GB2219284A

GB2219284A - Container with lid

Info

Publication number: GB2219284A
Application number: GB8912419A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Terence Rogers; Peter John Whitlock
Original assignee: DRG UK Ltd
Current assignee: DRG UK Ltd
Priority date: 1988-05-31
Filing date: 1989-05-31
Publication date: 1989-12-06
Anticipated expiration: 2009-05-31
Also published as: GB8812837D0; GB8912419D0; GB2219284B

Abstract

Removal of lid 16 is impeded by a blocking member 40. At least part of this blocking member is irreversibly removable to permit removal of the lid, the appearance of the container then showing that it is not intact. For example, removal of the lid 16 may require upward and/or outward displacement of a peripheral wall 22, which extends into a peripheral channel of the blocking member around the mouth of the container. Part of the channel defining wall 42 of the container has a line of weakness 38 such that it can be torn away by pulling on a pull tab (43 Fig 1). The bottom edge of the peripheral wall of the lid then becomes accessible and can be flexed outwardly and upwardly. Preferably projections 24 on peripheral wall 22 of the lid snap engage in slot-defining surfaces 50 in the container rim. <IMAGE>

Description

CONTAINER WITH LID The present invention relates to a container having a lid. It particularly relates to a container which is "tamperproof", in the sense that it is difficult or impossible to open an unopened container without leaving evidence that this has been done.

Thus the invention provides a container having a lid and a body, the lid and body being adapted for mutual engagement (e.g. having complementary engagement formations whose engagement resists removal of the lid); and wherein a blocking member is provided to impede the application of force to cause disengagement; at least a portion. of said blocking member being permanently detachable to permit such application of force. The impeding may involve blocking access to a portion that must be displaced, and/or providing a barrier to displacement.

The lid and body may have engagement formations which comprise opposed detent surfaces, disengagement being possible if a detent surface is displaced transversely to prevent or reduce abutment with the complementary surface.

The blocking member may impede such transverse displacement.

Disengagement may be effectable by applying upward force to the lid. The blocking member may shield a lower surface of the lid, rendering this difficult.

Thus one member (usually the lid) may have a first peripheral wall that embraces a second peripheral wall of the other member (the body) when the lid is engaged over a marginal portion of the body to close an opening. The walls may have transversely extending detent surfaces, e.g.

provided by projections, or projections on one wall and openings in the other. The first wall must be displaced away from the second wall to disengage the detent surfaces.

The second wall may have an extension which hooks around the first wall and constitutes the blocking member. It may be connected to the second wall, at least around part of the periphery, by a tear-line.

In a preferred form, the body has a mouth with a rim formed by a wall portion of inverted-U section; the outer limb of the U being connected to a blocking member comprising a further portion of U-section which is open upwardly; a tear-line being provided in at least a portion of the zone of connection so that at least a portion of the blocking member can be torn away; at least a portion of said zone having slots or recesses. The lid has a peripheral portion of inverted U-section, the outer limb having inward projections for engagement in the slots or recesses of the body. Once the blocking member has been at least partially torn away, the lid can be removed, and subsequently re-engaged. The re-engagement may involve projections engaging in surviving slots or recesses of the body.Alternatively or additionally, the projections may engage beneath the outer limb of the body where the blocking member has been torn away.

Some embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment, in the unopened state; Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views partly in vertical section showing the lid and container prior to engagement; Fig. 3 is a section in the region of a projection of the lid, and shows the body with the blocking member removed; Fig. 4 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1 showing the opening of the container; Figs. 5 and 6 are an underneath plan view and an end elevation of a lid of a second embodiment; Figs. 7 and 8 are part sections on "C" and "B" in Fig.

5; Fig. 9 is a plan view of a body of the second embodiment; Fig. 10 is a detail of Fig. 9 in the region of the pull tab; Figs. 11 to 15 are details of vertical sections through the rim structure of the body of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a general section in the region of an end wall (from line Q to line Q in the direction of the arrows); Fig. 12 is a general section from line R to line R in the direction of the arrows, taking in the other end wall; Figs. 13 to 15 are sections on line C-C, K-K and L-L respectively; and Fig. 16 is a detail of an end elevation.

Figs. 1 to 4 show a container 10 having a tub body 12 and a lid 14. The lid 14 has a major web portion 16 and a peripheral rim 18 of inverted U-section rising from it.

The limbs 20,22 of the U-section are substantially planar and diverge downwardly. The outer limb has, adjacent its free edge, spaced elongate projections 24 shaped to provide upwardly-facing detent surfaces 26.

The body has a base 28, a main wall 30 rising from it, and a rim 32 at the top of the wall. As shown in Fig. 2, the rim commences with a portion 34 of inverted U-section.

This is complementary to the rim 18 of the lid, which can embrace it. The outer limb 36 is connected via a line of weakness 38 to a blocking member 40, which is a portion of U-section with an outer limb 42. At one peripheral location the blocking member is discontinuous, or weakened, and the limb 42 is formed with a pull tab 43 (Fig. 1).

Adjacent the line of weakness 38, the inner limb 46 of the blocking member has elongate slots 48, in register with the projections 24 of the lid. Thus the lid can be pressed onto the tub- body, and the projections 24 snap-engage in the slots 48. Abutment of the detent surfaces 26 of the projections with the upper slot-defining surfaces 50 resists removal of the lid. To permit removal, the outer limb 22 of the lid must be flexed outwardly. But the blocking member 40 impedes this, by screening ' the lower edge of that limb 22 (which may lie closely adjacent the base of the U-section of the member 40). Thus to remove the lid, it is necessary to tear away the blocking member 40, as shown in Fig. 4. Of course, this does not remove the surfaces 50, so the lid can still be engaged on the body.

A disadvantage is that when the blocking member has been removed, the result is similar to an intact conventional tub. Thus it may not be apparent that the container has been opened. This disadvantage is ameliorated by the second embodiment 110 shown in Figs. 5 to 16. This is fundamentally similar to the first embodiment, and like elements have the same reference numerals but raised by 100. Thus there is a tub body 112 with a double-U rim structure 132, part of which provides a blocking member 140; and a lid 114 with a U-section rim 118 that provides projections 124 for engaging slots 148 in the body rim structure. However, the blocking member is removable over only a part of the periphery of the body, sufficient to give access to a portion of the outer limb 122 of the lid by means of which the lid can be pulled off the body. In this example, this includes an end wall region and two corners, though one or more corner regions might suffice.

Thus Fig. 11 shows that the removable part 140' is connected to the permanent rim 118 via a thinned region, providing a line (or zone) of weakness 138. The rest of the blocking member 140 (extending over one end wall and most of the two side walls) does not have this thinning: compare Fig. 12.

At one end of the line of weakness, there is a pull tab arrangement 143 (Fig. 10), whereby the removable part 140' can be torn free. The user can then engage fingers under the rim of the lid and prise it off. The fact that the tub has a blocking member around most of its periphery but stopping abruptly provides a clear indication that the package is not intact.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A container having a lid and a body, the lid and body being adapted for mutual engagement and wherein a blocking member is provided to impede the application of force to cause disengagement; at least a portion of said blocking member being permanently detachable to permit such application of force.

2. A container according to claim 1 wherein the lid and body have complementary engagement formations whose engagement resists removal of the lid.

3. A container according to claim l or 2 wherein the blocking member effects said impeding by blocking access to a portion that must be displaced, and/or providing a barrier to displacement.

4. A container according to any preceding claim wherein the lid and body have engagement formations which comprise opposed detent surfaces, disengagement being possible if a detent surface is displaced transversely to prevent or reduce abutment with the complementary surface; and the blocking member effects said impeding by impeding such tranverse displacement.

5. A container according to any preceding claim wherein either the lid or the body has a first peripheral wall that embraces a second peripheral wall of the other when the lid is engaged over a marginal portion of the body to close an opening, said walls having mutually engaging transversely extending detent surfaces such that the first wall must be displaced away from the second wall to disengage the detent surfaces; and wherein the second wall has an extension which hooks around the first wall and constitutes the blocking member.

6. A container according to claim 5 wherein the extension is connected to the second wall, at least around part of the periphery, by a tear-line.

7. A container according to claim 6 wherein the body has a mouth with a rim formed by a wall portion of inverted-U section; the outer limb of the U being connected to a blocking member comprising a further portion of U-section which is open upwardly; a tear-line being provided in at least a portion of the zone of connection so that at least a portion of the blocking member can be torn away; at least a portion of said zone having slots or recesses; and the lid has a peripheral portion of inverted U-section, having an outer limb with inward projections for engagement in the slots or recesses of the body; the arrangement being such that once the blocking member has been at least partially torn away, the lid can be removed, and subsequently reengaged.

8. A container according to claim 7 wherein said reengagement involves projections engaging in surviving slots or recesses of the body and/or projections engaging beneath the outer limb of the body where the blocking member has been torn away.

9. A container and lid substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.