ES2327245T3 - FOOD CONTAINER. - Google Patents

Abstract

Container for foodstuffs (10) comprising at least a tub (11) and a relative lid (12), wherein the lid (12) has a first perimeter edge (13) with an arched profile able to be superimposed, at least partly, over a second perimeter edge (14) of the tub (11) protruding towards the outside and provided with a terminal section (24) with the function of containing and protecting laterally the first perimeter edge (13) in order to prevent in inactive conditions the lifting and release of the lid (12) from the tub (11); the first perimeter edge (13), at one end, has first constraint means (18) able to cooperate with second constraint means (25) present on the second perimeter edge (14); at least a portion (28) of the second perimeter edge (14), comprising at least a part of the terminal section (24), is able to be removed, or bent, so as to allow the lid (12) to be lifted and removed from the tub (11).

Description

Food container

The present invention relates to a container for food comprising a bucket and a corresponding lid,  that can be selectively linked together.

The container according to the invention may have any form and be used for any type of food, although it can be used advantageously to contain ice cream.

Food containers are known, normally based on plastic material, comprising a bucket and a lid that can be associated with the bucket to close it.

The lid is attached to the bucket by interaction between the corresponding perimeter edges, such that, taking advantage of the partial flexibility of the material, the edge of the lid that overlaps the edge of the bucket, can be lifted to Remove the lid and open the container.

To prevent accidental opening of the container and discourage possible forcing by malicious people, some food containers go provided with tear seals, integral with the bucket, which they must be removed in order to remove the lid.

Such a container, which corresponds to the preamble of claim 1, is described in DE 296 01 108 U.

In some recent solutions, they have proposed containers with lids provided with a shaped profile which defines a domed profile that, in addition to being particularly appreciated from the aesthetic point of view, it is more shock resistant and allows a safer closure of the container.

However, in these containers, the particular conformation of the edges of the lid and the cuvette has not allowed to make boot seals.

For this reason, to protect the content of the tray, between the tray and the lid there is a sheet that paste on the edge of the cuvette, once it has been filled last.

The solution is not only more expensive, but It is less safe than starter seals, since the foil can be punctured or broken by removing the lid, even accidentally.

One of the objects of the present invention is offer a food container, provided with a lid with a shaped edge with vaulted profile, where there is at least a starter seal that can be removed in order to lift the top.

Another object of the present invention is offer a food container that results from manufacturing economical, and easy and safe to use, guaranteeing a union effective between the lid and the bucket and the possibility of removing Easily start the seal to lift the lid.

The applicant has devised and made this invention to overcome the deficiencies of the state of the art and achieve the aforementioned objectives as well as other advantages additional.

The present invention is described and characterized. in the main claim, while the subclaims describe other innovative features of the invention.

The food container according to the present invention comprises a bucket and a cover provided with a first perimeter edge with a vaulted profile, which is placed so less partially on a second perimeter edge of the cuvette, folded outwards.

The first perimeter edge has, in a end, a first coupling device that can cooperate with a second coupling device, present in the mentioned second perimeter edge.

The second perimeter edge has a section terminal, folded up, whose function is to contain and protect  laterally the first perimeter edge to avoid that, in inactive state, lifting and releasing the lid of the bucket.

The second perimeter edge also has a part, comprising at least a part of said section terminal which, to achieve the first opening of the container, can be removed or at least folded, in order to be able to lift the lid and remove it from the bucket.

Advantageously, this part is delimited by a plurality of grooves that define a preferred break line  and is associated with an appendix that can be grasped to be able to fold or remove more easily.

In a preferred embodiment, the first peripheral edge comprises in correspondence with said part, a lid that can be grasped to remove said lid, once the indicated part has been folded or removed.

According to the invention, the first device of coupling can be coupled, by interaction, to a second coupling device arranged below the profile upper of the cuvette, in front of the terminal section of the second perimeter edge.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first coupling device comprises at least one tooth  and the second coupling device comprises at least a groove in which said tooth can engage.

According to a variant, the first and the second coupling devices define each other a coupling Male female.

These and other features of the invention are you can clearly see in the following description of some preferred forms of the invention, given by way of examples not limiting, with respect to the attached figures, where:

- Figure 1 is a three-dimensional view of a food container according to the present invention;

- Figure 2 is another three-dimensional view of a food container of figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the food container of figure 1;

- Figure 4 is a detail "IV" of the figure 3;

- figure 5 is the detail of figure 4 in a first stage to remove the lid;

- figure 6 is the detail of figure 4 in a second stage to remove the lid;

- Figure 7 is a detail of a section of corner of the food container of figure 1;

- Figure 8 is a longitudinal section of the bucket of the food container of figure 1;

- Figure 9 is a plan view of the cuvette of figure 8;

- Figure 10 is the "X" detail of the figure 8;

- Figure 11 is the detail "XI" of the figure 8;

- Figure 12 is the section from XII to XII in the figure 9;

- Figure 13 is a longitudinal section of the bucket of the food container of figure 1;

- Figure 14 is a plan view of the cuvette of figure 13;

- figure 15 is detail XV of figure 14;

- Figure 16 is the section from XVI to XVI of the figure 14.

With reference to the attached figures, the number reference 10 generally designates a food container according to the present invention, advantageously based on material molding plastic, at least partially deformable elastically, as p. ex. polypropylene (PP).

The container 10 comprises a bucket 11 and a corresponding cover 12 that can be associated with cuvette 11 with in order to close its upper part (figures 1, 2 and 3).

In this case, the cover 12 has a rectangular shape with the two long curved sides and rounded corners, and the bucket 11 is shaped like a polyhedron and the base has a shape which corresponds to that of cover 12.

The cover 12 has a perimeter edge 13 shaped that defines a vaulted profile that can be placed, coupling it by interaction, on the perimeter edge 14 of the bucket 11.

To be more exact, the perimeter edge 13 which runs through a flat central area 17 of the lid, has a segment 15, from the inside outwards and oriented towards above, and a curvilinear section 16 that extends as far as possible under said central zone 17 and has a tooth 18 at the end oriented inwards (figures 15 and 16).

Advantageously, between segment 15 and the curvilinear section 16 there is a plurality of small ribs 19 whose function is to reinforce the perimeter edge 13.

In addition, in correspondence with a corner, the lid 12 has a small lip 20 that protrudes outwards with respect to the perimeter edge 13 (figure 16) whose function is will explain later.

The perimeter edge 14 of the cuvette 11 it comprises, on the contrary, from the inside to the outside, a first section practically curvilinear 21, a second practically vertical section 22, provided with an oriented flange  towards the outside, a practically horizontal third section 23 and a terminal section or fourth section 24, facing up and located practically in front of the second section mentioned 22 (Figures 10 and 11).

The third section 23 is longer in correspondence with the corner of lip 20, to allow housing the latter (figure 12).

Advantageously, the terminal section 24 is slightly tilted outward at an angle between 5º and 10º from the vertical and it stands out up a few millimeters, for example between 2 mm and 5 mm, with respect to said third section 23.

Between the walls 26 of the bucket 11 and the first section 21 and the second section 22, there is a plurality of ribs 27 with the function of reinforcing the perimeter edge 14.

The separation between flange 25 and section terminal 24 of the perimeter edge 14 is slightly lower than thickness of the curvilinear section 16 of the perimeter edge 13 in correspondence with tooth 18.

In addition, in the corner located in correspondence with lip 20, the perimeter edge 14 has a part corresponding 28, which comprises a part of the third section 23 and a part of the fourth section 24; this part 28 is delimited by a plurality of slots that define a line of break 29, by which it can be completely folded or removed this part 28 (figures 7, 9 and 11).

Forming a single piece with part 28, there is a Appendix 30 that can be grabbed to fold or remove more easily part 28.

When the lid 12 is attached to the cuvette 11, the curvilinear section of the perimeter edge 13 rests on the first section 21, the second section 22 and the third section 23 of the perimeter edge 14 and is partially inserted into the cavity between the second section 22 and the section terminal 24, the latter containing it laterally towards the Exterior.

In this situation, tooth 18 is engaged. at flange 25, in an area below the profile upper of the cuvette 11 and protected by the presence of the third section 23 and the terminal section 24 of the perimeter edge 14 (figures 3 and 4).

Therefore, the cover 12 can only be remove extending the perimeter edge 13 outwards and lifting it so that tooth 18 passes over the flange 25.

If container 10 is still whole, that is, if it has to be opened for the first time, this is very difficult to make or practically impossible without the help of a tool, due to the presence of the terminal section 24 of the edge perimeter 14 that prevents access to lip 20 and therefore properly grasp the perimeter edge 13.

To open the container 10 is therefore it is necessary to leverage appendix 30 and, by pulling it, bend or remove part 28 of the second perimeter edge 14, to access to lip 20 and lift lid 12.

When the lid 12 is lifted, deformation occurs elastic of the terminal section 24 which, pushed by the section curvilinear 16, extends slightly outward, allowing tooth 18 to pass over flange 25 (Figures 5 and 6).

After opening it for the first time, the container 10 can be closed again, putting the cover 12 with cuvette 11, and open again by lifting the lid on correspondence with lip 20.

The invention therefore allows to obtain a effective and secure closure of container 10, which can only be opened deliberately bending or removing part 28.

The risk of accidentally removing the cover 12 is very small due to the conformation of the edges perimeter 13 and 14 and also because the coupling area between lid 12 and cuvette 11, that is, in correspondence with the coupling of the tooth 18 and the flange 25, is protected from blows or other efforts due to the presence of the third section 23 and the terminal section 24 of the perimeter edge 14.

It is clear, however, that they can be done modifications and / or additions of parts in the container for food 10 described above, without departing from the scope of The present invention.

For example, part 28 may comprise only part of the terminal section 24, or there may be two or more parts 28 that can be folded or removed in order to remove the top.

In addition, tooth 18 and flange 25 can be extend on one part only, advantageously one part substantial, of the corresponding peripheral edges.

Or the coupling between the cover 12 and the cuvette 11 can be achieved by a different coupling, by interaction, for example a coupling male-female that is obtained by inserting a flange in a corresponding cavity.

In addition, the conformation of cuvette 11 and the cover 12 may be different from those shown here, and also, the tooth shape 18, flange 25 and end section 24 also They may be different.

It is clear that, while the present invention It has been described with reference to specific examples, every expert in the matter will undoubtedly be able to perform other many equivalent forms of food container, with characteristics set forth in the claims, and that, therefore both fall within the scope of protection defined here.

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Bibliography cited in the description

This list of references cited by the applicant, is solely for the convenience of the reader. No way part of the European patent document. Although it has been put very careful to collect the references, they cannot be excluded errors or omissions and the EPO declines all responsibility to respect.

Patent documents cited in the description

DE 29601108 U [0006]

Claims (14)

1. Food container comprising at least one tray (11) and a lid (12), which can be selectively associated with said tray (11), wherein said lid (12) has a first perimeter edge (13) which is it can superimpose, at least in part, on a second perimeter edge (14) of said cuvette (11), with the particularity that the first perimeter edge (13) has, at one end, a first coupling device (18) that it can cooperate with a second coupling device (25), present in said second perimeter edge (14), wherein said second perimeter edge (14) includes a section (24) that can contain and protect laterally said first perimeter edge (13) so as to avoid that, in an inactive state, the lifting and releasing of said cover (12) of said cuvette (11) and where at least a part (28) of said second perimeter edge (14) comprising at least one part of said section (24) can be removed or folded, to be able to lift and remove the lid (12) of the cuvette (11), characterized in that the first perimetric edge (13) has a vaulted profile, the second perimetric edge (14) bends outwards and the section (24) is a terminal section of the second perimeter edge (14). 2. Food container according to claim 1, characterized in that said terminal section (24) is bent upwards. 3. Food container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the second coupling device (25) faces said terminal section (24). 4. Food container according to claim 3, characterized in that the second coupling device (25) is arranged below the upper profile of said tray (11). 5. Food container according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the second perimeter edge (14) comprises at least a first curvilinear section (21), a practically vertical second section (22), a practically horizontal third section (23) and said terminal section (24) and because said terminal section (24) faces the second mentioned section (22). 6. Food container according to claim 5, characterized in that said portion (28) comprises a part of the third section (23) and a part of said terminal section (24). 7. Food container according to any of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that the first coupling device (18) comprises at least one tooth and the second coupling device (25) comprises at least one flange on which said can be engaged. tooth. 8. Food container according to any of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that the first coupling device (18) and the second coupling device (25) define each other a male-female coupling. 9. Food container according to any of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that the first coupling device (18) and the second coupling device (25) constitute at least an important part of the first (13) and second perimetric edges (14) mentioned. 10. Food container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said terminal section (24) is inclined outwardly forming an angle between 5 ° and 10 ° with respect to a vertical plane. 11. Food container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said terminal section (24) has a length between 2 mm and 5 mm. 12. Food container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said part (28) is delimited by a plurality of grooves defining a preferred break line. 13. Food container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second perimeter edge (14) comprises an appendix (30) associated with said part (28) that can be grasped to be able to fold or remove said part more easily ( 28). 14. Food container according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that in correspondence with said part (28), the first mentioned peripheral edge (13) comprises a lid (20) that can be grasped to be able to remove said lid (20), once the indicated part has been folded or removed (28).