EP2089288A1

EP2089288A1 - Container with lid

Info

Publication number: EP2089288A1
Application number: EP07822374A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Arjen Schepen; Gert-Jan Raatgever
Original assignee: LE MARAIS BV
Current assignee: LE MARAIS BV
Priority date: 2006-11-08
Filing date: 2007-11-08
Publication date: 2009-08-19
Anticipated expiration: 2027-11-08
Also published as: DK2089288T3; EP2089288B1; DE202007015543U1; US20100133285A1; WO2008055955A1; DE602007013457D1; AR063615A1; ATE502865T1; ES2362046T3

Abstract

The present disclosure pertains to an assembly, comprising a container, comprising a profiled closure such as a screw thread or a bayonet fitting, whereby the closure part of the container is arranged on the inside thereof, and a lid, having a closure counterpart matching that of the container for providing a seal, whereby the closure part of the lid is arranged on the outside thereof. The invention further relates to a container and a lid. The container is provided with a sealing surface, and the lid is provided with a matching sealing surface, such that in the closed state of the assembly at least the closure part and the sealing surface of the lid are located inside the container and below the rim thereof.

Description

Container with lid

The present disclosure pertains to an assembly, comprising a container, comprising a profiled closure such as a screw thread or a bayonet fitting, whereby the closure part of the container is arranged on the inside thereof, and a lid, having a closure counterpart matching that of the container for providing a seal, whereby the closure part of the lid is arranged on the outside thereof. The disclosure also relates to a container and a lid.

An assembly of a container for a beverage and a lid providing a seal therefor, preferably in the form of a closure which may be opened and closed more than once, is generally known, e.g. in the form of a bottle. In order to drink from such a container, a consumer has to remove the lid and either drink straight from the bottle, which is considered uncivilised by many, or pour the beverage in a separate container for drinking, which forces the consumer to provide or carry an additional container such as a cup, a glass or a mug etc.

Further, when drinking straight from a container, the mouth of the consumer generally touches the closure of the container. Especially when the closure comprises a profiled part such as a screw thread, this may give an unpleasant feeling and may cause the fluid to collect in and/or leak along the profile. This may cause staining of objects and clothes by the fluid and/or unhygienic microbial growth in the collected fluid. Solutions to the above problems have been presented in the art. WO 2005/077774, e.g., discloses a container with a closure portion defining a center axis, said closure portion having an outer side and an inner side, said inner side having a thread, the bottom of the groove of said thread lying on a revolved surface, where the thread is divided into a number of segments along the helical path of said thread, said thread segments separated by a number of gaps, each of said gaps extending in depth at least to said revolved surface. In this way a container is provided which is comfortable to the mouth of a person drinking directly from the container. In addition, a container is provided which has low flow resistance and helps to prevent fluid from collecting in the thread. WO 2005/077774 thus teaches to drink straight from the bottle.

Further, US 2005/0092760 discloses a beverage container convertible to a stemmed drinking glass and a method of fabricating the same. The convertible wine bottle comprises four main elements which are assembled and filled with wine in a bottling process. The wine bottle has basically four integrated components with ancillary structure. These four integrated components are manipulated by the consumer to transform the wine bottle into a stemmed drinking glass with an appropriate portion of beverage therein. Such a convertible beverage container provides users the pleasure of drinking their beverage from a stemmed glass. Once completed, the structure may be reassembled and recycled. GB 468 161 relates to a paper container with a screw cap closure. The closure cap is provided with an outwardly- flanged rim adapted to be pressed against the sharp upper edge of the container when the cap is in sealing position. In operation the flanged rim of the cap bears against the upper edge of the container when the cap is screwed into the container, whereby an effective closure is obtained.

Other containers with internal closures and lids sealing on the upper edge of the container are disclosed in DE 20 2004 015 220 Ul and in DE 20 2004 017 788 Ul. EP 0 931 729 describes a container closure assembly, wherein the container has an access opening covered by a central portion having a weakened portion. A removable closure member is provided over the container covering the inner closure plus the container rim and preferably at least a portion of the container neck. Twisting the removable closure such as by threading action on the inner closure breaks the weakened portion of the central portion and opens the container.

EP 1 120 091 discloses a receptacle for infectious waste with an aperture and a closing lid. The aperture and lid are of truncated conical section and shaped to seal against one another when closed. The lid locks in place by means of lugs or spiral cams. The seal is provided by a flexible skirt on the lid engaging with a groove with an elastic joint round the inner surface of the aperture. When the lid is locked in place, the container is closed permanently.

Closure assemblies are also known. E.g. US 2,026,304 discloses a container having a neck, walls of the neck being internally threaded from its upper end for a portion of its length. Underneath, the neck is unthreaded and tapered downwardly and in spaced relation to the lower end of the threaded portion an internal circumferentially extending shoulder portion is arranged. A flat disk of rigid material is fitted into the neck and rests upon said shoulder with its margins contacting with walls of the neck. A stopper separate from the disk is formed of resilient and compressible material and is screwed into the neck with its lower portion compressed by the tapered portion of the walls of the neck and its lower end face in flat contacting engagement with the disk.

GB 1 236 637 discloses a closure construction comprising a plug receiving flange moulded of plastics material, a metal securing ring having an inner portion, and a closure plug moulded of plastics material. The closure plug, when threadedly engaged with the receiving flange, forces a wall portion against the metal securing ring. The annulus of the receiving flange terminates at its lower end in a weakened tearing strip section. A pocket receives a pull member when the plug is united with the receiving flange. The top surface of plug has four finger engaging recesses.

The assemblies described in these prior art documents still show shortcomings, such as the nature of drinking from a bottle and/or the complexity, materials use and size of the described containers and lids, which poses limits on their practical use. It is therefore desired to provide an improved assembly of a container, e.g. such as a drinking cup, glass or mug, and matching lid.

To that end, the assembly is characterised in that the container is provided with a sealing surface, such as provided by an edge, a rim or a facet and the lid is provided with a matching sealing surface, such that, in the closed state of the assembly, at least the closure part and the sealing surface of the lid, preferably all functional features such as the closure and sealing portions and a portion of the lid blocking the aperture of the container to be closed by the lid, are located inside the container and below the rim thereof. This allows to use less material compared to a lid or cap according to the prior art, since the lid of the inventive assembly obviates the need for a skirt gripping over the rim of the container and effecting a closure on (at least) the top-edge of the container, as taught in the prior art.

Preferably, the seal is at least fluid tight, such that the assembly is suited for containing and transporting fluids. The inventive assembly may be sized so that the lid approaches, or even touches, the fluid level of a filled container in the natural upright position so that the empty volume of the container between the fluid level, in particular the liquid level and the lower inner surface of the lid is minimised. Thus less air is trapped and the contents of the container can be kept longer compared to packages wherein more volume remains, while no more material is needed for providing a skirt or for otherwise resizing the lid.

In comparison, in prior art containers, in order to decrease the empty volume, the size of the lid has to be increased to reach down inside the container and/or the fluid level has to be raised to lie in the neck of the container, which causes an increased ratio of packaging material/content compared to the inventive assembly. Raising the fluid level in a narrow neck of a container results in an increased sensitivity to the filling process, as a small variation, e.g. only a few millilitres, of the filled quantity can cause the fluid level to vary over appreciable distances. This may cause the container to overflow during filling, leading to spilling, or to filled containers appearing to contain varying and possibly too little content, leading to dissatisfied customers.

According to the disclosure , the closure of a beverage container is preferably located more than approximately 0.5 cm, preferably more than approximately 1 cm or even more from the top of the container, suitably between approximately one twentieth and one fifth of the interior height of the container, so that the chance of a consumer touching the closure, e.g. a screw thread, with his/her mouth are minimised and the customary sensation of drinking from a container such as a drinking cup, glass or mug is unaffected.

Preferably, the lid comprises means, such as protrusions and/or recesses, for manually opening and/or closing the container with the lid, so that no tools are necessary and a convenient package is provided.

In a preferred embodiment, the container and/or lid are/is provided with a portion having a tapered and/or stepped shape so as to render them/it stackable on and/or in an other similarly shaped, possibly closed, container or lid. Thus, a number of containers and/or lids may be stored space- efficiently. The tapered and/or stepped portion may comprise the entire container.

In a more preferred embodiment, the container and lid are provided with cooperating features, e.g. one or more ridges or protrusions and matching recesses, for providing a stable stacking arrangement of the container on the lid and/or of the container on a similarly shaped closed beverage container assembly. In this way, the stacking and storing efficiency and security may be increased, so that there is less chance of a stack of filled containers falling over. Such features are especially useful for display-purposes, where additional packaging material, such as cardboard boxes surrounding the containers would decrease the attractiveness of the display. Such features can (also) be arranged on the inside of the lid, so that an inverted lid, possibly showing a different colour or image than a non-inverted lid, may serve as a stable and/or attractive stand or coaster for the container.

For advertisement purposes the container and/or the lid may be partially, preferably fully, covered with a printable or printed packaging material, which may have transparent or translucent parts, especially when the container and/or lid is/are transparent or translucent themselves. The container, lid and/or packaging material may comprise a breakable portion and/or a removable region, e.g. a tear-off tab, for providing a tamper-evident package. Packaging covering the rim of the container may also improve the hygienic aspects of the assembly, as the drinking part of the container is protected from collecting dirt, germs etc. during storage and handling. The invention will hereafter be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings showing embodiments by way of example.

Fig. IA shows a top view of an assembly of a beverage container and a lid according to the present disclosure in closed state.

Fig. IB shows a cross-sectional view of the assembly of Fig. IA, taken along the line D-D.

Fig. 1C shows a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale of the assembly of Fig. IA, as indicated in Fig. IB.

Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of two stacked containers and stacked lids of an assembly according to Figs. lA-lC.

Figs . 3A shows a top view of a second embodiment of an assembly of a container and a lid.

Fig. 3B shows a cross-sectional view of the assembly of Fig. 3A, taken along the line B-B.

Fig. 3C shows detail C of Fig. 3A on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3D shows a cross-sectional view of the assembly of Fig. 3A, taken along the line P-P.

Fig. 4A and 4B show cross-sectional views of two stacked containers and stacked lids of the assembly of Figs. 3A- 3D, wherein Fig. 4A corresponds to the view of Fig. 3B and Fig. 4B corresponds to the view of Fig. 3D. Figures 1A-2 show an assembly 1, comprising a beverage container 2 in the shape of a generally round drinking glass 2, and a matching lid 3. The glass 2 is provided with a screw thread profile 4 and a sealing ridge 5 on its interior wall, both located below the rim 6 of the glass. The lid 3 is provided with a matching screw thread profile 7 on its outer wall and with three ridges 8A, 8B, 9 at its underside, underneath the closure part. The lid 3 is further provided with a rim 10 and three protrusions 11, arranged in a star-shaped pattern, providing finger grips for opening and closing the container 2 with the lid 3.

A liquid-tight and, depending on the materials used, substantially gas-tight seal between the container 2 and lid 3 is provided by the ridges 8A and 8B of the lid 3, fitting around the sealing ridge 5 of the container 2 when the lid 3 is screwed into the container 2. The ridges 8A, 8B may be generally somewhat resilient or flexible to snugly engage the sealing ridge 5. Further sealing contact may be provided by the outer ridge 9 and/or the rim 10 of the lid 3 with the inner wall of the glass 2. Thus a reliable and reproducible fluid-tight sealing may be provided, which may be opened and/or closed with a, to a certain extent, predetermined amount of force.

Another suitable sealing arrangement is a simple substantially flat surface in the inner wall of the container 2 which is engaged by a matching surface of the lid 3. All sealing surfaces may be provided with a soft and/or generally resilient lining to increase the sealing properties of the contact, if so desired.

Arranging a seal underneath the closure, on the interior side of the container, may substantially prevent that the contents of the container penetrate into the closure, possibly soiling the closure and/or hampering its operation, e.g. in case of sticky and/or hardening fluids such as honey or paint . The twisting movement needed for opening and/or closing the container can be gently dosed by the fingers of most consumers. Further, the main force components are essentially directed parallel to the fluid surface. Thus, the container can remain substantially horizontal during opening and closing. This minimises shaking of the contents and reduces the chances of spilling of the contents of the container.

The glass 2 has a generally single-walled conical shape, which shows a slight step at the position of the closure so that a number of empty, open glasses 2 may stacked (Fig. 2) . Similarly, lids 3 are stackable (Fig. 2) . A glass 2 may also be stacked on the lid 3 of a closed glass 2 (not shown) . The stacking arrangement of a glass 2 on a lid 3 may be rendered more stable by providing finger grips on the lid in the form of recesses in an otherwise flat top surface or by providing the parts 2,3 with matching profiles.

In Figs. 3A-4B, another embodiment is shown. In these figures, parts and elements corresponding to those of Figs. IA-2 are indicated with the same reference numerals. In this embodiment, the lid 3 is provided with a single ridge 9 at its underside, providing a sealing rim for snugly engaging the inner wall of the container 2. Further, the glass 2 is provided with a substantially flat sealing shoulder 5A and the lid 3 is provided with a matching sealing surface 9A, providing an additional seal.

In this embodiment, the lid 3 is substantially symmetrical and is provided with a finger gripping ridge 12, formed by a raised portion with respect to the bottom of the lid 3. Or, put differently, the ridge 12 is formed by recesses 13 in the lid 3. On the top surface of the lid 3 four protrusions 14 are provided, between which the bottom of a container 2 may fit, improving the stability of a stack of containers and lids. The lid 3 is provided with an edge 14A on which the edge 9A of another lid 3 may rest for increasing stability and separability of stacked lids 3.

As is shown most clearly in Fig. 3D, the interior surface 15 of the lid 3 is provided with a portion 16 which extends relatively further into the container 2 than the other portions of the surface. When the assembly 1 is placed upright as shown in the figures, fluid adhering to (the surface 15 of) the lid 3, e.g. condensate or fluid shaken against the lid, is likely to run down the interior surfaces and collect at the (locally) lowest portion 16. Thus, the formation of drops which are sufficiently large for falling off the lid is promoted and the risk of fluid drops spilling and/or dripping outside the container when the lid is removed from the container is reduced, compared to a flat, e.g. horizontal surface.

In this embodiment the surface 15 underneath the recesses 13 is sloping downwards to collection points 16 in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the lid 3 with respect to the container 2 for opening the assembly 1, as may be appreciated from Figs. 3A and 3D. When opening the assembly 1 by rotating the lid 3 and holding the container 2 essentially stationary, fluid adhering to the surface 15 will be spun towards the collection points 16. Thus, formation of drops sufficiently large for falling into the container is promoted further and the risk of leaking or spilling fluid outside the container is reduced further. The rim 9 forms an upstanding rim when the lid is turned upside down. Thus, fluid still adhering to the inside surfaces of the lid 3 will collect within the rim and spilling is further prevented. Such collection points or dripping points 16 and/or sloping surface 15 may also be used with a known lid, e.g. a lid gripping over the rim of a container and sealing on the upper rim of a container or on the outside thereof, for reducing spilling outside the container. The container 2 and the lid 3 of the embodiment of

Figs. 3A-4B are again stackable (see Figs 4A and 4B). The container 2 of this embodiment is provided with interior ribs 17 at its bottom, for reinforcement and increasing stability and separability of a stacked series of containers, as indicated in Figs. 4A and 4B.

The inventive assembly 1, although suitable for reuse, is also very well suited for being sold as a disposable package, e.g. filled with a beverage, such as carbonated drinks or water, milk, fruit juices, wine etc. For this, the container is preferably sized to contain about a litre or less, e.g. a standardized quantity of the beverage, such as approximately 0.33, 0.25, 0.2, 0.15 or 0.1 litre, although 0.5 or even 1.0 litre are equally conceivable, generally depending on the type of beverage. The glass 2 may be provided with a mark for indicating a fill-level and/or content.

The container 2 and/or lid 3 can be made of the same or of different (combinations of) materials. They may be glass or metal such as aluminium or steel, but are preferably made with a plastics material, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinylchloride or polystytrene, which allows to fabricate containers and/or lids using techniques which are well known in the art such as blow- moulding, injection-moulding and/or thermoforming. Such a container prevents risks due to broken glass, or due to sharp and/or rusty metal edges. Further, the container and/or lid can also readily be made disposable.

In another embodiment the container and/or the lid is (are) made with a relatively cheap material, such as paper or cardboard, lined on the inside with a food-safe fluid-barrier. Preferably, the materials of the assembly are relatively rapidly bio-degradable such as maize-based plastics.

The invention is not restricted to the above described embodiments which can be varied in a number of ways within the scope of the claims. For instance, the container can be provided with a gripping handle and the lid may have a single gripping ridge. Further, the lid and/or container may be provided with one or more, preferably integrally formed or detachable, objects such as grips, handles, ornaments, merchandise items or tokens for a contest. For this, the lid and/or the container may be provided with a dedicated space, e.g. in a recess in the lid, in a double bottom of the container or (partially) hidden underneath the packaging wrapping. The assembly should then preferably be appropriately shaped to (still) enable stacking thereof. As such objects do not form part of the lid per se, i.e. the functional features of the lid such as the closure part, the sealing surface and a main body portion blocking the opening of the container to be closed by the lid, they may protrude above and/or beyond the rim of the container. The lid may further be provided with a pressure relief system or mechanism for acting as a safety measure, e.g. a gas- permeable membrane and/or a tear-off tab which will give way at a predetermined pressure which might build up in a closed container due to a carbonated beverage and/or to increased temperature such as when left in the sun in a closed automobile. Such a tab may also be removable by a consumer prior to opening the lid, so as not to risk inadvertent splashing and spilling of contents under pressure.

In addition, the lid may comprise a direct-drink arrangement, such as a spout or an opening or access for a drinking straw, which may be provided in the assembly.

The container may comprise a plurality of openings, one or more being provided with a lid as described above or being arranged therefor. In general, a relatively large lid may, in turn, be provided with or arranged for a smaller lid according to the descriptions above. Conversely, a relatively large lid according to the descriptions above may be provided with or arranged for a smaller lid. Furthermore, features described in conjunction with one embodiment may be suitably combined with any other feature described with respect to the same or a different embodiment.

Claims

1. Assembly (1), comprising a container (2) , comprising a profiled closure (4), such as a screw thread or a bayonet fitting, whereby the closure part (4) of the container (2) is arranged on the inside thereof, and a lid (3), having a closure counterpart (7) matching that of the container for providing a seal, whereby the closure part (7) of the lid (3) is arranged on the outside thereof, characterised in that the container (2) is provided with a sealing surface (5,5A), such as provided by an edge, a rim or a facet and the lid (3) is provided with a matching sealing surface (8A, 8B, 9, 9A) , such that, in the closed state of the assembly (1), at least the closure part (7) and the sealing surface (8A,8B,9,9A) of the lid (3) are located inside the container (2) and below the rim (6) thereof. 2. Assembly (1) according to claim 1, wherein the seal is at least fluid tight.

3. Assembly (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the container (2) is a container for a beverage, such as a drinking cup, glass or mug. 4. Assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the seal is arranged underneath the closure part .

5. Assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lid (3) comprises means (11,12,13), such as protrusions (11,12) and/or recesses (13), for manually opening and/or closing the assembly (1). β. Assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the container (2) and/or lid (3) are/is provided with a portion having a tapered and/or stepped shape so as to render them/it stackable on and/or in an other similarly shaped, possibly closed, container (2) or lid (3).

7. Assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the container (2) and lid (3) are provided with cooperating features (14), for providing a stable stacking arrangement of the container (2) on the lid (3) and/or of the container (2) on a similarly shaped closed container assembly (D .

8. Assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lid (3) comprises an interior surface (15) provided with a portion (16) extending relatively further into the container (2) than another portion of the surface (15) for collecting fluid adhering to the lid (3).

9. Assembly (1) according to claim 8, wherein the assembly (1) is openable by rotating the lid (3) with respect to the container (2) in a particular direction and the surface at the underside of the lid (3) comprises a portion (13) with a downwards slope towards the portion for collecting fluid (16), wherein the slope is downwards in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation for opening the lid (3) .

10. Assembly (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the container (2) and/or the lid (3) is (are) at least partially, preferably fully, covered with a printable or printed packaging material.

11. Assembly (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the lid (3) further comprises a pressure release mechanism. 12. Assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the container (2) is sized for containing a standardized quantity of a beverage, such as approximately 1.0, 0.5, 0.33, 0.25, 0.2, 0.15 or 0.1 litre.

13. Assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the container (2) and/or lid (3) is (are) disposable and/or bio-degradable .

14. Beverage container (2) closed with a lid (3) and containing a beverage, wherein the container (2) and/or the lid (3) are part of an assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.

15. Beverage container (2) closed with a lid (3) and containing a beverage according to claim 14, whereby the container (2) and/or the lid (3) is (are) at least partially, preferably fully, covered with a printable or printed packaging material.

16. Beverage container (2) closed with a lid (3) and containing a beverage according to claim 14 or 15, whereby the container (2), the lid (3) and/or the packaging material _

comprises a breakable portion and/or a removable region, such as a tear-off tab, for providing a tamper-evident packaging.

17. Container (2) or lid (3) presenting all the features of the container (2) or the lid (3) according to any one of the preceding claims and thus constructed and evidently intended for use in an assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.