GB2388357A

GB2388357A - Container lid having a frangible opening portion

Info

Publication number: GB2388357A
Application number: GB0209748A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Martin Joseph Baker; Terence Colin Morley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-04-29
Filing date: 2002-04-29
Publication date: 2003-11-12
Also published as: GB0209748D0

Abstract

A thermoformed plastics lid for a container, preferably for a drink, comprises a peripheral portion (104) for locating the lid in closing contact with an upper portion of the container, and a frangible closure member (108) which enables the lid to be opened by pushing the closure member (108) into the container when the lid (1) is in closing contact therewith. The closure member (108) may be broken at a frangible line (109) and pivoted into the container by pushing it with a drinking straw.

Description

it' - 1 Containers This invention concerns containers and more

particularly containers for liquids with lids through which the contents of the containers can be drunk.

Containers of this type are well known in the fast food industry for serving hot and cold drinks. Typically these containers consist of a body portion made of thermoformed plastics sheet, a foamed plastics material or paper, and a thermoformed plastics lid which clips on to the top of the container body, in general forming a substantially liquid tight seal.

Access to the contents of the container can then be achieved by removal of the lid and drinking from the container body or by insertion of a drinking straw through the lid of the container, for example using cuts through the centre of the lid in the form of a X',.

Removal of the lids from these containers can be a hazardous procedure, particularly when their contents are hot, because the container bodies themselves are in general flexible.

Furthermore, when they are made of an insulating material, for

À . l . l À example a foamed plastic, the outside of the container body can give a false impression that the contents are cooler than they actually are. There is therefore a real risk that personal injury can occur during removal of the lids and/or during consumption of the contents of the containers, apart from the risk of inadvertent spilling of the contents whilst removing the container lid.

Devices for gaining access to the contents of such containers without removal of their lids do avoid the hazards associated with lid removal. However, lids with cuts in them for the insertion of a drinking straw are themselves potentially hazardous because, if the cuts extend through the thickness of the lids, the contents of the container can escape through the cuts if the containers are inadvertently knocked over prior to insertion of a straw. Using cuts which extend only partially through the thickness of the lids overcomes this problem prior to insertion of a straw, but forcing a straw to break through these cuts can itself expel some of the contents of the container. According to the present invention there is provided a thermoformed plastics lid for a container, the lid comprising a peripheral portion for locating the lid in closing contact with an upper portion of the container, and a frangible closure member which enables the lid to be opened by pushing the closure member into the container when the lid is in closing contact therewith. The closure member preferably remains attached to the rest of the lid after it has been pushed into the container.

The closure member preferably includes guide means for guiding a drinking straw inserted into the container after the closure member has been opened by pushing it into the container.

The invention further provides containers comprising a container body and a lid according to the present invention.

À À À - 3 - The container bodies of containers of the present invention preferably have a substantially circular opening, with the lid also being substantially circular.

The container body is preferably of a plastics material, which is itself preferably thermoformed. The container body will usually be flexible, and it can be of an insulating material, for example a foamed plastics material or paper.

An embodiment of lid and container in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figs. la-c are respectively a plan view and two side elevations of a prior art lid;

Fig. 2 is a section on I-I of Fig. la; Figs. 3a-b are portions of Fig. 2 to an enlarged scale before and after opening the lid, respectively, Fig. 3a showing two lids stacked together; Figs 4a-b are respectively a plan view and an elevation in the direction of arrow B in Fig. 4a; Fig. 5 is a section on line IV-IV of Fig. 4a; Fig. 6 corresponds to Fig. 5 but with a drinking straw inserted through the lid; and Fig. 7 shows a portion of Fig. 4a to an enlarged scale.

The prior art lid 1 shown in Figs. la-b, has been thermoformed

from a single sheet of a plastics material, is substantially circular in plan view. It has a container closing portion 2 which when in use covers the top of a container body (not shown). The lid 1 is secured to the container body by a

generally downwardly extending circumferential flange 3 having a resilient and radially outwardly extending extension 4. An annular stop 5 locates the container body within the extension 4, the extension 4 serving to hold the lid on the container body. A venting hole 6 provides pressure equilibration between the inside and the outside of the container but is of a sufficiently small diameter to prevent significant expulsion of the contents of the container if the container is knocked over.

The lid 1 has a port 7 which facilitates access to the contents of the container. As shown in Figs. la-c, 2 and 3a, the port 7 is closed by a closure member 8. However, a frangible line 9 around three sides of the closure member 8, and a hinge line 10, enable the port 7 to be opened to reveal an opening 12 by pushing the closure member 8 in the direction of the arrow 11 in Fig. 3b. In doing so, the lid 1 tears open along the line 9 and the closure member 8 can then rotate about the hinge line 10.

The contents of the container can then be drunk through the opening 12 or a straw can be inserted into the opening 12.

Although such prior apt lids generally provide good sealing of the container prior to opening of the closure member 8, the frangible line 9 after opening of the closure member 8 leaves a sharp edge which is undesirable and could lead to injury of the user. Referri in to Pi gs. ab, the lid 101 il. accordance with the present invention has been thermoformed from a single sheet of a plastics material, and is substantially circular in plan view.

It has a container closing portion 102 which when in use covers the top of a container body (not shown). The lid 101 is secured to the container body by a generally downwardly extending circumferential flange 103 having a resilient and radially outwardly extending extension 104. An annular stop 105 locates the container body within the extension 104, the extension 104 serving to hold the lid on the container body. A venting hole 106 provides pressure equilibration between the inside and the outside of the container but is of a sufficiently small diameter

. : :e 5 - to prevent significant expulsion of the contents of the container if the container is knocked over.

The lid 101 has a port 107 which facilitates access to the contents of the container. As shown in Figs. 4a-lo, 2 and 5, the port 107 is closed by a closure member 108. However, a frangible line 109 around three sides of the closure member 108, and a hinge line 110, enable the port 107 to be opened to reveal an opening 112 by pushing the closure member 108 into the port 107. In doing so, the lid 101 tears open along the line 109 and the closure member 108 can then rotate about the hinge line 110.

The contents of the container can then be drunk directly through the opening 112 or a straw 113 can be inserted into the opening 112. Alternatively, the straw 113 can be pushed down on to the closure member 108 to break the frangible line 109 and thereby facilitate access to the contents of the container.

In order to provide additional support to the straw 113, the closure member 108 has two upstands 114 which serve to support the straw 113 when the closure member 108 has been pushed into the container.

Unlike the prior art lids described above, the opening to the

lid in accordance with the present invention once opened has a rounded rather than a sharp edge because the closure member 108 has been pushed into the container rather than being broken out as in the case of the prior art lid.

In addition to this advantage, the above described lids can be stacked in a similar manner to prior art lids.

Claims

At: ( l t i l. - 6 - Claims

1. A thermoformed plastics lid for a container, the lid comprising a peripheral portion for locating the lid in closing contact with an upper portion of the container, and a frangible closure member which enables the lid to be opened by pushing the closure member into the container when the lid is in closing contact therewith.

2. A lid according to claim 1, wherein the closure member remains attached to the rest of the lid after it has been pushed into the container.

3. A lid according to claim 2, wherein the closure member includes guide means for guiding a drinking straw inserted into the container after the closure member has been opened by pushing it into the container.

4. A lid according to any of the preceding claims, which is stackable with substantially identical lids.

5. A container comprising a container body and a lid according to any of the preceding claims.

6. A container according to claim 5, wherein the container body has a substantially circular opening and the lid is substantially circular.

7. A container according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the container body comprises a plastics material.