Reusable lid and container

This invention relates to sealed containers such as a bucket or pail having a removable lid or cover. More particularly this invention is concerned with providing containers having covers or lids that are capable of providing a sealed closure to preserve the contents of the containers and also can be repeatedly assembled to and removed from the containers.

Multi-gallon capacity plastic containers having removable plastic lids or covers are widely used for the storage and transportation of liquid and solid materials, e.g., materials in granular or powder form. For some applications, the lids may be single use, i.e. they may be thrown away after the container has been opened, typically because all of the contents of the container are dispensed after the lid is removed. For other applications a reusable lid must be provided, for example, when it is desired to use only a portion of the contents of the container and to then store the partially filled container for future use. In many cases the reusable lid may have to make a secure fit, so as to prevent leaking of the contents of the container after the lid has been reapplied. Having a secure fit is of particular concern if the container is filled with material that is toxic or irritating to the skin and is used in or around a residence where small children are present, since their curiosity may cause them to remove the lid to view the contents of the container. Safety concerns demand that reusable lids not only make a substantially leak-proof fit with the container but also be difficult for children to remove, either accidentally or purposefully. However, as practical matter, commercial production of containers and lids that satisfy existing safety concerns necessarily requires control of manufacturing costs.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved and reusable lid for a container which can be re-applied repeatedly to provide a secure closure that prevents loss of the contents from the container.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved reusable closure means for containers which is difficult for small children to remove yet is designed to securely seal the container so as to prevent loss of its contents.

A further object of the invention is to provide a reusable lid for a container for solids in powder or granular form which provides a secure seal regardless of the number of times the lid is re-applied.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the foregoing objects are attained by providing a container/lid combination wherein the upper end of the container has a peripheral skirt that is spaced from the wall of the container and has a plurality of openings, and a lid having a plurality of lock tabs that are received in the openings and serve to lock the lid to the container when the lid is rotated relatively to the container. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each of the openings is elongated circumferentially of the container and comprise a relatively wide portion and relatively narrow portion, and the lock tabs comprise a depending body portion and a tapered lock portion at the bottom of the body portion. The lock tabs are sized so that their tapered lock portions can pass through the relatively wide portions of the openings and their body portions can fit in the relatively narrow portions of the openings. With this arrangement, the lid can be locked to the container by inserting the tabs through the relatively wide portions of the openings, and then rotating the lid so as to move the body portions of the tabs into the relatively narrow portions of the openings, whereupon the tapered lock portions of the tabs are engaged with the container and serve to secure the lid to the container. In an alternate embodiment, the openings on the container are rectangular and the tabs are shaped so as to have a depending body portion and a laterally-extending bayonet or arm portion that is spaced from the rim and is adapted to make a locking engagement with the container's skirt when the lid is rotated relative to the container. In both embodiments, it is preferred to provide a plurality of mutually spaced catch means on the exterior of the container and a latch means on the lid that is adapted to interlock with one of the catch means and thereby securely retain the lid on the container. The latch means is an integral part of the lid and is formed it can be deformed in a radial direction by a manually pressing action so as to disengage it from the associated catch means.

Other features and advantages of the invention are set forth in or rendered obvious by the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, which is to be considered together with the drawings hereinafter described.

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a lid and container lid constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is side elevation of the lid of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the container of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the same lid;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the same lid;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views taken along lines 6 — 6 and 7 — 7 of FIG. 4 ;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the container;

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the container;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are cross-sections view taken along lines 10 — 10 and 11 — 11 of FIG. 8 ;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary side view of the lid with a modified embodiment of locking tab;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 13 — 13 of FIG. 12 ;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary plan view of the container showing a modified form of opening for receiving a locking tab; and

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 15 — 15 of FIG. 14 .

In the drawings, like parts and elements thereof are identified by like numerals.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3 , a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a circular lid 2 and a container 4 of circular cross-sectional configuration. Both the lid and the pail are molded of a plastic material that is relatively stiff yet resilient enough to allow limited flexing, e.g., polyethylene or another moldable thermoplastic resin, preferably a relatively high density thermoplastic material.

As seen best in FIGS. 4-7 , lid 2 is formed with a main body portion or crown 6 and a surrounding rim comprising an inner wall 8 that projects upwardly from the level of crown 6 , a peripheral flange 10 attached to the upper end of wall 8 , an intermediate wall 12 attached to and depending from flange 10 , and an outer wall 14 attached to flange 10 . Preferably, but not necessarily, outer wall 14 is slanted downwardly and outwardly as shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 and 6 . An annular channel 18 is formed between intermediate wall 12 and outer wall 14 and is sized to accommodate the upper end of container 4 , as explained hereinafter. Intermediate wall 12 also functions to strengthen the rim. Preferably but not necessarily, the bottom edges 20 and 22 of walls 12 and 14 respectively project below the crown 6 , as shown in FIG. 6 . The upper surface of flange 10 is interrupted by several raised sections 24 having radially extending webs 26 at their opposite ends. Preferably the lid has four such sections as shown. These raise sections facilitate attachment and detachment of the lid relative to the container while still permitting upstanding inner wall 8 to serve as an alignment guide to facilitate the stacking of another container on top of the lid.

The lid also has a plurality of like locking tabs 30 attached to and depending from outer wall 14 . Each tab 30 comprises a body portion 32 which is generally rectangular in horizontal cross-section, with a width (measured circumferentially of the lid) that is substantially greater than its thickness (measure radially of the lid). The bottom end portion 34 of each tab is enlarged so as to form an upwardly facing surface 36 that functions as a shoulder or lip for locking the tab to the container. Referring to FIG. 5 , preferably the bottom end portion of each locking tab is tapered (as viewed radially of the lid), so as to facilitate attachment to the container in the manner explained hereinafter. Preferably the tabs are equally spaced about the lid to facilitate attachment of the lid to the container.

Referring to FIGS. 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 and 7 the outer wall 14 has a vertically extending cut 40 therein, and adjacent that cut the wall 14 is formed with a projecting portion 42 that functions as a latch member that cooperates with a catch on the container to that prevent rotation of the lid in a direction to release it from the container. As is evident from the FIGS. 1 and 2 , in side elevation latch member 42 has a generally rectangular configuration, having one end 44 demarcated by cut 20 , an opposite end 46 and a top 47 that are integral with wall 14 , and a bottom edge that is a continuation of the bottom edge of wall 14 . As best seen in FIGS. 4 , 5 and 7 , the end 44 of latch member 42 projects radially outward beyond the outer surface of the adjacent portion of wall 14 on the opposite side of cut 40 , and the remainder of latch member 42 is canted inwardly to where its end 46 is joined to wall 14 . As described hereinafter in greater detail, the end 44 of latch member 42 is the part that provides the locking action. In this connection, it is to be appreciated that since the lid is made of a plastic such as high density polystyrene, the latch member 42 has a certain degree of flexibility, so that its end 44 can be made flush with the adjacent end of wall 14 by manually pressing it radially inward toward the lid's crown portion 6 .

Referring to FIGS. 1 , 3 , and 8 - 11 , the container 4 has an open top end 48 and a closed bottom defined by a circular side wall 50 and a bottom wall 52 . To facilitate stacking, it is preferred that the container side wall be tapered as shown so as to have a smaller diameter at its bottom end. Adjacent to its open top end, the container is formed with a laterally extending annular flange 54 and a short depending side wall 56 at the outer edge of flange 54 that functions as a skirt. Preferably, but not necessarily, two diametrically opposed portions of wall 56 bulge outwardly, as shown at 58 , so as to provide an increased space between it and side wall 50 for insertion of a person's fingers, thereby permitting those portions to function as grips or handles for lifting the container. Also preferably, but not necessarily, wall 56 is slanted downwardly and outwardly as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 .

Still referring to FIGS. 8-11 , a plurality of openings identified generally at 62 are formed in flange 54 to accommodate locking tabs 30 of the container. Openings 62 are elongated circumferentially of flange 54 and comprise a first relatively wide portion 66 and a second relatively narrow portion 68 . The length (circumferential dimension) and width (radial dimension) of each portion 66 is slightly greater, e.g., {fraction (1/16)} th inch greater, than the corresponding dimension of the enlarged bottom ends of tabs 30 . The narrow portions 68 of the openings have a length slightly greater than the corresponding dimension of tabs 30 , while their width is less than the width of the enlarged bottom ends of tabs 30 but slightly greater than the body portions of tabs 30 .

The lid is secured to the container by (a) placing the lid on the container so that its locking tabs are aligned with the relatively wide portions of opening 62 , (b) inserting the tabs into the openings so that their relatively wide bottom portions are below the flange 54 , and then rotating the lid so as to move the tabs into the narrow portions of openings 62 , whereupon the shoulders 36 of the enlarged bottom ends of the locking tabs extend beneath adjacent portions of flange 54 and thereby prevent the lid from being lifted off of the container. The length (vertical dimension) of the locking tabs and the vertical position of shoulders 36 on the tabs are set so that the shoulders 36 will make a frictional engagement with the underside of flange 54 just sufficient to resist relative rotation of the lid in an unlocking direction in the absence of a manually applied turning force and also so that the liner tightly engages the upper end 48 of the pail, thereby assuring a tight seal.

As shown in FIGS. 1 , 3 , 8 , and 11 , the lid/container combination provided by this invention also includes a plurality of upstanding projections 70 on the upper side of flange 54 that function as catches for latch member 42 . Projections 70 are located close to the outer periphery of flange 54 and intermediate openings 62 . Preferably, as shown in FIG. 8 , projections 70 are located near the relatively wide portions of openings 62 . The projections have a tapered vertically extending leading surface 72 and a right angle, substantially radially-extending trailing surface 74 . The height of projections 70 is less than the corresponding dimension of latch member 42 , as shown, so as to facilitate releasing the latch member. Preferably the height of projection 70 is equal to or less than one half the corresponding dimension of latch member 42 . When the lid is applied to the container and rotated in the direction required to cause tabs 30 to interlock with flange 54 as described above, the leading end 46 of latch member 42 will pass by the nearest projection 70 and as the rotation continues, latch member 42 will be cammed inwardly by the adjacent projection, causing its end 44 to pass by the trailing surface 74 of the projection, whereupon the inherent resiliency of the tab member will cause it to return to its original outward projecting where it will be flush with or protrude outwardly of projection 70 . Consequently if now an effort is made to rotate the lid in the opposite direction so that it can be released form the container, the projection 70 will intercept latch member 42 and thereby prevent unlocking of the lid from the container. However, the lid can be unlocked by simply depressing latch member inwardly far enough for it to be able to clear the adjacent projection when an effort is made to rotate the lid so as align the locking tabs with the large portions of the keyhole shaped openings 62 .

FIGS. 12-15 illustrate features of an alternative embodiment of the invention. These figures do not illustrate a complete lid and container, but it is to be understood that, except as otherwise disclosed hereinafter, the features shown in FIGS. 12-15 relate to a lid and container that are the same as those shown in FIGS. 1-11 . As shown in FIG. 12 , lid 2 A has locking tabs 30 A in the form of a body portion 80 that is integral with and depends from the lid's outer wall 12 and has at its bottom end a sidewise-extending arm 82 that functions as a bayonet. Body portion 80 and bayonet arm 82 have the same thickness (the dimension measured radially of the lid). Each bayonet 82 is formed so as to provide a gap 84 between its upper surface and the lower edge 20 of outer lid wall 12 . The container 2 A differs from container 2 in that the openings 62 are replaced by rectangular openings 62 A. The width (radial dimension) of each opening 62 A is slightly greater than the thickness of tabs 30 a , while the length of the each opening 62 A (the dimension measured circumferentially of the container) is slightly greater than the corresponding dimension (width) of the bottom end of the locking tabs. Preferably the openings 62 a are sized so as to provide clearances of {fraction (1/32)}-{fraction (1/16)} inch for tabs 30 A.

The alternative embodiment represented in FIGS. 12-16 is attached to the container by aligning tabs 30 A with openings 62 A, inserting the tabs in those openings, and then rotating the lid relative to the container in the direction (clockwise as viewed in FIG. 14 ) required to cause the bayonets arms to extend beneath adjacent portions of flange 54 . Preferably the gap 84 between each bayonet arm and the adjacent bottom edge of the lid's side wall 12 is substantially the same as or only slightly larger (about 0.005″ greater) than the thickness of the flange 54 , whereby the bayonets arms will make a frictional engagement with the flange that is sufficient to prevent the lid from rotating relative to the container in the absence of a manually applied turning force and also assures that the lid will engage the upper end 48 of the container so as to provide a tight seal. Preferably this alternative embodiment includes the latch elements 42 and catches 70 of illustrated in FIGS. 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , and 8 - 11 , and those elements operate in the same way to releasably lock the lid to the container. Although this alternative embodiment offers substantially the same advantages, the embodiment of FIGS. 1-10 is preferred since the locking tabs 30 are easier to form by injection molding than the tabs 30 A and also because they provide a more secure locking engagement with the container.

The invention is susceptible of a number of variations and modifications. Thus, for example, the container and lid may be modified to accommodate a liquid rather than a solid material in granular or powder form. For such application, a tight sealing relationship between the lid and the container may be further assured by inserting a resilient sealing ring (not shown) in channel 18 . Preferably the sealing ring is an O-ring sized so as to be engaged and compressed by the upper edge of the container when the lid is secured to the container in the manner described above.

Also, although it is preferred that the lid have only one latch element 42 , since it has been determined that a single latch member will provide adequate latching, it is contemplated that the lid may be formed with two such two latch elements for added safety, with the latch elements being disposed so that each is intercepted by one of the catches 70 . Preferably the two latch elements would be located diametrically opposite one another. Having two latch elements is desirable since both would have to be released simultaneously in order to permit the lid to be rotate to detaching position. Such an arrangement would make it more difficult for a child to remove the lid, thus achieving a higher degree of safety.

Preferably the container is intended for use as a bucket or pail. Accordingly, as an optional measure, each of the bulge portions 58 is formed with a hole 86 to accommodate an arched handle or bail, whereby the container can function as a pail or bucket. It also is contemplated that the container need not have handle portions 58 or a bail-type handle, but instead the container may have no handle or a different type of handle. Although the lid is illustrated at having a substantially flat crown, it is contemplated that it may be corrugated for added stiffness or for ornamental reasons, e.g., like the circular corrugations of the lid shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,656 issued to H. J. Blanchette.

The foregoing modifications, and still other modifications rendered obvious to a person skilled in the art from the foregoing description and the drawings, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The advantages of the invention are several. For one thing the entire specific designs can be implemented by conventional injection molding techniques and apparatus, an important cost factor. For another thing, locking tabs and the openings therefor in the container assure easy and secure attachment of the lid to the container. Another advantage resides in the fact that the locking operation of latch element 42 on the lid vis-à-vis the catches on the container is reliable and automatic. When the lid is to be assembled to the pail, if the lid is rotated clockwise relative to the pail (as viewed in FIG. 4 ), latch member 42 will contact one of the catches 70 and due to its resiliency, as the lid continues rotation in the same direction, it will be forced inwardly toward the center axis of the container by the contacted catch 70 , whereby the latch member will “ride over” that particular catch. The angular face on each of the catches 70 facilitates the inward camming action on latch member 42 as the lid is rotated clockwise (as seen in FIG. 4 ). Due to its resiliency, latch member 42 will return automatically to its original outwardly projecting position (shown in FIGS. 4 , 5 and 7 ) when it has moved past the catch which caused it to be cammed inward. However, on counter-clockwise movement of the lid, that same catch will intercept the outwardly projecting end 44 of the latch member and thereby stop the lid from being turned to the angular position required to releases the locking tabs from the openings 62 or 62 A. Because of the inherent resiliency of the latch member, releasing the latch member from the interfering catch is accomplished by manually depressing the latch member inward while simultaneously rotating the lid counter-clockwise. Other advantages will be obvious to persons skilled in the art.