The present invention relates to a container of plastics comprising a bottom, an annularly extending sidewall with an annularly configured engagement area arranged opposite the bottom and configured for being able to cooperate with a lid, a skirt arranged on the sidewall along the engagement area, a flap having a front and a rear and arranged for being able to be turned manually about a turning connecting near the engagement area and overlapped by the lid, from a first position, in which the flap extends in parallel with or approximately in parallel with the sidewall, and upwards to a second position, in which the flap is able to lift the lid out of engagement with at least a part of the engagement area, and a lock that is destroyed when the flap is moved to the second position and that secures the flap in the first position.
EP 1 122 184, EP 1 052 183 and EP 565 967, representing the prior art according to the preamble of claim 1, teach containers with a reinforcing skirt and having a flap that can be turned upwards and lift a lid out of engagement with the container. In both EP 1 122 184 and EP 565 967 the flap is cast integrally with the annular skirt. The connection between the vertical sides of the flap and the skirt is tender and relatively easily ruptured, whereby it is possible to ascertain whether the flap has been turned upwards ad hence whether the lid has been removed from the container. By the solution taught in EP 1 052 183 a strip of plastics extending before the flap must be broken before the flap can be turned upwards. It is thus a common feature that before purchasing a packaging consisting of the container with contents and applied lid, the consumer is able to ascertain that nobody has previously removed the lid and gained access to the contents of the packaging.
In case of the aforementioned containers, the skirt serves ia to impart to the container a certain resistance to dimensional changes, in particular when the container is lifted by use of a handle. For instance, in case of containers having a round cross section seen from above, a tendency of the cross section of the container becoming oval is likely to be observed. Any weakening of the skirt, ia as a consequence of a tender connection or absence of connection between the skirt and the flap, will make the container more susceptible to dimensional changes when the container is lifted, which may be a cause of concern to the consumer when handling the filled container and, in a worst case scenario, it will result in the lid coming off by itself. There is also a risk of such dimensional changes of the container causing the tender connection between the skirt and the flap to rupture by itself when the filled container with lid is transported. Thereby the consumer viewing a packaging consisting of the container with contents and applied lid will be led to believe that the flap was already operated and that, hence, the lid has already been removed.
The invention seeks to remedy this problem, it still being possible to lift off the lid in an easy manner and to ascertain whether it was attempts have been made to remove the lid. Simultaneously the invention lends itself for easy manufacture of the container in an economically viable manner. This is achieved as taught in claim 1 in that the flap covers at least a portion of the skirt. Configuration of the container as taught in claims 2-5 enables manufacture of the container in an easy manner as the flap can be moulded at a distance from the sidewall of the container and subsequently be moved to said starting position or first position. By more specifically configuring the container as taught in claims 6-10, a particularly good lock is provided that gives a clear indication whether attempts have been made to remove the lid by means of the flap. Configuration of the container as taught in claim 11 obviates the loose parts that may fall into the container following removal of the lid, which is particularly important when using the container in the foodstuffs industry.
The invention also relates to a packaging comprising a container of the kind concerned (claim 17) and a method of manufacturing the container (claim 18). By the invented method it is possible to manufacture the container by means of a single injection moulding tool, whereby the cooling of the cast work piece can be accomplished in an efficient manner by means of cooling channels located at a distance from the mould cavity that forms the skirt of the container.
In the following the invention will be described in further detail with reference to an exemplary embodiment.
Figures 1 and 2 show sections of a moulded container 1 of a plastics material. The container 1 has an annularly extending side wall 10 that extends from a not shown bottom of the container and upwards to the mouthing 2 of the container 1. Preferably the sidewall 10 follows the contour of the frustum of a cone, and an engagement area 15 for a not shown lid is arranged near the mouthing 2 at the free end of the sidewall 10. The engagement area 15 is configured for being able to snap-lockingly engage with a complementarily configured engagement area of a not shown lid in a conventional manner; and the engagement area can be configured and arranged as shown in EP 1 122 184, EP 1 052 183 or EP 565 967.
Around along the sidewall 10, on the outside thereof in the area at the mouthing 2, a skirt 20 is arranged that serves to brace the container 1. The skirt 20 comprises annular wall parts 21, 22, 23 and 24 that are arranged in extension of each other, the wall parts 21, 23 extending outwardly from the sidewall 10. A wall area 24 most remote from the sidewall 10 thus extends along the sidewall 10 at a distance from same. For carrying the container 1, the wall part 24 may, in a conventional manner, comprise not shown mounting apertures for a handle.
A turnable flap 30, the object of which will be explained in further detail below, is also arranged in proximity of the mouthing 2. The flap is preferably located 90° offset in relation to the mounting apertures for the handle. In Figures 1 and 2 the flap is shown in a position immediately after the moulding of the container; wherein the flap 30 protrudes approximately perpendicular from the sidewall 10. Following moulding the flap 30 is moved to the position shown in Figure 3 that constitutes a first position of the flap 30 inasmuch as the entire subsequent use of the container 1 is concerned. A turning connection 8 that may be configured like a film hinge connects the flap 30 to the remainder of the container and allows a relatively unimpeded turning of the flap 30. The movement of the flap 30 towards the position shown in Figure 3 may be produced either during removal of the container from the mould or at a later stage.
As will appear from Figures 1 and 2 the skirt 20 comprises a radially recessed portion 25 with a wall 25 that is, in the first position of the flap, covered by the flap 30, as shown in Figure 3. The wall 25 is integrally connected to the remaining part of the skirt 20 via transversal walls 25' and extends at a distance from the sidewall 10. As will appear the flap 30 is received completely in the recess formed by the recessed portion whereby the front 35 of the flap flushes with the surface of the wall part 24. The wall part 24 and the front 35 of the flap 30 thus combine to form an even surface of the skirt without protruding areas that may render stacking of several containers 1 difficult.
Reference is now made to Figures 2 and 3, from where it will appear that the flap 30 is, on the rear 38, provided with two protruding pins 50. The pins 50 are configured as an elongate root 58 with an expanded head 52. The pins 50 are connected to the flap 30 via a tender connection that can be ruptured by application of a pull in the longitudinal direction of the root 58. In the shown example the flap 30 is configured with inspection apertures 32 with a diametrically extending beam 33, and each pin 50 is integrally connected to a respective beam 33. As needed, the tender connection can be configured such that the beams 33 can easily be tom off the flap 30, or such that the root 58 can easily be torn off the beam 33.
As will appear from Figures 1 and 2 the recessed wall 25 of the skirt has two through-going apertures 40 that are configured for receiving a respective pin 50 and for securing same by a snap effect. The heads 52 of the pins have an outer dimension that is somewhat larger than the apertures 40 and the heads 52 are provided with slits, whereby the outer dimension of the heads 52 can, by plastic deformation, be temporarily reduced such that the heads 52 can be moved through an associated aperture 40. When the flap 30 is thus by means of the turning connection 8 turned from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 3, the flap 30 will be secured due to the abutment of the heads 50 on the rear of the wall 25, and the apertures 40 and the pins 50 thus form a lock for the flap 30. Figure 4 is a sectional view of the container, seen from below, and illustrates how, in this position of the flap 30, the head 52 abuts on the rear of the wall 25. In this locked state of the flap 30, the container can be supplied to an organisation or a business that fills the container 1 with its contents and subsequently arranges a lid in engagement with the engagement area 15. Hereby the lid will extend down over the wall parts 21, 22 of the skirt 20, and down over a part of the upper area of the flap 30 immediately underneath the turning connection 8. Upwards turning of the flap 30 by means of the turning connection 8 will subsequently enable release of the lid from at least a part of the engagement area 15 immediately above the flap 30, since said upper area of the flap 30 presses the adjoining area of the lid outwards and upwards. The lid can subsequently be removed manually more readily.
Following application of the lid the container 1 is ready for further distribution to a sales outlet. Here the lock that secures the flap 30 in the first position will constitute a guarantee that the lid has not previously been removed. Previous attempts to remove the lid by operation of the flap 30 can thus be detected via the inspection apertures 32 that show that the tender connection between the pins 50 has been ruptured and that the pins 50 hang loosely secured in the apertures 40.
Figures 5a, 5b, 6a and 6b show detailed views of the flap seen from the front and along a cross sectional view perpendicular to the plane of the paper; Figure 5b also showing schematically an applied lid 5 with an engagement area 5' that is complementary with the engagement area 15 of the container and with a portion 5" situated opposite the upper area 39 of the flap 30 and immediately underneath the turning connection 8 that connects the flap 30 to the sidewall 10 via the wall portion 21 of the skirt. It will appear from Figures 5b and 6b that the recessed wall 25 of the skirt extends behind the flap 30 at a distance from the sidewall 10.
The embodiment shown in the drawing shows a variety, wherein the wall portion 25 has a recess shaped as an inverted U with tapering sides. This variety is convenient for certain injection moulding techniques, but the wall portion 25 may particularly conveniently be configured without any recess at all, eg such that the lower edge of the wall portion 25 will everywhere extend at the same distance underneath the engagement area 15 as the lower edge of the wall portion 24.