U.S. patent application number 09/746683 was filed with the patent office on 2001-12-06 for form fitting lightweight container cover.
Invention is credited to Forman, Robert D..
Application Number | 20010047977 09/746683 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26868731 |
Filed Date | 2001-12-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010047977 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Forman, Robert D. |
December 6, 2001 |
Form fitting lightweight container cover
Abstract
A lightweight form fitting container cover having a top surface,
a bottom surface, and an integrally formed rim projecting
downwardly from the bottom surface and defining an interior space
within the rim, and further having at least one layer of deformable
foam inserted into the interior space within the rim for a form fit
over the upper rim of a container.
Inventors: |
Forman, Robert D.; (Las
Vegas, NV) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CRAIG STAINBROOK
Johnson & Stainbrook, LLP
Suite 203
3550 Round Barn Blvd.
Santa Rosa
CA
95403
US
|
Family ID: |
26868731 |
Appl. No.: |
09/746683 |
Filed: |
December 22, 2000 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60173047 |
Dec 24, 1999 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
215/348 ;
215/347 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 53/06 20130101;
B65D 53/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/348 ;
215/347 |
International
Class: |
B65D 053/04; B65D
053/06 |
Claims
What is claimed as invention is:
1. A lightweight form fitting container cover, comprising:
lightweight lid having a top surface, a bottom surface, and an
integrally formed rim projecting downwardly from said bottom
surface and defining an interior space within said rim; at least
one layer of deformable foam inserted into the interior space
within said rim.
2. The lightweight form fitting container cover of claim 1, wherein
said lid is fabricated from rigid lightweight plastic.
3. The lightweight form fitting container cover of claim 2, wherein
said cover is made from injection molded plastic.
4. The lightweight form fitting container cover of claim 1 wherein
said at least one layer of deformable foam is fabricated of a
thermosetting foam resin.
5. The lightweight form fitting container cover of claim 5, wherein
said thermosetting foam resin is selected from the group consisting
of open cell polyurethane foams, PVA foam, HYPOL foam, pipe
insulation foam, and structural buoyancy foams used in fiberglass
boat manufacture, or any combination of these.
6. The lightweight form fitting container cover of claim 5 wherein
said thermosetting foam resin is expanded polystyrene foam having a
chemical formula of (C.sub.8H.sub.8)n.
7. The lightweight form fitting container cover of claim 6 wherein
said EPS has a density in the range of 0.5 to 4.0 pcf,
inclusive.
8. The lightweight form fitting container cover of claim 1 wherein
said at least one deformable foam layer is inserted as a preformed
sheet.
9. The lightweight form fitting container cover of claim 1 wherein
said at least one deformable foam layer is poured into the interior
space defined by said rim and allowed to set until hardened.
10. The lightweight form fitting container cover of claim 1,
further including a second layer of thermoplastic resin interposed
between said deformable foam layer and said bottom surface of said
container cover.
11. The lightweight form fitting container cover of claim 10
wherein said second layer of thermoplastic resin is made of
STYROFOAM.
12. The lightweight form fitting container cover of claim 1 wherein
said deformable foam layer is attached to said cover with adhesive.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of
U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/173,047, filed Dec.
24, 1999.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates generally to container and
tank covers, and more particularly to a lightweight container cover
having a foam filled interior space for snuggly fitting on the rim
of a wide variety of container.
[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] The field of lids for vessels is crowded, particularly as it
pertains to lids that provide a leak proof fit and seal. In some
applications, however, when a water-tight seal is not required, and
further when the vessel is constructed of heavy and/or fragile
materials, such that handling the vessel lid is difficult and
requires careful handling, when the vessel is adapted to stand
upright and has a top opening only, and when access to the vessel
interior is only occasionally required, it may be preferable to
have a tightly fitting lid that may be easily removed, easily
handled, and easily replaced. These conditions and circumstances
apply to toilet tanks and toilet tank lids, as is well known.
[0006] The typical toilet tank lid matches the material and
relative costs of the tank and toilet to which it belongs.
Accordingly, toilet tank lids are generally made of a heavy ceramic
or similar material. They are heavy, unwieldy, fragile, expensive,
and rigidly fixed in size so that they can be seated on only one
size and kind of tank (typically proprietary), and then usually
only loosely. Moreover, ceramic lids frequently break and must be
replaced.
[0007] Toilet tank lids seem to be peculiarly vulnerable to
breakage and are a favorite target of vandals and clumsy people.
Yet in many if not most states, a house or other dwelling cannot be
rented or sold with an exposed toilet tank. Accordingly, there is a
large demand for after market toilet tank lids, and many attempts
have been made to provide a tank lid that overcomes the many
undesirable features outlined above.
[0008] The most recent example is perhaps U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,612
to Turner, which discloses a plastic replaceable tank cover having
sides, a lip around the sides, and a resilient restraining device
installed on the bottom surface of the lid that has spring arms
movable in a plane generally parallel to the bottom surface of the
lid for resiliently pressing against the inside surface of the
toilet tank wall, thereby clamping the tank wall between the lip
and spring arms.
[0009] While the tank lid disclosed in the '612 patent solves many
of the problems of tank lids generally, the tank lid disclosed
therein still suffers a few defects: first, it is adapted to fit
only one size of tank; and second, it involves several moving
parts. The device itself is complex, as is its manufacture. This
liability applies equally to earlier advances in the art,
including: U.S. Pat. No. 2,238,699 to Levine, which discloses an
adjustable cover for flush tanks; U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,548, to
Groombridge et al, which discloses a lightweight water closet shell
comprising monolithic molded plastic basin and cistern components;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,428 to Korol, which teaches a water closet tank
formed of molded plastic and having a lid with interlocking keys
and tabs which engage complementary grooves in the tank; and U.S.
Pat. No. 2,745,110 to Lyster, Jr., which discloses a locking cover
for toilet flush tanks.
[0010] There remains a need for an easily handled, lightweight tank
lid that fits and seats securely on a wide variety of toilet tanks
or other similarly constructed liquid-containing vessels.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment
of the form fitting lightweight container cover of the present
invention, shown relative to a complementary tank;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the underside of the lid of
FIG. 1;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the underside of the
container cover of the present invention, shown embodied as a
toilet tank cover;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view in elevation of the
lid of FIG. 3;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of an alternative
embodiment of the present invention, showing the lid having only a
perimeter layer of deformable foam;
[0016] FIG. 6 a cross-sectional side view in elevation of the
container cover of the present invention depicting the cover having
a two layers of differentially deformable foam; and
[0017] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view in elevation of the
inventive cover, showing an embodiment having an upper rim for
containing objects placed on the cover's upper surface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment
of the form fitting lightweight container cover of the present
invention, shown relative to a complementary tank, and FIG. 2 is a
perspective view of the underside of the lid of FIG. 1. These views
show that the form fitting lightweight container cover of the
present invention, generally denominated 10, comprises a
lightweight lid 12 having a top surface 14, a bottom surface 16,
and an integrally formed rim 18 projecting downwardly from said
bottom surface, said rim having an exterior side 20 and an interior
perimeter 22 and defining an interior space 24 or cavity within the
boundary or interior perimeter of the rim. The lid is preferably
fabricated from rigid lightweight plastic, and more preferably
molded plastic. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the interior
perimeter 22 of the interior space of the lid is generally designed
with dimensions slightly in excess of the dimensions of the upper
rim 26 of the vessel 28 for which it is intended as a cover. When
embodied as a toilet tank cover, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, it may
be shaped and sized to fit the specific proprietary dimensions of
the upper rim of the toilet tank.
[0019] As illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5, and 7, at least one layer 30
of any one of a number of suitable thermosetting foam resins, or a
combination of more than one of such resins, is inserted as a
preformed sheet, or is poured or molded into the interior space
adjacent to, and preferably bonded with, the rim and the bottom
surface, and is then allowed to set until hardened so as to extend
and expand the effective width of the rim. However the foam is
placed into the interior space, it comprises a deformable foam
region or border 32 that deforms in response to a firm placement on
the rim of the top of the toilet tank to form a channel into which
the tank rim tightly fits. That is, when the user wishes to fit and
secure the tank cover on a tank or vessel, he or she simply centers
or fits the cover as desired and presses firmly down on the cover
to deform the foam border into a form fit on the tank rim. Channels
will be formed in the foam to perfectly mate with the interior and
exterior side surfaces of the tank to secure the cover firmly. The
cover will not wobble or move about, will not rattle, and will
prevent and resist a significant amount of water leakage.
[0020] FIG. 6 shows the cover having a first layer 34 and a second
layer 36 of foam. Depending upon the intended application, only one
or both of the layers may be deformable. Alternatively, only one
layer may be deformable while the second is resilient and assumes
its original shape after deformation under pressure. In either
embodiment, having one or two or more layers, the foam provides
both a
[0021] As depicted in FIG. 5, the foam border may constitute a
frame or border 38 which itself defines an interior space in which
there is no foam. Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 6, and
7, the foam region may entirely fill the space interior to the
cover rim. The latter design provides the desirable feature of
sound attenuation. Thus, mechanical sounds connected with toilet
flushing are somewhat dampened by the preferred embodiment of the
tank cover of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 7 illustrates a container cover having an upwardly
extending rim 42 to contain objects placed on top of the cover.
[0023] Materials suitable for use as the foam layer include any of
a number of three-dimensional porous materials having a reticulated
or latticelike configuration in cross section and which is pliable
and conformable. Examples include open cell polyurethane foams, PVA
foam, HYPOL foam, insulating foam for pipes, and structural
buoyancy foams used in fiberglass boat manufacture, though the most
desirable foam material for deformable foam is expanded polystyrene
(EPS) foam having a chemical formula of (C.sub.8H.sub.8)n, with
flame retardant additive. The preferred material for a second,
non-deformable layer is STYROFOAM.RTM., a product in the
polystyrene family. [STYROFOAM is a registered trademark of The Dow
Chemical Company, Midland, Miss.] Densities at or around two pounds
per cubic foot (2 pcf) have been shown to particularly effective,
though less dense and more dense foams may be used, particularly in
the range of 0.5 to 4.0 pcf. The foam itself may bond to the tank
cover at the time of manufacture, or, alternatively, an adhesive
material 40 (FIG. 7) may be applied to the tank cover and/or foam
to bond the foam to the cover's underside interior surfaces.
[0024] In certain applications, for example hospitals, it may be
desirable to inhibit the growth of microrganisms on toilet
surfaces. To that end, either before fitting the cover to the tank
or after, the foam border or region may be coated with a thin film
of nonporous material for easy cleaning.
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