Sealable case

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6336460
  • Patent Number
    6,336,460
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, March 6, 2001
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, January 8, 2002
    23 years ago
Abstract
A sealable container comprised of a container body to which an internal hinged lid is installed as means of sealing or exposing an internally located substance-containing space, and a separate external cover that screws onto the container body. When attached, the external cover presses downward onto the internal lid to seal the lid against the substance-containing space. A hinge mechanism, consisting of a hinge pin and specific hinge boss design, is located between the container body and internal lid. The hinge boss incorporates a yoke with an elongated channel able to grip the hinge pin while also sliding along the hinge pin in a linear direction as the internal lid moves downward against the substance-containing space.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The invention relates to a sealable case that incorporates a hinged inner cover mounted so as to pivot over an inner space, said inner cover being thus able to expose or seal the inner space, and a separate outer cover that attaches to the case body by means of an interlocking thread structure located there between.




2. Description of the Related Art




Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2523785 teaches a structure for a sealable container, commonly utilized as a cosmetic compact, that incorporates an internal lid. This cosmetic compact is comprised of a main body part that defines an internal space, an internal lid capable of covering the aforesaid space, and an external cover capable of covering the aforesaid internal lid. The internal lid is hinge mounted so as to rotatably expose or close against the aforesaid internal space. The external cover removably installs to the main body part by means of interlocking screw threads, and when in an installed position, forcibly presses against the internal lid, thus sealing the internal space from the external environment.




The internal lid hinge structure utilized in this type of cosmetic compact is comprised of a hinge pin installed within a cutout section formed in the upper periphery of the main body part, and a hinge boss protruding from the periphery of the inner cover, said hinge boss receiving the aforesaid hinge pin so as to form a pivoting connection between the aforesaid main body part and hinge boss.




Because the hinge boss is installed to the hinge pin at a fixed position, the inner lid is capable of moving only on the rotational axis defined by the fixed hinge pin. As movement of the hinge boss is restricted to this single rotational axis, when the external cover is closed against the internal lid, the internal lid is strongly pressed against the periphery of the internal space only at the region opposite the hinge. In spite of the skirt shaped sealing material installed at the periphery of the internal space, the internal lid is not capable of applying uniform pressure around the entire circumference of the internal space, thus resulting in a relatively weak seal between the internal space and external environment.




Moreover, the structure taught by the aforesaid Japanese Utility Model Patent does not provide means to eliminate the open space required to house the hinge structure between the external cover and main body part, thus necessitating that the hinge structure be installed directly between the external cover and main body part. Furthermore, the screw threads used to secure the external cover to the main body part must be structured in a way that avoids the hinge structure, thus necessitating that the external cover be made larger when it is often desired to make the main body part small and compact.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The invention provides a structure for a sealable case whereby an internal lid is strongly and uniformly pressed against the periphery of an internal space when the external cover is secured to the main body part, thus providing for an improved internal space sealing function.




The invention is comprised of a main body part, an external wall peripherally formed on the main body part that defines an internal space within the main body part, fastening threads formed on the periphery of the external wall, a hinge installed within a space on the outwardly facing perimeter of the main body part, an internal lid rotatably installed to the main body part through the hinge so as to movably cover or expose the internal space, a separate external cover, screw threads


23


formed on the inwardly facing perimeter of a cover wall of the external cover, screw threads provided as means of removably connecting the external cover to the main body part by interlocking with the aforesaid fastening threads, whereby the internal lid is forcibly pressed against the upwardly facing perimeter of the internal space, by the external cover, so as to form an air-tight seal therebetween, and a sliding yoke that allows a linear movement of the internal lid when the internal lid is pressed against the perimeter of the internal space.




The hinge structure is comprised of a hinge pin and a hinge boss which are provided with the main body part and internal lid, respectively. A hinge tongue extends downward from the perimeter of the internal lid and incorporates either the hinge boss or hinge pin at its extremity. The sliding yoke, formed as a relatively long channel within the hinge boss, provides means of rotatably connecting the hinge boss to the hinge pin so as to form a sliding hinge mechanism that allows the linear movement of the internal lid in relation to the main body part.




The main body part


11


incorporates an expanded portion that radially extends from the lower region of the external wall, the expanded portion being located below the lower edge of the cover wall of the external cover. The hinge tongue, formed as an integral extension of the perimeter of the internal lid, resides in a cutout space and extends to the expanded portion. The expanded portion may be formed as a circular flange, the outer perimeter of the circular flange is formed to the approximate same diameter as that of the cover wall of the external cover as means of aligning the perimeter of the circular flange with the cover wall of the external cover when the external cover is attached to the main body part.




The external cover incorporates a pressure lip that is located so as to come into contact with the internal lid when the external cover is installed to the main body part. A contact seat may be formed on the perimeter of the internal lid as means of creating a specific area of contact against the external cover. The internal lid may also be structured so as to be pressed down by the external cover without the use of the aforesaid pressure lip.




In cases where a substance is contained within the internal space, a packing piece may be provided as means of forming a more effective seal between the internal lid and the main body part when the internal lid is brought into contact with the external wall of the main body part.




The invention also allows for the utilization of a separate substance container that can be removably installed within the internal space as means of conveniently filling or removing a substance from the internal space. A container wall can be formed to a height slightly lower than that of the external wall of the main body part as means of allowing the internal lid to form a seal against the main body part. As needs dictate, a packing piece may also be utilized with this structure as means of forming a more efficient seal between the internal lid and the main body part.




Conversely, in regard to the aforesaid structure in which the removable container is utilized, the container wall may be formed to a height slightly higher than that of the external wall as means of allowing the internal lid to form a seal directly against the upper edge of the container wall. In this case, a packing piece may also be utilized as means of forming a more efficient seal between the internal lid and the container.




The invention puts forth a structure for a sealable case comprised of a main body part incorporating an external wall that defines an internal space and has fastening threads provided on an outwardly facing perimeter surface thereof, an internal lid capable of rotatably sealing or exposing the internal space, a hinge installed between the internal lid and the external wall of the main body part, and an external cover incorporating screw threads formed on the inwardly facing surface of a circumferential wall. When the external cover is screwed onto the main body part, the external cover simultaneously presses the internal lid against the internal space so as to form an atmospheric seal between the internal lid and internal space. The hinge incorporates a hinge pin and a hinge boss provided with the external wall of the main body part and the internal lid, respectively, the hinge boss rotates freely on the hinge pin. A sliding yoke connects the hinge pin and hinge boss in a manner so as to allow a linear movement of the internal lid in relation to the hinge pin when the internal lid is pressed down by the external cover.




The invention further puts forth a structure for a sealable case comprised of a main body part incorporating an external wall defining an internal space and having fastening threads provided on a perimeter surface thereof, a hinge installed within the external wall, a rotatably installed internal lid capable of sealing or exposing the internal space, and an external cover incorporating screw threads formed on the inwardly facing surface of a circumferential wall, the screw threads being capable of removably connecting with the fastening threads on the main body part. This external cover fastening operation also presses the internal lid against the internal space so as to form an atmospheric seal between the internal lid and the internal space. Moreover, a radially extending expanded portion is provided at the lower region of the external wall of the main body part, the upwardly facing surface of the expanded portion being located opposite to the perimeter wall of the external cover when the external cover is attached to the main body part. The internal lid incorporates a tongue part that extends to the expanded portion through a cutout space provided in the perimeter of the external wall. The aforesaid hinge utilizes a hinge pin and a hinge boss provided with the tongue part of the internal lid and the expanded portion of the main body part, respectively. The hinge provides a structure through which the hinge boss is able to rotate on the hinge pin, as well as move in a linear direction, when the internal lid is pressed downward by the closing external cover, by means of a sliding yoke formed within the hinge boss as an elongated channel able to grip the hinge pin securely while simultaneously moving in a linear direction in relation to the hinge pin.




In order to seal the internal space in the main body part, the internal lid is pressed down onto the internal space by the external cover as the external cover is screwed onto the main body part. During this operation the internal lid is forcibly pressed down against the periphery of the internal space while moving in rotational and linear directions made possible by the yoke sliding over the hinge pin, thus allowing the internal lid to apply uniform pressure against the entire periphery of the internal space as means of forming a more effective atmospheric seal.




As stated previously, the invention provides for the structure in which the hinge boss is able to rotate so as to allow the internal lid to seal or expose the internal space. Furthermore, when the external cover is attached to the main body part, the yoke part of the hinge boss is able to move in the linear direction while the external cover is secured to the main body part, thus allowing the internal lid to move on the linear axis in response to the downward pressure applied by the closing external cover. This linear movement is made possible by the simple structure of the elongated channel that comprises the yoke in the hinge boss.




As mentioned previously, the invention specifies the tongue and the cutout space that extend downward to the expanded portion at the lower external region of the main body part. Locating the expanded portion directly beneath the lower edge of the external cover (when the external cover is attached to the main body part) allows the hinge to be positioned outside of the external cover. Moreover, this structure assures that the fastening threads do not interfere with the operation of the hinge, thus eliminating the need to provide a space for the hinge directly between the external cover and main body part, and thus making it possible for a small sealed case to hold a relatively large volume of substance.




Furthermore, an external appearance of the sealable case is improved as a result of the circular flange as the expanded portion at the base of the main body part aligning with the edge of the external cover. Appropriate uniform sealing pressure can be applied as a result of the pressure lip on the external cover pressing against the contact seat on the internal lid. Moreover, by specifying the contact region of the internal lid in accordance with sealing needs of a specific substance, a high degree of sealing efficiency can be maintained and further augmented by the use of the packing piece.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is an oblique exploded partial cross sectional view of the first embodiment of the invention.





FIG. 2

is a side view cross section of the first embodiment showing the sealable case with the external cover attached.





FIG. 3

is a side view cross section of the first embodiment showing the sealable case with the external cover removed and the internal lid open.





FIG. 4

is a partial enlarged cross section of the first embodiment showing the operation of the hinge structure.





FIG. 5

is a side view cross section of the second embodiment of the invention with the external cover attached.





FIG. 6

is a side view cross section of the third embodiment of the invention with the external cover attached.











DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




The invention is shown, in both

FIGS. 1 and 2

, as portable jar-type cosmetic case


10


.




In the first embodiment, cosmetic case


10


as a sealable case provides a structure whereby internal space


11




a


is effectively sealed from the external environment as a result of downward pressure applied to internal lid


13


against space


11




a


when external cover is


14


is securely attached to main body part


11


. Cosmetic case


10


is comprised of main body part


11


that defines centrally located internal space


11




a,


cosmetic container


12


that is removably installable to space


11




a,


hinge


20


that is installed within main body part


11


, internal lid


13


that is capable of sealing or exposing space


11




a,


and external cover


14


that is installable to main body part


11


by means of screw threads, and in doing so completely covers internal lid


13


. The operation whereby external cover


14


is screwed onto main body part


11


results in the external cover also pressing internal lid


13


downward over and sealing internal space


11




a.


The salient point of this structure is the design and location of hinge


20


that makes use of sliding yoke


22


as means of allowing internal lid


13


to slide linearly as it is rotatably pushed downward by external cover


14


.




Main body part


11


is circular in shape as resulting from the shape of circular internal wall


11




b


that defines internal space


11




a.


External wall


11




c


is an extension of the part of wall


11




b


that is bent radially outward and downward, thus forming a double wall structure consisting of walls


11




c


and


11




b.


The upper edge of external wall


11




c


extends to a higher point than that of the upper edge of internal wall


11




b.


Screw threads


15


are formed at the upper region of the external surface of external wall


11




c


as means of connecting to fastening threads on external cover


14


. Circular base flange


11




d


as an expanded portion is formed as a flange that extends radially outward from external wall


11




c


below screw threads


15


. Cutout space


16


, formed to width dimension W


1


, is a vertically oriented channel formed at one location within external wall


11




c,


and extends downward from the top of external wall


11




c


to base flange lid. Hinge pin


17


is horizontally installed within cutout space


16


at the level of base flange


11




d.






Cosmetic container


12


is formed as a circular tray-type structure defined by floor


12




a


and container wall


12




b,


and is of the approximate same diameter as internal space


11




a.


As shown in

FIG. 2

, container


12


may be filled with cosmetic substance P, and may be installed or removed from internal space


11




a.


The height of container wall


12




b


is lower than that of internal wall


11




b,


thus allowing the upper edge of internal wall


11




b


to extend to a point above that of container wall


12




b.






Internal lid


13


is a round plate-like structure that fits within external wall


11




c


of main body part


11


. Contact seat


13




a


is formed on internal lid


13


as a round flange extending upward from the perimeter of internal lid


13


. Surface


13




b,


an inverted dish-type structure on the lower surface of internal lid


13


, is formed to a diameter larger than that of internal wall


11




b,


and has packing piece


18


installed thereon. Tongue


19


, a downwardly extending flange formed at one point on the perimeter of internal lid


13


, resides within cutout space


16


, extends to the upper surface of base flange lid, and is specified as width W


2


as shown in FIG.


1


. When external cover


14


is secured to main body part


11


, the lower part of tongue


19


is exposed beneath lower edge


14


d of external cover


14


. Hinge


20


is installed between the lower end of tongue


19


and base flange


11




d.






Hinge


20


is comprised of hinge pin


17


horizontally installed within the walls that define cutout space


16


, and hinge boss


21


that rotatably attaches to hinge pin


17


. Hinge boss


12


incorporates two downwardly extending flanges that comprise sliding yoke


22


. These flanges are structured so as to allow yoke


22


to simultaneously slide and rotate on hinge pin


17


, and thus allow internal lid


13


to slide linearly while rotating downward as a result of pressure applied by external cover


14


. To be specific sliding yoke


22


is an elongated channel oriented in the same direction as that of the moving direction of internal lid


13


when closing against internal space


11




a.






External cover


14


is comprised of top plate


14




a,


and perimeter wall


14




b


which is formed as a downwardly extending cylindrical extension of the perimeter of top plate


14




a.


Female screw thread


23


is formed on the inner surface of wall


14




b


as means of removably connecting to male fastening thread


15


located on external wall


11




c


of main body part


11


. Pressure lip


14




c


is formed at the upper region of the internal surface of perimeter wall


14




b,


the purpose of pressure lip


14




c


being to press against seat


13




a


of internal lid


13


when external cover


14


is secured to main body part


11


. In a condition where external cover


14


is completely attached to main body part


11


, lower edge


14




d


of perimeter wall


14




b


is located directly above base flange


11




d


of main body part


11


. A pleasing appearance of the cosmetic container is realized as a result of external cover


14


and base flange


11




d


having the approximate same diameter. Pressure lip


14




c


may be formed either as a continuous round ring structure, or as intermittently spaced lip parts.




As shown in

FIG. 2

, cosmetic container


12


is removably installed within internal space


11




a


of main body part


11


, internal lid


13


is rotatably attached to main body part


11


through hinge


20


, and external cover


14


is secured to and covers main body part


11


by means of fastening threads provided there between. Hinge


20


is a structure in which internal lid tongue


19


is inserted into cutout space


16


of main body part


11


, and in which hinge boss


21


, located at the lower region of tongue


19


, is rotatably connected to hinge pin


17


. Cosmetic powder puff


24


or other like implement resides in the space between internal lid


13


and external cover


14


.





FIG. 3

shows a cross sectional view of the first embodiment in which external cover


14


is removed and internal lid


13


is opened to expose cosmetic container


12


. Internal space


11




a


is exposed, thereby allowing cosmetic substance P to be picked up by powder puff


24


and utilized as needed. When the cosmetic substance need no longer be accessed, internal lid


13


is closed over space


11




a,


and external cover


14


is screwed down over main body part


11


, thus forming a double sealing mechanism around space


11




a.






When external cover


14


is securely attached to main body part


11


, a highly efficient seal is maintained around internal space


11




a


by means of packing piece


18


installed to internal cover


13


. This seal, formed when external cover


14


is securely screwed down onto main body part


11


, is established by the mechanism in which contact seat


13




a


of internal lid


13


is forcibly pressed down over space


11




a


by pressure lip


14




c


of external cover


14


. The force applied by external cover


14


is thus transferred from pressure lip


14




c


to the perimeter region of internal lid


13


, and thus against the upper edge of internal wall


11




b


of main body part


11


through packing piece


18


.




As result of sliding yoke


22


being structured so as to maintain a secure grip on hinge pin


17


while also sliding over it, internal lid


13


and tongue


19


are able to move downward in a compound linear and rotating motion when external cover


14


is secured to main body part


11


. As shown in the detailed cross section of

FIG. 4



a,


hinge boss


21


grips hinge pin


17


at the lower end of sliding yoke


22


when packing piece


18


comes into contact with the upper edge of internal wall


11




b


as a result of internal lid


13


being initially closed over internal space


11




a.


As shown in the detail cross section of

FIG. 4



b,


when external cover


14


is screwed down onto main body part


11


, hinge boss


20


is able to rotate while also sliding downward along hinge pin


17


as a result of the elongated channel in sliding yoke


22


, thus allowing internal lid


13


to move with a compound rotating and linear motion as it closes against internal space


11




a.


As a result, packing piece


18


is compressed against the upper edge of internal wall


11


with uniform pressure along the entire perimeter, thus providing for a more secure and efficient sealing function between both components, and an improved sealing function for internal space


11




a.






As a result of the aforesaid improved sealing function, the cosmetic substance P is prevented from leaking out of the cosmetic case, and cosmetic substances that tend to evaporate quickly can be preserved longer. Furthermore, because packing piece


18


is compressed against inner wall


11




b


with uniform pressure, the packing piece deteriorates less over time and lasts longer.




The use of tongue


19


allows hinge


20


to be installed within base flange lid of main body part


11


, thus also allowing base flange lid to be located directly beneath external cover


14


. Hinge


20


is thus able to be located at a position external to the external cover


14


, and screw threads


15


and


23


can be formed without consideration of the location of hinge


20


. In other words, it is not necessary to provide for a hinge housing space directly between external cover


14


and main body part


11


. This means that internal space


11




a


can be structured to hold a relatively large amount of cosmetic material, without the need for a large external cover, in a cosmetic case having compact external dimensions. Obviously, as tongue


19


is located within cutout space


16


, it offers no interference with the joint formed between fastening threads


15


and


23


.





FIG. 5

presents a second embodiment of the invention wherein container wall


12




b


of container


12


is formed to a height greater than that of internal wall


11




b


of main body part


11


. Packing piece


18


thus seals internal space


11




a


by compressing against the upper edge of container wall


12




b


instead of internal wall


11




b


as taught by the first embodiment. In this second embodiment, packing piece


18


is compressed uniformly over the upper edge of container wall


12




b


as a result of external cover


14


pressing internal lid


13


downward in a compound linear and rotating action made possible by the compound movement of sliding yoke


22


around hinge pin


17


.




A third embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG.


6


. This embodiment does not make use of cosmetic container


12


, but instead places the cosmetic material directly into internal space


11




a


of main body part


11


. Packing piece


18


comes into contact with the upper edge of internal wall


11




b


that defines internal space


11




a.


Internal cover


3


is able to move downward over internal space


11




a


with a compound rotational and linear movement provided by sliding yoke


22


sliding over hinge pin


17


, thus allowing packing piece


18


to be compressed onto the upper edge of internal wall


11




b


with uniform pressure to effectively seal internal space


11




a.






While the aforesaid explanations have embodied the invention as a portable cosmetic case, the structures presented here may also be applied to other types of containers. In regard to the structure of hinge


20


, hinge pin


17


may be installed to internal lid


13


, and hinge boss


21


to main body part


11


. Moreover, the use of packing piece


18


is not required by the invention, as a sufficient sealing effect may be gained by internal lid


13


coming into direct contact with the upper edge of internal wall


11




b


or container wall


12




b.





Claims
  • 1. A structure for a sealable case comprised of,a main body part incorporating an external wall defining an internal space inside thereof and having a fastening thread formed on its external perimeter surface, an internal lid installed to said external wall of said main body part by means of a hinge so as to rotatably expose or seal said internal space, a separate external cover incorporating a cylindrical wall part having a screw thread formed on its inward facing surface, said screw thread interlocking with said fastening thread of said main body part as means of securely attaching said external cover to said main body part and pressing said internal lid toward said internal space, and a sliding yoke incorporated as part of said hinge, said yoke providing means of allowing said internal lid to simultaneously move in a linear direction when pressed down by an attachment of said external cover to said main body part.
  • 2. A structure for a sealable case as put forth in claim 1 wherein;a hinge pin and a rotating hinge boss of said hinge are provided with said external wall of said main body part and said internal lid respectively, said hinge boss movably connected to said hinge pin, and said sliding yoke is provided as an integral part of said hinge boss, said yoke allowing for a relative linear movement between said hinge boss and said hinge pin.
  • 3. A structure for a sealable case as put forth in claim 2 wherein said sliding yoke is formed within said hinge boss as an elongated channel gripping said hinge pin.
  • 4. A structure for a sealable case as put forth in claim 1 wherein;an expanded portion, formed as a radially extending part of said external wall of said main body part, is located at the lower region of said cylindrical wall part of said external cover, a cutout space is formed in the direction of movement of said internal lid and extends downward through said expanded portion, a tongue part formed to said internal lid, extends downward through said cutout space up to said expanded portion, and said hinge is located between said internal lid tongue part and said expanded portion.
  • 5. A structure for a sealable case as put forth in claim 4 wherein said expanded portion is formed as a circular flange, a diameter of said circular flange being formed to the same dimension as that of said cylindrical wall part of said external cover as means of aligning said circular flange and cylindrical wall part.
  • 6. A structure for a sealable case as put forth in claim 1 wherein a pressure lip is provided on said external cover as means of contacting and applying force to said internal lid.
  • 7. A structure for a sealable case as put forth in claim 6 wherein a contact seat is provided on said internal lid as means of receiving pressure applied by said pressure lip of said external cover.
  • 8. A structure for a sealable case as put forth in claim 1 wherein a contact seat is provided on said internal lid as means of receiving pressure applied by said external cover.
  • 9. A structure for a sealable case as put forth in claim 1 wherein a substance is stored in said internal space.
  • 10. A structure for a sealable case as put forth in claim 9 wherein said internal lid comes into contact directly with an upper edge of said external wall of said main body part.
  • 11. A structure for a sealable case as put forth in claim 10 wherein said internal lid incorporates a packing piece that comes into contact with the upper edge of said external wall of said main body part.
  • 12. A structure for a sealable case as put forth in claim 1 wherein a separate removable container, incorporating a container wall, is provided as means of storing a substance within said internal space of said main body part, a location of an upper edge of said container wall being positioned at a point lower than an upper edge of said external wall of said main body part.
  • 13. A structure for a sealable case as put forth in claim 12 wherein said internal lid comes directly into contact with the upper edge of said external wall of said main body part.
  • 14. A structure for a sealable case as put forth in claim 13 wherein said internal lid incorporates a packing piece that comes into contact with the upper edge of said external wall of said main body part.
  • 15. A structure for a sealable case as put forth in claim 1 wherein a separate removable container, incorporating a container wall, is provided as means of storing a substance within said internal space of said main body part, a location of an upper edge of said container wall being positioned at a point higher than an upper edge of said external wall of said main body part.
  • 16. A structure for a sealable case as put forth in claim 15 wherein said internal lid comes directly into contact with the upper edge of said container wall of said container.
  • 17. A structure for a sealable case as put forth in claim 16 wherein said internal lid incorporates a packing piece that comes into contact with the upper edge of said container wall of said container.
  • 18. A structure for a sealable case comprised of,a main body part incorporating an external wall defining an internal space inside thereof and having a fastening thread formed on its external perimeter surface, an internal lid installed to said external wall of said main body part by means of a hinge so as to rotatably expose or seal said internal space, a separate external cover incorporating a cylindrical wall part having a screw thread formed on its inward facing surface, said screw thread interlocking with said fastening thread of said main body part as means of securely attaching said external cover to said main body part and pressing said internal lid toward said internal space, and a sliding hinge mechanism provided within said hinge as means of allowing said internal lid to move in a linear direction when said internal lid is pressed downward by said external cover, wherein; said hinge utilizes a hinge pin and a rotating hinge boss provided with said external wall of said main body part and said internal lid respectively, said hinge boss being movably connected to said hinge pin, and said sliding hinge mechanism is comprised of an elongated channel formed within said hinge boss to grip said hinge pin and to allow for a relative linear movement between said hinge boss and said hinge pin.
  • 19. A structure for a sealable case comprised of,a main body part incorporating an external wall defining an internal space inside thereof and having a fastening thread formed on its external perimeter surface, an internal lid installed to said external wall of said main body part by means of a hinge so as to rotatably expose or seal said internal space, a separate external cover incorporating a cylindrical wall part having a screw thread formed on its inward facing surface, said screw thread interlocking with said fastening thread of said main body part as means of securely attaching said external cover to said main body part and pressing said internal lid toward said internal space, an expanded portion formed as a radially extending part of said external wall of said main body part and located beneath said cylindrical wall part of said external cover, a cutout space formed on said external wall in the direction of movement of said internal lid, and extending downward through said expanded portion, a tongue part formed to said internal lid, and extending downward through said cutout space up to said expanded portion, and a sliding hinge mechanism provided within said hinge as means of allowing said internal lid to move in a linear direction when said internal lid is pressed downward by said external cover, wherein; said hinge utilizes a hinge pin and a rotating hinge boss provided with said expanded portion of said external wall and said tongue part of said internal lid respectively, said hinge boss being movably connected to said hinge pin, and said sliding hinge mechanism is comprised of an elongated channel formed within said hinge boss to grip said hinge pin and to allow for a relative linear movement between said hinge boss and said hinge pin.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
12-072124 Mar 2000 JP
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number Name Date Kind
5638838 Lombardi Jun 1997 A
5884636 Sheffler et al. Mar 1999 A
6009885 Nam Jan 2000 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (7)
Number Date Country
59-67104 May 1984 JP
59-67105 May 1984 JP
62-13541 Apr 1987 JP
62-13542 Apr 1987 JP
2523785 Oct 1996 JP
10-192044 Jul 1998 JP
11-56455 Mar 1999 JP