GB2297076A

GB2297076A - Container with peelable but reusable lid

Info

Publication number: GB2297076A
Application number: GB9500830A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Thomas Walton
Original assignee: Mono Containers UK Ltd
Current assignee: Mono Containers UK Ltd
Priority date: 1995-01-17
Filing date: 1995-01-17
Publication date: 1996-07-24
Anticipated expiration: 2015-01-17
Also published as: GB9500830D0; GB2297076B

Abstract

A container 1, suitable for storing dairy products, comprises a body 4 with an aperture 8 and a peelably removable lid 6, the body and lid having complementary engagement means 12, 24 adapted to hold the lid on the body and close the aperture. Preferably the engagement means frictionally engage by rotation, the engagement means being shaped to provide a camming action. Preferably one of the locking means comprises a plurality of cams 24 and the other a plurality of camming surfaces 12. Preferably the camming action urges the lid towards sealing engagement with the body, pushing sealing surfaces 22, 32 together, and increases the rotational force required to remove the lid from the body. The camming surfaces may have integral resilient catches (36, Fig. 5) and have inwardly sloping configurations 12 for further resisting removal of the lid. Preferably the container and lid are initially sealed, eg by heat or adhesive, between surfaces 22, 32 with the locking means disengaged (Fig. 4). The lid may be formed from plastic and have strengthening ridges. The sealing surfaces may alternatively be provided inwardly of the cam elements.

Description

CONTAINER The present invention relates to containers suitable for storing foodstuffs in and which may be reclosed after being initially opened.

When small quantities of foodstuffs such as cream or yogurt are to be sold in retail outlets the foodstuff is customarily accommodated in a thin walled container of plastics material to the top of which a peelable foil cover or a clip-on lid of plastics material is attached. If there is a requirement for the container to be closed so that it will be evident if tampering with the contents has occurred and such that easy reclosing of the container can be effected once it has been initially opened, the clip-on lid may be provided with a tearable film collar which may be torn off prior to lid removal, or alternatively a foil cover and clip-on lid may both be provided. Both of these arrangements involve the container including three components and accordingly complicates container fabrication, assembly and use.

The object of the invention is to provide a container which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantage of the prior art containers.

Thus, according to the invention there is provided a container including a body having an aperture and a peelably removable lid wherein the body and the lid have complementary locking means adapted to lock the lid onto the body to close the aperture.

Such a container includes only two parts, thus facilitating production and reducing the cost associated with the manufacture of the container. Once the lid has been peeled from the body it will be immediately apparent that the container has been opened. However, the complementary locking means will allow the lid to be easily locked back onto the body if less than all of the contents of the container are to be used initially.

A particularly secure locking means can conveniently be provided by complementary first and second locking means which are provided on the lid and the body respectively, and which are selectively engageable by means of rotation of the lid with respect to the body. Such an arrangement is particularly suitable for the majority of containers for cream, yogurt, etc. which have a circular horizontal cross-section.

Preferably, the first and second locking means provide a camming action so as to improve the effectiveness with which the lid is held onto the body. This camming action may urge the lid towards the aperture so as to seal the lid over the aperture more effectively. The camming action may alternatively or more preferably in addition act to jam the locking means so resisting disengagement of the locking means and inadvertent removal of the lid from the body.

Inadvertent unlocking of the lid from the body may also be resisted by a resilient catch.

Preferably, the first or second locking means comprise a plurality of cam projections and the other locking means comprises cam surfaces with which the cam projections are engageable. Such locking means can be easily provided in thin walled lid and body members made from flexible plastics material.

A lid which can be easily peeled from a typically dimensioned body and yet which is sufficiently rigid to afford effective locking onto the container body is preferably made from a thermoplastic material such as polystyrene, PET or polypropylene and has a thickness of between 200 and 350 microns. The lid preferably also has a ridged profile so as to increase its rigidity.

The container preferably includes a body with a first sealing surface extending around the aperture and a lid with a second complementary sealing surface, which surfaces are urged towards each other when the lid is locked onto the body. Such surfaces can be sealed together by some means such as heat sealing or gluing after the container has been filled and can also act to seal the lid over the aperture when the lid is subsequently locked onto the body after initial opening has occurred.

So as to facilitate peeling of the lid from the body when the container is initially opened, the lid is preferably initially sealed to the body in such a position that the complementary locking means are disengaged.

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying figures in which: FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-section through the upper part of a container according to the invention with the lid locked onto the body; FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-section on the line A-A of the container in Fig. 1; FIG. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the lid not locked to the body; FIG. 4 is a cross-section on the line B-B of the container shown in Fig. 3; FIG. 5 is an enlarged horizontal partial crosssection of the locking means shown in Figs. 1-4; and FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical cross-section of the region marked C of the container shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 1 shows a container 1 with a body 4 and a lid 6. An aperture 8 in an upper region of the body 4 is provided with six equally spaced inwardly projecting cam surfaces 12, each of which has a leading edge 14 which is nearer to the centre of the body 4 than its trailing edge 15. As seen in Fig. 6, the upper edge 16 of each cam surface is nearer the centre of the body than its lower edge 18. Between each cam surface 12 an arcuate region 20 is provided. A rim 10 extends outwardly from the uppermost region of the body 4, the upper surface of which constitutes a first sealing surface 22.

The lid 6, which is made of thermoplastic PET having a thickness of 275 microns has six downwardly projecting cam projections 24, each of which has an upwardly inwardly sloping camming surface 26, which is configured to slidingly engage a complementary surface 12 of the body 4. The cam projections 24 extend downwardly from a circumferential rib 28 which extends around the lid 6 and provides it with a limited amount of rigidity. The periphery of the lid is constituted by an outwardly extending lip 30, the lower surface of which constitutes a second sealing surface 32. A lifting tongue 34 extends outwardly from one portion of the lip 30.

When the body 4 has been charged with the required contents, the lid 6 will be placed over the aperture 8 in such a position that each cam projection 24 on the lid is located adjacent an arcuate region 20 of the body between two cam surfaces 12 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The first sealing surface 22 on the rim 10 of the body will then be heat sealed to the second sealing surface 32 on the lip 30 of the lid. In this way the container is sealed in such a manner that it will be immediately apparent if the container has been opened.

When there is a requirement to open the container, a user will grasp the tongue 34 and peel the lid from the body thus breaking the seal between the rim 10 and the lip 30. The position of the cam projections 24 between the cam surfaces 12 will mean that the lack of engagement of these elements will facilitate easy peeling of the lid from the body.

Reclosure of the container is effected by replacing the lid onto the body with the cam projections 24 positioned between the cam surfaces 12 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The lid 6 is then rotated, with a twisting action of the palm, so as to engage the camming surface 26 of each cam projection 24 with its complementary cam surface 12 as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6 and the position marked 3 in Fig.

5. As the position marked 3 in Fig. 5 is reached, a resilient catch member 36 at the leading edge of each cam projection 24 snaps past the leading edge 14 of an associated cam surface 12. This resilient catch in combination with frictional engagement between each cam projection and its associated cam surface will prevent inadvertent removal of the lid from the body. Furthermore, the complementary inward slope of each cam surface 12 and associated camming surface 26 towards their upper edges will progressively urge the first and second sealing surfaces 22 and 32 into sealing engagement with each other as the lid is moved towards the position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6.

While the cam projections have been shown as being part of the lid they may equally be provided on the container body instead. Furthermore, the sealing surfaces may be provided in an alternative location such as inwardly of the cam elements.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. Container including a body having an aperture and a peelably removable lid wherein the body and lid have complementary locking means adapted to lock the lid onto the body to close the aperture.

2. The container of claim 1 wherein the locking means comprises first locking means on the lid which are selectively engageable with second locking means on the body by rotation of the lid with respect to the body.

3. The container of claim 2 wherein the first and second locking means provide a camming action.

4. The container of claim 3 wherein the camming action urges the lid towards sealing engagement with the body.

5. The container of claim 3 or 4 wherein the camming action acts to jam the locking means and increase the rotational force required to remove the lid from the body.

6. The container of claim 3, 4 or 5 wherein one of the locking means comprises a plurality of cam projections and the other of the locking means comprises complementary cam surfaces with which the cam projections are engageable.

7. The container of any one of claims 2 to 6 wherein the second locking means comprises cam surfaces disposed around the aperture and which converge in a direction away from the body.

8. The container of any one of claims 2 to 7 wherein the second locking means on the body comprises cam surfaces located around the aperture disposed to urge the first locking means on the lid towards a central region of the aperture as the locking means are engaged.

9. The container of any preceding claim including a resilient catch for resisting unlocking of the lid from the body.

10. The container of claim 9 wherein the resilient catch comprises an integral extension of a camming surface constituting part of the locking means.

11. The container of any preceding claim wherein the body includes a first sealing surface extending around the aperture and the lid includes a second complementary sealing surface and wherein the sealing surfaces are sealingly urged together when the lid is locked onto the body.

12. The container of any preceding claim wherein the lid is made of material having an average thickness of between 200 and 350 micrometres.

13. The container of any preceding claim wherein the lid is made of a thermoplastic material.

14. The container of any preceding claim wherein the lid is in sealing engagement with the body and the complementary locking means are disengaged.

15. A container substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying Figures.