IT202100020576A1 - LID ASSEMBLY - HERMETIC CONTAINER FOR FOOD WITH SIMPLIFIED CLOSURE - Google Patents

Description

COVER ASSEMBLY ? HERMETIC CONTAINER FOR FOOD WITH SIMPLIFIED CLOSURE

DESCRIPTION

Field of application

The present invention ? generally applicable to the technical field of lid assemblies ? food container, and has particularly for object a lid assembly ? hermetic container for simplified and rapid closure.

Definitions

In this text, with the expression ?food use? or derivatives referred to a material, we mean the capacity? of said material to meet the requirements of the legislation in force on the matter at the time and in the state of interest.

In the present text, with the expression ?monolithic construction? or derived in reference to at least two bodies, we mean the fact that these bodies, following this type of construction, are presented in a single piece since? their junction? suitable to support the transfer of tensile or shear stresses across the contact surface.

In this document, the term ?container? refers to any hollow object suitable for containing solid and/or liquid products.

State of the art

Different types of lid - hermetic container assembly are known for foods such as mozzarella, yoghurt, ice cream or any at least partially liquid food which needs to be stored in an hermetic package.

Typically, the lid and the container can be coupled in various ways.

For example, lids and containers which can be joined by screw? or heat-sealed, with subsequent "tear" opening.

Alternatively, pressure-sealing packages are known in which the lid is simply pressed onto the container until it is airtight.

In particular, the containers of these known packages have an outer edge area with a flat surface projecting with respect to the lateral surface of the container and intended to come into contact with the lid when it is closed. pressed on the perimeter of the edge area.

However, these known packages require a great deal of time in the production line, in particular in the stage of packaging the food.

In fact, the coupling between the lid and the container requires particular attention to ensure hermetic closure.

Presentation of the invention

Purpose of the present invention? that of at least partially overcoming the drawbacks noted above, by making available a lid-hermetic container assembly which is easy to make and has relatively low costs.

Another purpose of the present invention? make available a lid assembly ? hermetic container for quick and safe coupling.

A further object of the present invention ? make available a lid - hermetic container assembly that prevents the leakage of any food and/or other liquids.

Another object of the present invention is make available an easy-to-use lid-container assembly.

A further object of the present invention ? make available a lid - airtight container assembly capable of extending the life of the product it contains.

These purposes, as well as others that will appear more? clearly hereinafter, they are achieved by a lid - hermetic container assembly in accordance with what is described, illustrated and/or claimed herein.

The dependent claims describe advantageous embodiments of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more evident in the light of the detailed description of some preferred but not exclusive embodiments of the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example with the aid of the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1A ? a schematic front view of the assembly 1 of which FIG. 1B ? the enlargement of a detail;

FIG.2A ? a schematic top view of assembly 1;

FIG. 2B ? a sectional view along a plane I-I of the container 10 illustrated in FIG.

2A;

FIG. 3A ? a sectional view along a plane I-I of the assembly 1 illustrated in FIG. 2A, of which FIGS. 3B and 3C are enlargements of two different details.

Detailed description of some preferred embodiments With reference to the cited figures, is a lid assembly described? container 1 for the storage of one or more? foods.

The food can be at least partly liquid, such as for example a mozzarella in preserving liquid, yoghurt, stracchino, ice cream and the like.

Therefore, the assembly 1 will be able to be hermetic.

The assembly 1 will be able comprising a container 10 and a lid 20 that can be coupled removably.

The container 10 and the lid 20 can have any shape suitable for the purpose, for example cylindrical or parallelepiped.

For example, as particularly illustrated in FIGS. from 1A to 3C may have a circular shape in plan.

However, the container 10 and the lid 20 may be made in any other shape without thereby departing from the scope of protection of the attached claims.

Advantageously, the lid 20 can include a cover wall 26 lying in a plane 22 and a side surface 27.

Wall 26 could include an internal surface 21 and an opposite surface 28 intended to remain visible.

On the other hand, container 10 could have a hollow main body 11 with a side surface 17 and a bottom wall 16.

The lateral surface 17 and the wall 16 will be able to define a compartment 1617 and an opening 1618, where the compartment 1617 will contain the food and the opening 1618 will allow it? the introduction.

Furthermore, the lateral surface 17 will be able to include an edge area 12 with a perimeter portion 121 extending along its perimeter at the opening 1618.

In particular, the walls 26 and 16 and the walls 27 and 17 will face each other when the container 10 and the lid 20 are coupled.

Pi? in particular, the perimeter portion 121 may come into contact with the inner surface 21 of the wall 26.

Conveniently, the border area 12 can include a planar surface 14 projecting with respect to the edge area 12 itself and lying on a plane 21.

For example, planar surface 14 could be a laminar protrusion of an annular shape, if the body 11 is cylindrical, or of any other shape suggested by the plan of the latter.

Furthermore, the planar surface 14 will be able to have a perimeter portion 141 which extends along the perimeter thereof.

Preferably, the plane 21 and the lateral surface 17 may be incident.

Conveniently, the border area 12 can include a surface 15 interposed between the perimeter portion 121 and the surface 14.

Preferably, the surface 15 and the surface 14 will be mutually incident.

According to a preferred but not exclusive embodiment, the same surfaces will be perpendicular to each other.

However it is understood that the surfaces 14 and 15 will be able to define different angles without thereby departing from the scope of protection of the attached claims.

Advantageously, the container 10 and the lid 20 may include means for mutual connection and decoupling.

Preferably, these will be of the snap type and even more? preferably the male type? female.

In this way, the coupling between the container 10 and the lid 20 will be? fast, ensuring their hermetic seal.

Furthermore, can be possible to uncouple and re-couple the same container 10 and lid 20 for an indefinite number of times.

For example, container 10 will be able to include connection means 30 of the male type, while the cover 20 could include female connection means 40.

However, it is understood that it may the opposite occurs, i.e. the container 10 will be able to include female connection means and the cover 20 male connection means without thereby departing from the scope of protection of the attached claims.

According to a preferred but not exclusive example, particularly illustrated in FIG. 3B, the connection means 30 could include a protrusion 31 made in correspondence with the peripheral portion 121 of the edge area 12.

On the other hand, the connection means 40 could include a counter-shaped recess 41 and made in correspondence with the surface 21.

It is understood that the projection 31 and the recess 41 will be suitably sized to guarantee the reciprocal integral connection, as well as? the hermetic seal of the assembly 1. Advantageously, the container 10 and the lid 20 can include means for reciprocal centering.

These will be particularly useful during food packaging to prevent misalignments between the container 10 and the lid 20, thus ensuring a quick and hermetic closure.

To this end, surface 14 will be able to include a ridge 13 which extends therealong, at an average distance d from the perimeter portion 141, as particularly illustrated in FIG.3C.

In particular, the distance d potr? be calculated between the outer area of the perimeter portion 141 and the outer area of the protrusion 13.

In particular, the prominence 13 potr? have an abutment portion 1323 opposite the lateral surface 17 and intended to face the lateral surface 27 when the container 10 and the lid 20 are coupled.

On the other hand, the lateral surface 27 of the lid 20 will be able to include centering means 23 with an abutment portion 2313 intended to come into contact with the abutment portion 1323 during coupling between the container 10 and the lid 20.

In this way, the planes ?1 and ?2 will be parallel to each other and it will be potr? obtain an airtight connection between the container 10 and the lid 20.

To facilitate this operation, the centering means 23 may include a lead-in surface 24 made in correspondence with the surface 21.

For example, this invitation surface 24 could be a rib adjacent the recess 41, as particularly illustrated in FIG. 3B .

It is understood that the same invitation surface 24 will be able to include a portion 241 defining a wall of the recess 41.

In other words, the latter will be? laterally delimited, at least in part, by the portion 241 and by the lateral surface 27.

In this way, it will be favored a rapid and correct connection between the scansion 41 and the prominence 13.

It is therefore understood that the centering means will speed up the packaging of the food.

Indeed, it will be It is possible to insert the food in the main body 11, place the lid 20 on the container 10, mutually centered with the aid of the aforesaid centering means, and press the same lid 20 until it closes.

Furthermore, the average distance d between the prominence 13 and the perimeter 141 may be sized, so in s? known, to prevent possible accidental uncoupling between the lid 20 and the container 10.

In particular, the edges of the side surface 27 of the lid 20 can be completely contained within the perimetrical portion 141 or can be aligned with it.

In addition, to guarantee the non-opening of the cover 20, the latter can? include a seal portion 22.

The seal portion 22 will be able to be at least partially removed so in itself? known, to allow the decoupling between the lid 20 and the container 10 and allow the extraction of the food.

According to a preferred but not exclusive embodiment, all the elements of the container 10 and of the lid 20 can be made of co-moulded materials.

Advantageously, the materials used can be for food use.

The present invention could include various similar or equal parts and/or elements. Where not otherwise specified, similar or equal parts and/or elements will be indicated with a single reference number, it being understood that the technical characteristics described are common to all similar or equal parts and/or elements.

From what has been described above, it is clear that the invention achieves the intended aims.

The invention? susceptible to numerous modifications and variations. All the details may be replaced by other technically equivalent elements, and the materials may be different according to requirements, without departing from the scope of protection of the invention defined by the attached claims.

Claims (10)

1. A lid assembly ? airtight container for the storage of at least one at least partially liquid food, comprising: - a container (10) with a main body (11) for the at least one food, which includes at least one edge area (12) with at least one substantially planar surface (14) projecting with respect to the latter and lying on a first floor (?1); - a substantially planar lid (20) defining a second plane (?2), mutually removably coupled with said main body (11) in correspondence with said edge region (12); wherein said edge area (12) of said container (10) and said lid (20) respectively include first and second mutually removable snap connection means (30, 40), one being of the male type, the other being of female type, so that said container (10) and said lid (20) can be mutually coupled to define a unitary assembly and can be separated to allow the extraction of at least one food; And wherein said at least one planar surface (14) of said container (10) and said lid (20) respectively include first and second centering means (13, 23) for each other, said first centering means including at least one projection (13) extending on said at least one planar surface (14) which includes at least one first abutment portion (1323), said second centering means (23) including at least one second abutment portion (23) intended to interact with said at least one first abutment portion (1323) upon mutual coupling of said container (10) and said lid (20) in such a way that said first and second planes (?1, ?2) are substantially parallel. 2. Assembly according to claim 1, wherein said edge area (12) includes a first perimeter portion (121) intended to face said cover (20) when the latter is open. coupled with said container (10) and at least one second surface (15) interposed between said at least one planar surface (14) and said first perimeter portion (121), said at least one second surface (15) comprising at least one second ridge (31) defining said male connection means (30), said first and second lugs (13, 31) being mutually spaced. 3. Assembly according to claim 2, wherein said at least one second surface (15) and said at least one first surface (14) are substantially mutually incident, preferably perpendicular. 4. Assembly according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said lid (20) includes a covering wall (26) with an internal surface (21) comprising said female connection means (40), the same including a recess (41 ) mutually counter-shaped with respect to said at least one second projection (31) to allow hermetic removable coupling thereof. 5. Assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said second centering means (23) include at least one lead surface (24) to facilitate the connection between said first and second connection means (30, 40) at the time of mutual coupling of said container (10) and said lid (20) in such a way that said first and second planes (?1, ?2) are substantially parallel. 6. Assembly according to claims 4 and 5, wherein said leading surface (24) and said at least one recess (41) are mutually adjacent. 7. Assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one first planar surface (14) includes a second perimeter portion (141), the latter and said at least one first ridge (13) being mutually spaced by a distance (d ) predetermined to prevent accidental uncoupling of said container (10) and said lid (20) when they are mutually coupled. 8. Assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one container (10) and said at least one lid (20) are substantially circular in plan view. 9. Assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said lid (20) includes a seal portion (22) at least partially removable so as to guarantee the non-decoupling of said container (10) and lid (20) and allow the? extraction of said at least one food once removed. 10. Assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said main body (11), said planar surface (14), said first connecting means (30) and said first centering means (13) are made of material for food use , the same being preferably co-moulded.