GB2162821A

GB2162821A - Container with removable lid

Info

Publication number: GB2162821A
Application number: GB08420354A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ronald Heaton
Original assignee: Lin Pac Mouldings Ltd
Current assignee: Linpac Mouldings Ltd
Priority date: 1984-08-10
Filing date: 1984-08-10
Publication date: 1986-02-12
Also published as: GB2162821B; GB8420354D0

Abstract

A container having an open top formed by side walls 2 to 4 has a lid comprising two (or more) lid parts 9 and 10 hinged together at 11. The side wall 3 has an external flange 6 which is slidably received during fitting of the lid over the open top within channel 14 of the lid part 9. The lid part 10 carries a pair of "L" shaped lugs 12 which are pivotal with the part 10 and relative to the part 9 to engage within apertures 7 in flanges 5 on opposite sides of the container to locate beneath the flanges 5 and restrain the parts 8 and 9 from being lifted off the container. The lid part 8 has a flange 15 located oppositely to the channel 14 which engages over a flange 6 on the side wall 2 and is lockable to that side wall to secure the lid. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An.assembly of a container and a removable lid Technical field and background art This invention relates to an assembly comprising a container and a removable lid and is particularly concerned with containers having an open top formed by the upper edges of a first pair of opposed upwardly extending side walls and a second pair of opposed upwardly extending side walls to which a removable lid having two or more lid parts which are hingedly connected together is intended to be fitted. Container and lid assemblies as aforementioned are well known for use as tote boxes or the iike, for example as disclosed in our G.B. Specification No. 2,108,933.With these assemblies, where the lid and container are usually plastics mouldings, there is often a requirement for the lid to be fitted to the container in a simple manner and thereafter sealed or locked for security purposes and for the lid to engage with the container in such a manner as to alleviate its unauthorised removal without first removing the seal or lock. It is an object of the present invention to provide a container and removable lid assembly which satisfies the aforementioned requirement.

Statement of invention and advantages According to the present invention there is provided an assembly comprising a container and a removable lid, said container having a floor and and an open top formed by upper edges of a first pair of opposed upwardly extending side walls and a second pair of opposed upwardly extending side walls; said lid having two lid parts connected together by a hinge region which extends transversely relative to the first pair of side walls with the lid fitted to close the top; one of said second pair of side walls having first retaining means adjacent to its upper edge and a first of the lid parts having a downwardly extending flange incorporating second retaining means which, with that lid part overlying the open top, is engageable with the first retaining means by sliding movement of the lid to fit the first lid part to the container, and wherein the second lid part carries downwardly extending lug means adjacent to the hinge region which lug means is pivotally movable with the second lid part and relative to the first lid part and the first pair of side walls have abutment means adjacent the upper edges thereof, said lug means being displaceable into engagement beneath the abutment means by pivotal movement of the second lid part onto the upper edges of the container and with the first lid part fitted thereto so that the engagement of the lug means and the second retaining means with the container restrains the lid from being lifted off the container.

Preferably the lug means is located to engage beneath the abutment means on the first pair of side walls at or near the mid-way region between the second pair of side walls. By the proposal of the present invention, particularly with the above preference, it is envisaged that when the lid is fitted to the container so that the second lid part is lowered onto the upper edges of the container, the second lid part can be sealed or locked (for example by securing a padlock between the second lid part and a side wall at a position remote from the lug means).Such a seal together with the engagement of the lug means with the abutment means and of the first retaining means with the second retaining means will resist attempts to lever the lid from the container - particularly at the mid-length region of the first pair of side walls (in the preferred arrangement) where container and lid assemblies of the type to which the present invention relates are usually most vulnerable to unauthorised access.

Preferably the first retaining means on the one of the second pair of side walls is in the form of an external projection such as a flange at or adjacent the upper edge of that side wall and the second retaining means on the flange of the first lid part is in the form of a channel which is movable into engagement with the aforementioned external projection during sliding movement in fitting the first lid part to the container. It will however be appreciated that alternative first and second retaining means can be provided, for example where projections on the flange of the first lid part engage in apertures or recesses in the appropriate side wall of the container.

The lug means is preferably a pair of L-shaped lugs which are movable into engagement (during pivotal displacement of the second lid part) one with each of the first pair of side walls to engage beneath parts of those side walls. In a preferred arrangement the first pair of side walls have internal or external flanges extending laterally therefrom at or adjacent their upper edges and which flanges are provided with apertures or recesses through which the lug means are received during fitting of the lid to the container so that the lugs move into engagement beneath the flanges (which latter serve as the abutment means). The engagement of the lug means with the abutment means during pivotal movement of the second lid part can conveniently serve to draw the second retaining means on the first lid part into close engagement with the first retaining means.

The second lid part preferably has a downwardly extending flange which is located to engage over the second of the second pair of side walls with the lid fitted to the container. Such a flange on the second lid part may snap engage with the aforementioned side wall and can provide a convenient location for a padlock, seal or other locking means by which the second lid part is secured to the side wall.

Preferably each of the lid parts has downwardly extending flanges which extend downwardly on the outside of the container adjacent to the upper edges of the first pair of side walls when the lid is fitted to the container Preferably each of the container and lid is formed as a one piece injection moulding in Dlastics material so that, in the case of the lid, the hinge, lid parts and lug means are integral. It will also be realised that the lid can have more than two lid parts which are hingedly connected together.If required- one or more additional hinged lid parts between the first and second lid parts can be provided with the lug means which engage with respectively associated abutment means on the first pair of side walls (during pivotal movement of the respective lid parts in fitting the lid to the container) to provide additional means for retaining the lid.

Drawings One embodiment of an assembly having a container and a removable lid constructed in accordance with the present invention, will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings in which Figure I is a plan view of the lid where the upper half of the Figure illustrates the underside of the lid and the lower half of the Figure illustrates the top side of the lid; Figure 2 is a section of the lid taken on the line A - A of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end elevation of the lid in half section taken on the line B of Figure 1; Figure 4 diagrammatically shows the fitting of the lid in Figure 1 to the container, and Figure 5 diagrammatically shows the lid of Figure 1 when fitted and secured to the container.

Detailed description of drawings The assembly illustrated includes a container 1 (see Figure 5) which is injection moulded in plastics material to have a floor (not shown) extending upwardly from which are a pair of opposed side walls 2 and a pair of opposed end walls 3 and 4 the upper edges of which walls form a substantially rectangular open top to the container. The upper edges of the side and end walls are provided with an outwardly extending flange 5 which carries a downwardly extending flange 6. Each of the flanges 5 which extend outwardly from the upper edges of the side walls 2 is provided, in the mid-length position of the side walls 2, with a downwardly extending aperture 7.

The container 1 is intended to be fitted with a lid 8 shown in Figures 1 to 3. The lid 8 is formed as a one piece moulding in plastics material comprising two lid parts 9 and 10 which are connected together by a hinge region 11 that extends laterally with respect to the side walls 2. Extending downwardly from the lid part 10 at positions adjacent to the hinge region 11 are a pair of laterally spaced Lshaped lugs 12. The lid 8 is intended to provide a close fit over the top of the container and the edge of the lid part 9 remote from the hinge 11 has a downwardly extending flange 13 forming an internal channel 14 within which is to be received, as a relatively close fit, a projection formed by the flange 6 on the end wall 3. The edge of the lid part 10 remote from the hinge 11 is also provided with a downwardly extending flange 15 carrying a lip 16.

In fitting the lid 8 to the container 1, the lid part 9 is mounted on the upper edges of the end wall 3 and side walls 2 and slidably displaced over the container so that the flange 6 on the end wall 3 is accommodated within the channel 14 as shown in Figure 4. During such displacement of the lid, the lid part 10 is pivoted through the hinge 11 to a position remote from the container. The lid part 10 is now lowered on to the upper edges of the side walls 2 and end wall 4 by pivotal movement relative to the lid part 9 as indicated by the arrow-17.

During this pivotal movement of the lid part 10 its downwardly extending lugs 12 pass one through each of the apertures 7 (in the flanges 5 along the side walls 2) so that portions of the lugs 12 move through the apertures 7 and are closely received beneath abutments formed by the underside of the respective flanges 5 as shown in Figure 5. In addition the flange 15 and its lip 16 snap engages over the flange 6 on the side wall 4. During the pivotal movement of the lid part 10 from the condition shown in Figure 4 to that shown in Figure 5 it is preferred that the engagement of the lugs 12 with their respective apertures 7 provides a reaction which draws the lid part 9 so that its channel 14 moves into closer engagement with the projection formed by the flange 6 on the end wall 3.

With the lid closed over the container as shown in Figure 5 a padlock 18 or other sealing or security device can be attached through appropriately aligned apertures in the flange 15 and the flange 6 on end wall 4 thereby restraining that end of the lid from being raised from the container;-the midlength region of the lid is restrained from being raised by the lugs 12 and the opposite end of the lid is restrained from being raised by the engagement of the channel 14 with the flange projection 6. For additional security and the protection of contents within the container, the longitudinally extending side edges of the lid parts 9 and 10 are provided with downwardly extending flanges 19 which extend over the outside of the flanges 6 on the side walls 2.

Claims

1. An assembly comprising a container and a removable lid, said container having an open top formed by upper edges of side walls and said lid comprising at least two lid parts hingedly connected together; said side walls comprising first retaining means and a first of said lid parts having downwardly extending flange means incorporating second retaining means which, with the lid overlying the open top, is engageable with the first retaining means by sliding movement of the lid to fit the first lid part to the container; a further lid part which carries downwardly extending lug means which lug means is pivotally movable with the further lid part and relative to the first lid part, and the side walls further comprise abutment means, said lug means being displaceable into engagement beneath the abutment means by pivotal movement of the further lid part onto the upper edges of the container and with the first lid part fitted thereto, and wherein the lid has, at a position remote from the downwardly extending flange means, lockable means between which and said flange means the lug means is located, said lockable means being capable of being secured to the side walls and, together with the engagement of the lug means with the abutment means and of the second retaining means with the first retaining means, restrains the lid from being lifted off the container.

2. An assembly comprising a container and a removable lid, said container having a floor and an open top formed by upper edges of a first pair of opposed upwardly extending side walls and a second pair of opposed upwardly extending side walls; said lid having two lid parts connected together by a hinge region which extends transversely relative to the first pair of side walls with the lid fitted to close the top; one of said second pair of side walls having first retaining means adjacent to its upper edge and a first of the lid parts having a downwardly extending flange incorporating second retaining means which, with that lid part overlying the open top, is engageable with the first retaining means by sliding movement of the lid to fit the first lid part to the container, and wherein the second lid part carries downwardly extending lug means adjacent to the hinge region which lug means is pivotally movable with the second lid part and relative to the first lid part and the first pair of side walls have abutment means adjacent the upper edges thereof, said lug means being displaceable into engagement beneath the abutment means by pivotal movement of the second lid part onto the upper edges of the container and with the first lid part fitted thereto so that the engagement of the lug means and the second retaining means with the container restrains the lid from being lifted off the container.

3. An assembly as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 in which the first retaining means is in the form of an external projection and the second retaining means is in the form of a channel which is moveable into engagement with said external projection during sliding movement in fitting the first lid part to the container.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 3 in which the external projection is in the form of a flange on the container.

5. An assembly as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 in which the first retaining means comprises an aperture or recess in the container and the second retaining means comprises a projection on downwardly extending flange means of the first lid part which is movable into engagement with said aperture or recess during sliding movement in fitting the first lid part to the container.

6. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the lug means comprises a pair of substantially L-shaped lugs which are movable into engagement one with each of two abutment means located on opposite sides of the container.

7. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the side walls of the container have on opposite sides thereof internal or external flanges provided with apertures or recesses through which the lug means are respectively received during fitting of the lid so that the lug means move into engagement beneath said flanges and the latter serve as the abutment means.

8. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the engagement of the lug means with the abutment means during pivotal movement of the lug means with its lid part draws the second retaining means on the first lid part into close engagement with the first retaining means.

9. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which each of the lid parts has peripheral flange means which extend downwardly on the outside of the container side walls adjacent to the upper edges thereof when the lid is fitted to the container.

10. An assembly as claimed in claim 2 or in any one of claims 2 to 9 when appendant thereto in which the second lid part has a downwardly extending flange which is located to engage over the second of the second pair of side walls with the lid fitted to the container.

11. An assembly as claimed in claim 10 in which the downwardly extending flange on the second lid part is snap engageable with the second lid part.

12. An assembly as claimed in either claim 10 or claim 11 in which the downwardly extending flange is lockable or sealable to secure the second lid part to the container side wall.

13. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the lid is a one piece injection moulding in plastics with the hingedly connected lid parts formed integral.

14. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the container is a one piece injection moulding in plastics.

15. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which, other than for said first lid part, each of at least two hingedly connected lid parts are provided with downwardly extending lug means which are pivotally movable with their respective lid parts into engagement beneath respectively associated abutment means on the side walls to restrain those respective lid parts from being lifted off the container.

16. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the open top of the container is substantially rectangular.

17. An assembly having a container and a removable lid substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings.