IE55425B1

IE55425B1 - A closable container

Info

Publication number: IE55425B1
Application number: IE1891/84A
Authority: IE
Original assignee: Dart Ind Inc
Priority date: 1983-10-21
Filing date: 1984-07-20
Publication date: 1990-09-12
Also published as: ES282136U; FI842953A; BR8404279A; CA1259952A; NO158571B; EP0139077B1; DK160931C; DK500084D0; DK160931B; PH21432A; HK8788A; IE841891L; EP0139077A2; AU555249B2; KR850004231A; ZA845891B; PL142979B1; EP0139077A3; MX160519A; NO843316L

Abstract

A closable container, comprising a container, having a throat opening, and a closure member comprising an elastically distortable seal member having a peripheral bead portion that is selectively contractible from a first bead diameter to a second, smaller bead diameter, said bead portion being releasably, sealingly engageable with the inner surface of the throat opening. said throat opening defining a first wall portion having a diameter greater than said first bead diameter, a second wall portion that is formed below and adjacent said first wall portion and has a diameter less than said first bead diameter and at least equal to said second bead diameter, a first annular ledge extending inwardly and disposed between said first wall portion and said second wall portion, and a second annular ledge extending inwardly below said second wall portion. [EP0139077A2]

Description

2 2 55425 This invention relates to a closable container.

Circumstances may arise where a sealable container is needed for medium-term or long-tern storage of articles or substances, yet it is desirable for the container to be 5 easily openable for frequent or repetitive access to its contents. One common instance is the use of an ice bucket to store or transport ice cubes followed or preceded by use of the same bucket for dispensing ice at a social gathering such as a party or picnic. While a firm, positive seal of 10 the bucket is desirable during transport and storage, a loose, easily opened closure of the bucket is preferred during the frequent access to the ice at the gathering.

Storage containers heretofore available have been provided with closures intended for either tight sealing or 15 loose covering, but not both. Although it may be possible to loosely cover a container with a lid intended for tight sealing, typically no means are provided maintaining the lid in a proper orientation and relationship with the container, e.g., the lid may rest skewed and leave gaps or may bind or become stuck. Similarly, containers provided 20 3 with closures intended for loose covering are typically not provided with means for obtaining a tight seal using the same parts.

HS-A-3,756,480 discloses a three-part press type 5 seal comprising a locally distortable closure member contractably and distensibly constructed and having an elastic memory such that it is adapted to hermetically seal an open-mouthed container. The seal has a peripheral bead which may be contracted from a first 10 diameter to a second smaller diameter by depressing a plunger which distorts a seal member formed integrally with the bead. Also disclosed is the use of such a seal to tightly close a container having a generally circular throat with a cylindrical wall and an annular ledge below 15 the wall which are sealingly engaged by the seal bead. Also disclosed in US-A-3,756,480 is the use of such a seal to close tightly a container having a generally circular throat with a cylinder wall and an annular ledge below the wall which are sealingly engaged by the seal 20 bead.

However, there remains a need for a container closure that is adapted for two modes of closing, a first mode in which the closure member rests loosely upon the container and may easily be removed or replaced, yet 25 which provides a uniform closing of the container, and a second mode in which the closure member tightly seals the container. Furthermore, it may be desirable for such a closure to have insulative properties for example when used in a container with hot or cold contents.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a closable container, comprising a container, having a throat opening, and a closure member comprising an elastically distortable seal member having a peripheral 4 bead portion that is selectively contractible from a first bead diameter to a second, smaller bead diameter, said bead portion being releasably, sealingly engageable with the inner surface of the throat opening, said throat opening defining a first wall portion having a diameter greater than said first bead diameter, a second wall portion that is formed below and adjacent said first wall portion and has a diameter less than said first bead diameter and at least equal to said second bead diameter, a first annular ledge extending inwardly and disposed between said first wall portion and said second wall portion, and a second annular ledge extending inwardly below said second wall portion.

Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the present invention meets the aforementioned needs by providing a closure for a container having a generally circular throat opening and a closure member having an elastically distortable seal member with a peripheral bead portion which is selectively contractible from a first bead diameter to a second, smaller bead diameter. The container throat is configured with a substantially cylindrical upper wall portion of a diameter greater than the first bead diameter, and an adjacently substantially cylindrical lower wall portion of a diameter less than the first bead diameter but no smaller than the second bead diameter. & first inwardly projecting annular ledge is situated between the upper and lower wall portions, λ second inwardly projecting annular ledge is situated immediately below the lower wall portion. When the closure member is placed loosely on the container, the 5 peripheral bead rests upon the first ledge encircled, but not engaged, by the upper wall portion. When the peripheral bead is selectively contracted by a distorting force, the closure member may be inserted farther into the container throat with the peripheral bead resting upon the second ledge. The distorting force may then be released, and the peripheral bead will then be sealingly engaged with lower wall portion and seated upon the second ledge.

According to a feature of a preferred embodiment of the invention,the closure member is provided as a three-part press type seal, for example, as described in us-A-3,756,480. The container may be an ice bucket or the like and, in a preferred embodiment, the dead air space within the three-part press type seal is used in a novel way for its insulative value.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, and so that further features thereof may be appreciated, an embodiment of a closable container of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a closable container of the invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the closable container of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a sectional side view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the closure member in a loose resting position; Fig. 5 is similar to Fig. 4, but with the closure member removed; Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the closable container of Fig. 1, but with the closure member removed.

Figs. 1 to 6 illustrate, as one preferred form of a closable container of the invention, an ice bucket. Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2, the ice bucket comprises a container indicated generally at 10 and a closure member 11. The container 10 is substantially cylindrical with a closed bottom and a generally circular throat opening. The closure member 11, shown in Figs.l and 2 in a tightly sealed position, sits within the throat of the container 10. The container 10 presents an upper circumferential rim 12. The closure member 11 has a protruding plunger 13 in its center encircled by a flared flange 14.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the container 10 is constructed in two parts to comprise an outer container 17 and an inner container 16 nested within the outer container 17. The inner container 16 and outer container 17 each has a substantially cylindrical wall 18, 19, respectively, and a substantially planar bottom 21, 22, respectively. The outer container 17 is somewhat larger than the inner container 16 so that a dead air space 23 is formed therebetween. 7 Encircling the upper extent of the outer container 17 there is a flange comprising a horizontal annular portion 24, a depending cylindrical portion 26 and an upstanding slightly outwardly flared portion 27.

Encircling the upper extent of the inner container 16 there is a second horizontal annular portion 28 with a peripheral second depending portion 29. The inner container 16 and outer container 17 are preferably made of resilient materials such as polypropylene and 10 polyethylene, so that the inner side of the said second depending portion resiliently engages the outer side of the upstanding portion 27 in a well known manner thereby forming a unitary, yet disassembleable container 10.

As is most easily seen in Figs. 5 and 6, a throat 15 opening 25, that is generally circular when viewed in plan, is formed at the upper extent of the wall 18 of the inner container 16. The throat opening 25 presents a substantially cylindrical first wall portion 31. A substantially cylindrical second wall portion 32, having 20 a diameter less than that of the first wall portion 31, is formed adjacent and below the first wall portion 31.

An annular, inwardly extending, first ledge 33 is formed between the first wall portion 31 and the second wall portion 32, and an annular, inwardly extending, second 25 ledge 34 is formed below the second wall portion 32.

Thus, the upper and lower ledges are concentric and the upper first ledge 33 has a greater diameter than the lower second ledge 34. 8 The closure member 11 is more clearly illustrated in Fig. 3, wherein it is shown in a position tightly covering the container 10. The closure member may be constructed in accordance with the disclosure of 5 US-A-3,756,480. Briefly described, the closure member 11 comprises, in its general organization, an elastically deformable seal member 36, a top wall 37, and the plunger 13. About the periphery of the seal member 36 there is a bead portion 38 and an upstanding rim 39. The upper edge 10 of the rim 39 engages the circumferential edge of the top wall 37.

The bead portion 38 has a circumferential outer edge 41 and an underside 42. The throat opening 25 of the inner container 16 and the closure member 11 are so 15 dimensioned that, when the seal member 36 is in its relaxed, undistorted state, the inner diameter of the first wall portion 31 is slightly greater than the outer diameter of the bead outer edge 41, and the inner diameter of the second wall portion 32 is slightly less 20 than the outer diameter of the bead outer edge 41. Furthermore, the inner diameter of the second wall portion 32 is substantially equal to or slightly greater than the outer diameter of the bead outer edge 41 when the seal member 36 is in its distorted state and the bead 25 is contracted.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate the two closing modes of the closure of the invention. In Fig. 3, the closure is in the tight sealing mode. The closure member 11 is readied for insertion by depressing the plunger 13 which 9 acts upon the center of the seal member 36 to distort the seal member 36 and contract the bead portion 38 to a diameter small enough for the closure member ll to be Inserted Into the throat opening 25 with the bead 5 underside 42 contacting the second ledge 34. After Insertion, the plunger 13 Is released and elastic forces In the seal member 36 uniformly urge the bead portion 38 outward. The container 10 Is thus tightly sealed with bead outer edge 41 firmly engaging the second wall 10 portion 32 and the bead underside 42 seated upon the second ledge 34. The closure member 11 may be removed by reversing the process just described.

In Fig. 4, the closure is shown in a loose covering mode. The closure member 11 is inserted in its 15 undistorted state into the throat opening 25 until the bead underside 42 comes to rest atop the first ledge 33. In this position, a small annular gap is present between the bead outer edge 41 and the first wall portion 31. The closure member 11 rests properly centered and oriented 20 horizontally without wedging or binding. No gaps are left between the bead underside 42 and the first ledge 33. The closure member 11 may be removed from and replaced into this position with ease.

In a preferred embodiment, the first ledge 33, 25 second ledge 34, and bead underside 41 are equally sloped, thereby imposing a self-centering action on the closure member 11. Although the first wall portion 31 and second wall portion 32 are substantially cylindrical, it is desirable to form the wall portions with an 30 upward and outward draft angle, thus assisting centering the closure member 11 and, additionally facilitating removal of the container from a mould during manufacture. In the preferred embodiment, the draft angle 10 is one degree frcm nominal vertical. It is within the scope of the invention to provide other draft angles or ledge slopes, although the ledges must be close enough to horizontal that no wedging action occurs.

It should be appreciated that when the invention is practiced according to the preferred embodiment, the dead air space 43 of the closure member 11 between the seal member 36 and top wall 37 is useful for thermally insulating the contents of the container 10. It should be understood, however, that the container of the invention is not limited to use in ice buckets or other thermal containers.

Claims

11 CLAIMSi-

1. A closable container, comprising a container, having a throat opening, and a closure member comprising an elastically distortable seal member having a peripheral S bead portion that is selectively contractible from a first bead diameter to a second, smaller bead diameter, said bead portion being releasably, sealingly engageable with the inner surface of the throat opening, said throat opening defining a first wall portion having a diameter 10 greater than said first bead diameter, a second wall portion that is formed below and adjacent said first wall portion and has a diameter less than said first bead diameter and at least equal to said second bead diameter, a first annular ledge extending inwardly and disposed 15 between said first wall portion and said second wall portion, and a second annular ledge extending inwardly below said second wall portion.

2. A closable container according to claim 1, wherein the seal member is a three-part press type seal. 20

3. A closable container according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a dead air space within the closure member provides for thermal insulation.

4. A closable container according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the container is an ice bucket. 25

5. A closable container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first and second annular ledges and the bead portion underside are equally sloped downwardly and inwardly. 12

6. A closable container according to any one of claims l to 5, wherein the first and second wall portions are substantially cylindrical.

7. A closable container according to claim l, 5 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. F.R. KELLY & CO., AGENTS FOR THE APPLICANTS.