GB2030120A

GB2030120A - Closure structures

Info

Publication number: GB2030120A
Application number: GB7924386A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: BEMROSE UK Ltd
Current assignee: BEMROSE UK Ltd
Priority date: 1978-09-26
Filing date: 1979-07-12
Publication date: 1980-04-02

Abstract

A snap-on lid for a bucket comprises a central panel (2) formed from sheet material and a rim (1) around the periphery of the panel (2), the rim (1) and the panel (2) being formed as separate structures and secured together. The rim (1) and panel (2) may be of different materials, a plastics material and paper or board respectively. The panel (2) may be at least partly coated in a plastics material and the rim (1) and panel (2) may be secured together by adhesive bonding or by heat-welding plastic surfaces. The rim may comprise a planar portion (3), which may be of any planform, to which the panel (2), which has a corresponding planform, is attached. The panel (2) may have information printed thereon prior to attachment to the rim (1). The rim (1) may be injection-moulded. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Closure structures The invention relates to closure structures and is particularly although not exclusively concerned with a closure structure which is a lid for a drum- or bucket-shaped container.

Drum- or bucket-shaped containers formed from plastics material are used as containers for a wide range of materials including inks, paints, adhesives, foodstuffs and so on. Such a container is usually provided with an injection moulded plastics lid having a central discshaped body and an integral peripheral rim shaped for tight yet detachable co-operation with a rim around the mouth of the container.

With this known arrangements, information, for example concerning the identity of the contents of a container, is normally printed on an adhesive label which is then bonded to the lid or side of the container, and this may be disadvantageous in so far as the operations involved in bonding the label in position may be inconvenient and may give rise to undesirably increased manufacturing costs. Also, particularly with a large container, the manufacturing cost of the lid may be undesirably high due to the quantity of material utilised in the formation of same.

One object of the present invention is to provide a closure structure incorporating a region to which printed matter can be applied without requiring the use of adhesive labels.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a closure structure which is especially simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

According to the invention therefore there is provided a closure structure having a central panel formed from sheet material and a rim around the periphery of such panel characterised in that the rim and panel are secured together as separate preformed structures.

With this arrangement it will be appreciated that printed information can be applied directly to the central panel prior to attachment of same to the rim whereby adhesive labels and the like need not be used. Also, it will be appreciated that the rim and panel can be formed from different materials whereby by using a relatively inexpensive material for the panel it is possible to manufacture the closure structure in a simple and inexpensive manner.

The rim and panel may be formed from any suitable materials but preferably the rim is injection-moulded from a plastics material and the panel is formed from paper, card, board, or the like which if desired may be plastics coated or otherwise treated on at least one side thereof.

Attachment of the panel to the rim may be effected by bonding with any suitable adhesive. Alternatively or additionally, and in the case where the rim is formed from a plastics material and the panel is coated with a plastics material or lacquer applied thereto in at least a peripheral region of at least one face, a bond between plastics surfaces of the rim and panel may be effected by heating to form a heat seal or weld. Alternatively any other suitable method or combination of methods of attachment may be utilised including ultrasonic welding of plastics surfaces, mutual interlocking, interengagement of fasteners and the like.

In order to facilitate attachment of the panel to the rim, the rim is preferably provided with a peripheral surface, particularly a planar peripheral surface, defining a contact area for engagement with a peripheral region of one face of the panel.

Most preferably, the closure structure is a lid for use with a drum- or bucket-shaped container in which case the rim may be of annular, rectangular or other shaped planform, and the panel may be circular, rectangular or correspondingly shaped planform. Such rim may be appropriately formed for co-operation with a rim around the mouth of the cotainer, for example such as to form a snapfit therewith.

The invention will now be described further by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings which are diagrammatic sectional views of three forms of closure structure according to the invention.

Each closure structure is a lid for a drum- or bucket-shaped container and comprises a peripheral rim 1 secured to a central panel 2.

Referring now to Fig. 1 the rim 1 is a onepiece injection-moulded relatively rigid structure of annular form and has a radially outer channel portion 3 and a radially inner lip 4, which lip 4 is planar and extends inwardly at right angles to the lid axis 5. The rim 1 is made of plastic material.

The panel 2 is a disc of card or board and is thin and flexible. The disc 2 has a coating of a plastic material on at least one face thereof.

The diameter of the panel 2 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the radially outer extremity of the lip 4 and the panel 2 is secured to the rim 1 by attachment of an annular peripheral region of the (or one) coated face of the disc 2 to the upper face of the lip 4, that is to the face of the lip 4 which is on the opposite side of the rim to the mouth of the channel portion 3. Said attachment is effected by applying said peripheral region of the disc 2 into contact with the upper face of the lip 4 of the rim 1 and then applying heat to heat-seal the two surfaces together.

The formed lid can then be detachably secured in position across the mouth of the container thereby to close same by snap-fit engagement of the channel portion 3 with an appropriately formed rim around the mouth of the container.

The lid can effectively seal the container and may be of adequate strength and rigidity despite the fact that it is only the rim 1 which is an injection-moulded plastics part, the remainder of the lid being formed from thin, flexible card or board. Thus, the lid can be manufactured in a simple and inexpensive manner whilst retaining desired physical properties.

By appropriate selection of the material for the panel 2 and/or by appropriately coating or otherwise treating same and by appropriate selection of the mode of attachment of the panel 2 to the rim 1 it can be ensured that the lid defines a suitable closure means in the context of the substance to be stored in the container. Thus, and particularly in the context of substances such as inks, paints, adhesives and the like, the panel may define with the rim an air-tight closure means for the container and may present a surface on the underside thereof which will not readily contaminate or adhere to the substance in the container.With the embodiment shown in the drawing the panel 2 is attached to the upper side of the lip 4 and this ensures that any rough edge of the board will not be exposed to the interior of the container, which is particularly desirable in the case where the container is to be used with foodstuffs. If desired however the panel may be applied to the underside of the lip 4.

Before attachment of the disc-shaped panel 2 to the rim 1 appropriate information and/or other matter may be applied thereto by printing, such printing being effected on an individual preformed such panel or on a larger sheet from which one or a plurality of such panels is subsequently cut. In this way it will be seen that the necessity of printing labels and applying same to lids can be obviated.

Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate alternative sections of rim 1 to which a central panel 2 is applied to form a closure structure or lid for a bucketor drum-shaped container.

The embodiment of Fig. 2 has a planar portion 3, which lies in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the rim 1, a cylindrical edge 4 upstanding from the planar portion 3 and a cylindrical skirt 5 depending from the planar portion 3. The disc 2 is attached to the upper surface of the planar portion 3 and the skirt 5 has an inner lip 6 by means of which the lid is secured to the container. The arrangement is such that the lid may conveniently and easily be peeled off the container by pressure upwardly on the underside of planar portion 3 causing the lip 6 to move outwardly and release the container.

In the embodiment of Fig. 3 a more secure, non-peeling lid is provided, the parts being numbered as in Fig. 2. The disc 2 may be attached to either the upper or lower surface of the planar portion 3.

It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiments which are described by way of example only. For example, although the embodiments described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are of circular planform, they could be of any other planform, i.e. ellipticai or rectangular.

CLAIMS (12Ju11979) 1. A closure structure for a container comprising a central panel formed from sheet material and a rim around the periphery of such panel, characterised in that the rim and panel are secured together as separate preformed structures.

2. A closure structure according to claim 1 wherein said rim and panel are formed of different materials.

3. A closure structure according to claim 2 wherein the rim is formed of a plastic material.

4. A closure structure according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the central panel is formed of paper.

5. A closure structure according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the central panel is formed of board.

6. A closure structure according to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein the rim is formed of a plastic material and the central panel is coated, on at least in the peripheral region of at least one face thereof, with a plastic material.

7. A closure structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the central panel and the rim are adhesively bonded together.

8. A closure structure according to claim 6 wherein the central panel and the rim are bonded by heat welding.

9. A closure structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the rim comprises a planar portion to which said central panel is attached.

10. A closure structure according to claim 9, wherein the central panel is disc shaped and the planar portion of the rim is annular.

11. A closure structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said central panel is formed having printed information thereon.

12. A closure structure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in any one of the figures of the accompanying drawings.

1 3. A method of forming a closure structure for a container comprising forming a panel and a rim as separate structures and securing said rim to said panel around the periphery of said panel.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein said rim is injection moulded of a plastic material.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. The lid can effectively seal the container and may be of adequate strength and rigidity despite the fact that it is only the rim 1 which is an injection-moulded plastics part, the remainder of the lid being formed from thin, flexible card or board. Thus, the lid can be manufactured in a simple and inexpensive manner whilst retaining desired physical properties. By appropriate selection of the material for the panel 2 and/or by appropriately coating or otherwise treating same and by appropriate selection of the mode of attachment of the panel 2 to the rim 1 it can be ensured that the lid defines a suitable closure means in the context of the substance to be stored in the container. Thus, and particularly in the context of substances such as inks, paints, adhesives and the like, the panel may define with the rim an air-tight closure means for the container and may present a surface on the underside thereof which will not readily contaminate or adhere to the substance in the container.With the embodiment shown in the drawing the panel 2 is attached to the upper side of the lip 4 and this ensures that any rough edge of the board will not be exposed to the interior of the container, which is particularly desirable in the case where the container is to be used with foodstuffs. If desired however the panel may be applied to the underside of the lip 4. Before attachment of the disc-shaped panel 2 to the rim 1 appropriate information and/or other matter may be applied thereto by printing, such printing being effected on an individual preformed such panel or on a larger sheet from which one or a plurality of such panels is subsequently cut. In this way it will be seen that the necessity of printing labels and applying same to lids can be obviated. Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate alternative sections of rim 1 to which a central panel 2 is applied to form a closure structure or lid for a bucketor drum-shaped container. The embodiment of Fig. 2 has a planar portion 3, which lies in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the rim 1, a cylindrical edge 4 upstanding from the planar portion 3 and a cylindrical skirt 5 depending from the planar portion 3. The disc 2 is attached to the upper surface of the planar portion 3 and the skirt 5 has an inner lip 6 by means of which the lid is secured to the container. The arrangement is such that the lid may conveniently and easily be peeled off the container by pressure upwardly on the underside of planar portion 3 causing the lip 6 to move outwardly and release the container. In the embodiment of Fig. 3 a more secure, non-peeling lid is provided, the parts being numbered as in Fig. 2. The disc 2 may be attached to either the upper or lower surface of the planar portion 3. It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiments which are described by way of example only. For example, although the embodiments described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are of circular planform, they could be of any other planform, i.e. ellipticai or rectangular. CLAIMS (12Ju11979)

1. A closure structure for a container comprising a central panel formed from sheet material and a rim around the periphery of such panel, characterised in that the rim and panel are secured together as separate preformed structures.

1 5. A method according to claim 1 3

wherein said panel is formed of paper.

16. A method according to claim 1 3 wherein said panel is formed of board.

1 7. A method according to claim 1 5 or claim 1 6 wherein said panel is coated at least in the peripheral region of one face thereof with a plastic material.

1 8. A method according to any one of claims 1 3 to 1 7 comprising adhesively bonding said rim and said panel together.

19. A method according to claim 1 7 comprising injection moulding said rim of a plastic material and heat welding said rim and said panel together.

20. A method according to any one of claims 1 3 to 1 9 comprising printing information onto said panel prior to securing said rim and said panel together.

21. A method of forming a closure structure for a container substantially as hereinbefore described.

22. A bucket or like container having a snap-on lid according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

22. A container having a closure structure according to any one of claims 1 to 1 2.

CLAIMS (6 Nov 1979)

1. A snap-on lid for a bucket or like container comprising a central panel formed from sheet material and a rim around the periphery of such panel, characterised in that the rim and panel, preformed as separate structures, are bonded together around said periphery.

2. A snap-on lid according to claim 1 wherein said rim and panel are formed of different materials.

3. A snap-on lid according to claim 2 wherein the rim is formed of a plastic material.

4. A snap-on lid according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the central panel is formed of paper.

5. A snap-on lid according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the central panel is formed of board.

6. A snap-on lid according to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein the rim is formed of a plastic material and the central panel is coated, on at least in the peripheral region of at least one face thereof, with a plastic material.

7. A snap-on lid according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the central panel and the rim are adhesively bonded together.

8. A snap-on lid according to claim 6 wherein the central panel and the rim are bonded by heat welding.

9. A snap-on lid according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the rim comprises a planar portion to which said central panel is attached.

10. A snap-on lid according to claim 9, wherein the central panel is disc shaped and the planar portion of the rim is annular.

11. A snap-on lid according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said central panel is formed having printed information thereon.

1 2. A snap-on lid substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in any one of the figures of the accompanying drawings.

1 3. A method of forming a snap-on lid for a bucket or like container comprising forming a panel of a sheet material, forming a rim as a separate structure from said panel and bonding the rim to said panel around the periphery of said panel.

1 5. A method according to claim 13, wherein said panel is formed of paper.

1 6. A method according to claim 13, wherein said panel is formed of board.

1 7. A method according to claim 1 5 or claim 16, wherein said panel is coated at least in the peripheral region of one face thereof with a plastic material.

18. A method according to any one of claims 1 3 to 1 7 comprising adhesively bonding said rim and said panel together.

19. A method according to claim 17 comprising injection moulding said rim of a plastic material and heat welding said rim and said panel together.

21. A method of forming a snap-on lid for a bucket or like container substantially as hereinbefore described.