EP0733319A1

EP0733319A1 - Container, in particular for cosmetics, with a vertical opening presser element

Info

Publication number: EP0733319A1
Application number: EP96200779A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sergio c/o Laffon Design-Kree Plast S.p.A Crosta
Original assignee: LAFFON DESIGN-KREE PLAST SpA
Current assignee: LAFFON DESIGN-KREE PLAST SpA
Priority date: 1995-03-24
Filing date: 1996-03-20
Publication date: 1996-09-25
Also published as: IT236767Y1; ITMI950209V0; ITMI950209U1

Abstract

A plastics container comprises a base (11) and a lid (13) hinged together at (12) and provided with a snap-closure system at a point diametrically opposite the hinge. Said snap-closure system comprises an elastically yieldable vertical presser element (15) movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base (11).

Description

This invention relates to a plastics container intended to contain various products, such as cosmetics, beauty and parapharmaceutical products, of the type comprising a base and a lid hinged together and provided with a snap-closure system at a point diametrically opposite the hinge.
Containers of this type can be opened by pushing a horizontal presser element which moves within the same plane as the container base, which presser element, when pushed, causes a tooth provided on the lid to separate from a seat provided in said base, to enable the lid to be opened and give access to the contents.
A container of this type is described for example in EP-A-622034.
The ease with which such presser elements provided horizontally on the container base for horizontal movement can be operated depends to a certain extent on the manual dexterity of the user which, if insufficient, can endanger the gripping of the container. In this respect, this latter is gripped on the base and lid by the fingers of the two hands, the presser element being operated by the thumb.
Moreover, such horizontal presser elements cannot be operated if the container is resting on a surface.
The general object of the present invention is to obviate the drawbacks of the known art by providing a container, particularly but not exclusively for cosmetics, provided with a comfortable improved opening system in which the lid release presser element is arranged such as to be easily accessible and operable, with comfort and safety, both when the container is held in the palm of a hand and when it lies on a resting surface.
A further object of the invention is to provide a container which, besides being provided with an easily accessible opening system, has a lid which, on releasing the retention tooth from the base, rises automatically into a position comfortable for its complete opening.
The aforesaid objects are attained by a container with the characteristics defined in the accompanying claims.
The structural and functional characteristics of the invention and its advantages over the known art will be more apparent from an examination of the ensuing description given with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, which show one embodiment of a container formed in accordance with the innovative principles of the invention. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a container according to the invention:
Figures 2 to 6 are sections similar to Figure 1 showing stages in the opening of the container;
Figures 7 to 9 are sections showing stages in the closure of the lid; and
Figure 10 is an enlarged section taken on the plane X-X of Figure 4.

With reference to the drawings, the container of the invention is indicated overall by 10 and comprises a base 11 to which a lid 13 is hinged at 12 in any manner known to the expert of the art.
To the interior of the base 11 there is secured an insert 14 intended to contain for example cosmetics products, which insert is provided, at the end opposite the hinge 12, with a characteristic elastically yieldable vertical presser element 15 which moves in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base 11.
At its bottom, said presser element 15 comprises an aperture or undercut 16 in which a tooth 17 on the lid 13 is able to engage.
Preferably but not necessarily, the opposing edges of the lid 13 are not straight along their entire length but, towards the hinge 12, they extend with an inclined surface 18 which cooperates, in the manner explained hereinafter, with the opposing upper edge 19 of the base 11.
When the lid 13 is moved from the open position of Figure 7 to the closed position of Figure 9 (by rotation in the direction of the arrow 20, Figure 7), before the tooth 17 snap-engages into the aperture 16 in the insert 14, the inclined surface 18 encounters the opposing edge 19 - as shown in Figures 4, 8 and 10 - to provide a certain resistance to the closure of the lid 13, this being overcome, due to the flexibility of the materials (plastics), by slight pressure, as indicated by the arrow 21 of Figure 8. In this manner the lid 13 is forcibly closed into the position of Figure 9, by the tooth 17 engaging in the aperture 16.
It is apparent that when in the closed position the lid 13 is under tension, so that to open the container it is sufficient simply to press the elastically yieldable presser element 15, as indicated by the arrow 22 in Figures 2 to 4, for the lid 13 (because of the force applied to it in the direction of the arrows 23 of Figures 3 and 4) to rise automatically into the position shown in Figure 5, in which it can be comfortably gripped and opened completely into the position shown in Figure 6 by rotation about 12 in the direction of the arrow 24.
The reference numeral 25 indicates a mirror applied to the interior of the lid 13.
It should be noted that the particular configuration and arrangement of the presser element 15 enables the user to easily operate it by pressing it in a vertical direction perpendicular to the base 14 instead of in the more uncomfortable horizontal direction, as is required for containers of known type.
This enables the container to be used in a more comfortable and safer manner by allowing it to be opened without changing the grip on the container if held in the palm of one hand, and also by allowing it to be easily used when resting on a horizontal surface.
The object stated in the introduction to the description, of providing a container, particularly but not exclusively for cosmetics, of greatly facilitated lid opening, is hence attained.

Claims

A plastics container of the type comprising a base (11) and a lid (13) hinged together at (12) and provided with a snap-closure system at a point diametrically opposite the hinge, characterised in that said snap-closure system comprises an elastically yieldable vertical presser element (15) movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base (11).
A container as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said presser element (15) extends from an insert (14) secured to the base (11).
A container as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said presser element (15) is provided with an aperture or undercut (16) in which a tooth (17) of the lid (13) engages.
A container as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that between said base (11) and said lid (13) there are provided counteracting means (18, 19) arranged to put the lid (13) under tension when in its closed position.
A container as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that said counteracting means consist of inclined surfaces (18) provided on the opposing lateral edges of the lid (13) in proximity to the hinge (12) and cooperating with the opposing edges (19) of the base (11).