EP1720772A1

EP1720772A1 - Hinged lid container with frangible portions

Info

Publication number: EP1720772A1
Application number: EP04801134A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ian Bernard Huhtamaki Australia Limited JANETZKI; Paul Huhtamaki Australia Limited DAFFURN
Original assignee: Huhtamaki Australia Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Huhtamaki Australia Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2003-12-15
Filing date: 2004-12-07
Publication date: 2006-11-15
Also published as: AU2004296894B2; AU2010214759B2; AU2010214759A1; WO2005056414A1; ZA200605811B; AU2004296894A1; AU2004202664A1; NZ585281A; NZ587724A; EP1720772A4

Abstract

A lid (3) for a container including a base (1) and walls (7) having a top opening defined by a rim formation (9), the lid being securable on the base and extendible across the top opening, the lid including a hinge line (2), and a flexible membrane (38) applied to and extending over the hinge line of the lid, the membrane (38) being formed of a material having an initially oriented structure to thereby support repeated flexure of the lid about the hinge (2). Also provided on the lid or rim formation is a tamper evident frangible section (45, 46) which will remain on the rim or lid respectively when the container is first opened. The lid can be made by injection moulding or thermoform process and the frangible portions provided by laser etching, cutting, drilling or stamping processes.

Description

HINGED LID CONTAINER WITH FRANGIBLE PORTIONS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to containers. In one form, the invention relates to containers for foodstuffs, such as ice- cream, margarine and so; on, and in particular, to containers including a base having a top opening and a lid. secured on the base and extending across the top opening. It will be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention in relation to foodstuff containers, howejver it should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to that use orily.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Containers of the above noted type typically have a snap fittingly re- engageable arrangement between the lid and the base to facilitate removal and re-engagement of the lid over the top opening of the base. This arrangement ensures that the lid is secμrely held in place to the base. This type of container design is particularly appropriate when the lid needs to be made of a different material or colour than the! base. The inventor(s) have realized that it is however, advantageous at times toi have the lid at all times attached to the rest of the container to prevent the misplacing of the lid or possible contamination by foreign material if the lid is separated from the base. To this end, it is known to provide containers having a lid hinjjjed to the base. These containers are typically formed in one piece and then folded along the hinged line to provide the final closed container. The engagemebt of the lid and base of such one piece containers are however not always particularly secure. Furthermore, the tooling cost for one piece containers can be High. In addition, it rs not convenient to use different materials or colours for thej lid and the base. The inventor(s) are aware of-a container having a hinge formed by welding a peripheral shirt of the lid |to a peripheral skirt of the base. A crease is provided in the peripheral skirt of the lid to act as a hinge line for the lid. Such an arrangement is described in international application no. PCT/BR9 /00030. This allows the lid to be pivoted jaway from the top opening of the base about the hinge line while still remaining secured to the base. The inventor(s) arei aware of another container having a hinge line within the lid itself. This may bei achieved by providing a hinge line that extends across the lid with a hinge portiorji and a lid portion being provided on opposing sides of the hinge line. This hing portion of the lid may then be fixedly secured to the base so that the fid portion can be rotated about the hinge line while the hinge portion remains secured to the base. This then also allows access into the container while at the sarjne time allowing the lid to be partially secured to the base of the container. The inventor(s) realize that there is a problem with both these arrangements, in that thefe is a tendency for the container to break along the hinge line after repeated flexing about that hinge line. The inventor(s) have found that the problem arises because the types of plastic material typically used in the manufacture of foodstuff j containers do tend to weaken after such repeated flexing. With component^ made of plastic material such as polypropylene, the area of the component th t needs to be regularly flexed can be strengthened by flexing the component while the material Is still warm immediately after the injection molding of the component. This acts to align the polymer chains within the flexed area strengthening this area for repeated flexing. It is not however always possible or convenient to pre-flex the components in this way during the manufacture of the components. Another problem associated with prior art containers known to the inventor(s) is that it is not always possible to provide tamper evidence means for the container. This is particularly important for containers used in the sale of food products where such tamper evidence provides added comfort to purchasers of this product that the contents of the container have not been tampered with. Any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge In this specification is included tcj explain the context of the invention. It should not be taken as an admission hat ^aπy of the material forms a part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art in Australia or elsewhere on or before the priority date of the disclosure and claims herein. An object of the prejsent invention is to provide an improved container and hinged lid arrangement. A further object of the present invention is to alleviate at least one disadvantage associated vyith the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With this in mind,: according to one aspect of invention, the present invention provides a lid foii a container and/or a method of manufacturing a lid for a container including a base having a top opening, the lid being securable on the base and extendible across the top opening, the lid including a hinge line, and a flexible membrane applied to or formed integrally with a portion of the lid and extending at least substantially over the hinge line of the lid, the membrane being formed of a material having an initially orientated internal structure to thereby support repeated flexure of the lid about the hinge line. The hinge line may be a web-type hinge formed integrally with a central web of said lid. This is advantageous when the container is formed wholly or partly of plastics materials which lend themselves to the providing of web-type hinges. Alternatively, the hinge line may be a groove extending across the central web of the lid. The hinge may be a laminate formed of plastics and/or other material having another composition (whether or not the other material is plastic material). The hin e may also be a label, applied to the lid at or around the hinge line region of the! lid. According to a secc-nd aspect of invention, the present invention provides a lid for a container, and having at least two sides, and a hinge located between the two sides. The hinge may enable at least one portion of the lid to pivot or flex relative to another portion <j>f the lid. The hinge may be parallel to at least one of the sides. The hinge may extend across or partially ajcross the lid. The hinge may be provided at a distance substantially between 5% and 50% of the distance between the two sides. Preferably, the hinge is provided at approximately 20% of the distance between the two sides. ^{■ ;} According to a thirdi aspect of invention, the present invention provides a lid for a container having ajbase portion, where the hinge is provided on one side of the base portion. The lijd is secured to one portion of the base, and is able to flex or pivot relative to another portion of the base. According to a fourth aspect of invention, the present invention provides a container base having a licji secured thereto and/or a method of securing the lid to the base. The lid is prefeijably secured at one or more points proximate the area of contact between the lid and the container base. However, the lid may be secured via 'wing' section(js) provided on the base, which wing section(s) may be removable. One or more of the points at which the lid is secured include a tamper-evident means, suph as a frangible section. In one form, the lid may be 'welded' at a point, arounjd which there is provided a frangible section of lid or base, .a container with a lid secured to the and/or a method of manufacture thereof, including a base' having a top opening and a lid as disclosed herein secured on said base and Extending across said top opening. The container may; be initially openablθ by breakage or deformation of a securing means on one side of a hinge line and rotation or pivoting of the lid portion about the hinge line. The breakage or deformation of said securing means in the initial openinjg of said container is subsequently evident to a user of said container. This provides a tamper evidence arrangement from the container. In a fifth aspect of invention, the present invention provides a lid for a container and/or a method of manufacturing a lid for a container. In one embodiment, the lid may iijiclude a frangible section. In another embodiment, the lid is adapted to be securφd to a container base having a frangible section. The lid may be made by a the oform process. In a sixth aspect ofj invention, the present invention provides a method of providing a frangible sectipn in a plastics material article made by a thermoform process, the frangible seption being provided by weakenin a portion of the plastics material. The weakening is preferably formed by a cutting, laser etching and/or drilling processes ujsαn the plastics article. Other aspects and! preferred aspects are disclosed in the specification and/or defined in the appended claims, forming a part of the description of the invention. In essence, in orie aspect, the present invention is based on the inventor(s) realizing that Ikjls for containers according to the present invention are typically made from plastid material such as polypropylene. As previously noted, the problem with such material is that repeated flexing of this material along a line can result in breakage or Ifracture along that line. This is due to the un-orientated polymer chain internal structure of the internal material. The inventor(s) realized that a membrane may be applied to an injection moulded lid by locating tlje membrane within the mould for the lid. Subsequent injection moulding of the lid results in the membrane becoming integrally secured to the injection moulded lid. The inventor(s) have, in part, utilized a manufacturing method kn< wn for incorporating labels on lids, and which is known as "in-mould labeling", ahd applied this to the present application to address problems associated wijth container lids. The membrane may, in one embodiment, be providedias a label as well as providing the additional benefit of supporting the lid along trje hinge line. The membrane may be laminated and/or integrally incoφorated witlji the lid. The membrane according to the present invention can. also be made of a plastic material such as a] polypropylene. However, the membrane will have an initially orientated internal structure which is more resistant to damage by repeated flexure of the material. In the lid according to the present invention, the provision of the membrane provides support along the hinge line of the lid thereby allowing for the repeated flexure along that hinge line. The provision of the membrane over the hinge line of the lid therefore acts to reinforce the hinge line area of the lid thereby allowing for repeated flexure. This therefore enables thejlid to be used as a hinged closure for the container. The present invention has been found to result in a number of advantages, such as:

• By providing a hϊng on the lid. the lid can remain secured to the container base, and still flex «j>pen to enable access to the container contents. This avoids, in part, in appropriate disposal of the lid.

• The frangible portiφn provides a. form of tamper evident means on the container.

• A label may be use in a dual roll, that of labeling or packaging, and that of a hinge or flexible region. • Providing the hingej in the lid and/or in the base of the container enables many different shapes of containers with lids to be made. This enables containers to be designed more with customer and/or product needs in mind. • The present invention is relatively convenient and/or cost effective to manufacture. Further scope of applicability of the present invention wijl become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given b ay of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled iri the art from this detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OFjTHE DRAWINGS Further disclosure,; objects, advantages and aspects of the present application may be better understood by those skilled in the relevant art by reference to the following description of preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only, and thus ajre not limitative of the present invention, and in which: Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a container according to the present invention, Figure 3 illustrates ^n example of a lid according to the present invention, Figure 4 illustrates another view of the container with the lid open, Figure 5 illustrates fynge provided on the base of the container, Figure 6 illustrates a^; closed container, Figure 7 illustrates ja tag fastening according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 8 illustrates ia tear-away section according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the Figures there is shown a base-and-lid container according to the invention. The container is made of plastics material and is of a type suitable for the sale and storage of ice cream for domestic use. However, the invention should not be limjted to only containers for this application. Figure 1 shows thai the container consists of two parts, namely an open- topped base 1 and a lid 3._: Figure 2 shows that the base has a floor 5 and four upstanding sidewalls 7 and upper edges define a rim formation 9. Figure 1 shows that the lid 3 has a central web 11 and a peripheral rim formation 13. The rim forjmation 9 of the base 1 includes a horizontal flange 15 extending outwardly from an upper edge of the sidewalls 7 and preferabl a skirt 17 depending from an outφr edge of the flange 15. The rim formation 9 preferably extends around the entirej periphery of the base, and may be continuous or only provided at certain locations. In Figure 3, the rim formation of the lid 3 includes a skirt 16 depending from an outer edge of the web 111. Extending inwardly from this skirt 16 is a bead 18 which is provided to interact with the depending skirt 17 of the rim formation 9 of the base 1. In this way, lid 3 can fittingly and/or snap fittingly engage with the base 1. Extending acrossjor at least part way across the central web 11 of the lid on its lower side is a line oif reduced thickness forming, in effect, a web-type hinge 2. Alternatively, the hihge line may be a groove formed in a suitable manner such as by deformation, molding or cutting and extending across the central web of the lid. In another alternative, the hinge may include a laminate 38 formed of plastics and/or other material having another composition (whether or not the other material is plastic material). The hinge may also be a label, applied to the lid at or around the hinge lijne region of the lid. The hinge may enable at least one portion of the lid to pivot or flex relative to another portion of the lid. The hinge may extend across or partially across the lid. The hinge 2 serves to; divide the lid into two portions, a hinge portion 21 on one side 40 of the hinge 2 land a lid portion 23 on the other side 41 of the hinge 2. The hinge 2 may be parallφl to at least one of the sides 40 or 41. The hinge 2 may bφ provided at a distance substantially between 5% and

50% of the distance between the two sides 40 and 41. Preferably, the hinge 2 is provided at approximately J20% of the distance between the two sides. The hinge

2 may be formed between other sides of the lid, the two sides 40 and 41 have been u sed only for the purposes of illustration. In yet another altejmative embodiment, Figure 5 shows the hinge 2 is provided on one side of thje base portion 1. The lid 3 is secured to one portion 42 of the base 1 , and is ejble to flex or pivot relative to another portion 43 of the base. Lid 3 is typically mjade of a plastic material such as polypropylene in an injection moulding procejss. During the manufacturing process, a flexible membrane 38 (which is έhown in Figure 3 in dotted line and shaded only for illustrative purposes) is plajced into the mould cavity for the lid. The membrane 38 may be placed in a manπ r so that it extends partially or substantially along the length of the hinge 2. The! membrane 38 may alternatively comprise one or more (smaller) membranes (noti shown) but placed at intervals along the hinge line 2. During the subsequent injection moulding of the lid, the membrane 38 becomes laminated and/or at least substantially integrated with the lid 3, There are many ways in which the membr ne 38 is attached to or incorporated in the lid and this aspect of invention concerns itself with the provision of the membrane 38. The membrane 38 rnay be a label. The label may substantially cover the lid 3, or be only provided n a smaller part of lid 3. The membrane may be itself flexible, providing all or jsome of the hinging effect. The membrane, may alternatively.or in combination with the description above, be coupled to the lid 3 and/or the base 1 in a manner which provides some or all flexing of the hinge 2. In other words, the annpr in which the membrane 38 is coupled to the lid 3 and/or the base 1 may provide or contribute to the hinging effect in accordance with an aspect of the presφnt invention. For example, the membrane 38 may be coupled to the |id 3 and/ r base 1 at one or more points, in a manner which provides a deformation, mφlding, cut or weakening which provides some flexibility or hinging. In one embodiment,! the membrane 38 is made of a plastic material having an initially oriented interfnal structure. The plastic material can also be polypropylene, the merrjibraπe may otherwise be a label of paper or other material, depending on thφ requirements for the lid 3 and/or container 1. This membrane 38 can be attached or secured over the hinge line 2 and thus act to support the lid 3 for repeatjed flexure along the hinge line 2. This enables the lid portion 23 of the lid 3 to b repeatedly rotated away from the base 1 as shown in Figure 2 to allow access therein. Another aspect of invention is the manner in which the lid 3 is secured or releaseably secured to thφ base 1. In use of the container by a food manufacturer, the base 1 is first filled with the product to be containejd. The lid 3 is then snap fittingly engaged with the base 1. When the lid 3 is in pζace oh the base 1, a portion 44 of the central web 11 abuts a portion of the flange 15 of the rim formation 9 of the base 1. As shown in Figureiθ, in securing the lid to the base, the lid 3 is welded (or fastened by some appropriate means) to the base 1. This may be done at one or more points. Figure 6 shbws the lid secured at 4 points 10 and 12, each point being at a corner of the cφtainer. In the example as shown, two of points 10 are on the hinge portion 21 of jthe lid 3 and the remaining two points 12 are on the lid portion 23 of the lid 3. The hinge line is represented by a dotted line 38. In this embodiment, the welds oh the hinge portion 21 of the lid are made in known fashion by ultrasonic meaijis. That is, the lid portion 21 is secured in a relatively fixed manner to the bas]e 1. Wher the container is formed from plastics materials, welding may for example be earned out by the known technique of ultrasonic welding, solver t welding, by thermal means, and/or by adhesive. However, other types of Securing means may also be provided, as disclosed herein or are known to thcjse skilled in the art. In the preferred embodiment, the lid and base are welded together by ultrasonic means. In another embodijneπt, strips of fastening, rather than just points of fastening can be used to | fastened the lid to the base at selected parts of the container. The corresponding portions of the lid and base which are located together at region 21 whenj the lid and base are closed together, may be fastened by application of ultrasonjic vibrations to one or both the lid and base, thus welding those portions of the lid and base by localized melting. The result is spot- welding of the lid 3 to the base 1. The two points 12 ialso fastened the lid 3 to the base 1 in a suitable manner as disclosed hereih or as known in the art, such as by ultrasonic means. However, in accordance vjtith an aspect of invention, the point(s) 12 include a tamper evident feature, siich as a frangible section. That is, in addition to the fastening points 12 on the; lid portion 23 of the lid 3, there are perforations 25 extending through the webil 1 of the lid 3. The effect of the perforations 25 is that when a user opens the lid 3 away from the base 1 at the location of the welds 1 , the lid will fracture at perforations 25, leaving a piece 45 of the web 11 still welded to the flange 15 of the ba{se 1 (see Figure 1) while the remainder of the lid 3 is flexed open via hinge 38 from the base 1. Material between the individual perforations 25 are broken during opening. This is evident in Figure 1 showing the piece 45, and a corresponding hole 46 where the piece 45 was formerly attached to the lid 3. The depending skirt' 16 of the lid 3 extends around the entire periphery In a periodic or continuous manner. The skirt 16 is at the outermost extremity of the lid 3. It follows that any attempt to rotate the lid portion 23 of the lid 3 relative to the hinge portion 21 about the hinge line 38, before placement of the lid on the base 1 , will be resisted by! compression or extension of the depending skirt 16 of the lid adjacent to the hing line 2. This is advantageous in that the lid 3 behaves as a substantially rigid singlle item. However, after placement of the lid 3 on the base 1 and welding of a lid to the base at points 10, such resistance is undesirable, as it renders difficult the rotation of the lid portion 23 of the lid relative to the hinge portion 21 when opening of the container is underway. Therefore, the depending skirt 16 is provided with a reduced thickness section or region 31 ( Figure 3) proximate the hinge line 2. This approach may delimit a zone of breakage or deformation and so prevent excessive or uriwaπted damage to the container during opening. The region of reduced strength may include at least one perforation. One or more lines of reduced thickness may also or alternatively be included in the region. In a similar manner,' the base 1 may also or alternatively include areas of reduced thickness 47 to enable the lid to open as shown in Figure 5. The reduced thickness, may be provided as a tamper evident frangible section, or by other means as described hereinbefore. When the lid has , been fastened to the container by welds, it can subsequently be opened by a user applying an upward force to and edge 33 of the lid which is parallel to the hinge line 2. The effect is to break the welds 12 leaving pieces 45 welded to the flange 15 of the rim formation 9 of the base 1 , and the deform or break the sections of the lid rim formation 31 adjacent to the ends of the hinge line 2. Once the lid portion 23 of the lid 3 Is rotated a sufficient distance around the hinge line 2, the contents of the base 1 can be accessed and removed. Once a desired quantity of the contents of the container has been removed, the lid may be -closed by rotating the lid portion 23 of the lid about the hinge line 2 until it is agaih in contact with the rim formation 9 of the base. In the last part of this rotation, tfie lid portion 23 of the lid snap fittingly re-engages with the rim formation 9 of the base. The container is thus tamper evident, in that once first opened in the manner described above, ithe fact that its having been opened is readily apparent from the pieces 45 being broken from the lid and remaining attached to the flange 15 of the base, holes 46 in the lid 3 and also by virtue of deformation or fracture of the regions 31 of the skirt of the rim formation 16 of the lid. A user will also notice when opening the container on second and subsequent occasions that the resistance provided by brejaking of the welds 12 is no longer present. Conveniently for production, both the hinge portion and lid portion of the lid may be secured to the base by welding. In this case, the strength of the attachments of the hinge and lid portions to the base may be made different to ensure that the intended lie. portions to the base may be made different to ensure that the intended lid portion is the one actually opened by a user. It is preferred that the lid has a peripheral rim formation engageable with a cooperating peripheral rim formation extending around said top opening of said base, and particularly preferred that the rim formations of said lid and said base part are snap fittingly engageable with each other. Suitable cooperating rim formations can enhance security agaijnst tampering, by preventing access to the container, without damage to the frangible or deformable securing means, through insertion of a thin object into a gap! between lid and base. Snap fitting also gives some certainty of correct closure to a user. The use of other m ^ns of providing tamper evident connections between the parts is also envisaged.' Of course, it is possible to remove the lid completely by prizing both the hinge and lid portions 21 , 23 off the base. The welds 10 holding the hinge portion 21 of the lid in place on the base may be made weak enough for this to be a practical step, but stronger' than the welds 12 on the lid portion. It will be noted that the ability to remove jthe lid entirely is advantageous where the lid and base are of different materials with different recycling requirements. In another embodiiirtent, the lid may be provide without a hinge line 2 and may be secured to the b se by points 10 and/or 12 as disclosed herein. In this embodiment, separation of the lid from the base will result in a taper evident state as disclosed above. In a further alternaljive, a kinematic inversion of the embodiment described above can be provided, where the piece 45 is designed to remain on the lid 3, and a hole 46 is provided In the base 1. To increase the rigidity of the lid, it is provided with grooves 37 inwardly of an extending parallel to the four sides of the lid. At the centre of edge 33 of the lid skirt 16, the skirt is sjlightly recessed and a lip at the base of the skirt is correspondingly slightly wider than elsewhere along that edge, to facilitate a user gripping it for the purpφse of opening the container. The word "LIFT" is embossed on the lid to show the consumer what to do. The grooves 37,, by stiffening the lifting edge 3J3 of the lid, makes it possible to break the welds 12 by lifting at the centre of edge 33, but also reduced the possibility of the lid 3 separating from the base along the edge. There are a number of ways in which the lid and the base can be coupled in a tamper evident manneir, such as, but with out limitation, as shown in Figure 7. In Figure 7a, a tag; 48 is provided. As shown in Figure 7b, the tag has corresponding portions 4$a and 48b fixed to both the basθ 1 and the lid 3 respectively. A fastening point 10 (or 12) fastens the base and lid via tag portions

48a and 48b respectively. The tag 48 includes a frangible part 49, which, when tag 48 is pulled, tag portions 48a and 48b together with the fastening point 10 is removed, thus the base and the lid are no longer fastened by tag 48. In Figure 8, a frangible section is provided proximate the fastening of the lid 3 and the base 1. Figure 8 shows the frangible section 50 as viewed from above. The frangible section 50 may be provided around or near the fastening points 10 or 12 in a manner that when the lid 3 and the base 1 (not shown) are separated, the frangible seόtion is broken. The frangible section may remain with one of the base or the lid as described above. The frangible section 50 may be provided in a portion of the container such as at a lip, where the lid and base adjoin when closed. For example the frangible section may be provided where rims 9 and 13 join when the? lid and base are closed. The frangible sectio may be of any shape, may be external or internal of the container, located anyvyhere on the container, and/or may be continuous or provided only at certain locations. The lid and base arie particularly well suited to manufacture by injection molding using plastics as aife the various processes described herein. In a further alternative embodiment, the lid and/or container of the present invention may be formed by a Thermoforrn process. In the thermoform process, a first piece of material (which will become a part of the hinge 38 and which may be a label or other material as; described above) can be placed in the die proximate where the hinge is to be formed in the lid, and a second piece of material (which will form the remainder of the lid material) can be placed in the die overlapping at least a part of the first material. The lid can then be formed by the thermoform process in the usual manner. Alternatively, the lid^; may be thermoformed from one piece material, and the hinge provided by later fabrication. The one piece of material may already have two or more components useful in forming a hinge as described herein. Once the lid has been formed, the frangible and/or hinge portions may be further refined through morie fabrication. The frangible sections may be formed by laser, cutting, stamping, drilling or otherwise machining the lid to form portions of frangible material at the desired locations. The frangible section may be formed also at least partially during the thermoform process. A container made ϋn this way is advantageous for manufacturers and users. Both lid and base can be manufactured readily by manufacturers and after filling and sale to the consμmer, the consumer has the comfort of knowing safety and security of the contents that comes from the provision of a tamper evidence capability, convenience a d the added benefit retaining the lid with the base for ease of use or for re-closinjg the lid and base. Steps known in the art may be taken to provide for nestability of the lids and bases prior to joining. As can be seen in Figure 3, the depending skirt of the rim formation of the lid, and its integrally formed bead, can provide for stacking without the lids in a stackibeing difficult to separate. It is also known to provide nesting formations on bases of containers of the present type. These are not shown in diagrams, but are known in the art. Where the hinge portion is secured to the base by welding, for example of the type mentioneQ above, the arrangement is considered advantageous for example in applications such as lidded tub-type containers for ice cream and like products, where tooling costs for one piece containers may be higher and/or where it may be desired to use different material for the base and lid. While this invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modification(s). ' This application is intended to cover any variations uses or adaptations of the invention following in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth. As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit of the essential characteristics of the invention, it should be understood that the above described embodiments are not to limit the present invention unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Various modifications and! equivalent arrangements are intended to be included within the spirit and scope! of the invention and appended claims. Therefore, the specific embodiments are to be understood to be illustrative of the many ways in which the principles of the i present invention may be practiced. In the following claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover structures as performing the defined function and not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures. For example, although a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together, whereas a screw employs a helical surface to secure wooden parts together, in the environment of fastening wooden parts, a nail and a screw are equivalent structures. "Comprises/comprising" when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof." Thus, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words 'comprise', 'comprising', and the like aire to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive! sense; that is to say, in the sense of "including, but not limited to".

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A lid for a container including a base having a top opening, the lid being securable on the base and extendible across the top opening, the lid having a body portion and including a hinge line, arid a flexible membrane applied to and extending over at least a portion of the hinge line of the lid.

2. A lid as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the body portion of the lid is a different material than the membrane.

3. A lid as claimed in aim 1 , wherein the membrane is formed of a material having an initially orientated intemal structure adapted to support repeated flexure of the lid about the hinge line.

4. A lid as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the membrane is a label.

5. A lid according to claim 1, wherein the hinge line is provided by a web-type hinge integrally formed in a central web of the lid.

6. A lid as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the hinge line is a laminate of material(s).

7. A lid according to claim 1 , wherein the hinge line is provided by a groove extending across the central web.

8. A lid as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the membrane has one or more portions.

9. A lid as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the membrane extends over substantially a large part of the hinge line.

10. A lid adapted to fit a container having a base with a top opening, the lid including: a first side and a second side, and a flexible region located between the first side and the second side.

11.' A lid as claimed in claim 10, wherein the flexible region is a hinge line.

12. A lid as claimed in claim 10, wherein the flexible region is located at a distance substantially between 5% and 50% of the distance between the first and second sides.

13. A lid adapted to fit a container having a base with a top opening and a first portion adapted to be coupled to the lid, the lid including: a frangible region formed proximate a second portion on the lid, the second portion being adapted to correspondingly couple with the first portion.

14. A base of a container adapted to fit a lid, the lid having a first portion adapted to be coupled to the base, the base including: a frangible region formed proximate a second portion on the base, the. second portion being adapted to correspondingly couple with the first portion.

15. In combination, a container including a base having a top opening, and a lid according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

16. In combination, a container including a base as claimed in claim 14, and a lid.

17. A combination as claimed in claim 15 or 16, wherein the lid is releasably securable to the base and extends across the top opening.

18. A combination as claimed in claim 15 or 16, wherein a portion of the lid and a portion of the base are fixed together.

19. A combination as claimed in claim 18, wherein the portion of the lid and the portion of the base are fixed by welding.

20. A combination according to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the hinge line is provided by a web-type hinge integrally formed in a central web of the lid.

21. A combination according any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the hinge line is provided by a groove extending across the central web.

22. A combination according to any one of claims 15 to 21 , wherein the lid includes a hinge portion secured to the base; and a lid portion is secured to said base by frangible or deformable securing means, the hinge portion and lid portion being located on opposing sides of the hinge line.

23. A combination according to claim 22, wherein said securing means includes a part of one of said lid portion and said base that is attached to the other of the said lid portion and said base and that is detached from said one and remains attached to said other upon rotation by a user of said lid portion in initial opening of said container. .

24. A combination according to claim 23, wherein said part is at least partially surrounded by a region of reduced strength of said one of said lid portion and said base whereby to control the force required to detach said part.

25. A combination according to claim 24, wherein said region of reduced strength includes at least one perforation.

26. A combination according to claim 24 or 25, wherein said region of reduced strength includes one or more lines of reduced thickness.

27. A method of orientating a membrane in association with the manufacture of a lid adapted to be used i conjunction with a container having a base with a top opening,, the lid being securable on the base and extendible across the top opening, the lid including (in use) a hinge line, the method including the steps of: providing the membrane into a mould, and orientating the membrane to be proximate the hinge line.

28. A method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the membrane is provided into the mould prior to a moulding operation.

29. A method as claimed in claim 27 or 28, wherein the membrane is orientated so as to extend at least substantially along the hinge line of the lid.

30. A method as claimed in claim 27, 28 or 29, wherein the manufacture includes an injection moulding operation.

31. A method as claimed in any one of claims 27 to 30, wherein the lid is a lid as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 13.

32. A method of forming a lid for a container, the method including the steps of: providing a first material into a die, forming the lid providing frangible portion on the lid by further processing.

33. A method as claimed in claim 32, wherein the lid is formed by injection molding.

34. A method as claimed in claim 32, wherein the lid is formed by a thermoform process.

35. A method as claimed in claim 32, wherein the frangible portions are provided by laser etching, cutting, drilling, stamping processes.

36. Apparatus adapted to manufacture of a lid adapted to be used in conjunction with a container, said apparatus including: processor means adapted to operate in accordance with a predetermined instruction set, said apparatus, in conjunction with said instruction set, being adapted to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 27 to 35.

37. A computer program product including: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code and computer readable system code embodied on said medium for operating in conjunction with a data processing system, said computer program product including: computer readable code within said computer usable medium for manufacturing a lid adapted to be used in conjunction with a container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13.

33. A container substantially as herein disclosed.

39. A lid substantially as herein disclosed.

40. A method substantially as herein disclosed.

41. An apparatus and/or device substantially as herein disclosed.