MXPA00013007A - Container having a snap fit selectively detachable lid - Google Patents

Abstract

A resilient microwavable container (10) including a bowl (12) and a selectively detachable snap on lid (14) is disclosed. The lid includes a plurality of protrusions (84) which snap over a pair of annular flanges (80, 82) extending outwardly from the bowl whereby a distinct clicking sound can be heard to verify the lid is properly attached.

Description

REC I PI ENTE THAT YOU ARE IN A COVER SELECTIVELY REMOVI BLE DE PONT DE PONT ICO TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates generally to a container useful for storing and transporting articles such as food and, more particularly, to a container that includes a bowl and a selectively removable cap for snap fit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE CA Containers, particularly those used to reheat food in a microwave oven, should generally be relatively inexpensive and easy to use. Additionally, such containers must be versatile in use, i.e., capable of withstanding drastically different environments such as occurs when the container is transferred directly from the refrigerator or freezer to a microwave oven, for example. With respect to these microwave containers, although a primary focus in the art has been to provide a good seal between the limpet and the bowl, relatively little attention has been paid to the physical integrity of the mechanical connection between the lid and the bowl. In addition, the commercially available microwave containers known to fail to provide an audible sound that is indicative of the lid and bowl being in sealing engagement upon joining.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a container that includes a bowl and a selectively removable lid that includes a sealing arrangement that allows relatively easy attachment and detachment. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a high volume, low cost production container made from an elastic material. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a container that provides an audible sound by attaching the lid to the bowl which is indicative that a good seal has been made. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a lid that resists inadvertent detachment from the corresponding bowl. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an elastic container which is useful in various environments such as refrigerator freezers and microwave ovens. In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a microwave container is provided that includes a bowl and a selectively peelable lid, each having lips that extend outwardly. The lip of the bowl and the lid have at least one, and preferably, a series of protrusions and flanges therein which slidably engage each other during the attachment and detachment of the bowl lid in such a way as to make a audible click sound to verify that the container is sealed. The cooperation of the protuberances with the flanges, in the sealed position, resists the inadvertent detachment of the lid of the bowl. In one embodiment, the lip of the bowl includes at least one flange that extends outwardly substantially annular and the lip of the lid has at least one protrusion extending inwardly. In an alternate embodiment, the lip of the bowl includes at least one protrusion extending outwardly while the lip of the lid includes at least one flange extending inwardly. The container of the present invention can be thermoformed economically from any of a number of known thermoplastic resins including, but not limited to polyamides, polyacrylics, polyarylates, polycarbonates, polyesters, polyetherimides, polyetherketones, polyolefins, polyphenylenes, polyvinyl chlorides, and several polymers of styrene and liquid crystal, among others. The various aspects, objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from a review of the following description of the drawings and the invention in detail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a disassembled perspective view of a container made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention; Figure 2 is a disassembled sectional view of the container of Figure 1 taken along line 2-2; Figure 3 is an assembled perspective view of the container; Figure 4 is a disassembled perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a container made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention; and Figure 5 is a disassembled sectional view of the container of Figure 4 taken along line 5-5.

MODES OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Referring generally to Figure 1, a container 10 is shown including a bowl 12 and a selectively detachable lid 14 formed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. From the beginning, it should be noted that although the container is generally illustrated as being round, the container may be of several other configurations such as oval, rectangular or square as non-limiting examples. The bowl 12 generally includes a bottom 16 and a continuous side wall 18 that extends vertically from the bottom defining a bowl cavity 88. Integrally connected to the vertically extending side wall is a substantially continuous L-shaped lip 20 which includes a first leg 24 extending outward from the side wall and a second leg 26 extending downwardly from the first leg. The second leg 26 of the continuous lip includes a pair of substantially annular flanges 80 and 82 that extend outwards, respectively. By "substantially annular" it is meant that the eyelashes 80 and 82 extend around a majority of the second leg, however, the eyelashes do not need to be continuous. As can be seen more clearly with reference to Figure 3, the upper portion 22 of the side wall 18 preferably includes an inwardly extending annular knot 28 which helps to confirm the seal coupling between the lid and the bowl as it will be described later in more detail. The lid 14 generally includes a body 30 having a lip 32 peripherally disposed which overlaps a portion of the lip 20 provided in the bowl by attachment. The lip 32 generally has an inverted U-shape in cross section that includes a first leg 34 which extends from the body, a second leg 36 and a network 38 disposed therebetween as shown more clearly in Figure 3. Extending towards in from the second leg 36 of the lip 32 there is a plurality of protuberances 84 spaced apart in a circumferential manner. The protuberances 84 which are generally disposed in the vicinity of the terminal edge 86 of the second leg 36 are preferably rounded to reduce the separation force required to detach the lid from the bowl. Preferably, the total number of protuberances will include at least 10 and, more preferably, be 20 or more. As illustrated, it is also preferable that the protrusions 84 are spaced equidistantly around the lip 32. When the lid 14 is attached to the bowl 12, the protuberances 84 snap fit on both annular flanges 80 and 82 thereby helping to secure the lid. to the bowl. As the protrusions snap onto the annular flanges, the snap action provides a distinctive click sound that provides an audible indication that the interfit seal has been made between the cap and the bowl. This so-called adjustment seal occurs when the first leg 34 of the lip 32 advances over the annular knot 28 until the seal point engages with the inner surface of the side wall 18, as shown in Figure 3. A member is provided. 40 of rigid tongue designed to resist bending at the point of attachment to the sealing lip 32 and extends outwardly from the second leg 36. The tongue member 40 which is substantially triangular in shape is shown as including a floor 42 and a peripheral edge 44. The floor 42 is provided with a plurality of spaced apart vertical ribs 46 including a first rib 50 disposed along a longitudinal centerline drawn through the tab as designated by the reference number 48. Arranged in opposite sides of the first rib, are second and third ribs 52 and 54, respectively, which extend angularly away from the longitudinal centerline 48. C Each of the ribs is defined by rather abrupt edges that further increase the structural rigidity of the tongue member. The ribs are placed in specific locations to maximize the stiffness of the tongue and thereby increase the transfer of separation forces from the tongue member to the sealing region, that is, increase the releasability of the bowl lid when desired. For example, the first rib 50 includes a first transverse edge relative to the floor that extends at an angle of between about 3o to about 7o from the longitudinal center line and a second transverse edge extending at an angle of between about 3Q to approximately -7o from the longitudinal center line. Thus, the first rib is generally trapezoidal in shape. The second rib 52 includes a first transverse edge that extends at an angle of between about 8β to about 12 ° from the longitudinal centerline 48 and a second transverse edge extending at an angle of between about 20 ° to about 40 ° from the longitudinal center line. The third rib 54 which is a mirror image of the second rib described above extends at an angle of between about -8 ° to about -12 ° along a first transverse edge and at an angle of between about -20 ° to about -40 ° from the longitudinal centerline along a second transverse edge. Thus, as shown and described with respect to the preferred angular orientations, the second and third ribs extend angularly from the longitudinal center line and are substantially triangular in shape. It should be noted that the designations of negative degrees (-°) in relation to the longitudinal center line are used in the present for clarity and to emphasize that the second and third ribs are preferably mirror images of one another. As such, one skilled in the art will readily recognize, for example, that -3o is equivalent to 357 ° and -7o is equivalent to 353 ° using standard spoke expressions. According to a preferred embodiment, each of the vertical ribs includes a first end 70 ending close to the lip 32 and a second end 72 ending close to the peripheral edge 44 of the tongue. The vertical ribs are generally inclined upward from the second end to the first end at an average inclination of between about 12 ° to 18 ° so that the ribs are joined to the lip 32 near the splice 76 between the net 38 and the second leg 36 The peripheral edge of the tongue member preferably includes a downwardly turned flange 74 which extends below the floor 42 and thus provides a barrier to prevent a user's thumb or finger from slipping away from the tongue member. In order to remove the lid from the bowl, the user pulls the tab member 40 to break the interlocking seal 5. As the lid pulls away from the bowl, the protuberances 84 thus pull on the annular flanges 80 and 82 thus causing the same clicking sound as the one heard when the lid is attached. Referring to Figure 4, an alternate embodiment of the container 10 is shown. According to this embodiment, a series of protuberances 84a are disposed on the second leg 26 of the lip 20 of the bowl and the substantially annular flanges 80a and 82a extend towards in from the second leg 36 of the lip 32 of the lid. Thus, the tabs 80a and 82a respectively snap onto the protuberances 84a which results in the single click sound that is heard when attaching and detaching the bowl lid. In other respects, the container is preferably the same as the container shown in Figures 1-3. As should be understood by reviewing the foregoing description, the lid and bowl assembly forming the container is provided with significant mechanical strength for undesirable detachment of the bowl lid. However, the mechanical strength offered by the annular flanges and protuberances does not substantially increase the separation force required to break the interlocking seal when it is desired to remove the cap from the bowl. further, the audible clicking sound heard when the lid is attached to the bowl clearly indicates to the user that a seal relationship has been made between the components. As noted, although the lid and the bowl can be thermoformed from any of a number of different polymeric materials, it is considered preferable to have a polypropylene homopolymer that optionally includes a slip agent. But using a polypropylene homopolymer, the lid and the bowl can be thermoformed to have an average thickness of between about 0.254 to 1.27 mm and still offer the necessary structural integrity. Although it will be apparent that the preferred embodiments of the disclosed invention are well calculated to meet the stated objectives, it will be appreciated that the invention is amenable to modification, variation and changes without departing from the spirit thereof.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY These containers can be manufactured at low cost to provide economical containers for storage which can be reused or discarded after use.

Claims (17)

1. CLAIMS 1. An elastic microwave holder comprising: a bowl that includes a cavity and a lip that extends outward; a selectively peelable lid that includes a lip; said lid lip and lid lip having at least one protrusion or flange thereon which slidably engage one another during the attachment of the lid to the bowl with which, when the lid is attached to the bowl, it is made an audible click sound to verify that the container was sealed. The container of claim 1, wherein said bowl lip includes a plurality of substantially annular flanges extending outwardly, and wherein the lip of the lid includes a protrusion extending inwardly. The container of claim 1, wherein the bowl lip includes a protrusion extending outwardly and wherein the lip of the lid includes a plurality of tabs extending inwardly. The container of claim 1, wherein said lip of the lid includes a first leg that seats within said bowl cavity, a second leg and a network extending therebetween, said second leg including protrusions that extend into. 5. The container of claim 1, wherein said lip of the lid includes a first leg that seats within said cavity, a second leg and a net that extends between days, said second leg that includes tabs that they extend inwards. The container of claim 1, wherein said protuberances are rounded. The container of claim 1, wherein there are at least 10 of said protuberances. The container of claim 1, wherein said protrusions are circumferentially spaced equidistantly around the lip of the bowl. The container of claim 1, wherein the lip of the lid further comprises at least one rigid tab member extending outward therefrom. 10. An elastic microwave container comprising: a bowl including a bottom, a continuous side wall extending upwardly from said bottom to define a bowl cavity and a lip extending from said side wall including a pair of substantially annular flanges extending outwardly; and a selectively peelable cap that includes a body having a peripheral sealing lip that includes an outwardly extending tab member and a plurality of protrusions extending inwardly; whereby, by attaching said peelable lid to said bowl, said plurality of inwardly extending protuberances snap tight and secure under the annular flanges. eleven . The container of claim 10, wherein said sealing lip includes a first leg and a second leg having a tongue extending therebetween. The container of claim 10, wherein said inwardly extending protuberances that are disposed on said second leg. The container of claim 12, wherein said protrusions extending inwardly are rounded. 14. The container of claim 13, wherein there are at least 10 of said protrusions extending inwardly. 15. The container of claim 13, wherein said plurality of inwardly extending protuberances are circumferentially spaced equidistantly along said sealing lip. 16. The container of claim 12, further comprising at least one rigid tab member extending outwardly from the lip. The container of claim 10, wherein an audible sound is generated as said inwardly extending protuberances snap onto said outwardly extending tabs to provide an audible indication that a seal has been made between the cap and the bowl.