Container, in particular for food use

Abstract

The container (1) includes a body (2), a kinkable/unkinkable flexible sleeve (3) and an apertured maneuvering member (4) for maneuvering the sleeve (3). According to the invention: the body (2) and the member (4) have a globally square or rectangular shape in cross-section, giving the container (1) the appearance of a box; the member (4) is axially movable relative to the body (2), between a position in which it is freed from the wall of the body (2) and can therefore be pivoted relative to the latter, and a position in which it is engaged with the body (2); and the wall of the body (2) outwardly includes at least one part (5) made from a material having a high friction coefficient, and/or the apertured maneuvering member (4) includes, on its inner face, at least one part made from a material having a high friction coefficient.

Claims

1. A container comprising: a container body including an opening and a wall delimiting the opening; a sleeve made of a latex material, the sleeve closes or opens the opening of the container body; and an aperture maneuvering member; said sleeve having a first side connected to the container body and a second side connected to the aperture maneuvering member; the aperture maneuvering member axially moves relative to the container body to kink/unkink the sleeve between a kinking position, in which the sleeve closes off the opening of the container body, and an unkinking position, in which the sleeve opens up the opening; wherein: the container body and the aperture maneuvering member have a square or rectangular shape cross-section; and said wall and said aperture maneuvering are made from a polymer material; wherein both said wall of the container body and said aperture maneuvering member comprise a coating and each coating comprises surfaces configured to interpenetrate with one another.

2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the surfaces on the coatings have alternating ribs and splines, wherein the ribs and splines of the coating of the wall of the container are offset relative to the ribs and spines of the coating of the aperture maneuvering member, such that the respective ribs and splines of those coatings interpenetrate one another when said aperture maneuvering member is in an engaged position on the container body.

3. The container according to claim 1, wherein in the unkinked position of the sleeve, diagonals of the aperture maneuvering member are positioned offset relative to diagonals of the container body, so that the pivoting travel necessary to perform kinking of the sleeve is greater than 180° and less than 270°.

4. The container according to claim 3, wherein the offset of the diagonals of the aperture maneuvering member is such that each diagonal of the aperture maneuvering member forms an angle of approximately 20° with the corresponding diagonal of the container body.

5. The container according to claim 1, wherein said wall of the container body and the opening delimited by the aperture maneuvering member are mutually configured such that said wall of the container body fits in the opening delimited by the aperture maneuvering member (4).

6. A container comprising: a container body including an opening and a wall delimiting the opening, the wall includes a free edge and a peripheral slot on the free edge; a sleeve made of a latex material, the sleeve closes or opens the opening of the container body; and an aperture maneuvering member including a peripheral slot; said sleeve having a first side connected to the container body and a second side connected to the aperture maneuvering member; the aperture maneuvering member axially moves relative to the container body to kink/unkink the sleeve between a kinking position, in which the sleeve closes off the opening of the container body, and an unkinking position, in the sleeve opens up the opening; the peripheral slot on the free edge receives a first peripheral ring for connecting to the first side of the sleeve and the peripheral slot in the aperture maneuvering member receives a second peripheral ring to connect to the second side of the sleeve; the container body and the aperture maneuvering member have a square or rectangular shape cross-section; and said wall and said aperture maneuvering member are made from a polymer material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will be well understood, and other features and advantages thereof will appear, in reference to the appended diagrammatic drawing, showing, as a non-limiting example, one possible embodiment of the container in question.

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view, in a open position of the opening that it comprises, corresponding to an unkinked state of a flexible sleeve that it also comprises;

(3) FIG. 2 is a top view, in the same opening state;

(4) FIG. 3 is a top view, in the closed state of said sleeve by kinking, an aperture maneuvering member comprised by the container having been pivoted relative to the body of the container in the clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 2, i.e., over travel of 200° relative to the position shown in FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 4 is a sectional view along line IV-IV of FIG. 3;

(6) FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3, in a partial opening state, said aperture maneuvering member having been pivoted relative to the body of the container in the counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 2, i.e., over a travel of 160° from the position shown in FIG. 2; and

(7) FIG. 6 is a view thereof similar to FIG. 1, in another position of said aperture maneuvering member relative to the container body.

DESCRIPTION OF A BEST MODE OF EXECUTION OF THE INVENTION

(8) FIG. 1 shows a container 1 in particular for food use, comprising a container body 2, a kinkable/unkinkable flexible sleeve 3 for closing off/opening up an upper opening 2a formed by the container body 2, and an aperture member 4 for maneuvering the sleeve 3.

(9) The container body 2 comprises a bottom and a peripheral wall delimiting the opening 2a, and has a general rectangular shape in cross-section, giving the container 1 a box-like appearance. This notion of general rectangular shape must be interpreted very broadly as being the fact that it is possible, on the body 2, to distinguish sides and corners; as shown in FIG. 2, the sides of the body 2 are not straight but curved, and the corners are not very sharp but rounded.

(10) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the peripheral wall of the body 2 includes a peripheral coating 5 on its outer face, below its free edge delimiting the opening 2a. This coating 5 is a material having a high friction coefficient, such as a polymer, overmolded on the body 2. It has an irregular surface appearance, and in particular, as in the illustrated example, has alternating ribs and splines.

(11) The two main side faces of the body 2 also comprise, overmolded thereon, gripping zones 6 on which ribs are also overmolded made from a material with a high fiction coefficient.

(12) The sleeve 3 is made from a material with a high stretching coefficient, and particularly latex. It is closely connected to the free edge of the body 2, on the one hand, and the aperture maneuvering member 4, on the other hand, i.e., with a tight connection to the entire perimeter of that free edge and that member 4. As shown in FIG. 4, this tight connection is produced by arranging a peripheral slot in said free edge, forcibly receiving a peripheral ring 10 for capturing the corresponding edge of the sleeve 3 (the latter is not shown in this figure for clarity reasons), and by arranging a peripheral slot in the aperture member 4, forcibly receiving a peripheral ring 11 for capturing the corresponding edge of the sleeve 3.

(13) This connection can also be done using another means, for example by overmolding the sleeve on the body 2 and the member 4.

(14) The aperture member 4 has a rectangular shape identical to that of the body 2, but is dimensioned so as to define a central opening such that it is able to be engaged in an adjusted manner and with friction around the opening edge of the body 2, see FIGS. 3 to 5. This member 4 is axially movable relative to the body 2 between the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which it is freed from the wall of the body 2 delimiting the opening 2a and is therefore able to be pivoted relative to the latter to kink/unkink the sleeve 3, and a position in which it is engaged on that wall and is braced by the latter, thus no longer being able to pivot relative to the body 2.

(15) As shown in FIG. 6, the side wall of the body 2 and the opening delimited by the member 4 are mutually configured such that that side wall fits into that opening, and that side wall has no asperities or other obstacles that may, when the sleeve 3 is not kinked, prevent the member 4 from moving along that wall toward a position separated from the opening 2a formed by the body 2.

(16) The member 4 comprises a coating 12 overmolded on its inner face, also made from a material having a high friction coefficient, such as a polymer. This coating also has alternating ribs and splines, offset relative to the ribs and splines of the coating 5 such that the respective ribs and splines of those coatings 5 and 12 interpenetrate one another in the position of the member 4 engaged on the body 2.

(17) In reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, it appears that in the unkinked state of the sleeve 3, the member 4 is positioned obliquely relative to the body 2, such that its diagonals are offset by 20° relative to the diagonals of the body.

(18) From this position shown in FIG. 2, the member 4 is able to be pivoted clockwise, i.e., over a travel of 200° relative to that position, until it is engaged on the edge of the body 2. In an engaged position, shown in FIG. 3, the sleeve 3 is completely kinked and the container 1 is therefore tightly closed, without the kinking of the sleeve 3 being excessive, and therefore without risk of damaging that sleeve 3.

(19) From this position shown in FIG. 2, the member 4 can be pivoted in the counterclockwise direction, i.e., over a travel of 160° relative to that position, until it is also engaged on the body 2. In the engaged position, shown in FIG. 5, the sleeve 3 is not completely kinked, which allows a central opening 20 to remain, for example allowing cooking in a microwave oven.

(20) The movement of the aperture maneuvering member 4 and the position shown in FIG. 6 makes it possible to stretch the sleeve 3 around the side wall of the container body 2 and therefore to withdraw that sleeve so that it does not hinder access to the product contained in a container. Wide access to that product is thus made possible. Furthermore, several containers 1 are able, in that position of the member 4, to be stacked on one another.

(21) It appears from the preceding that the invention provides a container 1 closed by sleeve kinking, having the decisive advantages of:

(22) a. having a square or rectangular shape suitable for certain content such as cooked meals, while being suitable for being completely closed by kinking the sleeve 3;

(23) b. maintaining the closed state reliably;

(24) c. being able to form a central opening 20 suitable for cooking, for example a microwave oven.

(25) The invention has been described above in reference to one embodiment provided as an example. It is of course not limited to this embodiment, but encompasses all embodiments covered by the appended claims. Thus, the aforementioned reference to the diagonals of the members 4 and the diagonals of the body 2 aims to cover the possibility of a body 2 and a member 4 with a square shape; for a body 2 and a member 4 that are more or less rectangular, as shown, reference may simply be made to the length of that body 2 and the length of that member 4: the length of the member 4 forms an angle of approximately 20° relative to the length of the body 2.