The present disclosure relates generally to a container, and more specifically to a container for storing perishables that has features for resisting undesired opening.
It is often desirable to provide a container for storing items, which may include perishable items, that also has features that make opening it child resistant.
Certain embodiments according to the present disclosure provide a package with one or more selectively openable and/or closeable lid portions.
In one aspect, for instance, a package is provided having a container, a tray, and a lid. The tray is removably attachable to the container to define a first product storage region and the lid is removably attachable to the tray to form a second product storage region. The tray is movable by a user input between an open container position in which the tray is at least partially removed from the container and a closed container position in which the tray is blocking access to the first product storage region. The tray is lockably attachable to the container in a locked position to prevent rotation of the tray relative to the container in at least one rotational direction, and wherein the tray is selectively movable by a user input in an axial direction transverse to the at least one rotation direction between the locked position and a released position. The tray is free to rotate in the at least one rotational direction in the released position. The lid is movable relative to the tray between a closed lid position in which the lid substantially blocks access to the second product storage region and an open lid position in which the second product storage region is accessible by a user.
In another aspect, a package is provided that includes a container, a tray, and a lid. The tray is removably attachable to the container to define a first product storage region and the lid is removably attachable to the tray to form a second product storage region. The tray is movable by a user input between an open container position in which the tray is at least partially removed from the container and a closed container position in which the tray is blocking access to the first product storage region. The tray is lockably attachable to the container in a locked position to prevent rotation of the tray relative to the container in at least one rotational direction, and wherein the tray is selectively movable by a user input in an axial direction transverse to the at least one rotation direction between the locked position and a released position. The tray is free to rotate in the at least one rotational direction in the released position. The lid is movable relative to the tray between a closed lid position in which the lid substantially blocks access to the second product storage region and an open lid position in which the second product storage region is accessible by a user. The lid includes a plurality of downwardly projecting upper grinders and the tray includes a plurality of upwardly projecting lower grinders, wherein the upper grinders and lower grinders are arranged to pass without contact when the lid is rotated relative to the tray when the lid and tray are in the closed lid position.
In yet another aspect, a package is provided having a container and a lid. The lid is removably attachable to the container to form a product storage region. The lid is movable by a user input between an open container position in which the lid is at least partially removed from the container and a closed container position in which the lid is blocking access to the product storage region. The lid is lockably attachable to the container in a locked position to prevent rotation of the lid relative to the container in at least one rotational direction, and wherein the lid is selectively movable by a user input in an axial direction transverse to the at least one rotation direction between the locked position and a released position. The lid is free to rotate in the at least one rotational direction in the released position. The lid and container have a substantially uniform and equal outer perimeter and a substantially uniform height around the outer perimeter circumference. The lid is lockably attachable to the container by one or more closure mechanisms that each include a lid projection and a cooperating container projection. The lid is lockably attachable to the container by one or more closure mechanisms that each include a lid projection and a cooperating container projection. The bayonet is coupled to the container. The cooperating lug is coupled to the lid. The bayonet includes a leading tip having an angled surface oppositely disposed a blunt surface, wherein the angled surface allows rotation of the cooperating lug into the bayonet and the blunt surface inhibits rotation of the cooperating lug out of the bayonet in the locked position. The container includes an upper side wall configured to form an angled interface with a lower side wall of the lid, and wherein the angled interface biases the lid away from the container in a first direction. The bias of the angled interface of the container upper side wall and the lid lower side wall may be overcome by a user push input, wherein the user push input may move the lid lower side wall relative to the container upper side wall from the locked position to the released position in which the cooperating lug may be rotated out of the bayonet.
Embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments may be shown. Indeed, embodiments may be illustrated or described in many different forms and the present disclosure should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and wherein:
Embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments may be shown. Indeed, embodiments may take many different forms and the present disclosure should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. As used in the specification, and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, “the”, include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
The terms “substantial” or “substantially” may encompass the whole as specified, according to certain embodiments, or largely but not the whole specified according to other embodiments.
Some embodiments of a package 300 may include a container 310, a tray 320, and/or a lid 330, such as shown in
Package 300 as shown in
Container 310 may include a feature to provide for coupling and/or attachment of tray 320 to container 310, such as one or more bayonets 315, as shown in
An exploded assembly view of container 310, tray 320, and lid 330 is shown in
Container 310 may include an upper section of upper side wall 319u, which may be tapered from a smaller outer diameter or circumference at container top lip 317 to a relatively larger outer diameter or circumference at a bottom 318 of upper section of container upper side wall 319u adjacent where the upper section of container upper side wall 319u meets a lower section of container upper side wall 319l, as shown in
The taper of upper portion 319u may interface with the inner surface of tray upper side wall 329u, as shown in additional detail in
Lid 330 may be removably and/or selectively attachable to tray 320, for example, by interaction of a lid lip bead 335 and a tray lip bead 325, as shown, for example, in
A grinding motion is indicated by the double arrows of
A relatively smaller or thinner version of package 380 is shown in
As shown in
It is understood that package 300 or 380, container 310 or 390, tray 320, and/or lid 330 or 381, and/or any component thereof, may be made of any of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, any of a variety of suitable plastics material, any other material, or any combination thereof. Suitable plastics material may include, but is not limited to, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), crystallized polyethylene terephthalate (CPET), mixtures and combinations thereof, or any other plastics material or any mixtures and combinations thereof. It is understood that multiple layers of material may be used for any of a variety of reasons, including to improve barrier properties, or to provide known functions related to multiple layer structures. The multiple layers, if included, may be of various materials, including but not limited to those recited herein.
It is further understood that package 300 or 380, container 310 or 390, tray 320, and/or lid 330 or 381, and/or any component thereof, may be substantially rigid, substantially flexible, a hybrid of rigid and flexible, or any combination of rigid, flexible, and/or hybrid, such as having some areas be flexible and some rigid. It is understood that these examples are merely illustrative, are not limiting, and are provided to illustrate the versatility of options available in various embodiments of package 300 or 380, container 310 or 390, tray 320, and/or lid 330 or 381, and/or any component thereof.
It is further understood that any of a variety of processes or combination thereof may be used to form package 300 or 380, container 310 or 390, tray 320, and/or lid 330 or 381, and/or any component thereof, or any layer or substrate used therein. For example, any component, layer, or substrate, or combination thereof, may be thermoformed, injection molded, injection stretch blow molded, blow molded, extrusion blow molded, coextruded, subjected to any other suitable process, or subjected to any combination thereof. In some embodiments, package 300 or 380, container 310 or 390, tray 320, and/or lid 330 or 381, and/or any component thereof may be formed substantially of injection molded and/or thermoformed suitable plastics material, although other materials and forming processes may be used instead of or in addition to injection molding and thermoforming, respectively. Various materials and/or processes may be used to form package 300 or 380, container 310 or 390, tray 320, and/or lid 330 or 381, and/or any component thereof, as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. In some embodiments, container 310 or 390, tray 320, and/or lid 330 or 381, and/or any component thereof, may be substantially a one-piece design and/or substantially formed as an integral or unitary structure.
It is understood that, while some directional terms are used herein, such as top, bottom, upper, lower, inward, outward, upward, downward, etc., these terms are not intended to be limiting but rather to relate to one or more exemplary orientations, positions, and/or configurations of package 300 or 380, container 310 or 390, tray 320, and/or lid 330 or 381, and/or any component thereof. It is understood that package 300 or 380, container 310 or 390, tray 320, and/or lid 330 or 381, and/or any component of package 300 or 380, may be oriented differently than shown in the various figures.
These and other modifications and variations may be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope, which is more particularly set forth in the appended claims. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged in whole or in part. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only, and it is not intended to limit the scope of that which is described in the claims. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the exemplary description of the versions contained herein.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/639,595, filed Mar. 7, 2018, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
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