GB2421015A

GB2421015A - A stackable container

Info

Publication number: GB2421015A
Application number: GB0427180A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Simkin
Original assignee: Reckitt Benckiser NV
Current assignee: Reckitt Benckiser NV
Priority date: 2004-12-11
Filing date: 2004-12-11
Publication date: 2006-06-14
Also published as: GB0427180D0; WO2006061612A1

Abstract

A stackable container comprises a receptacle (1) having a substantially bulbous form with a circumferential side surface (2) and a bottom surface (3) defining an inwardly directed recess (4). A lid (9) for closing the receptacle (1) has a circumferential side surface (10) and a top (11), wherein the top (11) of the lid (9) is flattened and provides an outwardly extending protrusion (12), wherein the form of the protrusion (12) corresponds to the form of the recess (4) for engagement when stacking one container on top of one another. In a closed condition, the transition between the side surface (10) of the lid (9) and the side surface (2) of the receptacle (1) is smooth.

Description

A Stackable Container The present invention relates to a stackable

container Preferably, the present invention relates to a stackable container containing detergents for storage and transportation Containers for storage and transportation of detergents are known in the art US 6, 439,387 BI discloses a container of thermoplastic material having a frusto-conical shape with a wider opening than the closed base. A ledge peripherally completely surrounds the opening with flat upper surface for heat sealing with foil cover lid. In case that such containers are placed on top of one another, the lowermost part of the container is (when stacked) usually obscured by the side of the lid of the lower container Thus, the visibility of the side of the container pre- senting information with regard to the product contained inside, is not given completely This conventional shape with a narrow bottom and a wide container lid had been used for a number of years Due to the protruding rim of the lid and/or the container, the shape flexibility of such a container is reduced further.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a stackable container which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art, especially to provide a stackable container which has additional shape flexibility in both lid and receptacle, and wherein, when stacked, the side of the recep- tacle is completely visible, so that no product information is covered.

This object is achieved by a stackable container comprising a receptacle having a substantially bulbous form with a circumferential side surface and a bottom surface defining an inwardly directed recess, a lid for closing the receptacle, having a circumferential side surface and a top, wherein the top of the lid is flattened and provides an outwardly extending protrusion, wherein the form of the protrusion corresponds to the form of the recess fhr engagement when stacking one container on top of one another, wherein, in closed condition, the transition be- tween the side wall of the lid and the side wall of the receptacle is smooth Preferably, the recess and the protrusion are located centrally at the lid and the bottom sur- face, respectively More preferably, the form of the recess and the protrusion is substantially circular.

In one embodiment, the material for the lid and/or the receptacle is thermoplastic resin Preferably, the thermoplastic resin is selected from the group of polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene Moreover, it is preferred that the lid has protruding ribs at least on a part of its side surface Most preferably, the receptacle is reclosable by the lid.

In one embodiment, the lid has an internal thread and the receptacle has an external thread for screwing the lid and the receptacle together.

Further, the threads may be each located on a perpendicular surface Preferably, the side surface of the lid is inclined towards the top of the lid Finally it is preferred that the recess has a depth and the protrusion has a height of about 0 1 to about 1 cm.

Surprisingly, it was found according to the present invention that additional shape flexibility in both the lid and the receptacle of the container and sufficient visibility of the side of the receptacle, even when the closed container is stacked, may be provided with the inventive stackable container having the specific shape and the features that make stacking possible The stackable container according to the invention shows a pleasant appearance which differ- entiates the inventive container from the ones of the prior art. This may result in an increased attention of a consumer The stackable container of the invention is easy to handle and may be reclosed by screwing the lid and the container together As the inventive container is no longer based on a frusto-cone and the lid and/or receptacle do no longer have a rim, the side of the receptacle is no longer obscured by the side of the lid of a lower container, if stacked Preferably the container is intended to retain an automatic dishwasher detergent formulation Preferred examples of the format of such formulations include gels, powders and tablets.

Most preferably the formulation is a powdered boost formulation (to be used in addition to a conventional detergent formulation to enhance its performance) Two examples of such a formulation are below wt% wt% Sodium Percarbonate 19 00 55 00 Sodium Carbonate 70 68 37 82 BTA 0.22 023 Acusol 445 5.00 5 00 Protease 2 90 1 76 Amylase 2 00 - Monopropylene Glycol 0 20 0 20 Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the inventive stackable container, taken together with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig 1 illustrates one embodiment of a receptacle for an inventive stackable container, Fig 2 illustrates a perspective view of the embodiment shown in Fig 1, and Fig 3 illustrates a lid for closing the receptacle shown in Fig I to result in an inventive con- tainer Fig I shows a bulbous (almost spherical) receptacle 1 having a circumferential side surface 2 and a bottom surface 3 On the bottom surface 3, an inwardly directed recess 4 is substantially located centrally thereon The receptacle 1 defines an opening 5, as may be better seen in Fig 2 At the upper part of the receptacle 1, an external thread 6 is provided on circumferential and perpendicular surface 7, wherein the surface 7 is located somewhat inside of the circum- ferential side surface 2 defining the bulbous form of the container I The upper part of the circumferential side surface 2 is connected to the surface 7 by a ring element 8 Of course, the circumferential side surface 2, the ring element 8 and the surface 7 with external thread 6 may be prepared as a single piece or from multiple pieces Fig 2 shows the receptacle 1 in a perspective view The receptacle shown in Figs 1 and 2 may be closed by a lid 9, as shown in Fig. 3 The lid 9 for closing the container has a circumferen- tial side surface 10 which is preferably inclined towards the top 11 of the lid 9 The top I] of the lid 9 is substantially flattened and provides an outwardly extending protrusion I 2, which is substantially located centrally on the top II of the lid 9 At the side surface 10 of the lid 9 ribs 13 are provided The ribs may assist in handling the lid 9 for attaching the lid 9 onto the receptacle I or for removing the lid 9 therefrom 1 The lid 9 may comprise an internal thread (not shown) to engage with the external thread 6 of the receptacle 1, so that the lid 9 and the receptacle 1 may he screwed together Of course, someone skilled in the art is aware of any other possibilities to secure the lid onto the receptacle, for example a snap-closure If the lid 9 is attached to the receptacle 1, the edges of the side surfaces 2 and 10 form a smooth transi- tion between the lid 9 and the receptacle 1, so that no rim is provided any longer Thus, a container of the invention is provided. The shape flexibility at both the lid and the receptacle as well the appearance of the inventive container is improved Tn case that an inventive container is placed on top of another one, the protrusion 12 of a lower container engages with the recess 4 of the upper container. The higher the protrusion and the deeper the recess, the firmer is the support of the container being stacked on another one The flattened top of the lid may assist to support a stacked container As it is obvious, with the inventive container the whole of the side of the container is visible, even when the container is stacked, as no part of the container is obscured by the side of the lid of a lower container The features disclosed in the foregoing description, in the claims and/or in the accompanying drawings may, both separately and in any combination thereof be material for realizing the Invention in diverse forms thereof

Claims

Claims 1 A stackable container, comprising.

- a receptacle (1) having a substantially bulbous form with a circumferential side surface (2) and a bottom surface (3) defining an inwardly directed recess (4), - a lid (9) for closing the receptacle (1), having a circumferential side surface (10) and a top (11), wherein the top (11) of the lid (9) is flattened and provides an outwardly extending protrusion (12), wherein the form of the protrusion (12) corresponds to the form of the recess (4) for engagement when stacking one container on top of one another, - wherein, in closed condition, the transition between the side surface (10) of the lid (9) and the side surface (2) of the receptacle (I) is smooth 2 Container according to claim 1, wherein the recess (4) and the protrusion (12) are lo- cated centrally at the lid (9) and the bottom surface (3), respectively 3 Container according to claim I or 2, wherein the form of the recess (4) and the protru- sion (12) is substantially circular 4 Container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the material for the lid (9) and/or the receptacle (1) is thermoplastic resin Container according to claim 4, wherein the thermoplastic resin is selected from the group of polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene 6 Container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the lid (9) has protruding ribs (1 3) at least on a part of its side surface (10) 7 Container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the receptacle (I) is re- closable by the lid (9) 8 Container according to claim 7, wherein the lid (9) has an internal thread and the re- ceptacle (1) has an external thread (6) for screwing the lid (9) and the receptacle (1) together 9 Container according to claim 8, wherein the threads are each located on a perpendicu- lar surface (7) JO Container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the side surface (10) of the lid (9) is inclined towards the top (11) of the lid (9) 11 Container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the recess (4) has a depth and the protrusion (12) has a height of about 0 1 to about 1 cm