AU2009100244A4

AU2009100244A4 - A produce container

Info

Publication number: AU2009100244A4
Application number: AU2009100244A
Authority: AU
Inventors: John Lam
Original assignee: Multisteps Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Multisteps Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2009-03-16
Filing date: 2009-03-16
Publication date: 2009-04-23
Anticipated expiration: 2017-03-16

Description

AUSTRALIA FB RICE & CO Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys Patents Act 1990 MULTISTEPS PTY LTD COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Invention Title: A produce container The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us:- 2 A Produce Container Field of the invention 5 This invention relates to packaging containers. More particularly, the invention relates to a produce container. Summary of the invention According to the invention, there is provided a produce container which 10 includes a receptacle which defines an access opening, the access opening being circumscribed by a rim, and the rim carrying a plurality of tabs; a plurality of lid portions arranged about the access opening of the receptacle, each lid portion being movable relative to the receptacle between an open position and a closed position such that, when each lid portion is in its open position, produce can be placed into or 15 removed from the receptacle and, when the lid portions are in their closed position, the access opening is substantially covered; and each lid portion defining a receiving formation complementary to at least one of the tabs, each tab being receivable in its associated receiving formation to lock the lid portion releasably in the closed position relative to the receptacle. 20 The tabs may project away from the access opening and the lid portion may define a skirt member with the receiving formations being defined in the skirt member. An outer surface of the rim may include a tapered portion which tapers inwardly from a top surface of the rim, and the skirt member of the lid portion may have a complementary taper. 25 The rim may have rounded corners, and the tabs may be arranged at extremities of each corner. By "extremities" is meant each end of the rounded portions of the rim. The tapered portion of the rim may extend at least between the tabs of each corner. A channel may be formed in the outer surface of the rim. The channel may be 30 formed in the outer surface of the rim underlying each tapered portion. Brief Description of the Drawings An exemplary embodiment of a produce container is now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: 35 Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a produce container, with each lid portion in an open position; 3 Figure 2 is a plan view of the produce container with each lid portion in the open position; Figure 3 is a side view of the produce container with each lid portion in the open position; 5 Figure 4 is a plan view of the produce container with each lid portion in the closed position; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view through a corner of the container taken along line V-V in Figure 4; Figure 6 is a side view of the produce container with each lid portion in the 10 closed position; Figure 7 is a front view of the produce container with each lid portion in the closed position; Figure 8 is a front view of the produce container with each lid portion in the open position; and 15 Figure 9 is a bottom view of the produce container with each lid portion in the open position. Detailed Description of the Exemplary Embodiment In the figures, reference numeral 10 generally designates an exemplary 20 embodiment of a produce container. The produce container 10 includes a receptacle 12 which defines an access opening 14. The access opening 14 is circumscribed by a rim 16, and the rim carries a plurality of tabs 18. The produce container 10 includes two lid portions 20 which are arranged on opposite sides of the access opening 14 of the receptacle 12. Each lid portion 20 is 25 movable relative to the receptacle 12 between an open position and a closed position such that, when each lid portion 20 is in its open position (Figure 1), produce (not shown) can be placed into or removed from the receptacle 12 and, when each of the lid portions 20 is in its closed position (Figure 4), the access opening 14 is substantially covered. 30 Each lid portion 20 includes a planar part 22. The planar part 22 terminates at a free edge 24 of the lid portion 20. When the lid portions 20 are in their closed position the planar parts 22 lie in a plane substantially parallel to a base 26 of the receptacle 12 and the free edges 24 are in alignment and may abut. The planar part 22 of each lid portion 20 stands proud of the rim 16 when the lid portion 20 is in the closed position. 35 Each lid portion 20 is hinged to the rim 16 via a hinge 27 such that each lid portion 20 can pivot between its open and closed positions.

4 The receptacle 12 and lid portions 20 are moulded as a one-piece construction. Each lid portion 20 defines a receiving formation in the form of a recess 28, there being a recess associated with each tab 18 of the rim 16. In more detail, the lid portion 20 defines a skirt member 30 and each recess 28 is defined in the skirt member 5 30. As can best be seen in Figures 1, 2 and 3, each tab 18 projects away from the access opening 14 in a plane parallel to the access opening 14. Each tab 18 is receivable in its associated recess 28 to lock the lid portion 20 releasably in the closed position relative to the receptacle 12. As shown in Figure 5, an outer surface 32 of the rim 16 tapers inwardly from a 10 top surface 34 of the rim 16 forming a tapered portion 36, and the skirt member 30 of the lid portion 20 has a complementary taper 38. As can best be seen in Figure 2, the rim 16 has rounded corners 40, and the tabs 18 are arranged at extremities of each corner 40. The tapered portion 36 of the rim 16 extends at least between the tabs 18 of each 15 corner 40. In addition to the tab 18 being received in its associated recess 28 to lock the lid portion 20 releasably in the closed position relative to the receptacle, the tapered portion 36 of the rim 16 and the complementary taper 38 of the skirt member 30 of the lid portion 20 cooperate to maintain the lid portion 20 in the closed position and to inhibit lateral movement of the lid portion 20, relative to the receptacle 12, in a plane 20 substantially parallel to the plane in which the planar parts 22 lie when the lid portions 20 are in the closed position. This arrangement reduces the likelihood of such lateral movement resulting in one or more of the tabs 18 becoming disengaged from their associated recesses 28 and therefore reduces the likelihood of the lid portion 20 being released from the closed position. 25 A channel 42 is formed in the tapered portion 36 of the outer surface 32 of the rim 16 underlying the tapered portion 36 and assist in retaining the lid portions 20 in their closed position. The produce container 10 includes a stiffening formation 50 associated with each lid portion 20. The stiffening formation 50 inhibits flexing of the associated lid 30 portion 20 when the lid portions 20 are in their closed positions. The rim 16 of the receptacle 12 defines a lip 52 on which the stiffening formation 50 bears when the lid portion 20 is in its closed position to inhibit flexing of the associated lid portion 20 when the lid portions 20 are in their closed position. The stiffening formation 50 is arranged about a part 54 (Figure 1) of a periphery 35 56 of each lid portion 20. The stiffening formation 50 does not extend along the free edge 24 of the lid portion 20. By not including the stiffening formation 50 along the 5 free edge 24 an internal volume defined by the receptacle 12 is maximised when the lid portions 20 are in their closed position. Maximising the internal volume allows for the greatest amount of produce to be packed into the receptacle 12. The stiffening formation 50 is an upwardly open channel-shaped formation 58 5 arranged about the part 54 of the periphery 56 of each lid portion 20. The formation 58 includes a stepped web 60 which includes the skirt member 30. As can be seen in Figure 1, the stepped web 60 joins an inner wall 62 and an outer wall 64 of the formation 58. The stepped web 60 complements the shape of the rim 16 of the receptacle and bears against the rim 16 when each lid portion 20 is in its closed 10 position. The inner wall 62 supports the planar part 22 of the lid portion 20 above the rim 16 when the lid portion 20 is in its closed position. The stiffening formation 50 includes bevelled ends 66 which start adjacent the free edge 24 of the lid portion 20 and taper downwardly towards the hinge 27 of the lid portion 20. Because the recesses 28 are defined by the skirt member 30, the width of the 15 part 54 is great enough to accommodate the recesses 28. As the part 54 is made wide enough to accommodate the recesses 28, the action of the stiffening formation 50 to inhibit flexing of the associated lid portion 20 is enhanced without compromising the strength of the rim 16. As can be seen in Figure 6, the bevelled ends 66 of the closed lid portions 20 20 together define an opening 68, at each end of the container 10, through which air can circulate for ventilation. Openings 70 are also formed in the planar part 22 of the lid portion 20. As is best seen in Figure 9, openings 72 are formed in the base 26. Also, as can be seen in Figure 7, an opening 74 is also defined by a recessed formation 76 in the rim 16 of the receptacle 12 and a complementary recessed formation 78 in the stepped 25 web 60 of the lid portion 20 between the hinges 27. These openings 68, 70, 72 and 74 also facilitate ventilation of the interior of the container. In use, the lid portions 20 are pivoted to their open positions and produce is placed into the receptacle 12. The lid portions 20 are then pivoted to their closed positions and locked in this position by the tabs 18 clipping into engagement with the 30 recesses 28 of the rim 16. In order to ship containers 10, a plurality of containers 10 are stacked into a carton (not shown) such that a number of containers 10 are stacked one on top of the other. The base 26 of one container 10 sits on the planar parts 22 of another container 10. The weight of a container 10 which sits on another container 10 acts to force the web 60 against the lip 52 of the rim 16. The web 60, the inner wall 62 35 and the outer wall 64 support the lid portions 20 against the weight and inhibit flexing 6 of the lid portions 20. It will be appreciated that the lid portions 20 will flex to some degree but not to an extent that packed produce will be severely damaged. In addition to the weight of one or more containers 10 stacked one on top of the other bearing downward on containers 10 positioned lower in a stack, during 5 transportation of a carton, lateral movement of the containers within the carton relative to each other can also occur. The weight of laterally moving containers 10 acts to force the lid portions 20 of lower stacked containers to move laterally with respect to the plane in which they lie. However, as described above, the provision of the tabs 18 on the rim 16 of the receptacle 12 and the tapered portion 36 of the rim 16 and the 10 complementary taper 38 of the skirt member 30 of the lid portion 20 cooperate to maintain the lid portions 20 in the closed position and to inhibit lateral movement of the lid portions 20, relative to the receptacle 12, in a plane substantially parallel to the plane in which the planar parts 22 lie when the lid portions 20 are in the closed position. 15 In addition, when the lid portions 20 are in their closed position, a label (not shown) may be adhered to the planar parts 22 of the lid portions 20 over the aligned free edges 24 of the lid portions 20. The label acts as a tamper-evident device as the label must be removed or torn in order to pivot the lid portions 20 to their open position. 20 It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

3. The container of claim 2, wherein an outer surface of the rim includes a tapered 20 portion which tapers inwardly from a top surface of the rim, the skirt member of the lid portion having a complementary taper.
4. The container of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rim has rounded corners, with the tabs being arranged at extremities of each corner. 25
5. The container of claim 4, wherein the tapered portion of the rim extends at least between the tabs of each comer.