EP2876056A1

EP2876056A1 - Airtight container lid assembly

Info

Publication number: EP2876056A1
Application number: EP12881511.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sang Man Im
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-07-19
Filing date: 2012-10-12
Publication date: 2015-05-27
Also published as: WO2014014160A1; KR101186260B1; US20150203264A1; JP2015525715A; BR112015000567A2; CN104487358A

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a lid assembly for an airtight container in which an airtight container product may be directed in various manners by having an improved lid assembly such that a lid body and locking blade portions are integrally formed of different materials, and Tritan resin which has high transparency and is an eco-friendly material may be effectively applied to the lid assembly. To this end, the lid assembly for an airtight container includes a lid body (210) injection-molded with synthetic resin so as to cover an upper portion of an airtight container (100), the lid body (210) having a slot-shaped embedded groove (211) provided in a band form along an upper surface edge thereof and a packing groove (212) provided in a band form along a lower surface edge thereof, a lid-flange member (220) injection-molded with synthetic resin so as to surround an edge of the lid body (210) and have a ring shape after the lid-flange member (220) is inserted and arranged in a synthetic resin injection mold, the lid-flange member (220) including an inside hooking jaw (221) provided on an inner side thereof such that the inside hooking jaw (221) is hooked by an inside of the embedded groove (211) of the lid body (210), a flange (223) provided on an outer side thereof such that the flange (223) surrounds the edge of the lid body (210) and has an outside hooking jaw (222) hooked by an outer wall lower end of the packing groove (212), and locking blades (226) integrally formed at regular intervals along an edge of the flange (223) through snap-hinge portions (224) and having locking jaws (225) elastically hooked by a hooking protrusion (110) of the airtight container (100), and a silicon packing (230) installed in the packing groove (212) of the lid body (210) so as to come into close contact with the opened upper portion of the airtight container (100).

Description

[Technical Field]

The present invention relates to a lid assembly for an airtight container, and more particularly to a lid assembly for an airtight container to which a locking function is applicable so as to store food with safety without a leakage of smell or moisture.

[Background Art]

When food is generally stored in a refrigerator or the like, unique smell and moisture of the food itself leak out. Thus, in order to prevent the same, the food is stored in an airtight container. A conventional airtight container includes a container body having an opened upper portion, and a lid having locking blades for opening and closing the container body. The container body is injection-molded with synthetic resin to have a square or cylindrical shape, and has a storage space defined therein. In addition, a hooking protrusion for hooking each of the locking blades protrudes to be provided at an opened end portion of a side wall of the container body. The locking blades are integrally formed along an edge of the lid so as to turn outward, and each is provided with a hooking jaw hooked by the hooking protrusion. Accordingly, when the upper portion is covered by the lid and then each of the locking blades is pressed downward, the hooking jaw is elastically coupled to the hooking protrusion of the container body so that the lid is securely locked thereto. When the locking blade is lifted up, restriction of the hooking jaw is released so that the lid is opened.
However, the conventional airtight container has a disadvantage in that the container body made of synthetic resin (PP) is easily discolored by contents stored therein. In recent years, the purchasing power of products is lowered due to a negative image about peculiar environmental hormone of synthetic resin. In particular, the container body and the lid are made of polypropylene (referred to as "PP") which is thermoplastic resin obtained by polymerization of propylene, and such polypropylene has high ductility and low transparency.
In recent years, Tritan resin having high transparency without inducing environmental hormone is also used. The Tritan resin is an advanced eco-friendly material which is newly developed by Eastman Chemical Company, U.S. global company, and refers to a pure polyesert material to which bisphenol-A (BPA) as a suspected environmental hormone substance and a harmful plasticizer to the human body are not added. Since the Tritan resin has all of an advantage of plastic and an advantage (transparency) of glass, the Tritan resin is used for an airtight container product. However, the Tritan resin has high transparency and low ductility, and is thus not applied to a lid product having locking blades. That is, when a lid product integrally formed with locking blades which are repeatedly folded and used is made of Tritan resin, a snap-hinge portion of each locking blade is easily damaged.
For this reason, a container product in which a container body is made of a Tritan resin material and a lid having locking blades is made of a polypropylene (PP) material has been recently released. However, the product purchasing power of consumers is generally lowered due to the container lid made of a polypropylene (PP) material.

[Disclosure]

[Technical Problem]

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a lid assembly for an airtight container in which an airtight container product may be directed in various manners by having an improved lid assembly such that a lid body and locking blade portions are integrally formed of different materials. In addition, Tritan resin which has high transparency and is an eco-friendly material may be effectively applied to the lid assembly for an airtight container.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lid assembly for an airtight container in which an advanced Tritan material having all advantages of plastic and glass may be applied to an airtight container lid and locking blades requiring ductility may be integrated with each other so as to realize a locking function.

[Technical Solution]

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a lid assembly for an airtight container, capable of opening and closing an airtight container having a hooking protrusion provided on an opened upper edge thereof.
The lid assembly includes a lid body injection-molded with synthetic resin so as to cover an upper portion of the airtight container, the lid body having a slot-shaped embedded groove provided in a band form along an upper surface edge thereof and a packing groove provided in a band form along a lower surface edge thereof, a lid-flange member injection-molded with synthetic resin so as to surround an edge of the lid body and have a ring shape after the lid-flange member is inserted and arranged in a synthetic resin injection mold, the lid-flange member including an inside hooking jaw provided on an inner side thereof such that the inside hooking jaw is hooked by an inside of the embedded groove of the lid body, a flange provided on an outer side thereof such that the flange surrounds the edge of the lid body and has an outside hooking jaw hooked by an outer wall lower end of the packing groove, and locking blades integrally formed at regular intervals along an edge of the flange through snap-hinge portions and having locking jaws elastically hooked by the hooking protrusion of the airtight container, and a silicon packing installed in the packing groove of the lid body so as to come into close contact with the opened upper portion of the airtight container.
In addition, the lid body of the lid assembly may be formed of Tritan resin, and the lid-flange member of the lid assembly may be formed of polypropylene resin.

[Advantageous Effects]

In accordance with a lid assembly for an airtight container of the present invention having the above configuration, the lid assembly is formed of Tritan resin having advantages of plastic and glass and then a lid-flange member having locking blades is integrated with the lid assembly, thereby enabling an airtight container product to be directed by different materials in various manners. In addition, the Tritan resin which has high transparency and is an eco-friendly material may be effectively applied to the lid assembly.
Furthermore, in accordance with the lid assembly for an airtight container of the present invention, the advanced Tritan resin having all advantages of plastic and glass may be applied to an airtight container lid and the locking blades requiring ductility may be integrated with each other so as to realize a locking function. In addition, various colors are applied to the lid-flange member configured by the locking blades and thus the airtight container product may be distinguished.

[Description of Drawings]

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a lid assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention applied to an airtight container having a bowl shape;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the lid assembly for an airtight container according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the lid assembly for an airtight container according to the embodiment of the present invention taken along line III-III of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a lid body of the lid assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of the lid body according to the embodiment of the present invention taken along line V-V of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a lid-flange member of the lid assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of the lid-flange member of the lid assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 6; and
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a use state of the lid assembly for an airtight container according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Description of Reference Numerals]

100:	airtight container	110:	hooking protrusion
200:	lid assembly	210:	lid body
221:	inside hooking jaw	222:	outside hooking jaw
223:	flange	224:	snap-hinge
225:	locking jaw	226:	locking blade
230:	silicon packing

[Best Mode]

Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, FIGS. 1 to 7 show a configuration of a lid assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 8 show a use state of the lid assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Configuration of Lid Assembly for Airtight Container of the Present Invention]

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a lid assembly of an airtight container 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may open and close an airtight container 100 by applying a locking function to the airtight container 100 having a hooking protrusion 110 which is provided in an outward flange form on an opened upper edge. The lid assembly 200 includes a lid body 210 which is injection-molded with synthetic resin so as to cover an upper portion of the airtight container 100, a lid-flange member 220 which is formed of synthetic resin along an edge of the lid body 210 to surround the same and has a plurality of locking blades 226 integrally formed with the edge, and a silicon packing 230 arranged along a lower surface edge of the lid body 210.
The lid assembly 200 is configured such that the lid body 210 and the lid-flange member 220 are integrally formed of different materials which are not fused with each other. To this end, a detailed structure of each component is as follows.
First, referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, the lid body 210 is injection-molded with synthetic resin so as to the upper portion of the airtight container 100, and has a slot-shaped embedded groove 211 provided in a band form along an upper surface edge thereof and a packing groove 212 provided in a band form along the lower surface edge thereof. In the embodiment of the present invention, the lid body 210 has a shape capable of substantially covering the upper portion of the airtight container 100 in a dome form, and Tritan resin as an advanced eco-friendly material is applied to the lid body 210. The Tritan resin having all advantages of plastic and glass may be applied to the lid body 210 since the locking blades 226 requiring ductility are separately formed as described later.
Referring to FIGS. 3, 6, and 7, the lid-flange member 220 forming the lid assembly 200 is also manufactured through a synthetic resin injection mold. That is, after the lid body 210 manufactured with Tritan resin is inserted and arranged in the synthetic resin injection mold, the lid-flange member 220 is injection-molded with synthetic resin so as to surround the edge of the lid body 210 and has a ring shape. The lid-flange member 220 includes an inside hooking jaw 221 provided on an inner side thereof such that the inside hooking jaw 221 is hooked by an inside of the embedded groove 211 of the lid body 210, a flange 223 provided on an outer side thereof such that the flange 223 surrounds the edge of the lid body 210 and has an outside hooking jaw 222 hooked by an outer wall lower end of the packing groove 212, and the locking blades 226 which are integrally formed at regular intervals along an edge of the flange 223 through snap-hinge portions 224 and have locking jaws 225 elastically hooked by the hooking protrusion 110 of the airtight container 100. In the embodiment of the present invention, the lid-flange member 220 is formed of polypropylene resin such that each snap-hinge portion 224 may have high ductility. The lid-flange member 220 is formed after the lid body 210 primarily formed of Tritan resin is inserted and arranged in a secondary injection mold. In addition, the lid-flange member 220 undergoes contraction change of approximately 12/1000 in a hardening process after formation thereof due to material characteristics. Through such contraction change, the flange 223 of the lid-flange member 220 is reliably integrated to the edge portion of the lid body 210 without a separate adhesive member.
The silicon packing 230 (see FIG. 3) is received and installed in the packing groove 212 of the lid body 210 so as to come into close contact with the opened upper portion of the airtight container 100, as described above. Consequently, the silicon packing 230 may seal the airtight container 100.
Eventually, the lid assembly 200 may be configured as follows, so as to have the above structure. After the lid body 210 is primarily formed of an eco-friendly Tritan material having advantages of plastic and glass and then inserted and arranged in the injection mold for the lid-flange member 220, the lid-flange member 220 is formed of polypropylene resin such that each snap-hinge portion 224 may have high ductility. Consequently, the lid body 210 and the locking blades 226 may be manufactured by different materials.
Accordingly, since the lid-flange member 220 is manufactured to have different colors, the product of the lid assembly 200 of the airtight container 100 may be directed in more various manners. In addition, the Tritan resin which has high transparency and is an eco-friendly material may be effectively applied to the lid assembly 200. In particular, the advanced Tritan material may be applied to the lid assembly 200 of the airtight container 100 and the locking blades 226 requiring ductility may be integrated with each other so as to realize a locking function.

[Use of Lid Assembly of the Present Invention]

Hereinafter, a use state of the lid assembly of an airtight container according to the embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 8.
First, when the lid assembly 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention covers the upper portion of the airtight container 100, the opened upper edge of the airtight container 100 comes into contact with the silicon packing 230 arranged on the lower surface edge of the lid body 210.
In this state, when the locking blades 226 of the lid assembly 200 are pressed downward, the locking jaws 225 are fixedly hooked by the hooking protrusion 110 while the locking blades 226 turn about the snap-hinge portions 224. In this case, since the locking jaws 225 of the locking blades 226 are elastically deformed and fixed, the locked state by the locking blades 226 is not released unless an artificial force is applied thereto.
Meanwhile, when the locking blades 226 is lifted up, the locking jaws 225 of the locking blades 226 are elastically deformed and decoupled from the hooking protrusion 110. Thus, the locked state by the locking blades 226 is released so that the airtight container 100 may easily opened.
Meanwhile, although the lid assembly for an airtight container has been described to have a circular shape in the embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the technical idea of the present invention may be applied to a lid assembly having a square shape or a rectangular shape. Various embodiments have been described in the best mode for carrying out the invention.

[Industrial Applicability]

The present invention may be widely used in the field of a lid assembly for an airtight container for sealing an upper portion of an airtight container storing food.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

A lid assembly for an airtight container, capable of opening and closing an airtight container (100) having a hooking protrusion (110) provided on an opened upper edge thereof, the lid assembly (200) comprising:
a lid body (210) injection-molded with synthetic resin so as to cover an upper portion of the airtight container (100), the lid body (210) having a slot-shaped embedded groove (211) provided in a band form along an upper surface edge thereof and a packing groove (212) provided in a band form along a lower surface edge thereof;

a lid-flange member (220) injection-molded with synthetic resin so as to surround an edge of the lid body (210) and have a ring shape after the lid-flange member (220) is inserted and arranged in a synthetic resin injection mold, the lid-flange member (220) comprising an inside hooking jaw (221) provided on an inner side thereof such that the inside hooking jaw (221) is hooked by an inside of the embedded groove (211) of the lid body (210), a flange (223) provided on an outer side thereof such that the flange (223) surrounds the edge of the lid body (210) and has an outside hooking jaw (222) hooked by an outer wall lower end of the packing groove (212), and locking blades (226) integrally formed at regular intervals along an edge of the flange (223) through snap-hinge portions (224) and having locking jaws (225) elastically hooked by the hooking protrusion (110) of the airtight container (100); and

a silicon packing (230) installed in the packing groove (212) of the lid body (210) so as to come into close contact with the opened upper portion of the airtight container (100).
The lid assembly according to claim 1, wherein:
the lid body (210) of the lid assembly (200) is formed of Tritan resin; and

the lid-flange member (220) of the lid assembly (200) is formed of polypropylene resin.