EP0857661A1

EP0857661A1 - Moulded plastic container

Info

Publication number: EP0857661A1
Application number: EP98300927A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Terence Colin Morley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-02-08
Filing date: 1998-02-09
Publication date: 1998-08-12
Also published as: GB2321896B; GB9702596D0; GB2321896A

Abstract

A moulded plastics container having a body portion (1) for containing a packaged article, a lid (2) connected to the body portion (1) for closing the body portion (1), and hinge means (8) connecting the body portion (1) to the lid (2), the body portion (1) having an outwardly extending flange (4) and a peripheral up-standing wall (6) around the opening of the body portion (1), the hinge means (8) being attached to the peripheral wall (6) and comprising a first hinge (9), a second hinge (10), and a hinge extension (11) between the said first and second hinges (9 and 10), the hinge extension (11) being such that when the lid (2) is closed the periphery thereof substantially abuts the said flange (4) and thereby closes the body portion (1).

Description

This invention concerns containers and more particularly moulded plastics containers having integral lids.

Plastics containers having integral lids are known in the packaging art, such containers usually being produced flat by moulding a plastics sheet in a suitable mould. The lid of the container is formed integral with the container body with a hinge in the plastics between them so that the container body can be closed by rotating the lid about the hinge.

Various securing means have been proposed for keeping the lids of such containers closed, for example strips of adhesive tape which merely hold them closed, and tabs and associated slots into which the tabs are inserted to hold the lids down. These methods of securing the lids of these containers are not totally satisfactory. For example, the flexible nature of the plastics used to form the containers can result in the mere weight of the contents of the closed containers forcing the lid open when tabs and slots are used as closures, and where adhesive tape is used for the purpose, the contents can merely flex the container body and/or the lid and thereby allow the contents to fall out of the container.

Apart from the mere inconvenience of having the contents of these containers falling out, there is the possibility of deliberate tampering with the contents of the containers. It is, of course, possible to prevent the contents of such containers falling out or being deliberately removed by securing the lid to the container body using a hot or cold seal adhesive around the outer edge of the lid. As will be appreciated, although this provides greater security for the container contents, it adds to the cost of the container and/or the packaging operation itself, particularly when a heat sealing operation has to be carried out. Furthermore, removal of the contents of the container when desired presents problems since the strong seals formed to prevent the contents being removed prematurely often themselves present difficulties since the packages in general have to be cut open to remove their contents.

According to the present invention there is provided a moulded plastics container having a body portion for containing a packaged article, a lid connected to the body portion for closing the body portion, and hinge means connecting the body portion to the lid, the body portion having an outwardly extending flange and a peripheral up-standing wall around the opening of the body portion, the hinge means being attached to the peripheral wall and comprising a first hinge, a second hinge, and a hinge extension between the said first and second hinges, the hinge extension being such that when the lid is closed the periphery thereof substantially abuts the said flange and thereby closes the body portion.

An embodiment of container in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:-

Fig. 1 shows the container with its lid fully open and as moulded;

Fig. 2 shows the container of Fig. 1 with its lid partially closed;

Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 2 but with the lid half closed and partially moved into a recess in the container;

Fig. 4 shows the lid of the container in its nearly closed position; and

Fig. 5 shows the container with its lid fully closed.

Referring to Fig. 1, the container has a body portion 1 for containing articles and an hinged lid 2 for closing the body portion 1. The body portion 1 has a recess 3 for articles to be packaged, and an outwardly extending flange 4 against which the lid 2 closes. The lid 2 has two longitudinal stiffeners 5 moulded into it so that the lid resists flexing and premature opening.

An upstanding wall 6 around the periphery of the flange 4 imparts rigidity to the body portion 1 and the associated flange 4, and it too has a peripheral flange 7 which in turn serves to impart stiffness to the wall 6.

The lid 2 is connected to the body portion 1 by an integral hinge assembly shown generally at 8. The hinge assembly 8, consists of a first hinge 9 which is formed along one edge of the lid 2 and a second hinge 10 which is formed along one edge of the wall 6, the first and

second hinges

9, 10 being connected to each other by an extension piece 11. As will be described herein, the extension piece 11 spaces the first and

second hinges

9, 10 apart by substantially the upstand of the wall 6.

Lid retaining means in the form of two nibs 12 extending inwardly of the wall 6 opposite the hinge assembly 8 serve to engage the end of the lid 2 remote from the hinge assembly 8 and resist opening of the lid 2 once it has been moved into its closed position.

Referring to Figs. 2 to 4, the container can be seen in various stages of closure of the lid 2. In Fig. 1 the lid 2 is approaching the vertical, pivoting of the lid 2 relative to the body portion 1 having taken place in a counter clockwise sense about hinge 10 of the hinge assembly 8. Further movement of the lid 2 to the position shown in Fig. 3 is not only in a counter clockwise sense about the hinge 10 but also in a clockwise sense about the hinge 9.

Continued closing of the lid 2 as shown in Fig. 4 also results in the lid 2 moving downwardly towards the flange 4 until it eventually reaches the fully closed position shown in Fig. 5, the end of the lid 2 remote from the hinge assembly 8 having engaged and been retained by the nibs 12. At this stage the hinge extension 11 has rotated in a counter clockwise sense through an angle of approximately 90º relative to the wall 6, and the lid 2 has rotated in a clockwise sense relative to the extension 11 through an angle of approximately 270º. As a result, the lid 2 has become nested within the wall 6, and since the hinge extension 11 spaces the two hinges 9 and 10 apart by substantially the upstand of the wall 6, the periphery of the lid 2 now abuts the flange 4, thereby closing the recess 3.

Opening of the lid 2 is difficult since the lid 2 is held in place by the nibs 12 and it resists flexing as a result of the presence of the stiffeners 5, the periphery of the lid 2 being a close fit within the wall 6.

Claims

A moulded plastics container having a body portion for containing a packaged article, a lid connected to the body portion for closing the body portion, and hinge means connecting the body portion to the lid, the body portion having an outwardly extending flange and a peripheral up-standing wall around the opening of the body portion, the hinge means being attached to the peripheral wall and comprising a first hinge, a second hinge, and a hinge extension between the said first and second hinges, the hinge extension being such that when the lid is closed the periphery thereof substantially abuts the said flange and thereby closes the body portion.
A container according to claim 1, wherein the lid includes stiffener means for resisting flexing.
A container according to either of the preceding claims, including retaining means for retaining the lid in its closed position.