Not applicable.
The present invention generally relates to a reusable plastic container having a lid configured to increase resistance to opening when subjected to an impact.
Reusable plastic containers have in recent years been used to store and transport goods and materials via air, highway, and rail. Such goods and materials run the gamut from general merchandise, health and beauty aids, automotive parts, and grocery items. The containers are also used during manufacturing processes to move workpieces and in distribution facilities to move products. These containers are often moved on conveyor systems. Plastic containers vary in size to accommodate the goods or materials intended to be stored in them. Common sizes include 11″×15″×9″, 21″×15″×9″, 21″×15″×12″, and 24″×20″×12″, with larger sizes also available.
Reusable containers typically last for over 250 trips making them more cost effective than cardboard or other disposable containers. They are often stackable both when full and also when empty for efficient transport in a truck trailer and storage on a warehouse floor. Plastic containers are recyclable, and therefore, environmentally friendly.
Plastic containers often have hinged covers that are designed to prevent loss of product contained therein during transport and storage, and to be easily opened to provide access to the interior of the container. The containers can be designed to cooperate with plastic pallets for efficient and stable transport and storage.
It has been found that current plastic container designs with hinged lids have an unwanted tendency to open when subjected to inward pressure, such as while being conveyed. This commonly occurs as a result of containers impacting one another during end-to-end conveyance, or from containers impacting conveyor rails. Pressure on the containers causes the hinged lids to separate, thus exposing the container's contents, and increasing the chances of content contamination or loss. The hinged snap lid of the present invention addresses these and other problems.
The present invention relates to a reusable plastic container. The container comprises a container body having side walls, end walls, and a bottom. It further includes a hinged lid with lid sections, each section having a hinged edge and at least one free edge. In an embodiment of the present invention, a hinge connects the hinged edge of a lid section to a side wall of the container body. The lid section includes a snap element engageable with a container body end wall. The snap element is configured such that inward pressure applied to an end or side wall of the container body causes the snap element to have greater engagement with the container body to increase the lid's resistance to opening when subjected to an impact.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the following Figures.
To understand the present invention, it will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying Figures in which:
While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the Figures, and will herein be described in detail, preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention, and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.
Referencing
The protuberance 42 may extend along all or any portion of the length of the end wall 16. The rib 40 may likewise correspondingly extend along that same length. A plurality or ribs 40 and protuberances 42 may be spaced along the length of the end wall 16.
Typically during conveying, container bodies 10 are placed end-to-end such that the lids 12 or end walls 16 of adjacent containers impact each other. Because the side walls 14 and end walls 16 taper outwardly from the bottom 18, the containers 10 impact each other nearest the lid 12, resulting in an inward pressure on the lid 12 or end walls 16. When inward pressure 44 is applied to the lid 12 or end wall 16 at one end of the container body 10, the protuberance 42 at that end is forced inward toward the end wall 16 to cause greater engagement of protuberance 42 with the rib 40, thus increasing the force required to open or close lid sections 20 or 22. This increased force makes the lid sections 20 or 22 more difficult to open, effectively locking the lid 12 to the container body 10, thus making the container body 10 resistant to contamination or loss of contents.
An impact at the left end wall 16 causing the lid 12 to shift to the right results in an overlap of the protuberance 42 and rib 40 at the left end A of approximately 0.126 inches. The overlap effectively locks the lid 12 to the container body 10 to prevent the lid 12 from popping open during the impact. The shift of the lid 12 to the right eliminates the overlap between the rib 40 and protuberance 42 at the right end B. Alternatively, an impact at the right end wall 16 causes the lid 12 to shift to the left resulting in an overlap at the right end B of approximately 0.126 inches. Again, the overlap effectively locks the lid 12 to the container body 10 to prevent the lid 12 from popping open during the impact. The shift of the lid 12 to the left eliminates the overlap between the rib 40 and protuberance 42 at the left end A. In an alternative embodiment, inward pressure 46 on a side wall 14 could cause the end wall 16 to move outwardly from its normal position, also causing greater engagement between the protuberance 42 and rib 40. While the embodiment shown indicates the rib 40 and protuberance 42 are located along the end walls 16 of the container body 10, it will be understood that the rib 40 and protuberance 42 may also be located along the side walls 14. It is also understood that lid sections 20 and 22 may each have a snap element at each of the end walls 16.
While the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying Claims.
The present Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/354,884, filed Jun. 15, 2010, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61354884 | Jun 2010 | US |