CN114423687A

CN114423687A - Container system with locking tab

Info

Publication number: CN114423687A
Application number: CN202080053067.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 杰森·舒勒; 斯蒂芬·里奇
Original assignee: Sabert Corp
Current assignee: Sabert Corp
Priority date: 2019-05-23
Filing date: 2020-05-21
Publication date: 2022-04-29
Also published as: US20200369439A1; WO2020237083A1; CA3141611A1

Abstract

A container comprising a lid and a base, each of the lid and the base having at least one component selected from the group consisting of first and second components comprising interlocking interfaces, the first component comprising a folded portion and the second component comprising a boss. The folding portion has a receiving area sized to receive the boss and is connected to one of the lid and the base about the hinge and moves about the hinge between a position securely and releasably engaged with the boss and a position disengaged from the boss, the boss being connected to the other of the base and the lid. The respective portions of the periphery of the base have one of the folded portions and the opposing portions of the periphery of the cover have the other of the folded portions and the bosses upon closed engagement of the cover and the base, the respective opposing portions of the cover and the base being securely and releasably engageable with one another by manipulation of the respective folded portions over the respective bosses.

Description

Container system with locking tab

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims the benefit of ownership under section 119(e) of volume 35 of the united states code, filed on 23/5/2019, united states provisional application No. 62/852072, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a locking container system, for example of the type used for storing and transporting food products.

Background

Portable food storage containers are becoming more and more popular in today's busy society. More and more people have meals outside. However, going out to eat brings unique problems to traditional food take-away containers, which have not been solved.

For example, food storage containers having conventional locking features are often not well secured and may be easily and inadvertently opened. This can make transportation difficult, messy and unsanitary for take-off and delivery drivers. The use of containers that enhance the consumer's takeaway dining experience is beneficial because most restaurants seek to increase or replace sales at an indefinite time by ordering and delivering online or by customer store pickup.

While there are some secure locking features in existing take-away food packaging, they often rely on an undercut feature. The undercut feature is very challenging in molded fiber production and can also inhibit optimization of shipping.

For example, during manufacturing, the overhang features in many cases do not allow the molded parts to be easily separated from the mold, and they create empty spaces between each container when stacked, which affects shipping efficiency. A locking mechanism that does not require an undercut feature has the great advantage of increasing ease of manufacture and reducing shipping costs.

Disclosure of Invention

One aspect of the present invention relates to a hinged flip-top or two-piece container formed from molded pulp and/or thermoformed plastic material. The lid and/or base of the container include an interlocking interface including, but not limited to, a folded portion that securely attaches to at least one boss on the base and/or lid portion to hold the container system closed and secure during shipping.

The present invention also relates to a system comprising a base container and a lid, which may be separate or attached by a connecting hinge, which may be configured in, but not limited to, a circle, an oval or any other similar rectilinear shape. The system according to the present invention is a food container comprising a folding tab locking mechanism wherein the tabs engage on bosses on opposing portions. The system may include at least a base container and a lid or a component that serves as both, which may be formed from a variety of different materials, including but not limited to molded pulp fibers, PP, PET, PS, or other common thermo-forming polymers. These materials are safe for food contact. The base and/or the cover may include a boss feature that allows the ear folded from the front/back portion to engage therewith.

A component having a foldable tab feature, whether a base or a cover or both, may include one or more tab features on one side of the component that are directly opposite each other, or diagonal, or both. This includes, but is not limited to, a single tab feature having a single boss on the opposing component or multiple tab features having the same number of bosses so that they engage on the corresponding part.

According to one aspect of the invention, a container includes a lid and a base. Each of the cover and the base has at least one component selected from the group consisting of first and second components including interlocking interfaces, the first component, such as the tab, including a folded portion, and the second component including a boss. The folded portion has a receiving area sized to receive the boss and is connected about a hinge to a component to which it is attached, such as a lid or base. The folded portion moves about the hinge between a position securely and releasably engaged with the boss and a position disengaged from the boss. The bosses and the folded portion are configured such that, when the cover and the base are in closed engagement, a respective portion of the periphery of the base has one of the folded portions and an opposing portion of the periphery of the cover has the other of the folded portion and the bosses, such that the respective opposing portions of the cover and the base are securely and releasably engageable with one another by manipulation of the respective folded portions over the respective bosses.

In another aspect, secure engagement of the boss and the folded portion is maintained by friction between the boss and the folded portion.

In another aspect, the base and the lid are connected to each other by a connecting hinge.

In another aspect, all of the interlocking interfaces on the cover are first components and all of the interlocking interfaces on the base are second components.

In another aspect, all of the interlocking interfaces on the base are first components and all of the interlocking interfaces on the cover are second components.

In another aspect, each of the cover and the base has at least three corners, two of the at least three corners of the cover include one selected from the group consisting of the first component and the second component, and two of the at least three corners of the base include another selected from the group consisting of the first component and the second component.

In another aspect, the respective opposing portions of the cover and the base comprise four longitudinally extending bosses on the base and four longitudinally extending folding tabs on the cover.

In another aspect, each of the base and the cover is made of molded pulp and/or a thermoformed plastic material.

In another aspect, one or both of the cover and the base is made of at least one selected from the group consisting of molded pulp fiber, PP, PET, and PS.

In another aspect, the base includes one or more partitions that span the base to form individual compartments.

In another aspect, the compartment is configured to provide an 50/50 partition, a one-third to two-thirds partition, or a uniformly divided three-way partition.

In another aspect, the folded portion has an arcuate domed recess that engages the corresponding boss.

In another aspect, the folded portion has an opening that engages a corresponding boss.

On the other side, each folded portion is configured to be biased toward its separated position.

The base and cover may also include one or more partitions that form completely separate compartments across the base. The compartments may be configured in a variety of ways, including but not limited to (50/50) split, (33/66) split, or (33/33/33) split.

The key components of the present invention are its simplicity and ease of operation. The opposing folded ear feature and designated tab are intuitive to use with little training. Closing and opening the parts should require little force and produce a secure fit.

Drawings

Figures 1-7 show various views of an embodiment in which a container lid is attached to a container base and two bosses are provided on the base container and two folding tabs are provided on the free corners of the attached lid;

figures 8-11 show views of an embodiment in which the lid is connected to the base container and in which two bosses are provided on the base container but two folding tabs are provided on the connected lid, modified from those shown in figures 1-7;

figures 12-15 show various views of an embodiment in which the cover is not attached to the base container and four bosses are provided on the base container and four folding tabs are provided on the attached cover;

figures 16-19 show various views of an embodiment in which a cover is attached to a base container and two bosses are provided on the cover and two folding tabs are provided on the base container;

fig. 20-23 are views of a container system, wherein the system has two identical and unconnected portions, each portion having a pair of bosses and a pair of folding tabs configured to connect one of the identical portions to the other to form the container system;

figures 24-27 show various views of an embodiment wherein the cover is detached from the base container and wherein four longitudinally extending bosses are provided on the base container and four longitudinally extending folding tabs are provided on the attached cover; and

fig. 28-31 are views of a container system having two identical and unconnected portions, each portion having a pair of bosses at opposite corners and a pair of folding tabs at opposite corners configured to connect one of the identical portions to the other to form the container system.

Detailed Description

Corresponding parts in the various embodiments are designated with the same or similar reference numerals in the figures.

Fig. 1-7 show various views of a first embodiment of a container system 1 in which a lid 10 is connected to a base container 12 by a connecting hinge 120. In this embodiment, the base container 12 has two

attachment bosses

14a and 14b, disposed at the corners of the base container 12, with the two

attachment bosses

14a and 14b being on the opposite side of the base container 12 from the attachment hinge 120. The lid 10 has two

corresponding folding tabs

16a and 16b disposed at the corners of the lid 10, the

folding tabs

16a and 16b being disposed on the opposite side of the lid 10 from the attachment hinge 120. The combination of the folding tabs and connecting bosses form an interlocking interface for the container system 1.

With this arrangement, as seen in fig. 2, when the user closes/lowers the lid 10 by the attachment hinge 120 (in the downward direction of the arrow), the

folding tabs

16a and 16b face the

attachment bosses

14a and 14b, respectively. Each of the folding tabs comprises a

hinge

17a, 17b to allow a portion of the

folding tab

16a, 16b to be folded down, thereby enabling the

folding tab

16a, 16b to securely engage the respective connecting

boss

14a, 14 b.

This secure engagement is achieved by folding down the

hollow portions

18a and 18b of the folded

tabs

16a, 16b, respectively, so as to snap the

bosses

14a and 14b into the

hollow portions

18a and 18b of the folded

tabs

16a and 16b, as indicated by the arrows in fig. 3.

Once the folding tabs are folded down and the downward pressure of the lid 10 by the user is released, the

bosses

14a, 14b are securely engaged by the slight spring force exerted on the lid upwardly by the continued attachment of the lid to the attachment hinge 120, and by the complementary shaping of the

bosses

14a, 14b, and the combination of the

hollow portions

18a and 18b of the

folding tabs

16a and 16b, each

boss

14a, 14b having a downwardly extending lip, as shown in fig. 4, fig. 4 having a perspective view of the

hollow portions

18a and 18b, so that the relative positions of the respective engaging

bosses

14a and 14b can be seen, respectively. It is the preferred material of the container system that contributes to the securement of the engagement that has a slightly rough texture, allowing for frictional forces to further help retain the

bosses

14a, 14b in the respective

hollow portions

18a and 18b of the

folding tabs

16a and 16 b.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the container system 1 according to the present embodiment in the open position. Fig. 6 is a side view of the container system 1 according to the present embodiment in a closed position. Fig. 7 is a side view of the container system 1 according to the present embodiment in an open position.

As shown in fig. 5, two base

container bottom bosses

47a, 47b are disposed on one side of the inner bottom surface and a third base container bottom boss 47c is disposed on the opposite side of the inner bottom surface. These bosses are formed by indentations formed on the bottom surface of the base container when the base container is manufactured, preferably by a molding process. The boss of the base container may be oriented relative to other instances of the boss of the second base container to allow for even spacing between each container, which facilitates easy separation of similar components from a tightly stacked stack.

The containers may also be stacked in an alternating manner, in which arrangement the two

bosses

47a and 47b of a first container are disposed above (or below) (i.e., below or above, respectively) the single boss 47c of any adjacent stacked container. This makes it easier for the containers to be separated from each other because the contact surface and frictional engagement between adjacent containers is minimized. It should be noted that the base container bottom boss is not limited to the first embodiment and may be used in all embodiments and variations thereof, such as those described below.

Fig. 8-11 show various views of a second embodiment of a container system 100, the container system 100 being substantially identical to the embodiment of fig. 1-7 except for the construction of the folding ears. All reference numerals remain unchanged in fig. 8-11, except that the folding ears which differ from the structure shown in fig. 1-7 are assigned the

reference numerals

16c and 16d, respectively.

As in the first embodiment shown in fig. 1-7, in this second embodiment, the lid 10 is attached to the base container 12 and two

bosses

14a, 14b are provided on the base container 12. In the second embodiment, however, the two

folding tabs

16c and 16d have

cutouts

18c and 18d provided in the

respective folding tabs

16c and 16d instead of having

hollow portions

18a and 18 b. The combination of the folding tabs and the connecting bosses form an interlocking interface.

With this arrangement, as shown in fig. 9, when the user closes/lowers the lid 10 by the attachment hinge 120 (in the downward direction of the arrow), the

folding tabs

16c and 16d face the

attachment bosses

14a and 14b, respectively. Each of the folding tabs comprises a

hinge

17c, 17d, respectively, to allow a portion of the

folding tabs

16c, 16d to be folded down, thereby enabling the

folding tabs

16c, 16d to securely engage the respective connecting

bosses

14a, 14 b.

As shown by the arrows in fig. 10, the

cuts

18c and 18d of the

folding tabs

16c, 16d, respectively, are folded downwardly to capture the

bosses

14a and 14b in the

respective cuts

18c and 18d to achieve this secure engagement.

Once the folding tabs are folded down and the downward pressure on the lid 10 is released, the

bosses

14a, 14b are securely engaged by the slight spring force exerted on the lid upwardly by the continued attachment of the lid to the attachment hinge 120, and by the combination of the complementary shaping of the

bosses

14a, 14b, each

boss

14a, 14b having a downwardly extending lip, as shown in fig. 10 and 11, and the

cutouts

18c and 18d in the

respective folding tabs

16c and 16 d. As described in the first embodiment above, the engagement is aided by the rough texture of the material, allowing frictional forces to further aid in retaining the

bosses

14a, 14b in the

respective cuts

18c and 18d of the

respective folding tabs

16c and 16 d.

Fig. 12-15 show various views of a third embodiment of a container system 200. In this embodiment, the cover 110 and base container 122 are not connected to each other until the cover 110 is lowered and engaged to the base container 122. That is, as shown in fig. 12-15, in the open position, there is no attachment hinge connecting the lid and base container. Another difference between this embodiment and the first two embodiments discussed above is that the base container has a boss at each of its four upper corners and the lid has a corresponding folding tab at each of its four corners. Thus, when the lid is positioned to close the container system 200, each of the four folding tabs is folded over to grasp the respective boss at a corner of the container system 200.

In this third embodiment 200, the four folding ears are substantially identical to the two

folding ears

16a and 16b of the first embodiment, and the four bosses are substantially identical to the two

bosses

14a and 14b of the first embodiment. Thus, the four folded tab tongues in fig. 12-15 are labeled 16a, 16b, 16e, and 16f, respectively, and the four bosses of the base container 122 are labeled 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d, respectively. The combination of the folding tabs and the connecting bosses form an interlocking interface for the container system 200.

With this arrangement, as shown in fig. 12 to 15, when the cover 110 is closed (in the downward direction of the arrow), the

folding tabs

16a, 16b, 16e, and 16f face the connecting

bosses

14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d, respectively. Each of the folding tabs includes a

hinge

17a, 17b, 17e and 17f, respectively, to allow a portion of the

folding tabs

16a, 16b, 16e and 16f to fold downward so that the

folding tabs

16a, 16b, 16e and 16f on the lid 110 can securely engage the

corresponding attachment bosses

14a, 14b, 14c and 14d on the base container 122.

This secure engagement is achieved by folding down the

hollow portions

18a, 18b, 18e and 18f of the

folding tabs

16a, 16b, 16e and 16f, respectively, to catch the

bosses

14a, 14b, 14c and 14d in the

hollow portions

18a, 18b, 18e and 18f of the folding tab 16a, as indicated by the arrows in fig. 14.

Once the folding ears are folded down, the

bosses

14a, 14b, 14c and 14d are securely engaged by the complementary shapes of the

bosses

14a, 14b, 14c and 14d, and the

hollow portions

18a, 18b, 18e and 18f of the

folding ears

16a, 16b, 16e and 16f, each of the

bosses

14a, 14b, 14c and 14d having a downwardly extending lip, as shown in fig. 14 and 15. As mentioned above, the preferred material of the container system has a slightly rough texture, allowing for frictional forces to further assist in retaining the

bosses

14a, 14b, 14c and 14d in the respective

hollow portions

18a, 18b, 18e and 18f of the

folding tabs

16a, 16b, 16e and 16 f.

Fig. 16-19 show various views of a fourth embodiment of a container system 300 in which a lid is attached to a base container and two

bosses

14a and 14b are provided on the attached lid and two

folding tabs

16a and 16b are provided on the base container.

As can be seen by comparing fig. 16-19 with the first embodiment of fig. 1-7, the fourth embodiment is conceptually identical to the first embodiment, except that the structural elements are inverted, and preferably, the base portion 320 has a greater depth dimension than the cover 310, since the base serves as the food storage portion of the container, and the cover need only cover the top of the base. In this fourth embodiment, two

bosses

14a and 14b are provided on the connecting cover 310 and two

folding tabs

16a and 16b are provided on the base container 320. The function of the boss and the folding ear is essentially the same as in the first embodiment, except that the folding ear is folded upwardly to engage the boss on the lid.

With this arrangement, as shown in fig. 17, when the user closes/lowers the cover 310 by the attachment hinge 120 (in the downward direction of the arrow), the

attachment bosses

14a and 14b of the cover 310 face the

folding tabs

16a and 16b of the base 320, respectively. The

folding tabs

16a and 16b on the base each include a

hinge

17a, 17b to allow the

partial folding tabs

16a, 16b to fold upward so that the

folding tabs

16a, 16b of the base 320 can securely engage the

corresponding attachment bosses

14a, 14b of the lid 310.

This secure engagement is achieved by folding the

hollow portions

18a and 18b of the

folding tabs

16a, 16b upwardly, respectively, as shown by the arrows in fig. 18, so as to catch the

bosses

14a and 14b in the

hollow portions

18a and 18b of the

folding tabs

16a and 16 b.

Once the folding tabs are folded down and the user's downward pressure on the lid 310 is released, the

bosses

14a, 14b, and the combination of the

hollow portions

18a and 18b of the

folding tabs

16a and 16b, each

boss

14a, 14b having an upwardly extending lip, as shown in fig. 19, fig. 19 having a perspective view of the

hollow portions

18a and 18b so that the relative positions of the respective engaging

bosses

14a and 14b can be seen, respectively. To aid in the securement of the engagement, the preferred material of the container system has a slightly rough texture, allowing frictional forces to further assist in retaining the

bosses

14a, 14b in the respective

hollow portions

18a and 18b of the

folding tabs

16a and 16 b.

Fig. 20-23 are views of a container system 400 according to a fifth embodiment, wherein the system has two identical and unconnected portions, each portion having a pair of bosses and a pair of folding tabs. The two components making up the system are each identical and are configured to be connected to each other using two pairs of bosses and two pairs of folding tabs to form the container system 400. Since the components are partially identical, it is possible to arbitrarily use which component is the base container and which component is the cover. For ease of explanation, the lower assembly in fig. 20-23 will be referred to as base container 420 and the upper assembly will be referred to as lid 410.

In this fifth embodiment, there is no connection between the cover 410 and the base receptacle 420 until the cover 410 is lowered and engaged to the base receptacle 420. That is, as shown in fig. 20-23, in the open position of the container system 400, there is no attachment hinge connecting the lid and base containers. In this embodiment, the bottom container 420 has a boss at two upper corners among its four upper corners, and a boss at the remaining two corners, and the structure of the cover is identical. Thus, when the lid is lowered, to close the container system 400, each of the four folding tabs (two on each component) is folded over to catch a respective boss (two on each component) at each corner of the container system 400.

In the fifth embodiment, the four folding tabs distributed between the cover 410 and the base receptacle 420 are substantially identical to the two

folding tabs

16a and 16b of the first embodiment, and the four bosses distributed between the cover 410 and the base receptacle 420 are substantially identical to the two

bosses

14a and 14b of the first embodiment. Thus, the four folding tabs in fig. 20-23 are labeled 16a, 16b (for folding tabs on base containers) and 16a 'and 16b' (for folding tabs on covers), respectively, and the four bosses are labeled 14a and 14b (for bosses on base containers) and 14a 'and 14b' (for bosses on covers), respectively. The combination of the folding tabs and the connecting bosses form an interlocking interface for the container system 400.

With this arrangement, as shown in fig. 20-23, when the user closes/lowers the cover 410 (in the downward direction of the arrow), the folding tabs 16a 'and 16b' of the cover 410 face the connecting

tabs

14a and 14b of the base container 420, and the tabs 14a 'and 14b' of the cover 410 face the

folding tabs

16a and 16b of the base container 420. As in the first embodiment, and as can be seen in fig. 20-23, each folding tab includes a hinge to allow the folding of a portion of the folding tab, upwardly or downwardly as the case may be, to enable the

folding tabs

16a, 16b, 16a 'and 16b' to securely engage the respective connecting bosses 14a ', 14b', 14a and 14 b.

As indicated by the arrows in fig. 22, this secure engagement is achieved by folding the hollow portion (identical to the first embodiment) of each

folding tab

16a, 16b, 16a 'and 16b', respectively, up or down as the case may be, so as to trap the bosses 14a ', 14b', 14a and 14b in the respective hollow portions of the folding tabs.

Once the folded ear is folded, up or down as the case may be, the bosses 14a ', 14b', 14a and 14b are securely engaged by the complementary shape of the bosses, each having an extended lip, and the hollow portion of the folded

ear

16a, 16b, 16a 'and 16b', as shown in figures 22 and 23. As mentioned above, the preferred material of the container system has a slightly rough texture, allowing frictional forces to be applied to retain the bosses 14a ', 14b', 14a and 14b in the respective hollow portions of the

folding tabs

16a, 16b, 16a 'and 16 b'.

Fig. 24-27 show various views of a container system 500 according to a sixth embodiment, wherein the lid 510 is not attached to the base container 520 and four longitudinally extending

bosses

14w, 14x, 14y and 14z are provided on the base container 520 and four longitudinally extending

folding tabs

16w, 16x, 16y and 16z are provided on the attached lid.

In this embodiment, the cover 510 and base receptacle 520 are not interconnected until the cover 510 engages the base receptacle 520. That is, as shown in fig. 24-27, in the open position of the container system 500, there is no attachment hinge connecting the lid and base containers. The present embodiment differs from the above described embodiments in that the base container has a boss on each of its four longitudinal sides and the lid has a respective elongated folding tab on each of its four longitudinal sides. Thus, when the lid is lowered, to close the container system 500, each of the four folding tabs is folded over to grasp the corresponding boss on one side of the container system 500.

That is, in the present sixth embodiment, four folding ear pieces are elongated as compared with the folding ear pieces located at the corners in the above-described embodiment, and four bosses are also similarly elongated as compared with the bosses located at the corners in the above-described embodiment. The four folding tabs in fig. 24-27 are labeled 16w, 16x, 16y, and 16z, respectively, and the four bosses of the base container 520 are labeled 14w, 14x, 14y, and 14z, respectively. The combination of the folding tabs and the connecting bosses form an interlocking interface for the container system 500.

With this arrangement, as shown in fig. 24 to 27, when the user closes/lowers the cover 510, the

folding tabs

16w, 16x, 16y, and 16z face the connecting

bosses

14w, 14x, 14y, and 14z, respectively. Each of the folding ear panels includes an elongated hinge 530 to allow the

folding ear panels

16a, 16b, 16e and 16f to be folded downwardly to enable the

folding ear panels

16w, 16x, 16y and 16z to securely engage the respective connecting

bosses

14w, 14x, 14y and 14 z.

This secure engagement is by folding down the elongated

hollow portions

18w, 18x, 18y and 18z of the elongated folded

tabs

16w, 16x, 16y and 16z, respectively, to be folded, as shown by the arrows in fig. 26, to accommodate the

elongated bosses

14w, 14x, 14y and 14z in the elongated

hollow portions

18w, 18x, 18y and 18z of the folded

tabs

16w, 16x, 16y and 16z, respectively.

Once the elongated folded

ears

16w, 16x, 16y and 16z are folded down, the

elongated bosses

14w, 14x, 14y and 14z are securely engaged by the complementary formation of the

elongated bosses

14w, 14x, 14y and 14z and the elongated

hollow portions

18w, 18x, 18y and 18z of the folded

ears

16w, 16x, 16y and 16z, each

boss

14w, 14x, 14y and 14z having an elongated downwardly extending lip, as shown in fig. 26 and 27. To assist in the securement of the engagement, the container material has a somewhat rough texture that allows frictional forces to be applied to retain the

elongated bosses

14w, 14x, 14y and 14z in the respective elongated

hollow portions

18w, 18x, 18y and 18z of the

folding tabs

16w, 16x, 16y and 16 z.

Fig. 28-31 are views of a container system 600 according to a seventh embodiment, wherein the system 600 has two identical and

unconnected portions

610 and 620, each portion having a pair of bosses at one set of opposing corners and a pair of folded flaps at the other set of opposing corners, configured to connect one identical portion to the other to form the container system 600.

Since the

component parts

610 and 620 are identical, it is possible to arbitrarily use which component as the base container and which component as the cover. For simplicity, the lower assembly in fig. 28-31 will be referred to as the base receptacle 620 and the upper assembly will be referred to as the lid 610.

In the seventh embodiment, the cover 610 and the base receptacle 620 are not connected until the cover 610 is lowered and coupled to the base receptacle 620. That is, as shown in fig. 28-31, in the open position of the container system 600, there is no attachment hinge connecting the lid and base containers. In this embodiment, the base container has a boss at each of two opposite corners of its four upper corners, and a boss at each of the other two opposite corners, and the cover has the same structure. Thus, when the lid is positioned to close the container system 600, each of the four folding tabs (two on each component) is folded to grasp the respective boss (two on each component) at each corner of the container system 600.

In the seventh embodiment, the four folding tabs distributed between the cover 610 and the base container 620 are substantially identical to the two

folding tabs

16a and 16b of the first embodiment, and the four bosses distributed between the cover 610 and the base container 620 are substantially identical to the two

bosses

14a and 14b of the first embodiment. Thus, the four folding tabs in fig. 28-31 are labeled 16a, 16b (for the folding tabs on the base container 620) and 16a 'and 16b' (for the folding tabs on the cover 610), respectively, and the four bosses are labeled 14a and 14b (for the bosses on the base container 620) and 14a 'and 14b' (for the bosses on the cover 610), respectively. The combination of the folding tabs and the connecting bosses form an interlocking interface for the container system 600.

With this arrangement, as shown in fig. 28-31, when the user closes/lowers the cover 610, the folding tabs 16a 'and 16b' of the cover 610 face the connecting

tabs

14a and 14b of the base container 620, and the tabs 14a 'and 14b' of the cover 410 face the

folding tabs

16a and 16b of the base container 620. As in the first embodiment, and as can be seen in fig. 28-31, each folding tab includes a hinge to allow a portion of the folding tab to be folded, upwardly or downwardly as the case may be, to enable the

folding tabs

As indicated by the arrows in fig. 30, this secure engagement is achieved by folding the hollow portion (identical to the first embodiment) of each

folding tab

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed descriptions considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.

Claims

1. A container, comprising:

a cover; and

a base seat is arranged on the base seat,

each of the lid and the base having at least one component selected from the group consisting of first and second components including interlocking interfaces, the first component including a folded portion, the second component including a boss, the folded portion having a receiving area sized to receive the boss and being connected to one of the lid and the base about a hinge and movable about the hinge between a position securely and releasably engaged with the boss and a position disengaged from the boss, the boss being connected to the other of the base and the lid,

the bosses and the folded portions are configured such that when the cover and the base are in closed engagement, a respective portion of the periphery of the base has one of the folded portions and an opposing portion of the periphery of the cover has the other of the folded portion and the bosses, and the respective opposing portions of the cover and the base are securely and releasably engageable with one another by manipulation of the respective folded portions over the respective bosses.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein secure engagement of the boss and the folded portion is maintained by friction between the boss and the folded portion.

3. The container of claim 1, wherein the base and the lid are connected to each other by a connecting hinge.

4. The container of claim 1, wherein all of the interlocking interfaces on the cover are first components and all of the interlocking interfaces on the base are second components.

5. The container of claim 1, wherein all of the interlocking interfaces on the base are first components and all of the interlocking interfaces on the lid are second components.

6. The container of claim 1, wherein each of the cover and the base has at least three corners, two of the at least three corners of the cover include one selected from the group consisting of the first component and the second component, and two of the at least three corners of the base include another selected from the group consisting of the first component and the second component.

7. The container of claim 1, wherein the respective opposing portions of the lid and the base comprise four longitudinally extending bosses on the base and four longitudinally extending folding tabs on the lid.

8. A container according to claim 1, wherein the base and lid are both made of moulded pulp and/or thermoformed plastics material.

9. The container of claim 1, wherein one or both of the lid and the base are made of at least one selected from the group consisting of molded pulp fiber, PP, PET, and PS.

10. The container of claim 1, wherein the base includes one or more partitions spanning the base to form individual compartments.

11. The container of claim 10, wherein the compartment is configured to provide an 50/50 partition, a one-third to two-thirds partition, or a uniformly divided three-way partition.

12. The container of claim 1, wherein the folded portion has an arcuate domed recess that engages the corresponding boss.

13. The container of claim 1, wherein the folded portion has an opening that engages a corresponding boss.

14. The container of claim 1, wherein each folded section is configured to be biased toward its separated position.