GB2393952A

GB2393952A - Sealable product container with an integral attachment clip

Info

Publication number: GB2393952A
Application number: GB0222418A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher Derek Blackmore; Norman Eric Nash
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-09-27
Filing date: 2002-09-27
Publication date: 2004-04-14
Also published as: GB0222418D0

Abstract

A container consisting of a base, a front, a rear and side walls having an integrated attachment clip and an open end with an edge to which a lid is sealed. The edge can have an outwardly turned lip on which the lid is sealed. The lid can have a tab in order to facilitate the removal thereof. The lid can be made of metal or plastics film. The lid makes the container tamper proof. The attachment clip can be formed as an extension of the upper end of the container or the clip can be secured to the container by a swivel joint. The container can have a second lid in the form of a push-on cover. The container can contain food, drink, medical dressings or mechanical components under a protective atmosphere to avoid corrosion. The container is useful to outside workers, ramblers, fishermen and scouts.

Description

t SEALABLE PRODUCT CONTAINER

This invention relates to a sealable product container. It relates to a container which may be used to pack a product such as a food or drink or mechanical components under a protective atmosphere such that the condition of the product will be preserved.

There has already been proposed in patent application No. GB2355450 a container having a base and a lid which may be used to carry fixings for use by a tradesman at a work place. The container has an attachment clip by which it may be secured to a waist belt of the tradesman.

The present invention was devised to provide a container which was designed to carry a wide range of different products under conditions which can avoid any accidental deterioration or contamination of these products.

According to the invention, there is provided a container formed by a base, front and rear walls and side walls, the container having an integral attachment clip and an open end with an edge to which a lid may be sealed. The edge may be an outwardly turned lip formed from the end material of the container. The lid may be an area of a film material which is attached to the lip. The film material may be a metal or plastics film.

The lid may be provided with a tab to permit easy removal of this part.

The attachment clip may be located on the rear wall of the container.

The invention also comprises a sealed product container when provided with a quantity of a vendible product sealed therein. The vendible product may be a food or drink or one or more mechanical components.

By way of example, a particular embodiment of the invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

-2 Figure 1 is a perspective view taken from the container rear side, Figures 2, 3 and 4 respectively are front, rear and side views, Figure 5 is a plan view, Figure 6 is an underneath view, and, Figure 7 is a detail of the container upper edge partly in cross-section.

As shown in Figure 1, the container 1 is made of a plastics composition which is shaped by a moulding process to form a rectangular box with an integral clip 2 located on a rear wall 3. The clip 2 therefore has a slightly resilient characteristic which makes it a suitable means, if required, for attaching the container 1 to a horizontally aligned support rail. An upper edge of the container is provided with an outwardly-turned lip 4.

Figure 2 depicts a front view, and Figures 3 and 4 respectively are rear and side views. The container is seen to be a simple rectangular opentopped box shape with the clip 2 portion being mounted on the rear wall. Figure 2 additionally shows a quantity of a vendible product 5 in the container which indicates the condition in which the sealed container is expected to be sold. The container front wall provides a suitable place for a descriptive label to identify the product.

Figure 5 shows a view from above of the container and Figure 6 is a view from below. The closure of the container may be effected by a push-on cover (not shown) which fits over the upper edge of the box. In the present example, the upper edge is provided with the lip 4 and this can act as a locking means for enabling the cover to be secured.

Figure 7 depicts a detail of the container 1 upper edge showing the lip 4 profile. In

-3 this partial view, the use of the film material to close the container end is seen. The sealing operation is effected by use of an area 6 of a plastics film material and the horizontally-directed part of the lip 4 then forms a support for the film material such that this is able to be heat sealed over the container opening. The plastics film has thus formed an impermeable closure over the container to provide secure and effective protection of the container contents. The atmosphere in the container beneath the plastics film may be a vacuum or a suitable protective gas at about atmospheric pressure.

The plastics film may include a pull-tab so that the film may be removed easily when this is required. The aforementioned push-on cover may be provided additionally on top of the sealed plastics film if this is considered necessary.

In operation of the sealable product container of the invention, this will be provided on a store shelf or else on a rack having horizontal rails to which the container clip is attached. A customer will select a container having a particular product content which is required. The container contents may be a food or drink and, after purchase, the customer may choose to carry the container by attaching this to a waist belt or a pocket top. When it is required to consume the product, the customer will be able to check that the pack contents have not been tampered with and then the pull-tab can be used to open the container top. The removed film material can be discarded.

The container food contents can be consumed directly from the container since the packing and storage have been effected under hygienic conditions. The use of the clip can be helpful to outside workers who are able to attach the container to a waist belt or pocket top. The clip 2 is also helpful to other users such as ramblers, fishermen and scouts who may require an economical way to carry food materials.

-4 The sealable product container is also beneficial for carrying mechanical components such as metal fixings. These components can be stored under a corrosion resistant atmosphere until they are required to be used on site. The relevant worker will then be able to take the pack and remove the foil so that the components are available for use. The worker can then attach the container to a waist belt and go about his/her tasks on the site with a supply of the necessary fixings always at hand. A waist belt is able to carry several different filled containers side by side so that a range of suitable fixings will be readily available.

The product container of the invention has been found to be inexpensive to construct and it can enable a person who is on the move, such as a fisherman or an outside worker to have a supply of food, of working components or small parts close at hand. The filled container is a convenient item to be offered for sale in a store and since the container contents are sealed in manufacture there is little risk that any deterioration will have occurred before the sale takes place. Tile sealed container makes it simple for the stock in a store to be checked at a glance and the containers are easily able to be incorporated in stacking systems for vans, workshops and in retail display. The container is also suitable for many purposes other than those specifically described. One further example is a package for medical dressings.

The foregoing description of an embodiment of the invention has been given by

way of example only and a number of modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For instance, it is not essential that the attachment clip 2 should be formed in the rear wall 3 of the container and, in a different embodiment, the clip 2 could be formed as an extension of the lip 4 on

-s - the upper edge of the container. Alternatively, the attachment clip 2 could be attached to the container rear wall by a swivel joint. This joint would then ensure that the container would remain in an upright state when a person wearing the container on a waist belt decided to lean forward to carry out a low level task.

Claims

-6 CLAIMS

I A container formed by a base, front and rear walls and side walls, the container having an integral attachment clip and an open end with an edge to which a lid may be sealed.
2 A container as claimed in Claim 1, in which the edge has an outwardly turned lip

formed from the end material of the container.
3 A container as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, in which a lid is formed as a push-on cover for the open end.
4 A container as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, in which the lid is formed from an area of a film material which is attached to the lip.
5 A container as claimed in Claim 4, in which the film material is a metal or plastics film.
6 A container as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the lid includes a tab to facilitate removal of the lid.
7 A container as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, in which the attachment clip is located on the rear wall of the container.
8 A container as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 7, in which the attachment clip is formed as an extension of the container upper edge.
9 A container as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 8, in which the attachment clip is secured to the container wall by a swivel joint means.
10 A container as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 9, when having a sealed lid and including a vendible product carried therein.
11 A product container, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.