CZ20003322A3 - Container with curved closure between base and cover - Google Patents

Abstract

A non-planar seal between a container (10) having a base (12) and lid (14). The base (12) has a rim (22) which includes a first seal component (28). The lid has a rim (26) which includes a second seal component (30). The first and second seal components (28,30) interact to provide a seal, for example a water-tight seal, when the lid (14) is mounted to the container (10) to thus protect the contents of the container (10). The seal is formed along a locus of points defining a non-linear plane, or curved surface. The first and second seal components (28,30) are oriented so as to extend substantially normal to the non-linear plane at any given point along the seal. This arrangement permits greater design possibilities due to fewer restraints on seal component placement, while still providing excellent sealing properties for the container (10).

Description

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Container with curved closure between base and lid.

Technical field

The present invention relates to closed containers for storage and storage. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved container closure design along the positions of the points that define the curved surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Container closures are already known, in particular containers for household and food storage. Examples of such containers include Tupperware ^R containers comprising a base that defines an interior space for receiving the material to be stored, usually food, and a lid that is attached to the base to close it. The joint between the base and the lid is designed in a conventional manner so as to form a watertight and possibly gas-tight closure. This closure can be formed using various construction methods already known in the art.

Such containers may be characterized by a large number of shapes, the outer edges of which may have relatively rectangular shapes to fully rounded shapes, may be characterized by bases which may be formed with relatively flat shapes.

Shapes up to those with deep depressions, and may also be characterized by lids which may have a deep concave shape to a relatively flat shape. However, despite this variety of shapes, the joint points between the base and the lid (hence the closure itself) are typically spaced along the positions of the points that define the plane. In other words, regardless of the shape of the connected base and lid, the base and lid are in contact at the points defined by the linear plane that passes through this composite structure. This linear plane allows the lid to be placed on the base by moving in a direction perpendicular to this plane.

This has proven to be a limiting factor for container design options. It is known in the art to tilt this plane at an angle and to position it in different vertical positions. It is also known to create a slight deflection of the plane about one axis. Each of the design solutions has expanded the design possibilities, but has always had limited application possibilities, even when the slightly curved closure components that formed the closure were oriented vertically. In other words, the lid was still needed to be placed on the base by a purely vertical movement, respectively the closing direction was purely vertical, which limited the radial elasticity of the plastic components. Although this may be neglected in small curvature of the closure plane, this will result in poor closure properties for larger deflections. However, the present invention opens up new design possibilities. In the present invention, the closure can be shaped to a greater extent in accordance with changes in direction around the plane. This change in the direction of the shutter *

···· · requires changes to be made to the closure components. In general, it is necessary to ensure that they are perpendicular to the plane of the closure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container comprising a base with a closure lid.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a base and a lid in which the closure would extend therebetween along the positions of the points defining the curved surface.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a base and a lid in which the closure members are oriented substantially perpendicular to the curved surface.

These objects are achieved according to the invention by means of a curved closure of a container comprising a base and a lid. The base includes an edge that includes a first closure member with a second closure member

The lid includes an edge that includes the lid connected by the component. When the container, in order to protect the contents of the container, the first and second closure members are in contact with each other to form a (e.g., waterproof) closure. The closure is formed along the point positions that define a non-linear plane or curved surface. The first and second closure members are oriented in such a way that they extend substantially perpendicular to the curved surface at any point along the closure. Thanks to this construction, the fcfcfc fcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfcfc c vlastností uzáv f opens up many new design options by reducing the placement requirements of the closure component.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following description, examples of embodiments of the invention and the above characteristics will be described in more detail, with reference numerals indicating important components.

Giant. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a container according to the present invention.

Giant. 2 shows a side view of the container of FIG. 1.

Giant. 3 shows a detail of a section along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

Giant. 4 shows the assembled state of the components of FIG. 3.

Giant. 5 and 6 show details similar to those of FIG. 4 and illustrating an embodiment of the prior art closure.

Giant. 7 shows a detail of a section along line 7-7 of FIG. 1, with the components being disassembled.

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with FIG. 1, a first embodiment of a container according to the present invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral

The container 10 comprises a base 12 and a lid 14. The base 12 and a lid 14 together define an interior space 16 (FIG. 3) to accommodate the material to be received in the container 10. The interior space 16 is defined by the base 12 and the lid 14, either or both are concave. This shape, however, usually has a base 12, as shown in Figure 1.

In a first embodiment, the base 12 comprises a bottom wall 18 having an outer edge and one or more side walls 20 that extend upwardly from the bottom wall 18 to form the base edge 22. The lid 14 comprises an upper a wall 24 having an outer edge defining a lid edge 26. It will be appreciated that these components may be swapped in such a manner that the lid 14 will be in the role of a base and the base 12 will represent the lid. As an additional or substitute structural measure, the lid 14 can be made to have a depth profile, which would significantly contribute to increasing the interior space 16 by adding a side wall (not shown), as is the case with the base 12 shown.

The base edge 22 and the lid edge 26 are formed to form a closure together when folded. At this end, the base edge 22 comprises a first closure member 28 and the lid edge 26 comprises a second closure member β.

In the first exemplary embodiment of the invention, the first closure member 28 is shaped to form a vertically extending edge, and the second closure member 30 is shaped to form a depression that extends downwardly and which it is capable of abutting said edge. As best seen in FIG. 4, it is known from the prior art to provide this variable-width depression, in particular by means of a protrusion 32. It can be seen from the figures that this protrusion serves to compress the edge in the folded state. Since the projection can be in intimate contact with all points of the depression, this design achieves that the projection 32 allows the use of a similar seal for very tight seals such as waterproof closures.

In order to achieve a tight connection and a solid construction, it is contemplated that at least one closure member of the first closure member 28 and / or the second closure member 30 is formed of a material having elastic properties. These elastic properties can be relatively small and can be achieved by making the second closure member 30 a thin metal. However, for ease of manufacture and maintenance, it is preferred that the elastic material be a plastic material. For example, the lid 14 may be formed from a single piece of plastic material, such as polyethylene.

As has been said in the prior art plane, the aforementioned closure components of the prior art would extend as the parts of the closure extend over the fcfcfcfc. In addition, it is known from the prior art to provide a more complete closure by tilting the closure components at a small angle relative to the vertical axis. This is shown in FIG. 4 by a certain inclination. Starting from the nomenclature of the present invention, the prior art closure members are inclined at a small angle relative to the closure plane (in other words, to the horizontal plane in Figs. 3 and 4) and are therefore not perpendicular to a similar plane. Taking into account the position of the points that define the closure, for the purposes of the invention this angle will be included in the expression substantially perpendicular. As such, the portions of the closure members shown in Figures 3 and 4 are substantially perpendicular to the linear horizontal plane.

In the prior art construction, the positions of the points that define the closure (i.e., the contact points between the protrusion 32 and the base edge 22) would typically form a linear horizontal plane. In addition, the closure members (in other words, the base rim 22 and the lid rim 26) extend in a parallel vertical direction. One type of container is also known in the art in which the positions of the points defining the closure form a curved surface, the curvature of this surface being small and mild and the closure components also running in a parallel vertical direction.

The first closure member 28 and the second closure member 30 may also be designed in such a way that they have different shapes known in the art. Examples of similar closure components are shown in the drawing. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 shows a prior art container 34 comprising a base 36 and a lid 38. The base 36 comprises an upper edge 40 and the lid 38 comprises a slip-on rim 42 whose dimensions are such The first closure member 28 in this example embodiment is an edge extension 44 that extends downwardly from the top edge 40. The second closure member 30 is the inner side of the rim 42. As can be seen in the figures, when folding the extension 44, it is pushed onto the inner side of the rim 42, thereby forming the desired sealing.

In this construction, the positions of the points that define the closure again form a linear horizontal plane, and the closure members (in other words, the top edge 40 and the rim 42) run again in a parallel vertical direction.

The arrangement according to FIG. 5 can also be formed in the opposite way, that is, the rim would be inserted into the upper edge and would include a projection that would abut the inner side of the upper edge. This construction is similar to that of the prior art shown in FIG. 6. In this construction, the container 46 comprises a base 48 and a lid 50. The base 48 again comprises an upper edge 52 which in this case comprises an inwardly extending edge projection which forming a downwardly directed arm 54. The lid 50 includes a lid rim 56 that surrounds the retracted top wall 58. The inner side of the lid rim 56 includes a protrusion 60 that is positioned so as to fit below the arm 54 when the lid 50 and the base 48 are folded. · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 The construction of the abutment of the projection 60 on the arm 54 creates a final closure.

Again, the positions of the points defining the closure again determine the linear horizontal plane and the closure members (in other words, the top edge 52 and the lid edge 56) run in a parallel vertical direction.

Various structures of closure members are known in the art. In any case, however, it can be said that the positions of the points defining the closure are substantially within a linear, usually horizontal plane. Furthermore, the closure members usually run in a parallel, usually vertical direction. These other closure members can be used in accordance with the present invention and are included in it.

Up to this point, the description of the container 10 has focused on those aspects of the invention that are the same as those of the prior art. However, the present invention differs from the prior art at one important point. This difference consists in forming the closure member in such a way that the positions of the points that make the closure define a curved surface. Another difference is that the closure members run in a direction perpendicular to a similar surface at any point along the closure.

As shown in FIG. 2, the side walls 20 have a reduced height in the region of the left end of the container 10 in such a way that the base edge 22 slopes downwardly toward the end of the container 10.

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4 4 4 4 this end. Similarly, the lid 14 and the metals know the edge 26 slope downwards. As shown in the figures, the positions of the points that define the closure are therefore located on a curved surface. In this simple example, the curved surface comprises one single bending line between two linear planar portions. In other, slightly more complex shapes, there may be a greater number of bending lines. This curved surface is a first characteristic of the present invention. A second characteristic of the invention is the orientation of the closure components, which is best illustrated in Fig. 7.

As seen in this figure, the base rim 22 and the lid rim 26 (with a corresponding protrusion 32) slope downward into the region of the respective end of the container. The closure members do not run vertically but instead extend substantially perpendicular to the curved surface at each point along the closure. In other words, the actual perpendicular N to the curved surface extends perpendicularly to the edge of the base edge 22. However, the closure members may be angled from this actual perpendicular N by a small angle, which improves the closure work compared to prior art designs. As already defined in the above description, the closure members as such extend in a substantially perpendicular direction. However, this rotation does not have to be performed on all arrangements and the orientation of the actual perpendicular can therefore of course also be described by an expression substantially perpendicular.

As already mentioned, in this simple example, there is only one single fold line between two linear planar portions. Principle of the present invention 9

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9999 9 fcfcfc ··, however, can also be used for cases of more complex shapes, which would then contain a plurality of bending lines running in different directions and having different dimensions. In any case, however, the positions of the points defining the closure define a curved surface, and in any case, the closure members at any point along the closure extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to this plane. This design makes it possible to create a good closure along the entire length of the base while opening up many new container design options.

Although this principle is relatively simple, the actual production of containers in accordance with the present invention is much more problematic. In particular, the manufacture of molds for similar containers used in the technology of injection molding material into the mold is complicated by the possible occurrence of problems with the release of the resulting product from the mold. For example, in FIG. 7, it can be seen that the typical edge of the base edge 22 would be a dividing line between the mold parts. In this case, however, there would be no problem. However, this may occur at an outwardly extending edge 62. The upper portion of this edge 62 extends inwardly, so that the mold portion that would shape the inner portion could cause the base to become stuck in the mold (in other words, reduce movement in the vertical direction of FIG. 7). Similar problems may occur with the lid mold 14, and in particular these problems could arise in relation to the welt edge 26. However, these problems can be overcome by using a mold with movable components already known in the art. Although

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The molds with movable parts cannot be used to manufacture all possible constructions, it is still possible to use them for the production of a wide variety of different containers in accordance with the present invention.

It follows from the foregoing description that the present invention guarantees the achievement of the above-mentioned results and properties, and also makes it possible to attain other advantages which are obvious at first sight or those resulting from the very nature of the construction.

It should be noted that some of the characteristics of the invention and their subcombinations are very advantageous and can be used without using the other characteristics of the invention and their subcombinations simultaneously. This fact is confirmed by the wording of the claims and is included therein.

Since it is possible to provide an embodiment of the invention that would be of its invention, it is to be understood that the examples of embodiments of the invention which accompany the figures or the context thereof are to be regarded as not limited to the invention.

many different examples by nature corresponded to the spirit that all of the above have been described on the basis of them given for illustrative purposes only and these examples given

Zastupuj e

JUDr. Pavel Zeleny 9

JUDr. PaverZelený advokát

120 00 Prague 2, Halkova 2

Claims (3)

A container comprising a base and a lid, the base comprising a first closure member and the lid comprising a second closure member, and wherein, in a state where said lid is connected to said base, the first and second closure members are in contact with each other to form a closure, characterized in that said closure extends along the positions of the points defining the curved surface, and said first and second closure members extend substantially perpendicular to said curved surface at any point along said closure. The container of claim 1, wherein said base comprises a base edge and said lid comprises a lid edge; wherein said first closure member comprises an area of said base edge and that said second closure member comprises a projection extending from said lid edge to abut said surface of said base edge. The container of claim 1, wherein said base comprises a base edge and said lid comprises a lid edge; that said second closure member comprises an area of said lid edge and that said first closure member comprises a protrusion that extends from "» 9 9 9 9 99 • 9 999 · · 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 99 99 9 · 9 ♦ 9 9 9 9 · 9 99 99 of said base edge to abut said surface of said lid edge.