being configured such that two pivots formed on the two opposing sides of the handle are pivotally carried in the notches, respectively.

6. A lid as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein the movable plate comprises a plate member formed with a protrusion having a flat top surface on which the handle acts and a recessed bottom surface for receiving an anchor end of a spring member which is forced to move the movable plate upwardly so that the pivotal movement of the handle causes the movable plate to move in a vertical direction between the first and second positions.

7. The lid of claim 6, wherein the movable plate further comprises a wall extending from a periphery of the plate member and one or more slots through which the locking tabs of the top plate are locked with the corresponding locking posts of the bottom plate.

8. The lid of claim 7, wherein a height of the wall of the movable plate is less than a length of the lever of the locking tab to allow the movable plate to be movable in a length direction of the locking tab between the first position and the second position.

9. The lid of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the sealing member is configured to include a first portion having a groove engageable with an outer edge of the bottom panel and a second portion continuing the first portion and extending upwardly therefrom, the second portion being adapted to abut an outer surface of the movable plate, whereby the sealing member is biased against the inner wall of the container body when the movable plate is driven by the handle to move downwardly to the first position and is released when the movable plate is driven by the handle to move upwardly to the second position.

10. The cap of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sealing member is configured to include a first portion having a groove engageable with a flange formed on a neck extending downwardly from the movable panel, and a second curved portion extending laterally from the first portion such that the second curved portion is biased against the inner wall of the container body when the movable panel is driven by the handle to move downwardly to the first position and is released when the movable panel is driven by the handle to move upwardly to the second position.

11. The lid of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the handle pivots at an angle in a range of 0 to 90 degrees relative to the top panel.

12. The cover as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bottom plate includes an upper plate portion made of a plastic material or silicon, and a lower plate portion made of a metal material and fixed to the upper plate portion.

13. A container, comprising:

a container body comprising a wall structure having an open top defining a receptacle means for receiving contents to be stored; and

the cap of any one of claims 1 to 12.