U.S. patent application number 15/523743 was filed with the patent office on 2017-11-23 for two-piece container lid.
The applicant listed for this patent is WM. WRIGLEY JR. COMPANY. Invention is credited to Paul J. ANGELONI, Christopher H. CUNNINGHAM, Justin NUNEZ.
Application Number | 20170334613 15/523743 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54542564 |
Filed Date | 2017-11-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170334613 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ANGELONI; Paul J. ; et
al. |
November 23, 2017 |
TWO-PIECE CONTAINER LID
Abstract
A two-piece lid (10) for a product container is provided and
includes a base (102) attachable to the container, wherein the base
having a corner portion, wherein the base defines a first opening
(106) and a second opening (108) having a smaller size than the
first opening, and the second opening having a depression (110) at
the corner portion. The product container also has a single cover
having a major portion (116) for removably covering the first
opening and a minor portion (118) for removably covering the second
portion, wherein the cover has a bottom surface and the minor
portion of the cover has a skirt portion (120) on the bottom
surface of the cover, and the skirt portion is sized to fit the
depression on the base.
Inventors: |
ANGELONI; Paul J.; (Chicago,
IL) ; CUNNINGHAM; Christopher H.; (Grays Lake,
IL) ; NUNEZ; Justin; (Lindenhurst, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
WM. WRIGLEY JR. COMPANY |
Chicago |
IL |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
54542564 |
Appl. No.: |
15/523743 |
Filed: |
November 2, 2015 |
PCT Filed: |
November 2, 2015 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US2015/058542 |
371 Date: |
May 2, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62074614 |
Nov 3, 2014 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 2251/1083 20130101;
B65D 47/0876 20130101; B65D 43/161 20130101; B65D 47/089
20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65D 43/16 20060101
B65D043/16; B65D 47/08 20060101 B65D047/08 |
Claims
1. A two-piece lid for a product container comprising: a base
attachable to the container, wherein the base having a corner
portion, wherein the base defines a first opening and a second
opening having a smaller size than the first opening, and the
second opening having a depression at the corner portion, and a
single cover having a major portion for removably covering the
first opening and a minor portion for removably covering the second
portion, wherein the cover has a bottom surface and the minor
portion of the cover has a skirt portion on the bottom surface of
the cover, and the skirt portion is sized to fit the depression on
the base.
2. The lid of claim 1, wherein the cover is connected to the base
by at least one snap-fit connection.
3. The lid of claims 1 and 2, wherein the major portion and minor
portion of the cover are joined by at least one hinge connection to
allow the cover to pivot.
4. The lid of claims 1 to 3, wherein the major portion of the cover
has a top surface and a bottom surface, and the bottom surface
having a ridge to frictionally engage with the base.
5. The lid of claims 1 to 4, wherein the major portion and minor
portion of the cover comprises a tab on each portion.
6. The lid of claims 1 to 5, wherein the depression has a depth
that is more than 1/4 (one fourth) the depth of the base.
7. The lid of claims 1 to 6, wherein the depression has a depth
that is more than 1/2 (one half) the depth of the base.
8. The lid of claims 1 to 7, wherein the depression has a depth
that is more than 2/3 (two thirds) the depth of the base.
9. The lid of claims 1 to 8, wherein lid has a shape selected from
the group consisting of a rounded square and a rounded
rectangle.
10. The lid of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a second corner
portion at the first opening.
11. The lid of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first opening and major
portion define a first dispensing direction and the second opening
and the minor portion define a second dispensing direction and the
first and second dispensing direction being substantially
opposite.
12. The lid of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a side wall on
the skirt portion of the cover to frictionally engage with the
base.
13. The lid of claims 1 to 12, wherein the cover is connected to
the base by at least one welded connection.
14. The lid of claims 1 to 13, wherein the cover is
transparent.
15. The lid of claims 1 to 14, wherein the cover is
semi-transparent.
16. The lid of claims 1 to 15, wherein the lid is configured to
have a snap-fit connection with a container.
17. The lid of claims 1 to 16, wherein the base has a rim with one
or more flanges on the rim configured to snap-fit with a
container.
18. The lid of claims 1 to 17, wherein the base and the cover are
made of plastic.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] This invention relates generally to a two-piece lid for a
product container, and more specifically a lid with a base
attachable to the container and a cover covering the base for
retail packaging.
[0002] Containers fabricated from plastic, paperboard, and/or
corrugated paperboard material are often used to package and
display goods for retail marketing. Product containers are
important to marketing, storage, and dispensing of product. At
least some known containers are recloseable, such that a consumer
may remove product and securely maintain the remaining products in
the container, However, at least some such containers include
opening(s) which may limit consumer access if the size and
orientation of the opening(s) are not properly designed. Sometimes
a consumer may want to dispense a product one at a time and at
other times may want to dispense multiple products at a time.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0003] In one aspect, a two-piece lid for a product container is
provided and includes a base attachable to the container, wherein
the base having a corner portion, wherein the base defines a first
opening and a second opening having a smaller size than the first
opening, and the second opening having a depression at the corner
portion, and a single cover having a major portion for removably
covering the first opening and a minor portion for removably
covering the second portion, wherein the cover has a bottom surface
and the minor portion of the cover has a skirt portion on the
bottom surface of the cover, and the skirt portion is sized to fit
the depression on the base.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an example embodiment of
a two-piece lid with the cover in an open configuration.
[0005] FIG. 2 is top perspective view of an example embodiment of a
two-piece lid with the cover in a closed configuration from the lid
shown in FIG. 1.
[0006] FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the example embodiment
of FIG. 2, wherein the cover is removed from the base of the
lid.
[0007] FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the example
embodiment of FIG. 2, wherein the cover is removed from the base of
the lid.
[0008] FIG. 5 is a side plan view of the example embodiment of FIG.
2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0009] Provided herein are embodiments for a two-piece lid for a
product container with a base and a single cover covering the
base.
[0010] The lid for a product container herein overcomes the
limitations of known lids. The two-piece lid includes a base that
is attachable to a product container and a single cover covering
the base. The base has a first opening and a second opening having
a smaller size than the first opening. Having two openings on the
base enables consumers to choose whether they want to dispense one
product at a time through the second opening or several products at
time through the first opening. The base also has a corner portion
at the second opening. Having a corner portion on the second
opening helps to guide product pieces in a targeted manner when the
product piece is being dispensed.
[0011] With particular reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in certain
embodiments, lid 10 is fabricated from a plastic material. The
plastic material can be polypropylene, polyethylene, and any number
of appropriate plastic materials that can be molded. In alternative
embodiments, lid 10 is fabricated from any suitable material, and
therefore is not limited to a specific type of material. For
example, in alternative embodiments, lid 10 is fabricated from at
least one of metal, paperboard, cardboard, fiberboard, foamboard,
corrugated paper, and any other suitable material known to those
skilled in the art and guided by the teachings herein provided. As
shown in FIG. 1, lid 10 has a base 102 and a cover 104 that covers
the base. The cover 104 and base 102 may be transparent,
semi-transparent, or opaque and may be colored or not. In certain
embodiments, portions of the cover 104 include printed graphics,
branding, or nutritional information that are printed on or on a
sticker. A product container for a two-piece lid of the present
invention may have an overwrap for tamper evidence or to increase
shelf-life.
[0012] The lid 10 has a rounded square perimeter but it can be
understood that the shape of the perimeter may be a rounded
rectangle, or any other shape that would have at least one corner
portion. Having a lid with a rounded square or rectangular
perimeter and a product container with a similar shape would
maximize space for a container and at the same time minimize the
material.
[0013] The base 102 has a first opening 106 and a second opening
108. The first opening 106 may be bigger than the second opening
108 or in other words the second opening 108 may be smaller than
the first opening 106 of the base. The second opening 108 may be
substantially triangular in shape. As well, the second opening 108
also includes a depression 110 which may be at a corner portion
112. The depression 110 at a corner portion 112 helps in dispensing
product pieces from a container. At the depression 110, a groove
144 may be positioned at the bottom of the depression to better
guide product pieces to dispense out from a container. Product
pieces that can be dispensed from a lid of this invention include
confectionery products like chewing gum, mints, hard candies, chewy
candies, gummies, chocolates, or caramels. Products that are to be
dispensed from a lid of this invention can be of any suitable size
and shape. Examples of such shapes include pill, block, flat stick,
pillow, round, rectangular, triangular, and any combination of
same.
[0014] Additionally, the first opening 106 of the base 102 may also
have a second corner portion 114. At the perimeter of the base,
there may be a ledge 138 that is configured to fit the cover 104.
The ledge 138 and the cover 104 may be configured so that the lid
10 has a flat top profile to provide a clean look for a consumer.
As well, having a flat top profile also aids in stacking multiple
containers on top of one another for easier fit and storage in
bigger cases that would hold multiple containers.
[0015] The cover 104 has a major portion 116 and a minor portion
118. The major portion 116 removeably covers the first opening 106
and the minor portion 118 of the cover removeably covers the second
opening 108. The cover 104 has a bottom surface and a top surface.
On the bottom surface of the cover, the minor portion 118 has a
skirt portion 120 on the bottom surface of the cover 104. The skirt
portion 120 is sized to fit the depression 110 of the base 102. In
another embodiment, the skirt portion 120 may also have a side wall
128 on both sides of the skirt portion 120. The side wall 120 may
further have a protrusion 126 so that the cover 104. The side wall
120 would frictionally engage with the base 102 to keep the lid 10
in a closed configuration. On the major portion 116 of the cover, a
ridge 124 may be on the bottom surface of the cover 104 to
frictionally engage the base 102 so that the cover 104 would remain
closed. There may be protrusions or flanges on the ridge 124 to
better engage the base 102.
[0016] In the illustrated embodiment, the cover 104 has a tab 122
on the major portion 116 and a second tab 124 on the minor portion
118. The tabs provide a place for the consumer to easily open the
cover 104. The tabs may protrude slightly outside the perimeter of
the base 102 so to provide easy access for opening the lid 10. In
an embodiment, the cover 104 has a hinge connection 130. The hinge
connection 130 works to join the major portion 116 and the minor
portion 118 of the cover. Furthermore, the hinge connection 130 is
configured to allow the cover 104 to pivot along a first hinge 134
and a second hinge 136. The first hinge 134 pivots the major
portion 116 and the second hinge 136 pivots the minor portion 136
so that the lid 10 can be in an open or closed configuration.
[0017] Additionally, in the illustrated embodiment, the first
opening 106 of the base and the major portion 116 of the cover are
oriented in a way to provide a first dispensing direction for
product pieces. The second opening 108 and the minor portion 118
are oriented in a way to provide a second dispensing direction
which is substantially opposite of the first dispensing direction.
In alternative embodiments, the dispensing direction may be in the
same direction, perpendicular to each other, or any other direction
to one another. It will be appreciated that any number and size of
openings and corresponding cover may be present in the lid 10 of
the present invention.
[0018] With particular reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, in the example
embodiment where the cover 104 is removed from the base 102, a
better view of the detailed aspects of the lid 10 are shown. The
cover 104 can be connected to the base 102 by at least one snap-fit
connection. Specifically, a snap-fit connection can be made by
having a bar 142 on the base 102 with one or more holes 140 which
can fit a peg 132 in the hole. The peg(s) 132 disposed on the
bottom surface of the cover 104. There can be one peg, two pegs, or
three or more pegs to each snap-fit into a hole on the base 102.
The bar 102 may align to the hinge connection 130 part of the
cover. Alternatively, the cover 104 can be connected to the base
102 by at least one welded connection. A welded connection can be
made between the cover 104 and base 102 by using adhesive or heat
to join the two pieces together.
[0019] In an embodiment, the lid 10 is configured to have a
snap-fit connection with a container. In the illustrated
embodiment, the base 102 has a rim 146 at the bottom edge 152 of
the base. The rim 146 has a perimeter that is slightly smaller than
the bottom edge 152 of the base. The rim 146 can also have one or
more flanges 148. The flanges 148 are protrusion from the rim 146
that can connect to a container by a snap-fit connection. A flange
148 can be on the corner portion 112 of the base 102.
Alternatively, a flange 148 can be on straight portions of the base
102. There may be one, two, or even up to 8 flanges on the rim
102.
[0020] With reference to FIG. 5, the depression 110 has a depth
D.sub.1 measured from the top edge 150 of the base and the bottom
of the depression 154. The base 102 has a depth D.sub.2 measured
from the top edge 150 of the base and the bottom edge 152 of the
base. In an embodiment, D.sub.1 may be more than 1/4 (one fourth)
of D.sub.2. In another embodiment, D.sub.1 may be more than 1/2
(one half) of D.sub.2. In another embodiment, D.sub.1 may be more
than 2/3 (two thirds) of D.sub.2. The depth of the depression
D.sub.1 can in relation to the depth of the base D.sub.2 can be
configured so that a consumer will have an easier time dispensing
product pieces. The bigger the opening, the easier it is to
dispense product pieces but the opening cannot be too big when the
purpose of an opening for a consumer is to dispense one or a few
pieces of product. A base 102 having a depression 110 allows for
smoother dispensing but still allows only one or a few pieces of
product out of the container.
[0021] Example embodiments of a two-piece product container lid are
described above in detail. The lids are not limited to the specific
embodiments described herein, but rather, components of systems
and/or steps of the methods may be utilized independently and
separately from other components and/or steps described herein.
Although specific features of various embodiments of the disclosure
may be shown in some drawings and not in others, this is for
convenience only. In accordance with the principles of the
disclosure, any feature of a drawing may be referenced and/or
claimed in combination with any feature of any other drawing.
[0022] This written description uses examples to illustrate the
disclosure, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to
practice the disclosure, including making and using any devices or
systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable
scope of the disclosure is defined by the claims, and may include
other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other
examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they
have structural elements that do not differ from the literal
language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural
elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language
of the claims.
* * * * *