IE47348B1 - Improvements in or relating to a closure - Google Patents

Abstract

A closure for a vessel comprises a horizontal panel 42 having peripheral connecting means 49 for attaching the closure to a vessel 20. The panel has a central aperture 52 bounded by an upstanding engagement wall 54 to which may be attached a lid 22 having complementary engagement means, to close the aperture. The closure may be used in combination with a vessel, the base of which is provided with connection means to which the lid alone or the closure including the lid if desired, may be attached when not in use.

Description

This invention relates to a closure and more particularly to a closure for use with a vessel having an upstanding continuous side wall.

The invention also relates to a container assembly comprising a closure and a vessel.

The prior art is replete with various types of kitchen container assemblies commonly used in the preparation and storage of food. Of immediate interest is the type of container assembly comprising a closure which is sealingly engageable with a vessel which will withstand the impact and shock of electrically and manually powered mixing devices.

Commonly, the vessels have a continuous wall, usually either circular or rectangular, and a closed bottom, it is common practice to provide a side wall that is either sloped or curved such that the bottom is somewhat smaller than the open top. Diverse materials, such as metal, glass and plastics, are used to fabricate vessels of this type which may be either rigid or deformable. The closures are usually plate-like structures moulded of a resiliently yieldable material and which are peripherally engageable with the upper edge of the vessel.

Many foods require beating or mixing during preparation. Liquid preparations, such as batters and creamed concoctions, frequently necessitate rigorous agitation with attendant difficulty in maintaining the preparation within the vessel.

The preparation is either thrown from the vessel to spatter items nearby, or is lifted over the upper edge to dribble down over the outside of the vessel.

It has been proposed to provide a cover to function as a spatter shield. Alternatively usable instead of the regular storage lid, the spatter shield is an annular member which engages the periphery of the vessel and provides an inwardly directed peripheral flange to retain food within the vessel, for example during mixing of the food. A central aperture provides access to the interior of the vessel for the introduction of a manual or electrically driven beater.

While adequately performing the intended function, i.e., preventing splattering and dripping, prior proposed covers have not proved to be entirely satisfactory. The prior proposed covers are auxiliary devices having a specialized purpose and, therefore, intermittent utility. Between occasional uses, such covers are stored independently of the container and may easily become misplaced.

Since food -S often left in storage within the container after preparation, the cover becomes an extra independent element that must be separately handled and cleansed.

Other problems associated with preparing food in conventional containers have not been resolved. For example, when not in use, vessels and lids are generally separately stored. Frequently, a vessel is stored with several other vessels and the lid is similarly stored with several other lids. Considerable time is spent matching lids and vessels during times of need. Also, since the user must commit one hand to maintaining the balarce of the vessel, the preparation of food is generally restricted to a serially performed process. Further, foods which fall from the vessel, especially liquids which dribble down the outside, create unsightly and even hazardous condition upon the work surface.

Accordingly, it is an object to provide an improved closure for a vessel.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved container assembly for the preparation and storage of food. - 4 According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a closure for a vessel having an upstanding continuous side wall, said closure comprising a first panel (herein termed a horizontal panel) and a lid, said first panel having a peripheral connection means for detachably connecting said first panel to a vessel, said first panel also having a substantially central aperture to provide access to the interior of the vessel that is to say the space defined between the vessel and the closure, when the closure is detachably connected to the vessel by said peripheral connection means, there being engagement means located about the periphery of the aperture, said engagement means including an upright wall having an upper edge and extending upwardly from said first horizontal panel, there being a depending wall continous with said upright wall and extending a predetermined distance below said horizontal panel to terminate in a lower free edge, said lid comprising a second substantially horizontal panel, said lid having peripheral complementary engagement means adapted to be detachably engaged with the engagement means of the central aperture of said first panel.

According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a containe; assembly comprising a vessel including an upright continuous side wall having an inner surface and an outer surface and having an upper edge and a lower edge, a bottom having a top surface and an under surface, said under surface being continuous with the lower edge of said side wall, and a connection element peripherally continuous with the upper edge of said side wall; a cover including a first substantially horizontal panel having a top surface and an upper surface and having a periphery, a complementary connection element continuous with the periphery of said panel and detachably securable with said connection element there being a generally central aperture through said panel, to provide access to the interior of the vessel, that is to say the space defined between the vessel and the cover, when the cover is connected to the vessel by said connection elements and an engagement means carried on said panel peripherally of said aperture, said engagement means including an upright wall having an upper edge and extending upwardly from said first horizontal panel, there being a depending wall continuous with said upright wall and extending below said horizontal panel; and a lid including a second substantially horizontal panel having a top surface, an under surface and a periphery, and a complementary engagement element continuous with the periphery of said second panel and detachably securable with said engagement means of said cover.

The cover may function as a spatter shield to retain food within the vessel during vigorous beating or stirring, especially of liquid food preparations. Alternatively, the cover may be inverted and temporarily secured to the underside of the vessel to increase the size of the base of the vessel and enhance the stability thereof. In a further embodiment, the cover has a peripheral lip which normally seals over the upper edge of the vessel. In the inverted position, the lip serves as a trough to catch and retain food particles which spill over the top edge of the vessel. For storage purposes, the lid is engageable with the underside of the vessel alternatively with the cover.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood and so that further features may be appreciated, the invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: - 6 Figure 1 is an exploded upper perspective view of a container assembly, including a vessel, a cover and a lid, constructed in accordance with the instant invention; Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the assembled device of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the inscribed area designated 3 in Figure 2, and particularly detailing the engagement between the vessel and the cover; Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the inscribed area designated 4 in Figure 2, and especially showing the engagement between the lid and the cover; Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view detailing an attachment between the vessel and the lid; Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing an alternate attachment between the vessel and the cover; Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view generally corresponding to the illustration of Figure 2 and showing the container assembly thereof as it would appear when in use during the preparation of food, a typical conventional electric beater being shown in broken outline.

Figure 8 is an elevation view partly in section and particularly illustrating an alternate arrangement of the components of the container assembly of the instant invention; Figure 9 is ai enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along the line 9—9 of Figure 8 particularly illustrating a prefarred pouring spout useful with the vessel; and - 7 Figure 10 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the vessel of the container assembly of Figure 1 and further illustrating the pouring spouL thereof.

Turning now to the drawings, in which the same reference numerals indicate corresponding elements throughout the several views, attention is first directed to Figure 1 which shows a container assembly including a vessel 20, and a closure comprising an annular cover 21 and a lid 22. Vessel 20, as may be seen from Figure 2, includes a bottom 29 and an upright continuous side wall 23 having an inner surface 24, outer surface 25 and upper and lower edge 27 and 28 respectively. Lower edge 28 is curved inwardly and meets bottom 29 which is continuous therewith to form a fluid carrying vessel. Bottom 29 has a top surface 30 and an under surface 32.

Referring also to Figure 3, it may be seen that the vessel 20 further includes a connection element in the form of a peripheral flange 33 extending outwardly and downwardly from upper edge 27 of side wall 23 and having a terminal edge 34. Side wall 23 has an inclined upper portion 35 which extends outwardly and upwardly to upper edge 27. It is preferred that upper edge 27, being the apex between peripheral flange 33 and inclined upper portion 35 be curved to present a smooth radius between peripheral flange 33 and inclined upper portion 35.

A continuous wall 37, having inner surface 38 and outer surface 39, depends from under surface 32 of bottom 29. Wall 37, which extends outwardly and downwardly will be described in further detail presently.

The annular cover 21, as may be seen from Figures 1 - 8 and 2, includes a substantially horizontal annular panel 42 having a top surface 43, under surface 44 and outer periphery 45.

A complementary connection element, detachably securable to the connection element at the upper edge of vessel 20, is continuous with the periphery 45 of panel 42. The complementary connection element, seen in greater detail in Figure 3, includes an inclined wall extending upwardly to a curved junction 48 from which lip 49 extends downwardly and outwardly. The lip 49 is provided at its lower edge with an inwardly directed annular protrusion 50. Preferably, protrusion 50 is in the form of a bead of semi-circular cross section.

It has been found that a satisfactory fluid tight seal between vessel 20 and annular cover 21 can be accomplished by forming lip 49 and flange 33 at the same angle of inclination such that when the cover 21 is engaged with the vessel 20 the under surface of lip 49 will lie in juxtaposition with the outer surface of flange 33. Also, flange 33 is of a width to be snugly received between junction 48 and protrusion 50. In order not to prevent the effective juxtaposition between flange 33 and lip 49, the inclined wall 47 of the cover 21 is disposed at a greater angle from vertical than upper portion 35 of side wall 23. If, for example upper portion 35 slopes at an angle of 15° from vertical, then wall 47 slopes at an angle of 20° from vertical to ensure that initial contact between vessel 20 and cover 21 is made in the area between upper edge 27 and junction 48. Lip 49 is resiliently yieldable and is received over flange 33 in snap engagement. - 9 A generally central aperture 52, as further illustrated in Figure 4, bounded by periphery 53, is formed in panel 42. An engagement element in the form of a wall 54, having upper edge 55, extends upwardly from the top surface 43 of panel 42 and is continuous with periphery 53.

The lid 22, comprises a horizontal panel 57 provided with a peripheral complementary engagement element which is detachably securable to wall 54 for sealingly closing aperture 52 and providing a fluid tight container assembly. As may be seen from Figures 2 and 4, panel 57 has a top surface 58, an under surface 59 and a periphery 60. An annular recess, extending adjacent periphery 60 is formed in under surface 59 for receiving the upper edge 55 of wall 54. The recess is defined by an inner wall 62 extending upwardly from under surface 59, an outer wall 63 and a top connecting wall 64 extending between inner wall 62 and outer wall 63.

The spacing between inner wall 62 and outer wall 63 is such that the wall 54 will be tightly received between the walls 62, 63 defining the peripheal recess. The walls 62, 63 and 64 are resiliently yieldable, whereby wall 54 is received in snap engagement within the recess. Wall 63 terminates with an outwardly directed flange 65 which provides a finger hold for lifting upwardly and removing lid 22.

As illustrated in Figure 5 when the lid 22 is detached from the annular cover 21 it may be attached for convenience to the underside of vessel 2o, the channel defined by walls 62, 63, 64 being adapted to be engaged with the wall 37 of the vessel 20.

A second wall 67, associated with cover 21, depends from under surface 44 of panel 42 at the periphery 53 of aperture 52. Second wall 67 terminates with lower edge 68 - 10 and has an outer surface 69 and an inner surface 70.

As illustrated in Figure 6, the annular cover 21 is alternately attachable to the underside of vessel 20. For this assembly configuration, annular cover 21 is inverted so that the second wall 67 extends upwardly from panel 42. The vessel 20 is then lowered over inverted cover 21, so that the second wall 67 of the cover 21 is received within the wall 37 of the vessel 20. Walls 37 and 67 have substantially the same slope and are arranged so that inner surface 38 of wall 37 is brought into juxtaposition against outer surface 69 of the wall 67 before the abutment of lower edge 40 of wall 37 against under surface 32 of bottom 29, or the abutment of lower edge 40 of the wall 37 against under surface 44 of panel 42 occurs. Accordingly, a frictional engagement is made between surfaces 38 and 69.

Figure 7 shows the container assembly with its annular cover 21 assembled in the normal position at the top of vessel 20, as hereinbefore specifically described in connection with Figure 3. Lil 22 is temporarily attached to the underside of vessel 20, as previously described with reference to Figure 5. Aperture 52 is open, communicating between the interior of vessel 20 and the environment so that the beater assembly of a food mixer may be introduced to the vessel 20.

An electric mixer, generally designated by the reference character 72 is fragmentarily illustrated in broken outline. Electric mixer 72 includes head section 73, normally housing the motor and drive mechanism, which imparts rotary movement to the beater assembly including spindle 74 and blade 75.

The dashed outline 72 graphically represents a typical - 11 electric mixer of the type readily commercially available and well known to those in the art.

To accommodate various making requirements, most convenient electric mixers have a variable speed control. Especially at the higher speed ranges, there is a tendency for food particles, more particularly liquids to be thrown from the vessel. This phenomenon particularly occurs near the edge of the vessel as a result of the liquid being deflected by the side wall of the vessel.

In the present embodiment liquid deflected upwardly by the side wall of the vessel will strike the under-surface 44 of horizontal panel 42 and will be redirected to the interior of the vessel. Second wall 67 provides a further deflecting wall to prevent the exit of food preparations through aperture 52. The seal formed between lip 49 and flange 33 prevents liquids from escaping over the upper edge of vessel 20 and under annular cover 21.

As illustrated,the spindle 74 of the electric mixer passes through aperture 52 the diameter of which is chosen with regard to standard beater sizes to permit blade 75 to pass in close contact to inner surface 24 of side wall 23 for thorough mixing. It is not intended that during the mixing operation spindle 74 should be required to bear against inner surface 70 of walls 54 and 67. However, it is intended that the cover 21 be formed of a resiliently yieldable material able to withstand a certain degree of mistreatment resulting from the better assembly being brought into contact with the cover 21. Prior to or subsequent to a mixing operation, lid 22 is engaged with annular cover 21, as specifically shown in Figure 2, for air-tight storage of the food within the vessel 20.

Figure 8 illustrates another useful arrangement of the components of the container assembly, as previously described in connect .on with Figure 6. The combined vertical height of wall 54 and the thickness of top connecting wall 64 is less than the vertical height of inclined wall 47. Therefore when arranged in the manner illustrated in Figure 8, the assembly rests upon junction 48 of inclined wall 47 and lip 49. This effectively increases the si2e of the vessel 20 and imparts substantially increased stability thereto. Further inclined wall 47 and lip 49 form a trough which collects and retains any food particles or liquids which escape from the vessel 20 and fall from or drip from terminal edge 34 of peripheral flange 33.

The assembly arrangement depicted in Figure 8 has particular utility when it is desired to have maximum use of the full size of the opening vessel 20, such as during manual stirring and blending. Frequently, during such operations, the user is required to bend or fold with one hand, while pouring in ingredients with the other hand, leaving the container assembly unsupported by extraneous means. The arrangement is also preferred for storage, since the interior of the vessel is exposed for sanitary purposes, yet the cover and the lid are attached to the vessel and readily available when needed.

Attention is now directed to Figures 8, 9 and 10, which show a depression 77 formed in vessel 20 to serve as a pouring spout. Depression 77 has a continuous surface 78, which begins at upper edge 27 and extends downwardly through peripheral flange 33 and inclined wall 35 toward terminal edge 34. Surface 78 then continues substantially - 13 horizontally intermediate upper edge 27 and terminal edge 34 for a short distance, then slopes upwardly to upper edge 27. Surface 78 is also continuous with inclined wall 35 and peripheral flange 33 and further forms a continuation of inner surface 24 of side wall 23. It is to be particularly noted that a portion of peripheral flange 33 resides below depression 77 and terminal edge 34 is undisturbed so that a fluid tight seal with cover 21 may be obtained in the vicinity of the depression 77. The container assembly described may readily be fabricated from various materials. For example,vessel 20 may either be rigid or flexible and may be formed or moulded of metal, glass or plastics material. Annular cover 21 and lid 22 may be formed of a resiliently yieldable material, such as a suitable plastics material. Preferably, the entire assembly is moulded of polyethylene or any of several thermo-plastic synthetic resins or vinyl compounds, as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Since the device is particularly intended for the preparation and storage of food, the particular material of construction should be chosen to have physical characteristics compatible with established sanitary standards.

Accordingly, the chosen material should be odourless, resistant to common kitchen acids and chemicals, and non-absorbing and should withstand a reasonable range of temperatures.

Various changes and modifications to the device herein chosen for purposes of illustration in the drawings will readily occur to those skilled in the art. For example, the pouring spout may assume alternate configurations or be omitted at the option of the manufacturer. Also, the annular cover may be attached to the vessel in the same - 14 way as the lid is attached to the annular cover. The annular cover may include variously modified peripheral engagement elements for use with conventional vessels . Also, it will be appreciated that while specifically illustrated as having a generally cylindrical appearance, alternative forms and shapes, such as rectangular, are structurally and functionally equivalent.

Claims (19)

1. - 15 CLAIMS :1. A closure for a vessel having an upstanding continuous side wall, said closure comprising a first panel (herein termed a horizontal panel) and a lid, said first panel having a peripheral connection means for detachably connecting said first panel to a vessel, said first panel also having a substantially central aperture to provide access to the interior of the vessel, that is to say the space defined between the vessel and the closure, when the closure is detachably connected to the vessel by said peripheral connection means, there being engagement means located about the periphery of the aperture, said engagement means including an upright wall having an upper edge and extending upwardly from said first horizontal panel, there being a depending wall continuous with said upright wall and extending a predetermined distance below said horizontal panel to terminate in a lower free edge, said lid comprising a second substantially horizontal panel, said lid having peripheral complementary engagement means adapted to be detachably engaged with the engagement means of the central aperture of said first panel.

2. A closure according to claim 1, wherein said complementary engagement means includes an upstanding inner peripheral wall, a spaced outer peripheral wall and a connecting top wall, said inner peripheral wall, outer peripheral wall and top wall defining an inverted groove on said lid.

3. A closure according to claim 2, wherein said peripheral wall of the engagement means of said first panel is generally cylindrical.

4. A closure according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said upright wall and said depending wall are frusto-conical and are yieldable. - 16

5. A closure according to any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the spacing between the inner peripheral wall and the outer peripheral wall of said lid has a dimension not exceeding the thickness of said peripheral wall of the engagement means of said first panel, said walls defining said inverted groove being formed of a resilient and yieldable material.

6. A container assembly comprising a vessel including an upright continuous side wall having an inner surface and an outer surface and having an upper edge and a lower edge, a bottom having a top surface and an under surface, said under surface being continuous with the lower edge of said side wall, and a connection element peripherally continuous with the upper edge of said side wall? a cover including a first substantially horizontal panel having a top surface and an under surface and having a periphery, a complementary connection element continuous with the periphery of said panel and detachably securable with said connection element, there being a generally central aperture through said panel to provide access to the interior of the vessel, that is to say the space defined between the vessel and the cover, when the cover is connected to the vessel by said connection elements, and an engagement means carried on said panel peripherally of said aperture, said engagement means including an upright wall having an upper edge and extending upwardly from said first horizontal panel, there being a depending wall continuous with said upright wall and extending below said horizontal panel; and a lid including a second substantially horizontal panel having a top surface, an under surface and a periphery, and a complementary engagement element continuous with the periphery of said second panel and detachably securable with said engagement means of said cover. - 17

7. A container assembly according to claim 6, wherein said connection element includes a peripheral flange extending outwardly upwardly and then downwardly from the upper edge of said side wall and having a terminal edge, and said complementary connection element includes a resiliently yieldable peripheral lip extending outwardly upwardly and then downwardly from said cover and being adapted to receive said flange and having an inwardly directed protrusion engageable with the terminal edge of said flange.

8. A container assembly according to claim 7 wherein said peripheral flange includes at least one depression therein along its extent.

9. A container assembly according to claim 7 or 8, wherein said side wall of said vessel includes an inclined upper portion extending downwardly and inwardly from the upper edge thereof, and wherein said cover includes a complementary inclined wall extending upwardly and outwardly from the panel of said cover to said lip, whereby said panel is spaced below the junction of said inclined wall and said lip.

10. A container assembly according to claim 9, wherein the inclined wall of said cover is displaced from vertical at a greater angle than the upper portion of said side wall.

11. A container assembly according to any one of claims 6 to 10 wherein said complementary engagement element of said lid is resiliently yieldable and defines a recess formed into said lid from the under surface thereof for sealingly receiving the upstanding wall of said engagement means.

12. A container assembly according to claim 11, wherein said complementary engagement element comprises an inner wall extending upwardly from the under surface of said lid, - 18 an outer wall spaced from said inner wall, and a top connecting wall extending between said inner wall and said outer wall.

13. A container assembly according to claim 12 wherein said outer wall terminates with an outwardly directed peripheral flange.

14. A container assembly according to any one of claims 6 to 13 including a second engagement means carried on the under surface of said bottom.

15. A container assembly according to claim 14, wherein said second engagement means comprises a continuous wall depending from the under surface of said bottom and having a lower edge, said lower edge being adapted to support said vessel in an upright position on a work surface.

16. A container assembly according to claim 15, wherein said depending wall of said cover is adapted frictionally to engage the continuous wall depending from the under surface of said bottcm of said vessel when said cover is inverted.

17. A container assenibly according to claim 16 wherein said continuous wall depending from the bottom of said vessel is dimensioned to receive said lid in engagement therewith.

18. A closure substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

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