Patent Application
20090101654
The present invention relates to lids for containers, and more specifically dual compartment containers having a selectively removable dome top lid used for efficiently storing multiple products.
Containers are well known in the art and are utilized to store a variety of items. With the introduction of resealable screw top containers, a huge demand has been created for multi-purpose resealable containers which may be used to package and store various commercial products. These containers eliminate the necessity of repackaging the product after use and the inconvenience related thereto, and provide a container which is used multiple times for both packaging the associated product and subsequently storing the product for further use. After each subsequent use, the container may be conveniently resealed for further use. As used herein, the term “commercial products” applies to both solid and liquid commercial items, including but not limited to household products such as lubricants, sealants, and spackles; skin and hair care products such as lotions, pomades, gels, mousses, and cosmetics; human and animal food products; and automotive products such as car polishers, waxes, cleaners, etc.
In general, metal containers with shaped lids have not been utilized for storing multiple products due to the likelihood of product contamination and spoilage, and the general public misconception that shaped container lids are incapable of convenient stacking and storage. Although previous attempts have been made to design resealable containers with shaped lids, these products have generally been very limited and impractical in their design and use. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,014,060 describes a planar container lid which has a twist opening, and is thus is not practical for housing products within the lid.
More recent attempts to package and store commercial products in containers have been accomplished by using lids having pull-tab mechanisms, hinges, or rotatably closing screw top lids. Although these products are suitable for many uses, and are generally accepted by the consuming public, they have significant disadvantages when compared to efficiently sealed containers. More specifically, pull-tab, hinged, and screw top lids have very poor oxygen barrier characteristics, and these types of containers promote contamination, allow the product to dry out and result in an unusable and spoiled product. Furthermore, these lids can easily crack and expose the product to the environment. Thus, these types of inefficiently sealed containers are costly because they irreparably damage the product and make it necessary to replace the spoiled product.
Further, conventional planar lids are suitable for housing individual products; however, these types of lids have numerous disadvantages when compared to containers capable of storing multiple products. In particular, when performing a task requiring more than one product it becomes tedious and time consuming to locate the many individual containers storing necessary products. Thus, these types of single compartment containers are inefficient for performing multi-product tasks.
Additionally, storing individual products in single compartment containers take up a significant amount of space. These types of conventional containers require even more space because they cannot be stacked efficiently. Traditional planar lid containers easily shift and fall off one another, making it more difficult to confine and locate the containers. Thus, these types of containers are not spatially or organizationally efficient.
Also, recent attempts to package and store commercial products in containers have been accomplished by using non-metallic plastic and foam type materials. Although suitable for some purposes, they have numerous disadvantages when compared to metallic containers. More specifically, non-metallic containers are not as rigid as metal containers, and thus cannot be stacked as high as metal containers which limits the volume which can be shipped, and thus increases expenses. Furthermore, non-metallic containers are not durable, and are prone to damage and leaking during shipment and placement for sales, thus adding additional expense. Additionally, multi layer barrier plastics and foams are generally not recyclable like metal containers, which fill landfills and are thus not environmentally friendly.
Finally, conventional container lids are generally very difficult to open and close and thus require additional exertion. Children, physically disabled, or elderly persons may be physically limited and unable to use such containers because they are so burdensome. Thus these types of containers are not easy or practical to use for many.
Thus there is a significant need in the container industry to provide an economical, easy to use, stackable multi-compartment container which may be used for packaging and storing a variety of commercial products and which eliminate many of the sealing, storage, spatial, and practical problems described above.
It is thus one aspect of the present invention to provide a dome top metallic lid for a container which is sealed and capable of storing multiple commercial products for extended periods of time. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention, a metallic container is provided with male projections on the interior surface of a lid that rotatably engage a plurality of lugs on the upper end of a base sidewall. Preferably, the angle of rotation drives the male projections to engage the lugs. Upon rotation of the lid, the male projections engage a plurality of lugs, to create a long lasting, substantially airtight seal and locking mechanism. More preferably, the container and lid are sealed to prevent the stored commercial product, such as car wax, from drying out and becoming unusable. It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a dome top metallic lid for a container that generally provides additional storage space. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention, a container with a unique dome lid shape is provided, rather than the conventional planar lid shape. The extruded dome shape lid provides storage for additional commercial products. More specifically, the dome shape lid in one embodiment accommodates a substantially disk geometric shape sponge, and thus the dome shape lid acts as a sponge retainer which facilitates efficient multi-product storage of the products contained therein.
It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a dome top metallic lid for a container which provides compartmentalized storage. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention a dual compartment container is provided, rather than a single compartment container. More specifically, a plastic insert is provided with an outer band having a compressible feature to retain a product in the dome shape lid. Preferably, the plastic insert is retained in the dome shape lid by an inward bead feature that seals a product within the dome shape lid. Alternatively, the bead feature may be altered with dimples or threads or eliminated. In one embodiment, the plastic insert forms a separate and distinct compartment to store a disk shape sponge. More preferably, the plastic insert creates dual compartment storage for car wax and a sponge which facilitates efficient compartmentalization of the container and thus an efficient container for performing multi-product tasks.
Alternatively, it is another aspect of the present invention to provide a plastic insert which is easily removable. More specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention a plastic insert including finger engagement depressions is provided. Preferably, the plastic insert in one embodiment has two radially opposing finger engagements to promote easy insertion and removal. After engaging the finger engagements of the plastic insert, a user squeezes and bends the plastic liner to change the diameter of the plastic insert and disengage the plastic insert from a retaining bead seam, thereby allowing removal of a plastic insert from the lid.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a dome top metallic lid that is easy to open. Preferably, the dome top metallic lid in one embodiment has a knurled portion that enhances a user's grip during opening and closing so that children, physically disabled, and the elderly can open the container without tools or assistance. More preferably, the upper portion of the dome top metallic lid is knurled. Further, in one embodiment, the vertical height of the knurled portion is about 0.25 inches. Most preferably, the knurled portion of the dome top metallic lid is used in conjunction with the aforementioned closure mechanism to create a secure container that is easy to open and close and thus usable by all persons. Alternatively, a knurled portion on the dome lid may be utilized to facilitate automated capping at a container manufacturing plant.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a dome top metallic lid that is space efficient. Thus, in one aspect of the present invention a container with a profiled base is provided. More specifically, the base of the container in one embodiment is profiled to facilitate vertical shelf stacking. Preferably, the base is profiled with a circular indentation to interface with a dome shaped lid to create a safe, stable, and spatially efficient means of stacking containers.
Thus, in one aspect of the present invention, a dome top metallic lid is provided, and which comprises:
a dual compartment container adapted for storing a car wax and a sponge;
a selectively removable lid rotatably interconnected to said upper end of said base sidewall to create a seal, wherein a substantially dome shaped portion houses a sponge and wherein a main compartment houses a car wax;
a plastic insert including a compressible feature to retain a sponge in said dome shaped lid; and
a profiled base to facilitate stable vertical stacking.
For clarity, the following is a list of components and the associated numbering used in the drawings:
Referring now to the drawings,
Referring now to
Referring to
Moreover, and again referring to
In one embodiment of the invention shown in
Referring now to
Furthermore, and again referring to
Referring now to
Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the dome lid 4 is interconnected to the sidewall upper portion 12 by rotatably coupling a plurality of male projections 42 with a plurality of lugs 44. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, to close and seal the dual compartment container 2, the user applies a rotationally downward pressure to drive the male projections 42 on the dome lid 4 to securely engage the corresponding lugs 44 on the base sidewalls 10 and thus creates a long lasting, airtight seal and closure mechanism. Additionally, the closure mechanism 16 can be disengaged to open the dual compartment container 2 by rotating the dome lid 4 to uncouple the male projections 42 from the lugs 44. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the closure mechanism 16 of the dual compartment container 2 is engaged the seal prevents the sponge 36 and wax material 38 from drying out and becoming unusable.
In another aspect of the present invention, the closure mechanism 16 is used in connection with the knurls 24 to create a dual compartment container 2 that is easy to open/close because the knurls 24 provide an easier and better grip and the closure mechanism is easy to engage/disengage. Alternatively, the dome lid 4 is interconnected to the sidewall upper portion 12 by a conventional double seam commonly used in the container manufacturing industry.
Referring now to
For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, the dual compartment container is utilized to retain car wax and a sponge. More specifically, the wax material 38 is located in the main compartment 6 while the sponge 36 is retained in the dome lid 4 by the insert 28. To access the products, the user grasps the knurls 24 on the lid upper portion 18 of the dome lid 4, twists the dome lid 4 to disengage the closure mechanism 16 by uncoupling the male projections 42 from the lugs 44, and separates the dome lid 4 away from the main compartment 6. Then, the user engages the finger projections 32 to remove the insert 28 from the retaining bead seam 30 of the lid sidewall interior surface 22 to remove the sponge 36. Once the insert 28 is removed the user can easily access both the sponge 36 and the wax material 38 necessary to wax an automobile. The user saves time and energy because both products are co-located in a single container. Having both products at hand, the user then can wax his or her automobile.
After use, the sponge is cleaned and then stored individually by replacing the sponge 36 in the lid upper portion 18 of the dome lid 4 and pressing the insert 28 into the retaining bead seam 30 by utilizing the finger projections 32. Then, the user places the dome lid 4 on the sidewall upper portion 12 of the base 8 and while applying pressure rotates the dome lid 4 downwardly to engage the closure mechanism 16 by integrally interconnecting the male projections 42 with the lugs 44 to securely fasten the dome lid 4 to the base sidewalls 10. The sealed dual compartment 2 can then be stacked vertically with other dual compartment containers 2 having dome lids 4 by means of the base stacking profile 40 located on the bottom of the base 8 to efficiently store the dual compartment containers until their next use.
Although the dome shape configuration provided in
While one of the primary uses for the present invention relates to car wax, it is to be expressly understood that the invention has application in the packaging of other products including other commercial and noncommercial packaged products. Moreover, it is contemplated that the insert also will have use in connection with the storage of other objects desired to be isolated from the main compartment.
While an effort has been made to describe various alternatives to the preferred embodiment, other alternatives will readily come to mind to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it should be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. Present examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not intended to be limited to the details given herein.
