JPS6045135A - Molded bucket having high strength and cover - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,258, the lip and lid of the bucket allow for easy opening, while at the same time allowing for easy lifting over conventional metal cans. Seals for plastic packets and cans are disclosed that are constructed to avoid accidental lid ejection when the bucket is dropped, despite the great flexibility inherent in plastics.

The present invention provides a plastic bucket whose lid is easily removable by the user, yet which exhibits good resistance to accidental ejection, which bucket exhibits exceptional stacking strength and is therefore Even though the buckets are made of plastic material, large, heavy and filled buckets of the construction of the present invention can be stacked as high as 12 or 13 without deformation or collapse of the lowest bucket during stacking. I can do it. - In an embodiment, it is provided with a tear strip that ensures the retention of the lid until the user removes it. The tear strips generally require tools for removal so as to prevent opening of the packet except by the user.

According to the present invention, the molded bucket has a bucket lip with an enlarged annular projection at the mouth of the bucket, and an annular lip located on the inner side adjacent to the lip and facing the mouth. shelf and
an externally located annular flange that merges into the bucket adjacent the annular shelf and provides additional strength to the area of the annular shelf. The annular flange is particularly curved in its cross section so as to form a flange portion in longitudinal relation to the packet wall, so that the flange does not project outwardly in an inconvenient manner.

A lid attachable to the bucket may define in one piece a peripheral annular recess that receives the annular projection in locking relation. An annular straight wall extends radially inward from near the recess and extends substantially 1 from the axis of the recess.
Extending at an angle of 0" to 60', the straight wall is positioned with its outer edge adjacent to the annular recess and abutting the annular ledge so as to be supported by the ledge. The inner edge of the wall extends outward relative to the outer edge towards the mouth.

As a result of this, the bucket and the lid transfer the weight of other buckets placed on the lid to an annular shelf supported by an annular straight wall reinforced area of the hoop of the annular shelf. Demonstrates high stacking strength. In particular, tapered buckets are preferably used in the present invention, such that the bottom of the bucket has a diameter smaller than the lid, especially less than or equal to the diameter of the inner edge of the annular straight wall.

Empty buckets according to the invention can be stacked in significant numbers without lids. - In embodiments, the upturned internal shoulder engages the bottom of the stacked buckets in an improved manner for effective stacking.

Radial vanes may be provided to strengthen the annular straight wall, which may act as a type of annular cantilever beam to transmit force to the reinforced packet mouth as described above.

A single tearing edge S is provided to hold the lid until use.

This piece cannot be easily removed without tools until the lid is first used. This prevents unwanted opening or premature removal of tear pieces.

A large number of reinforcing ribs on the bottom of the bucket and its legs! J-contact and on the outer flange and, according to one embodiment of the invention, to the lid for improved strength of the structure. These ribs can constitute unique diagonal ribs or diagonal ribs with radial vanes for added robustness for certain applications.

An annular upright flange may also be provided on the inner edge of the outer annular straight wall of the lid to accommodate the tapered end of the bucket therein for proper positioning of the bucket.

Such a structure can seal its contents even when dropped, but at the same time has a number of other features for a bucket that can be easily opened, while stacking high on the non-rich It has been shown that it exhibits strength.

Other objects of the invention, and additional features contributing thereto and the advantages derived therefrom, are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout. It will be clear from the following description of specific examples.

1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a bucket according to the invention showing part of a stack; FIG.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a bucket according to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the second specific example of FIG. 3.

4a is a partial plan view of an alternative arrangement of ribs of the second embodiment of FIG. 3; FIG.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the top and lid of the bucket of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a partially sectional perspective view of the outer portion of the cover of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 8--8 of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of one of the buckets of FIG. 3 illustrating diagonal reinforcing ribs.

Figure 1O shows a combination of diagonal and radial ribs;
FIG. 4 is a partial bottom view of the bucket of FIG. 3;

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a first embodiment of the invention illustrated therein both includes a bucket made of plastic, such as polyethylene or a copolymer thereof. lO
and a lid 12, and are stacked on the same pakeso 1-10a having a lid 12a that supports the weight of the bucket 10. As shown, each lid 12.12a has an outer ring 14.14a on its upper surface, which ring ensures that the weight of the upper bucket 10 can be transferred to the annular shelf of the lower bucket. It serves to center and position the bottom of the tapered packets stacked above it.

As shown in FIG. 2, bucket 10a (and bucket 10) includes an enlarged annular projection or lip 16 at its mouth and an annular ledge 18 located on the inside facing the bucket's mouth adjacent to the lip. An outer flange 20 merges into the bucket adjacent the annular shelf 18. Wall 2 of bucket 10 or 10a in cross section of annular flange 20
It can be seen that it is curved to form a flange portion 22 in longitudinal relation to 4.

Bucket 10, 108 and lid 12, 128 may be molded from polyolefin plastic or the like by conventional techniques.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lid 12a is similar in construction to the lid 12 and is attached to the lip 16 in one piece.
a peripheral annular recess 26 for receiving and holding in locking relationship the
form. The outer flange 28 of the lid 12a is pried outward with a screwdriver or other means, and the lids 12, 12a are attached to the bucket 10.
, 10a can be released from the locking relationship between the annular recess 26 and the lip 16. To close the bucket, the lip 16 can simply be snapped into the recess 26 by a suitable blow or other pressure. Alternatively, the lid can be initially attached to the lip by an external tear strip (not shown) that can be torn off with a screwdriver or the like. The tear strip technique is described in detail in the following description of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3-10).

The lid 12, 128 also includes an annular straight wall 30 extending radially inwardly from the recess 26 at an angle of substantially 10° to 60° to the axis 32 of the bucket. The wall 30
is positioned with its outer edge 34 adjacent to the annular recess 26 and, in particular, in a force-transmitting relationship with the annular shelf 18 . The inner edge 36 of the annular straight wall extends outward towards the hacketro with respect to the outer edge 34, so that the force from the weight of the packets IO stacked on top, as shown by vector 8, is applied to the annular shelf through the annular straight wall. 18 can be transmitted as shown at vector 40.

As a result of this, the bucket and lid system of the present invention exhibits improved stacking strength and a lid 12.
Can withstand larger loads on 2a.

If desired, a row of radial ribs 42 can be provided to further strengthen the annular straight wall 30 and prevent it from bending. Any of these radial ribs may be connected as an integral part of the underside of the annular wall 30 and communicate with the inner annular wall 44 as an integral part of the lid 12.12a. Ribs 42 are optional, but typically 3 to 24 such ribs may be used depending on the particular strength desired. The ribs 42 can be an integral part of each M12, 12a.

Although the packet of the present invention has the novel features described herein, it looks like a conventional bucket and thus exhibits the benefit of a familiar appearance on the market. For example, the ribs 42 are not visible until the bucket is opened, and the annular straight wall 30 is not particularly noticeable unless the bucket is carefully inspected.

Referring to FIGS. 3-8, other embodiments of the bucket and lid system of the present invention are illustrated that exhibit improved stack strength and are capable of withstanding greater loads.

Referring to FIG. 3, a second embodiment of the present invention comprises a bucket 100 and a lid 102, both made of plastic such as polyethylene or a copolymer thereof;
stacked on top of the same bucket 100a with a lid 102a supporting a weight of 0.00. Bucket 100 includes several improved features best illustrated with respect to FIG. Does the wall of the bucket 100, such as in its upper mouth and bottom areas, suffer from the non-uniformity of curing that occurs in walls of variable thickness of prior art containers and creates undesirable weakening stress points? ili (Because it is H, it is molded with a more uniform thickness.

The unique reinforcement feature arrangement achieves improved packets and lids with increased strength for high stacking and more. The bucket mouth 104 extends upwardly from the sidewall 112 of the bucket 100 via a radially projecting transition portion 114 forming a flat annular shelf 116 .
formed by 8. Protrusion 10B includes an annular bottom sidewall 110 of uniform thickness and an enlarged top 118.
and terminating in a top edge forming a pair of downwardly directed shoulders 120 that engage the lid in a manner to be described below. Although the locking shoulder 120 may be disposed in any suitable plane, the shoulder 120 may lie in an upwardly sloping plane disposed at an approximate angle within the range of 0° to 15° relative to the horizontal axis. preferable.

Projecting annular wall 110 is supported in part by a reinforcing curved flange portion 122 in longitudinal relation to packet wall 112.

A plurality of integral reinforcing ribs 124 are provided within the flange portion 122 of the bucket 1 between the bucket sidewall and the flange portion 122.
Disposed around the periphery of the 00 mouth and best shown in FIG. 9 are a plurality of diagonal ribs 124. The rib 124 has an end portion 124a.
are arranged in a ■-shaped arrangement with deformed vertices separated by . Diagonal ribs 124 combine flexibility with hoop strength and radial strength without cracking. Alternatively, the ribs can include radial ribs 125 for radial reinforcement purposes.

The bottom 130 of the packet 100 is compared to prior art molding techniques that encounter high corner stress points at sharp corners.
It merges with the sloped sidewall 112 through a middle section 132 that has a large internal curvature that increases the strength of the bottom corner of the bucket. In the bucket molding process, the plastic is allowed to flow freely around this corner and also to the annular bottom or leg 134 to avoid corner stresses in the area on which the bucket rests.

A diagonally oriented rib 136 similar to rib 124 is
It extends between the connecting portion 132 and the leg 134 for increased strength against inward bending, impact and weight as shown. As shown in FIG. 10, ribs 136 can also include radial ribs 137.

The wall thickness of the bucket is increased to 20 mm by the improved structure of the present invention to prevent the original load under the maximum load that the bucket will receive.
It can be increased up to %. As shown in FIG. 5, a portion of the bucket overhangs to form an upwardly facing shoulder 140 upon which rests the legs 134 of the buckets stacked thereon. This allows the uncovered hegets to be stacked to an increased height to the height possible with metal buckets. This is because the shape of the shoulder and the thickened wall 142 below the shoulder provide adequate strength under load. Fifth, as seen, the outer wall 112' of the stacked containers is further pulled away from the inner wall of the bucket 100 below so as not to damage the labels or paint applied to the containers.

Referring to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, an improved lid 102
is best illustrated. The central portion of the lid is compared to the lid shown in FIG. 2 of the previous embodiment.

It has been improved. An upright annular wall 150 is formed at the top of the lid to surround the leg area 134 of the buckets stacked thereon. The lid 102 includes a bottom annular rib 152 to strengthen its structure. Slanted annular wall 154 is formed by a straight portion of the lid that extends vertically downward and outwardly to connect with base portion 156 . The lid wall 154 and the subsequent stacking support subarea include a number of radial ribs 154'' or other oriented ribs (FIG. 5) to strengthen the lid and support the weight of the containers thereon. The base portion 156 has an annular bottom surface 158 that contacts the shelf 116 formed in the bucket.

Base portion 156 includes an outer edge 162 that projects outwardly beyond vertical annular wall 160 and abuts a portion of projection 110 . Base 156 has an enlarged cross-section for greater strength and to help support both sloped walls 156 and upright vertical walls 160. The lid includes a recess 1 having a pair of lips 174 that engage the locking shoulders 120 of the projection 110.
A folded outer skirt portion 170 is formed that forms 72 with wall 160. The 1lJi bevel ↓18° (FIG. 5) on each side of projection 118 separates lips 174 and allows the lid recess to snap into place for firm retention of the lid even under impact conditions. do.

The skirt 170 has a generally constant thickness wall 172 that extends continuously around the bottom edge of the outer skirt 170 and terminates in a continuous piece 180 .

The integral piece 180 has a reduced thickness that allows the piece 180 to be torn or separated from the skirt 170 after it has been cut at the break area at the window 182, as best shown in FIG. Generally peripheral area 181
interconnected to the bottom of outer skirt 170 by. Window 182 is removed by inserting a tool therein, cutting piece 180, pulling it away from skirt 170, and removing lid 102.
providing an opening to allow removal of the . Teeth 186 on strip 180 below window 182 to facilitate removal of tear strips by providing a gripping surface with increased friction.
is provided. Any tool, such as a screwdriver, can be used to initially cut off the tear pieces so that they cannot be removed automatically by pressing on the lid and bucket prior to actual use or opening of the filled bucket. It looks like this. To strengthen the lid and bucket top upwardly, a plurality of triangular ribs 190 are formed on the inner skirt wall 172, as seen in FIG.

A reinforcing rib 200 is disposed around the container between wall 154 and lid wall 160 and is similar to rib 1 seen in FIG.
24 and 136 are diagonally arranged (
3 and 4) or may have radial tubes for additional strength as shown in FIG. Alternatively, another crisscrossing rib 200b shown in FIG. 4a may be employed for maximum hoop strength as an alternative embodiment.

Although the invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and equivalent substitutions can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation and materials to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, this invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments described as the best mode of the invention, but is intended to include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first specific example of the present invention, and FIG.
3 is a perspective view of the second embodiment, FIG. 4 is a plan view of the second embodiment, and FIG. 4a is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of FIG. 3. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 3; FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 5; and FIG. 7 is an outer portion of the cover. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 6, FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the bucket of FIG. 3, and FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the bucket according to another embodiment. . 10 is a bucket, 12 is a lid, 14 is an outer ring, 16 is a lip, 18 is an annular shelf, 20 is a flange, 26 is an annular recess, and 30 is an annular straight wall. Agent: Patent attorney Takuo Akaoka

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] (11) A bucket lip forming an enlarged annular protrusion at the mouth of the bucket; an annular shelf located on the inner side adjacent to the lip and facing the mouth; and an area of the annular shelf; an externally located annular flange that merges into the bucket adjacent to the annular shelf to provide extra hoop strength, the annular flange having a portion extending in vertical relationship apart from the sidewall of the bucket; (2) a packet lip forming an enlarged annular protrusion at the mouth of the bucket; and an annular shelf located on the inner side adjacent to the lip and facing the mouth; an externally located annular flange that merges into the bucket adjacent to the annular shelf to provide extra hoop strength to the area of the annular shelf, the annular flange being a flange in longitudinal relation to the bucket wall; (3) a bucket lip forming an enlarged annular protrusion at the mouth of the bucket; and adjacent to said lip, said bucket; an annular flange located on the inner side facing the mouth and an annular flange on the outer side that merges into the bucket adjacent to the annular shelf to provide extra strength to the area of the annular shelf; A shelf supports a lid attached to the lip, the lid being in one piece and having a peripheral annular recess receiving the annular projection in locking relation, the recess at an angle of substantially 10° to 60° from the axis of the bucket. an annular straight wall extending radially inward from the annular recess, the annular straight wall having an outer edge adjacent to the annular recess and abutting the annular shelf; an inner edge extends outwardly toward the mouth with respect to an outer edge, thereby providing the bucket and lid with high stacking strength, and the outer side of the lid is provided with a flange upstanding from the inner edge of the annular recess. (4) The bucket of clause 3, wherein the bucket is a tapered bucket, and the bottom of the bucket has a diameter less than or equal to the diameter of the inner edge of the annular straight wall. The bucket of clause 3, comprising radial vanes reinforcing the straight walls. (6) An annular upright flange on the outside of the lid and radially inward of the annular recess, the flange forming the same tapered bucket. The bucket of clause 4 having a diameter sufficient to snugly accommodate the bottom end. (7) Clause 6 wherein said annular flange is curved in cross-section to form a flange portion in longitudinal relation to the packet wall. bucket. (8) The bucket of item 1, further comprising a reinforcing rib extending between at least a portion of the outer flange and a side wall of the bucket. (9) The bucket of claim 1, wherein the annular projection defines a pair of downwardly facing lid locking shoulders. α0) The bucket of clause 9, wherein the shoulder lies in a plane disposed at an angle of 0° to 15° with respect to a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bucket. 0υ an upright tapered side wall with an annular protrusion at the mouth of the bucket and an upwardly directed shelf formed in the inner wall of said side wall for supporting a corresponding bucket stacked thereon when no lid is present over said mouth; A molded bucket characterized by comprising: (to) The bucket of claim 11, wherein the shelf is located inside the packet at a lower portion of the side wall remote from the mouth. (1)) The bucket of clause 11, wherein the thickness of the side wall below the shelf is greater than the thickness of the side wall above the shelf to increase the stacking strength of the bucket. (6) tapered side walls forming sides of the bucket and forming an open mouth with an annular projection at the mouth; and an integral bottom joined to said side wall in a transition area, said transition area comprising: A molded bucket characterized in that it is molded with a relatively large curvature and has a thickness approximately equal to the thickness of said bottom, said curvature and thickness preventing stress concentrations that would weaken the bucket. ) said transition zone curves vertically upwards relative to said side wall, an annular wall extending continuously around said bottom in line with said side wall, said annular wall projecting beyond the bottom surface of said bucket 1; 15. The bucket of claim 14, having a bottom edge forming a lower support surface. 16. The bucket of claim 15, including a plurality of ribs disposed about the bucket and extending between the annular wall and a radially outer portion of the bottom. (2) The bucket of clause 15, wherein the ribs are arranged diagonally so as to generally form a figure 7 shape. (1)) The bucket of clause 17, further comprising radial ribs. (5) a lid defining a peripheral annular recess adapted to receive in locking relation an annular projection of the bucket, said annular recess having an inner annular portion and an outer annular portion lying in radially spaced relation thereto; a skirt portion, the recess and the skirt portion being joined by an intermediate portion forming the recess, the skirt portion being adapted to retain the lid against removal of the skirt portion; has a lower removable piece extending generally continuously around the bottom edge of the skirt portion, the removable piece being physically breakable at a break area, and the removable piece being able to be physically broken at a break area; A lid for removably attaching to a molded bucket, characterized in that the lid can be manually removed from the skirt when the lid is torn for removal. I20) The lid of clause 19, wherein said skirt portion includes a window adjacent said break area, optionally providing access to said piece by a tool for breaking said piece. 21. The closure of claim 20, wherein said piece includes a friction-enhanced portion adjacent said fracture area. The lid of I2 comprises a pair of spaced generally annular walls;
a twenty-first wall including a plurality of reinforcing ribs disposed between the walls;
lid of nuchal. (2) The lid of item 22, wherein the ribs are arranged diagonally to form a figure 7. QΦ The lid of item 23 further comprising radial ribs. (c)) The bucket of item 8, wherein the ribs are oriented diagonally.