U.S. patent application number 11/515603 was filed with the patent office on 2008-03-27 for secondary protective lid.
Invention is credited to Melvin L. Druin, John Pope.
Application Number | 20080073369 11/515603 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39157744 |
Filed Date | 2008-03-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080073369 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Druin; Melvin L. ; et
al. |
March 27, 2008 |
Secondary protective lid
Abstract
The present invention relates to a secondary lid for use with a
package containing a foodstuff. That package has an opening that is
initially sealed at purchase but the opening is unsealed by the
consumer in order to obtain access to the contents of the package.
There is a secondary lid that is affixed to the package and which
reseals the opening and protects the contents from the external
environment. The secondary lid may contact a flap or flaps of the
package to hold the flap or flaps tightly closed to the opening or,
in the case of a liquid, there may be a plug that enters the
opening to prevent the contents from spilling. In any case, there
is a seal formed in the secondary lid that surrounds and seals the
opening from the environment to protect against the intrusion of
air or moisture or other contaminants.
Inventors: |
Druin; Melvin L.;
(Avon-by-the-Sea, NJ) ; Pope; John; (Wendever,
GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ROGER M. RATHBUN
13 MARGARITA COURT
HILTON HEAD ISLAND
SC
29926
US
|
Family ID: |
39157744 |
Appl. No.: |
11/515603 |
Filed: |
September 5, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/799 ;
220/784 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 51/20 20130101;
B65D 51/18 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/799 ;
220/784 |
International
Class: |
B65D 43/00 20060101
B65D043/00; B65D 41/16 20060101 B65D041/16 |
Claims
1. A secondary lid for reclosing a package containing foodstuffs
and having at least one openable covering proximate to an opening
in the package, the secondary lid providing a spring bias for
retaining the secondary lid onto a package wherein the secondary
lid, when retained onto a package, seals the opening in a package
to protect the contents of the package from the external
environment.
2. The secondary lid as defined in claim 1 wherein the secondary
lid has a seal thereon that at least partially surrounds the
opening in the package
3. The secondary lid as defined in claim 2 wherein the seal on the
secondary lid fully surrounds the opening in the package.
4. The secondary lid as defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one
openable covering is at least one flap that is adapted to be held
in a closed position by the secondary lid to seal the opening in
the package.
5. The secondary lid as defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one
openable covering is an aluminum foil covering adapted to be
punctured by a straw.
6. The secondary lid as defined in claim 5 wherein the secondary
lid has a plug having a distal end that interfits into the opening
in the package to seal the opening.
7. The secondary lid as defined in claim 6 wherein the plug has a
circular rib located at or proximate to the distal end.
8. The secondary lid as defined in claim 1 wherein the secondary
lid has a spring clip that clips to the package and holds the at
least one covering to seal the opening.
9. The secondary lid as defined in claim 8 for use with a box
having sides, end panels, a bottom and a top, and wherein the at
least one covering comprises a pair of flaps that overlap to close
the opening in the package and wherein the spring clip spans the
top of a package and is spring clipped to the sides of a package so
as to contact and hold the two flaps together to seal the contents
of a package.
10. The secondary lid as defined in claim 9 wherein the spring clip
is U-shaped having two sidewalls extending outwardly and said
sidewalls each have a surface facing inwardly with a gripping
device formed thereon to grip the sides of a package.
11. The secondary lid as defined in claim 10 wherein the gripping
device comprises a plurality of projections extending outwardly
from the surface of the sidewalls.
12. The secondary lid as defined in claim 1 wherein the secondary
lid is comprised of a plastic material.
13. The secondary lid as defined in claim 1 wherein the secondary
lid is comprised of a plastic material containing a biocide.
14. The secondary lid as defined in claim 1 wherein the secondary
lid comprises a flat base having sidewalls extending therefrom and
when said sidewalls are tapered inwardly.
15. A package having a secondary lid affixed thereto, said package
having an opening formed therein and at least one covering adapted
to close the opening, the secondary lid affixed to the package and
sealing the opening after the at least one covering has been
opened.
16. The package as defined in claim 15 wherein the secondary lid
has a surface contacting the at least one covering to hold the at
least one covering in its closed position.
17. The package as defined in claim 16 wherein the package has
sides and the secondary lid has a spring bias to grip the sides of
the package.
18. The package as defined in claim 16 wherein the secondary lid
has a gripping device to grip the sides of the package.
19. The package as defined in claim 18 wherein the gripping device
includes a plurality of projections extending outwardly from the
surface.
20. The package as defined in claim 15 wherein the secondary lid
has a flat base and lateral sidewalls extending in cantilever
manner therefrom wherein the width of the flat base is greater that
the width between the free ends of the sidewalls.
21. The package as defined in claim 15 wherein the at least one
covering is a pouring spout.
22. The package as defined in claim 15 wherein the at least one
covering is an aluminum foil covering adapted to be punctured by a
straw.
23. The package as defined in claim 15 wherein the lid has a
floating seal that seals against the package and surrounds the
opening in the package.
24. The package as defined in claim 15 wherein the at least one
covering comprises a pair of flaps covering an opening in the top
of the package, and wherein the secondary lid contacts the flaps to
hold the flaps closed and the secondary lid further has an unbroken
floating seal that surrounds and seals the opening.
25. The package as defined in claim 23 where the floating seal
comprises at least one flexible mechanical seat that seals against
the package under spring pressure.
26. The package as defined in claim 23 wherein the floating seal
comprises at least one rib-like projection that surrounds and seals
the opening.
27. The package as defined in claim 26 wherein the at least one
rib-like projection comprises a plurality of rib-like projections
that surround and seal the opening.
28. The package as defined in claim 23 wherein the floating seal is
formed on an inwardly directed bowed portion formed in the
secondary lid.
29. A method of secondarily sealing a package having an opening and
at least one covering proximate to the opening, the at least one
covering being puncturable to open the opening in the package, said
method comprising the steps of: providing a secondary lid
dimensioned to cover the opening and having a continuous seal
formed therein, securing the secondary lid to the package to
position the continuous seal to surround the opening in the package
to seal the opening from the external environment.
30. The method of claim 29 wherein the step of securing the
secondary lid on the package comprises exerting a spring bias
against the package by the secondary lid.
31. The method of claim 29 wherein the step of securing the
secondary lid to the package comprises securing the lid to form an
unbroken floating seal surrounding the opening in the package.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to packaging for
materials, and, more particularly, to a secondary lid that is used
to re-close and reseal a package that has been opened by a
user.
[0002] There are many differing types, sizes and shapes of packages
that are currently used for products such as comestibles. As an
example, cereal is currently packaged in a multiserve paperboard
box having an internal polyethylene bag enclosing the cereal and
that packaging is used to transport the goods from the manufacturer
to the grocery outlets and thereon to the ultimate consumer. The
paperboard box is adequate to meet the functional end-use
requirements of product protection, safety, quality and delivered
shelf life, however, once the box and internal polyethylene bag are
opened by the consumer, the integrity of the package is
sacrificed.
[0003] In general, the polyethylene bag cannot be easily resealed
by the consumer to prevent moisture and oxygen from entering the
polyethylene bag and affecting the contents therein. In addition,
while there are tabs and the like provided by the manufacturer that
are intended to allow the resealing of the flaps of the paperboard
box, those tabs or other means are not particularly effective in
closing and sealing the flaps and often tear off or are opened
incorrectly by the consumer, thereby thwarting the possibility of
resealing the box flaps to secure the integrity of the
contents.
[0004] As such, the outside air can readily invade the interior of
the present packages, once opened, despite attempts by the consumer
to reseal the package and there is an undesirable intrusion of
oxygen and moisture as well as foreign bodies, including insects,
that can render the contents undesirable and even inedible. Thus,
the consumer wastes money by having to throw away the contents of
the package where there is cereal or other edible foodstuffs still
contained within the package.
[0005] There is a further type of package that is used for
containing and delivering drinks and the like and which is often
referred to as a "brick pack". Basically, that type of package is
in the shape of a brick, a three dimensional rectangular shape, and
can be constructed of paperboard, plastic, aluminum foil or such
and is commonly used for juice, juice drinks, water, sports drinks
etc. and the brick packages are normally sold in volumes of 4, 6 or
8 ounces for children or adults to consume the contents. There is
generally a sealed straw hole in the package that has an adhesive
aluminum foil covering and which can be punctured by a sharp end of
a straw that is provided with the package. As such, the consumer
simply punctures the aluminum covering to insert a straw through
the opening for access to the contents.
[0006] Again, there is a problem with this type of package in that
once the sealed opening is initially breached, it cannot be
resealed and thus, in the event the person cannot finish the drink
at one time, the unconsumed contents are wasted or spilled.
[0007] Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a secondary
lid that would hold and seal the normal flap or flaps of the
package or close the breached opening of a brick pack in order to
the seal the contents of the package after it has been initially
opened.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there
is a secondary lid that can be easily affixed to a package, such as
a box for foodstuffs, and which provides a seal to protect the
contents of the package from the intrusion of oxygen, moistures or
certain contaminants. In effect, the secondary lid of the present
invention is usable with a package that is intended for multiple
uses to extend the life of the foodstuff contained in that package
by providing additional protection for the foodstuff after the
package has been initially opened. The secondary lid is preferably
comprises of an inexpensive plastic material although other
materials can be used.
[0009] In an exemplary embodiment of the secondary lid of the
present invention, there is a clip that is clipped over the top of
the package and which contacts the flaps of the package to secure
those flaps in their closed positions. The clip is held to the
package by means of a spring force that is designed into the clip
and there may also be gripping devices that contact the sides of
the package and aid in securing the clip firmly to the package. In
such embodiment, the secondary lid acts to hold the flaps of the
package in their closed positions to seal the contents of the
package from the external environment.
[0010] The secondary lid is therefore affixed to the top of a
package and, in certain embodiments, there is a floating seal that
surrounds the opening in the package, thereby creating a tortuous
path for oxygen, moisture or contaminants to reach the contents of
the package. In such embodiments, the secondary lid supplements the
normal closure that may be by means of a flap, flaps or pourer that
is normally a part of the original package.
[0011] In a still further embodiment, there is a secondary lid that
is secured over an opening in a package such as brick pack, after
an aluminum foil covering has been punctured by a straw that enters
the opening covered by that aluminum foil. The secondary lid has,
as with the prior embodiments, a seal that surrounds the opening to
seal the liquid contents therein to protect against the intrusion
of the surrounding environment as well as prevent spillage or
leakage of the liquid remaining within the package. In this
embodiment, the secondary lid may also have a tapered plug that is
oriented so as to enter the opening and plug up that opening.
[0012] These and other features and advantages of the present
invention will become more readily apparent during the following
detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings
herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a package having a secondary
lid affixed thereto and constructed in accordance with the present
invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the secondary lid of FIG.
1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a
secondary lid of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the secondary lid
of FIG. 3;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the
present invention;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a still further embodiment
of the present invention used with a brick pack;
[0019] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the underside surface of the
FIG. 6 embodiment; and
[0020] FIG. 8 is a side, cross sectional, view of the secondary lid
of the FIG. 6 embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0021] Turning first to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view
of a package 10 having a secondary lid 12 secured thereto in
accordance with the present invention. In this exemplary
embodiment, the package 10 is illustrated as a typical cereal box
having lateral sides 14, end panels 16 and a top 18. As is
conventional, the top 18 is comprised of two flaps 20 that meet,
and normally slightly overlap, at the free ends 22 at about the
center of the top 18.
[0022] Turning to FIG. 2, there is a perspective view of the
secondary lid 12 of the present invention, taken along with FIG. 1.
As can be seen, the secondary lid 12 is in the shape of a clip that
is generally U-shaped having a flat base 24 with two sidewalls 26
that extend therefrom. Thus, when the secondary lid 12 is affixed
to the package 10 in its operative position, the flat base 24
overlays the top 18 of the package 10 and contacts the flaps 20 to
hold those flaps 20 in their closed position. At the same time, the
sidewalls 26 extend downwardly over the lateral sides 14 and
provide a spring loading against those lateral sides 14 to retain
the secondary lid 12 in the operative position as shown in FIG.
1.
[0023] The spring loading is the result of both the mechanical
design and use of a stiff, yet flexible plastic material used to
construct the secondary lid 12, that is, the spring loaded seal
mechanism and overall strength of the seal is controlled by the
choice of the plastic material as well as the thickness and
geometric shape of the sidewalls 26 that allow the sidewalls 26 to
move in a controlled manner to grip the lateral sides 14 of the
package 10 during the use of the secondary lid 12.
[0024] As such, the secondary lid 12 can be tapered inwardly in
order to provide the spring loading against the lateral sides 14 of
the package 10. As an example, therefore, the width (W) of the flat
base 24 that fits over the top 18 of the package 10 can be about
the width of the package 10 between its lateral sides 14. On the
other hand the width or separation between the cantilever ends of
the sidewalls 26 (w) is less that the width W of the flat base 24
which represents the inward taper that creates a spring loading
against the lateral sides 14 of the package 10. The inward taper of
each lateral side is thus (W-w)/2 and that taper determines the
amount of force exerted by the sidewalls 26 against the lateral
sides 14 of the package 10.
[0025] As an enhancement to the spring loading, the sidewalls 26
can have an inwardly bowed portion 28 that contacts the lateral
sides 14 of the package 10 and there may also be gripping devices
30 provided in the inner surface of the sidewalls 26 to aid in the
surface gripping against the lateral sides 14 of the package 10.
The gripping devices 30 can comprise a plurality of projections
that may be a conical, triangular or other configuration.
[0026] As can now be appreciated, the secondary lid 12 can be
manufactured using a number of standard plastic processes, such as,
but not limited to, injection molding, extrusion of sheet and
vacuum forming. In addition, the secondary lid 12 can be sold with
the package 10 itself as a promotional item, either as a clear or
opaque plastic, and may or may not have graphics printed thereon,
or the secondary lid 12 can be sold separately as a stand-alone
retail item having the same features as described.
[0027] The secondary lid 12 can, of course be made of differing
dimensions to accommodate a wide variety of packages, that is, the
dimensions of the secondary lid 12 can be designed having differing
length, width and depth dimensions and still provide the
advantageous features heretofore described.
[0028] Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown a perspective view of
a further embodiment of a secondary lid 32 of the present invention
affixed to a package 10 and the package 10 can be the same as
illustrated in FIG. 1 and, therefore, the same identification
numbers have been employed i.e. lateral sides 14, end panels 16 and
a top 18. Again, the top 18 is comprised of two flaps 20 that meet,
and normally slightly overlap, at the free ends 22 at about the
center of the top 18.
[0029] With this embodiment it can be seen that the secondary lid
32 fully surrounds the top 18 of the package 10, that is, the
perimeter of the secondary lid 32 fully extends around the upper
surface of the package 10. Thus, the secondary lid 32 has a top 34,
lateral sides 36 and end walls 38 and the secondary lid 32 slides
over and snugly fits onto the top 18 of the package 10. Again, as
with the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the dimensions of the
secondary lid 32 can be varied in accordance with the particular
dimensions and configuration of the package 10.
[0030] Turning to FIG. 4, taken along with FIG. 3, there is, in
this embodiment, a floating seal 40 that is formed on the internal
surface of the lateral sides 36 and end walls 38 of the secondary
lid 32. The floating seal 40 can be comprised of a plurality of
continuous rib-like projections 42 that surround the top 18 of the
package 10 and form the continuous floating seal 40 to prevent air
and moisture from passing through the floating seal 40 to reach the
internal area of the package 10 where the contents could be
affected.
[0031] The rib-like projections 42 can be conical in shape and are
forcefully held against the exterior of the package 10 by means of
spring tension. As such, there can be some inward deflection of the
secondary lid 32 as it is positioned atop of the package 10 such
that the inward spring force actually moves the secondary lid 32
inwardly thereby compressing the rib-like projections 42 to enhance
the seal against the package 10. The floating seal 40 thus allows
the closure of the package 10 and the floating seal 40 floats and
adapts itself to the contour of the package 10 and adjusts for size
tolerance variations in the dimension of the package 10. The
floating seal 10 thereby forms an unbroken seal that surrounds the
opening in the package 10 to prevent the intrusion of elements in
the surrounding environment.
[0032] On one or both sides of the floating seal 40, there can be
formed a narrowed portion forming a hinge 44 and the stiffness and
tension of the floating seal 40 can be adjusted by increasing or
decreasing the thickness of the hinges 44 or by the introduction of
live hinges. There can be number of integrated molded hinges formed
on either side of the floating seal 40 as either a single hinge or
as multiple hinges. In addition, the plastic material and design
features such as shape and dimensions can also control the
stiffness and effectiveness of the floating seal 40.
[0033] As with the secondary lid 12 of the FIG. 1 and 2 embodiment,
the secondary lid 32 of this embodiment can be produced by any
number of methods, however, injection molding is the preferred
method of manufacture. The plastic material can also be a variety
of plastics according to the needs of the particular secondary lid
32. For a durable lid, the material can be increased in thickness.
Again, there may be indicia imprinted on or formed on the secondary
lid 32 in the form of advertising, promotional material or other
such indicia.
[0034] As an option, a biocide could be added to the plastic to
provide bacteria resistance and to further enhance the value of the
secondary lid 32 in providing reclosability to help preserve the
integrity of the contents of any package.
[0035] Turning now to FIG. 5, there is shown a perspective view of
a package 10 having a secondary lid 46 affixed thereto. In this
embodiment, the package 10 is of the type having a pourer 48
located in an end panel 16 covering an opening and therefore is
used with foodstuffs such as rice, baking soda and other foods that
are packed in a rectangular or square shaped paperboard box and
which need to be poured therefrom.
[0036] The secondary lid 46 still encircles the entire perimeter of
the top 18 of the package 10, however the floating seal 50 is
localized and surrounds the pourer 48 and, of course, the opening
underneath the pourer 48. The floating seal 50 can be the same as
described in the FIG. 3 and 4 embodiment and again, the floating
seal 50 surrounds the opening located underneath the pourer 48 to
prevent air or moisture or the like from entering through that
opening so as to protect the contents of the package 10.
[0037] Turning now to FIG. 6, there is shown a perspective view of
a still further embodiment of the present invention for use with a
brick pack package 52 and, as can be seen, the secondary lid 54 is
in the shape of a clip that is generally U-shaped having a flat
base 56 with two sidewalls 58 that extend therefrom. As with the
embodiment of FIG. 1, when the secondary lid 54 is affixed to the
brick pack package 52 in its operative position, the flat base 56
overlays the top 60 of the package 52 and the sidewalls 58 extend
downwardly over the lateral side panels 62 and provide a spring
loading against those lateral side panels 62 to retain the
secondary lid 54 in the operative position as shown.
[0038] Again, the spring loading is the result of both the
mechanical design and use of a stiff, yet flexible plastic material
used to construct the secondary lid 54, as well as the inwardly
bowed portion 64 that contacts the lateral sides 62 of the package
52 and hold the secondary lid 54 to the package 52. A similar
gripping function can be used in the two downwardly extending ends
66 of the secondary lid 54 that grip the ends 68 of the package 52.
The gripping can also be enhanced by the tapering inwardly of the
sidewalls 58 and the ends 66 in the manner described with respect
to the dimensions of FIG. 2. As with the FIG. 2 embodiment, there
can also be a plurality of gripping devices 30 on either or both of
the ends 66 and sidewalls 58 of the secondary lid 54.
[0039] As also can be seen in FIG. 6, there is a plug 70 that is
preferable tapered and which extends downwardly into the opening 71
in the package 52 to seal that opening. As explained, with a brick
pack package 52, there is an opening 71 that is initially, as sold,
covered by a secured covering, such as an aluminum foil, and which
is punctured by the user with a sharp end of a straw supplied with
the package in order to get access to the contents. The straw is
normally inserted through the opening 71 into the package 52 to
remove the contents.
[0040] As such, the plug 70 is oriented on the lower surface of the
secondary lid 54 so that when the secondary lid 54 is affixed to
the package 52, the plug 70 is aligned with the opening 71 and as
the secondary lid 54 is attached, the plug 70 enters into the
opening 71 in the package 52 and seals the opening 71 from the
surrounding atmosphere and prevents spillage of the contents. A
circular, unbroken floating spring seal 75 is formed on the
underside of the secondary lid 54 to surround the opening 71 to
seal the opening 71 against the intrusion of the external
environment.
[0041] Turning now to FIG. 7 and there shown a perspective view of
the underside surface 73 of the secondary lid 54 and, in FIG. 8, a
side cross sectional view of the secondary lid 54 illustrating the
tapered plug 70 that enters into the opening 71 of the package 52.
There is a circular rib 72 that is formed on the tapered plug 70 at
or proximate to the distal end 74 of the plug 70 and which aids in
sealing the opening 71 in the package 52.
[0042] There can also be seen in FIGS. 6-8, a floating spring seal
75 that is formed on the underside surface 73 of the secondary lid
54 and which is a generally circular, unbroken floating spring seal
75 such that when the secondary lid 54 is in position atop of the
brick pack package 52, the floating spring seal 75 surrounds the
opening and prevents the intrusion of the external environment. The
floating spring seal 75 can be formed of a thin membrane that is
bowed in the direction of the top 60 of the brick pack package 52
so as to press against the top 60 and form the floating seal.
[0043] Those skilled in the art will readily recognize numerous
adaptations and modifications which can be made to the secondary
lid of the present invention which will result in an improved
secondary lid for a package to protect the contents therein, yet
all of which will fall within the scope and spirit of the present
invention as defined in the following claims. Accordingly, the
invention is to be limited only by the following claims and their
equivalents.
* * * * *