NZ591011A - A magnetic lid configured to engage with the rim of a range of metal containers with a range of diameters - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a lid for use with a range of metal containers having different rim sizes. The lid includes a collar around the circumference of the lid and a flat contact surface enclosed by the collar and extending across an underside of the lid. The contact surface includes magnetic material configured to engage magnetically with the rim of each of the containers in the range of containers. The magnetic material includes an outer cover suitable for exposure to food.

Description

James & Wells ref: 46083/62 Received at IPONZ on 14 December 2011 PATENTS FORM NO. 5 Fee No. 4: $250.00 PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION CANISTER LID I, Mark Evan STREET, a New Zealand citizen of 115 Aikmans Road, Merivale, Christchurch 8014, New Zealand, hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement: 1 Received at IPONZ on 14 December 2011 James & Wells Ref: 46083/62 CANISTER LID TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a lid for a container. In particular it relates to a lid for a metal 5 container having a rim around an edge of the container, such as containers commonly used for storage of substances including (without limitation) food and food products.

BACKGROUND ART Many commodities, such as foods and foodstuffs, are commonly processed and encapsulated in containers, especially tins/cans. The tins used for this purpose come in a range of standard 10 sizes, with each tin having a base and a top and are typically cylindrical in shape. Such standard tins are produced in a range of diameters.

These tins are opened with a tin opener by removal of the top (or base) to create an open ended container having a rim around the circumference of the opened end. The severed top is then removed and the contents of the tin are exposed to the environment.

This may not be an issue in cases where all of the contents are used once the tin is opened. However, in many instances there can be some contents that are not required for immediate use. In some such cases the remaining contents may be discarded. However, it is much less wasteful, and more commonly desired, to store the remaining contents for later use.

When the contents are perishable, as is typically the case for food and foodstuffs, it is desirable 20 to store the contents in a sealed container. This may assist in prolonging the useful storage time of the contents as well as reducing odours and limiting cross contamination with other foodstuffs.

A common problem with use of tins is the top of the tin, once opened and removed, cannot be used to reseal the tin. A user wishing to store the remnants of the contents of the tin will 25 therefore typically either remove the contents from the tin into a separate, generally sealable, container, or use a separate lid which is specifically designed to cover/seal the tin. This can be generally inconvenient for a user, as it requires the purchase of suitable containers or of a range of specifically designed lids to fit each sized tin.

It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide 30 the public with a useful choice.

All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby 2 Received at IPONZ on 14 December 2011 James & Wells Ref: 46083/62 incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this 5 reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country.

Throughout this specification, the word "comprise", or variations thereof such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, 10 or group of elements, integers or steps.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a lid for use with a range of metal containers, each container having a rim around the circumference of the container, the rim defining an opening in the container, wherein the range of containers includes containers having different rim sizes, the lid including: a collar around the circumference of the lid; and a flat contact surface enclosed by the collar and extending across an underside 20 of the lid; wherein at least a portion of the contact surface includes magnetic material configured to engage magnetically with the rim of each of the containers in the range of containers, and wherein the magnetic material includes an outer cover suitable for exposure to food.

The present invention is for use with metal tins in which the material of the tin is capable of 25 magnetization causing the tin (and in particular the rim of an opened tin) to be attracted to a magnet. The applicant has found that this applies to many tins in commercial use in New Zealand, such as those commonly used for storing food and foodstuffs in a sealed enclosure.

A key feature of the present invention is that the same lid may be used as a cover for a range of tins having a range of diameters or rim perimeters. For this to be possible it is necessary 30 that the base of the lid be flat so that it can contact the rims of tins having a range of rim sizes.

In a preferred embodiment the magnet is in the form of a magnetic sheet material. 3 Received at IPONZ on 14 December 2011 James & Wells Ref: 46083/62 A magnetic sheet material may be attached to the base of the lid to provide the required flat surface for contact with the rim of a container. Alternatively, a magnet may be embedded into the lid so that a surface of the magnet is level with the flat base of the lid.

An advantage of using magnetic sheet material is that it is readily available, relatively cost 5 effective and readily fixed to the base of the lid. Some magnetic sheet material is available with an adhesive formed on one face, which may aid manufacture of the lid.

In a preferred embodiment the magnet is formed from a paramagnetic compound mixed with a plastic binder and extruded into a sheet. Such materials form good, strong, stable magnets and are commonly used in manufacture of a range of products, for example refrigerator 10 magnets.

Preferably the magnet includes an outer cover suitable for exposure to food. As the lid may be used to cover food in an opened tin it would be an advantage to cover the exposed surface of the magnet with a coating that is safe to use if exposed to food.

In a preferred embodiment a diameter of the lid is in the range from 70 mm to 120 mm.

Preferably a diameter of the lid according to this embodiment is 110 mm.

A lid having a diameter of 110 mm is able to cover a common range of tins used domestically for storing food and food products. Such tins typically have diameters less than 110 mm.

In another preferred embodiment a diameter of the lid is in the range from 150 mm to 170 mm.

Preferably a diameter of a lid according to this embodiment is 164 mm.

A lid having a diameter of 164 mm is able to cover a common range of tins used commercially for storing food and food products. Such tins typically have diameters less than 164 mm (but greater than 110 mm).

In some embodiments the lid may have an oval shape, or may be in the shape of a rectangle having rounded edges.

These shapes may be particularly useful when used with tins commonly used for storing some types of fish, for example sardines.

In a preferred embodiment the lid has either an oval or substantially rectangular shape with a maximum span in the range 145 mm to 165 mm.

In a preferred embodiment the contact surface is covered by the magnet material. 30 In other embodiments the magnet may be configured as an annulus. 4 Received at IPONZ on 14 December 2011 James & Wells Ref: 46083/62 Forming the magnet as an annulus may be a cost effective way of providing coverage for most popular tin diameters as the magnet is smaller than that required to cover the entire base. This may be significant, especially for lids for larger tins.

A lid according to the present invention may provide a number of advantages over other prior 5 art lids, such as: • Versatility, in that one lid may be used to provide a cover for a wide range of tins of different diameters, such as those commonly used to store food and food products, thus providing a "one size fits all" solution; • Improved storage, in that the flat magnetic base of the lid may form a good seal around the rim of a tin which may reduce the rate of deterioration of the contents of the tin and/or the internal wall of the tin, and which may reduce odour and cross contamination of stored foodstuffs; • Ease of use, in that the magnetic lid can be easily fitted and removed from an opened tin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a lid according to one embodiment of the present 20 invention; Figure 2 shows a cross sectional view through the lid of Figure 1, Figure 3 shows a schematic view of a lid according to another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 shows a schematic view of a lid according to another embodiment of the present 25 invention; Figure 5 shows a schematic view of a lid according to another embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 6 shows a schematic view of a lid according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Received at IPONZ on 14 December 2011 James & Wells Ref: 46083/62 BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A lid for a container according to one embodiment of the present invention is generally indicated by arrow 1 in Figure 1. The lid is in the form of a disc having a top 2 formed from a rigid plastics material. A layer of magnetic sheet material 3, in the form of commercially 5 available strontium ferrite food laminated magnetic sheet, is bonded to the base of the top (the contact surface). In some embodiments the magnetic sheet material has an adhesive on one side which can be used to attach the magnetic sheet material to the base of the top.

The lid 1 has a diameter of 110 mm, this being sufficient to cover tins having rim diameters less than 110 mm. This enables the lid to cover a range of standard sized tins as are commonly 10 used domestically.

Another embodiment of the present invention is generally indicated by arrow 21 in Figure 2.

This embodiment is similar to that shown in Figure 1 except that the magnetic sheet material is configured as an annulus 4. The centre of the annulus may be unfilled, leaving a small gap to the base of the top, or, as illustrated in Figure 2, the magnetic sheet material may be imbedded 15 in the top such that the surface of the magnetic sheet material is flush with a surface portion of the top, as indicated by the numeral 5 in Figure 2.

An advantage of this embodiment is that less magnetic sheet material is required in comparison with the embodiment of Figure 1 in which the whole base of the top is covered. This may save cost without any reduction in usefulness, as the central part of the annulus of magnetic sheet 20 material can be chosen to be of a diameter that typically does not engage with the rim of standard sized tins.

The lid 21 has a diameter of 164 mm and may be used to advantage with a range of standard sized tins as used for bulk storage of materials, for example, in the catering industry. As standard size tins for bulk storage have a minimum diameter opening, there is an obvious 25 advantage in using an annular configuration for the magnetic sheet material where the inner diameter of the annulus is comparable to but smaller than the minimum diameter of the standard sizes of bulk tins.

A further embodiment is generally indicated by arrow 31 in Figure 3. This embodiment differs from those illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 by the addition of a collar 6 around the outer 30 circumference of the top of the lid, the collar extending substantially orthogonally from the top to surround the edges of the magnetic sheet material 3. The collar 6 may provide a grip for a user's hand which may increase ease of use of the lid 31. 6 Received at IPONZ on 14 December 2011 James & Wells Ref: 46083/62 A preferred embodiment is generally indicated by arrow 41 in Figure 4. This embodiment is similar to that shown in Figure 3 but includes a handle portion, generally indicated by arrow 7, in the form of a raised platform extending from the central portion of the top. A centrally located handle portion, which may be formed in any convenient configuration, may increase ease of 5 gripping the lid, especially for lids of larger diameters where it may be difficult or impossible to span the lid with one hand.

The preferred embodiment includes a flat, 3 mm thick, strontium ferrite food laminated magnetic sheet which covers the underside of the lid. The lid preferably has a diameter of 110 mm for covering smaller opened containers (e.g. for domestic use) or 164 mm for covering 10 larger opened containers (e.g. for commercial catering use). In each case the collar is 10 mm wide.

It is envisaged that the lid may be formed in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on the intended use (i.e. the shape of the tin that the lid is used to cover). For example, in some embodiments the tin is oval-shaped as generally indicated by arrow 51 in Figure 5 or in the 15 form of an elongate rectangle with rounded corners, as indicated by arrow 61 in Figure 6. The latter shape may be particularly useful when used with tins commonly used for storing some types of fish, for example sardines.

In one embodiment the lid is oval-shaped having a maximum span of 154 mm.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be 20 appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims. 7

Claims (10)

Received at IPONZ on 14 December 2011 WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A lid for use with a range of metal containers, each container having a rim around the circumference of the container, the rim defining an opening in the container, wherein the range of containers includes containers having different rim sizes, the lid including: a collar around the circumference of the lid; and a flat contact surface enclosed by the collar and extending across an underside of the lid; wherein at least a portion of the contact surface includes magnetic material configured to engage magnetically with the rim of each of the containers in the range of containers, and wherein the magnetic material includes an outer cover suitable for exposure to food.

2. The lid of claim 1 wherein the magnetic material is in the form of a magnetic sheet material.

3. The lid of claim 2 wherein the magnetic material is formed from a paramagnetic compound mixed with a plastic binder and extruded into a sheet.

4. The lid of any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the strip of magnetic material is configured as an annulus.

5. The lid of any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the magnetic material covers the entire contact surface.

6. The lid of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the range of containers includes containers having a rim diameter in the range 70 mm to 120 mm.

7. The lid of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the range of containers includes containers having a rim diameter in the range 150 mm to 170 mm.

8. The lid of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the shape of the lid is oval.

9. The lid of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the shape of the lid is substantially rectangular.

10. The lid as claimed in either of claims 8 or 9 wherein the maximum span of the lid is in the range 145 mm to 165 mm. 8 Received at IPONZ on 14 December 2011 A lid substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying description and drawings. Mark Evan Street by his authorised agents JAMES & WELLS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY