Abstract
A lid structure for a container has an annular collar for attachment to the container. The collar has an opening for providing access to an interior of the container. The lid structure further includes a lid for closing the opening. The lid has an outer periphery and an upper surface with a circumferential ridge located near to but spaced from the outer periphery, whereby a further container having a base diameter can stack at an outside of the circumferential ridge. The circumferential ridge has at least two interruptions dividing the circumferential ridge into at least two ridge portions whereby at least two further containers having the same base diameter can stack partially on the lid.
Claims
1. A lid structure for a container comprising: an annular collar for attachment to the container and having an opening for providing access to an interior of the container; a lid for closing the opening; and a closure element engaged between the lid and the annular collar, wherein the lid has an outer periphery and an upper surface with a circumferential ridge located near to but spaced from the outer periphery, whereby a further container having a base with a base diameter can be stacked on the lid at an outside of the circumferential ridge, the circumferential ridge further having at least two interruptions dividing the circumferential ridge into at least two ridge portions whereby at least two further containers having the same base diameter can alternatively stack partially on the lid in pyramid formation and one of the at least two interruptions is located around the closure element.
2. The lid structure according to claim 1, wherein the outer periphery of the lid has a diameter that corresponds to an outer diameter of the annular collar.
3. The lid structure according to claim 1, wherein the closure element comprises a tamper evident closure element.
4. The lid structure according to claim 1, wherein the lid and the annular collar are hingedly connected together.
5. The lid structure according to claim 1, wherein the at least two ridge portions are of equal lengths.
6. The lid structure according to claim 1, wherein the circumferential ridge has exactly two interruptions.
7. The lid structure according to claim 1, wherein a length of each of the two ridge portions is approximately a third of a base circumference of the further container.
8. The lid structure according to claim 1, wherein a ridge height is between 0.5 mm and 5 mm.
9. The lid structure according to claim 1, wherein the outer periphery has a rounded top edge, whereby the annular collar of a further identical lid structure can be stacked on the top edge.
10. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the annular collar comprises a fixation skirt configured to form a snap-fit connection with an outwardly protruding upper rim of the container
11. A package, comprising a the lid structure according to claim 1 applied to a container, the container having a circumferential sidewall, extending from a mouth to a base and the lid structure is attached to the container by engagement of the annular collar with the mouth.
12. The package according to claim 11, wherein the container is a metal can.
13. The package according to claim 12, wherein the container is a three piece can and the base is connected to the sidewall at a seam.
14. The package according to claim 13, wherein the seam forms a downwardly extending lower rim.
15. The package according to claim 14, wherein the base diameter is an inner diameter of the lower rim.
16. A set of packages according to claim 11, arranged in a stack, wherein each package has a face and adjacent packages in a first row of the stack are held with their faces oriented in alignment with a front side of the stack by engagement of the ridge portions on their respective lids by the base of a package in a second row of the stack that spans the lids of the adjacent packages.
17. The set of packages according to claim 16, wherein the stack is a 2D pyramid shape.
18. A package, comprising a lid structure and a container, wherein the container is a 3-piece metal can having a circumferential sidewall, joined to a mouth at an upper rim and to a base at a lower rim, the lower rim having an inner surface defining a base diameter, wherein the lid structure comprises an annular collar and a lid, connected to the annular collar at a hinge, the lid having an upper surface with an upstanding circumferential ridge having an outer ridge diameter corresponding to the base diameter, the circumferential ridge further having two interruptions dividing the circumferential ridge into two ridge portions each ridge portion subtending an angle of 120 degrees.
19. The package of claim 18, wherein the container is contoured in shape and has a face side, circumferentially opposed to the hinge and a first interruption is oriented in alignment with the face side and a second interruption is oriented in alignment with the hinge.
20. A stack of packages, each package comprising a 3-piece metal can having a base, a contoured sidewall defining a face side and a lid structure attached to an upper rim of the metal can, wherein adjacent packages in a first row of the stack are held with their face sides oriented in alignment with a front side of the stack by engagement of their respective lid structures by the base of a package in a second row of the stack that spans across lid structures of the adjacent packages.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0033] The features and advantages of the invention will be appreciated upon reference to the following drawings of a number of exemplary embodiments, in which:
[0034] FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of a lid structure according to the present invention with closed lid;
[0035] FIG. 1B shows a top view of the lid structure of FIG. 1A;
[0036] FIG. 1C shows a perspective view of the lid structure of FIG. 1A with opened lid;
[0037] FIG. 1D shows a cross-section through the lid structure of FIG. 1B along a central line C;
[0038] FIG. 2 shows a plurality of lid structures of FIG. 1C stacked on top of each other;
[0039] FIG. 3A shows a perspective view of a package having a container and the lid structure of FIG. 1A;
[0040] FIG. 3B shows a cross-section through the package of FIG. 3B along line IIIB;
[0041] FIG. 4A shows in a front view vertical stacking of the packages using the lid structure according to the present invention;
[0042] FIG. 4B shows in enlarged view area IVB of FIG. 4A;
[0043] FIG. 5A shows in a front view pyramidally stacked packages according to the present invention; and
[0044] FIG. 5B shows a schematic view of a pyramidal stacking functionality of the packages according to the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
[0045] The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to drawings in which illustrative embodiments thereof are shown. The drawings are intended exclusively for illustrative purposes and not as a restriction of the inventive concept which is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is only limited by the definitions presented in the appended claims.
[0046] In the drawings, like numerals designate like elements. Multiple instances of an element may each include separate letters appended to the reference number. For example, two instances of a particular element 48 may be labelled as 48A and 48B. The reference number may be used without an appended letters (e.g. 48) to generally refer to an unspecified instance or to all instances of that element. Further, multiple instances of an embodiment of the present invention plotted in the same figure may include one or more apostrophes appended to the reference number to distinguish them. For example, two instances of a particular embodiment 100 may be labelled as 100 and 100 in the same figure. Further, feature belonging to different embodiments may have letters and/or apostrophes. For example, an element 48A may belong to the embodiment 100 while an element 48B may belong to the embodiment 100.
[0047] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate in a perspective and a top view, respectively, a lid structure 10 according to the present invention. The lid structure 10 includes a lid 12 and an annular collar 14. The lid structure 10 is shown in a closed configuration with the lid 12 placed over the annular collar 14. The lid 12 is connected to the annular collar 14 by a living hinge 24. Opening and closing of the lid structure 10 is performed by employing a closure element 32. The closure element 32 includes a finger engaging section 44 configured for placing a user's finger in order to open the lid 12 and a tamper evident element 37 indicative of the first opening of the lid structure 10. The lid 12 is circular having an upper surface 18 bound by an outer periphery 16. A circumferential ridge 20 elevates from the upper surface 18 and extends parallel to, but at a distance d from, the outer periphery 16. The circumferential ridge 20 is not continuous but has two interruptions 22A, 22B dividing the circumferential ridge 20 into a first ridge portion 20A and a second ridge portion 20B. Arc lengths, or hereafter simply, lengths L of the two ridge portions 20A, 20B are equal. A rear interruption 22A is located in a proximity of the living hinge 24 while a frontal interruption 22B is located around the closure element 32. The lid structure 10 is symmetric with respect to a central line C passing between the live hinge 24 and the closure element 32. Displacing the circumferential ridge 20 from the finger engaging section 44 is preferred to facilitate opening/closing of the lid 12 as the circumferential ridge 20 may cause discomfort to the user when pressed thereon. The interruptions 22A, 22B are used for stacking functionality of the lid structure 10 as it will be evident from the description further below. The circumferential ridge 20 is placed at a distance d from the outer periphery 16 and has a ridge thickness of around 1 mm. The entire lid structure is made of plastic material.
[0048] FIGS. 1C and 1D illustrate a perspective view of the lid structure 10 with opened lid 12 and a cross-section through the lid structure 10 along the central line C shown in FIG. 1B, respectively. The annular collar 14 bounds an opening 15 of the lid structure 10. The opening and closing of the lid structure 10 is achieved by connecting the lid periphery 16 to an outer annular collar wall 38 via the living hinge 24 allowing for a pivotal motion of the lid 12 thereabout when opening/closing the opening 15. Additionally, a lid diameter dl is equal to a collar diameter de to tightly close the lid 12 to the annular collar 14 upon closing the lid structure 10. The lid 12 has a downwardly extending rim 26 depending from a lower lid surface 17, which forms a seal with an inner ring 36 of the annular collar 14 on closing. The inner ring 36 is in the form of an inwardly extending wall having a wide ring end 46 and a narrow ring end 48. The inner ring 36 is arranged to allow passage of the downwardly extending rim 26 through the wide ring end 46 and formation of the seal with the narrow ring end 48 upon closing the lid structure 10. The lower lid surface 17 further includes a scoop holder 28 for holding a scoop 30 for dispending of the contents of the container. The scoop 30 has a bowl 31 and a scoop handle 33. The outer annular collar wall 38 has a fixation skirt 39 extending along an opposite end of the annular collar distant to the living hinge 24. Further, the ridge 20 has an inner ridge diameter di and an outer ridge diameter do. The difference between the two diameters is equal to twice the ridge thickness. In the given embodiment, the thickness of the ridge 20 is small and the two diameters are almost equal. Nonetheless, the thickness of the circumferential ridge 20 may be much larger such as 5 mm or even 10 mm. Consequently, the two diameters may differ more. Additionally, a circumferential ridge height h is around 1 mm, but as with the thickness, the circumferential ridge height may be larger in alternative embodiments.
[0049] FIG. 2 shows stacking capabilities of the lid structures 10. The figure shows three lid structures 10, 10, 10 vertically stacked on top of each other. The outer periphery 16 is in the form of a rounded top edge 42 allowing the outer annular collar wall 38 of a further lid structure 10 to be placed over it to form a stack. The outer annular collar wall 38 is made of elastic material and bends outwardly upon applying a vertical force F in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface 18 forming a grip to the lid 12. The grip is further enhanced by a pleated surface of the fixation skirt 39. Under the vertical force F, the pleated surface of the fixation skirt 39 deforms and increases a contact area with the rounded top edge 42 thereby enhancing the grip.
[0050] FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a package 100 having a container 50 and the lid structure 10 according to the present invention. The container 50 has the form of a can. A sidewall 52 of the container 50 is connected by a longitudinal seam 54 enclosing an interior 56 of the container 50. In this view, for the sake of convenience, the seam 54 is visible at a front of the container 50 but it will be understood that the seam is usually located at the rear side. The container 50 has a base 60 connected to the sidewall 52 by a second seam 58 forming a downwardly extending lower rim 62. The lower rim 62 elevates the base 60 by a lower rim height hr. A base diameter dr is defined across the inside of the lower rim 62. The container 50 further includes an outwardly protruding upper rim 66 and an open mouth 64 located at an opposite end of the container 50 with respect to the base 60. The mouth 64 is bounded by an inner flange 68. The annular collar 14 of the lid structure 10 is placed over the mouth 64 and fixed to the container 50 by a snap-fit connection formed between the fixation skirt 39 and the outwardly protruding upper rim 66. Additionally, the fixation skirt 39 is arranged to prevent removal of the lid structure 10 from the container 50 without damaging the fixation skirt 39 in order to prevent tampering with the product placed within the container 50. Additionally, the narrow ring end 48 of the inner ring 36 is placed over the inner flange 68 to further fix the annular collar 14 to the container 50. The formed snap-fit connection is insect-tight. The package 100 also includes a membrane seal 70 placed over the mouth 64 and connected to the inner flange 68 by an adhesive. The membrane seal 70 prevents degradation of the product placed in the interior 56 due to environmental influences. The scoop 30 is placed within a lid space 72 formed in between the lid 12 and the membrane seal 70. A bowl height hb is chosen to coincide with a lid space height hl for optimal use of the lid space 72 and to maximize use of the interior 56 for the product.
[0051] FIG. 4A depicts a vertical stacking of two identical packages 100, 100. A further package 100 is stacked on top of the package 100 by placing the lower rim 62 of the further package 100 at the outside of the circumferential ridge 20 (not shown).
[0052] This is schematically illustrated in FIG. 4B, showing an enlarged view of the area marked by rectangle IVB in FIG. 4A. The base 60 of the further package 100 is elevated from the upper surface 18 of the lid 12 by the lower rim height hr and the circumferential ridge 20 is placed at an inside of the lower rim 62 of the further package 100. The base diameter dr' of the further package 100 is arranged to agree with the outer ridge diameter do in order to form a stable stacking assembly upon vertically stacking the packages 100, 100. In the illustrated embodiment, both diameters are equal to the base diameter dr.
[0053] FIG. 5A shows a two-dimensional (2D) pyramidal stack 110 of three identical packages 100, 100, 100 according to the present invention. Each package 100 is generally cylindrical but the sidewall 52 of the container 50 is contoured in shape and has a face 104 that is intended to be displayed. In the 2D pyramidal stack, the packages are assembled in vertically stacked rows of side-by-side aligned packages with all of the faces 104, 104, 104 oriented in the same direction. Each package 100 in a row above is placed over two further packages 100, 100 from a row below. The two further packages 100, 100 are placed on a horizontal surface H such that a first package 100 is placed adjacent to and abutting a second package 100. The lid structures 10, 10 of the two further packages 100, 100 are aligned and oriented parallelly, i.e. by parallelly aligning central lines C of the two further lid structures 10, 10. A third package 100 is then partially stacked over the two further packages 100, 100.
[0054] The 2D pyramidal stack is further schematically shown in FIG. 5B. FIG. 5B shows in a top view, the two further lid structures 10, 10 and a position of the lower rim 62 of the third package 100 upon stacking the three packages 100, 100, 100 together. The third package 100 is positioned such that the lower rim 62 is contemporaneously placed over the second ridge portion 20B of the first package 100 and the first ridge portion 20A of the second package 100. When 2D pyramidally stacked, first ridge ends 74B, 74A and second ridge ends 76B, 76A of each of the two ridge portions 20A, 20B placed under the lower rim 62 of the third package 100 approach closely to the lower rim 62 leaving of about 1 mm of a free-play space df between each ridge end 74B, 74A, 76B, 76A and the lower rim 62. The faces 104, 104 must thus be oriented in the same direction towards a front side of the stack The 2D pyramidal stack formed in this manner is particularly stable, allowing tilting of the stack by an angle of around 45 with respect to the horizontal surface H before collapse of the stack. This is significantly more inclined than would be the case for a standard lid without the ridges 20, indicating a better stability to movement when stacked.
[0055] The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive to the inventive concept. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that alternative and equivalent embodiments of the invention can be conceived and reduced to practice. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular configuration or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof.
[0056] All modifications which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
