IE54357B1 - A lid for a disposable container - Google Patents

Abstract

1. Lid for disposable containers, more especially for menu trays, of aluminium foil and the like, with a profiling (30) formed in the lid surface and arranged asymmetrically of the centre of the lid, with an encirling flanged edge strip (6) and with gripping flaps (8, 10), characterised in that a downwardly projecting and encircling gripping flap (46) is connected to the flanged edge strip via a fold line (50).

Description

The invention relates to a lid for disposable containers, especially snack trays, of aluminium foil or the like, which bear a profile disposed asymmetrically of the centre of the lid, which have an encircling socket-like edge strip and wing grips, the latter optionally provided likewise with profiling in the form of grooves which extend between the edge of the wing grip and the socket-like edge strip.

Nesting lids for disposable containers are known. Apart from the requirement of nestability and easy removability form the stack, the lids should as far as possible satisfy a further need: they should be easy to open, without any danger that sudden inadvertent rolling up or tearing causes part of the contents of the filled disposable container to squirt out on being opened. In opening, the lid should if possible be completely removable in a single operation. Removal in two parts would also be acceptable. Opening presents a particular problem among others, because the lid must tightly seal the disposable container by embracing the peripheral flanged edge of the latter.

Wing grips are provided in a known lid, by means of which inter alia opening the closed disposable container is to be facilitated. To further improve the nestability of the lid in particular, profiles are formed on these wing grips, and the wing grips, in addition, are made with different lengths. The profiles of the oppositely disposed wing grips are mutually displaced, in order to improve the nestability. In practice these wing grips have failed to guarantee optimal opening of the lid.

The problem which the present invention seeks to solve is, therefore, to develop the lid further so that it can be easily, accurately and (as far as possible) completely removed from the closed disposable container, without any danger that part of the contents of the disposable container inadvertently squirt out or spill.

Accordingly the invention provides a lid for a disposable container, more especially for menu trays, of aluminium foil or the like, with a profiling formed in the lid surface and arranged asymmetrically of the centre of the lid, with an encircling flanged edge strip and with gripping flaps, a downwardly projecting and encircling gripping flap strip being connected to the flanged edge strip via a fold line.

By means of the design of this invention the lid can be accurately torn at any point of the peripheral gripping flap, or along a groove and proceeding further underneath the seam. By the provision, in accordance with the invention, of a nick or a notch on one groove there arises a tear starter which when pulled apart tears accurately along the groove. As a result of the wider socket-like edge strips, or the additional gripping flap strips there appears a narrow, downwardly directed, peripheral gripping flap, even on those sides where no actual gripping flap is provided. Between the seam and this flap there arises from the socket-making procedure a relatively sharp encircling fold line which involves weakening of the material and thereby provides a tear line along which the lid when pulled open tears accurately, relatively easily, and in a defined manner, without the application of much force.

If the grooves are diagonally disposed, and with them the nick or the notch, there results a more satisfactory tear transition frcm the gripping flap by way of the seam into the fold line between seam and flap. If the grooves of a gripping flap are diagonally formad, the grooves of the other, opposed gripping flap of the lid do not need to be displaced in order to improve the removability from a nest or stack. If a plurality of gripping flaps is provided nicks or notches can be provided on them.

In this case the nick or notch is preferably arranged along the fold line of a groove.

An embodiment of the invention provides a tearing region for the lid at the manufacturing stage, in the form of a peripheral weakening of the material in the region later occupied by the socket edge or by the seam, or provides for manufacturing a tear region in the form of a peripheral weakening of material during the socketing procedure, i.e. when sealing the container .

The tearing procedure with the gripping flap can take place at any point on the periphery. It is made substantially easier to open a closed disposable container. There are no longer any rolling-up lid parts. The danger of squirting out part of the contents of the container when opening it is practically completely removed. The lid designed in accordance with the invention, after peripheral tearing, can be removed from the container as a practically complete, flat lid.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which embodiments are illustrated.

Figs 1 and 2 are plan views of a lid constructed in accordance with the invention, Fig 3 is a section A-A (Fig 1 or 2) through a lid in accordance with the invention in the unsocketed condition, Fig 4 is a section B-B (Fig 1 or 2) through a lid in accordance with the invention in the unsocketed condition, Fig 5 is a section A-A (Fig 1 or 2) through a lid in accordance with the invention in the socketed condition, and 535' Fig 5 is a section B-B (Fig 1 or 2) tnrough a lid in accordance with the invention in the socketed condition.

Fig 7 is a schematic section through a lid in accordance with the invention, Fig 8 is a further embodiment of the lid in accordance with the invention, and Fig 9 is a section through the lid of Figs 7 and 8 in the socketed condition upon a disposable container.

In the drawings the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

The drawing shows a lid 2 with an encircling upwardly curved edge 4 and, integral therewith, a socket-like edge strip 6 and additional encircling gripping flap strips 46. An outwardly directed gripping flap 8,10 is provided on each of respective opposite sides of the lid.

The lid has a rectangular form with rounded corners 12, 14, and 18. The gripping flaps are formed on the short sides 20, 22 of the rectangle; they can also be present on the longer sides 24, 26 of said rectangle or on all sides thereof.

An asymmetrically disposed profile 30 is formed on the surface 28 of the 1 id.

The gripping flaps as shown (Figs 1 and 2), are also provided with a profile in the form of grooves 32. The grooves 32, as shown, are rib-like elevated portions, and can be, for example, rectangular or trapezoidal in cross section. The grooves can extend perpendicularly (Fig 1) or diagonally (Fig 2) of the sides of the rectangle. The wing grip extensions can have various widths, as shown.

A nick 36 or a notch 38 is provided along at least one groove 32, i.e. preferably along a fold line 34 of this groove. This nick or notch does not need to extend over the entire length of the groove, cf. reference numerals 40 and 42 in Figs 1 and 2.

In the unsocketed condition the downwardly disposed gripping flap strip 46 remains below the socketing 44 formed from the socket-like edge strip. This gripping flap strip 46 forms a relatively short gripping flap 4 8 on the sides 24 and 26 of the rectangle which are not provided with gripping flaps 8 and 10.

As a result of the socket-forming procedure there appears between the socketing 44 and the strip 46 or wing 48 a relatively sharp fold line 50, which extends peripherally below the socketing 44. This fold line 50 constitutes a kind of tear line. Thus if the lid 2 is torn at the wing grip 8 beginning along the nick 36 or 40 or the notch 38 or 42 for example, the lid tears open relatively easily, exactly along the fold line 50 all the way around. The lid 2 is precisely tearable along the socketing even without the provision of nicks or notches. The lid can then be lifted up from the container entire.

The transition from the nick 36, 40 or the notch 38, 42 to the fold line 50 by way of the socketing 44 is facilitated if, as illustrated in Fig 2, the grooves 32 extend not perpendicularly but diagonally of the side of the lid or the socket edge 6.

Fig 1 shows that the other wing 10 can additionally be provided with a nick 52 and a notch 54, so that if necessary the tearing procedure can be recommenced here, if tearing along the fold line 50 has not been successful as a single operation. 4 3 5 7 Figs 7 to 9 show a lid 2, 2' with a lid surface 4 and an encircling socket-like edge strip 6, 6', 6 " and a gripping flap strip 8 attached thereto. The socket-like edge strip 6, 6', 6 has, at least in part, a lesser thickness than the other parts of the lid. In Fig 9 the lid 2' is shown in the unsocketed condition upon a container 10'. The socket-like edge strip 6, materially weakened, is shown socketed around a peripheral socket-engaging flange or a peripheral bulge 12. The gripping flap strip 8 stands apart and projects downwardly.

In Fig 8 is shown a special possibility of weakening the socket-like edge strip of the lid in a defined manner for the tearing procedure; the socket-like edge strip is deformed (embossed in this case) into an inwardly curved groove 6' (Fig 8, left) or an outwardly curved groove 6 (Fig 8, right). The groove can also be arcuate in section.

As a result of this weakening of material, a tearing region 6, 6‘, 6 appears along which the lid 2, 2' can be torn with ease and accuracy along the periphery of the container ', so that after tearing it can be removed from the container practically entire.

Claims (11)

1. CLAIMS; 1.l. A lid for a disposable container, more especially for menu trays, of aluminium foil or the like, with a profiling formed in the lid surface and arranged 5 asymmetrically of the centre of the lid, with an encircling flanged edge strip and with gripping flaps, a downwardly projecting and encircling gripping flap strip being connected to the flanged edge strip via a fold line. 10

2. A lid according to claim 1, wherein the gripping flaps are connected to the gripping flap strip.

3. A lid according to claim 2, wherein the gripping flaps are provided with profilings in the form of corrugations which are respectively displaced or 15 staggered relative to one another and which are also extended on to the gripping flap strip.

4. A lid according to claim 2, wherein the gripping flaps are provided with profilings in the form of corrugations formed between the end of the gripping flaps 20 and the flanged edge strip, a notch known per se or an incision known per se being provided along one corrugation or a part of a corrugation of the gripping flaps.

5. A lid according to claim 4, wherein corrugations of 25 at least one gripping flap are open at an angle other than 90° on the flanged edge strip and the notch or the incision is provided on one of these obliquely extending corrugations. 5 4 3 5

6. A lid according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the incision or the notch is formed on one corrugation of each provided gripping flap.

7. A lid according to any one of the preceding claims, 5 wherein the notch or the incision is formed along a fold line of the corrugation.

8. A lid blank for a lid according to claim 1, comprising an encircling material-weakening strip as a defined tear region in the region of the fold line to be 10 formed by plastic deformation.

9. A lid blank according to claim 8, wherein the material-weakening strip or the defined tear region is an impressed, encircling corrugation in the region of the flanged edge strip. 15

10. A lid according to claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with particular reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

11. A lid blank according to claim 8, substantially as hereinbefore described with particular reference to and 20 as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.