Single-Piece Moulded Container for Packaging a Product

Abstract

Single-piece moulded container (10) for packaging at least one product comprising a cover (20), a base (30) and a hinge platform (40) pivotably connecting said base (30) to said cover (20), wherein the hinge platform (40) comprises: —a first hinge (41) connected to a first surface (35) of the base (30) and designed to pivot the cover (20) compared to the base (30) from an initial moulding flat position, in which the cover (20) forms a first angle with the base (30), to an opened position of use in which the cover (20) forms a second angle with the base (30); and —a second hinge (42) connected to a first surface (25) of the cover (20) and designed to pivot the cover (20) compared to the base (30) from the opened position of use to a closed position in which the cover (20) covers the base (30). The first surface (25) of the cover (20), the first surface (35) of the base (30) and the hinge platform (40) being in the same plane in the moulding flat position

Claims

1. Single-piece moulded container (10, 100) for packaging at least one product comprising a cover (20), a base (30) and a hinge platform (40) pivotably connecting said base (30) to said cover (20), wherein the hinge platform (40) comprises: a first hinge (41) connected to a first surface (35) of the base (30) and designed to pivot the cover (20) compared to the base (30) from an initial moulding flat position, in which the cover (20) forms a first angle (α1) with the base (30), to an opened position of use in which the cover (20) forms a second angle (α2) with the base (30); and a second hinge (42) connected to a first surface (25) of the cover (20) and designed to pivot the cover (20) compared to the base (30) from the opened position of use to a closed position in which the cover (20) covers the base (30), the first surface (25) of the cover (20), the first surface (35) of the base (30) and the hinge platform (40) being in the same plane in the moulding flat position.

2. Single-piece moulded container (10, 100) according to claim 1, comprising a single snapping line between the base (30) and the hinge platform (40).

3. Single-piece moulded container (10) according to claim 2, wherein the single snapping line comprises two opposite vertical snap beads (32b) provided in a cut out (32a) located in a rear wall (32) of the base (30) and a snapping member (44) protruding vertically from an upper surface (40a) of the hinge platform (40) in the moulding position and designed to cooperate with the vertical snap beads (32b) in the opened position.

4. Single-piece moulded container (10) according to claim 3, wherein the snapping member (44) comprises an elongated portion or bar or rib (44a) along the width of the platform (40) and comprises, at its two opposite edges, a fastening member (44b) having a groove (44c) designed to cooperate with the corresponding vertical snap bead (32b) in the opened position.

5. Single-piece moulded container (10) according to claim 4, wherein each groove (44c) of the fastening members (44b) has a depth (ΔY) comprised between 0.55 mm and 0.65 mm, for example equal to 0.6 mm and a length (ΔX) comprised between 0.2 mm and 0.23 mm.

6. Single-piece moulded container (10) according to any of claim 3, wherein each two vertical snap beads (32b) extends along the whole height of the base (30) and protrudes towards each other.

7. Single-piece moulded container (10) according to any of claim 3, wherein each two vertical snap bead (32b) has, in cross-section, a rounded-edge shape.

8. Single-piece moulded container (100) according to claim 2, wherein the single snapping line comprises two opposite vertical snap grooves (132b) provided in a cut out (32a) located in a rear wall (32) of the base (30) and a snapping member (144) protruding vertically from an upper surface (40a) of the hinge platform (40) in the moulding position and designed to cooperate with the vertical snap grooves (132b) in the opened position.

9. Single-piece moulded container (100) according to claim 8, wherein the snapping member (144) comprises an elongated portion or bar or rib (144a) along the width of the platform (40) and comprises, at its two opposite edges, a fastening member (144b) having a rib (144c) designed to cooperate with the corresponding vertical snap groove (132b) in the opened position.

10. Single-piece moulded container (100) according to claim 9, wherein each rib (144c) comprises a flat surface.

11. Single-piece moulded container (100) according to claim 9, wherein each two vertical snap groove (132b) extends along the whole height of the base (30).

12. Single-piece moulded container (100) according to claim 8, wherein each two vertical snap groove (132b) has, in cross-section, a parallelepiped shape designed to match with a corresponding shape on the snapping member (144).

13. Single-piece moulded container (10, 100) according to claim 1, wherein the first angle (α1) is equal to 180°.

14. Single-piece moulded container (10, 100) according to claim 1, wherein the second angle (α2) is comprised between 90° and 150°.

15. Single-piece moulded container (10, 100) according to claim 14, wherein the second angle (α2) is equal to 120°.

16. Single-piece moulded container (10, 100) according to claim 1, wherein both first and second hinges (41, 42) have a U-shaped transversal groove provided on the upper surface (40a) of the hinge platform (40) and a V-shaped transversal notch (41a, 42a) provided on the lower surface (40b) of the hinge platform (40), opposite to the upper surface (40a).

17. Single-piece moulded container (10, 100) according to claim 14, wherein each V-shaped transversal notch (41a, 42a) has an angle (β) comprised between 100° to 140°, for example equal to 120°.

18. Single-piece moulded container (10, 100) according to claim 1, wherein the cover (20) is delimited by a front wall (21), a rear wall (22), opposite to the front wall (21), two lateral walls (23, 24) and the first surface (25) delimiting an inner cavity (26) and the base (30) is delimited by a front wall (31), a rear wall (32), opposite to the front wall (31), two lateral walls (33, 34) and a first surface (35) delimiting an inner cavity (36) for receiving the product, the rear wall (22) of the cover (20) being aligned with the rear wall (32) of the base (30) in the closed position.

19. Single-piece moulded container (10, 100) according to claim 18, wherein the front wall (21) of the base (20) comprises at least one protruding element (21a) protruding towards the outside of the cover (20) and designed to engage with a corresponding notch (31a) provided on the front wall (31) of the base (30).

20. Single-piece moulded container (10, 100) according to claim 18, wherein the rear wall (32) of the base (30) has a rounded cut out.

Description

[0048] The present invention will be better understood from studying the detailed description of an embodiment considered by way of a non-limiting example and illustrated by the attached drawings in which:

[0049] FIG. 1 is a perspective upper view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in a moulding position;

[0050] FIG. 2 is perspective lower view of the device of FIG. 1, in the moulding position;

[0051] FIG. 3 is a front view of the device of FIG. 1, in the moulding position;

[0052] FIG. 4 is a side view of the device of FIG. 1, in the moulding position;

[0053] FIG. 5 is a side view of the device of FIG. 1, in an opened position;

[0054] FIG. 6 is a side view of the device of FIG. 1, in a closed position;

[0055] FIGS. 7 to 9 are detailed views of a hinge platform of the device of FIG. 1;

[0056] FIG. 10 shows the hinge platform in the opened position;

[0057] FIG. 11 a front view of a device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in a moulding position;

[0058] FIG. 12 is a detail view of the device of FIG. 11; and

[0059] FIG. 13 is a detail view of the bar of the device of FIGS. 11 and 12.

[0060] In the following description, the terms “longitudinal, “transversal”, “vertical”, “front”, “rear”, “left” and “right” are defined according to a usual orthogonal benchmark as shown on the drawings, which includes: [0061] a longitudinal axis X, horizontal and rear to the front left to the right of upper views; [0062] a transversal axis Y, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X and extending from the left to the right of the upper views; [0063] and [0064] a vertical axis Z, orthogonal to the longitudinal and transversal axis X and Y.

[0065] FIGS. 1 to 10 show an example of a device 10 for packaging a product, such as for example dry powders, wet powders or hot pour products.

[0066] The device or container 10 comprises a cover or lid 20 and a base 30 connected to the cover 20 by an intermediate element or a hinge platform 40.

[0067] The device 10 is a single piece moulded flat, as shown on FIGS. 1 to 4 and 7.

[0068] The cover 20 is delimited by a front wall 21, a rear wall 22, opposite to the front wall 21, two lateral walls 23,24 and a bottom or lower surface 25 delimiting an inner cavity 26 for receiving for example a mirror and/or an application member (not shown).

[0069] The front wall 21 comprises a protruding element 21a protruding along the longitudinal axis X towards the outside of the cover 20 and designed to engage with a corresponding notch 31a provided on a front wall 31 of the base 30 in order to reversible lock the cover 20 on the base 30.

[0070] The base 30 is delimited by a front wall 31, a rear wall 32, opposite to the front wall 31, two lateral walls 33,34 and a bottom or lower surface 35 delimiting an inner cavity 36 for receiving the product.

[0071] The hinge platform 40 comprises a first hinge 41 connected to the bottom 35 of the base 30 and a second hinge 42 connected to the bottom 25 of the cover 20. This allows to have a flat shape mould, which simplifies the mould and reduces the amount of material needed for the mould.

[0072] The hinges 41, 42 are of the dead hinge type, such as a U-shaped transversal groove provided on the upper surface 40a of the hinge platform 40. The hinges are further designed with a V-shape transversal notch 41a, 42a provided on the lower surface 40b of the hinge platform 40, as shown on FIG. 9.

[0073] The notch has an angle β comprised between 100° to 140°, for example equal to 120°. Each of the notches 41a, 42a have a 0.1 mm depth cut in order to make sure the corresponding hinge turns at the exact centre without creating a distorted fracture line.

[0074] The first hinge 41 is designed to pivot the cover 20 compared to the bottom 30 from an initial moulding flat position, shown on FIGS. 1 to 4 in which the cover 20 forms a first angle α1 equal to 180° with the bottom 30 to an opened position of use as shown in FIG. 5, in which the cover 20 forms a second angle α2 comprised between 90° and 150°, for example equal to 120° with the bottom 30.

[0075] The second hinge 42 is designed to pivot the cover 20 compared to the bottom 30 from the opened position of use to a closed position in which the cover 20 covers the bottom 30, as shown on FIG. 6.

[0076] The hinge platform 40 connects both cover and base at their bottoms, which makes the hinges along the same line and helps reducing the mould area, and thereby the moulding material required.

[0077] In the closed position, the front wall 21 of the cover 20 is aligned with the front wall 31 of the base 30 and the rear wall 22 of the cover 20 is aligned with the rear wall 32 of the base 30.

[0078] The rear edge of the base 30 has a rounded cut out 37 to ensure that the cover 20 does not scrape the base 30 while the rotational movement of the cover 20 from the opened to the closed position and vice-versa. The rounded cut out 37 is shown on FIG. 6.

[0079] As illustrated in detail on FIG. 7, the rear wall 32 of the base 30 comprises a vertical cut out 32a provided with two vertical snap beads 32b along the whole height of the bottom 30 and protruding towards each other. Each snap beads 32b has a rounded-edge shape.

[0080] The hinge platform 40 comprises a snapping member 44 protruding vertically from the upper surface 40a of the hinge platform 40 in the moulding position. The snapping member 44 has an elongated portion 44a along the width of the platform 40 and comprises, at its two opposite edges, a fastening member 44b having a groove 44c designed to cooperate with the corresponding vertical snap bead 32b in the opened position. In said opened position, the grooves 44c extend along the vertical axis Z, as can be seen on FIG. 10. In the opened position, the elongated portion 44a completely covers the first hinge 41.

[0081] The device thus only comprises one snapping point, made by the vertical snap beads 32b and the snapping member 44 between the hinge platform 40 and the base 30.

[0082] The grooves 44c of the fastening members 44b are detailed according to FIG. 8. Each groove 44c has a depth ΔY comprised between 0.55 mm and 0.65 mm, for example equal to 0.6 mm and a length ΔX comprised between 0.2 mm and 0.23 mm.

[0083] As shown on FIGS. 11 to 13, in which the same elements bear the same references, the device 100 for packaging a product differs from the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 10 only by the shape of the

[0084] As illustrated in detail on FIG. 12, the rear wall 32 of the base 30 comprises a vertical cut out 32a provided with two vertical snap grooves 132b along the whole height of the bottom 30. Each snap groove 132b has, in cross-section, a parallelepiped shape designed to match with a corresponding shape on the snapping member 144.

[0085] The hinge platform 40 comprises a snapping member 144 protruding vertically from the upper surface 40a of the hinge platform 40 in the moulding position. As shown in detail on FIG. 13, the snapping member 144 has an elongated portion 144a along the width of the platform 40 and comprises, at its two opposite edges, a fastening member 144b having a rib 144c designed to cooperate with the corresponding vertical snap groove 132b in the opened position. The ribs 144c protrudes along the transversal axis Y away from the snapping member 144 in two opposite directions.

[0086] Each rib 144c comprises a flat surface for better resistance to de-snapping of said rib from the corresponding groove 132b.

[0087] In said opened position, the ribs 144c extend along the longitudinal axis X, as can be seen on FIGS. 11 and 12. In the closed position, the ribs 144c extend along the vertical axis Z.

[0088] The elongated portion 144 of the snapping member 144 comprises a transversal recess 144d.

[0089] The device thus only comprises one snapping point, made by the vertical snap grooves 32b and the snapping member 144 between the hinge platform 40 and the base 30.

[0090] The devices 10, 100 are each made of plastic material such as for example polypropylene (PP), acrylobutadiene-styrene (ABS) or any material suitable for a make-up case.

[0091] Thanks to the snap beads 32b or the snap grooves 132b provided directly in the base 30 and extending in a vertical direction, the snapping force is significant and does not allow the user to easily move the cover 20 from the opened position to the moulding flat position.

[0092] Furthermore, the mould used to mould the container 10, 100 is of simple structure since the snap beads protrudes in a direction parallel to the core of the mould. The container may thus be moulded into the same core without any additional sliders.