DE29714678U1 - container - Google Patents

Description

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HP Household Products GmbH
Graf-von-Zeppelin-Strasse 1

56410 Montabaur

container

Description

The invention relates to a container according to the preamble of claim 1.

A variety of different containers are used, particularly for storing foodstuffs, which consist of a lower part and an upper part that can be connected to it. With these containers, it is very important that the upper part and the lower part form a tight connection when assembled, otherwise the goods in the container will spoil or cause unpleasant odors.

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But in other areas too (e.g. storage of small parts in workshops, hospitals, etc.) it is important to have tightly sealable containers available.

The disadvantage of the known containers is that the upper and lower parts are difficult to separate from one another due to the positive and/or force-fitting connection between them. To avoid this disadvantage, the upper parts (usually designed as a lid) of known containers have a type of tab on one corner, which serves as a point of contact for lifting the upper part from the lower part. These tabs are difficult to grasp, so that opening such containers is difficult, especially with wet hands.

The present invention is based on the object of creating a container of the type mentioned which can be opened very easily and is simple to manufacture.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a container with the features of claim 1.

In this case, at least one movable force transmission element, in particular a lever element, which is only arranged on the lower part and/or upper part of the container, serves to transmit a force from the upper part to the lower part or from the lower part to the upper part in such a way that the lower part is released from the upper part. The force transmission element integrated into the upper part or lower part enables a force transmission for releasing the upper part and lower part in

This is particularly easy, so that a closed container can be easily opened by lifting the top part from the bottom part.

The container according to the invention advantageously has at least one handle element arranged on the lower part and/or the upper part. The container according to the invention or the lower and/or upper part can be easily handled using the handle element.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the at least one handle element and the at least one force transmission element on the lower part and/or on the upper part are integrated into one component. The integration of the handle element and the force transmission element enables particularly simple production. In addition, it is ergonomically sensible to arrange the force transmission element at the points on the container where the container is handled anyway.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the container according to the invention, at least two force transmission elements are arranged symmetrically on the circumference of the upper part and/or the lower part. The symmetrical arrangement makes it possible to separate the lower part and the upper part of the container evenly from one another, so that the container according to the invention is particularly easy to use. The symmetrical arrangement of the force transmission elements also prevents deformation of the upper part or the lower part, which would occur if the force application point was only arranged in one corner of the upper part, for example.

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In an equally advantageous embodiment, at least one lever element is essentially flat, and has at least one contact element for force transmission in the direction of the lever force to be exerted. By using contact elements, the force application points for the lever force acting between the upper and lower parts can be precisely defined.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, several, in particular three, contact elements are arranged in parallel alignment on the at least one lever element. The parallel alignment of the contact elements ensures a particularly uniform force transmission.

In a similarly advantageous embodiment of the container according to the invention, two lever elements are arranged opposite one another on the circumference of a bowl-shaped lower part. The essentially flat upper part has two opposing handle elements on the circumference, whereby when the lower part and upper part are released, the lever elements and/or the contact elements engage in the area of the handle elements of the upper part. This arrangement of lever and handle element means that a container according to the invention can be easily gripped with both hands, whereby the lever elements can be actuated without changing the gripping position, thus allowing the upper part to be released from the lower part.

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In an advantageous embodiment of the container according to the invention, the essentially bowl-shaped lower part has standing elements in the base area. In a further advantageous embodiment, the essentially flat upper part has receiving elements whose shape and size correspond to those of the standing elements of the lower part. The containers according to the invention are therefore stackable, with the connection of the standing element and the receiving element preventing the containers from slipping among each other.

It is advantageous to arrange a seal in the connection area between the lower part and the upper part, which increases the sealing effect of the container.

It is particularly advantageous if the lower part and/or the upper part are made of plastic, in particular cut-resistant plastic. Since plastic is particularly easy to process, even complex container shapes can be realized.

It is advantageous to form at least one lever element of a plastic container to the lower part or the upper part using a film hinge. The connection using a film hinge is easy to make and easy to clean.

It is also advantageous if the upper and lower parts of the container according to the invention are connected via a film hinge. The container can then be opened according to the invention in the manner of a hinged lid with a force transmission element.

Advantageously, several of the containers according to the invention can be stacked, whereby the standing elements and the receiving elements can be connected to one another in a form-fitting and/or force-fitting manner, so that the containers are stackable.

Advantageously, the upper part and the lower part can be connected to one another in a form-fitting and/or force-fitting manner, so that a container according to the invention can be reclosed.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the figures of the drawings using several exemplary embodiments. They show:

Fig. la is a partially sectioned side view of an upper part of a container according to the invention;

Fig. 1b is a sectional view along the line A-A of Fig. 3b of a lower part of the container according to the invention;

Fig. 2 sectional view of a lever element on the lower part of the container according to the invention;

Fig. 3a top view of the upper part of the container according to the invention;

Fig. 3b Top view of the lower part of the container according to the invention.

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Fig. 1a shows a side view of a substantially flat upper part 2 of a container which is formed together with the lower part 1 shown in Fig. 1b.

The upper part 2 and the lower part 1 can be connected to one another in a manner known per se in a form-fitting and/or force-fitting manner, so that when assembled, a sealed container is created, in particular for storing food. However, the container according to the invention can also have an upper part 2 with an opening (e.g. sippy cup). A curved shape of the upper part 2 is also conceivable.

The detachable and resealable connection is achieved by pressing a peripheral edge 10 of the lower part 1 (see Fig. 1b) into a peripheral groove 9 of the upper part 2. In an alternative design, a seal, e.g. a rubber seal, can be arranged in the connection between groove 9 and edge 10 to increase the sealing effect.

In this case, the upper part 2 and the lower part 1 are made of plastic, although in alternative designs other materials such as metal, ceramic or wood can also be used for the upper part 2 or lower part 1. A combination of different materials is also possible.

The upper part 2 has handle elements 5 on two opposite sides with which the upper part 2 can be handled

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In the left half of Fig. la, a partial sectional view shows that the upper part 2 has a corrugated structure 11 on the inside (see Fig. 3a).

The lower part 1 that matches the upper part 2 is shown in Fig. 1b. The bowl-shaped lower part 1 is surrounded at the top by the surrounding edge 10. In the sectional view (along the line A-A in Fig. 3b) it can be seen that a base surface 12 is arranged slightly above the stand elements 6. The stand elements 6 extend along the long sides of the lower part 1 (see Fig. 3b). The purpose of the stand elements 6 is to give the container a secure stand on a base. For this purpose, the stand elements 6 can be provided with a profile, for example.

The lower part 1 has a lever element 3 on opposite sides as a force transmission element, which is connected to the lower part 1 via a film hinge 4. In alternative embodiments, the force transmission element can also be designed as a spring-loaded button.

The film hinge 4 enables the lever element 3 on the right in Fig. 1b to be pivoted from the position shown in the direction of arrow A around the film hinge 4. The left lever element 3 can be moved in an analogous manner.

The essentially flat lever elements 3 also serve as gripping elements for the lower part 1, which is thus easy to hold. The film hinges 4 are designed in such a way that they do not fold upwards when holding the lower part 1 under the intended load.

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Contact elements 8 are arranged vertically on the lever elements 3 and engage with the handle element 5 of the upper part 2 when the upper part 2 is released from the lower part 1.

This is illustrated in more detail in Fig. 2. In this illustration, the area of a lever element 3 is shown in detail, with the upper part 2 and lower part 1 being connected to one another in a form-fitting and force-fitting manner via the groove 9 and the edge 10. The groove 9 is closed off at the top by a bead.

When assembled, the lever element 3 is bent slightly downwards, whereby, depending on the rigidity of the film hinge 4, the contact elements 8 are in contact with the handle element 5 (as shown) or there is a small distance between the tip of the contact elements 8 and the handle element 5.

The closed container can be gripped by the handle elements 5 or by the lever elements 3, so that the closed container can be easily handled.

To open the container, the upper part 2 must be detached from the lower part 1. To do this, the lever element 3 is pushed upwards by pressing on its underside so that it performs a pivoting movement in the direction of arrow B. The applied force is transferred to the upper part 2 via the contact elements 8 in the area of the handle elements 5. The lever force releases the connection between the groove 9 and the edge 10 so that the upper part 2 can be easily removed from the lower part.

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In the embodiment shown, detaching the upper part 2 from the lower part 1 is particularly easy, since the user's thumb can grip the top of the handle element 5, and the remaining fingers can grip the bottom of the lever element 3. By pressing the thumb and the remaining fingers together, the upper part 2 and the lower part 1 are separated in a simple manner.

If the upper part 2 in an alternative embodiment is firmly connected to the lower part 1 at one point via a film hinge (e.g. container with a hinged lid), the upper part 2 is not completely lifted off by the lever force, but the hinged lid is only opened in a partial area.

In an alternative embodiment, the lever element 3

arranged on the upper part 2, so that the release of the upper part 2

from the lower part via a pressure force on the lever element 3.

Figures 3a and 3b show top views of the upper part 2 and the lower part 1 of the container according to the invention. The container shown is essentially rectangular, although alternative containers with the lever element according to the invention can also have round, oval or polygonal shapes. Combinations of different shapes are also conceivable.

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Fig. 3a shows the top of the essentially flat upper part 2 (see Fig. la) with the handle elements 5 arranged on opposite sides. The bead 13 of the circumferential groove 9 can be seen on the top.

A corrugated structure 11 can be seen inside the upper part 2, which serves as a storage area for food, for example, after the food has been removed from the container. If the upper part 2 is made of a particularly cut-resistant material (plastic, wood, ceramic), it can also be used as a cutting surface, such as in a butter dish.

Two elongated receiving areas 7 extend along the corrugated structure 11 and are slightly lower than the corrugated structure 11 and the surrounding bead 13. The standing elements 6 of a container of the same design can be placed in these receiving areas 7 so that several containers according to the invention can be stacked, whereby horizontal slipping is prevented by a positive or non-positive connection of the standing elements 6 and the receiving areas 7.

Fig. 3b shows a top view of the lower part 1. The lever elements 3 are arranged on opposite sides, where the film hinges 4 are indicated by dashed lines. On the lever elements 4, three contact elements 8 are arranged next to each other, which ensure that when the lever element 3 is pivoted in the direction of the handle element 5 of the upper part 2, a possible

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The lever force is transferred as evenly as possible from the lever element to the handle element, so that the upper part 2 and the lower part 1 can be easily separated from each other.

The space, e.g. for storing food, is formed by the side walls with the surrounding edge 10 and the floor surface 12 with the adjoining, slightly lower standing elements 6.

The invention is not limited in its implementation to the preferred embodiments given above. Instead, a number of variants are conceivable that make use of the container according to the invention even in fundamentally different designs.

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Claims (1)

Expectations 1. Container, in particular for storing foodstuffs, with a lower part and an upper part that can be connected to it, marked by at least one movable force transmission element, in particular a lever element (3) connected only to the lower part (1) or at least one movable force transmission element connected only to the upper part (2), with which a force (A) can be transmitted to the upper part (2) or lower part (1) in order to release the lower part (1) and upper part (2). 2. Container according to claim 1, characterized by at least one handle element (5) arranged on the upper part (2) and/or on the lower part (1). 3. Container according to claim 2, characterized in that the at least one handle element (5) and the at least one force transmission element (3) on the lower part (1) and / or on the upper part (2) are integrated in one component. - 14 - HP365 Page 14 4. Container according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least two force transmission elements (3) are arranged symmetrically on the circumference of the upper part (2) and/or the lower part (1) are arranged. 5. Container according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one force transmission element is designed as a lever element (3) and is substantially flat, wherein it has at least one contact element (8) for force transmission in the direction (A, B) of the lever force to be exerted. 6. Container according to claim 5, characterized in that several, in particular three, contact elements (8) are arranged in parallel alignment on the lever element (3). Container according to claim 5 or G, characterized in that two lever elements (3) are arranged opposite one another on the circumference of a bowl-shaped lower part (1), the essentially flat upper part (2) has two opposite gripping elements (5) on the circumference, wherein when the lower part (1) and upper part (2) are released, the lever elements (3) and/or the contact elements (8) in the region of the gripping elements (5) of the upper part (2) engage the upper part (2). - 15 - » · · · 8. Container according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower part (1) is essentially bowl-shaped, with standing elements (6) being arranged in the bottom region of the lower part (1). 9. Container according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper part (2) is essentially flat and has receiving elements (7) whose shape and size correspond to those of the stand elements (6). 10. Container according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a seal is arranged in the connection area between the lower part (1) and the upper part (2). 11. Container according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower part (1) and / or the upper part (2) are made of plastic, in particular cut-resistant plastic. - 16 - HP365 Page 16 12. Container according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the force transmission element (3) is connected via a film hinge (4) hinged to the lower part (1) or the upper part (2) is molded on. 13. Container according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper part (2) is connected to the lower part (1) on one side via a film hinge (4). 14. Container according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper part (2) and the lower part (1) can be connected to one another in a form-fitting and/or force-fitting manner. 15. Container according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that several containers of the same type can be stacked in the closed state, wherein the standing elements (6) and the receiving elements (7) engage with one another in a positive and/or non-positive manner.