EP1666368A1

EP1666368A1 - Smart lid

Info

Publication number: EP1666368A1
Application number: EP05003277A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Man Hin Ken Yeung
Original assignee: Sar Holdings International Ltd
Current assignee: Sar Holdings International Ltd
Priority date: 2004-12-04
Filing date: 2005-02-16
Publication date: 2006-06-07
Anticipated expiration: 2025-02-16
Also published as: ATE402877T1; DE602005008540D1; HK1083616A1; EP1666368B1; JP2006160372A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lid for container. Container lids of prior art are relative hard and present poor sealing effect. The object of the present invention is to provide a lid that can obtain good sealing effect. To this end, a smart lid (1) comprises an outer surface (5) and an inner surface (6) contacting with the container to be covered. The lid is preferably made of silicone material and includes a central position (2) and a periphery portion (3). The thickness of the periphery portion is between 2.0 mm and 4.0 mm and the central portion has a thickness greater than that of the periphery portion. With such silicone lid, a negative pressure can be generated within the container and the inner surface of the lid will be kept in tight engagement with the container. As a result, the container can keep sealed with the negative pressure. The silicone lid can be used repeatedly for various containers of different sizes and provides a good sealing effect. Due to its good heat-insulating performance, it is particularly suitable for a container in which the foods need heat preservation. Furthermore, the silicone lid can be washed with dishwasher.

Description

Technical field

The present invention relates to a lid for containers, particularly to a smart lid for containers such as bowls, basins and like.

Technical background

In the past, food wrap films are usually used to pack and seal the containers such as bowls and basins, etc., for storage of foods. Prior to taking the foods out of the containers, the wrap films have to be removed and thrown away, thereby causing a heavy load to the environment. Thus, using a disposable wrap film for the storage of foods damages the environment.
It is also known that rigid lids are in common use for food plastic boxes in set. The rigid lids provide seal effect not good enough for the foods within the plastic boxes. As a result, smells of foods in the plastic boxes are easily spreading around, and the foods therein become to be sour or deteriorated quickly.

Summary of the present invention

In light of the prior art as mentioned above, a main object of the present invention is to provide a container lid being able to direct a good effect of sealing.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a smart lid that, in addition of good sealing features, has a higher strength and a multi-purpose of using. It should be facilitated to manufacture and operate.
To this end, the present invention provides a container lid having an outer surface and an inner surface, the latter contacting with a container to be sealed. The lid is made of, for example, a silicone material and formed with a central portion and a periphery portion surrounding the central portion. The thickness of the peripheral portion is between 2.0 and 4.0 mm, and the thickness of the central portion is greater than the periphery portion.
The above lid should be made of elastomer material such as silicone material with an adapted thickness, and also formed with a thicker central portion. As a result, the central portion of the lid can sink slightly downward under gravity or by pressing with hands on it when the periphery portion of the lid is stacked horizontally on a container to be sealed. As a result, the air in the container is partially ejected out thereof and a negative pressure is generated in the container. After generating the negative pressure, the inner surface can engage tightly with the contacting portion of the container, and thus the container is in a condition of negative pressure and sealing. This silicone lid can be used repeatedly for various containers of different sizes and improve the sealing effect of the containers. Moreover, the lid is particularly suitable for the case of the foods that need heat preservation within the container. Also, the lid can be cleaned with dishwashing machine due to its silicone material.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the lid is formed like a circular disk with a cylinder central portion protruding from the outer surface relatively to the periphery portion. A knob is formed on the protruding surface of the central portion. Particularly, the disk-like lid is suitable for using with dishware such as bowl, plate and so on. With a sufficient negative pressure, the knob can facilitate to pick up a container when the container to be taken is empty or filled with foods not too heavy. When the temperature of the container is too high or too low to be handled with a hand directly, the lib with such knob is helpful for the operation.
In addition, the partial section of the periphery may be formed with a tab extending from the edge of the periphery. With the tab, the lid is easily uncovered and the operation of the lid is simplified.
As an optimal embodiment of the present invention, a circular transitional area is provided between the central portion and the periphery portion. The transitional area is recessed from the side of the outer surface and protruded from the inner surface relatively to the periphery portion. The thickness of the transitional area equals to or is slightly less than the periphery. A plurality of reinforcing ribs are formed on the side of the outer surface on the connecting section between the transitional area and the central portion. In this case, the recessing configuration of the transitional area is particularly suitable for allowing the lid to provide a sealing effect automatically by its own weight. Also, the strength of the lid is increased because the reinforcing ribs enhance the connecting section between the transitional area and the central portion. Herewith, the number of the reinforcing ribs is preferably from 8 to 18 and the ribs are uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction of the central portion.
Furthermore, a plurality of reinforcing ribs can be formed on the outer surface on the periphery portion. In case there are reinforcing ribs on both of the periphery portion and the connecting section, the number of the ribs on the periphery portion is preferably identical with the ribs on the connecting section. The two groups of ribs on these portion/sections are aligned or interleave with each other respectively in a radial direction of the lid. The lid with such kind of configuration is easy to manufacture.
According to another embodiment, a plurality of reinforcing ribs is formed on the side of the inner surface on the connecting section between the transitional area and the periphery portion. In this case, a plurality of reinforcing ribs can be also provided on the side of the inner surface on the connecting section between the transitional area and the periphery portion. The number of the ribs on the inner surface is preferably identical with the reinforcing ribs on the connecting section. The two groups of ribs on these portion/sections are aligned or interleave with each other respectively in the radial direction of the lid. The lid with such kind of configuration is easy to be manufactured and further enhanced.
Moreover, the knob can be easily formed in shape of a straight-line bar and integrated on the protruding surface of the central portion. The knob can be formed in any suitable shape, for example of a projecting cylinder, not limited merely to a straight-line bar. The inner surface overall may have a consistent brightness for the convenience of manufacturing.
Furthermore, the diameter of the transitional area is defined as that the base of the container is allowed to stack on the transitional area and the central portion, or the lid is sized as that the base of the container is allowed to stack on the lid. As a result, the lid can be used as a mat. Once using as a mat, a good heat-insulating feature of the lid is presented for use.
Moreover, the sections of the outer surface and the inner surface at the peripheral portion are preferably not parallel to the respective sections of the outer surface and the inner surface at the central portion.

Description of the drawings

Other advantages, objects and characteristics of the present invention will be understood by reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig.1 is a front elevation view of the lid according to the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a rear elevation view of the lid according to the present invention.
Fig. 3 is a left side view of the lid according to the invention.
Fig. 4 is a right side view of the lid according to the invention.
Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the lid according to the invention.
Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the lid according to the present invention.

Modes of embodying the present invention

An embodiment of the lid 1 according to the present invention is illustrated in Fig. 1. The lid 1 is made of silicone material and thus flexible and elastic. The lid 1 is substantially in disk-like shape and formed with a central portion 2, a periphery portion 3 surrounding the central portion 2, and a transitional area 4 between the central portion 2 and the periphery portion 3. In addition, the lid 1 comprises an outer surface 5 and an inner surface 6 being contact with a container (not illustrated) to be sealed. The thickness of the periphery portion is 2.0 mm to 4.0 mm, and the thickness of the central portion is greater than that of the periphery portion. The inner surface 6 of the lid 1 at the periphery 3 has a higher brightness. The fine surface can be achieved on a silicone disk-like material by machining.
The lid 1 can be made in form of circular disk or otherwise shape as square, oval and like. With a disk-like shape, the central portion 2 is shaped preferably in circle, and protruding from the outer surface 5 at the central portion 2 with respect to the periphery portion 3. Furthermore, the protruding surface 7 of the central portion 2 is integrated with a knob 8 thereon. In the embodiment as shown in Fig. 1, the knob 8 can be easily shaped like a straight- line bar and integrated on the protruding surface of the central portion 2. The knob 8 can also be formed in any suitable shape such as cylinder, rectangle, sphere, etc.. Moreover, the partial section of the periphery 3 may be formed with a tab 9 extending from the edge of the periphery 3. The tab 9 is used for the operation of the lid 1.
It is not necessary that there is an annular transitional area 4 between the central portion 2 and the periphery portion 3. Such transitional area 4 is, if any, recessed from the outer surface 5 and projecting from the inner surface 6 relatively to the peripheral portion 3. In this case, the thickness of the transitional area 4 equals to or is slightly less than the thickness of the peripheral portion 3. A plurality of reinforcing ribs 10 are preferably formed on the side of the outer surface 5, i.e. the connecting section between the transitional area 4 and the central portion 2. The number of the reinforce ribs 10 is preferred in a range of 8 to 18 and equally spaced in the circumferential direction of the central portion 2. Moreover, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 11 can also be provided on the side of the outer surface 5, on the peripheral portion 3. The ribs 11 are preferably formed as many as the ribs 10 and aligned with the ribs 10 in the radial direction, as shown in Fig.1. In this case, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 12 also can be formed on the connecting section between the transitional area 4 and the peripheral portion 3, on the side of the inner surface 6, shown in Fig.2. The number of ribs 12 also preferably equals to the ribs 10, and the ribs 12 are aligned with the ribs 10 and/or the ribs 11 in the radial direction. As a result, further increasing of the strength of the whole lid 1 is obtained. The present invention is not limited to the shape, number and position of the ribs 10, 11 and 12, and the number of 8 to 18 for the ribs as mentioned above is described only for an optimal embodiment.
According to the present invention, the section of the inner surface 6 at the central portion 2 and the transitional area 4 may have the same polishing level as its other section at the periphery portion 3, thus making a polishing process of the inner surface 6 easier. Moreover, the sections of the outer surface 5 and the inner surface 6 at the peripheral portion 3 are preferably not parallel to the respective sections of the outer surface 5 and the inner surface 6 at the central portion 2, as shown in Figs.3 and 4. With the central portion 2 projecting over the peripheral 3, the outer surface 5 and the inner surface 6 are extending in form of a slope from the peripheral towards the central portion 2, in the direction of the projecting portion.
When the lid 1 is placed horizontally on a container such as bowl, the central portion 2 of the lid 1 can be declined downward slightly under gravity or by pressing with hands on the central portion 2. Thus the air in the container is partially ejected therefrom, and a negative pressure is generated in the container. After generating a negative pressure, the inner surface 6 may engage tightly with the contacting section of the container so that the container will keep sealed under the negative pressure. The silicone lid can be used repeatedly for various containers of different sizes and provide improved sealing effect for the containers. Due to good heat-insulating performance of the silicone material, the lid 1 is particularly suitable for using with a container in which the foods need to be kept for heat preservation. Moreover, the silicone material allows the lid 1 to be cleaned by a dishwashing machine.
The lid 1 can be used for other purposes. To this end, the diameter of the transitional area 4 may be formed as that the inner recessed base of the container such as bowl is allowed to place on the transitional area 4 and central portion 2 in a stable way. In the meantime, the silicone material exhibits good heat-insulating feature. Moreover, the lid 1 may be sized so that the whole base of the container is allowed to stack on the lid. Further more, the lid according to the present present invention can be used to shield the upper space over a span during cooking, to prevent the oil in the span from sputtering over around. For this purpose a knob is needed for operating the lid and the lid made of silicone material will not cause any negative effects. In fact, the lid according to the present present invention can be used for multi-purposes.
Although the present present invention has been described with reference to some embodiments, it is obvious that the present invention is not limited to the mentioned embodiments. The features as described and shown in the specification and figures may also be the novelty subject matters of the claims, individually or in any combination.

Claims

A lid (1) for container, comprises having an outer surface (5) and an inner surface (6) contacting with a container to be sealed, where-in the lid (1) is made of silicone material and formed with a central portion (2) and a periphery portion (3) surrounding the central portion, wherein the thickness of the peripheral portion is between 2.0 mm and 4.0 mm and the thickness of the central portion (2) is greater than the periphery portion (3).
The lid (1) of claim 1, wherein the lid (1) is substantially shaped like a circular disk and has a cylinder central portion (2) protruded from the outer surface (5) relatively to the periphery portion (3), and a knob (8) is formed on the protruding surface (7) of the central portion (2).
The lid (1) of claim 1 or 2, wherein a partial section of the periphery portion (3) may be formed with a tab (9) extending from the edge of the periphery portion (3).
The lid (1) of claim 2, wherein the lid comprises an annular transitional area (4) which is formed between the central portion (2) and the periphery portion (3) and recessed from the outer surface (5) and protruded from the inner surface relatively to the periphery portion (3), with a thickness slightly less than the periphery portion (3), and a plurality of reinforcing ribs (10) are formed at a connecting section between the transitional area (4) and the central portion (2) on the side of the outer surface (5).
The lid (1) of claim 4, wherein the ribs (10) amount to 8 to 18 and are uniformly spaced in a circumferential direction of the central portion (2).
The lid (1) of claim 2, wherein the lid has a plurality of reinforc-ing ribs (11) on the side of the outer surface (5) on the periphery portion (3).
The lid (1) of claim 4, wherein the lid has a plurality of reinforcing ribs (11) on the side of the outer surface (5) on the periphery portion (3).
The lid (1) of claim 7, wherein said reinforcing ribs (11) have the same number as the reinforcing ribs (10) and are aligned respectively with the reinforcing ribs (10) in the radial direction of the lid (1).
The lid (1) of claim 4, wherein the lid (1) has a plurality of reinforcing ribs (12) on the side of the inner surface (6) on the connecting section between the transitional area (4) and the periphery portion (3).
The lid (1) of claim 5, wherein the lid (1) has as many reinforcing ribs (12) as the reinforcing ribs (10) on the side of the inner surface (5) on the connecting section between the transitional area (4) and the periphery portion (3) , and these ribs (12) are aligned respectively with the reinforcing ribs (10) in the radial direction of the lid (1).
The lid (1) of claim 2, wherein the knob (8) is shaped like a straight bar and integrated on the protruding surface (7) of the central portion (2).
The lid (1) of claim 4, wherein the inner surface (6) overall has an identical brightness of the surface.
The lid (1) of claim 4, wherein the diameter of the transitional area (4) is defined so that the base of the container is allowed to stack on the transitional area (4) and the central portion (2).
The lid (1) of claim 4, wherein the lid is sized so that the base of the container is allowed to stack on the lid.
The lid (1) of claim 4, wherein the sections of the outer surface (5) and the inner surface (6) at the peripheral portion (3) are not parallel to the respective sections of the outer surface (5) and the inner surface (6) at the central portion (2).