Patent Application
20140069949
(NOT APPLICABLE)
(NOT APPLICABLE)
The invention relates to a molded plastic container and, more particularly, to such a container with a hinge pin lock and a molded plastic lid with integrated plastic hinge pins.
Molded plastic containers come in various designs. The materials are inexpensive and durable and are used worldwide for shipping and storage applications. In a current design, a container includes a lid that is secured using metal hinge pins. Metal pins advantageously provide a strong connection of the lid to the container, and assembly of the container can be automated. The metal hinge pins also provide very good tamper resistance. These features are important for industrial applications. The metal hinge pins, however, have some negative attributes as they add cost, are more difficult to recycle, are more difficult to assemble, and can even cause injuries.
It would be desirable to provide a container that can maintain the advantages of the metal pins while using an integrated plastic hinge. Generally, plastic hinge lids and integrated hinge pins can be attached to a container with simple snap-in hinges. These constructions, however, do not provide sufficient rigidity and tamper resistance and typically have been used for less demanding applications.
According to preferred embodiments, a molded plastic container may be provided with a locking feature that can serve to lock a container lid with plastic hinge pins to thereby achieve the advantages of a metal hinge pin without the disadvantages. The lid lock is preferably connected to the container via a living hinge and molded with the container.
In an exemplary embodiment, a hinge pin lock is provided for a molded plastic container. The hinge pin lock includes a locking tab molded with an upper rim of the container and connected to the upper rim by a living hinge. The locking tab is pivotable from an open position to a locked position. A channel is formed in the upper rim and is sized to receive a hinge pin of a container lid. The channel includes engagement structure that secures the locking tab in the locked position.
The locking tab may include at least one hook that engages the engagement structure in the locked position. The locking tab preferably includes two hooks on opposite sides thereof, where the hooks engage the engagement structure in the locked position. The hooks may be provided with a reverse tapered surface and a shelf, where the engagement structure includes shoulders corresponding to each shelf of the hooks. The shelf of each hook may engage a corresponding one of the shoulders in the locked position.
An inside surface of the locking tab may include a curved recess that is shaped to accommodate the hinge pin. In this context, the channel may define a curved pocket that is shaped to accommodate the hinge, where the curved recess and the curved pocket define a substantially cylindrical cage for the hinge pin.
In another exemplary embodiment, a container includes a container body including an upper rim, a container lid pivotably secured to the upper rim via a hinge pin, and the hinge pin lock formed in the upper rim and securing the hinge pin. The container lid may include a plurality of integral hinge pins, where the upper rim includes a plurality of pin channels. The integral hinge pins are secured in the pin channels. The container body may include two long sides and two short sides, where the pin channels are positioned along the long sides, and the container includes four hinge pin locks spaced along each of the long sides. In one arrangement, the pin channels are constructed such that the hinge pins are secured in the pin channels in a snap fit.
An inside surface of the locking tab may include a curved recess that is shaped to accommodate the hinge pin. In this context, the channel may define a curved pocket that is shaped to accommodate the hinge, where the curved recess and the curved pocket define a substantially cylindrical cage for the hinge pin.
In yet another exemplary embodiment, a method of making a plastic container includes the steps of (a) molding a container body including an upper rim, and (b) molding a container lid pivotably securable to the upper rim via an integrally molded hinge pin. Step (a) includes integrally molding a hinge pin lock in the upper rim by (1) molding a locking tab with the upper rim and connecting the locking tab to the upper rim by a living hinge, where the locking tab is pivotable from an open position to a locked position, and (2) molding a lock channel in the upper rim to receive the hinge pin of the container lid. Molding the lock channel may include molding engagement structure with the lock channel that is shaped to secure the locking tab in the locked position.
Step (b) may include molding the container lid with a plurality of hinge pins, and step (a) may include forming a plurality of pin channels in the upper rim. In this context, assembling the plastic container may be practiced by securing the hinge pins of the container lid in the pin channels of the container body, securing at least one of the hinge pins in the lock channel, and pivoting the locking tab from the open position to the locked position to lock the at least one of the hinge pins in the lock channel.
These and other aspects and advantages will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
With reference to the drawings, a molded plastic container 10 includes long sides 12, short sides 14 and an upper rim 16. The upper rim is provided with a plurality of pin channels 18 as well as one or more lock channels 20.
A container lid 22 may be formed in two parts, one each pivotally attached to the container long sides 12 by a plurality of integrated hinge pins 24. The lid 22 is secured to the container 10 from the top preferably via a snap-in construction of the hinge pins 24 into the pin channels 18 and lock channels 20.
The container 10 also includes one or several hinge pin locks 26 that serve to lock a corresponding one or several hinge pins in a respective lock channel 20. As shown in
The lock channels 20 include engagement structure that secures the locking tab 28 in a locked position. With reference to
After securing the hinge pins 24 of the container lid 22 in the channels 18, 20, the locking tab 28 is pivoted from its open position to the lock position. As the reverse tapered surfaces of the hooks 32 engage the channel opening, the channel opening is displaced outward until the shelf 36 of the locking tab 28 clears the shoulders 34 of the channel 20. The channel 20 then resiliently retracts to a position in which the locking tab 28 is locked in place (see
To facilitate opening and closing of the container lid 22, an inside surface 38 of the locking tab 28 is formed as a curved recess that is shaped to accommodate the hinge pin 24. The channels 18, 20 define a curved pocket that is shaped to accommodate the hinge pins. The curved recess of the inside surface 38 and the curved pocket define a substantially cylindrical “cage” for the hinge pin 24. With the locking tab 28 in its locked position, the hinge pin 24 is easily rotatable to facilitate opening and closing of the lid 22.
The structure of the preferred embodiments replaces the conventional metal hinge pin with molded plastic hinge pins while maintaining security and automated manufacturing features. The hinge pin lock includes a locking tab that is connected to the container by a living hinge and molded with the container. The use of all plastic materials also provides for easy recyclability.
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
