A CONTAINER

Abstract

A container comprising a receptacle having an opening, a lid located over the opening of the receptacle and removably attached to the receptacle, and a tab attached to the lid; wherein detachment of the tab from the lid creates or exposes an aperture in the lid.

Claims

1. A container comprising: a receptacle having an opening, a lid located over the opening of the receptacle and removably attached to the receptacle, and a tab attached to the lid; wherein detachment of the tab from the lid creates or exposes an aperture in the lid.

2. The container of claim 1 wherein the receptacle has one or more sidewalls.

3. The container of claim 1 wherein the receptacle has a single cavity.

4. The container of claim 1 wherein the receptacle has two or more cavities separated from each other by one or more sidewalls.

5. The container of claim 1 wherein the receptacle comprises at least one side wall and a bottom, defining a cavity for holding liquid or other fluid food.

6. The container of claim 1 wherein upper edges of the one or more sidewalls defines one or more openings of the receptacle.

7. The container of claim 1 wherein the lid extends over the entire opening of the receptacle to seal the receptacle.

8. The container of anyone of the preceding claims claim 1 wherein the tab is releasably attached to the lid.

9. The container of claim 1 wherein the tab is integral with the lid.

10. The container of claim 1 wherein the tab is moveable from a first position in which the tab is adhered to the lid to a second position in which the tab is detached from the lid.

11. The container of claim 1 in which the lid includes an aperture that is sealed by the tab.

12. The container of claim 1 wherein the aperture is sized to accommodate a typical straw.

13. A method of unsealing a container including the steps of: moving a tab from a first position in which the tab is attached to the lid, the lid also attached to a receptacle, to a second position in which the tab is detached from the lid to cause air to pass into the receptacle.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the detachment of the tab causes a pre-existing aperture in the lid to be exposed.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the detachment of the tab causes an aperture to be created in the lid.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the force required to detach the tab from the lid is less than the force required to detach the lid from the receptacle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] By way of example only, embodiments are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0039] FIG. 1 shows a top view of an embodiment of the container when the tab is in the first position.

[0040] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

[0041] FIG. 3 shows a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 when the tab is in the second position.

[0042] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 3.

[0043] FIG. 5 shows a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 3 in which the lid is peeled back.

[0044] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0045] FIGS. 1 to 6 show a container 10 that can be used to package water or other liquids for consumption on an aircraft. The container 10 has a receptacle 11 and a lid 12. The receptacle 11 is configured to hold fluid food (such as soups) or drinks. It would be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the container may be modified to hold hot or cold foods.

[0046] The receptacle 11 has a single sidewall 111 and a bottom wall 112 which defines a cavity 113. The cavity 113 is used to hold food or drinks. It should be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, the receptacle 11 may be differently shaped and/or have a number of sidewalls. It should also be appreciated that the receptacle 11 may have more than one cavity depending on the number and relative positioning of sidewalls.

[0047] The receptacle 11 is made of a flexible polymeric material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). It should be appreciated that the receptacle 11 may be made of other flexible or rigid materials such as polyethylene (PE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylic or glass.

[0048] An upper edge of the sidewall 111 defines an opening 113 of the receptacle. The lid 12 extends over the entire opening 113 of the receptacle 11 and has is substantially circular shape. The lid 12 is sized such that it overhangs slightly beyond the periphery of the opening 113 as shown by the dashed lines.

[0049] The lid 12 is heat sealed to the upper edge of the sidewall 11 to create an airtight seal of the cavity 113. It should be appreciated that the lid 12 can be glued onto the upper edge of the sidewall 11.

[0050] The attachment between the lid 12 and receptacle 11 is sufficient to form an airtight seal of the opening 113 of the receptacle 11 yet to allow the user to peel the lid 12 off the upper edge of the receptacle 11, relatively easily.

[0051] The tab 13 is an extension of the lid 12. That is, the tab 13 extends beyond the lid 12 from a portion of the periphery of the lid 12 to a terminal end 131. FIG. 2 shows that the tab 13 is substantially elongate. It is envisioned that in alternative embodiments, the tab 13 can have a variety of shapes and sizes.

[0052] Advantageously, in this embodiment, the lid 12 and tab 13 can be manufactured in one piece without requiring the tab 13 to be attached to the lid 12 in a subsequent manufacturing step.

[0053] The lid 12 is also punctured or otherwise pierced during manufacture to form an aperture 14 through the lid 12. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the aperture 14 is located between the centre of the lid 12 and the portion of the periphery of the lid 12 from which the tab 13 extends. It is envisioned that in alternative embodiments, the aperture 14 can be located adjacent or at the centre of the lid 12. It is also envisioned that the aperture 14 can be located near another portion of the periphery of the lid 12.

[0054] The aperture 14 is a relatively small aperture. It should be appreciated that the aperture may be sized to accommodate a typical straw such that, if the user may choose not to remove the entire lid, they may use the aperture to access the drink via a straw.

[0055] The end of the tab 13 is attached to the lid 12 over the pre-existing aperture 14 in order to seal the aperture to enclose the cavity 113 in an airtight manner. It is envisioned that in an alternative embodiment, the end of the tab 131 may be attached to or adjacent a weakened portion of the lid 12, which may perforate upon removal of the tab 14.

[0056] When the tab 13 is attached to the lid 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tab 13 is in a first position. In this first position, the tab 13 extends away from the periphery of the lid 12, across the lid 12 of the container 10 and over the pre-existing aperture 14. A fold 132 is formed in the tab 13 adjacent the periphery of the lid 12, where the tab 13 reverses onto itself.

[0057] In this way, the lid 12 and tab 13 together have a flat configuration, which is easier to handle and helps prevent inadvertent detachment of the tab 13 from the lid 12 before or after it is applied to the container 10, by, for example, snagging on an object.

[0058] In order to gain access to the food or drink located within the receptacle, the tab 13 is moved by the user from the first position 10 in which the container is airtight, to the second position in which the aperture is exposed in the lid 12 such that the airtight integrity of the container 10 is compromised.

[0059] When the user pulls or lifts an end of the tab 131 in the direction indicated by the arrow shown in FIG. 2 and/or away from the lid 12 in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4, the pre-existing aperture 14 is exposed while the lid remains adhered on the receptacle as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0060] Air is released from the air gap of the container 10 through the aperture 14, which allows for the pressure inside the air gap to equalize with that of the ambient air pressure in the aircraft. This decreases the relative force required by the user to open the container 10.

[0061] It should be appreciated that in situations where the pressure inside the air gap is less than that of the surroundings, ingress of air into the air gap through the aperture 14 will allow for the pressure inside the air gap to equalize with the ambient air pressure in the aircraft. This will decrease the relative force required by the user to open the container 10.

[0062] The respective attachments between the tab 13 and lid 12, and between the lid 12 and the receptacle 11 are so configured that the force required to detach the tab 13 from the lid 12 is less than that required to detach the lid 12 from the receptacle 11. In this way, detachment of the tab 13 does not inadvertently remove any part of the lid 12 from the receptacle 11 or tear the lid 12.

[0063] After the tab 13 is moved to the second position 10, the tab 13 can be used as a pull-tab by the user to peel the lid 12 off the receptacle 10 by pulling the tab up and across the lid 12 of the container 10, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The size and shape of the tab 13 allows the user sufficient purchase to comfortably pull the lid 12 off the receptacle 11.

[0064] While the embodiments of the containers described here are suitable for use in an aircraft, it is envisioned that they can be configured for use in a variety of contexts in which a pressure differential exists between the air gap in an airtight container and the surroundings. For example, the dimensions of the container according to the illustrated embodiments may be scaled to suit any volume of liquid or fluid food. Alternatively, the container may be made of various materials depending on operational requirements. Such modifications can be made to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.

[0065] Throughout this specification the word comprise, or variations such as comprises or comprising, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.