EP1746039B1

EP1746039B1 - Container for foodstuffs

Info

Publication number: EP1746039B1
Application number: EP05425514A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Massimo Pezzutti
Original assignee: Pezzutti Aldo Srl
Current assignee: Pezzutti Aldo Srl
Priority date: 2005-07-19
Filing date: 2005-07-19
Publication date: 2009-05-13
Anticipated expiration: 2025-07-19
Also published as: DE602005014467D1; ES2327245T3; EP1746039A1; PL1746039T3; ATE431301T1

Abstract

Container for foodstuffs (10) comprising at least a tub (11) and a relative lid (12), wherein the lid (12) has a first perimeter edge (13) with an arched profile able to be superimposed, at least partly, over a second perimeter edge (14) of the tub (11) protruding towards the outside and provided with a terminal section (24) with the function of containing and protecting laterally the first perimeter edge (13) in order to prevent in inactive conditions the lifting and release of the lid (12) from the tub (11); the first perimeter edge (13), at one end, has first constraint means (18) able to cooperate with second constraint means (25) present on the second perimeter edge (14); at least a portion (28) of the second perimeter edge (14), comprising at least a part of the terminal section (24), is able to be removed, or bent, so as to allow the lid (12) to be lifted and removed from the tub (11).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a container for foodstuffs comprising a tub and a relative lid able to be selectively associated with each other.
The container according to the invention can be of any shape and be used for any type of foodstuff, although it is able to be used advantageously for containing ice cream.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Containers for foodstuffs are known, normally made of plastic material, comprising a tub and a lid able to be associated with the tub in order to close it.
The lid is associated with the tub through interference between the relative perimeter edges, so that, by exploiting the partial flexibility of the material, the edge of the lid, which overlaps the edge of the tub, can be lifted in order to remove the lid and thus open the container.
To prevent the accidental opening of the container and to discourage possible tampering by ill-intentioned people, some containers for foodstuffs have been equipped with tear-off seals, solid with the tub, which must necessarily be removed in order to allow the lid to be removed.
Such a container, which corresponds to the preamble of appended claim 1, is disclosed in DE 296 01 108 U .
In some recent solutions, containers have been proposed with lids provided with a shaped edge defining an arched profile which, apart from being particularly appreciated from the aesthetic point of view, is more resistant to knocks, and allows a more secure closing of the container.
However, in these containers, the particular shaping of the edges of the lid and tub has not allowed pull-off seals to be made.
For this reason, in order to protect the content of the tub, between the tub and the lid a film is affixed which is glued onto the edge of the tub after it has been filled.
This solution is not only more expensive, but is less secure than the pull-off seals, since the film can easily be holed or torn when the lid is removed, even accidentally.
One purpose of the present invention is to achieve a container for foodstuffs, provided with a lid with a shaped edge having an arched profile, in which there is at least a pull-off seal able to be removed to allow the lid to be lifted.
Another purpose of the present invention is to achieve a container for foodstuffs which is economical to make and practical and safe in use, guaranteeing an effective association between the lid and the tub and easy removal of the pull-off seal in order to lift the lid.
Applicant has devised and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art, in order to achieve the above purposes and to obtain further advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is set forth and characterized in the main claim, while the dependent claims describe other innovative characteristics of the invention.
The container for foodstuffs according to the present invention comprises a tub and a lid provided with a first perimeter edge with an arched profile able to be at least partly superimposed over a second perimeter edge of the tub, bent towards the outside.
The first perimeter edge, at one end, has first constraint means able to cooperate with second constraint means present on the second perimeter edge.
The second perimeter edge has a terminal section, bent upwards, the function of which is to contain and protect laterally the first perimeter edge, in order to prevent, in the inactive condition, the lid from being lifted and released from the tub.
The second perimeter edge also has a portion, comprising at least a part of said terminal section which, to achieve the first opening of the container, is able to be removed, or at least bent, so as to allow the lid to be lifted and removed from the tub.
Advantageously, this portion is delimited by a plurality of notches defining a line of preferential breakage and is associated with an appendix able to be gripped in order to permit an easier bending or removal.
In a preferential form of embodiment, the first perimeter edge comprises, in correspondence with said portion, a lip able to be gripped in order to remove the lid after the portion has been bent or removed.
According to the invention, the first constraint means are able to engage, constraining through interference, on second constraint means disposed below the upper profile of the tub in an opposite position to the terminal section of the second perimeter edge.
In one form of embodiment of the invention, the first constraint means comprise at least a tooth and the second constraint means comprise at least a ridge on which said tooth is able to engage.
According to a variant, the first constraint means and the second constraint means define between them a male-female coupling.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other characteristics of the present invention will become clear from the following description of some preferential forms of embodiment, given as a non-restrictive example, with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

fig. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a container for foodstuffs according to the present invention;
fig. 2 is another three-dimensional view of a container for foodstuffs in fig. 1;
fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the container for foodstuffs in fig. 1;
fig. 4 is a detail "IV" in fig. 3;
fig. 5 is the detail in fig. 4 in a first step of removing the lid;
fig. 6 is the detail in fig. 4 in a second step of removing the lid;
fig. 7 is a detail of a corner section of the container for foodstuffs in fig. 1;
fig. 8 is a longitudinal section of the tub of the container for foodstuffs in fig. 1;
fig. 9 is a plane view of the tub in fig. 8;
fig. 10 is the detail "X" in fig. 8;
fig. 11 is the detail "XI" in fig. 8;
fig. 12 is the section from XII to XII in fig. 9;
fig. 13 is a longitudinal section of the lid of the container for foodstuffs in fig. 1;
fig. 14 is a plane view of the lid in fig. 13;
fig. 15 is the detail XV in fig. 14;
fig. 16 is the section from XVI to XVI in fig. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME PREFERENTIAL FORMS OF EMBODIMENT

With reference to the attached figures, the reference number 10 denotes generally a container for foodstuffs according to the present invention, advantageously made by molding plastic material which is at least partly deformable elastically, for example polypropylene (PP).
The container 10 comprises a tub 11 and a relative lid 12 able to be associated with the tub 11 in order to close it at the top (figs. 1, 2 and 3).
In this case, the lid 12 is rectangular shaped with the two long sides curved and the corners rounded, and the tub 11 is shaped like a polyhedron with a base corresponding in shape to that of the lid 12.
The lid 12 has a shaped perimeter edge 13 defining an arched profile which is able to be superimposed, coupling through interference, over the perimeter edge 14 of the tub 11.
To be more exact, the perimeter edge 13, which develops around a plane central zone 17 of the lid 12, has a segment 15, from the inside to the outside and facing upwards, and a curvilinear section 16 which extends as far as below said central zone 17 and has at the end a tooth 18 facing towards the inside (figs. 15 and 16).
Advantageously, between the segment 15 and the curvilinear section 16 there are a plurality of small ribs 19 with the function of stiffening the perimeter edge 13.
Moreover, in correspondence with one corner, the lid 12 has a small gripping lip 20 protruding towards the outside with respect to the perimeter edge 13 (fig. 16), the function of which will be explained hereafter.
The perimeter edge 14 of the tub 11 comprises instead, from the inside towards the outside, a first substantially curvilinear section 21, a second substantially vertical section 22, provided with a ridge 25 facing towards the outside, a third substantially horizontal section 23 and a terminal section, or fourth section 24, facing upwards and substantially opposite the second section 22 (figs. 10 and 11).
The third section 23 is longer in correspondence with the corner of the gripping lip 20, to allow the latter to be housed (fig. 12).
Advantageously, the terminal section 24 is slightly inclined towards the outside, by an angle comprised between 5° and 10° with respect to the vertical, and protrudes upwards for a few millimeters, for example between 2 mm and 5 mm, with respect to the third section 23.
Between the walls 26 of the tub 11 and the first section 21 and the second section 22, there are a plurality of ribs 27 with the function of stiffening the perimeter edge 14.
The gap between the ridge 25 and the terminal section 24 of the perimeter edge 14 is slightly less than the thickness of the curvilinear section 16 of the perimeter edge 13 in correspondence with the tooth 18.
Moreover, in the corner located in correspondence with the lip 20, the perimeter edge 14 has a relative portion 28, comprising a part of the third section 23 and a part of the fourth section 24; this portion 28 is delimited by a plurality of notches defining a line of breakage 29 by means of which said portion 28 can be bent or completely removed (figs. 7, 9 and 11).
In a single piece with the portion 28 there is an appendix 30 able to be gripped in order to allow the portion 28 to be bent or removed more easily.
When the lid 12 is associated with the tub 11, the curvilinear section 16 of the perimeter edge 13 is superimposed over the first section 21, the second section 22 and the third section 23 of the perimeter edge 14, and is partly inserted in the hollow between the second section 22 and the terminal section 24, with the latter containing it laterally towards the outside.
In this condition, the tooth 18 is attached to the ridge 25, in a zone located below the upper profile of the tub 11 and protected by the presence of the third section 23 and the terminal section 24 of the perimeter edge 14 (figs. 3 and 4).
The lid 12 is therefore removable only by widening the perimeter edge 13 towards the outside and then lifting it, so that the tooth 18 passes over the ridge 25.
If the container 10 is still whole, that is, it has to be opened for the first time, this is very difficult to do, or substantially impossible without the aid of a tool, due to the presence of the terminal section 24 of the perimeter edge 14 which prevents access to the lip 20 and hence an adequate grip of the perimeter edge 13.
In order to open the container 10 it is therefore necessary to apply leverage to the appendix 30 and, pulling, bend or remove the portion 28 of the second perimeter edge 14, so as to access the lip 20 in order to lift the lid 12.
Lifting the lid 12 determines the elastic deformation of the terminal section 24 which, thrust by the curvilinear section 16, slightly widens towards the outside, allowing the tooth 18 to pass over the ridge 25 (figs. 5 and 6).
After the first opening, the container 10 can be closed again, by again associating the lid 12 with the tub 11, and then re-opened always by lifting the lid in correspondence with the lip 20.
The invention thus allows to obtain an effective and secure closure of the container 10, allowing it substantially to be opened only by means of deliberately bending or removing the portion 28.
The risk of accidental removal of the lid 12 is very much reduced both because of the conformation of the perimeter edges 13 and 14, and also because the zone of constraint between the lid 12 and the tub 11, that is, in correspondence with the coupling of the tooth 18 and the ridge 25, is protected from knocks or other stresses by the presence of the third section 23 and the terminal section 24 of the perimeter edge 14.
It is clear, however, that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the container for foodstuffs 10 as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.
For example, the portion 28 can comprise only one part of the terminal section 24, or there may be two or more portions 28 able to be bent or removed in order to allow the lid 12 to be removed.
Moreover, the tooth 18 and the ridge 25 can extend even for one part only, advantageously a substantial part, of the relative perimeter edges.
Or the constraint between the lid 12 on the tub 11 can be obtained by means of a different coupling through interference, for example by means of a male-female coupling obtained by inserting a ridge in a corresponding cavity.
Furthermore, the conformation of the tub 11 and the lid 12 can be different from those shown here, just as the shape of the tooth 18, the ridge 25 and the terminal section 24 can also be different.
It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of container for foodstuffs, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.

Claims

Container for foodstuffs comprising at least a tub (11) and a lid (12) able to be selectively associated with said tub (11), wherein said lid (12) has a first perimeter edge (13) able to be superimposed, at least partly, over a second perimeter edge (14) of said tub (11), wherein said first perimeter edge (13), at one end, has first constraint means (18) able to cooperate with second constraint means (25) present on said second perimeter edge (14), wherein said second perimeter edge (14) includes a section (24) able to contain and protect laterally said first perimeter edge (13) in order to prevent in the inactive condition the lifting and release of said lid (12) from said tub (11), and wherein at least a portion (28) of said second perimeter edge (14), comprising at least a part of said section (24), is able to be removed, or bent, so as to allow said lid (12) to be lifted and removed from said tub (11), characterized in that the first perimeter edge (13) has an arched profile, the second perimeter edge (14) is bent towards the outside, and the section (24) is a terminal section of the second perimeter edge (14).
Container for foodstuffs as in claim 1, characterized in that said terminal section (24) is bent upwards.
Container for foodstuffs as in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said second constraint means (25) are opposite said terminal section (24).
Container for foodstuffs as in claim 3, characterized in that said second constraint means (25) are disposed below the upper profile of said tub (11).
Container for foodstuffs as in claim 3 or 4, characterized in that said second perimeter edge (14) comprises at least a first curvilinear section (21), a second substantially vertical section (22), a third substantially horizontal section (23) and said terminal section (24), and in that said terminal section (24) is opposite said second section (22).
Container for foodstuffs as in claim 5, characterized in that said portion (28) comprises a part of said third section (23) and a part of said terminal section (24).
Container for foodstuffs as in any claim from 3 to 6, characterized in that said first constraint means (18) comprise at least a tooth and said second constraint means (25) comprise at least a ridge on which said tooth is able to engage.
Container for foodstuffs as in any claim from 3 to 6, characterized in that said first constraint means (18) and said second constraint means (25) define between them a male-female coupling.
Container for foodstuffs as in any claim from 3 to 6, characterized in that said first constraint means (18) and said second constraint means (25) develop for at least a substantial part of said first perimeter edge (13) and of said second perimeter edge (14).
Container for foodstuffs as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said terminal section (24) is inclined towards the outside by an angle comprised between 5° and 10° with respect to a vertical plane.
Container for foodstuffs as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said terminal section (24) has a length comprised between 2 mm and 5 mm.
Container for foodstuffs as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said portion (28) is delimited by a plurality of notches defining a line of preferential breakage (29).
Container for foodstuffs as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said second perimeter edge (14) comprises an appendix (30) associated with said portion (28) able to be gripped so as to allow said portion (28) to be bent or removed more easily.
Container for foodstuffs as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that, in correspondence with said portion (28), said first perimeter edge (13) comprises a lip (20) able to be gripped so as to remove said lid (12) after said portion (28) has been bent or removed.