Many products requiring covered storage in containers must be repeatedly dispensed from the container. Repeated removal of the entire cover from the container to access the product for dispensing is time consuming and inefficient. Moreover, repeated removal of the entire cover often results in damage to the cover and/or container over time. This damage typically results in unintended exposure of the products to atmospheric elements thereby compromising the product.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a cover that allows for quick and easy access to products within containers for facile dispensing. The present invention provides solutions to these and other problems in the art.
The present invention provides a cover for a container that allows quick and easy access to products within the container. Using the present invention, products may be repeatedly dispensed from the container quickly and easily.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a cover for a container including a pivot score line transversing the cover thereby forming a front cover portion and a back cover portion. The pivot score line pivotally connects the front cover portion and the back cover portion. The cover also includes a fastening device. The fastening device includes a first fastening component mounted on the front cover portion and a second fastening component mounted on the back cover portion. The first fastening component engages the second fastening component upon pivoting the cover at the pivot score line.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a cover for a container including a centrally located web and a removable primary detent connected to the web. The removable primary detent is engageable with a container retaining element present on the container. The cover also includes a secondary detent connected to the web. The secondary detent is engageable with a container retaining element present on said container. The cover further includes a pivot score line transversing the cover thereby forming a front cover portion and a back cover portion. The pivot score line pivotally connects the front cover portion and the back cover portion. The cover also includes a fastening device comprising a first fastening component mounted on the front cover portion and a second fastening component mounted on the back cover portion. The first fastening component engages the second fastening component upon pivoting the cover at the pivot score line.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a cover for a container including a front cover portion pivotally connected to a back cover portion and a means for positioning and holding the front cover portion at a fixed angle relative to the back cover portion. The cover further includes a removable primary means for positioning and holding the cover in operable relationship with the container, and a secondary means for positioning and holding the cover in operable relationship with the container.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions, sizing, and/or relative placement of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary meaning as is usually accorded to such terms and expressions by those skilled in the corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study except where other specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein. One embodiment provides a cover for a container including a pivot score line transversing the cover thereby forming a front cover portion and a back cover portion. The pivot score line pivotally connects the front cover portion and the back cover portion. The container also includes a fastening device. The fastening device includes a first fastening component mounted on the front cover portion and a second fastening component mounted on the back cover portion. The first fastening component engages the second fastening component upon pivoting the cover at the pivot score line. The cover may be alone or in combination with the container. The fastening components may be located in various positions on the front cover portion and back cover portion. Generally, however, the fastening components will be located proximate the pivot score line.
In certain embodiments, the cover includes four corners, such as in a substantially square configuration, which provides a space efficient shape. Thus, in some embodiments, the cover includes four corners with substantially straight sides between each of the four corners. The cover may be composed of any appropriate material. In some embodiments, the container is composed of a rigid plastic such as polypropylene (e.g. polypropylene impact copolymer). Alternate embodiments provide for a cover having different shapes, such as, for example, a rectangle, an oval and a circle.
In some embodiments, the cover completely overlays an opening of a container. Upon lifting the front cover portion, the cover will pivot and fold along the pivot score line, thereby exposing a portion of the container opening. Once the front portion cover is sufficiently pivoted (e.g. folded), the first and second fastening components engage, thereby holding the front cover portion in place and allowing access to the contents of the container. Thus, in this embodiment, one may distribute the contents of the container without holding the front cover portion open. Upon completion of the product distribution, one may simply pull the front cover portion to disengage the first and second fastening components. Once disengaged and moved downward back onto the top of the container, the cover will once again completely overlay the opening of the container thereby protecting the product within the container from environmental elements. Thus, in some embodiments, one may conveniently dispense product with one hand, as opposed to two hands, by opening the front cover portion, locking the front cover portion in an open position by engaging (e.g. snapping in place) the first and second fastening components, dispensing the product, and closing the front cover portion by disengaging the first and second fastening components. Thus, the cover may be set to the open position without the use of a tool.
In some embodiments, the first fastening component is a male component mounted on the front cover portion and the second fastening component is a female component mounted on the back cover portion. In other embodiments, the first fastening component is a female component mounted on the front cover portion and the second fastening component is a male component mounted on the back cover portion. The male component may include a tongue and the female component may include a groove. The tongue securely fastens into the groove upon pivoting the cover at the pivot score line. One skilled in the art will immediately recognize that the term “securely fastens” includes embodiments wherein the tongue may be quickly and easily disengaged from the groove so that the cover may completely overlay the opening of the container.
In another aspect, in addition to the fastening device, the present invention may also include a removable primary detent and a secondary detent, both engageable with a container retaining element present on the container. Thus, some embodiments provide a cover for a container including a centrally located web and a removable primary detent connected to the web. The removable primary detent is, for example, part of a tear strip. The removable primary detent is engageable with a container retaining element present on the container. The cover also includes a secondary detent connected to the web. The secondary detent is engageable with a container retaining element present on the container. The cover further includes a pivot score line transversing the cover thereby forming a front cover portion and a back cover portion. The pivot score line pivotally connects the front cover portion and the back cover portion. The cover also includes a fastening device comprising a first fastening component mounted on the front cover portion and a second fastening component mounted on the back cover portion. The first fastening component engages the second fastening component upon pivoting (e.g. folding) the cover at the pivot score line.
In some embodiments, the first fastening component and the second fastening component are positioned adjacent to the pivot score line. The first fastening component and the second fastening component may form a male-female complementary fastening pair. The cover may include four corners. Between the four corners, the sides may be substantially straight. The secondary detent may be peripherally spaced from one of the corners. The cover may include a tab member peripherally spaced from one of the corners, where the secondary detent is mounted within the tab member. The cover may include a plurality of secondary detents. As discussed above, the cover may be composed of a rigid plastic such as polypropylene. The cover may also be in combination with the container.
The removable primary detent and the secondary detent serve to affix the cover to the container via the container retaining element on the container. The removable primary detent may serve as tamper-evidency to protect the product within the container (e.g. a tear strip). That is, the absence (or partial removal) of the removable primary detent evidences tampering of the cover and possible prior access to the product. Where the removable primary detent is absent, the cover may remain permanently affixed to the container through the secondary detent and/or additional detents (e.g. an additional detent affixing the back cover portion to the container, herein referred to as a back cover portion detent). Thus, in some embodiments, the removable primary detent and the secondary detent are connected to the front cover portion. A back cover portion detent engageable with a container retaining element may be connected to the back cover portion through the centrally located web. In this embodiment, the cover may be attached to the container via the secondary detent and the back cover portion detent where the removable primary detent is absent. And where the front cover portion is in the open position, the cover remains attached to the container via the back cover portion detent. In this way, the cover may remain affixed to the container even during dispensing thereby limiting contamination of product within the container.
Useful embodiments of removable primary detents and secondary detents are explained in detail, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,968 (referred to therein as “primary detent means” and “secondary detent mean,” respectively).
The removable primary detent may also be referred to herein as a removable first means for positioning and holding the cover. The secondary detent may also be referred to herein as a second means for positioning and holding the cover. For example, in some embodiments the present invention provides a cover for a container including a front cover portion pivotally connected to a back cover portion and a means for positioning and holding the front cover portion at a fixed angle relative to the back cover portion. The cover further includes a removable primary means for positioning and holding the cover in operable relationship with the container, and a secondary means for positioning and holding the cover in operable relationship with the container.
The fixed angle is the angle between the front cover portion and the back cover portion, as exemplified in
Further embodiments of the invention and details thereof will be apparent from the drawings, which are described in detail below. The Figures and descriptions thereof are for the purpose of clarifying certain embodiments of the invention, and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention.
Formed integrally with the web 104 is a vertical wall 106 connected to a horizontal flange 107 incorporating a depending external skirt 108 which encompasses the upper extremity of the container 102. The upper extremity 103 fits within the substantially U-shaped cavity 301 defined between the vertical wall 106, horizontal flange 107, and depending external skirt 108, as most clearly shown in
Formed integrally with the upper extremity 103, in accordance with one embodiment, is a container retaining element 302 in the form of a cylindrically generated bead, as shown in
Referring to
When the removable skirt portion 109 is in the initial condition on the container 102, as shown in
In one embodiment, a ring pull 111 is formed integrally with the removable skirt portion 109 and is connected by a frangible link 112 to the opposite extremity of the tear strip, as shown in
The cover 101 further includes a tab member 113 peripherally spaced from the corners of the cover 101, as shown in
Consequently, after the removable skirt portion 109 has been removed from its connection to the skirt 108, as graphically illustrated in
In the embodiment of the invention shown in
However, the removal of the front cover portion 101A from operative engagement with the container 102 is easily facilitated because the engagement of the tab member 113 with the container retaining element 302 can be readily dislodged by gripping the tab member 113 and releasing it from operative engagement with the container retaining element 302. Thus, secondary detent means 114 is disengaged from the container retaining element 302 by lifting the cover up thereby dislodging the corresponding tab member 113 from its engagement with the container 102.
The cover of
Subsequent to removal of the front cover portion 101A from operative engagement with the container 102, the front cover portion 101A may be pivoted (e.g. folded by lifting), as shown in
The tongue 118 may be disengaged from the groove 119 by pulling downward on the front cover portion. Re-engagement (e.g. snapping into place) of the secondary detent 114 with the container retaining element 302 results in a fully closed cover, thereby completely overlaying the open portion of the container 102 with the cover 101. Thus, the product within the container 102 is protected from atmospheric elements.
When it is desired to replace the cover 101 on the container 102, it can be readily accomplished by application of upward force to the front cover portion 101A and the back cover portion 101B causing disengagement of the secondary detent 114 and the back cover portion detent 115.
While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, other modifications, variations, and arrangements of the present invention may be made in accordance with the above teachings other than as specifically described to practice the invention within the spirit and scope defined by the following claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4790448 | Ostrum et al. | Dec 1988 | A |
4969572 | vanKerkhoven et al. | Nov 1990 | A |
5111961 | Van Melle | May 1992 | A |
5145090 | Wyatt | Sep 1992 | A |
5249694 | Nelson | Oct 1993 | A |
6260727 | Durdon | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6412637 | Saunders et al. | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6471083 | Helms | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6523713 | Helms | Feb 2003 | B1 |
20040149675 | Perry et al. | Aug 2004 | A1 |
20050072783 | Choi | Apr 2005 | A1 |
20050145626 | Freek et al. | Jul 2005 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
WO 2004096650 | Nov 2004 | WO |
Entry |
---|
International Search Report and Written Opinion from corresponding International Application No. PCT/US06/39081, dated Jul. 3, 2007. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20080083768 A1 | Apr 2008 | US |