Resealable moisture tight container assembly for strips and the like having a lip snap seal

• US 7,537,137 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CSP Technologies North America LLC (AptarGroup Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CSP Technologies Incorporated (AptarGroup Incorporated)
• Inventors: Giraud, Jean-Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): HYLTON, ROBIN ANNETTE
• Application Number:
  US11/171,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20050258174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,426 Days
• Field of Search: 215/341, 215/354, 215/235, 215/343, 215/344, 220/847, 220/601, 220/661, 220/259.1, 220/4.21, 220/4.23, 220/839, 220/837, 220/254.3, 220/254.7, 220/254.1, 220/256.1, 206/535, 206/204, 206/524.1, 206/524.4, 221/63, 221/45
• US Class Current: 220/839
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/03 for pills or tablets containers for pills or tablets with special dispensing means therefor B65D83/04
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/04 Packaging single articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 51/225 by ultrasonic welding
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/02 responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of binding or wrapping material, containers, or packages
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/20 for adding cards, coupons or other inserts to package contents adding unpacking elements B65B61/18
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 7/26 by closing hinged lids
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/1041 The closure having a part penetrating in the dispensing aperture and retained by snapping over integral beads or projections
• 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 2251/20 Sealing means
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00833 Integral tabs, tongues, handles or similar
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/0099 Integral supplemental sealing lips
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 43/16 hinged for upward or downward movement cigar or cigarette receptacles A24F15/00; suitcases, ètuis A45C; casings for cosmetic substances with hinged covers A45D40/22; toolboxes B25H3/02; hinges of door or similar type E05D ; boxes for switchboards with hinged covers H02B1/066
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 43/162 the container, the lid and the hinge being made of one piece B65D43/161 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 43/163 the container and the lid being made separately B65D43/161 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 43/164 and connected by interfitting hinge elements integrally with the container and the lid formed respectively
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 53/00 Sealing or packing elements sealings in general F16J15/00; Sealings formed by liquid or plastics material
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 53/02 Collars or rings
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/24 Adaptations for preventing deterioration or decay of contents; Applications to the container or packaging material of food preservatives, fungicides, pesticides or animal repellants with thermal insulation B65D81/38
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/266 for absorbing gases, e.g. oxygen absorbers or desiccants B65D51/244, B65D51/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/0805 through an aperture in a wall
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/0823 : the articles being pushed and slid through the aperture

Abstract

A substantially moisture tight container and lid assembly for storing and packaging moisture-sensitive items comprising an assembly with a container and a lid, the lid is attached by a hinge to an upper housing portion of the container, the lid includes a lip seal member that extends downwardly from the lid, the lip seal member is configured to abut at least a portion of the interior side of the container when the lid is in the closed position resulting in a substantially moisture tight seal between the lid and the lid, and the container assembly further comprising a base portion and an upper housing portion, the upper housing portion is capable of being snap-fit into the base portion by employing a lip seal mechanism to form a substantially moisture-tight seal.

Claims

1. A substantially moisture tight container and lid assembly for storing and packaging moisture-sensitive items comprising:

an assembly with a container and a lid,

a) the lid is attached by a hinge to an upper housing portion of the container, the lid has an outer periphery that extends over at least a portion of the container, the lid is provided with a skirt that extends downwardly therefrom,

b) the container has a container base, and a sidewall extending upwardly from the container base,

i) a top of the container is provided with an opening that permits access to an interior of the container, wherein the opening is spaced away from an outer surface of the sidewall of the container,

ii) the opening of the top of the container is bounded by a lip that extends upward from the top of the container, the lip of the top of the container extends around the periphery of the opening of the top of the container,

iii) the skirt of the lid is positioned at a location on the lid that allows the skirt of the lid to enter into a closing relationship with the lip of the top of the container, wherein the skirt of the lid fits over a periphery of the lip of the top of the container,

iv) the lid further includes a flexible lip seal member that extends downwardly therefrom, the flexible lip seal member of the lid is configured to abut at least a portion of the interior side of the lip of the top container surface when the lid is in the closed position,

wherein the flexible lip seal member is designed to be sufficiently deflective so as to provide a sealing position, in addition to the closing relationship between the skirt of the lid and the lip of the top container when the lip of the top of the container applies pressure on the flexible lip seal member from the outside in, which in combination with the closing relationship between the skirt of the lid and the lip of the top of the container results in a substantially moisture tight seal between the lid and the container, and

wherein the skirt of the lid includes an inwardly facing extension, the lip of the top of the container includes an outwardly facing extension, the inwardly facing extension of the skirt of the lid and the outwardly facing extension of the lip abut and interlock with each other in a snap-fit configuration when the lid is in the closed position.

2. The substantially moisture tight container and lid assembly of claim 1 wherein a portion of the lid serves as a tab for facilitating the opening and closing of the container assembly.

3. The substantially moisture tight container and lid assembly of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the interior of the container base is composed of a desiccant entrained plastic.

4. The substantially moisture tight container and lid assembly of claim 1 wherein container and lid assembly is resealable.

5. The substantially moisture tight container and lid assembly for storing and packaging moisture-sensitive items of claim 1 wherein the degree of deflection of the flexible lip is determined, at least in part, by the thickness of the flexible lip and the curvature of the flexible lip.

6. A substantially moisture tight container and lid assembly for storing and packaging moisture-sensitive items comprising:

an assembly with a container and a lid,

a) the lid is attached by a hinge to an upper housing portion of the container, the lid has an outer periphery that extends over at least a portion of the container, the lid is provided with a skiff that extends downwardly therefrom,

b) the container has a container base, and a sidewall extending upwardly from the container base,

i) a top of the container is provided with an opening that permits access to an interior of the container, wherein the opening is spaced away from an outer surface of the sidewall of the container,

ii) the opening of the top of the container is bounded by a lip that extends upward from the top of the container, the lip of the top of the container extends around the periphery of the opening of the top of the container,

iii) the skirt of the lid is positioned at a location on the lid that allows the skiff of the lid to enter into a closing relationship with the lip of the top of the container, wherein the skirt of the lid fits over a periphery of the lip of the top of the container,

iv) the lid further includes a lip seal member that extends downwardly therefrom, the lip seal member of the lid is configured to abut at least a portion of the interior side of the lip of the top of the container when the lid is in the closed position,

wherein the lip seal member provides a sealing position, in addition to the one between the skirt of the lid and the lip of the top of the container, and applies pressure on the lip of the top of the container from the inside out, which in turn applies pressure on the skirt of the lid, thereby tightening the seal between the skirt of the lid and the lip of the top of the container, resulting in a substantially moisture tight seal between the lid and the container, and

wherein the skirt of the lid includes an inwardly facing extension, the lip of the top of the container includes an outwardly facing extension, the inwardly facing extension of the skirt of the lid and the outwardly facing extensions of the lip abut and interlock with each other in a snap-fit configuration when the lid is in the closed position.

7. A substantially moisture tight container and lid assembly for storing and packaging moisture-sensitive items comprising:

an assembly with a container and a lid,

a) the lid is attached by a hinge to an upper housing portion of the container, the lid has an outer periphery that extends over at least a portion of the container, the lid is provided with a skirt that extends downwardly therefrom,

b) the container has a container base, and a sidewall extending upwardly from the container base,

i) a top of the container is provided with an opening that permits access to an interior of the container wherein the opening is spaced away from an outer surface of the sidewall of the container,

ii) the opening of the top of the container is bounded by a lip that extends upward from the top of the container, the lip of the top of the container extends around the periphery of the opening of the top of the container,

iii) the skirt of the lid is positioned at a location on the lid that allows the skirt of the lid to enter into a closing relationship with the lip of the top of the container, wherein the skirt of the lid fits over a periphery of the lip of the top of the container,

iv) the lid further includes a flexible lip seal member that extends downwardly therefrom, the flexible lip seal member of the lid is configured to abut at least a portion of the interior side of the lip of the top of the container when the lid is in the closed position,

wherein the flexible lip seal member is designed to be sufficiently deflective so as to provide a sealing position, in addition to the closing relationship between the skirt of the lid and the lip of the top of the container when the lip of the top of the container applies pressure on the flexible lip seal member from the outside in, which in combination with the closing relationship between the skirt of the lid and the lip of the top of the container, wherein the closing relationship between the skirt of the lid and the lip of the top of the container and the flexible lip sealing member that provides a sealing position results in a substantially moisture tight seal between the lid and the container, and

wherein the skirt of the lid includes an inwardly facing extension, the lip of the top of the container includes an outwardly facing extension, the inwardly facing extension of the skirt of the lid and the outwardly facing extensions of the lip abut and interlock with each other in a snap-fit configuration when the lid is in the closed position.