EP1736417B1 - Tamper evident bowl with blocked tab - Google Patents
Tamper evident bowl with blocked tab Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1736417B1 EP1736417B1 EP20050256721 EP05256721A EP1736417B1 EP 1736417 B1 EP1736417 B1 EP 1736417B1 EP 20050256721 EP20050256721 EP 20050256721 EP 05256721 A EP05256721 A EP 05256721A EP 1736417 B1 EP1736417 B1 EP 1736417B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- base
- wall
- lid
- trapping
- pull
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D43/00—Lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D43/02—Removable lids or covers
- B65D43/0202—Removable lids or covers without integral tamper element
- B65D43/0204—Removable lids or covers without integral tamper element secured by snapping over beads or projections
- B65D43/021—Removable lids or covers without integral tamper element secured by snapping over beads or projections only on the inside, or a part turned to the inside, of the mouth
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
- B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D2543/00018—Overall construction of the lid
- B65D2543/00064—Shape of the outer periphery
- B65D2543/00074—Shape of the outer periphery curved
- B65D2543/00092—Shape of the outer periphery curved circular
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
- B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D2543/00018—Overall construction of the lid
- B65D2543/00064—Shape of the outer periphery
- B65D2543/0012—Shape of the outer periphery having straight sides, e.g. with curved corners
- B65D2543/00175—Shape of the outer periphery having straight sides, e.g. with curved corners four straight sides, e.g. trapezium or diamond
- B65D2543/00194—Shape of the outer periphery having straight sides, e.g. with curved corners four straight sides, e.g. trapezium or diamond square or rectangular
- B65D2543/00203—Shape of the outer periphery having straight sides, e.g. with curved corners four straight sides, e.g. trapezium or diamond square or rectangular specifically square
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
- B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D2543/00018—Overall construction of the lid
- B65D2543/00259—Materials used
- B65D2543/00296—Plastic
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
- B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D2543/00444—Contact between the container and the lid
- B65D2543/00481—Contact between the container and the lid on the inside or the outside of the container
- B65D2543/0049—Contact between the container and the lid on the inside or the outside of the container on the inside, or a part turned to the inside of the mouth of the container
- B65D2543/00509—Cup
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
- B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D2543/00444—Contact between the container and the lid
- B65D2543/00481—Contact between the container and the lid on the inside or the outside of the container
- B65D2543/00537—Contact between the container and the lid on the inside or the outside of the container on the outside, or a part turned to the outside of the mouth of the container
- B65D2543/00546—NO contact
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
- B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D2543/00444—Contact between the container and the lid
- B65D2543/00592—Snapping means
- B65D2543/00601—Snapping means on the container
- B65D2543/00611—Profiles
- B65D2543/0062—Groove or hollow bead
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
- B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D2543/00444—Contact between the container and the lid
- B65D2543/00592—Snapping means
- B65D2543/00601—Snapping means on the container
- B65D2543/00675—Periphery concerned
- B65D2543/00685—Totality
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
- B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D2543/00444—Contact between the container and the lid
- B65D2543/00592—Snapping means
- B65D2543/00712—Snapping means on the lid
- B65D2543/00722—Profiles
- B65D2543/00731—Groove or hollow bead
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
- B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D2543/00444—Contact between the container and the lid
- B65D2543/00592—Snapping means
- B65D2543/00712—Snapping means on the lid
- B65D2543/00787—Periphery concerned
- B65D2543/00796—Totality
Definitions
- Food is often placed in a transparent plastic container that includes a base with a large volume cavity that holds the food and with a cover or lid that closes the cavity.
- Buyers want to be assured that, after the food was placed in the container as by a clerk at the food store, that the container has not been opened. There is a possibility that another customer has secretly opened the container enough to taste a bit of the food before closing it (and possibly leaving germs from his/her finger in the food). Potential buyers want to be assured that this has not happened.
- a container constructed by the container manufacturer that allowed a clerk at the store to automatically activate a device that clearly indicated to a potential customer whether or not the container has been opened since it was first closed by the clerk, would be of value.
- FR-2819496 discloses cheese packaging comprising a base for receiving the cheese and a cover whose bottom is fitted on a bead around the base.
- the cover has a flange at two opposed corners and the base has corresponding retaining tabs that are joined to the rest of the base by weakened links.
- the corner flanges of the cover are, when the packaging is closed, caught under the corner tabs of the base, but are released when the corner tabs are broken off by severing the links holding them to the rest of the base.
- a container of the type that includes a base and lid, which allows the lid to be closed and thereafter prevents the lid from being opened unless a barrier is broken.
- the container and lid each have trapping portions and pull-open portions-with a tear-open barrier on-the base of the pull-open portion.
- the tear-tab, or tear-open barrier forms the upper wall of a horizontal slot.
- the pull-open portion of the lid has a pull-up tab that is projected through the slot when the lid is closed.
- the barrier To open the lid, the barrier must be broken in breakable joints extending from said slot to the outer edge of the base, so the pull-up tab on the lid can be pulled up to release the lid from the base. This configuration facilitates breaking off the barrier compound to the design of FR 2 819 496 .
- the trapping side of the base has a trapping wall that extends at a downward-outward incline (with respect to the container axis) and has a stop wall that extends radially inward from the bottom of the trapping wall.
- the lid has a peripheral lip that can be pressed down along the trapping wall until the lip reaches the stop wall. The lip then cannot be raised so the lid is trapped in the closed position until the barrier is torn so the pull-up tab can be pulled up.
- the base has a seal wall lying below the stop wall, the seal wall having a concave radially inner surface that extends at a downward-inward incline.
- the lid has a corresponding seal wall with a convex outer surface that lies facewise against the concave surface of the base to form a fluid tight seal.
- Figs. 1 and 2 show a bowl-shaped container 10 of the invention, which includes a base 12 and a lid 14 that can be closed on the base.
- the base has a trapping portion or section 20 that receives a trapping portion or section 22 of the lid and thereafter resists lid removal.
- the base also has a pull-open portion or section 24 with a horizontally open slot 26 that receives a lift tab, or pull-up tab 30 of a pull-open portion or section 32 of the lid.
- the trapping sections of the base and lid preferably extend at an angle A of at least 300° (with a possible interruption) around the vertical axis 34 of the container.
- the trapping portion could extend 360°.
- the pull-open portions of the base and lid extend by an angle B that is preferably less than 90° around the axis. If more than one pull-open section is provided the total angle B will increase.
- the lid is installed in the manner shown in Fig. 6 , by holding the lid 14 at an incline C such as about 30° to the horizontal and to the top 40 of the base, and projecting the tab 30 of the lid through the slot 26 in the base. Then the trapping section 22 of the lid is pushed down forcefully into the trapping section 20 of the base. This results in the trapping section of the lid being trapped in place deep in the base.
- Fig. 4 shows the trapping sections 20, 22 of the base and lid in their fully trapped positions.
- the base has an outer edge part 50, and has a top flange or portion 52 extending radially inward of and above the base outer edge.
- the term “radially” describes a direction with respect to the axis 34 of the container, so “radially inward” or just “inward” means toward the axis and “radially outward” or just “outward” means away from the axis. Terms such as “inner” surface means the surface closest to the axis.
- the base shown in Fig. 4 has a trapping wall 54 extending at a downward and radially outward incline from the inside of flange 52, and has a stop wall 56 that lies at the bottom of the trapping wall.
- the trapping wall is joined to the stop wall at a corner 58, and the stop wall extends at least partially radially inward from the corner 58.
- the base also has an upper seal wall 60 with a concave inner surface 62, that extends at a downward-inward incline from a corner 64 at the inside of the stop wall.
- the base has a lower seal wall 66.
- the lid has corresponding walls, including a radially outward free peripheral lip 70, and an upper seal wall 72 with a concave inner surface 74 that is joined to the lip by a large radius corner 75 whose radius is larger than that of the base corner 64.
- the lid also has a lower seal wall 76.
- the inside radius of curvature of the lid corner 75 is at least 150% of the radius of curvature of the inside of the base corner 64.
- the peripheral lip 70 of the lid snaps down to the position shown in Fig. 4 , with the lip 70 lying at the bottom of the trapping wall 54, at the corner 58.
- the trapping wall 54 extends at a downward-outward incline from a vertical G, which is preferably between 5° and 30° to the vertical.
- the peripheral lip 70 is unreinforced so it readily bends up when pushed down along the inside of the trapping wall, and then is trapped in place.
- the peripheral lip 70 could be forcefully pulled up, but a person cannot firmly grasp the lip to pull it up, and it requires a large upward force to pull it up. It is easy to push down the lip into place but almost impossible to pull up the lip, unless the pull-open portion of the lid is first pulled up.
- Fig. 5 shows the pull-open sections 24, 32 of the base and lid when the lid has been fully closed on the base.
- the point 70A represents a location of the same height and radial position where the peripheral lip of the lid would lie at the bottom of the trapping wall at 54A, in the trapping portion of the container. Instead, the pull-open portion of the lid forms the lift tab 30, which projects primarily radially outward through the slot 26 in the pull-open portion of the base.
- the position otherwise occupied by a trapping wall 54A on the base is devoid of the trapping wall along the pull-open portion.
- the base has a tear-tab, or barrier wall, or barrier 80 that forms the upper wall of the slot 26 in the base.
- the lid forms the pull-up tab 30 that projects primarily radially though the slot 26.
- the slot 26 has a small enough height and the tab 30 has a sufficient radial length and has stiffeners 73 formed beside a hole 77 in the tab, that a person normally cannot bend the tab and push it inwardly to lie inward of the slot 26 to raise the tab. Instead, the only practical way for a person to raise the tab is to tear away the barrier 80.
- Fig. 8 shows that the barrier 80 is attached by two tear joints 90, 92 to a major portion 94 of the base, which is primarily the trapping portion of the base.
- the tear joints which extend perpendicular to adjacent parts of the edge 50, are weakened by perforations, notches or by a groove passing partway though the sheet at each tear joint.
- the barrier has an indication 100, formed by the word "BREAK" that indicates that the barrier should be broken.
- the lift tab 30 can be lifted.
- the lid can be pulled along the upwardly inclined direction D ( Fig. 5 ) to remove the lid from the base.
- the lid can be repeatedly closed and opened using only moderate force applied to the lift tab, and the container seals the contents each time the lid is closed.
- Fig. 8 shows transition regions 110 at opposite sides of the trapping portion 22 of the base.
- the plastic sheet of the base which is vacuum formed, has a flat portion between the ends of the flange 52.
- the flange 52 forms the top 120 of the container and has opposite flange sides 122, 124 that strengthens the upper part of the base to support the weight of other similarly loaded containers that are stacked on one another.
- a circumferential gap in the flange that is much less than 90°, such as the gap of about 35° occupied by the pull-open portion 32, allows stable stacking of the containers. It is possible to provide two or more pairs of pull-open section each similar to sections 24 and 32 and spaced about the container, although one pair is usually sufficient.
- Fig. 9 shows another container 130 that is similar to the bowl-shaped container of Figs. 1-8 , but that has a regular polygon shape as seen in a plan view.
- the particular container shown is of square overall parallelepiped shape.
- the container 130 has a base 132 and lid 134 similar to that of the bowl-shaped container, except that the barrier wall 136 lies at one corner of the square shape.
- the lid has a pull-up tab 137 that fits in a slot 138 under the tear-tab barrier 136.
- Fig. 10 shows that the break lines 140, 142 of the barrier wall extend at angle G of about 45° (which is a plurality of degrees less than 90°) to adjacent sides 144, 146 of the square. If the break lines were positioned at 140a, 142a where they extended perpendicular to the sides, then this would result in projecting sharp corners, when the barrier 136 was torn off, which might hurt a person.
- the invention provides a container with a base and lid, which enables a store clerk to close the container the first time, after loading food or other goods in the base, and which then prevents the container from being opened without breaking at least one end of a barrier.
- the container has trapping and pull-open portions or sections. The trapping sections allow the lid to be forced down to a fully installed position and thereafter prevents the lid from being pulled up unless the lid pull-open section has been lifted and preferably also pulled away slightly from the center of the trapping portion.
- the container forms a seal around the entire container circumference, which is broken only when the pull-up tab is pulled up.
Description
- Food is often placed in a transparent plastic container that includes a base with a large volume cavity that holds the food and with a cover or lid that closes the cavity. Buyers want to be assured that, after the food was placed in the container as by a clerk at the food store, that the container has not been opened. There is a possibility that another customer has secretly opened the container enough to taste a bit of the food before closing it (and possibly leaving germs from his/her finger in the food). Potential buyers want to be assured that this has not happened. A container constructed by the container manufacturer that allowed a clerk at the store to automatically activate a device that clearly indicated to a potential customer whether or not the container has been opened since it was first closed by the clerk, would be of value.
-
FR-2819496 - The present invention is defined in the accompanying claims.
- In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a container is provided of the type that includes a base and lid, which allows the lid to be closed and thereafter prevents the lid from being opened unless a barrier is broken. The container and lid each have trapping portions and pull-open portions-with a tear-open barrier on-the base of the pull-open portion. The tear-tab, or tear-open barrier forms the upper wall of a horizontal slot. The pull-open portion of the lid has a pull-up tab that is projected through the slot when the lid is closed. When the lid is closed the trapping portion of the base traps the lid in the closed position and prevents the lid from opening unless the pull-open side of the lid is pulled up. To open the lid, the barrier must be broken in breakable joints extending from said slot to the outer edge of the base, so the pull-up tab on the lid can be pulled up to release the lid from the base. This configuration facilitates breaking off the barrier compound to the design of
FR 2 819 496 - The trapping side of the base has a trapping wall that extends at a downward-outward incline (with respect to the container axis) and has a stop wall that extends radially inward from the bottom of the trapping wall. The lid has a peripheral lip that can be pressed down along the trapping wall until the lip reaches the stop wall. The lip then cannot be raised so the lid is trapped in the closed position until the barrier is torn so the pull-up tab can be pulled up.
- The base has a seal wall lying below the stop wall, the seal wall having a concave radially inner surface that extends at a downward-inward incline. The lid has a corresponding seal wall with a convex outer surface that lies facewise against the concave surface of the base to form a fluid tight seal.
- The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
-
-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of a container of the invention, with the lid closed on the base. -
Fig. 2 is an exploded isometric view of the base and lid of the container ofFig. 1 . -
Fig. 3 is an exploded sectional side view of the container ofFig. 1 . -
Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view ofarea 4--4 ofFig. 3 , with the lid closed on the base. -
Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of area 5-5 ofFig. 3 , with the lid closed on the base. -
Fig. 6 is a side view of the container ofFig. 3 , with the base shown in section and the lid shown in elevation, showing the tab of the lid being projected though a slot in the base, during first closing of the container. -
Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of an area ofFig. 6 , showing the tab projected though the slot during the first closing of the container. -
Fig. 8 is a plan view of the area of the container ofFig. 7 , after the lid has been fully closed. -
Fig. 9 is an exploded isometric view of another container of the invention,
wherein the container is of a polygon shape instead of a bowl shape. -
Fig. 10 is a partial plan view of the barrier of the base of the container ofFig. 9 . -
Figs. 1 and 2 show a bowl-shaped container 10 of the invention, which includes abase 12 and alid 14 that can be closed on the base. The base has a trapping portion orsection 20 that receives a trapping portion orsection 22 of the lid and thereafter resists lid removal. The base also has a pull-open portion orsection 24 with a horizontallyopen slot 26 that receives a lift tab, or pull-uptab 30 of a pull-open portion orsection 32 of the lid. The trapping sections of the base and lid preferably extend at an angle A of at least 300° (with a possible interruption) around thevertical axis 34 of the container. The trapping portion could extend 360°. The pull-open portions of the base and lid extend by an angle B that is preferably less than 90° around the axis. If more than one pull-open section is provided the total angle B will increase. - The lid is installed in the manner shown in
Fig. 6 , by holding thelid 14 at an incline C such as about 30° to the horizontal and to thetop 40 of the base, and projecting thetab 30 of the lid through theslot 26 in the base. Then thetrapping section 22 of the lid is pushed down forcefully into thetrapping section 20 of the base. This results in the trapping section of the lid being trapped in place deep in the base. -
Fig. 4 shows thetrapping sections outer edge part 50, and has a top flange orportion 52 extending radially inward of and above the base outer edge. The term "radially" describes a direction with respect to theaxis 34 of the container, so "radially inward" or just "inward" means toward the axis and "radially outward" or just "outward" means away from the axis. Terms such as "inner" surface means the surface closest to the axis. - The base shown in
Fig. 4 has atrapping wall 54 extending at a downward and radially outward incline from the inside offlange 52, and has astop wall 56 that lies at the bottom of the trapping wall. The trapping wall is joined to the stop wall at acorner 58, and the stop wall extends at least partially radially inward from thecorner 58. The base also has anupper seal wall 60 with a concaveinner surface 62, that extends at a downward-inward incline from acorner 64 at the inside of the stop wall. The base has alower seal wall 66. The lid has corresponding walls, including a radially outward free peripheral lip 70, and anupper seal wall 72 with a concaveinner surface 74 that is joined to the lip by a large radius corner 75 whose radius is larger than that of thebase corner 64. The lid also has alower seal wall 76. The inside radius of curvature of the lid corner 75 is at least 150% of the radius of curvature of the inside of thebase corner 64. - When the lid is pushed down forcefully into the base, the peripheral lip 70 of the lid snaps down to the position shown in
Fig. 4 , with the lip 70 lying at the bottom of thetrapping wall 54, at thecorner 58. Thetrapping wall 54 extends at a downward-outward incline from a vertical G, which is preferably between 5° and 30° to the vertical. The peripheral lip 70 is unreinforced so it readily bends up when pushed down along the inside of the trapping wall, and then is trapped in place. The peripheral lip 70 could be forcefully pulled up, but a person cannot firmly grasp the lip to pull it up, and it requires a large upward force to pull it up. It is easy to push down the lip into place but almost impossible to pull up the lip, unless the pull-open portion of the lid is first pulled up. -
Fig. 5 shows the pull-open sections point 70A represents a location of the same height and radial position where the peripheral lip of the lid would lie at the bottom of the trapping wall at 54A, in the trapping portion of the container. Instead, the pull-open portion of the lid forms thelift tab 30, which projects primarily radially outward through theslot 26 in the pull-open portion of the base. The position otherwise occupied by a trappingwall 54A on the base is devoid of the trapping wall along the pull-open portion. Instead, the base has a tear-tab, or barrier wall, orbarrier 80 that forms the upper wall of theslot 26 in the base. The lid forms the pull-uptab 30 that projects primarily radially though theslot 26. Theslot 26 has a small enough height and thetab 30 has a sufficient radial length and has stiffeners 73 formed beside a hole 77 in the tab, that a person normally cannot bend the tab and push it inwardly to lie inward of theslot 26 to raise the tab. Instead, the only practical way for a person to raise the tab is to tear away thebarrier 80. -
Fig. 8 shows that thebarrier 80 is attached by twotear joints 90, 92 to a major portion 94 of the base, which is primarily the trapping portion of the base. The tear joints, which extend perpendicular to adjacent parts of theedge 50, are weakened by perforations, notches or by a groove passing partway though the sheet at each tear joint. The barrier has an indication 100, formed by the word "BREAK" that indicates that the barrier should be broken. Upon breaking thebarrier 80 at one or both joints , thelift tab 30 can be lifted. When the lift tab is tilted by several degrees (preferably at least 15°) such as 20° or more, the lid can be pulled along the upwardly inclined direction D (Fig. 5 ) to remove the lid from the base. Once the barrier has been broken, the lid can be repeatedly closed and opened using only moderate force applied to the lift tab, and the container seals the contents each time the lid is closed. -
Fig. 8 shows transition regions 110 at opposite sides of the trappingportion 22 of the base. The plastic sheet of the base, which is vacuum formed, has a flat portion between the ends of theflange 52. Theflange 52 forms the top 120 of the container and hasopposite flange sides open portion 32, allows stable stacking of the containers. It is possible to provide two or more pairs of pull-open section each similar tosections -
Fig. 9 shows anothercontainer 130 that is similar to the bowl-shaped container ofFigs. 1-8 , but that has a regular polygon shape as seen in a plan view. The particular container shown is of square overall parallelepiped shape. Thecontainer 130 has abase 132 andlid 134 similar to that of the bowl-shaped container, except that thebarrier wall 136 lies at one corner of the square shape. The lid has a pull-uptab 137 that fits in aslot 138 under the tear-tab barrier 136.Fig. 10 shows that thebreak lines adjacent sides barrier 136 was torn off, which might hurt a person. - Thus, the invention provides a container with a base and lid, which enables a store clerk to close the container the first time, after loading food or other goods in the base, and which then prevents the container from being opened without breaking at least one end of a barrier. Of course, the fact that the barrier has been broken is obvious to any customer, so if the customer sees that the tear-open barrier is not broken the customer will be assured that the container has not been opened. The container has trapping and pull-open portions or sections. The trapping sections allow the lid to be forced down to a fully installed position and thereafter prevents the lid from being pulled up unless the lid pull-open section has been lifted and preferably also pulled away slightly from the center of the trapping portion. The container forms a seal around the entire container circumference, which is broken only when the pull-up tab is pulled up.
- Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art, and consequently, it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents.
Claims (9)
- A container (10, 130) having a base (12, 132) and lid (14, 134) each formed of a deformed plastic sheet, wherein:said base and lid are centered on a vertical axis (34) and said base and lid each has a trapping section (20, 22) and a pull-open sections (24, 32), said trapping section of said base has a trapping wall (54) that allows the trapping section (22) of the lid to be pushed down to an installed position and then prevents the trapping section of the lid from being pulled up;said pull-open section of said base (24) forms a partially horizontally-opening slot (26, 138) and forms a barrier wall (80, 136) at the top and one side of said slot;said base has a radially outer edge (50), said pull-open section of said lid has a pull-up tab (30, 137) that lies in said slot under said barrier wall and that cannot be pulled up without removing said barrier wall from allocation directly above said pull tab;said barrier wall having at least one part joined to a major portion of said base by a breakable joint (90, 92, 140, 142) extending from said slot (26,138) to said outer edge (50) of the base, so the barrier wall can be removed from above said pull tab by breaking said joint.
- The container described in claim 1 wherein:said trapping wall (54) of said base trapping section (20) has an inside surface that extends primarily vertically and at a downward and radially outward incline, and said trapping section of said base has a largely horizontal stop wall (56) at the bottom of said trapping wall, the intersection of the bottom of said primarily vertical wall and said stop wall forming an inside corner (58);said trapping section of said lid has a radially outward peripheral lip (70) that lies against said inside corner.
- The container described in claim 2 wherein:said base has a base upper seal wall (60) that extends 360° around said axis and that extends at a downward-inward incline from an inner end (64) of said stop wall, said base upper seal wall having a concave inner surface (74);said lid has a lid upper seal wall (72) with a convex outer surface that lies facewise against said concave inner surface (62) of said base upper seal wall.
- The container described in claim 3 wherein:said base forms a base corner (58) at an intersection of said inner end of said stop wall and a top of said upper seal wall, and said lid forms a lid corner (75) at an intersection of said peripheral lip and a top of said lid upper seal wall, said lid corner having an inside surface with a radius that is at least 150% of the radius of curvature of the inside surface of said base corner (64).
- The container described in claim 1 wherein:said base has a top with a radially outer edge part (50), and with a top portion (52) lying radially inside said outer edge part, said top portion being horizontal and lying above said outer edge part, and said top portion having a primarily vertical flange outer wall extending down from an outer side of said top portion and having a primarily vertical flange inner wall extending down from an inner side of said top portion down to the top of said trapping wall;said top portion being interrupted at said pull-open side of said base so at said pull-open section the top of said base forms a horizontal wall of radial width at least equal to the radial width of said radially outer lip and forms said barrier wall.
- The container described in claim 1 wherein:said trapping sections (20, 22) extend at least 300° about said axis.
- The container described in claim 1 wherein:said container (130) has the shape of a regular polygon with a plurality of sides (144, 146), as viewed in a plan view, and said barrier wall (136) has opposite ends (140, 142) that each forms one of said breakable joints, said joints each extending a plurality of degrees less than 90° to an adjacent one of said sides (144, 146).
- The container described in claim 1 wherein:said pull tab (30,137) has a horizontal upper surface with a hole (74) therein, and said pull tab has largely vertical stiffeners (72) extending downward from opposite edge portions of said hole.
- The container described in claim 1 wherein:along said trapping section (22) said base has a top section with an outer lip (50), and with a horizontally-extending top portion (52) lying radially inside said lip and having inner and outer primarily vertically-extending flange walls (122, 124), said inner flange wall merging with the top of said trapping wall (54);at intersections (110) of said trapping section (20,22) and said pull-open section (24,32), the top of said base is devoid of said flange walls (122,124) and forms a radially wide rim part.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US16630805A | 2005-06-24 | 2005-06-24 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1736417A1 EP1736417A1 (en) | 2006-12-27 |
EP1736417B1 true EP1736417B1 (en) | 2008-10-01 |
Family
ID=37025126
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP20050256721 Expired - Fee Related EP1736417B1 (en) | 2005-06-24 | 2005-10-31 | Tamper evident bowl with blocked tab |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1736417B1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE602005010066D1 (en) |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US8127961B2 (en) | 2007-11-10 | 2012-03-06 | Pwp Industries | Double ribbed secure container |
US8146766B2 (en) | 2009-04-29 | 2012-04-03 | Pwp Industries | Enhanced secure container |
US8833589B2 (en) | 2005-12-21 | 2014-09-16 | Pactiv Packaging Inc. | Enhanced tamper evident bowl with blocked tab |
USD746678S1 (en) | 2014-10-09 | 2016-01-05 | Display Pack, Inc. | Portion of container |
US10279962B2 (en) | 2017-03-21 | 2019-05-07 | Display Pack, Inc. | Tamper-evident thermoformed packaging |
Families Citing this family (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7832586B2 (en) * | 2005-12-19 | 2010-11-16 | Pwp Industries, Inc. | Multi-compartment container system |
US8360262B2 (en) | 2005-12-21 | 2013-01-29 | Pactiv Packaging Inc. | Integrated food packaging system having a cup, a container, and a cover |
US8322555B2 (en) | 2008-05-13 | 2012-12-04 | Pwp Industries, Inc. | Resealable tamper-evident container assembly and lid |
US10220986B2 (en) | 2009-03-06 | 2019-03-05 | Pactiv Corporation | Tamper evident container with full tab |
US8640914B2 (en) | 2011-05-19 | 2014-02-04 | Display Pack, Inc. | Tamper-evident thermoformed package and tab arrangement |
JP7290920B2 (en) * | 2018-07-04 | 2023-06-14 | 株式会社明治 | container cheese |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR2691952B1 (en) * | 1992-06-05 | 1995-12-01 | Mino Gaillard Sa | WATERPROOF COMPOSITE PACKAGING. |
US5507406A (en) * | 1994-04-26 | 1996-04-16 | Belford Patrick, Inc. | Tamperproof/tamper evident container |
FR2819496B1 (en) * | 2001-01-16 | 2003-04-04 | Rg Plastiques | PACKAGING FOR FOOD PRODUCTS, PARTICULARLY FOR CHEESES |
-
2005
- 2005-10-31 DE DE200560010066 patent/DE602005010066D1/en active Active
- 2005-10-31 EP EP20050256721 patent/EP1736417B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US8833589B2 (en) | 2005-12-21 | 2014-09-16 | Pactiv Packaging Inc. | Enhanced tamper evident bowl with blocked tab |
US8127961B2 (en) | 2007-11-10 | 2012-03-06 | Pwp Industries | Double ribbed secure container |
US8146766B2 (en) | 2009-04-29 | 2012-04-03 | Pwp Industries | Enhanced secure container |
USD746678S1 (en) | 2014-10-09 | 2016-01-05 | Display Pack, Inc. | Portion of container |
US10279962B2 (en) | 2017-03-21 | 2019-05-07 | Display Pack, Inc. | Tamper-evident thermoformed packaging |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
DE602005010066D1 (en) | 2008-11-13 |
EP1736417A1 (en) | 2006-12-27 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US8833589B2 (en) | Enhanced tamper evident bowl with blocked tab | |
EP1736417B1 (en) | Tamper evident bowl with blocked tab | |
US8146766B2 (en) | Enhanced secure container | |
US9315302B2 (en) | Tamper-evident container that indicates when the container has been tampered with or opened | |
US10450112B2 (en) | Tamper evident plastic food container | |
CA2491184C (en) | Closure with tear strip | |
US7568589B2 (en) | Edge-tearing tamper-evident container | |
CN108861029B (en) | Tamper-evident plastic food container | |
US7837052B2 (en) | Pull tab on tear strip on plastic cover plastic cover, including break tab feature, and related apparatus and methods | |
US8757416B2 (en) | Tamper evident container | |
US20150028033A1 (en) | Tamper Evident Packaging | |
US20100084401A1 (en) | Tamper evident container | |
EP2462034A1 (en) | Container and lid | |
US9656785B2 (en) | Tamper evident plastic food container | |
CA2425492C (en) | Pull tab on tear strip on plastic cover, including break tab feature, and related apparatus and methods | |
US20230356889A1 (en) | Tamper resistant container | |
AU4750302A (en) | Tamper-evident or resistant containers |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR |
|
AX | Request for extension of the european patent |
Extension state: AL BA HR MK YU |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 20070608 |
|
17Q | First examination report despatched |
Effective date: 20070712 |
|
AKX | Designation fees paid |
Designated state(s): DE FR GB |
|
GRAP | Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR1 |
|
RIN1 | Information on inventor provided before grant (corrected) |
Inventor name: VOVAN, TERRY |
|
GRAS | Grant fee paid |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR3 |
|
GRAA | (expected) grant |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009210 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: B1 Designated state(s): DE FR GB |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: GB Ref legal event code: FG4D |
|
REF | Corresponds to: |
Ref document number: 602005010066 Country of ref document: DE Date of ref document: 20081113 Kind code of ref document: P |
|
PLBE | No opposition filed within time limit |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009261 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: NO OPPOSITION FILED WITHIN TIME LIMIT |
|
26N | No opposition filed |
Effective date: 20090702 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: DE Payment date: 20091028 Year of fee payment: 5 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: GB Payment date: 20091026 Year of fee payment: 5 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: FR Payment date: 20101105 Year of fee payment: 6 |
|
GBPC | Gb: european patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
Effective date: 20101031 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: GB Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20101031 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: R119 Ref document number: 602005010066 Country of ref document: DE Effective date: 20110502 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: FR Ref legal event code: ST Effective date: 20120629 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: FR Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20111102 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: DE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20110502 |