EP0595497A2

EP0595497A2 - Nestable lidded container

Info

Publication number: EP0595497A2
Application number: EP93308058A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Timothy Mckay
Original assignee: Dynoplast Ltd
Current assignee: Dynoplast Ltd
Priority date: 1992-10-28
Filing date: 1993-10-08
Publication date: 1994-05-04
Also published as: GB2271982A; EP0595497A3; GB9222613D0

Abstract

A lidded container which allows two or more containers to be nested together has a rectangular body (10) and a lid (12) attached to it by a first hinge (11) along one of the upper edges of the container. The lid is in two sections (13, 14) which are hinged to each other by a second hinge (15) parallel to the first hinge (11). The structure allows the lid to be folded upon itself and stowed against an outside face of the container, in which position the container can be nested.

Description

The present invention is a lidded container which may be designed in a form which allows two or more containers to be nested together.
Containers are available which are designed to protect their contents, for example food products, from pollution or tampering and which for that purpose are provided with lids. Such lids may allow full containers to be stacked on top of each other but when the containers are empty it is desirable that they be able to fit into each other to form a compact pile of nested containers.
To make nesting possible, containers have been provided with removable lids. The removable lids may be designed to be folded in a direction transverse to their lengths, to enable each lid to be placed within the associated empty container and thereby allow the containers to be nested. However the provision of a removable lid makes it much more difficult to maintain the security of the contents of the container in normal use.
Clearly it would be better from the security point of view if a container could be provided with a lid which remains attached to it but which still allows superimposed containers to be satisfactorily nested together. It is an object of the present invention to provide such a container.
The container according to the present invention is generally rectangular (including square) and has a lid attached thereto by means of a first hinge along one of the upper edges of the container, the lid itself being in two sections, which are hinged together along a line parallel to the first hinge. By virtue of the two parallel hinges, the lid can be folded upon itself and in turn swung outwardly into a position in which the folded lid lies against or close to one of the upright sides of the container, to permit the container to be nested.
The container itself is generally rectangular but, because the lid is not intended to be stowed within the container (unlike a conventional removable lid), it is not necessary for the container to have one pair of opposite sides longer than the other pair. In other words, the container may be square in plan view if desired. To enable the containers to be nested, it is highly desirable that the sides of the container be inclined a little relative to the vertical, that is, that the container be somewhat tapered downwardly.
Preferably, the first hinge, by which the lid is attached to the container, is formed integral with the container, for example as a line or zone of reduced thickness in the structure of the lidded container. Even if the first hinge is not integral with the container, it is desirable to form the lid itself in a single piece with an integral hinge. Quite apart from the manufacturing benefit that forming two connected parts in one piece avoids the need for an assembly operation in the connecting together of those parts, there is the operational benefit that integral hinges are in general more readily kept clean, for example of crumbs and other food debris, than assembled hinges. Thus it is particularly preferred that the container and the two sections of the lid be all formed together as a unitary whole, for example by injection moulding in a plastics material.
The position of the hinge within the lid (the "second" hinge) relative to the sides of the lid which are parallel to it is a matter of choice. While the second hinge may divide the lid into two sections of equal area, it is preferred that the two sections be of at least slightly different areas, to enable one lid section to be folded to fit within the other lid section. In one preferred form, the areas of the two lid sections are approximately in the ratio of 2:1.
If desired the second hinge may be such as will allow the two lid sections to fold together in one relative direction, in which case they preferably fold generally downwardly, that is, towards the interior of the container. However in a preferred form of the invention, the lid sections are able to fold together in both relative directions. In this way, it becomes possible for the lid to be opened only partly in use if desired, while leaving the balance of the contents unexposed; the lid may be folded in the opposite direction for subsequent nesting of the container.
Preferably the lid has on its upper surface projections to aid in locating and retaining the base of a similar container thereon when full containers are to be stacked.
The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example only, one preferred embodiment of the lidded container according to the present invention and wherein:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the container, in a first partially open condition;
Fig. 2 is a corresponding view of the container in a second partially open condition;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view from the other side, showing the container in a fully open condition; and
Fig. 4 is an end elevation of two such containers nested together.

The illustrated container is in the form of a generally rectangular box 10, the sides and ends of which are inclined somewhat inwardly in a downward direction to permit two superimposed containers to fit into each other as shown in Fig. 4. In the region of the upper edge of one of the long sides of the container, an integral hinge 11 is formed, by means of which a lid 12 is connected to the box in a manner which allows the lid to be swung into a horizontal position in which it closes the box.
The lid 12 is formed in two sections, which are identified in the drawings by the reference numerals 13 and 14 respectively. The two lid sections are connected together by an integral hinge 15. The box 10, lid sections 13 and 14 and hinges 11 and 15 are moulded in a single piece by injection moulding in polypropylene or an alternative plastics material, the hinges being formed as zones of reduced thickness. Projections 16, which extend upwardly from the top surface of the lid 12, assist stacking of two or more boxes in a closed condition.
Figs. 1 and 2 respectively show ways in which the lid may be partially opened to allow access to the contents of the box. In Fig. 1, the lid has been folded downwardly about the hinge 15 and then moved rearwardly to expose the box contents. In Fig. 2, the lid section 14 has been swung upwardly about the hinge 15, so that the contents are only partially exposed, the rest of the contents being protected against inadvertent contamination by means of the lid section 13, which remains closed.
As shown in Fig. 3, the lid may be swung further about the hinge 11, beyond the partially-open position of Fig. 1, into a condition in which the folded lid lies close to the adjacent side of the box. In this condition, two or more open boxes may be nested together as illustrated in Fig. 4.
Thus, by means of the present invention, a container is provided which, in the illustrated embodiment, may be placed in open, partially-open and closed positions by simple folding of the lid about two hinges and may be stacked when closed and nested when open.

Claims

A nestable lidded container characterised in that it comprises a generally rectangular (including square) container (10) and a lid (12) attached thereto by means of a first hinge (11) along one of the upper edges of the container, the lid itself being in two sections (13, 14), which are hinged together along a line (15) parallel to the first hinge (11).
A nestable lidded container according to Claim 1 characterised in that the sides of the container (10) are inclined a little relative to the vertical.
A nestable lidded container according to either of the preceding claims, characterised in that said first hinge (11) is formed integral with the container (10).
A nestable lidded container according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the lid (12) is formed as a single piece with an integral hinge (15).
A nestable lidded container according to Claim 4, characterised in that the container (10) and the two sections (13, 14) of the lid (12) are all formed together as a unitary whole.
A nestable lidded container according to Claim 5, characterised in that it is formed by injection moulding in a plastics material.
A nestable lidded container according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the two sections (13, 14) of the lid (12) are of different sizes.
A nestable lidded container according to Claim 7, characterised in that the areas of the two sections (13, 14) of the lid (12) are approximately in the ratio of 2:1.
A nestable lidded container according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the two sections (13, 14) of the lid (12) are so hinged together (15) that they are able to fold together in both relative directions.
A nestable lidded container according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the lid (12) has on its upper surface projections (16) to aid in locating and retaining the base of a similar container thereon.