Abstract
A lid structure (10) for a container (40) comprises an annular collar (14) for attachment to the container, having an opening (15) for providing access to an interior (56) of the container. The lid structure further comprises a lid (12) for closing the opening, connected to the collar by a first living hinge. The lid comprises a first lid portion and a second lid portion connected together by a second living hinge which traverses the top surface of the lid and is parallel to the first living hinge. The first lid portion covers the opening. The second lid portion comprises a mating element and the collar comprises a complementary mating element, being configured to engage together to latch the lid to the collar in the closed position of the lid, whereby latching and unlatching of the lid structure is provided by a pivotable motion of the second lid portion about the second living hinge.
Claims
1. A lid structure for a container comprising: a collar for connecting the lid structure to the container, the collar having an opening providing access to an interior of the container; and a lid configured to cover the opening, the lid comprising a top surface and a downwardly extending peripheral surface, the lid and the collar being connected together by a first living hinge, providing pivotable motion thereabout between an open position of the lid and a closed position of the lid, wherein the lid comprises a first lid portion and a second lid portion connected together by a second living hinge which traverses the top surface of the lid, wherein the first lid portion covers the opening, the second lid portion comprises a mating element and the collar comprises a complementary mating element, the mating element and the complementary mating element being configured to engage together to latch the lid to the collar in the closed position of the lid, whereby latching and unlatching of the lid structure is provided by a pivotable motion of the second lid portion about the second living hinge.
2. The lid structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first lid portion comprises a ridge elevated from the top surface, configured to allow stacking of a further container having a base diameter at an outside of the ridge.
3. The lid structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second lid portion comprises a portion of the top surface, configured to allow stacking of a further container at least partially on the second lid portion.
4. The lid structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lid comprises an inner flange extending downwardly from a lower surface of the first lid portion configured to form an inner seal around the opening of the collar when the lid is in the closed position.
5. The lid structure according to claim 4, wherein the opening is defined by an inner wall of the collar, which extends inwardly from a top edge of the collar in order to form an insect-tight seal with the inner flange.
6. The lid structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mating element is in the form of a slot and the complementary mating element is in the form of a barb configured to fit within the slot when the lid is in the closed position.
7. The lid structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lid structure comprises a tamper evident closure to prevent disengagement of the mating element and the complementary mating element prior to use.
8. The lid structure according to claim 7, wherein the tamper evident closure comprises a tab connected to the collar by a frangible connection.
9. The lid structure according to claim 8, wherein the tab is positioned over the mating element thereby preventing its movement away from the complementary mating element before breaking of the frangible connection.
10. The lid structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the collar comprises a fixation skirt configured to form a snap-fit connection with an upper rim of the container.
11. The lid structure according to claim 10, wherein the fixation skirt is configured to deform upon removing the lid structure from the container, thereby preventing reconnection.
12. The lid structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the top surface of the lid is substantially planar and the second living hinge traverses the planar top surface of the lid.
13. The lid structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first living hinge is a butterfly hinge.
14. The lid structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second living hinge is parallel to the first living hinge and preferably a straight hinge.
15. The lid structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lid is circular and the second living hinge lies on a chord of the circle.
16. The lid structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second living hinge has a central section that is distanced from the peripheral surface by between 5 mm and 40 mm, preferably between 8 mm and 20 mm.
17. The lid structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lid comprises an outer flange extending downwardly from a lower surface of the first lid portion configured to form an outer seal with a groove provided in a top edge of the collar when the lid is in the closed position.
18. The lid structure of claim 17, wherein a central section of the outer flange runs parallel and adjacent to the second living hinge.
19. The lid structure of claim 17 or claim 18, wherein end sections of the outer flange extend radially outwards and preferably join the peripheral surface.
20. The lid structure of claim 19, wherein the outer flange and the peripheral surface form a continuous outer seal around the top edge of the collar.
21. The lid structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the collar has a top edge that extends around the opening and a raised portion of the top edge underlying the second living hinge in the closed position of the lid, is elevated with respect to the remainder of the top edge.
22. The lid structure according to claim 21, wherein the raised portion is elevated by at least 3 mm, preferably at least 5 mm, with respect to the remainder of the top edge, which is preferably planar.
23. The lid structure according to claim 17 and claim 21, wherein the groove is formed in the raised portion.
24. A package comprising a container and a lid structure according to any one of the preceding claims.
25. The package of claim 24 containing a quantity of infant nutrition, preferably milk formula.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0045] The features and advantages of the invention will be appreciated upon reference to the following drawings of a number of exemplary embodiments, in which:
[0046] FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of a lid structure according to the present invention with closed lid;
[0047] FIG. 1B shows a top view of the lid structure of FIG. 1A;
[0048] FIG. 1C shows a perspective view of the lid structure of FIG. 1A with opened lid;
[0049] FIG. 1D shows a cross-section through the lid structure of FIG. 1B along a central line C;
[0050] FIG. 2 shows a plurality of lid structures of FIG. 1C stacked on top of each other;
[0051] FIG. 3A shows a perspective view of a package having a container and the lid structure of FIG. 1A;
[0052] FIG. 3B shows a cross-section through the package of FIG. 3B along line IIIB;
[0053] FIG. 4A shows in a front view vertical stacking of the packages using the lid structure according to the present invention;
[0054] FIG. 4B shows in enlarged view the area IVB of FIG. 4A;
[0055] FIG. 5A shows in a front view pyramid stacked packages according to the present invention;
[0056] FIG. 5B shows in plan view pyramid stacked packages according to the present invention;
[0057] FIGS. 6A, 6B show views of part of the collar of FIG. 1C
[0058] FIGS. 7A, 7B show views of part of the underside of the lid of FIG. 1C;
[0059] FIG. 8 shows a partial perspective view of the lid with the second lid portion partially raised;
[0060] FIGS. 9A, 9B show a cross-section through the lid structure during latching of the lid structure; and
[0061] FIG. 10 shows a cross-section corresponding to FIG. 9 during closure of the container prior to use.
DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
[0062] 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.
[0063] 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.
[0064] 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 comprises a first lid portion 12A and a second lid portion 12B. The first lid portion 12A is connected to the annular collar 14 by a first living hinge 24 and the second lid portion 12B is connected to the first lid portion 12A by a second living hinge 25. The second lid portion 12B comprises a latch 32 for opening and closing of the lid structure 10. The collar 14 is provided with a tamper evident closure tab 37 indicative of the first opening of the lid structure 10. The lid 12 is circular having a top surface 18 bounded by a peripheral surface 16. A circumferential ridge 20 extends from the top surface 18 parallel to, but at a distance d from, the peripheral surface 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 first living hinge 24 while a frontal interruption 22B is located around the second lid portion 12B. The lid structure 10 is symmetric with respect to a central line C passing between the first living hinge 24 and the latch 32. The interruptions 22A, 22B are used for stacking functionality of the lid structure 10 as will be evident from the description further below. The circumferential ridge 20 is placed at a distance d from the peripheral surface 16 and has a ridge thickness of around 1 mm. The entire lid structure is made of plastic material.
[0065] 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 and has an outer annular collar wall 38. The opening and closing of the lid structure 10 is achieved by rotating the lid 12 about the first living hinge 24. A lid diameter dl is equal to a collar diameter dc to tightly close the lid 12 to the annular collar 14 upon closing the lid structure 10. The lid 12 has a downwardly extending inner flange 26 depending from a lower surface 17 of the first lid portion 12A, which forms an inner seal with an inner wall 36 of the annular collar 14 on closing. The inner wall 36 extends from a top edge 46 of the collar 14 to an abutment surface 48. The inner wall 36 is arranged to engage with the downwardly extending inner flange 26 and form an inner seal upon closing the lid 16. The lower 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 first 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.
[0066] 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 peripheral surface 16 has a rounded transition 42 with the top surface 18, 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 top 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 transition 42 thereby enhancing the grip.
[0067] 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. 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 annular flange 68. The 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. The abutment surface 48 of the collar 14 is placed over the annular flange 68 to further fix the collar 14 to the container 50. The snap-fit connection thus formed is insect-tight. The package 100 also includes a membrane seal 70 placed over the mouth 64 and connected to the annular flange 68 by welding. 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.
[0068] FIG. 4A depicts 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).
[0069] 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 top 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 correspond with the outer ridge diameter do in order to form a stable stacking assembly upon vertically stacking the packages 100, 100.
[0070] FIG. 5A shows a two-dimensional (2D) pyramidal stack 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.
[0071] 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 112 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 assembly which is much more inclined compared to a standard lid with the ridges 20 indicating a better stability to movement when stacked.
[0072] FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B show partial views of part of the front of the collar 14 in perspective and plan view respectively. In these views, the outer annular collar wall 38 and the top edge 46 of the collar 14 are visible. Also visible is the tamper evident closure tab 37, attached to the collar 14 by frangible bridges 41 prior to first opening of lid structure 10. A barb 84 is provided on the collar 14 behind the tab 37.
[0073] The top edge 46 in this section of the collar 14 has a raised portion 47 that extends by about 5 mm higher than the remainder of the top edge 46. A groove 43 is formed in the raised portion 47 and has a straight central section 43A and end section 43B that turn radially outwards.
[0074] FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B show partial views of part of the underside of the lid 12 in perspective and plan view respectively. In these views, the peripheral surface 16, the inner flange 26 extending downwardly from the lower surface 17 of the first lid portion 12A and the second lid portion 12B can be appreciated. The second living hinge 25 is not visible from the underside but its position is indicated by a broken line. The second living hinge 25 lies on a chord of a circle defined by the planar top surface 18 of the lid 12. The second living hinge 25 terminates at cuts 88 that extend radially through the peripheral surface 16. Latch 32 extends downwards beneath the second lid portion 12B and comprises a slot 80.
[0075] Between the inner flange 26 and the second living hinge 25 there is provided an outer flange 86 that also extends downwardly from the lower surface 17 of the first lid portion 12A but to a lesser extent. The outer flange 86 has a central section 86A that is parallel to the second living hinge 25 and two end sections 86B that extend radially outwards to join the peripheral surface 16. The end sections 86B run parallel and adjacent to the cuts 88. The inner flange 26 may extend downwards by between 8 mm and 16 mm, while the outer flange central section 86A may extend between 1 mm and 5 mm from the lower surface 17. The outer flange end sections 86B may increase in height as they approach the peripheral surface 16.
[0076] FIG. 8 illustrates the lid structure 10 with the second lid portion 12B partially raised during use. A finger gap 90 is formed between the peripheral surface 16 and the outer annular collar wall 38 at the location of the latch 32, allowing a user to easily raise the second lid portion 12B. The tamper evident closure tab 37 shown in FIG. 1A has been removed leaving only part of the frangible bridges 41. This is the position in which the first lid portion 12A has closed and sealed the opening 15 but prior to latching of the latch 32 taking place. In this position, the slot 80 provided on the latch 32 is out of engagement with the barb 84 provided on the collar 14.
[0077] FIG. 9A is a cross-section on the central line C, through the lid structure 10 in the position of FIG. 8. As can be seen, the slot 80 is spaced slightly from the barb 84 and the inner flange 26 is in sealing engagement with the inner wall 36 of the annular collar 14. Even though the second lid portion 12B is partially raised, the outer flange 86 fully inserted in the groove 43. It is thus ensured that even when the latch 32 has not been fully closed, double sealing of the lid 12 is achieved ensuring good insect tightness.
[0078] In FIG. 9B, a force downwards has been applied to the second lid portion 12B, causing it to rotate in a clockwise direction about the second living hinge 25. The barb 84 enters into the slot 80 with a positive click, giving tactile and audible feedback that latching has taken place. The second lid portion 12B has rotated completely about the second living hinge 25 and is coplanar with the first lid portion 12A. The top surface 18 of the lid 12 is essentially flat or planar, whereby further containers may be stacked onto the lid should this so be required.
[0079] FIG. 10 shows a cross-section corresponding to the views of FIG. 9 but during closure of the lid structure 10 prior to use e.g. during a production process. In this condition, the tamper evident closure tab 37 is still in position, covering the barb 84. The tamper evident closure tab 37 is sufficiently flexible that the lid 12 can be pressed downwards to cause the slot 80 on the latch 32 of the second lid portion 12B to enter into engagement with the barb 84 provided on the collar 14. During this movement, the tamper evident closure tab 37 flexes radially outwardly but does not break. It flexes back to its original position, trapping the latch 32 by engagement of the barb 84 within the slot 80. In this condition, the lid 12 can only be opened by breaking away the tamper evident closure tab 37 at the frangible bridges 41.
[0080] 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.
[0081] All modifications which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
