U.S. patent number 3,868,041 [Application Number 05/341,861] was granted by the patent office on 1975-02-25 for can or container with resealable lid.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Lippy Can Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Elmer J. Knize.
United States Patent |
3,868,041 |
Knize |
February 25, 1975 |
CAN OR CONTAINER WITH RESEALABLE LID
Abstract
A can or container provided with a rim adjacent the upper end of
the can or container and extending exteriorly of the body of the
container, a cushioned lid for closing said container, said lid
being removable and resealable on said container to close said
container, clip means for positively securing said lid or cover to
said container, said container having a tapered body to permit
stacking of the containers one within the other during transit
and/or storage.
Inventors: |
Knize; Elmer J. (Chicago,
IL) |
Assignee: |
Lippy Can Co., Ltd. (Chicago,
IL)
|
Family
ID: |
23339326 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/341,861 |
Filed: |
March 16, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/324; 220/319;
220/318 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
45/18 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
45/18 (20060101); B65D 45/00 (20060101); B65d
045/32 () |
Field of
Search: |
;220/55R,55AN,55K,55Y,55.7,91 ;292/256.6 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Petrakes; John
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kraus; Max R.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A can or container having a body with a closed bottom and an
open top, with said body having a top edge, a removable cover for
closing the open top, a rim formed separately from the body of the
container and extending around the exterior of the body and
adjacent the top edge of said body, said rim being shaped to
provide upper and lower vertically extending wall portions
positioned contiguous to the exterior of said container body with
said vertically extending exteriorly spaced wall portion comprising
an offset intermediate portion extending between said upper and
lower vertically extending wall portions, with said vertical wall
portions connected to the vertically offset intermediate portion of
the rim by laterally extending connecting walls at the top and at
the bottom, said cover having an inverted U-shaped peripheral
portion which seats over the top edge of said body for sealing
engagement therewith to permit the cover to be repeatedly removed
and reapplied to close said container opening, said cover having an
outer peripheral bead which is in engagement with the top
connecting wall portion of the rim to limit the downward movement
of said cover when on said container, and a clip detachably
engaging said rim and said cover for securing said cover to said
container, said clip adapted to be removed to permit removal of
said cover.
2. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the peripheral
portion of the cover has the outer peripheral bead and in which the
clip has its upper portion engaging the bead.
3. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the top edge of the
container body is reversely and outwardly bent to form a generally
U-shaped configuration, and in which the upper portion of the rim
is secured in said U-shaped upper edge.
4. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the rim is formed
of metal and in which a carrying bail is secured to said rim, and
in which the inverted U-shaped portion of the cover supports a
gasket.
5. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the rim is provided
with spaced vertically extending grooves which receive said
clips.
6. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the rim is formed
of metal and in which the rim is provided with spaced vertically
extending grooves extending inwardly of the outer plane of the wall
of the rim which grooves receive said clips, and in which the
exterior surface of the clip is substantially flush with the outer
plane of the wall of the rim.
7. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the container is
formed of plastic and the upper portion of the container is
recessed to receive the upper and lower portions of the rim.
8. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the body of the
container slopes inwardly from the top toward the bottom so that
one container can be positioned and nested within the other, and in
which the interior of the container at the top edge thereof is free
of any obstruction to permit nesting of containers.
9. A can or container having a body with a closed bottom and an
open top, with said body having a top edge, a removable cover for
closing the open top, a rim formed separately from the body of the
container and extending around the exterior of the body and
adjacent the top edge of said body, said rim being shaped to
provide upper and lower vertically extending wall portions
positioned contiguous to the exterior of said container body with
said vertically extending exteriorly spaced wall portion comprising
an offset intermediate portion extending between said upper and
lower vertically extending wall portions, with said vertical wall
portions connected to the vertically offset intermediate portion of
the rim by laterally extending connecting walls at the top and at
the bottom, said cover having an inverted U-shaped peripheral
portion which seats over the top edge of said body for sealing
engagement therewith to permit the cover to be repeatedly removed
and reapplied to close said container opening, said cover having an
outer peripheral bead which is in engagement with the top
connecting wall portion of the rim to limit the downward movement
of said cover when on said container, and means associated with
said rim and with said bead of said cover for securing said cover
to said container, said means adapted to permit removal of said
cover, and a carrying bail secured to said rim.
Description
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objective of this invention is to provide a can or container
with an exterior rim adjacent the upper open end of the container
which can be closed by a cover or lid which is resealable to permit
repeated covering and uncovering of the container so that it can be
used repeatedly, and in which removable clips are provided for
detachably securing the cover to the container. The carrying bail
is secured to the exterior rim rather than to the ears which are
normally attached to the container for such a purpose. The
container has a body shaped so that it can be stacked with other
like containers in a telescopic or nested relationship to occupy a
minimum of shipping and storage space.
Another object of this invention is to provide a container formed
with a separate rim which is attached adjacent the upper open end
of the container exteriorly thereof and so constructed that no
portion of the rim extends within the container so that there is no
interference with the upper edge of the container and this permits
the containers to be telescoped or nested one within the other for
storage and shipment.
This invention has particular applicability to large containers,
principally the five gallon and larger capacities, although it is
also applicable to containers of all sizes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the container with the rim attached
thereto and showing a lid or cover secured in sealing relationship
thereto, and the detachable clip members for securing said
cover.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1
and showing the clip members attached.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 1
and showing the securement of the handle or bail to the rim.
FIG. 4 is a view showing a plurality of containers in a stacked
relation, one nested within the other, such as when in storage or
shipment.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the flat strip preshaped to
form the rim and before it is shaped to form an exteriorly applied
annular rim.
FIG. 6 is an exploded view partly in section showing a liner
inserted within the container.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a plastic can or container
with the exterior rim attached thereto; and
FIG. 8 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 2 but showing
the construction with the rim exteriorly applied to the plastic
container and showing a modified clip member.
FIGS. 1 - 5
The construction shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 inclusive will be first
described. The can or container generally indicated at 10 is formed
preferably of metal and comprises a cylindrical body 12 closed at
the bottom thereof with a bottom 14. The cyclindrical body 12 has a
slight inward taper from the top towards the bottom so that the
smallest diameter or circumference of the container is at the
bottom and the largest at the top. This tapering body permits the
containers to be stacked and nested one within the other, best
shown in FIG. 4, to occupy a minimum of storage and shipment space.
The upper portion of the container is open and is adapted to be
closed by the cover generally indicated at 16, to be hereinafter
described.
The cylindrical body of the container adjacent the top thereof has
an inwardly offset annular wall portion 18 which at the lower end
defines a continuous annular shoulder 20. The upper end or mouth of
the container has an outwardly and downwardly turned flange 22
which is spaced from the wall 18 and which defines an inverted
U-shaped top edge 23 which is adapted to receive and retain
therebetween the upper portion of the rim, presently to be
described.
The rim forming this invention is generally designated by the
numeral 24 and is formed from a strip of flat stock of sheet metal
material and from the initial flat strip is preshaped or stamped to
the configuration shown in FIG. 5 and then when applied to the
container is shaped to form the annular strip or rim 24.
The rim 24 is formed separately from the container and may be of a
less expensive steel or material than that of the container. The
rim comprises spaced upper and lower portions 26 and 28 connected
by generally horizontally disposed connected upper and lower
portions 29 and 30 to an intermediate offset portion 32 which gives
the rim a dish-shaped configuration in transverse section, best
seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. The lower portion 30 has an upturned lower
edge 33. The intermediate offset portion 32 is provided along its
length with vertically extending spaced depressions or grooves 34
for the purpose of receiving the clips, to be subsequently
described.
The annular rim 24 is secured to said container body with the upper
portion 26 of the rim received in the inverted U-shaped top edge 23
of the body of the container and with the lower edge 33 of the rim
resting on the shoulder 20. In the formation of the body of the
container, the rim 24 is applied against the upper portion of the
container and then the upper edge of the container is reversely
bent, as shown in FIG. 2, so that the upper portion of the rim
would be confined between said inverted upper edge. The rim 24 will
be retained secured to the upper end of the container by the
reversely turned flange 22 at the upper end when it is crimped
against the upper portion of the rim; however, the rim may be
brazed or otherwise welded in addition thereto to the wall or body
of the container. The rim will thus be positively and permanently
secured to the top portion of the container and, as clearly seen,
no portion of the rim extends within the body of the container so
there is no interference with the open mouth of the container. This
is important from the standpoint of stacking the containers within
each other and also from the standpoint of providing a resealable
cover or lid which is applied to seal the container.
The rim 24 is provided with a pair of diametrically spaced openings
36, as shown in FIG. 3, which receive the hooked ends 38 of the
carrying bail 39 for carrying the container. The carrying bail as
shown in FIG. 1 is in upright or carrying position; however, the
bail may be rotated so that it extends on either side of the rim or
body of the container in an out-of-the-way position. When the rim
is secured to the top of the container it is secured in such a
manner that the wall or body of the container forms the top edge 23
or the mouth of the container.
The lid or cover 16 is of circular shape and comprises a main
central concave or dish-shaped portion 40 which continues outwardly
to form a U-shaped bend 42, with the vertical wall 43 of said bend
continuing horizontally as at 44 and then downwardly to form the
outer peripheral flange 45 which provides an inverted U-shaped
configuration generally indicated at 46. The downwardly extending
flange 45 terminates in an outwardly turned edge or bead 48. A
circular gasket 50 which is of an inverted U-shape in cross-section
is positioned inside the U-shaped portion 46 of the cover and when
said cover is positioned on the rolled-over top edge 23 of the
container the gasket 50 rests on the rolled-over edge 23 and is
interposed between the cover and the rolled-over edge, as best
shown in FIG. 2. This provides a perfect seal for the cover or lid.
When the cover is applied to the container it is foolproof against
leakage or the like. The lid or cover may be applied and reapplied
as often as necessary to reseal the container and when applied to
the container it is held in secured position thereon by means of a
plurality of detachable clips 52.
All of the clips 52 are of the same general construction and
configuration and comprise a strip formed of a resilient material
such as metal or the like and comprises a vertically extending flat
intermediate portion 53 which is inclined inwardly as at 54 at the
upper end and terminates in an inwardly hook-shaped bend 55 at said
upper end to engage the outwardly extending bead 48 of the cover,
as best shown in FIG. 2. Continuing downwardly from the
intermediate portion 53 the clip is curved inwardly as at 56 and is
provided with a reverse bend as at 57 which then continues
downwardly and outwardly at an inclined angle to form the extension
58. When the clip 52 is applied to the rim it will be seated in the
recesses or vertical grooves 34 so that the outer surface of the
intermediate portion 53 of the clip is on the same plane as the
outer plane of the rim and the lower upturned bend 56 of the clip
will engage the lower bend 30 of the rim and the downwardly and
outwardly inclined extension 58 of the clip will be contiguous to
the upturned lower edge 33.
When the clips are applied to the cover and to the rim they lock
the lid or cover to the rim and the bottom edge of the extension 58
of the clip is positioned inwardly of the exterior surface of the
rim so that same cannot be accidentally engaged during shipment, as
when containers are positioned contiguous to each other. With the
clips in secured position and the containers positioned contiguous
to each other, the rims 24 of the containers will be the only
portions of the containers which can engage each other. With the
clips being in the recessed grooves, they will be prevented from
being accidentally disengaged from their locked position. When it
is desired to remove the clip, the extension 58 is manually engaged
and pulled outwardly to release the clip from the rim and and
disengage the clip to disengage the cover or lid.
There is thus provided a can or container with a resealable cover
which may be repeatedly resealed. Also by reason of this
construction when one can is nested within the other, the rims of
the nested containers will be as shown in FIG. 4, where the rims
are positioned slightly spaced from each other but superimposed so
that a plurality of containers can be contained in a small area
during transit and storage.
FIG. 6
FIG. 6 shows a liner made of plastic, paper, and the like,
generally indicated at 60, positioned inside the container. The
liner has a horizontal lip 62 at the top thereof which extends over
the top rolled-over edge 23 of the container. When the cover is
applied thereover the lip will conform to the shape of the top edge
23 so that the cover 16 and the gasket 50 will seal the container
opening.
FIGS. 7 and 8
FIGS. 7 and 8 inclusive show a modification in which the container
64 is formed preferably of a plastic material. In such instance the
upper edge adjacent the top of the container is provided with an
annular recess 66, providing a top horizontal shoulder 67 and a
bottom horizontal shoulder 68, with the top edge 69 of the
container being substantially horizontal and flush. The rim
generally indicated at 24' may be made of metal and is similar to
that previously described. Said rim is positioned so that the upper
edge of the rim abuts against the top shoulder 67 of the container
and the lower edge of the rim abuts against the lower shoulder 68
and said rim 24' is thus secured to the body. The rim 24' has
spaced grooves 34' for the purpose of receiving the clips, all as
previously described. The cover of the container and the cover
gasket is similar to that previously described, the gasket fitting
over the upper edge of the container.
The clips generally indicated at 70 are modifications of the clips
52 previously described. The clip 70 is formed of the same material
as clip 52 and comprises a vertically extending flat intermediate
portion 72 which is inclined inwardly as at 73 at the upper end and
continues horizontally at its upper portion as at 74 and terminates
in a downwardly extending lip 75. Continuing downwardly from the
intermediate portion 72 of the clip is the lower end generally
designated at 76 which is identical to the shape of the lower end
of clip 52.
As shown in FIG. 8, the upper portion of clip 70 engages and
envelops the inverted U-shaped portion 46 of the cover to
detachably lock the cover to the container.
ADDITIONAL ADVANTAGES
When the cover is applied to the container, the curled bead 48 of
the cover (FIG. 2) engages the top portion 29 of the rim and limits
the extent to which the cover can be pressed downwardly on the
container. This prevents any undue downward pressure on the gasket
50 and eliminates the cutting or mutilation of the gasket,
particularly when loaded containers with their closures on are
stacked on one another. With no impairment of the gasket the cover
may be repeatedly used for sealing and resealing.
The positioning of the rim 24 entirely around the exterior of the
container adjacent the top serves to provide additional advantages,
such as, the inside wall of the container adjacent the top is clear
and free of any inwardly extending surface which might otherwise
reduce the diameter or circumference at the mouth of the container
and impede the nesting of containers in stacking, the rim
reinforces and strengthens the top of the container and thus helps
to maintain the original shape of the container and prevents
distortion of the shape, such as egging or ovaling, and the rim may
be made of a less expensive grade of stock from that of the
container thereby reducing the cost.
The containers may be formed either of metal or plastic with the
rim formed preferably of metal. Thus, the rim may be used with
either type of container. If a liner is used inside the container,
as in FIG. 6, the top horizontal lip 62 of the liner will overlap
the top edge of the container and will not interfere with the
locking of the cover in its sealing position.
The handle or carrying bail 39 is secured to the rim rather than to
the wall of the container, thereby eliminating conventional ears
which have to be brazed to the container and thus prevents
distortion of the container when same is carried fully loaded.
* * * * *