Food is often placed in a transparent plastic container that includes a base with a large volume cavity that holds the food and with a cover or lid that closes the cavity. Buyers want to be assured that, after the food was placed in the container as by a clerk at the food store, that the container has not been opened. There is a possibility that another customer has secretly opened the container enough to taste a bit of the food before closing it (and possibly leaving germs from his/her finger in the food). Potential buyers want to be assured that this has not happened. A container constructed by the container manufacturer that allowed a clerk at the store to automatically activate a device that clearly indicated to a potential customer whether or not the container has been opened since it was first closed by the clerk, would be of value.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a container is provided of the type that includes a base and lid having an axis, which allows the lid to be closed and thereafter prevents the lid from being opened unless a tear line is broken. The container and lid each have trapping portions and pull-open portions. The base pull-open portion forms a slot and a barrier lying radially beyond the slot. The pull-open portion of the lid has a pull-up tab that is projected to extend primarily horizontally through the slot when the lid is closed. When the lid is closed the trapping portion of the base traps the lid in the closed position and prevents the lid from opening unless the pull-open side of the lid is pulled up. To open the lid, the barrier is broken, or a radially outer portion of the tab is torn off, so the pull-up tab on the lid can be pulled up to release the lid from the base.
The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The lid is installed in the manner shown in
The base shown in
When the lid is pushed down forcefully into the base, the peripheral lip 70 of the lid snaps down to the position shown in
Applicant prefers to construct each tear line, such as 182 in
Thus, the invention provides a container with a base and lid, which enables a store clerk to close the container the first time, after loading food or other goods in the base, and to insert a lid tab through a base slot. Of the slot walls and lid tab, one of them has a tear line that can be torn to allow at least one of them to be pulled up past the barrier. Thus the container cannot be opened without breaking at least one end of a barrier or a part of the tab. The tab has a largely vertical projection that prevents it from being pushed backward through the slot. Of course, the fact that the barrier or tab has been broken is obvious to any customer, so if the customer sees that the tear-open barrier or tab is not broken the customer will be assured that the container has not been opened. The container has trapping and pull-open portions or sections. The trapping section allows the lid to be forced down to a fully installed position and thereafter prevents the lid from being pulled up unless the pull-open section has been lifted and preferably also pulled away slightly from the center of the trapping portion. The container forms a seal around the entire container circumference, which is broken only when the pull-up tab is pulled up.
Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art, and consequently, it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents.
This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/315,654 filed Dec. 21, 2005.
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Child | 11857144 | US |