US20020175173A1

US20020175173A1 - Plastic container with snap lid

Info

Publication number: US20020175173A1
Application number: US09/822,870
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank Diesterbeck
Original assignee: Jokey Plastik Gummersbach GmbH
Current assignee: Jokey Plastik Gummersbach GmbH
Priority date: 2000-04-01
Filing date: 2001-04-02
Publication date: 2002-11-28
Also published as: DE20006093U1; ATE287363T1; WO2001074674A1; CN1246193C; KR20030020268A; BR0109623B1; CN1422224A; EP1268289B1; DE10191219D2; ZA200207587B; PT1268289E; ES2236196T3; KR100538681B1; CA2404876A1; BR0109623A; CA2404876C; AU2001239165A1; FR2808507B3; DK1268289T3; UA72594C2

Abstract

A plastic container with a snap lid and with a snap element provided on an upper edge area of the container for the lid to snap onto, where the lid being snapped onto the container has an area that comes into tight contact with the upper edge area of the container, the areas of the lid and of the container cooperating under tight contact generate a sealing region. The object of the invention is to design a plastic container with snap lid, which reliably fulfils special demands on leak-proofness. To this end, the sealing region between the container and the lid is provided with a circumferential seal made of a material of greater elasticity than the container and the lid and in that the seal is integrally moulded on at least one of the cooperation areas of the lid and of the container generating the sealing region. The seal can be located in a circumferential groove in the lid. The seal can have two sealing regions spaced apart that are at different angles to the main axis of the container, where the container and/or lid has areas that provide for tight contact on the sealing regions. The container and the seal are provided with elevations in the form of ribs which come into contact when the lid is on. At the height of the seal, the outer flank of the groove on the lid laterally contacts the outside of the container.

Description

The invention relates to a plastic container with a snap lid and with a snap element provided on an upper edge area of the container for the lid to snap onto, where the lid being snapped onto the container and has an area that is in tight contact with the upper edge area of the container, the areas of the lid and of the container cooperating under tight contact generate a sealing region.

Plastic containers of this kind are used to transport various goods, particularly also in the industrial and food sectors, and have proven to be very effective for this purpose. However, transporting liquids or low-viscosity materials still involves the problem of the sufficient leak-proofness of the plastic containers. This is the case particularly when transporting volatile or other types of critical goods, such as oils, particularly mineral oils. In these cases, especially high demands must be imposed on the leak-proofness of the plastic container, which have not yet been fulfilled satisfactorily by previously known plastic containers, even though numerous attempts have been made to achieve sufficient leak-proofness by providing the container edge and the lid with a corresponding profile. Consequently, these goods are usually transported in metal containers.

The object of the invention is to design a plastic container with snap lid, which reliably fulfils the special demands imposed on leak-proofness.

The object is solved by a plastic container with snap lid, the sealing region between the container and the lid is provided with a circumferential seal made of a material of greater elasticity than the container and the lid and in that the seal is integrally moulded on at least one of the cooperation areas of the lid and of the container generating the sealing region. That means, that the sealing region is provided with an integrally moulded, circumferential seal that sits tightly between the container and the lid when the lid is in place, where the seal is made of a material of greater elasticity than that of the lid and/or the bucket, particularly a rubber material. The seal is thus integrally moulded on the container, consisting of the bucket and the lid. In this way, the tolerances that can occur with a manually inserted seal are avoided and the seal is fastened to the lid or the container such that, even when exposed to external forces, e.g. if containers fall, the seal is always located on the component in unmoveable fashion. The seal is preferably integrally moulded by an injection process, e.g. injection moulding, so that joints or the like can be avoided. The seal can be injected in the same mould immediately after the moulding of the associated container part, so that particularly low manufacturing and fit tolerances can be maintained.

The seal is advantageously integrally moulded on the lid, where the width of the seal can be greater than the wall thickness of the upper container edge, e.g. roughly 1.5 to 3 times greater, without being restricted to this. The seal can have an essentially horizontal sealing region and it can also be profiled, e.g. U or V-shaped. One, two or even more different sealing regions can be provided that differ in terms of their contact width, which can be either linear or planar, their material thickness or other characteristics. The sealing regions can be interconnected and/or radially or axially separated from one another.

The seal is advantageously located in a circumferential groove in the lid that is open towards the container edge, where the seal can extend over the entire width of the groove and is thus additionally secured against lateral shifting. The side flanks of the groove can surround the inside and outside of the container edge, preferably with slight lateral play, or none at all, without being restricted to this.

The seal preferably has two, adjacent sealing regions that are at different angles and tightly contact areas of the container edge at different angles. To this end, the seal can have a U, V or L-shaped cross-section, in particular, or other profiles, where the sealing regions can be arranged on areas of the seal that face each other, possibly also in a convex area, for example. The sealing regions at different angles can be designed as a single part or multiple parts, i.e. not of continuous design, where one or more, or preferably all of the segments of the seal are integrally moulded on the container and/or lid.

When the container is closed, the seal preferably has an essentially horizontal area that tightly contacts the top edge of the container edge and a radially inward area that preferably slopes downwards and tightly contacts the inside of the upper container edge. The downwardly sloping sealing region can extend essentially vertically or at an angle when the container is in upright position, where the two sealing regions can enclose an angle of 90° to 135° or more. The sloping sealing region thus also ends in a sloping area and preferably extends in essentially linear fashion. The length of the sloping sealing region can be roughly equal to the length of the horizontal sealing region, e.g. one-quarter to the entire length of the same or more. The container edge preferably likewise has a horizontal sealing region and a radially inward bevel or chamfer for positioning the vertical or angled sealing region. However, other designs are also possible. As a result, forces are always absorbed in the region of the flexible seal, even forces acting laterally on the sealing region, so that a high degree of leak-proofness is ensured.

The seal can have one or more circumferential sealing ribs projecting towards the container edge, which contact an area of the container, particularly the top edge of the container. The height of the sealing ribs can be less than the wall thickness of the container. The container edge can be plane or provided with one or more circumferential ribs, pairs of which can form a groove that is at least partially engaged by one or more sealing ribs. The sealing ribs can be provided on different areas of the seal, e.g. on a horizontal and/or vertical or angled area. The cross-sections of the sealing ribs need not be the same as the circumferential grooves of the container edge, as long as a sufficient sealing effect is achieved. The cross-section of the groove of the container edge can be equal to or smaller than the cross-section of the sealing rib, so that the groove is completely filled by the flexible sealing rib when the lid is in place. The groove cross-section can also be larger than that of the engaging sealing ribs and, in this context, counteract the lateral shifting of the same, for example, a purpose that can also be fulfilled by just a web. The web or edge delimiting the groove can also tightly contact the seal. If necessary, one or more ribs can also be provided on the container edge that engage recesses provided for this purpose in the flexible seal. In particular, the seal and container edge structures that come into contact can be incompatible or non-complementary, so that elevations on the seal do not lie opposite depressions in the container edge, but rather contact elevations on the container edge, e.g. in the flank area of the same. This results in non-congruent interlocking that ensures high and reliable leak-proofness. In this context, the height of the sealing ribs is preferably less than the wall thickness of the container, e.g. ½ to ⅕ of the same or less, without being restricted to this.

The container edge can also be provided with at least one rib for sealing the container that comes into contact with a plane area of the seal. The rib is preferably so high that, when the lid is on, the rib at least partially or essentially completely digs into the seal, which has greater elasticity than the container material.

The seal preferably has a height or thickness such that it simultaneously acts as a deformation zone when force is exerted on the container or the lid in the sealing region, so that deformation of the more rigid lid and container areas is avoided when exposed to certain forces.

In order to seal the container when the lid is on, the horizontal and/or vertical or downward-sloping area of the seal can make flat contact with a partial area, or preferably the entire surface area (i.e. over the entire radial extension) of the corresponding contact areas of the container or lid.

Webs projecting radially outward, which can be designed as circumferential ribs whose radial extension is less than the container wall thickness, can be integrally moulded on the outwardly downward-sloping area of the outer container wall adjacent to the top edge of the container. These ribs can be made of the same material as the container wall and essentially serve to reduce the friction when putting on the lid, where they only have a secondary sealing function, which is primarily fulfilled by the flexible and compressible seal. Two or more circumferential ribs of this kind can also be provided on the outer edge of the container. When the lid is in place, the ribs preferably make contact without play, but also without any significant pretension, so that the lid is precisely positioned in the region of the seal, or are spaced apart with slight play, without being restricted to this.

In order to stabilise the sealing region, a radially projecting reinforcing rib is integrally moulded, preferably on the outside, on the container edge on the side of the snap element facing the top edge of the container. The reinforcing rib preferably runs radially around the container. It can also be divided and consist of several reinforcing segments. Alternatively or additionally, one or more additional reinforcing ribs can be integrally moulded on the side of the snap element facing towards or away from the top edge of the container. The thickness, i.e. height and/or width, of the reinforcing rib can be in the region of half the wall thickness of the container, preferably in the region of the wall thickness or also greater. Arranging the reinforcing rib adjacent to the flexible seal makes the sealing region of the container particularly stable. The lid is preferably in contact with the radially outer side of the reinforcing rib with or without pretension, so that forces acting on the side of the lid are absorbed directly by the reinforcing rib. For this purpose, the radially outer side of the reinforcing rib can have a plane area. The space between the reinforcing rib and the snap element can be designed to accommodate the snap edge of the lid. If necessary, reinforcing ribs can also be provided on the inside of the container.

Advantageously, the snap connection of the lid is also equally effective after the container has been opened once, i.e. the snap region and the sealing region are not separated by an area of thinner material that serves as a tamper-proof seal, for example, and in which the lid area has to be partially or completely removed or folded over in order to open the container. The snap element can be provided directly on the top edge of the container or at a distance away from it, e.g. also on an outwardly projecting edge.

The snap element for attaching the lid is preferably provided on the outer wall of the container, or also on the inside, if appropriate.

The lid preferably has an outward-facing sliding bevel, which can be joined to the top edge of the lid or a region below it, preferably on an essentially vertical section. The sliding bevel can be located immediately above the reinforcing rib provided above the snap element on the outer wall of the container and a small distance away from it. The sliding bevel can be radially flush with the snap edge of the lid on the outside, or extend beyond it, although it preferably extends radially beyond the areas projecting away from the container wall.

The upper edge of the container preferably has a circumferential collar region projecting radially outward and facing downward, on which the snap element is integrally moulded. In this context, a reinforcing rib integrally moulded above the snap element and facing outward can also be integrally moulded on the circumferential container collar, thus also reinforcing it, and/or above the circumferential collar region right on the container wall. Due to the downward-facing collar region, which is spaced apart from the container wall, the snap region is isolated from the sealing region in terms of the forces acting on them.

The downward-facing, circumferential collar region is preferably joined at the top edge of the container, i.e. at the height of the sealing region or at a distance of a few times the wall thickness away, e.g. one or two times, without being restricted to this.

The container preferably has a collar region projecting radially outward and facing downward, which is located below the lid when it is on the container and extends radially to the lid or also beyond it. This circumferential collar region can be integrally moulded on the container wall separately and, in this context, be flush with the bottom edge of the circumferential collar region with the snap edge, or spaced apart from it in terms of height. This circumferential collar region is preferably designed as a continuation of the collar region accommodating the snap element, i.e. as a shoulder continuing down and to the outside.

A corresponding tamper-proof seal can be provided in this area. The bottom edge of the lid can sit on this collar region with or without pretension, or display a slight amount of play in relation to it, preferably such that the bottom edge of the lid cannot be reached under manually. This circumferential collar region can have a radial constriction for the partial or complete reception of the bottom edge of the lid.

The circumferential collar region or regions can be reinforced by vertical ribs, which can be located in the inside of the collar region and connected to the outer wall of the container. The reinforcing ribs preferably have a recess or notch at the bottom, due to which the collar region retains a certain degree of flexibility and can act as a deformation zone.

The lid preferably has a circumferential area that is spaced vertically and/or radially away from the flexible seal and tightly contacts the inside wall of the container when the lid is in place. This sealing region can be made of the same material as the lid. The sealing region can be designed as a downwardly projecting rib or also as a shoulder on the under-side of the lid, for example, and is preferably located above an indentation in the container wall when the lid is in place. When the lid is in place, the sealing region can rest on the indentation, or be spaced away from it, preferably in such a way that the underside of the rib or of the shoulder of the lid rests on the container indentation when additional containers are stacked on top or when an external force is applied. In this context, the lid area can tightly contact a preferably essentially vertical container region in linear fashion, or over a vertical height, preferably at the height of a reinforcing rib or the snap edge provided on the outside of the container.

In order to increase the reliability of the container seal, an area projecting upward beyond the bottom edge of the rib can be provided on the inside wall of the container, which is radially inside relative to the web-like or circumferential rib integrally moulded on the inside of the lid. To this end, individual projections or webs can provided that are spread over the circumference. This area is preferably also designed as a circumferential rib. The height of this rib, which prevents inward shifting of the rib of the lid, is preferably smaller than the wall thickness of the container or the lid rib, without being restricted to this. The upwardly projecting areas of the container can be slightly spaced apart or contact the side of the rib of the lid with or without pretension. In this context, the rib of the lid can also be located in a press fit between the radially adjacent container areas on the inside and outside.

The shoulder of the inside wall of the container, which is located below the rib or a shoulder of the lid or the like, can be located roughly at the height of the snap element or a reinforcing rib, or at distance of one or a few times the wall thickness of the container.

In order to stabilise the sealing region, the lid can be provided, preferably on the immediately radially inside area of the container wall, with at least one radially inward projection that can be integrally moulded on the top side of the lid. The projection or projections can be of annular, box-like (e.g. cubic or prismatic) or web-shaped design, without being restricted to this. Inside reinforcing ribs can be provided in order to stabilise the box-like or annular projections.

The top side of the projection(s) is advantageously spaced away from, preferably above, the lid area in tight contact with the inside wall of the container, where the point of contact in the vertical direction can be virtually punctiform or linear. The cross-section of the projections can be designed in the shape of a skew triangle or rectangle, where the top and/or bottom edge of the side walls of the projections can be designed to slope down towards the inside of the container. The radially inward end wall of the projections can be vertical or at an angle. The projections can be integrally moulded on the top edge of the lid. The top edge of the projections is preferably located below the top edge of the lid, thus creating another shoulder. This avoids integral moulding at the height of the sealing region on the inside of the container, which can lead to material stress or deformation, e.g. due to shrinkage processes.

The projections facing the centre of the lid are advantageously designed such that vertically extending connecting surfaces with the circumferential sealing rib can be largely or entirely avoided in the sealing region, such as in the form of lateral surfaces on the projections or web-like projections. To this end, projections extending over a relatively large part of the circumference, or preferably a radial circumferential edge on the inside of the lid, can be provided. In this context, the lateral surfaces of the projections can be located at a radial distance from the circumferential sealing region on the top side of the projections, so that when looking at the lid from below, a circumferential groove with an e.g. roughly trapezoidal or triangular cross-section and inwardly facing wider areas results. The projections, particularly also an annular, circumferential projection, can possibly also be reinforced with inside ribs, which then preferably end at a radial distance from the sealing or support rib in contact with the inside wall of the container, or rest against it at a distance from the sealing region of this rib.

In this context, the top side of the projections can contact the inside edge of the lid essentially horizontally, preferably at a downward angle of less than 150, e.g. 5°, towards the inside of the container.

The lid surface blocking the container opening can be positioned level with or below the inside sealing region, preferably level with or below the snap edge.

A spout can be mounted on the lid, which is preferably located roughly at one-quarter the diameter of the lid surface area, thus resulting in practical handling of the bucket when pouring a liquid.

An example of the invention is described below and explained on the basis of the figures. The figures show the following: [0032]
FIG. 1 A partial cross-section of a container with lid according to the invention, with another container stacked on top, [0033]
FIG. 2 A detail view of a container with lid according to FIG. 1, [0034]
FIG. 3 A detail cross-section of a container according to FIG. 1, [0035]
FIG. 4 A top view of a container with lid according to FIG. 1, [0036]
FIG. 5 A diagram of stacked lids according to FIG. 1,[0037]
FIG. 1 shows an injection-moulded [0038] plastic bucket 1 with lid 2 snapped on, where a flat area is provided on top edge 4 of outer wall 3 of the bucket. Top edge 4 is connected to a circumferential, radially-projecting collar 5, on which an outwardly projecting snap edge 6 is integrally moulded, which is engaged from below by a circumferential snap edge 7 of the lid with a hooked projection. The areas of the lid and the bucket that snap together are designed to be essentially horizontal and without rounded outer edges, so that a particularly secure snap connection is provided by the resulting interlocking connection. The snap edges of the bucket and the lid can possibly also be angled downwards towards the outside, thus strengthening the interlocking connection.
The region of [0039] lid 2 associated with top edge 4 of the bucket is designed in the shape of a groove or channel, where outer flank 8 of groove 34 is in lateral contact with the two, vertically spaced circumferential ribs 9 of the bucket. The radial extension of ribs 9 is considerably less than the wall thickness of the bucket, roughly one-third in this case. Due to the rounded top edge of rib 9 and the small width of the ribs, the lid can easily be pushed onto the bucket, even if sits very tightly against the edge of the bucket. Here, ribs 9 are located at the height of section 12 of the seal, where the lid can rest on the outer wall of the bucket at this height with little or virtually no pretension, even in the absence of these ribs.
A seal made of an elastic and compressible rubber material is injected as a single piece on the horizontal base of the groove in the lid and on radially adjacent inside flank [0040] 10. In order to improve the material bond, the groove base and the area of contact of the rubber seal with it are provided with congruent elevations and depressions. Sealing region 12 associated with inside groove flank 10 is at an angle to the vertical, at an angle of roughly 20° here, where the angle can also taken on values between 5 and 45°, without being restricted to this. When the lid is snapped on, angled section 12 of seal 11 rests against downwardly sloping bevel 13, which is adjacent to the inside of top edge 4 of the bucket (see also FIGS. 2, 3) and whose slope corresponds to that of the contact surface of section 12 of the seal, without being restricted to this. As a result of this special design of the seal, the bucket is securely sealed even when strong forces act on the edge of the bucket. The section of the lid that surrounds section 12 of the seal on the inside is also of bevelled design.
Circumferential collar [0041] 5 of the bucket is joined at the height of top edge 4, so that the cavity 14 delimited by collar 5 extends up close to the top edge, i.e. up to about once the wall thickness. The region of top edge 4 of the bucket is thus also designed as a U-shaped, circumferential profile.
The essentially vertical leg of U-shaped top edge [0042] 4 transitions towards the outside into a bevel 15 with an angle of roughly 300 to the horizontal, thus forming a stepped shoulder. Snap edge 6 is integrally moulded below this shoulder, where a radial, circumferential reinforcing edge 16 is integrally moulded between the snap edge and the shoulder, at the height of the shoulder here, which, in this example, is flush towards the outside with snap edge 6 and has a corresponding width, i.e. vertical extension. The bottom edge of reinforcing edge 16 is designed to correspond to that of snap edge 6, so that snap edge 7 of the lid can also engage the groove located between edges 6 and 16, to which end the top edge of snap edge 6 also slopes down towards the outside. When completely snapped on, the edge of the lid thus rests against the outer edge of snap edge 6, reinforcing edge 16 and the two ribs 9, where a slight gap is provided between bevel 15 and sliding bevel 17 of the lid located above it. Sliding bevel 17 can also be located above the bottom edge of the lid rim surrounding the top edge of the container, so that a web projecting downwards towards bevel 15 is formed, which can possibly also rest on bevel 15 or an essentially horizontal section of the same.
Circumferential collar [0043] 5 has a circumferential shoulder 18 below snap edge 7 that projects away from snap edge 7 beyond the outer edge of lid 2, where snap edge 7 can rest on shoulder 18 under pretension, or a gap can be provided between the snap edge and the shoulder. Shoulder 18 has a tamper-proof seal 19, after whose removal snap edge 7 can be grasped manually from below and the lid pulled off. Several tear-off tabs can also be provided that are adjacent or extend over a fairly large segment of the circumference of the bucket. If necessary, a tamper-proof seal can also be attached to snap edge 7. It is important to mention here that the lid area between the groove accommodating the seal and the snap edge preferably does not have any significant thinning of the material, so that high stability, and thus high leak-proofness, is ensured between the snap connection and seal 11 or the area of the lid located inside bucket 1.
The lid has a [0044] circumferential sealing rib 20 on the inside relative to seal 11, which only tightly contacts the inside wall of the bucket along part of its height, where the sealing region in this example is formed by the bottom end of the rib, which is provided roughly at the height of reinforcing edge 16 or the snap edge. Rib 20, which essentially projects vertically downward, is located at the height of an inwardly projecting shoulder 21 of the inside wall of the bucket and at a slight vertical distance from it. When slight vertical pressure is applied to the lid, rib 20 rests on indentation 21. If the sealing function of the rib is dispensable, individual, downward-facing, web-like projections can also be provided as an alternative. Indentation 21 is delimited on the inside by a circumferential ridge 22, in place of which individual projections can also be provided, where ridge 22 extends above the bottom edge of rib 20 and prevents the inward movement of rib 20. Rib 20 can also be received in a press fit between ridge 22 and the adjacent, outer wall area of the bucket. The sealing region of rib 20 is formed in that (see FIG. 2) rib 20 is angled slightly outward and dimensioned such that its bottom edge 35 would come to rest radially outside the inside wall of the bucket when the lid is removed. In this case, the thickness of the bottom edge roughly corresponds to the rib thickness, preferably more than ¼ of the same, where it is slightly tapered here. As a result, radially pretensioned contact with the inside wall of the container is consistently achieved when the lid is on. The overhang when the lid is removed is smaller than the rib thickness here and amounts to roughly ¼ the thickness of the bottom edge.
A circumferential, inside [0045] edge 23 sloping slightly down towards the inside, is integrally moulded on rib 20 above the sealing region, on which inwardly facing bevels 24 or, in spots with a wider edge, essentially vertical wall areas 25 are integrally moulded in segments, which transition into the horizontal lid area 26. Area 26 is located below snap edge 6, where its outside diameter is dimensioned, as shown, such that it is possible to stack buckets. This results in projections with a triangular cross-section that are integrally moulded on a trapezoidal groove open towards the bottom.
In order to enable improved force transmission in, and simultaneous stackability of, buckets without lids inside one another, [0046] outer wall 3 of the bucket has a taper or angle to the outside of less than 3°, preferably 2°, where smaller angles are also possible. In order to be able to better absorb in the edge region the forces that occur when buckets with lids are stacked, the distance between the side of wall 25 of the projections facing the centre of the bucket and the opposite outer wall of the bucket 27 is further designed to allow only slight play, e.g. with a distance of less than 2 mm, preferably 1 mm.
As shown in the enlarged diagrams in FIGS. 2 and 3, top edge [0047] 4 of the bucket collar is equipped with two, circumferential ribs 36, which engage the teeth on the underside of seal 11, where some of the downwardly projecting ribs 37 of the teeth of the seal come into contact with ribs 36 on the top edge of the bucket, e.g. in their flank region, thus preventing lateral shifting of ribs 37, and some make contact next to ribs 36 in the groove formed between them, or outside of this on container edge 4. This incongruent design of the two structures makes the bucket highly leak-proof.
As further illustrated by the Figure, vertical reinforcing [0048] ribs 38 that run perpendicular to the outer wall are provided in cavity 14, which have recesses 33 open towards the bottom, where the apex of the recess is offset towards the outer wall of the bucket.
As shown in FIG. 4, [0049] circumferential edge 23 of the lid, which is located on the inside of bucket wall 3, is provided with segments 28, 29 of different radial width, this resulting in an effective reinforcing profile, in order to absorb forces on the sealing region of rib 20 or seal 11. According to the example, the circumferential extension of segments 28, 29 is a multiple of their width. The projections are thus of box-shaped design. Bevels 24 and vertical wall areas 25 end at the same distance from the main axis of the bucket, where areas 30 delimiting bevel 24 on the side are inclined towards the periphery of the lid. A closable spout, which is located at about one-quarter the diameter of the bucket, is also located in the central area 26 of the lid.

As shown in the stacking diagram in FIG. 5, the bottom edge of

snap edge

7 of the lid rests on sliding bevel 17, and bottom edge 35 of sealing rib 20 on horizontal leg 31 of groove 34 holding seal 11. The bottom edge of box-shaped projection 32 can alternatively or additionally rest on the top edge of the projection of the lid below.



List of reference numbers

1	Bucket
2	Lid
3	Outer wall
4	Top edge
5	Collar
6, 7	Snap edge
8	Outer flank
9	Rib
10	Flank
11	Seal
11a	Sealing rib
12	Vertical section
13	Bevel
14	Cavity
15	Bevel
16	Reinforcing edge
17	Sliding bevel
18	Shoulder
19	Tamper-proof seal
20	Sealing rib
21	Indentation
22	Ridge
23, 24	Bevel
25	Wall
26	Area
27	Outer wall
28, 29	Segment
30	Area
31	Horizontal leg
32	Bottom edge
33	Recess
34	Groove
35	Bottom edge
36, 37, 38	Rib

Claims

1. Plastic container with a snap lid and with a snap element provided on an upper edge area of the container for the lid to snap onto, where the lid being snapped onto the container has an area that comes into tight contact with the upper edge area of the container, the areas of the lid and of the container cooperating under tight contact generate a sealing region, characterised in that the sealing region between the container and the lid is provided with a circumferential seal made of a material of greater elasticity than the container and the lid and in that the seal is integrally moulded on at least one of the cooperation areas of the lid and of the container generating the sealing region.

2. Container as per claim 1, characterised in that the lid has a circumferential groove with a base and with outer and inner flanks to receive the top edge of the container and in that the seal is located in the groove.

3. Container as per claim 1, characterised in that the container has a main axis and the seal has two sealing regions spaced apart that are at different angles to the main axis of the container, and in that in the snapped-on state of the lid both sealing regions of the seal are in tight contact with at least one of the areas of the lid and of the container cooperating under tight contact generating the sealing region.

4. Container as per claim 3, characterised in that the seal has an area that is arranged radially inward relative to the top edge of the container and slopes downward towards the inside of the container, the radially inwardly seal area contacts at least one of the areas of the lid and of the container cooperating under tight contact generating the sealing region.

5. Container as per claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the seal has at least one circumferential sealing rib projecting towards the container edge that tightly contacts the upper region of the container.

6. Container as per claim 1, characterised in that the container has a main axis and the seal has two sealing regions spaced apart that are at different angles to the main axis of the container, and in that in the snapped-on state of the lid both sealing regions of the seal are in tight contact with at least one of the areas of the lid and of the container cooperating under tight contact generating the sealing region, and in that the seal has at least one circumferential sealing rib projecting towards the container edge that tightly contacts the upper region of the container.

7. Container as per claim 1, characterised in that at least one circumferential rib that contacts the seal is provided on the container, opposite the seal.

8. Container as per claim 1, characterised in that the container has a main axis and the seal has two sealing regions spaced apart that are at different angles to the main axis of the container, and in that in the snapped-on state of the lid both sealing regions of the seal are in tight contact with at least one of the areas of the lid and of the container cooperating under tight contact generating the sealing region and that at least one circumferential rib that contacts the seal is provided on the container, opposite the seal.

9. Container as per claim 7, characterised in that the container and the seal are provided with elevations in the form of ribs which are each positioned relative to one another such that the elevations on the container and the seal come into contact when the lid is on.

10. Container as per claim 8, characterised in that the container and the seal are provided with elevations in the form of ribs which are each positioned relative to one another such that the elevations on the container and the seal come into contact when the lid is on.

11. Container as per claim 1, characterised in that, at the height of the seal, the outer flank of the groove accommodating the seal on the lid laterally contacts the outside of the container in the region of the top edge of the container.

12. Container as per claim 11, characterised in that the container has a main axis and the seal has two sealing regions spaced apart that are at different angles to the main axis of the container, and in that in the snapped-on state of the lid both sealing regions of the seal are in tight contact with at least one of the areas of the lid and of the container cooperating under tight contact generating the sealing region.

13. Container as per claim 11, characterised in that webs projecting radially outward are integrally moulded on the outside area adjacent to the top edge of the container, whose radial extension is less than the container wall thickness.

14. Container as per claim 12, characterised in that at least one web projecting radially outward is integrally moulded on the outside area adjacent to the top edge of the container, whose radial extension is less than the container wall thickness.

15. Container as per claim 1, characterised in that at least one, radially projecting reinforcing rib is integrally moulded on the container edge on the side of the snap element facing the top edge of the container.

16. Container as per claim 1, characterised in that the upper region of the container has a downward-facing, circumferential collar region on the outside, which is joined in the region of the top edge of the container.

17. Container as per claim 1, characterised in that the upper collar region of the container has a radially projecting, downward-facing, circumferential collar region on which a snap element is integrally moulded.

18. Container as per claim 1, characterised in that the lid has a circumferential area spaced away from the seal that tightly contacts the inside wall of the container.

19. Container as per claim 1, characterised in that the container has a main axis and the seal has two sealing regions spaced apart that are at different angles to the main axis of the container, and in that in the snapped-on state of the lid both sealing regions of the seal are in tight contact with at least one of the areas of the lid and of the container cooperating under tight contact generating the sealing region and that the lid has a circumferential area spaced away from the seal that tightly contacts the inside wall of the container.

20. Container as per claim 18, characterised in that the sealing lid region is designed as a circumferential rib having a bottom edge, the rib is projecting downward from the underside of the lid.

21. Container as per claim 19, characterised in that the sealing lid region is designed as a circumferential rib having a bottom edge, the rib is projecting downward from the underside of the lid.

22. Container as per claim 20, characterised in that an area projecting upward beyond the bottom edge of the rib is provided on the inside wall of the container radially inward relative to the circumferential rib.

23. Container as per claim 21, characterised in that an area projecting upward beyond the bottom edge of the rib is provided on the inside wall of the container radially inward relative to the circumferential rib.

24. Container as per claim 1, characterised in that the container has an inside wall and a main axis, in that the lid is provided radially inwards from the inside wall of the container with at least one projection integrally moulded on a top side of the lid and extending towards the main axis of the container.

25. Container as per claim 24, characterised in that the top side of at least one projection is spaced vertically away from the area of the lid in tight contact with the inside wall of the container.

26. Container as per claim 24, characterised in that at least one projection is designed as a radial edge running circumferentially around the inside of the lid.

27. Container as per claim 25, characterised in that at least one projection is designed as a radial edge running circumferentially around the inside of the lid.

28. Container as per claim 26, characterised in that at least one projection is designed as a radial edge running circumferentially around the inside of the lid.

29. Container as per claim 27, characterised in that inward-facing projections are integrally moulded on the circumferential edge.

30. Container as per claim 28, characterised in that inward-facing projections are integrally moulded on the circumferential edge.