Container for granular materials

• US 3,872,996 A
• Filed: 04/09/1973
• Issued: 03/25/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ferrero SPA
• Original Assignee: Amilcare Dogliotti
• Inventors: Dogliotti, Amilcare
• Primary Examiner(s): Price, William I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pollard, Steven M.
• Application Number:
  US05/349,581
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 220/31SR,32,31R,60 215/237 222/153,480,541,534,536,556
• US Class Current: 220/254.7
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/1016 Means for locking the closure in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/0847 located within a flat surface of the base element
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/06 for dispensing powdered or granular material B65D83/04 takes precedence

Abstract

A dispensing container comprising a flat parallelepipedic body having an open end into which a generally rectangular plug or cover is inserted. The cover is moulded of plastics integrally with an elongate closing flap the free end of which protrudes beyond the perimeter of the cover for actuation by the thumb of a hand sizing the container. The free end portion of the flap snappingly engages with the underlying cover portion by cooperating tenon and mortise formations extending in a longitudinal direction of the flap.

Claims

1. A container comprising:

a hollow body portion having an opening of substantially rectangular cross section, a hollow plastic plug of substantially rectangular cross section with a long side and a short side having a top wall and a skirt perpendicular to said top wall adapted to partially fit into the body portion through the opening therein, said skirt having a stepped portion adapted to bear on the edge of the opening in the body portion on insertion of the plug into the body, the top wall of the plug being formed with an opening extending in the direction of the long side of said plug from a short side thereof, a flap, adapted to close the said opening, integrally formed with the plug and integrally hinged to the top wall at the end of the opening remote from said short side, the plug being formed with a recess adapted to receive the free end of the flap in its closed position, the flap being provided with an extension reaching beyond the said short side in the closed position to act as gripping means, cooperating snap-action means disposed in said recess and on the bottom surface said free flap end, respectively, for retaining the flap in its closed postion, comprising complementary coupling surfaces extending in directions parallel to said long side of said plug.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cooperating snap-action means comprise a longitudinally extending tenon on the bottom surface of the flap increasing in cross-sectional width from its connection to the bottom surface of the flap and a longitudinally extending mortise in the recess in said plug, increasing in cross-sectional width from its upper edge.

3. A container as claimed in claim 2, wherein the mortise has a transverse wall closing one end thereof cooperating with a portion of the flap in closed portion to provide a sealing arrangement.

4. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recess in the plug adapted to receive the free end of the flap in its closing position equals in depth the thickness of the top wall.

5. A container for granular substances comprising:

a hollow body portion having an opening of substantially rectangular cross section, a hollow plastic plug of substantially rectangular cross section with a long side and a short side having a top wall and a skirt perpendicular to said top wall adapted to partially fit into the body portion through the opening therein, said skirt having a stepped portion adapted to bear on the edge of the opening in the body portIon on insertion of the plug into the body, the top wall of the plug being formed with an opening extending in the direction of the long side of said plug from a short side thereof, a flap, adapted to close the said opening, integrally formed with the plug and integrally hinged to the top wall at the end of the opening remote from the short side, the plug being formed with a recess adapted to receive the free end of the flap in its closed position equalling in depth the thickness of the top wall, the flap being provided with an extension reaching beyond the said short side in the closed position to act as gripping means, cooperating snap-action means disposed in said recess and on the bottom surface of said free end of the flap, respectively, for holding the flap in its closed condition, said means comprising a longitudinally extending tenon on the bottom surface of the flap increasing in cross-sectional width from its connection to the bottom surface of the flap and a longitudinally extending mortise in the recess in said plug increasing in cross-sectional width from its upper edge and matching in depth the spacing of the bottom in the recess and base of the annular step carried by the skirt.

6. A container for granular substances comprising:

a hollow body portion having an opening of substantially rectangular cross section, a hollow plastic plug of substantially rectangular cross section with a long side and a short side having a top wall and a skirt perpendicular to said top wall adapted to partially fit into the body portion through the mouth, said skirt having a stepped portion adapted to bear on the edge of the opening in the body portion on insertion of the plug into body, the top wall of the plug being formed with an opening extending in the direction of the long side of said plug from a short side thereof, a flap adapted to close the said opening, integrally formed with the plug and integrally hinged to the top wall at the end of the opening remote from said short side, the plug being formed with a recess adapted to receive the free end of the flap in its closed position, the flap being provided with an extension reaching beyond the said short side in the closed position to act as gripping means, cooperating snap-action means disposed in said recess and the bottom surface said free end of the flap, respectively, for holding the flap in its closed condition, said means comprising a longitudinally extending tenon on the bottom surface of the flap increasing in cross-sectional width from its connection to the bottom surface of the flap and a longitudinally extending mortise in the recess in said plug increasing in cross-sectional width from its outer edge wherein the longitudinally extending tenon on the flap is formed with a transverse surface inclined towards the hinged portion of said flap, the longitudinally extending mortise in the plug recess being closed at the innermost end by a transverse inclined wall, the transverse inclined surface of the tenon and the said inclined wall extending parallel to each other in a spaced relationship when the flap is in its closing position.

7. A container as claimed in claim 6, wherein the transverse inclined wall closing one end of the longitudinal mortise is carried by an internal extension on the skirt of said plug.

8. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flap decreases in thickness from its free end towards its hinged portion.

9. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the longitudinally extending edges of the flap are chamfered and the longitudinally extending edges of the opening in the plug top wall and of the recess in the plug are provided with inclined surfaces which abutt in the closing postion of the flap.

10. A container as claimed in claim 1, in which two opposite side walls of the plug skirt are formed on their outer surfaces with ribs extending parallel to the top wall, the corresponding walls of the body portion being provided on thEir inner surfaces with ribs adapted for snap-interengagement with the ribs on the plug upon insertion of the plug into the body portion.