GB2290535A

GB2290535A - Snap on lid and jar

Info

Publication number: GB2290535A
Application number: GB9412696A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Vlam Ronald De; Mark Armstrong
Original assignee: Robinson and Sons Ltd
Current assignee: Robinson and Sons Ltd
Priority date: 1994-06-24
Filing date: 1994-06-24
Publication date: 1996-01-03
Anticipated expiration: 2014-06-24
Also published as: GB9412696D0; GB2290535B

Abstract

In a lid and jar combination the lid (11) has a skirt (12) with a plurality of discrete spaced apart inwardly extending projections (10) formed on the interior thereof. The jar (1) has a plurality of beads (5) over which the projections (10) may be snapped, when the lid is pushed onto the neck of the jar, to retain the lid in position. The neck (3) is formed with guide surfaces (16) which will be engaged by the projections (10) if the lid is applied to the jar with the projections out of register with the beads (5) to rotate the lid as it is pushed onto the neck to bring the projections into registration with the beads immediately prior to the projections snapping over the beads. On at least one circumferential side of zones (9) on the jar occupied by the projections (10) when the lid is in place, a ramp surface (18) extends circumferentially and radially outwardly to a zone of the neck from which the projections (10) may slide freely in the axial direction to permit ready removal of the lid from the jar. The lid is rotated for removal with the projections (10) running up ramp surfaces (18), resulting in skirt deformation which will lead to automatic removal of the lid if the user turns the lid too far before pulling it off. Preferably the lid and jar body are square in cross section and the jar neck is round, the jar containing coffee or other dry foodstuff. <IMAGE>

Description

LID AND JAR This invention relates to a lid and jar, and more particularly to a lid and jar suitable for the retail sale of dry foodstuffs, for example granulated coffee. More particularly, the invention relates to a lid and jar of the type in which the lid is pushed onto the neck of the jar to close the jar and is removed from the jar by a twisting action.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a lid and jar wherein the lid has a skirt with a plurality of discrete spaced apart inwardly extending projections formed on the interior thereof and the jar has a plurality of beads over which the projections may be snapped, when the lid is pushed onto the neck of the jar, to retain the lid in position, wherein the neck of the jar is formed with guide surfaces which will be engaged by the projections if the lid is applied to the jar with the projections out of register with the beads to rotate the lid as it is pushed onto the neck to bring the projections into registration with the beads immediately prior to the projections snapping over the beads.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a lid and jar wherein the lid has a skirt with a plurality of discrete spaced apart inwardly extending projections formed on the interior thereof and the jar has a plurality of beads over which the projections may be snapped to place each projection in a parking zone on the side of a bead remote from the open end of the necks when the lid is pushed onto the neck of the jar, wherein each parking zone is provided, on at least one circumferential extremity thereof, with a ramp surface which extends from the parking zone circumferentially and radially outwardly to a zone of the neck from which the projections may slide freely in the axial direction to permit ready removal of the lid from the jar.

The invention will be better understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a plan view of a jar according to one embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the upper portion of the jar of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view, on a reduced scale, of the underside of a lid for the jar of Figure 1; Figure 4 illustrates, on a larger scale, the lid of Figure 3 mounted on the jar of Figure 1; and Figure 5 illustrates a portion of the jar and lid during removal of the lid from the jar.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2 the jar 1 is of glass and includes a body portion 2 which is generally square in transverse cross-section and a neck 3 which is generally round in transverse cross-section. The neck is connected to the body by a transition region 4.

The neck includes four beads 5, one bead being located generally above the centre of each face of the body 2. As can be seen from Figure 4 each bead 5 includes a ramp surface 6 and a ledge 7. On the side of each bead remote from the mouth 8 of the jar is a parking zone 9 in which a projection 10 of a lid 11 can reside after the projection has been snapped over the bead 5.

Referring to Figure 3 the underside of the cap 11 is shown. The cap 11 includes an outer skirt 12 of generally the same cross-sectional shape and size as the body 2. Four projections 10 are provided at discrete spaced apart positions around the interior of the skirt to correspond to the positions of the beads 5. A plurality of ledges 13 are moulded around the skirt adjacent the closed end of the lid to retain a wad 14 in position within the lid. In use, with the projections 10 seated in the parking zones 9 the wad 14 is lightly compressed between the upper free edge of the jar neck and a ridge 15 moulded on the interior of the lid.

It will be appreciated that in use the lid is secured to the jar by axial movement of the lid onto the neck of the jar so that the radially inner surfaces of the projections 10 ride over the ramp surfaces 6 of the beads 5 thereby resiliently deforming the skirt 12. As the projections 10 reach the lower end of the ramp surfaces 6 the projections 10 snap under the ledges 7 into the parking zones 9 to retain the cap in position.

In order to ensure that the projections 10 and beads 5 are correctly in register for satisfactory snap fitting a plurality of guide surfaces 16 are formed around the neck of the jar. The guide surfaces 16 are provided by the axially facing edges of lobes 17 which are moulded integrally with the remainder of the jar between each adjacent pair of beads 5. As can best be seen from Figure 2 the upper surfaces of the adjacent lobes 17 form a pair of guide surfaces 16 converging towards each bead 5.If the lid is offered to the jar with the projections 10 out of register with the beads the projections 10 will each strike one of the guide surfaces 16 with the result that continued axial pressure on the lid will cause the guide surfaces 16 acting on the projections 10 to rotate the lid to bring the projections 10 into correct register with the beads 5 immediately prior to snapping into position of the projections 10. Thus, although the user will be given considerable assistance in correct alignment of the lid and jar by virtue of the mating profiles of the skirt 12 and the body 2, any small mis-alignment will automatically be corrected as the lid is pushed into place.

On each axial side of each parking zone 9 are defined ramp surfaces 18 which extend circumferentially and radially outwardly away from each parking zone 9. The ramp surfaces reach their radially outmost extremity at the summit 20 of bulges 19 which are positioned 450 out of register with each bead 5.

Figure 5 (which is a cross-section on the line B B of Figure 1) illustrates the cross-section of the neck at the summit of a bulge 19. It will be noted that at this point the neck tapers substantially continuously inwardly from the summit 20 of the bulge to a point 21 close to the mouth of the jar.

In order to remove the lid from the jar the lid is grasped and rotated. This will cause the projections 10 to run up the ramp surfaces 18 resulting in resilient deformation of the skirt 12. After a rotation of approximately 200 the ledge 7 will have blended into the ramp surface 18 so that, at this point, a simple axial pull on the lid will result in ready removal of the lid from the jar. If a user, rather than pulling the lid at this point, continues to rotate the lid until the projections reaches the summits 20 of the bulges 19 the lid will tend to eject itself from the neck of the jar since by this point the skirt is the subject of substantial elastic deformation and the projections 10 are riding on the continuous tapering surface illustrated in Figure 5. Thus, in an attempt to relax the deformation of the skirt the lid will tend of its own volition, to move axially outwardly of the jar. Thus, the user of the jar will find that rotation of the lid through approximately 450 will result in automatic removal of the lid from the jar.

It will be appreciated from the above that the described lid and jar provide an arrangement in which the lid is easily snap-fitted onto the jar by virtue of the self aligning characteristics of the guide surfaces 16 and in which the lid is readily removable from the jar either by rotation through approximately 200 followed by an axial pull, or by rotation through approximately 450 with the resultant automatic axial movement of the lid.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A lid and jar wherein the lid has a skirt with a plurality of discrete spaced apart inwardly extending projections formed on the interior thereof and the jar has a plurality of beads over which the projections may be snapped, when the lid is pushed onto the neck of the jar, to retain the lid in position, wherein the neck of the jar is formed with guide surfaces which will be engaged by the projections if the lid is applied to the jar with the projections out of register with the beads to rotate the lid as it is pushed onto the neck to bring the projections into registration with the beads immediately prior to the projections snapping over the beads.

2. A lid and jar according to Claim 1 wherein the guide surfaces are formed by axially facing surfaces of lobes which are moulded interally with the remainder of the jar.

3. A lid and jar according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein, on each circumferential side of each zone of the neck in which a bead resides when the lid is snap fitted onto the neck, a ramp surface extends circumferential and radially outwardly.

4. A lid and jar according to Claim 3 wherein each ramp surface attains the same radial distance from the longitudinal axis of the jar as the crests of the beads at a point intermediate the radially inner and radially outer extremities of the ramp surface.

5. A lid and jar according to Claim 3 or Claim 4 wherein, at the radially outer extremity of each ramp surface, a continuous surface connects the ramp surface to a point adjacent the mouth of the jar, the continuous surface tapering radially inwardly from the ramp surface towards the mouth of the jar.

6. A lid and jar wherein the lid has a skirt with a plurality of discrete spaced apart inwardly extending projections formed on the interior thereof and the jar has a plurality of beads over which the projections may be snapped to place each projection in a parking zone on the side of a bead remote from the open end of the neck when the lid is pushed onto the neck of the jar, wherein each parking zone is provided, on at least one circumferential extremity thereof, with a ramp surface which extends from the parking zone circumferentially and radially outwardly to a zone of the neck from which the projections may slide freely in the axial direction to permit ready removal of the lid from the jar.

7. A lid and jar substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.