FR2463063A3 - Container preventing spillage of liq. - is one piece moulding with thinner collar projecting inwards and upwards - Google Patents

Abstract

A flexible collar projecting inwards and upwards is provided close to the rim of a plastic container moulded in a single piece, for use with a replaceable cover. The collar has a similar action to that of the flanged rim of a metal container assembled from a number of pieces, so that containers on a conveyor can be filled to their maximal capacity without the risk of the paint, etc. spilling over. The collar is thinner than the container wall and has a number of slots so that the sections can deflect outwards together. On its outside surface the container has an upper rib which grips a shoulder inside the flange of the cover, and a lower rib which prevents an outside object from hooking under the lid. Attachments are provided for a carrying handle.

Description

 The present invention relates to containers and in particular containers such as pots or buckets intended to contain paint.

 It is customary to pack the paint in metal boxes, with or without a handle, closed at the top by a fitted cover to be removed by leverage. These boxes are quite laborious to manufacture and therefore relatively expensive.

For some time now, the paint has sometimes been packaged in containers, which can be called pots or buckets, molded in plastic. This method greatly simplifies manufacturing because the bottom and the wall of the container can be molded in one piece, only the lid having to be manufactured and placed separately. However, for the container body to be molded in one piece, the interior face of the container must be substantially free of protrusions, so that the mold core can be extracted from the interior of the container at the end of molding.

However, when containers are transported on a filling chain to be filled with paint, their movement is somewhat jerky so that when they are filled up to the vicinity of their top, the paint tends to spread by overflowing . This risk is not annoying with the usual boxes, manufactured by assembly, with a fitted cover because the latter, projecting inwards, tends to prevent the paint from overflowing, but raises on the other hand, with plastic containers, un.gros problem that we tried to solve either by modifying the filling lines so that the containers undergo less jerks, or by providing a container with increased capacity that can be filled less completely; however, it goes without saying that the latter solution is wasteful because it requires making a container larger than necessary to contain the desired amount of paint.

According to the present invention, there is provided a container for liquids opposing the overflow, comprising a side wall and a bottom molded in one piece from plastic, characterized in that it has the desired shape to receive and retain a replaceable cover and in that it has a flexible collar, directed inwards, molded in one piece with its side wall near the top thereof, this collar being inclined upwards and the interior at from its junction with the side wall.

 Preferably, the container is shaped so as to receive and retain a replaceable cover, said collar being of a single thickness, projecting inwards to a free edge and extending substantially over the entire periphery of the side wall, this collar being substantially thinner than the side wall and having slits which divide it into flexible parts independently of one another, so that all these parts can flex simultaneously towards the outside and the wall of the container and towards the top and top of the container.

The Applicant has found that the presence of such a flexible collar, projecting inwardly near the top of the container, is opposed to the spilling of the liquid by overflow substantially to the same extent as the fitted lid of the traditional metal box, so that the container can be filled on existing chains without having to modify them. Simultaneously, the container can be molded in one piece because, thanks to its flexibility, the collar projecting inwards can slide on the core of the mold when this core is extracted from the interior of the container at the end of the molding. This possibility is improved by the slots, which allow each rim part to fold down independently during this extraction, so that the distension suffered by the rim is less than if the rim constituted an uninterrupted ring.

 If paint crosses the top of the collar, for example due to a jerky movement suffered by the container during filling, or when use uses the rim to rid its brush of excess paint (because this is a secondary role, but very useful played by the collar), it flows initially inside the channel defined between the collar and the side wall, but does not remain there because it can pass into the body of the container through the slots.

 It will be noted that the slots thus assume a double function of drainage and of dividing the rim into flexible parts independently of each other.

A container according to the invention may include elements for the installation of a handle, molded with the wall of the container.

 Preferably, the container has one or more of a downwardly directed shoulder molded on the outside of its wall near its top, as well as a lid provided with an inwardly directed shoulder rim, intended to fit onto the top of the container and to be retained by pressing the shoulder of its rim against the shoulder or the shoulders of the container.

 Preferably, the cover has, on the periphery of its inner side, an annular gutter-intended to bear both against the inside and against the outside of the upper edge of the container wall, when the cover is placed on the container.

The contact of this gutter with the inside of the upper edge of the container wall, as well as with the outside of this wall, tends to stiffen the top of the container with its cover, which allows it to better resist deformations which would otherwise promote separation of the cooperating shoulders, so that the lid may come loose from the container.

According to another preferred aspect, the container may have, around the outside of its wall, a rib placed so as to extend just below the rim of the lid placed and wide enough to avoid catching the lid on d 'other articles.

This minimizes the risk of the cover accidentally detaching by hooking its rim on an underlying object while handling the container, or moving an adjacent object.

 Any cover assigned to the container preferably has on the outside a recess of dimensions desired to receive and hold the base of a similar container when two or more containers are stacked.

I1 is also preferable that the container has a side wall substantially perpendicular to its bottom.

 These two aspects facilitate the superposition of such containers in stable stacks.

To better understand the invention, an embodiment will now be described by way of example with reference to the appended schematic drawings, in which
- Figure 1 shows in cross section half of a container according to the invention (which it is unnecessary to represent completely because this container is cylindrical and symmetrical with respect to its axis);
- Figure 2 shows on a larger scale the top of the wall of the container according to Figure 1 and illustrates the method of fitting a lid of the preferred model
- Figure 3 is a side elevational view of a preferred handle frame design;
- Figure 4 is a sectional view along line IV-IV of Figure 3.

 The container shown in Figure I is molded in one piece, in a suitable plastic material such as polypropylene and comprises a bottom 2 and a cylindrical side wall 4. Inside the side wall 4 protrudes near its top, a collar designated by the general reference 6. The exact inclination of the collar 6 is not critical, but in the example, the angle made between the collar and the side wall is approximately 300!

The collar 6 must have the structure and the thickness required to be flexible, so that an inner core serving to mold the container can deform it without appreciably damaging it when the core is removed from the container after molding. In one example, in order to present this degree of flexibility, the collar is divided into six equal parts by equidistant slots 8, of which only two are visible in FIG. 1, and the thickness of the collar is approximately 0.5 mm. .

 When a container as shown in FIG. 1 is filled with paint on a standard filling line of the kind used for boxes with a fitted lid, it can be filled up immediately below the collar 6 without risk of seeing the paint spread by overflowing while the container then moves along the chain to the cover fitting station, because the collar acts as a deflector opposing such an overflow.

It will be noted that a channel 10 is defined between the collar 6 and the interior of the top of the wall 4 and that any paint overflowing over the top of the collar flows towards the bottom of this channel, from where it can pass in the body of the container through the slots 8. In order for this drainage to be complete, the slots 8 preferably extend completely to the base of the collar 6, although obtaining adequate flexibility does not not necessarily require that the slots extend as far. If the slots stop below the base of the collar, additional drainage holes may be provided at the junction of the collar with the wall 4 of the container.

Figure 2 shows in more detail the upper part of the container wall according to Figure 1 and shows how one can make a particular model of cover 12 to be fitted onto the top of the container. The cover 12 is only partially shown because it is circular and symmetrical about its axis.

An annular shoulder 14, directed downwards, is molded on the outside of the wall 4, near the top of the latter, and the cover 12 has an annular flange 16, directed downwards, on which protrudes towards the inside an annular shoulder 10, so that when the cover is pressed on the top of the container its shoulder 18 fits elastically behind the outer shoulder 14 of the wall, to firmly hold the cover in place. lid is favored by the presence of an annular gutter 20 defined on the periphery of the interior side of the lid and of desired dimensions to bear both against the interior and against the exterior of the container wall 4, at least near the upper edge of this wall, this structure helping to avoid the risk of breaking the contact established between the shoulders 14 and 18, during a deformation of the cover of the wall 4.

 The part 22 of the cover which forms the inside wall of the gutter 20 also forms the outside wall of an annular depression 24 opening towards the outside of the cover 12. This depression 24 preferably has the same diameter as a bead 26 ( Figure 1) protruding at the very bottom of the wall 4, so that two containers can be superimposed by firmly fitting the bead 26 of the upper container into the depression 24 of the lid of the lower container, which makes it possible to easily assemble containers into one stable stacking. To allow this fitting of the bead 26 in a cover, the bead 26 can be slightly offset towards the interior of the wall 4 or, as a variant, slightly diverge the wall 4 towards its top, typically with an inclination of 1 to 20 on the axis of the container. However, it is preferable that the wall 4 is substantially, but not necessarily in a rigorous manner, perpendicular to the bottom 2, so that the containers offer a significant vertical rigidity so that the container located at the bottom d stacking resists the weight it supports.

 A rib 28 is also provided, which may have the shape indicated in FIG. 2, molded with the outside of the wall 4 and which preferably extends radially as far or a little further than the lower edge 30 of the rim 16 of the cover. This prevents this edge 30 of the rim 16 from catching on other articles, in order to reduce the risk of the cover accidentally being pulled or pushed away. On the other hand, this rib facilitates the voluntary removal of the cover by defining below the lower edge of the cover a recess 32 in which one can insert a coin, the tip of a screwdriver or another suitable instrument acting as a lever to make cross shoulder 14 to cover the container opening.

 Two handle mounts can be molded on the outside of the wall 4 of the container, at diametrically opposite points and fairly close to the top of the container, which makes it possible to provide the container with an arcuate or flexible handle , going from one to the other of these frames, to be able to easily wear and hold it while using the content.

 Figures 3 and 4 show a model of such a handle mount. This frame is constituted by a semi-cylindrical boss 34 perpendicular to the wall 4 and provided on its outer end with a flap 36, of generally semi-circular shape, directed downward parallel to the container body. Handles of various types can be attached between two such mounts, but a preferred handle 38 is formed of a strap, made of plastic or other suitable material, pierced at each end with a hole 40 which has a perimeter 42 circular, at least in part, and of diameter approximately equal to the outside diameter of the semicircular boss 34, and an extension 44 which makes it possible to easily deform the hole to thread it behind the flap 36 in order to place it as shown in the FIGS. 3 and 4. Since such a handle 38 is symmetrical with respect to its transverse median, only one of its ends has been shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

 Note that the cover 12 described above is preferably made of plastic such as polypropylene, but can optionally be made of metal with a similar structure.

 From the foregoing description, it can be seen that the factors which are important in facilitating demoulding of the container are the inclination imparted to the collar at its junction with the wall of the container, and the presence of slots. The shape of the part of the collar adjacent to the free edge can vary significantly without affecting the release, so that the collar is not necessarily straight in straight section, as shown by way of example.

Claims (9)

 1. Liquid container opposing the overflow, comprising a side wall and a bottom molded in one piece from plastic, characterized in that it has the desired shape to receive and retain a replaceable cover (12) and comprises a flexible collar (6) projecting inwards, molded with the side wall (4) near the top thereof, which is inclined upwards and inside at its junction with said side wall.  2. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that it has the desired shape for receiving and retaining a replaceable cover, said collar being of a single thickness, projecting inwards to a free edge and extending substantially around the entire periphery of the side wall, this collar being considerably thinner than the side wall and having slots (8) which divide it into flexible parts independently of each other, so that all these parts can flex simultaneously towards the outside and the container wall and up and the top of the container.  3. Container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it contains a liquid product up to a level not exceeding the collar, has a shoulder directed downwards (14) molded on the outside and near the top of its wall, and in that the cover has a rim (16) provided with a shoulder (18) directed inwards, this cover being fitted on the container and retained by engagement of the shoulder of its rim under the 'shoulder of the wall. 4. Container according to. any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cover has on the periphery of its inner side, an annular gutter (20) designed to bear both against the inside and against the outside of the outer edge of the container wall when the lid is placed on the container.  5. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has around its wall a rib situated so as to extend just below the rim of the lid placed and wide enough to prevent the lid from be hung by other objects. 6. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, provided with a cover, characterized in that the cover has in its external side a depression (24) of desired dimensions to receive the lower bead (26) of an analog container when two or more similar containers are stacked.  7. Container according to any one of the preceding claims dentesr characterized in that its side wall is substantially perpendicular to - its bottom.  8. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has loop mounting elements coming from molding with its wall.  9. Container according to claim 8, characterized in that said handle mounting elements are ears (34, 36) formed on either side of the container, each ear comprising a part in the form of a cylindrical sector (34) projecting towards the outside on the wall of the container and a flap 36 projecting radially towards the outside on the outside end of the part in cylindrical sector.