Patent Application
20140224804
The present invention relates to containers used primarily for foodstuff, but suitable for other materials as well. More particularly, the invention relates to hinged containers with tamper-evident/tamper-resistant features.
The purpose of a tamper-evident/tamper-resistant container is two-fold. First, it is to provide evidence of a correctly opened package after a proper closure. Second, it is to provide resistance from product tampering after a product is packaged and before a customer purchases the product. Of course, there are limitations to these features as used in prior tamper-evident and tamper-resistant containers.
The “tamper-resistant” quality of a container carries no guarantee that a container can only be opened by the use of the opening feature provided. However, it does typically make the process of opening by any other method very challenging. In some instances, the challenge is too easily overcome and consumers may unwittingly purchase a product in a container that has been breached in some manner because such a breach is not evident.
The “tamper-evident” quality of a container involves the use of an opening feature which provides evidence that the container has been opened. However, it does not prevent a container from being opened in other ways which may avoid the “tamper-evident” feature, even though opening of the package in any other way would be a willful act of deceit.
The packaging design of the presently disclosed container is created for use in both hand packing processes as well as for use with automated closing lines. The disclosed container is directed to solving the above problems as well as others faced by prior containers used in the applicable field.
The present disclosure is directed to a two-piece container and methods for making such a container. Generally speaking, the container is comprised of a lid, a base and a hinge which allows the two components to be properly closed in a manner which provides both “tamper-evident” and “tamper-resistant” packaging. The container is most commonly used in the food industry for fresh foods and the like.
In a specific embodiment, the two-piece container comprises a base having a rim about an upper periphery, a protective lip extending from an outermost end of the rim and a first weldable hinge portion extending outward along a portion of the rim, and a lid comprising a flange about a lower periphery, the flange terminating at an outermost end, and a second weldable hinge portion extending outward along a portion of the flange. The first weldable hinge portion overlaps with the second weldable hinge portion, and the two hinge portions are welded together to form a frangible hinge between the base and the lid.
Preferably, one of the two halves—i.e., the lid and the base, and most preferably the base—includes a pull tab for facilitating opening of the container.
In other embodiments of the two-piece container the base is comprised of a first suitable material and the lid is comprised of a second suitable material, different from the first suitable material. Similarly, the base may have a substantial thickness different from the thickness of the lid. Moreover, the suitable material of the base may be of a color different than a color of the suitable material of the lid.
In another embodiment of the two-piece container, a surface of the outermost end of the flange has an angle, relative to an adjacent surface, which is less than an angle of an outermost surface of the rim, relative to an adjacent surface corresponding to the adjacent surface of the lid. Preferably, the angle of the flange surface is in the range of from about 2 to about 10 degrees less than and the angle of the rim surface. Most preferably, the angle of the flange surface is about 5 degrees less than the angle of the rim surface.
In a preferred method for forming a tamper-resistant and tamper-evident two-piece container, the steps include forming a base for the container, the base comprising a rim about an upper periphery, a protective lip integral to and extending from an outermost end of the rim and a first weldable hinge portion positioned along a portion of the rim, forming a lid for the container, the lid comprising a flange about a lower periphery, the flange terminating at an outermost end, and a second weldable hinge portion positioned along a portion of the flange corresponding to the portion of the rim having the first weldable hinge portion, and then welding the first weldable hinge portion of the base to the second weldable hinge portion of the lid to form a hinge connecting the lid to the base. The rim and flange have complimentary contours such that the flange snap fits within the periphery of the rim and the outermost end of the flange is positioned adjacent the protective lip of the base to prevent access to the end.
These and other features of the two-piece container and methods will be more readily understood from a reading of the following detailed description, including the appended drawings.
For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected, there are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a preferred embodiment 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 embodiments illustrated.
For example, the appended drawing figures only illustrate a rectangular two-piece container. However, the container may be of most any shape and size, including various possible depths for both portions. Other advantages and alternatives will be mentioned throughout the following detailed description.
Further, though the container itself is unique, as will be described below in greater detail, methods for producing the container may also be considered inventive. Such inventive methods include directly connecting separately formed packaging components (e.g., a lid and a base) by welding integral hinge portions (or flaps) on each of the two components together in a manner that they can be torn, broken or separated at a later time. By directly connecting the two rigid components by these hinge portions, the connection functions as a hinge to create a hinged container. This hinged container provides a self-evident opening feature by showing clear evidence of the container having been opened after it had been properly closed.
Referring now to
The lid 12 and base 14, including their respective hinge portions 15 and the pull-tab 17, can be comprised of a number of materials, with each part being formed of the same, similar, or completely different materials, as desired. The preferred materials include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), oriented polystyrene (OPS), polypropylene (PP), and polylactic acid (PLA) as well as other polymers, monomers or laminated structures used in packaging, primarily for foods.
Likewise, the resulting welded hinge 16 would be made from these same various materials, as it is formed of two hinge portions 15A, 15B welded, glued or otherwise connected together. The weld may be a heat weld, a chemical weld or the result of adhesives applied to surfaces of the two hinge portions 15A and 15B. The frangible hinge 16 may also include forms of scoring to better allow hinging and/or tearing of the hinge 16 upon opening.
With respect to manufacture and assembly of container 10, the two individual components, i.e., the lid 12 and base 14, are thermoformed individually and separately using industry standard equipment and processes. The illustrated pull-tab 17 is preferably designed in the hinge flap 15 of the base 14. Ultimately, the two components will be trimmed out, scored, perforated (as necessary) and placed together on another piece of equipment where the hinge portions 15 can be welded to form hinge 16. There are benefits to forming the lid 12 and base 14 components individually prior to welding the hinge 16 to create the hinged container 10.
Some of the benefits of separating the overall process include allowing the base 14 and lid 12 to be formed from different types of material (as mentioned above), different thicknesses of material and the potential of using different colors to contrast the base 14 from the lid 12. While co-extruding materials and manufacturing colored bases with clear lids for hinge containers is common, having a hinge container (lid connected to the base) with two different materials, e.g., a polypropylene base and an OPS lid, or a thinner material in the clear lid and thicker material in the colored base, has not been done before and is completely original.
The potential for material cost savings is also significant. For example, as illustrated in
The formed lid 12 is directly connected to the base 14, which can hinge on the scored/perforated line (see
The welding process is preferably performed on a separate machine from that of the forming, scoring, perforating and trimming process. In a preferred method, the base 14 is typically loaded first so that the pull-tab 17 of the base 14 is facing up in the finished container 10. A device applies heat, pressure and/or a sonic weld to the overlapping hinge portions 15 which bonds the two portions in a fashion that allows them to be pulled apart or have the score line 19 of the lid 12 tear to open the container 10. This process allows the pull-tab 17 to remain attached to the base 14. Accordingly, to open the container 10, the pull tab 17 of the hinge 16 is pulled downward which tears or otherwise destroys the hinge 16. Alternatively, two perforated lines may be used to facilitate complete removal of the hinge 16 when the pull tab 17 is pulled.
Referring now to
The outermost end “Q” (also known as the “trim edge”) of a typical lid flange design of the prior art containers shows the accessibility of the flange when the two components are in a closed/sealed condition. In contrast, the present container 10 is designed with the protective lip 28 extending from the rim 26 to prevent access to the outermost end (i.e., trim edge) of the lid flange 24.
In addition, the surface of the outermost edge of the flange 24 is preferably angled downward, relative to the adjacent surface, about two to ten degrees less than the angle of the corresponding rim surface, relative to the adjacent surface. As measured from an imaginary horizontal plane, the rim surface (“A”) is angled downward (moving outwardly) from about two to about eight degrees, while the flange surface (“B”) is angled downward (moving outwardly) from about five to about 15 degrees. This feature provides greater resistance to deceitful opening of the container or, as is known in the art, “tamper-resistant.”
The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants' contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.
This application claims the filing priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/760,999, filed Feb. 5, 2013. The '999 application is hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61760999 | Feb 2013 | US |
