A container assembly will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the assembly with two locking members thereof in the locked position and a third locking member in the unlocked position,
FIG. 2 is a sectional elevation on the line A-A of FIG. 1 showing the cover in the unlocked position,
FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation on the line B-B of FIG. 1, showing the cover in the locked position,
FIG. 3A is a sectional elevation on the line B-B of FIG. 1, showing the cover in the locked and unlocked position,
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the top of another embodiment of the container assembly,
FIG. 5 is a sectional elevation on the line C-C of FIG. 4, showing the assembly in the locked position,
FIGS. 6 to 15 are sectional elevations of alternative embodiments showing the container assembly in the locked and unlocked positions, and
FIG. 16 is an underneath view of a container of the container assemblies of FIGS. 1 to 15.
Referring to the Figures, a cylindrical container 2, made of a plastics material for containing paint, is closed by a moulded plastics cover 4. The container 2 has a projection 6 extending circumferentially therearound on its outer surface, adjacent a rim 8 at its open end.
The cover 4 has a planar dished upper surface 10 that sits within the container rim 8, and has three hinged locking members 12 equi-spaced therearound which are set into a downwardly depending skirt 14 of the cover 4. The cylindrical inner surface of the skirt 14 is of such a diameter as to form a sliding fit over the circumferential projection 6 on the outside of the container 2.
Each locking member 12 is formed integrally with the skirt 14 and can be hinged away from the lower circumferential edge 16 thereof by means of a live hinge 18 (FIG. 2) exposing a window 15 in the skirt 14. The hinged portion of the locking member 12 is of generally L-shape, having a lower part 13 extending away from the hinge 18 that is provided adjacent thereto with an inwardly-directed projection 20, of generally the same size and shape as the container projection 6. The projections 6 and 20 are longitudinally displaced from the upper ends of the container 2 and cover 4 respectively, such that when the locking member 12 is moved from its unlocked position (FIG. 2) to its locked position (FIG. 3), the locking projection 20 engages the outer wall of the container 2 immediately below its projection 6.
In the locked position, the upper part 22 of the locking member 12 passes over the container rim 8 with its free hooked end 24 snap-fitting over a locally-thickened wall portion 26 of the raised rim 27 of the cover 4. This engagement of the locking member 12 onto the upper rim of the cover 4, whilst simultaneously bringing the projections 6 and 20 into engagement, is effected as a snap action, thus providing an audible indication that the cover 4 has been properly secured onto the container 2. Thus, the locking member 12 is locked onto the rim 8 of the container, and therefore retained in the locked position by virtue of the snap-fit between the hooked end 24 and the thickened wall portion 26, and with the locking member in the locked position, the cover is retained on the container by virtue of the engagement between the projection 20 on the locking member 12 and the projection 6 on the container rim.
FIG. 3A shows in more detail the interaction between the locking member 12 as it moves upwards from the unlocked position (shown dotted) to the locked position. It can seen from a comparison of the locked and unlocked positions that the locking member 12 passes over the rim 8 of the container and locks onto the rim of the container 8 due to the engagement between the thickened wall portion 26 of the raised rim 27 of the cover and the hooked end 24 of the locking member 12. It should be noted that in this embodiment the raised rim 27 of the cover is between the container rim and the locking member 12, and that the locking member 12 locks onto the container rim indirectly by locking onto the raised rim 27 which then locks onto the container rim 8. By locking the locking member onto the container rim in this way, the cover is retained with a greater degree of security onto the container.
It will be appreciated, that, in the locked configuration, upward pressure on the free ends 24 of the locking members 12, will force the hinges 18 open so that the cover 4 can be removed from the container 2. Sealing and opening of the container 2 can be effected repeatedly.
It will also be noted, that the hinging of the locking members 12 on the cover skirt 14 is on the outside of the container 2, and thus is not, in normal use, contacted by the container contents. Thus there is no interference of the locking members 12 by the contents of the container 2.
FIG. 4 shows a top plan view and FIG. 5 shows a sectional elevation along line C-C of a modification of the assembly of FIGS. 1 to 3A. A circular cover 30 for the container (not shown) has three hinged locking members 32 equi-spaced therearound, shown in the locked position. However, in contrast to the previously discussed embodiment, the central cover surface 34 is not dished, but is substantially flush with the upper surface 33 of the locking members 32. The surface 34 is, however, provided with a scalloped region 36 adjacent each locking member 32, with the locking member 32 extending partially over the scalloped region 36 so as to facilitate lifting thereof for hinging the locking member 32 towards the unlocked position such that the cover 30 can be removed from the container. The planar top to the cover, with the recessing of the locking members, further mitigates against accidental opening of the container. The cover is retained on the container in the same manner as described in relation to the assembly of FIGS. 1 to 3A.
With reference to FIG. 6 there is shown an alternative assembly which is identical to the assembly of FIGS. 1 to 5 except that the container rim 227 is not locally thickened. The cover is retained on the container in the same manner as described in relation to the assemblies of FIGS. 1 to 5 except that the locking member 232 is locked onto the container by engagement of the locking member projection 224 with the inside surface 235 of the container rim 227.
With reference to FIG. 7, there is shown an alternative assembly which is identical to, and operates in the same way as the assembly of FIG. 6 except that in this embodiment the live hinge 318 is positioned at a lower edge of the skirt 314 as opposed to being spaced from the lower edge. By hinging the locking member about the lower edge of the skirt, as opposed to spaced above the skirt, a greater moment is generated about the hinge to retain the locking member in the locked position.
With reference to FIG. 8 there is shown an alternative assembly, which is identical to, and operates in the same way as the embodiment of FIG. 7 except that the cover rim inside surface 435 and the locking member projection 424 are profiled such that the projection 424 snaps into a recess 436 defined by the cover rim inside surface 435. This arrangement provides a more pronounced snap-fit, and thus a greater force is required to disengage the locking member projection 424 from the container rim recess 436 when moving the locking member 432 from the locked position to the unlocked position in comparison to the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 7. Thus, the cover is secured to the container with a greater degree of security.
With reference to FIG. 9 there is shown an alternative assembly which is identical to the embodiment of FIG. 8 except that firstly, the recess 536 is defined in the container rim and not in the cover rim, and secondly, no projections are provided on the skirt and on the outside of the container rim. The locking member projection 524 snaps into the recess 536 to retain the locking member 532 in the locked position. Thus it can be seen from the assembly of FIG. 9 that the cover is locked to the container by direct engagement of the locking member 532 onto the container as opposed to the cover. This is advantageous if the container is made of a material which is more rigid than the cover. To enable the locking member to engage directly onto the container rim, the cover rim 527 is modified such that it does not extend upwards greater than the projection 524 extends downwards.
It can also be seen that the engagement between the projection 524 and the recess 536 prevents the cover from being removed from the container when the locking member 532 is the locked position. For this reason, there is no requirement for projections on the skirt and the outside of the container rim. However, in an alternative embodiment projections can be included on the skirt and on the outside of the container rim as already described in relation to the assemblies of FIGS. 1 to 8 if it is desirable to provide an even more secure retention of the cover onto the container.
In an alternative embodiment, the recess could be provided on the locking member projection, for cooperation with a corresponding projection on the inside surface of the container wall. It would also be possible to provide corresponding engagement features on the cover and the container by profiling the rim sections such that they engage in the locked position.
With reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, there is shown an alternative assembly which is identical to the embodiment of FIG. 7 except that the locking member 632 includes an aperture 650 which defines an inside edge 651 and an outside edge 652, and allows a corresponding portion 653 of the cover rim to extend therebetween. The aperture is sized such that it forms a close fit with the portion 653 of the cover rim, but does not prevent the locking member 632 from hinging between the locked and unlocked positions. The inside edge 651 is positioned such that when the locking member 632 is in the locked position there is engagement between the inside edge 651 of the locking member 632 and the inside surface 657 of the corresponding portion 653 of the cover rim. Thus, in this embodiment, it is the inside edge 651 of the aperture which is acting as the engagement feature, and the locking member 632 is retained in the locked position by the snap-fit between the inside edge 651 of the aperture and the corresponding portion 653 of the cover. The provision of the outside edge 652 of the aperture also provides a more secure locked position of the locking member 632 since movement of the locking member is prevented by engagement of the cover portion 653 with the outside edge 652.
With reference to FIG. 12 there is shown an alternative assembly which is identical to the assembly of FIGS. 10 and 11 except that in addition to the inside edge 751 of the aperture 750 engaging with the cover, a projection 724 is provided on the cover adjacent to the aperture so as to provide a greater engagement area, and therefore a more secure retention of the locking member onto the cover. Thus the assembly of FIG. 12 can be considered as a combination of the embodiments of FIGS. 7 and 11.
With reference to FIG. 13 there is shown an alternative assembly which is identical to the embodiment of FIG. 7 except that an additional projection 860 is provided on the locking member 832, and the cover inside rim 827 is extended radially outwardly such that it can engage with the additional projection 860 when the locking member is in the locked position. The provision of the additional projection 860 provides a more secure locked position in the same way as described in relation to the embodiment of FIGS. 11 and 12, except that in this embodiment edge 652 is replaced by the projection 860, and edge 651 is replaced by projection 824.
With reference to FIG. 14 there is shown an alternative assembly which is identical to the assemblies of FIGS. 6 and 7 except that the hinge 918 is provided on the cover surface 934 and not on the skirt 915. Thus it can be seen by the position of the locking member 932 in the unlocked (dotted) and locked positions that the locking member hinges downwards as it moves from the unlocked to the locked position. It can also be seen that the hinge 918 is provided radially inward of the rim 908 of the container. The locking member is locked onto the cover, and the cover locked onto the container in the same manner as described in relation to the assemblies of FIGS. 6 and 7, except that it is the projection 920 on the locking member skirt which snap-fits below the projection 906 on the outside of the container rim. By providing the hinge inward of the container rim it is possible, in an alternative embodiment, to remove the projection 924 altogether such that the locking member 932 is locked onto the container rim due to the snap-fit generated by engagement of projection 906 and projection 920 as the locking member hinges downwards about hinge 918 to the locked position. The cover is retained on the container due to the engagement between projection 906 and projection 920. Thus it can be seen that in this embodiment, the provision of the hinge 918 inside the container rim enables the projections 906,920 to both lock the locking member onto the rim, without the need for projection 924, and retain the cover on the container. As previously described, the provision of projection 924 on the locking member 932 will lock the locking member onto the container with a greater degree of security.
With reference to FIG. 15 there is shown an alternative assembly which is identical to that of FIG. 14 except that the locking member 1032 engages directly onto the container rim 1008 and not onto the cover rim.
It is possible to modify this embodiment in the same manner as that of FIG. 14 by removing projection 1024, and relying on the snap-fit between projection 1006 and projection 1020.
It is also possible to modify this embodiment by removing projections 1006,1020, and configuring the projection 1024 on the locking member and the container rim 1008 as described in relation to the embodiment of FIG. 9 such that the locking member is retained on the container by a snap-fit between the locking member projection 1024 and the container rim 1008.
It can be seen from the embodiments of FIGS. 14 and 15 that it is the provision of the hinge radially inward of the container rim which enables the locking member to hinge such that it passes over the rim of the container, and allows the locking member to lock onto the container rim.
FIG. 16 shows the underside of a container 40 in which a scalloped region 42 is moulded or otherwise indented into the base to facilitate gripping of the container by a hand during use.
Patent Application
20080006631
