Reclosable Container Comprising an Assembly of a Bin and a Separate Cover That is Designed to Close and Lock the Bin

Abstract

Provided is a reclosable container including an assembly of a bin and a separate cover that is designed to close and lock the bin.

The bin includes a bottom wall and a vertical side wall connected thereto, said side wall including an upper zone that surrounds an access opening of the bin.

The cover includes an upper surface that is dimensioned to cover the access opening of the bin. A perimeter of the upper surface is provided with a cover profile, said cover profile being formed complementary to the upper zone of the bin, so that the cover profile can be placed abutting on the upper zone of the bin in order to close the access opening of the bin.

Two opposite outer sides of the upper zone are each provided with a primary coupling body for locking the cover when the cover is placed in the closing position on the bin.

Two opposite outer sides of the cover profile are each provided with a side flap that is provided with a window that is designed to engage on the primary coupling body so that primary locking between cover and bin is achieved. The side flap is connected tiltably to the cover profile in such a way that the side flap can be placed in a locking position and in an unlocking position.

Claims

1. A reclosable container comprising an assembly of a bin and a separate cover that is designed to close and lock the bin, wherein the bin comprises a bottom wall and a vertical side wall connected thereto, said side wall comprising an upper zone that surrounds an access opening of the bin; wherein the cover comprises an upper surface that is dimensioned to cover the access opening of the bin, wherein a perimeter of the upper surface is provided with a cover profile, said cover profile being formed complementary to the upper zone of the bin, so that the cover profile can be placed abutting on the upper zone of the bin in order to close the access opening of the bin; wherein two opposite outer sides of the upper zone are each provided with a primary coupling body for locking the cover when the cover is placed in the closing position on the bin; and wherein two opposite outer sides of the cover profile are each provided with a side flap that is provided with a window that is designed to engage on the primary coupling body so that a primary locking between cover and bin is achieved, wherein the side flap is connected tiltably to the cover profile in such a way that the side flap can be placed in a locking position and in an unlocking position; wherein the side flap is in addition provided on an inner side with a secondary coupling body that extends from the inner side and, when the side flap is put in the locking position, projects through a locking passage in the cover profile, and extends thereby into a receiving space that is provided on each of the two opposite outer sides of the upper zone of the bin, wherein the secondary coupling body is of a bendable configuration, so that: i) in a static state of the locked assembly of the bin and the cover, the secondary coupling body is unbent and occupies an inactive position relative to the locking passage, and ii) in a dynamic state of the locked assembly of the bin and the cover wherein the assembly is exposed to an impulse, as a result of which the secondary coupling body is bent towards an active position so that the secondary coupling body engages behind the inner edge of the locking passage, so that a secondary locking between cover and bin is achieved.

2. The recloseable container according to claim 1, wherein the dynamic state (ii) of the locked assembly comprises a fall of the locked assembly onto the ground, in particular wherein during the fall the locked assembly ends up upside down on the ground, and more particularly wherein during the fall the cover comes into direct contact with the ground.

3. The reclosable container according to claim 1, wherein, in the dynamic state (ii) of the locked assembly, the impulse has the result that the receiving space collides with the secondary coupling body, and preferably a roof part of the receiving space collides with an upper side of the secondary coupling body.

4. The recloseable container according to claim 1, wherein in the dynamic state (ii) of the locked assembly, the secondary coupling body is bent downwards.

5. The recloseable container according to claim 1, wherein the secondary coupling body is provided with a projection that engages behind the inner edge of the locking passage in the dynamic state (ii) of the locked assembly, said projection preferably being configured as a downward-directed projection provided on an underside of the secondary coupling body.

6. The recloseable container according to claim 1, wherein in static state (i) of the locked assembly, an upper side of the secondary coupling body is located at a short distance from an upper part of the receiving space, for example at a distance from 0.2 mm to 2.5 mm, and the underside of the secondary coupling body is located at a short distance from the inner edge of the locking passage, for example at a distance from 0.2 mm to 2.5 mm.

7. The recloseable container according to claim 1, wherein the receiving space comprises a roof part that is directed slanting downwards towards an access side of the receiving space.

8. The recloseable container according to claim 1, wherein the secondary coupling body comprises an upper side, said upper side, in the static state (i) of the locked assembly, being directed slanting downwards towards the side flap.

9. The reclosable container according to claim 1, wherein, in static state (i) of the locked assembly, the side flap is movable between an unlocked and a locked position, and in said movement the secondary coupling body goes past the inner edge of the locking passage without coming into contact with it and the secondary coupling body also does not come into contact with the receiving space.

10. A reclosable container comprising an assembly of a bin and a separate cover that is designed to close and lock the bin, wherein the bin comprises a bottom wall and a vertical side wall connected thereto, said side wall comprising an upper zone that surrounds an access opening of the bin; wherein the cover comprises an upper surface that is dimensioned to cover the access opening of the bin, wherein a perimeter of the upper surface is provided with a cover profile, said cover profile being formed complementary to the upper zone of the bin, so that the cover profile can be placed abutting on the upper zone of the bin in order to close the access opening of the bin; wherein two opposite outer sides of the cover profile are each provided with a side flap wherein the side flap is connected tiltably to the cover profile in such a way that the side flap can be placed in a locking position and in an unlocking position; wherein the side flap is provided on an inner side with a universal coupling body that extends from the inner side and, when the side flap is put in the locking position, projects through a locking passage in the cover profile, and extends thereby into a receiving space that is provided on each of the two opposite outer sides of the upper zone of the bin, wherein the universal coupling body is of a bendable configuration, so that: i) in a static state of the locked assembly of the bin and the cover, the universal coupling body occupies an inactive position relative to the locking passage, while it is in close contact with the receiving space and thus achieves a primary locking, and ii) in a dynamic state of the locked assembly of the bin and the cover wherein the assembly is exposed to an impulse, as a result of which the universal coupling body is bent to an active position so that the universal coupling body engages behind the inner edge of the locking passage, so that a secondary locking between cover and bin is achieved.

11. The reclosable container according to claim 10, wherein the dynamic state (ii) of the locked assembly comprises a fall of the locked assembly onto the ground, in particular wherein during the fall, the locked assembly ends up upside down on the ground, and more particularly wherein during the fall the cover comes into direct contact with the ground.

12. The reclosable container according to claim 10, wherein, in the dynamic state (ii) of the locked assembly, the impulse has the result that the receiving space collides with the universal coupling body, and preferably collides with a roof part of the receiving space on an upper side of the universal coupling body.

13. The reclosable container according to claim 10, wherein in the dynamic state (ii) of the locked assembly, the universal coupling body is bent downwards.

14. The reclosable container according to claim 10, wherein the universal coupling body is provided with a projection that engages behind the inner edge of the locking passage in the dynamic state (ii) of the locked assembly, said projection preferably being configured as a downward-directed projection provided on an underside of the universal coupling body.

15. The reclosable container according to claim 10, wherein in static state (i) of the locked assembly, an upper side of the universal coupling body is in clamping contact with an upper part of the receiving space, and the underside of the universal coupling body is located at a short distance from the inner edge of the locking passage, for example at a distance from 0.2 mm to 2.5 mm.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0072] The invention will be explained in more detail on the basis of the appended figures showing preferred embodiments, wherein:

[0073] FIG. 1 shows a bin that is suitable for a reclosable container according to a first aspect of the invention;

[0074] FIG. 2 shows a cover that is suitable for a reclosable container according to a first aspect of the invention;

[0075] FIG. 3 shows a reclosable container according to the invention, which is assembled from a bin and a cover as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein the container is in the closed and locked state;

[0076] FIG. 4 shows a detail of a cover and a bin in the locked state according to FIG. 3;

[0077] FIG. 5 shows a cross-section of a cover and a bin in the locked state according to FIG. 4;

[0078] FIG. 6 shows schematically the relevant components from the cross-section according to FIG. 5, which interact with one another during a fall onto the ground;

[0079] FIG. 7 shows the same components as in FIG. 6, for an alternative embodiment of the reclosable container according to a second aspect of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0080] FIG. 1 shows a bin 1, which comprises a bottom wall 3 (not visible) on the underside, and a vertical side wall connected 5 thereto, which is made up of four side parts 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d joined together, which are perpendicular to each other. The side wall 5 comprises an upper zone 7, which surrounds an access opening 9 of the bin 1. Two opposite outer sides of the side parts 6a and 6c are provided in the upper zone 7 with two primary coupling bodies 12 for the locking of a cover that is placed on the bin 1 in the closing position. These primary coupling bodies 12 are configured as rounded blocks. Besides the primary coupling bodies 12, two receiving spaces 14 are provided per side part 6a and 6c, for interaction with a secondary coupling body of a cover according to the invention.

[0081] FIG. 2 shows a cover 20 that is suitable for placing on and closing the access opening 9 of bin 1 according to FIG. 1. For this purpose, the cover 20 comprises an upper surface 22 that is dimensioned to cover the access opening 9 of the bin 1, wherein a perimeter of the upper surface 22 is provided with a cover profile 26 that surrounds the whole upper surface 22. This cover profile 26 is shaped to be complementary to the upper zone 7 of the bin 1, so that the cover profile can be placed abutting on the upper zone 7 of the bin 1 in order to close the access opening of the bin.

[0082] Two opposite outer sides of the cover profile 26 are each provided with a side flap 28, which is provided with two windows 30 that are designed to engage on the primary coupling body 12 of the bin 1 so that primary locking between cover 20 and bin 1 is achieved, wherein the side flap 28 is connected tiltably to the cover profile 26 in such a way that the side flap 28 may be placed in a locking position and in an unlocking position. In FIG. 2, the side flaps 28 are shown in an upward-folded state, said state corresponding to an unlocking position. In addition, the side flap 28 is provided on an inner side with two secondary coupling bodies 32, which extend from the inner side.

[0083] The two sides of the cover profile, which are provided with a side flap 28, in addition comprise in the cover profile 26 two notches 36, which offer free space for the primary coupling bodies 12, and two locking passages 34, which offer free space for the secondary coupling bodies 32 of the respective side flap 28 to pass through.

[0084] FIG. 3 shows a reclosable container 40, which is assembled from a bin 1 and a cover 20 fitted thereon, said bin and cover being configured according to the respective FIGS. 1 and 2. The cover 20 closes the access opening of bin 1, while the bin 1 and cover 20 are also locked together. To achieve locking, side flaps 28 are folded downwards and are thus placed in the locking position, wherein the primary coupling bodies 12 of the bin 1 are enclosed and clamped within the respective windows of the side flaps 28. The side flaps 28 are provided with a lip structure 42, with which a user can easily grasp the side flaps in order to bring these into an unlocking position by tilting them upwards.

[0085] FIG. 4 shows a detail of the locked state of the cover 20 and bin 1 as shown in FIG. 3. The cover profile 26 and the side flap 28 connected thereto can be seen in the locking position, wherein the primary coupling body 12 of bin 1 is enclosed and clamped within the window of the side flap 28. Meanwhile the secondary coupling body 32 projects freely through locking passage 34, which is provided in the cover profile 26.

[0086] FIG. 4 thus shows primary locking of cover 20 and bin 1, whereas the secondary locking is not active. This situation occurs in a static state of the locked assembly of the bin and the cover.

[0087] FIG. 5 shows further details of the locked situation according to FIG. 4, wherein the secondary coupling body 32 projects through the locking passage 34, and extends into the receiving space 14. This receiving space has an upper side, which comprises a roof part 38 that is directed slanting downwards towards an access side of the receiving space 14. The secondary coupling body 32 has a comparable slanting orientation on the upper side, and is provided with a projection 42 on the underside. The space between the upper side of the secondary coupling body 32 and the roof part 38 is small, for example 0.2 mm to 1.5 mm. The space between the underside of the secondary coupling body 32 and the bottom edge of the locking passage 34 is also small, for example 0.2 mm to 1.5 mm.

[0088] FIG. 6 shows schematically the relevant components from the cross-section according to FIG. 5, which will interact with each other during a fall of a filled container onto the ground, wherein the container ends up on the cover side. The situation shown is the initial situation shortly before the moment when the container comes into contact with the ground. At the moment when the filled container comes into contact with the ground, on account of the weight of the material that is present in the container, the cover will be subject to a larger impulse than the bin, so that the cover will move relatively in a direction a relative to the bin. Put the other way round, this may also be stated as an opposite motion a of the bin relative to the cover. As a consequence of these movements, there is an increased risk of the primary locking coming undone, as has already been described above.

[0089] In order to overcome the sudden detachment of the primary locking, the invention comprises secondary locking based on the components that are shown in FIG. 6, which works as follows: On account of the relative motion a of the bin relative to the cover, the component of the bin shown, i.e. the receiving space 14 with roof part 38, will also move downwards (in direction of motion a) relative to the secondary coupling body 32 and locking passage 34, which form part of the cover. During this motion, the roof part 38 will collide with the upper side of the secondary coupling body 32, wherein the coupling body 32 bends downwards to a position that is shown with a dotted line as 32. In this position, the projection 42 on the underside of the coupling body 32 is in a lower position than the bottom edge of locking passage 34, so that the projection 42 and locking passage 34 hook behind each other. Thus, secondary locking is brought about during a fall onto the ground, which functions as fall locking so that the risk of the cover becoming detached from the bin during a fall is minimized.

[0090] FIG. 7 shows the same components as in FIG. 6, for an alternative embodiment of the reclosable container according to a second aspect of the invention. Components in FIG. 7 that correspond to those in FIG. 6 are indicated with the same reference numbers.

[0091] Otherwise than in the embodiment of the container according to the first aspect of the invention that is shown in the preceding figures, the container according to the second aspect comprises a universal coupling body 44, which is able in itself to bring about primary and secondary locking in a static situation and in a dynamic situation, respectively. With this universal coupling body, the container no longer needs to be provided with separate primary coupling bodies and windows interacting therewith, which may thus be omitted if so desired.

[0092] In the initial situation shown, just before the impact of a fall onto the ground, the upper side of the universal coupling body 44 is in clamping contact with roof part 38 of the receiving space 14, so that the upper side of the universal coupling body 44 is locked behind the roof part 38. Thus, the universal coupling body 44 brings about primary locking with the roof part 38: it takes some force to tilt the side flap 28 outwards in order to remove the clamping contact.

[0093] At the moment of impact on the ground, the relative motion a of the bin relative to the cover will push the universal coupling body 44 downwards, to the state shown with a dotted line as 44. In this position, the projection 42 on the underside of the coupling body 32 is in a lower position than the bottom edge of locking passage 34, so that the projection 42 and locking passage 34 hook behind each other. Thus, universal coupling body 44 is able to bring about secondary locking, which functions as fall locking so that the risk of the cover becoming detached from the bin during a fall is minimized.