This application relates to a container system, particularly a light weight pail, comprising a container body and lid. The container system of the present application is suitable for storing paint and other such substances, as well as other contents.
Container systems for storing substances, such as oils, resins, varnish, paint, stains, powders and foodstuffs such as syrups are already known in the art. These types of containers are substantially cylindrical and often made of sheet metal, wherein the side wall of the container is formed from a suitably bent piece of sheet metal by making a longitudinal seal using, for example, welding, bending, folding and curling techniques well known in the art. The bottom end of this type of container is closed by another sheet of metal, and they often comprise a circular reusable lid made of metal sheet to close and seal the container.
Such containers are usually referred as metal tins, metal cans, or metal pails.
The patent document
However, although advantageous over the prior art, this solution revealed to have problems. The lid can be often open by accident when its outer portion connects with a raised surface or another container system when stored in close proximity. The dedicated tool can also be misplaced or lost and the use of other tools to open the lid can damage or deform the container.
Hence, there is a need for a container that ensures a good sealing, that the lid is not opened by accident and an that has easy opening without the need for a dedicated tool to open the container.
Thus, the present container system is an advantageous modification of the container of
The present application relates to a container system according to claim 1, which comprises a container body with a base and a lid, the container body comprising a side wall with an upper edge portion outwardly curled over to form a container rim; the lid comprises an inner portion and an outer portion surrounding the inner portion, the outer portion comprising a sealing portion adapted to engage with a sealing surface of the container rim, the outer portion further comprising an outer wall portion with a lid edge portion inwardly curled over to form a lid rim; wherein:
In one embodiment the bead has a circular cross section.
In another embodiment the container body further comprises a second bead that is vertically adjacent and arranged below the bead.
The bead of the container body and the lid have approximating diameters.
In one embodiment the insert point has a length from 13 to 15 mm and height from 4 to 6 mm.
In one embodiment the container body has a cylindrical shape or a partly frusto-conical shape.
In another embodiment the sealing portion has an inverted U shape and/or is substantially semi-circular in cross section.
When closed the sealing portion forms a seal against a sealing surface of the container rim.
In one embodiment the sealing surface is substantially semicircular in cross section.
In another embodiment the sealing surface comprises a sealant.
In one embodiment the outer wall portion extends in a straight line, directly downwards from an outer arm of the inverted U-shaped of the sealing portion.
In another embodiment the lid further comprises a supporting wall which extends downwardly from an inner arm of the inverted U-shaped of the sealing portion.
In yet another embodiment the lid further comprises a groove with the support wall, an inner wall and an annular wall portion.
The present application provides a container system, particularly, but not exclusively, a container system based on sheet metal container bodies. The presently disclosed container system is suitable to store paint and other such substances, although it can also store a variety of other contents, liquids, solids, powders, gels, etc. The present invention is related to technical features in the container system that provide advantages over the prior art.
The application aims to provide a container system for storage having a relatively simple construction, which forms a good air-tight seal, and which can be repeatedly opened and closed, forming a good seal on each closure, without damaging or distorting the lid and/or container. The system is therefore reusable over a long period of time, and can be re-filled a large number of times, for example.
The container system comprises a container body having a closed base, referred to as container bottom, and a side wall extending upwardly from the bottom, to define with the bottom an interior volume for storing contents.
The side wall has an upper edge portion outwardly curled over (i.e. with respect to a longitudinal axis of the container body, or equivalently with respect to the interior of the container body) to form a container rim (which thus extends radially outwards from a portion of the metal side wall immediately adjacent the edge portion) which defines a mouth of the container body.
In some aspects of the system the base and side wall may be integrally formed, for example formed from a single metal sheet, or they can be independently formed and joined together by techniques known in the art, such as welding and /or seaming.
The side wall may be provided by a seamless metal tubular structure, or may incorporate one or more seams, such as an axial seam running from the bottom of the container body to the container rim.
In a preferred aspect of the disclosed container, the same side wall is substantially cylindrical. Alternatively, other shapes and sizes of container bodies can be considered, including, but not limited to: tapered cans; conical-shaped bodies; tulip-shaped bodies.
In one aspect of the system, the side wall has a substantially circular cross section, is substantially straight, having no kinks other than beads, also understood as ridges, at the upper portion of the container body.
In certain aspects, the upper edge portion of the side wall is curled over through an angle of no less than 270 degrees. In other aspects, the upper edge portion of the side wall is curled over such that its leading edge substantially meets the side wall. Curling over the upper edge portion to these extents provides the advantage that the resultant container rim presented to a user is smooth, and the user is not exposed to any sharp edge. Furthermore, the leading edge may be tucked away, helping to inhibit the formation of rust. Additionally, the curled-over rim is substantially rigid. Additionally, curling over the upper edge portion to this extent enables the container rim to provide a curved upper surface which can be engaged by the sealing means on the container lid and also a curved lower surface which can be engaged and gripped by the lid rim. The curved upper surface of the container rim provides a guiding surface which can gradually force the lid rim radially outwards as the lid is pressed into the closed position.
In certain aspects, the outwardly curled over upper edge portion forming the container rim is generally circular in cross section.
The side wall of the container body may be formed from a wide variety of materials. In one aspect, the side wall may be formed from sheet steel, tin-plated steel, a non-ferrous metal, such as aluminum, or any other suitable rigid metal according to the intended use of the container system. The side wall may also be coated, painted, or otherwise covered with other materials, such as a non-metallic paint, but not limited to. In the case that the container wall is formed from a ferrous material, it is advisable to apply a covering or coating to inhibit the formation of rust. Appropriate coverings or coatings may be applied to the side walls to prevent contamination of the contents, such as liquids, to be stored in the container by the wall material, or to prevent reactions between the stored content and the side wall.
The container further comprises a removable lid adapted to be pressed onto the container body to a closed position in which the lid seals said mouth. The lid comprises an inner portion and an outer portion surrounding said inner portion, the outer portion comprising a sealing portion adapted to engage with at least a portion of an upper edge of the container rim, when the lid is in the closed position to form a seal between the lid and container body, the seal extending around the container rim, an outer wall portion connected to the sealing portion and adapted to extend, when the lid is in the closed position, down past an outer edge of the container rim, and a lid edge portion, extending from (i.e. connected to) a lower end of the outer wall portion and being inwardly curled over to form a lid rim (which thus extends radially inwards), the lid rim being arranged to engage and grip (i.e. exert a gripping force on) a portion of a lower surface of the container rim when the lid is in the closed position to hold the lid in place.
In one aspect of the system, the lid inner portion and outer portion are formed from a single material sheet.
The lid may be coated, painted, or otherwise covered with a material or substance to suit a particular application.
The sealing portion of the lid comprises a sealing surface adapted to form said seal with the upper surface of the container rim such that said seal extends over at least an upper outer quadrant of the container rim surface. Thus, an extensive seal is provided, without needing an insert, ring, or gasket in the lid. The lid material is supported by the underlying container rim surface (outer, upper quadrant) so that the lid is not damaged when trying to open it. In certain aspects, the seal may have even greater extent, extending over 180 degrees, for example, in embodiments employing sealing surfaces having semi-circular cross sections. In certain aspects, the sealing portion has an inverted U shape. In certain aspects, the sealing portion has a substantially semicircular cross section.
In an aspect of the system, the sealing surface of the lid and the sealing surface of the container rim are adapted to conform to one another. For example, the upper surface of the container rim may have a substantially semicircular cross section, and the downward facing inner surface of the sealing portion may be adapted to conform to the upper surface of the container rim. Thus, the sealing surface of the lid and the sealing surface of the container rim may, in cross section, have the same radius of curvature (at least when in the sealed, closed position). In certain aspects, the radius of curvature of the lid sealing surface may be arranged so as to be slightly smaller than that of the container rim sealing surface when the lid is separated from the container, such that as the lid is applied to the container the sealing portion of the lid has to bend slightly and then grips the rim sealing surface as a result of its resilience.
Advantageously, this conformity enables an extensive seal to be formed between the sealing portion and the container rim, and furthermore results in the container rim supporting the sealing portion from below when the lid is in the closed position. The curved upper (i.e. outer) surface of the sealing means then provides a smooth curved surface. The close support of the underlying container rim enables the operation to be performed without distorting the lid or container body.
In certain aspects, the outer portion of the lid extends from an outer arm of the inverted U. In certain aspects, the outer wall portion is substantially cylindrical. In certain aspects, the outer wall portion extends substantially in a straight line from the sealing means to the lower end of the outer wall portion.
In certain aspects, the lid edge portion is curled over through an angle of at least 270°. In certain aspects, the lid edge portion is curled over such that its leading edge substantially meets an inner surface of the outer wall portion. By curling over the lid edge portion to these extents, no sharp edges are presented to a user, and in certain embodiments oxidation/rusting can be inhibited. Furthermore, a smooth, curved surface of the lid rim is provided for engaging and gripping the container rim when the lid is in the closed position.
In certain aspects, the lid edge portion curled over the form the lid rim has a substantially circular cross section. In certain aspects, the lid rim is annular, for example at least substantially circular.
In certain aspects, the container rim and lid rim are both substantially circular, the inner radius of the lid rim being smaller than the outer radius of the container rim.
Thus, in order to press the lid into the closed position, the lid rim has to be deflected at least slightly radially outwards to fit over the widest part of the container rim and then spring back into position, to grip an underside of the container rim and hold the lid in place.
In certain aspects, the container rim and lid rim are each substantially circular in cross section, and the engagement between the lid rim and container rim when the lid is in the closed position is such that a portion of an outer lower quadrant of the container rim is in contact with a portion of an inner upper quadrant of the lid rim.
As will be appreciated, the force exerted by the lid rim on the container rim when the lid is in the closed position has a radial component inwards and an axial component upwards. In certain aspects, the container rim and lid rim are each substantially circular in cross section. In certain such aspects a ratio of the diameter (i.e. cross-sectional diameter) of the container rim to the lid rim is in the range 6.0:3.0 to 7.0:2.0, and optionally is substantially 6.5:2.5.
In certain aspects in which the container and lid rims are substantially circular in cross section, the body rim cross sectional diameter is in the range 1 mm to 9mm and the lid rim cross sectional diameter is in the range 1 mm to 9mm. In certain aspects, the lid further comprises a supporting wall extending down from an inner edge of the sealing portion and arranged to engage and support from inside an upper end portion of the side wall when the lid is in the closed position. However, in alternative embodiments a support wall may not be provided.
In certain aspects, the sealing portion of the lid has an inverted U shape, and the supporting wall extends down from an inner arm of the U. In certain aspects, the support wall is substantially cylindrical or substantially frusto-conical.
In certain embodiments, the support wall extends downwardly from the sealing means for a distance D1, the outer wall portion extends downwardly from the sealing means for a distance D2. In certain embodiments D1 is greater than D2.
In certain aspects the support wall may be substantially cylindrical, such that it forms an interference fit with an upper end portion or section of the side wall when the lid is fitted to the container in a closed position. Thus, the support wall can provide a supporting inner ring, supporting the upper end of the container and increasing the rigidity of the assembled structure. In certain aspects, rather than the support wall being perfectly cylindrical, it may be frusto-conical, i.e. as the support wall extends downwardly from the sealing means it can also taper radially inwards. Thus, the lower surface of the support wall (on the underside of the lid) can provide a ramped surface for engaging an inner surface of the container rim as the lid is placed on it, thereby assisting in guiding the lid into the closed position as it is pressed down.
Advantageously, in certain aspects, the support wall extends down from the sealing means substantially lower than does the outer wall portion which carries the lid rim. Thus, the support wall and lid rim may be arranged such that as the lid is introduced to the container body the support wall engages an inner surface of the outer wall (or an inner portion of the container rim) and guides the lid into place before or at the same time as the lid rim engages an upper outer surface of the container rim. Thus, the support wall provides internal support to the container body (i.e. to the upper section of the side wall and/or to the container rib) while the lid is being pressed into the closed position, which requires the lid rim to be displaced radially outwards, and so at the same time results in the lid rim exerting a force radially inwards from the container rim.
In certain aspects, the supporting wall is an outer wall of a channel formed in the lid, the channel comprising an inner wall, facing the support wall.
In certain aspects, said exterior surface of the sealing means has an inverted U shape. In certain aspects, said exterior surface is substantially semicircular in cross section. In certain aspects, said exterior surface comprises an outer half of the semicircular surface.
After use, the lid can be resealed on the container body by pressing down on the entire lid sealing means simultaneously, or by pressing down on one point to clip the lid rim into place at that point, and then working around the lid circumference until the lid rim grips around the entire container rim. The lid forms a good air-tight seal, has no sharp edges besides the insert point, and can be repeatedly opened and closed, forming a good seal on each closure. The insert point is not projected outwardly enough to cause injury to the user and is discreet being an integral part of the lid.
The lid is therefore reusable over a long period of time and allows the container to be re-filled several times.
The present invention is related to further modifications made to the body and lid of the container system disclosed above.
As disclosed, the side wall of the body comprises an upper edge portion with a rim that is curled outwards and defines the mouth of the container body. The upper part of the container body advantageously further comprises a bead that is vertically adjacent to the rim.
The bead of the container body is arranged below the curled rim, it projects outwards of the side wall of the container body and circumferentially around the side wall. In a preferred aspect this bead is substantially cylindrical.
Alternatively, other shapes and sizes can be considered according to the shape and size of the body.
When the lid is closed, an outer portion of the lid is arranged such that it becomes adjacent to this bead. In accordance with the invention, it is appreciated that the bead of the container body and the lid have substantially approximating diameters This closed arrangement allows to provide protection against overlapping of the container's upper edge when the containers are stored or transported in proximity of each other, or during the logistic process, and avoids accidental opening of the lid.
The outer portion of the lid, particularly the outer wall of the lid, further comprises at least one portion projected outwards, which is suitable as an insert point. This insert point provides access to a volume defined between the lid outer wall and the curled rim of the container body when the container is closed.
The insert point allows to use commonly available tools that are able to engage the insert point, for example a screwdriver, to open the lid of the container. It provides easier means to open the container without damage. Advantageously, the lid can thus be removed from the container body without permanently distorting or damaging the lid, or the container body, due to the existence of the insert point.
In this manner, there is no need for a dedicated tool to open the container.
Overall, the presently disclosed container system provides several advantages in comparison with the art:
Another advantage of the disclosed system is that the lid construction enables it to be made from thinner sheet metal than is required for lids of the prior art systems. Similarly, embodiments can utilize container bodies which have side walls incorporating no other ridges or kinks (except for the beads), which are therefore more resistant to deformation under axial compression, and which can also be made of thinner sheet metal material than containers for prior art systems, and thus the container can be have a light weight.
For easier understanding of this application, figures are attached in the annex that represent the preferred forms of implementation which nevertheless are not intended to limit the technique disclosed herein.
Now, preferred embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the annexed drawings. However, they are not intended to limit the scope of this application.
The present container system is an advantageous modification of the container of
According to
The container body (2) has a side wall (6), which in some embodiments has a generally cylindrical shape or a can have a partly frusto-conical shape.
In some embodiments the base (4) can have a circular shape having its edges bent around the lower or bottom rim of the side wall (6) to form a seal or sealing rib. Other forms of attachment of the base to the side wall (6) known in the art can also be implemented.
The side wall (6) extends, when the container body (2) is resting on the base (4), upwardly from the base (4) to define, together with the base (4), an interior volume V for contents.
The side wall (6) has an upper edge portion (7) which has been outwardly curled over (i.e. with respect to a longitudinal axis C of the container body), to form a container rim (8). This rim (8) defines a mouth of the container body (2). The rim (8) thus extends radially outwards from the portion of the side wall (6).
In this example of
The container body (2) may have a pair of housings (12) diametrically opposed from the container body, attached to and extending radially outwards from the side wall (6), these housings being adapted to receive the ends of a handle (13).
In some embodiments, the lid is integrally formed such that the inner and outer portions are integral parts of a single component.
The lid outer portion (15) comprises a sealing portion (16) which is adapted to engage with an upper surface, i.e. the corresponding sealing surface (11) of the container rim (8). The sealing portion (16) in this example has an inverted U shape and/or is substantially semi-circular in cross section.
This cross section is adapted to conform with the substantially semi-circular upper surface of the container rim (8).
The lid (3) comprises a sealing surface (17) that is substantially semicircular in cross section, extends, uninterrupted, around the lid (3), and overall is substantially toroidal. The close, interference fit, between the inner sealing surface of the sealing portion (16) and the upper, external sealing surface (11) of the container rim (8) provides a seal between the lid (3) and container body (2) when the lid is in the closed position, as shown in
The lid (3) at the outer portion (15), also comprises an outer wall portion (18) which extends in a straight line, directly downwards in the example of
The lid (3) comprises a lid edge portion (19) which is a continuation of the outer wall portion (18) and which has been inwardly curled over to form a lid rim (20). Thus, this lid rim (20) extends radially inwards from the outer wall portion (18). The arrangement is such that when the sealing portion (16) abuts the container rim (8), the outer wall portion (18) extends down past the container rim (8) such that the lid rim (20) engages and grips a portion of a lower surface of the container rim (8) (i.e. when the lid is in the closed position), as shown in
The lid rim (20) is generally circular in cross section. The external surface of the lid rim (20) can therefore be described as generally comprising four quadrants, a lower outer quadrant LQ1, a lower inner quadrant LQ2, an upper inner quadrant LQ3, and an upper outer quadrant LQ4. When the lid (3) is in the closed position, quadrant LQ3 of the lid rim (20) is in contact with and exerts a force on quadrant Q3 of the container rim (8).
Thus, when the lid (3) is first placed on the container body (2), before pressing it down to adopt the closed position, the lid rim (20) firstly engages the sealing surface (11) of the container rim (8). In particular, quadrant LQ2 of the lid rim (20) engages quadrant Q2 of the container rim (8). Then, as the lid (3) is pressed down, the container rim (8) is displaced radially outwards, bending the outer wall portion (18) such that the lid rim (20) can pass over the widest part of the container rim (8). As the lid (3) is pushed further down, the lid rim (20) then springs back towards its normal position, gripping underneath the container rim (8) and holding the lid (3) in place with the sealing portion (16) forming a seal against the sealing surface (11) of the container rim (8).
Lid (3) may also comprise an inner or support wall (21) which extends downwardly from an inner arm of the inverted U-shaped sealing portion (16). In this example, the support wall (21) extends further down from the sealing portion (16) than does the outer wall portion (18). The support wall (21) provides support to the inner surface of the side wall (6) of the container body (2) as the lid (3) is being pushed into the closed position, and when the lid (3) is in the closed position. The support wall (21) is advantageous in that it lends rigidity to the assembly of the container body (2) and lid (3) in the closed position, helping to prevent distortion of the container rim (8) and lid (3) when an opening tool is used to detach the lid (3). In this example, the support wall (21) is an outer wall of a groove (22) provided in the lid (3). An inner wall (23) of the groove faces the support wall (21), and a base of the groove is defined by an annular wall portion (24).
The present invention is related to further modifications made to the container body (2) and the lid (3).
As shown in
The container body (2) can further comprise a second bead (25) that is vertically adjacent and arranged below the bead (5). The second bead (25) has a circular cross section and radially projects outwards and around the side wall (6). This second bead (25) aids with the stacking and grouping of several container systems (1), avoiding superimposition of the lids and accidental openings.
When the container body (2) is closed, an outer portion of the lid, the lid rim (20), is arranged such that it becomes vertically adjacent to the bead (5), as shown in
This closed arrangement allows to provide protection against overlapping of the container's upper edge when the containers are stored or transported in proximity of each other and avoids accidental opening of the lid.
Furthermore, the sealing surface (17) on the lid (3), which is the inner portion of the sealing portion (16), has a substantially semi-circular cross section. In the sealing surface (17) a sealant can be applied. In one embodiment the sealant in the sealing surface (17) is polyurethane or other compounds for the same effect.
As shown in
The insert point (26) allows to use commonly available tools that are able to engage with the insert point (26), for example a screwdriver, to open the lid (3). The tool can engage between the lid sealing surface (17) and container rim sealing surface (11), accessed through the insert point (26), and open the lid (3).
In one embodiment the insert point (26) has a length from 13 to 15 mm and height from 4 to 6 mm. The thickness in this insert point (26), measuring from the outer wall portion (18), is from 0,6 to 1 mm.
The insert point (26) provides easier means to open the container without damage to the lid or the body and without using a dedicated tool.
Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the words "comprise" and "contain" and variations of the words, for example "comprising" and "comprises", means "including but not limited to", and is not intended to (and does not) exclude other moieties, additives, components, integers or steps.
This description is of course not in any way restricted to the forms of implementation presented herein and any person with an average knowledge of the area can provide many possibilities for modification thereof without departing from the general idea as defined by the claims. The preferred forms of implementation described above can obviously be combined with each other.
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.