Hinged container lid assembly

• US 20010035424A1
• Filed: 04/12/2001
• Published: 11/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Berry Plastics Corporation (Berry Global Group Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Berry Plastics Corporation (Berry Global Group Inc.)
• Inventors: Combe, Robert L., Willett, Timmy L., Jochem, David J.
• Application Number:
  US09/833,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20010035424A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 220/835
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/14901 Coating a sheet-like insert smaller than the dimensions of the adjacent mould wall
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/0081 of objects with parts connected by a thin section, e.g. hinge, tear line
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14336 Coating a portion of the article, e.g. the edge of the article B29C45/14573 and B29C45/14598 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/22 Hinges , pivots
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/105 The closure having a part fitting over the rim of the container or spout and retained by snapping over integral beads or projections
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 43/169 the lid, the hinge and the element connecting them to the container being made of one piece

Abstract

A closure for an open mouth of a container is provided. The closure includes a rim and a lid frame configured to mate with the rim. The rim includes an opening and is adapted to be coupled to a top edge of the open mouth of the container. The closure further includes a connector having a cover portion coupled to the lid frame in order to form a lid and a hinge portion coupled to the rim. The lid frame is made of a first material and the connector is made of a second material. The connector is provided to support the lid for pivotable movement relative to the rim between a closed position wherein the lid closes the opening formed in the rim and an opened position wherein the lid lies away from the rim.

Claims

1. A closure for an open mouth of a container, the closure comprising

a rim adapted to be coupled to a top edge of a container at an open mouth of the container, the rim being formed to include an opening,

a lid frame configured to mate with the rim, and

a connector formed to include a cover portion coupled to the lid frame in order to form a lid and a hinge portion coupled to the rim and provided to support the lid for pivotable movement relative to the rim between a closed position wherein the lid closes the opening formed in the rim and an opened position wherein the lid lies away from the rim, the lid frame being made of a first material and the connector being made of a second material.

2. The closure of

claim 1

, wherein the first material is a plastics material and the second material is a plastic film substrate.

3. The closure of

claim 2

, wherein a thickness of the plastic film substrate is approximately 40-60 microns.

4. The closure of

claim 3

, wherein the plastic film substrate includes molecules forming a uni-directional pattern.

5. The closure of

claim 2

, wherein the lid frame includes a top portion and a rim portion coupled to the cover portion and wherein the plastic film substrate is coupled to a top surface of the top portion of the lid frame.

6. The closure of

claim 5

, wherein the closure further includes a latch coupled to the rim portion of the lid frame and wherein the latch is positioned to engage and lie below the outer wall of the rim when the lid is in the closed position to normally maintain the lid in the closed position.

7. The closure of

claim 5

, wherein the connector further includes another hinge portion coupled to the rim and integrally coupled to the cover portion of the connector.

8. The closure of

claim 2

, wherein the hinge portion includes a first portion coupled to the cover portion and the lid frame, a second portion coupled to the rim, and a linking portion coupled to and positioned to extend between the first portion and the second portion to provide a pivot point about which the lid pivots when moving relative to the rim between the closed positioned an the opened position.

9. The closure of

claim 2

, wherein the rim includes an inner wall, an outer wall spaced apart from the inner wall, and a top wall coupled to and positioned to extend between the inner wall and the outer wall and wherein the inner wall, outer wall, and top wall cooperate to form a channel adapted to receive a top edge of the container therein.

10. The closure of

claim 9

, wherein the inner wall of the rim includes a length equal to ⅛

of an inch.

11. The closure of

claim 9

, wherein the rim further includes a detent coupled to the outer wall of the rim adapted to be received within a notch of the container to secure the closure onto the container.

12. The closure of

claim 1

, wherein the first material is a plastics material and the second material is a paper material.

13. The closure of

claim 12

, wherein the lid frame forms a ring and the cover portion of the paper material is positioned to lie within the ring.

14. The closure of

claim 1

, wherein the hinge portion includes a first segment coupled to the lid frame, a second segment coupled to the rim, and a linking segment coupled to and positioned to lie between the first and second segments.

15. The closure of

claim 14

, wherein the linking segment includes a pivot point about which the lid pivots when moved between the opened position and the closed position.

16. The closure of

claim 1

, wherein the connector further includes another hinge portion coupled to the rim and integrally coupled to the cover portion of the connector.

17. A closure for an open mouth of a container, the closure comprising

a rim adapted to be coupled to a top edge of a container at an open mouth of the container, the rim being formed to include an opening,

a lid configured to mate with the rim to close the opening formed in the rim, and

a hinge portion made of a plastic film substrate and coupled to the rim and lid to support the lid for pivotable movement relative to the rim between a closed position wherein the lid closes the opening formed in the rim and an opened position wherein the lid lies away from the rim, the lid including a lid frame made of a plastics material and a cover portion made of the plastic film substrate and integrally coupled to the hinge portion.

18. The closure of

claim 17

, wherein the lid frame includes a top portion and a rim portion and the cover portion of the plastic film substrate is coupled to the top portion of the lid frame.

19. The closure of

claim 17

, wherein the hinge portion includes a frame-coupling segment coupled to the lid frame, a rim-coupling segment coupled to the rim, and a linking segment coupled to and positioned to extend between the frame-coupling segment and the rim-coupling segment.

20. The closure of

claim 19

, wherein the linking segment of the hinge portion includes a pivot point about which the lid pivots when moving between the closed position and the opened position.

21. The closure of

claim 18

wherein the lid frame includes a latch coupled to the rim portion of the lid frame and positioned to engage a bottom surface of the rim.

22. The closure of

claim 17

wherein a thickness of the plastic film substrate is approximately 40-60 microns.

23. A closure for an open mouth of a container, the closure comprising

a rim adapted to be coupled to a top edge of a container at an open mouth of the container, the rim being formed to include an opening,

a lid frame configured to mate with the rim, and

means for coupling the lid frame to the rim for pivotable movement of the lid frame relative to the rim, the closing means being made of a plastic film substrate.

24. The closure of

claim 23

, wherein the coupling means includes a cover portion coupled to the lid frame and a hinge portion integrally coupled to the cover portion and coupled to the rim.

25. The closure of

claim 24

, wherein the coupling means includes another hinge portion integrally coupled to the cover portion and coupled to the rim.

26. The closure of

claim 23

, wherein the lid frame is formed to include an opening and the closure further includes means for closing the opening.

27. The closure of

claim 26

, wherein the closing means and the coupling means includes a cover portion coupled to the lid frame and a hinge portion integrally coupled to the cover portion and coupled to the rim.

28. A method of coupling a lid frame to a rim adapted to be coupled to a container, the method comprising the steps of

providing a first mold cavity and a second mold cavity,

inserting a connector into the first and second mold cavities and a linking cavity interconnecting the first and second mold cavities, and

filling the first and second mold cavities with a plastics material to form a rim in the first mold cavity that is coupled to one portion of the connector and to form a lid frame in the second mold cavity that is coupled to another portion of the connector in order to form a closure for an open mouth of a container.

29. A method of installing a lid assembly on a container to cover a top opening formed in the container, the method comprising the steps of

providing a lid assembly and a container, the lid assembly being formed to include a rim, a lid frame, and a connector having a first portion coupled to the rim and a second portion coupled to the lid frame such that the second portion of the connector and the lid frame form a lid movable between an opened position and a closed position relative to the rim,

coupling a plastic membrane to the rim of the lid assembly when the lid is in the opened position to close a central opening formed in the rim,

moving the lid from the opened position to the closed position in order to couple the lid to the rim and trap the plastic membrane in an interior position between the rim and the lid, and

coupling the rim of the lid assembly to the container to cause the plastic membrane and the lid to cover a top opening formed in the container.