US3244354A - Slip over wedged cover - Google Patents

Description

P 1966 G. c. BAUER 3,244,354

SLIP OVER WEDGED COVER Filed Nov. 2, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l Z in:

v llllllllllllm a INVENTOR. ace/11.0 6 5A uae April 5, 1966 G. c. BAUER SLIP OVER WEDGED COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 2, 1964 INVENTOR. 622,440 6? 5/] 4/152 wwmi wwygw United States Patent 3,244,354 SLIP OVER WEDGED COVER Gerald C. Bauer, Portage, MiclL, assiguor to Cellu-Kote, Inc., Schoolcraft, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Nov. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 408,018 4 Claims. (Cl. 229-43) This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 261,941, now Patent No. 3,195,426 filed February 25, 1963, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of my earlier application Serial No. 177,006, now abandoned.

This invention relates to an improved rim and cover for containers, particularly containers made of fiber material.

Fiber drums and containers are commonly provided with a bottom closure which is permanently secured in place and a top closure or cover which is removable from the container. There are disclosed in my application first mentioned above a number of top and bottom closures for containers which are satisfactory for use in many situations.

However, in a continuing effort to improve the cover structure in order to increase the versatility of the containerfor holding different materials, it has been noted that certain. types of materials, of which foods, such as frozen eggs, are an example, must be very tightly sealed and the seal must remain effective for long periods of time even though the container may be subjected to rough treatment. Prior cover structures have not been completely satisfactory for this purpose.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved cover structure for containers having a rolled upper rim, particularly one having an inner ring and an outer ringpositioned in close proximity to each other, the cover structure providing a tight seal for the top of the container.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved cover as aforesaid, in which the cover has two downwardly extending wall portions which, when mounted on the rim, are in a stressed condition so that they contact the radially inner side and the radially outer side of the rim and are in snug, sealing contact therewith.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved cover, as aforesaid, in which the two downwardly extending wall portions extend a substantial distance below the points at which theycontact the rim and are so constructed and arranged as to stiffen said wall portions in order to maintain snug contact thereof with the rim. I

' It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved cover, as aforesaid, in which, if desired, a sealing material can be placed between the cover and the rim to provide a hermetic seal.

It is a further object of the inventionto provide an improved cover, as aforesaid, in which the Wall portions are arranged to push therim rings upwardly and toward each other to increase the pressure which the upper surfaces of the rings exert on sealing material therebetween to assure a more positivehermetic seal. 4

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to personsacquainted with products of this type upon reading the following description and inspecting the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevationalview of a container and a cover structure, with parts thereof being broken away.

FIGURE 2 is a view, on an enlarged scale, of a fragment of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view through the edge portion of a cover constructed according to the invention.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 and showing a modification.

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 and showing a further modification.

In carrying out the objects and purposes above set forth, I have provided a container comprised of a cylinder 1 (FIGURE 1), preferably made of fibrous material, such as paperboard, which is closed at its bottom by a suitable closure (not shown) and which has at its top a removable cover 2, preferably made of metal, such as steel or aluminum. The bottom closure can be the same as any of those disclosed in my copending application first above referred to and, hence, needs no further description.

The cylinder 1 has secured to its upper end a rim 3, preferably made of metal, such as aluminum or steel. The rim .3 has a spirally wound outer portion or ring 4 (FIGURE 2) which is coiled upon and interlocked with the upper end of the cylinder 1, as described in detail in my application first above referred to. The outer ring 4 is connected to a rolled inner portion or ring 6 which is disposed inwardly of the interior wall of the cylinder 1. It will be noted that the inner ring 6 is of somewhat less radial width than the outer ring 4 and its upper end is offset downwardly from the upper end of said outer ring. Further, a groove 7 is formed between the inner and outer rings 4 and 6 and said groove is open at its upper end.

The cover 2 (FIGURES 2 and 3) is comprised of a central portion 11 having a gradually outwardly and downwardly sloping wall portion 12 which merges smoothly with an arcuate portion 13 of relatively small radius of curvature. An upright wall portion 14 extends upwardly from the upper outer edge of the arcuate portion 13, preferably at an angle of slightly less than 90 with respect to the horizontal, for example, so that said Wall portion 14 is inclined outwardly somewhat for purposes to be described hereinbelow. The cover 2 has an upper wall portion 16 extending outwardly from the upper end of the upright wall portion 14 and overlying both of the rings 4 and 6. The wall portion 16 in this embodiment has a centrally located depression or groove 17 substantially aligned with the groove 7 between the inner and outer rings 4 and 6. However, the groove 17 is an optional feature.

An outer wall portion or skirt 18 extends substantially downwardly from the outer edge of the upper wall portion 16. The outer wall portion 18 preferably is inclined with respect to the horizontal at an angle slightly less than so that it extends inwardly as it extends downwardly and is inclined in substantially the same direction as the wall portion 14. The outer wall portion 18 terminates in an outwardly extending rolled edge 19.

V In use, the cover 2 is placed over the upper end of the container with the rim 3 of the container being received between the upright Wall portions 14 and 18 of the cover 2 and With the upper wall portion 16 of said cover overlying the rim. Specifically, the inner upright wall portion 14 contacts the radially innermost portion of the inner ring 6 and extends substantially tangent thereto. The outer upright wall portion 18 contacts the radially outermost portion of the outer ring 4 and extends substantially tangent thereto. The wall portions 14 and 18 may be bulged outwardly slightly, as indicated at 21 and 22, at the zones where they contact the rings 4 and 6.

The distance A between the opposing surfaces of the wall portions 14 and 18 in the unmounted condition of the cover (FIGURE 3) may be slightly less than the distance B between the remote surfaces of the rings 4 and 6 at the widest part of the rim 3. For example, the dimension A may be 0.703 inch and the dimension B may be 0.707 inch. Thus, when the cover 2 is placed on the rim 3, the wall portions 14 and 18 will be spread apart slightly, in addition to possibly forming the bulges 21 and 22. Spreading apart of the wall portions 14 and 18 is resisted by the rolled edge 19 and by the wall portions 12 and 13 of the cover. While these latter parts are capable of yielding under pressure to permit the cover to be mounted on the rim, when the pressure is released they apply a restoring force tending to return the wall portions 14 and 18 to their unstressed condition, whereby said wall portions are urged tightly against the rim 3 in order to provide an effective seal against both the inside and the outside of the rim.

It will be noted that even in the mounted condition of the cover (FIGURE 2) the outer wall portion 18 is inclined slightly inwardly in a downward direction so that the cover is held against accidental removal.

The wall portion 18 extends a substantial distance, for example, about /8", below the lowermost portion of the outer ring 4. This increases the stiffening and resilient gripping effect and, also, makes it possible to place sealing material in the space between the wall portion and the cylinder below the outer ring 4, which may be desired for certain types of packaging operations. The Wall portion 14 similarly extends a suitable distance, for example, A to /8", below the inner ring 6 for improving the stiffening and resilient gripping effect.

The cover is applied by forcing one circumferential portion of the cover over the Tim and then moving .the applying force circumferentially around the cover until the entire cover is seated against the rim. When the final portion of the cover is placed on the rim, a snap lock type of action occurs. Because only a portion of the cover is mounted on the rim at one time, the cover parts are capable of resiliently flexing as needed to fit the parts together.

A modified structure is shown in FIGURE 4. Most of the structure is identical with that disclosed in FIG- URES 13 and is indicated by the same reference numerals with the suffix a added thereto. 'Here, a suitable sealing compound 26 is placed in and fills up the groove 7a for the purpose of providing a hermetic seal. Also, the outer wall portion 18a has a continuous groove 27 formed therein and disposed below, and in this embodiment engaging the lower side of, the outer ring 4 for enhancing the holding effect. It will be noted that 1n the embodiment shown in FIGURE 4 wherein the groove 27 contacts the underside of the outer ring 4, the restoring force referred to above acting through the groove 27 will urge the wall portion 16 toward the rim :1 and into tight contact with the sealing compound 26 to insure an effective seal.

A further modified structure is shown in FIGURE 5. In this embodiment the groove 17 is eliminated. In its place the top wall portion 16b of the cover has a radially inner section 31 substantially coplanar with the central portion 11b of the cover and a radially outer section 32 which is offset downwardly from the inner section and is connected thereto by an arcuate portion 33. The arcuate portion 33 engages the inner side of the rolled edge 34 of the bottom closure of the adjacent upper container to prevent relative lateral sliding movement thereof. Thus, the arcuate portion 33 serves as a stacking ring for assuring that containers stacked on one another do not slide laterally with respect to each other.

If desired, a preformed sealing annulus 36 can be attached to the inner section 31 of the top wall for sealing engagement with the inner ring. The space provided between the inner section 31 and the ring 3 makes it possible to use a preformed annulus which is less expensive.

While particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, the invention contemplates such changes and modifications therein as lie within the scope of the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A container construction, comprising:

a cylindrical member defining the sidewall of the container, said cylindrical member being formed of fibrous material;

a one-piece rim having generally the appearance of a figure 8 in cross section and disposed transversely across one end of said cylindrical member, said rim having an intermediate wall portion of substantially the same external diameter as the, internal diameter of said cylindrical member and which is snugly telescoped within said end ofsaid cylindrical member, said rim having an outer wall portion which merges smoothly with and extends radially outwardly from said intermediate wall portion then downwardly and back toward said member, said outer wall portion being curved through an arc of at least about 360 and being rigidly interlocked with an end portion of said cylindrical member and forming an outer ring projecting radially outwardly from the outer surface of said cylindrical member, said rim having an inner wall portion extending radially inwardly and then up.- wardly and back toward said cylindrical member, said inner wall portion being curved through an arc of at least about 360 and forming an inner ring which projects radially inwardly from the inner surface of said cylindrical member, said inner and outer rings being disposed in at least partially overlapping relation in an axial direction along said cylindrical member so that they provide reinforcement for each other in a radial direction, said rirn also having an upwardly opening groove between said rings;

a one-piece cover of resilient material mounted on said rim for closing oif saidone end of said cylindrical unember, said cover having a central portion having an outwardly anddownwardly sloping wall portion which merges smoothly with an arcuate portion, said cover having a generally U-shaped outer edge portion, said outer edge portion having a first upright wall portion extending upwardly and flaring radially outwardly at a slight angle from said arcuate portion and snugly contactingat a point between its ends the radially innermost part of said inner ring, said outer edge portion having a radially extending top wall overlying said inner and outer rings and bridging said groove in said rim, said cover having a second upright wall port-ion depending: from the outer edge of said top wall and tapering radially inwardly at a small angle and snugly contacting the radially outermost part of said outerring, the space between said upright wall portions of said cover in the unmounted condition of said cover being less than the spacing between said radially innermost part and said radially outermost part of said rim whereby said cover is in a stressed condition and said upright wall portions are resiliently urged into snug engagement with said rim when mounted thereon, said upright wallportions both extending an appreciable distance below the points where they contact said rim.

2. A container construction according to claim 1, in which the uppermost point on said inner ring is spaced vertically from said top wall and including sealing ma terial disposed in the space therebetween.

3. A container construction according to claim 1, in References Cited by the Examiner lli ifid iiih iiif 1 30332 23d filiiiiiing iifiiig fifififi UNITED STATES PATENTS disposed within said groove and engaging said depression. 10/1922 Cooke 220 42 4. A container according to claim 1, in which the top 5 2??? 3 1 Hothersan Wall has a radially inner section and a radially outer sec- 9 Taylor tion which are vertically offset, and an upstanding portion FOREIGN PATENTS connects said inner and outer sections and forms an abut- 632,625 9 7 France. ment against WhlCh the lower end of another container 1s 277 3 1929 Framm adapted to cont-act to prevent relative lateral sliding of 10 the containers with respect to each other. FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A CONTAINER CONSTRUCTION, COMPRISING: A CYLINDRICAL MEMBER DEFINING THE SIDE WALL OF THE CONTAINER, SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER BEING FORMED OF FIBROUS MATERIAL; A ONE-PIECE RIM HAVING GENERALLY THE APPEARANCE OF A FIGURE 8 IN CROSS SECTION AND DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY ACROSS ONE END OF SAID CYLINDRIAL MEMBER, SAID RIM HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE WALL PORTION OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME EXTERNAL DIAMETER AS THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER AND WHICH IS SNUGLY TELESCOPED WITHIN SAID END OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, SAID RIM HAVING AN OUTER WALL PORTION WHICH MERGES SMOOTHLY WITH AND EXTENDS RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM SAID INTERMEDIATE WALL PORTION THEN DOWNWARDLY AND BACK TOWARD SAID MEMBER, SAID OUTER WALL PORTION BEING CURVED THROUGH AN ARC OF AT LEAST ABOUT 360* AND BEING RIGIDLY INTERLOCKED WITH AN END PORTION OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER AND FORMING AN OUTER RING PROJECTING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, SAID RIM HAVING AN INNER WALL PORTION EXTENDING RADIALLY INWARDLY AND THEN UPWARDLY AND BACK TOWARD SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, SAID INNER WALL PORTION BEING CURVED THROUGH AN ARC OF AT LEAST ABOUT 360* AND FORMING AN INNER RING WHICH PROJECTS RADIALLY INWARDLY FROM THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, SAID INNER AND OUTER RINGS BEING DISPOSED IN AT LEAST PARTIALLY OVERLAPPING RELATION IN AN AXIAL DIRECTION ALONG SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER SO THAT THEY PROVIDE REINFORCEMENT FOR EACH OTHER IN A RADIAL DIRECTION, SAID RIM ALSO HAVING AN UPWARDLY OPENING GROOVE BETWEEN SAID RINGS;

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