WO2022083938A1

WO2022083938A1 - A closable storage container made of plastic and intended for storage purposes, and seal intended for same

Info

Publication number: WO2022083938A1
Application number: PCT/EP2021/074847
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joachim Meyer
Original assignee: Joachim Meyer
Priority date: 2020-10-23
Filing date: 2021-09-09
Publication date: 2022-04-28
Also published as: EP4232367A1; DE102020127955B4; DE102020127955A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a resealable storage container (1), more particularly intended for storage purposes, made of plastic, which storage container can simultaneously be used as a lid for a further, identical storage container (1). With respect to an axis of symmetry (4), the fixing means (3) are distributed such that they are arranged only on one of the two opposite edge partial regions (8). As a result, the fixing means of an identical storage container (1) used as a lid meet a corresponding sealing surface without fixing means (3). A seal used here is elastically deformable and in the non-usage position the contact surface of said seal protrudes from the sealing plane, so that in the usage position, it is compressed and thus lies in the sealing plane. The planar contact surface provides for effortless cleaning and an improved sealing effect, even in the event of a deformation of the storage container (1).

Description

A lockable plastic storage container intended for storage purposes and a seal intended for this purpose

The invention relates to a resealable plastic storage container intended in particular for storage purposes, which is designed in particular as a food storage container or box, a bowl or a meal container, with a sealing surface arranged in a sealing plane and having a contact surface in the closed use position Liquid-tight seal for a detachable lid, wherein the storage container has a plurality of manually operable fixing means arranged on an edge of the storage container for positively and/or non-positively fixing the lid in a usage position lying against the seal. Furthermore, the invention relates to a seal equipped with a contact surface for a lockable storage container.

Storage containers of this kind, which are suitable for storing food and are also referred to as food storage containers, are used in the home in a variety of shapes and sizes and are also used outside of their actual intended purpose for storing objects. Such storage containers are made of plastic and are closed with a separate lid.

The known storage containers can typically be closed airtight and liquid-tight. In the use position, the lid is pressed onto the upper edge of the storage container along the sealing plane, with an elastomeric seal in the form of a sealing ring being arranged therebetween. The seal is often firmly integrated into the cover.

Such lids, as shown for example in WO 2012/101 288 A1, can be firmly and securely connected to the storage container in a sealed manner, so that even liquids can be stored and transported in them leak-proof.

Due to prior public use, a seal without gaps is also known, which is firmly connected to the cover so that there are no gaps into which germs can penetrate. The storage containers are usually made of polypropylene, with the fixing means designed as closure tabs being integrally connected to the lid body. In particular, the fixing means are connected to the cover such that they can pivot, for example via a film hinge.

With EP 0 342 618 A1, a storage container, for example a freezer or food storage container, is to be created with a sealing closure through the design of the storage container edge and the corresponding lid edge. For this purpose, the upper edge of the storage container has two inclined legs that converge in an upwardly pointing tip, one of which merges into the storage container wall and the other of which faces away from the storage container wall and is directed downwards. In a transition area between the storage container wall and the adjoining leg, there is a completely circumferential groove or channel that is open towards the interior of the storage container.

A storage container according to DE 10 2004 063 398 A1 has locking projections pointing outwards, on which a cover can be fixed by snapping in place by means of pivotable locking tabs. The cover has a circumferential, molded sealing ring, which consists of a thermoplastic elastomer and includes a base and a sealing lip protruding therefrom, as a result of which the cover can be produced together with the sealing ring using two-component injection molding.

A container is known from EP 1 475 313 A2, which comprises a body and a lid for closing an opening of the body. The lid has a peripheral edge portion with a cross-section complementary to the cross-sectional shape of the body. Flaps on different sides of the lid are used to fix the lid.

DE 20 2010 007 217 U1 discloses a cover with a circumferential sealing ring and a collar for a storage container, which has locking tabs for engaging in locking projections of the storage container. In order to achieve simple latching on the reservoir, the latching tabs are designed as extended segments of the cantilever and are connected to the fixed areas of the cantilever via a flexible connecting web.

Although such food storage containers are known in which the lid is connected to the storage container in particular in one piece and this is therefore protected against loss is protected, in practice such variants are widely preferred in which the storage container and the lid are completely separable. This usually leads to a comparatively small storage space, because several containers can be stacked on top of each other for storage. However, it is often difficult to allocate the lid to the appropriate storage container, especially if the appropriate lid has to be selected from a large number of similar lids by trial and error.

It also often happens that a food storage container proves to be too small, for example when it is being filled with food. Then these foods must be transferred to a larger food storage container and the previously used food storage container cleaned.

The invention is based on the object of creating a possibility of enabling a flexible combination of identical or different storage containers in order to be able to adapt the storage container volume to the respective requirements. In particular, a convenient and problem-free use should also be made possible by eliminating the need to search for a suitable cover. Furthermore, an improved seal is also to be created which is easy to clean and which enables reliable sealing during use.

The first-mentioned object is achieved according to the invention with a storage container according to the features of claim 1 and with a seal for a lockable storage container according to claim 10. The further development of the invention can be found in the dependent claims.

According to the invention, a storage container is provided in which the edge is divided into a plurality of symmetrical or congruent edge regions which are arranged in pairs opposite one another with respect to an axis of symmetry lying in the sealing plane and in which two opposite edge regions form a pair of edge regions, wherein in at least one, at least one fixing means is preferably arranged in each edge area, with the edge areas of each pair of edge areas being divided into at least two adjacent, preferably mutually adjacent partial edge areas, with two equal-sized opposite partial edge areas in relation to the axis of symmetry forming a partial edge area pair, so that each partial edge area pair has exactly one fixing means arranged in one of the two partial edge regions of the pair of partial edge regions. In particular, the fixing means do not extend into an area of a geometric center of the area spanning the edge regions, or the fixing means leave out the area of the geometric center. As a result, for the first time and in created a surprisingly simple way to use identical storage containers for sealing closure by the second storage container is used as a lid. The combination is not limited to structurally identical storage containers, rather such storage containers can be combined that have the same dimensions in the area of the contact surface and the seal, so that the depth of the storage container in particular is variable. Thus, the volume requirement can easily be adjusted by a combination of storage containers of different depths and thus varied as required. In addition, identical or different storage containers can be stacked one inside the other, so that less space is required for storing the storage containers.

Of course, the storage containers are suitable for food and also for use in the microwave in a manner known per se. The storage container has, for example, polypropylene as an essential material component or is made exclusively from this material. In addition, the storage container is suitable for cleaning in a dishwasher and is intended for multiple use or reusable systems, but is not limited to this. During the production of the storage container, the seal is also introduced at the same time, with polypropylene also being particularly suitable as a plastic. This also leads to unmixed materials with the advantage of easy recycling.

The essential idea of the invention is based on the fact that, regardless of whether the storage container is rectangular, oval or round, in the sealing plane with respect to a respective axis of symmetry, partial edge areas of different edge areas lying opposite one another form a pair of partial edge areas, with the fixing means being arranged exclusively in one of the two partial edge areas, since the use of the same storage container as a cover, the respective contact surfaces of the two storage containers and thus also the respective fixing means bear mirror-symmetrically against one another.

A variant of the invention is particularly preferred in which the edge area is divided into two sections of equal size by a central axis and two pairs of partial edge areas with partial edge areas of the same length or extent, measured from the central axis in the direction or parallel to the axis of symmetry, adjoin on both sides of the central axis . This ensures that the fixing means of structurally identical storage containers in a usage position lying against one another as a cover and storage container, each with their fixing means against partial edge regions of sufficient length, in particular re so matching length. In this way, in particular, such storage container shapes can be created in which the fixing means in the closed storage container position are distributed directly or at a small distance over the edge, as a result of which a further improved seal can be achieved.

A further, likewise particularly promising embodiment of the invention is also achieved in that a fixing means is arranged in a first partial edge area of a first pair of partial edge areas and a sealing section without a fixing means is arranged in a partial edge area of a second partial edge area compared to the first partial edge area, so that in the position of use two Storage containers abut against each other along the sealing plane and can be sealingly connected in the opposite edge regions by simultaneous actuation of different fixing means. This results in a homogeneous or symmetrical introduction of the manual actuating force to be applied to actuate the fixing means, thereby avoiding an undesirable one-sided load that can lead to a displacement from the desired position and also to an undesirable deformation of the storage container.

It has also already proven to be advantageous if the fixing means of two opposite partial edge regions of different, in particular adjacent pairs of partial edge regions have a matching distance from the central axis in different directions parallel to the axis of symmetry, so that the fixing means of the two storage containers in the position of use have almost no gaps in the partial edge regions border each other.

Another modification of the invention that also promises particularly success is also realized in that the seal is designed to be elastically deformable and/or compressible, with the contact surface protruding from the sealing plane in a non-use position and the contact surface lying in the seal plane in the use position. This achieves the level contact surface of the seal in the usage position, so that two identical or compatible housings can be connected to one another without any problems. In particular, sealing profiles provided with a positive or negative contour in sections, which are preferably arranged corresponding to the arrangement of the fixing elements, can be dispensed with and the seal can therefore be significantly simplified. Furthermore, it has already proven to be particularly promising if the contact surface is inclined relative to the sealing plane in the non-use position and forms an inclined surface and the contact surface has a flat orientation parallel to the sealing plane in the use position. Because the inclined surface, which protrudes in a wedge shape from the sealing plane in the non-use position, is deformed or compressed by the prestressing force of the second storage container transmitted by means of the fixing elements, a relatively large contact surface is created in comparison to the prior art, namely in a transverse direction of the contact surface transverse to the main extent of the seal. In contrast to the prior art, a flat surface is thus generated as a sealing surface in the usage position, whereas in the prior art a section of a sealing profile that is typically flat in the usage position is pressed in by a bend or a web-shaped contact element of the cover and is thus in the usage position groove-shaped recess forms. According to the invention, on the other hand, the level contact surface allows less wear and at the same time an improved sealing effect and easier cleaning.

It is particularly expedient if, in the non-use position, the contact surface of the seal has two inclined surfaces of equal size parallel to the longitudinal extent of the seal, which enclose an obtuse angle between 130° and 180° and in particular have a matching angle to the seal plane. The design of the two inclined surfaces, which is symmetrical when viewed from above, leads to a uniform deformation on both sides in the lateral direction of the seal when a force acts in the use position in the direction of the surface normal to the sealing plane. Any transverse forces that may occur in the seal therefore balance each other out, so that the seal is free of stresses in the sealing plane even in the deformed position of use.

For this purpose, it has already proven to be particularly advantageous if the seal has at least one groove-shaped recess that laterally delimits at least one inclined surface, whose groove base is therefore designed to be recessed in relation to the plane of the seal. The recess thus results in a free space for the deformed, ie in particular shifted, inclined surface, into which the sealing portions forming the inclined surface are displaced in the position of use.

A particularly practical variant of the invention is realized in that the seal, in particular that of the inclined surface, and the recess have a symmetrical transverse have sectional shape, so that their deformation properties are independent of the orientation of the seal on the storage container.

According to a further embodiment of the invention that also promises particularly success, the seal is made in one piece with a wall surface of the storage container, ie it forms an integral part of the storage container. The storage container according to the invention can be produced with little effort. Furthermore, the elimination of gaps or interstices leads to a longer shelf life of the foodstuffs stored therein, as well as of the storage container. In addition to other conventional plastics, polypropylene is also particularly suitable as a material.

The fixing means is particularly preferably equipped with a snap-in closure forming an undercut with an edge region of a further storage container, in order to enable quick and reliable fixing in the usage position. In this case, the required pivoting mobility can expediently be achieved by a film hinge.

The further object of creating an improved seal that is easy to clean and reliably seals during use is achieved according to the invention with an elastically deformable or compressible seal that is intended in particular for a storage container in that the seal has a contact surface that is in a non-use position protrudes from the sealing plane with an inclined surface of the contact surface, and in a position of use lies in the sealing plane and that the seal has at least one groove-shaped recess laterally delimiting at least one of the inclined surfaces parallel to a main direction of extension of the seal, the seal preferably being mirror-symmetrical or axisymmetric Has cross-sectional shape. Since the seal is designed to be elastically deformable and/or compressible and is raised in the non-use position compared to the seal level, it is pressed flat by the force of the applied cover in the use position and is partially displaced into the recess, so that a completely flat contact surface in the sealing level arises. This results in a comparatively fault-tolerant design of the seal, since this allows a good sealing effect even in the event of a deviation from the closed setpoint position, for example due to deformation. The invention permits various embodiments. To further clarify its basic principle, one of them is shown in the drawing and is described below. This shows in

1 shows a perspective view of a storage container according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the storage case;

Figure 3 is a side sectional view of the storage case with an integral seal;

FIG. 4 shows a detailed view of the seal shown in FIG.

A lockable storage container 1 according to the invention, intended for storing food and also referred to as a food storage container or box, made of plastic, in particular polypropylene, is explained in more detail below with reference to FIGS. The special feature of the invention of the storage container 1 lies above all in the fact that it can also be used as a cover for another storage container 1 that is identical in construction or has the same connection dimensions but is otherwise different, which on the one hand allows flexible use and adjustment of the required storage container volume, and on the other hand reduces the production costs lowers. For this purpose, the storage container 1 has on its edge 2 several fixing means 3 designed as snap-in or clip closures for the positive and/or non-positive fixing of the further storage container 1 in a closed position of use (not shown).

Relative to one of several possible axes of symmetry 4, as shown by way of example in FIG. As a result, an identical storage container 1 as a cover with its fixing means 3 does not come into contact with the fixing means 3 of the storage container 1, for example, but rather on a free sealing surface without fixing means 3 intended for this purpose.

For this purpose, the edge is divided into a plurality of symmetrical or congruent edge regions 5 which are arranged in pairs opposite one another in relation to the axis of symmetry 4 lying in a sealing plane 6 . The edge regions 5 are divided into several edge regions 8, here of the same size, extending on both sides of a central axis 7, with two edge regions lying opposite each other with respect to the axis of symmetry 4. before 8 form an edge portion pair 9 . Exactly one fixing means 3 is assigned to each pair of partial edge areas 9 , namely only in one of the two partial edge areas 8 of a pair of partial edge areas 9 . The edge area 5 is not limited to exactly two partial edge areas 8 . Rather, the partial edge regions 5 shown can themselves be subdivided.

It is easy to understand that with the square basic shape shown, two storage containers 1 can also be connected to one another in different relative angular positions, while the angular position, for example with an oval basic shape, is predetermined according to the main and secondary axes.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a particularly simple design of a seal 10 of the storage containers 1 lying opposite one another results from the fact that the respective seal 10 runs in the sealing plane 6, with the seal 10 being designed to be elastically deformable and/or compressible in such a way that that this protrudes in a non-use position shown in Figure 4 with its contact surface 11 with respect to the sealing plane 6 at a distance A and in the position of use the contact surface 11 is in the sealing plane 6.

The contact surface 11 has two symmetrical oblique surfaces 12, which can be seen in an enlarged representation in FIG. A groove-shaped recess 13 is provided on both sides of the seal 10 , which laterally delimits the inclined surface 12 and is designed to be recessed in relation to the sealing plane 6 . Thus, the recess 13 results in a free space for the deformed sloping surface 12, into which the sloping surface 12 is displaced into the usage position shown in dashed lines in FIG. Due to the level contact surface 11, effortless cleaning and an improved sealing effect are achieved, even if the storage container 1 is deformed. REFERENCE NUMBERS LIST

1 storage container

2 edge

3 fixatives

4 axis of symmetry

5 edge area

6 sealing level

7 central axis

8 edge portion

9 pair of edge portions 0 seal 1 contact surface 2 inclined surface 3 recess

A distance a angle ß angle

Claims

CLAIM E

1. Lockable storage container (1) made of plastic with a seal (10) arranged in a sealing plane (6) and having a contact surface (11), the storage container (1) having a plurality of manually operable, on an edge (2) of the storage container (1) arranged fixing means (3) for positive and/or non-positive fixing in a position of use, characterized in that the edge (2) is divided into several symmetrical or congruent edge regions (5) which are in relation to one in the sealing plane (6) lying axis of symmetry (4) are arranged in pairs opposite one another and at least one fixing means (3) is arranged in at least one edge area (5), the edge areas (5) being divided into at least two adjacent partial edge areas (8), each two partial edge regions (8) lying opposite one another in relation to the axis of symmetry (4) form a pair of partial edge regions (9), and that each partial edge region pair ( 9) precisely one fixing means (3) arranged in one of the two partial edge regions (8) of the pair of partial edge regions (9) is assigned.

2. Storage container (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the edge area (5) is divided by a central axis (7) into two sections of equal size and on both sides of the central axis (7) there are two pairs of partial edge areas (9) with partial edge areas (8). the same length measured from the central axis (7) in the direction or parallel to the axis of symmetry (4).

3. Storage container (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in a first partial edge area (8) of a first partial edge area pair (9) a sealing section of the seal (10) and a fixing means (3) and in one of the first partial edge area ( 8) a sealing section of the seal (10) and no fixing means (3) is arranged adjacent to the second partial edge area (8) of a second partial edge area pair (9).

4. Storage container (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fixing means (3) of two opposite partial edge regions (8) of different pairs of partial edge regions (9) have a corresponding distance (A) from the central axis (7) in different directions parallel to have the axis of symmetry (4).

5. Storage container (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the seal (10) is designed to be elastically deformable and/or compressible and in a non-use position the contact surface (11) opposite the sealing plane (6) protrudes at a distance (A) and in the position of use the contact surface (11) lies in the sealing plane (6).

6. Storage container (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact surface (11) is inclined in the non-use position with respect to the sealing plane (6) and forms an inclined surface (12) and the contact surface (11) in the use position has a flat orientation parallel to the sealing plane (6).

7. Storage container (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the non-use position the contact surface (11) of the seal (10) has two equally large inclined surfaces (12) parallel to the longitudinal extent of the seal (10) which form an obtuse angle (ß) include.

8. Storage container (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the seal (10) has at least one groove-shaped recess (13) which delimits at least one inclined surface (12) laterally or is adjacent to this.

9. Storage container (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the seal (10) has a symmetrical cross-sectional shape.

10. A seal (10) equipped with a contact surface (11) for a lockable storage container (1), characterized in that the seal (10) has a contact surface (11) which, in a non-use position, is opposite a sealing plane (6) with a Distance (A) protrudes and is in a position of use in the sealing plane (6), and that the seal (10) has at least one, at least one the contact surface (11) laterally delimiting recess (13).