The present invention relates generally to the field of unique food storage containers and the like, and more specifically to pet food storage containers. The containers have an attached lid and can be nested within each other for ease of transport storage and display in a retail environment.
Pet owners with multiple or large pets buy pet food in large quantities of food which needs to be kept fresh in storage. In addition, open containers can attract bugs, rodents and other vermin. This need has given rise to may different types of large air tight containers for keeping pet food fresh.
Many of the containers available in the market have a separate lid and a container body. The problem with this configuration is in the shipping and storage on retail shelves. Many times before the product even makes it to the shelves of the retail store the pieces are separated and some may be missing. Containers may be missing lids or there may be more lids then containers. Shipping may also damage some of the lids leaving the retailer with a large quantity of containers without lids. Another problem may be theft of the lids in the stores or misplacement away from the container bodies. The retailer must now use valuable storage space until corresponding lids are shipped or replaced before the product can be put on the shelf for sale.
Another problem which arises from the prior art configuration of a separate container and lid is display on retail store shelves. Display area on retail store shelves is valuable; the retailer wants to be able to display many different types of products within the available space so that they can meet the needs of various consumer demands. In addition it is expensive both in labor for restocking and lost sales if insufficient product is on the shelves to accommodate customer needs. Another problem which arises in retailing these large bins or containers is shipping them from the manufacturer to the retailer. When shipping their product a manufacturers cost of shipment per container is affected by how many of a product can be shipped or packed in a given volume of space.
Applicant's invention resolves these storage and shipping issues by a unique arrangement of the lid and container by hinging. This eliminates the problem of missing lids or the retailer receiving a greater quantity of one piece than the other. Another important feature of Applicant's containers is that they can also be nested within each other with the lids still attached. This feature of the container will make them easier to display in retail stores, it will also make them more space efficient during shipping. This will in turn lower the cost of manufacturing offering a lower price to the retailer which can be passed on to the consumer.
Applicant's invention is a storage bin which may be made of plastic or any other suitable material. The container has a lid which attached via a hinge and cannot be easily separated from the container. The hinged lid does not interfere with the container's nesting feature. The container's hinged lid may, for example, use a piano hinge, meaning that one pin extends all the way across the hinge. Alternatively, there may be a plurality of hinges. A key feature of the present invention is that the lid of the container has a lip extending from three sides which fit over the container wall when closed. The fourth side is the side with the hinge, this side does not have a lip extending from it. The lack of this lip on the hinged side of the lid allows the lids to fold back out of the way when the containers are nested together.
Applicant's invention by allowing the containers to nest within one another makes a more efficient use of space during shipping and displaying the products. Manufacturers can save money on shipping cost while still keeping the lid and container together. Retailers can display the product without wasting any shelf display space.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved storage container for food products and the like.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a storage container with the lid attached to the container, in a manner that the lid does not interfere with the nesting of a plurality of containers.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a food storage container that can be nested in order to efficiently use available space.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a food storage container where the body of the container nests in a corresponding body and the open lid nests in a corresponding open lid.
Applicant's invention is a storage bin which may be made of plastic or any other suitable material. The container and/or lid is preferably made from an injection molded thermoplastic material. The container has a lid 13 which attached via a hinge 16 and cannot be easily separated from the container. For example, the hinge 16 rotatably secures the lid 13 to the container body. The hinged lid 13 does not interfere with the container's nesting feature due to the configuration of the lid and the container.
In one embodiment, the length of the front end wall 14 from the first sidewall 11 to the second sidewall 12 is less in then the length of the rear end wall 10 from the first sidewall 11 to the second sidewall 12 along the entire height of the container. In another embodiment, only the top area adjacent to the top surface of the container need be a shorter distance than the top surface of the container at the rear wall where the lid is secured to the container. This tapered front of the container allows the containers to removably nest within each other. The two sidewalls 11 and 12 that connect the front 14 and rear 10 end walls may be identical to one another. The sidewalls 11 and 12 extend from the end wall to the rear end wall. The container is open at one end and has a base 19 at the other end.
The lid 13 has a top surface and a bottom surface. Extending from the bottom surface of the lid is a lip 22. The lip 22 extends from three edges 26, 27, 28 of the lid 13. There is a front lip 24 and two side lips 23 and 25. In one preferred embodiment the lip or skirt 22, extends from one or more of the edges of the lid 13. This lip 22 can extend from the side edges 26, 27 and the front edge 28. This lip 22 then fits over a lip edge 20 on the container which extends from the edges 30, 31, 32 of the container. There is no lip extending from the rear edge 29 of the lid 13. The lid 13 may be any suitable shape, in one preferred embodiment the lid 13 has a convex center portion 15, when stacking the containers within one another the center portion of the lids preferably nest into one another, allowing a better fit between the containers to occupy less space. The front portion of the lid 13 may have a locking mechanism 18 which corresponds with a mechanism at the top of the front wall 14, to secure the lid to the container. This mechanism ensures that the contents stored in the bin remain relatively fresh, and free from insects or rodents.
The lid 13 and the container 17 are connected by a hinge 16 that permits the lid to rotate from a closed position to an open position. In an open position the hinge permits the lid to lie generally along the rear sidewall 10 of the container. In a preferred embodiment the lid may be generally parallel to the rear wall of the container.
The hinge may be a piano hinge in which case a single pin is used throughout the length of the hinge 16 to connect the lid 13 and the container 17. Any other type of hinge that permits the lid to open as shown in
This application claims priority on U.S. Application Ser. No. 60/965,537 filed Aug. 20, 2007, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20090050508 A1 | Feb 2009 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60965537 | Aug 2007 | US |