Envelopes – wrappers – and paperboard boxes – Paperboard box – With closure for an access opening
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-13
2001-03-06
Elkins, Gary E. (Department: 3727)
Envelopes, wrappers, and paperboard boxes
Paperboard box
With closure for an access opening
C220S782000, C220S796000, C229S005500, C229S125250, C264S268000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196451
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to lids for containers and especially to composite-type lids formed from a combination of paper and plastic materials.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Containers used for packaging foodstuffs, as well as other products for retail sale, must perform several functions. The container must hold the product, must allow the product to be transported effectively from the manufacturer to the point of sale and from the point of sale to the consumer, must often serve to dispense and store the product after acquisition by the consumer and, no less importantly, must identify the product and its source and serve as an advertising medium to promote further sales.
It is desirable that the containers be inexpensive to manufacture, yet durable so as to continue to perform their various functions effectively despite abuse and harsh environments.
The container lid plays an important role in the proper functioning of the container. It is desirable that the lid effectively close the container, and when the container is used to store and dispense the product, it is also desirable that the lid be removable and reclosable many times over the life of the container. Ice cream containers provide a good example of a container used to store and dispense the product held in the container. Ice cream containers are also subject to conditions of freezing, thawing, moisture and repeated opening and closing of the lid, all of which tend to cause deterioration and rapid failure of the container unless it is properly designed and manufactured.
It has been found advantageous to make the lids for such containers as a composite combination of both paper and plastic materials. Lid designs currently in use comprise an injection molded plastic skirt surrounding a paperboard center. The plastic skirt fits over the end of the container, engaging the end and/or sides, thereby sealing the container and providing a means for retaining the lid in the closed position. Plastic is used for the skirt because it is inexpensive, easy to mold, resilient, impervious to freezing, thawing and moisture and relatively rigid. The skirt is the portion of the lid which sees the most abuse during the life of the container, and the above noted qualities of plastic allow the lid to maintain its shape and hold together to continue to effectively close the container despite the adverse environment and repeated handling.
It is not desirable, however, to make the entire lid from plastic. Plastic does not provide a surface capable of receiving high quality printed graphics needed for the container to fulfill its function as identifier of the product and its source and as an advertising medium for the product. Paper is the preferred medium for displaying high quality graphics regarded as necessary to compete in the advertising environment of retail sales. Thus, the paperboard center provides the means for presenting complex, colorful and detailed graphics, such as illustrations of the product, company trademarks and trade dress designs, while the plastic skirt provides a durable material impervious to abuse and environmental conditions.
A problem with the composite lid design described above is that the graphics are confined to the paperboard center portion of the lid and do not extend continuously over the plastic skirt. The absence of graphics over a portion of the container is unacceptable to many product manufacturers who want a container which can receive print media over the entire outer surface without interruption. Such continuity is important for the proper presentation of trademarks and trade dress which are vital to customer recognition of a particular product from among the many competing products displayed side by side in the typical retail sales environment. There is clearly a need for a composite lid design combining the robustness and durability of the plastic skirt with the ability to receive high quality graphics continuously over the entire outer surface of the lid without interruption.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides a lid for a container comprising a primary panel forming the center of the lid. The primary panel has an outer perimeter and a plurality of secondary panels, each of which is joined continuously to the primary panel at the perimeter.
The secondary panels are oriented substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the primary panel and extend to one side of the panel. Each secondary panel also has an inside surface facing toward the center of the lid. Both the primary and secondary panels are preferably formed from a material receptive of a print media such as paperboard.
The invention further comprises a skirt oriented substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the primary panel, the skirt having a face attached to each inside surface of the secondary panels. The skirt is formed from a relatively rigid material, preferably plastic resin such as polyethylene, polystyrene or polypropylene and supports the secondary panels.
Preferably, the primary and secondary panels are formed from a unitary blank in which each of the secondary panels comprises a first sub-panel joined directly to the primary panel along a first fold line. Each of the first sub-panels is disposed adjacent to a neighboring first sub-panel and has two oppositely arranged side edges which are in abutting relationship with a side edge of one of the neighboring first sub-panels.
A second sub-panel is distally joined to each first sub-panel along a second fold line. Each of the second sub-panels is disposed adjacent to a neighboring second sub-panel and has two oppositely arranged side edges, each of which is angularly displaced from a side edge of one of the neighboring second sub-panels.
When integrated into the lid, the first sub-panels are folded along the first fold lines in overlying relationship with an end of the skirt proximal to the primary panel thereby covering the end. The second sub-panels are folded along the second fold lines into overlying relationship with the skirt, thereby covering it. Preferably, the second sub-panel side edges are brought into abutting interengagement upon folding to form a continuous surface on the skirt. The skirt and panels are joined together by forming the skirt from an injection moldable plastic which adheres to the secondary panels, thereby holding the secondary panels substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the primary panel. Preferably, the primary and secondary panels have a surface compatible with the plastic resin forming the skirt which fuses with the skirt when the skirt is formed during the injection molding process. The compatible surface could be formed, for example, by a plastic resin coating, such as a thermoplastic. The skirt further forms a sealing surface interengagable with the container to which it mates.
The lid also has a bar which extends around the perimeter of the primary panel on the inside of the lid, the bar being attached to both the primary panel and the skirt. The bar has a relatively substantial cross-sectional area formed during the molding process by a cavity in the mold. The cavity is designed to promote flow of the plastic resin around the entire mold by offering a path of minimal resistance, thus, insuring proper distribution of resin and a completely formed lid. The bar also serves to stiffen and strengthen the lid. The bar is attached to the skirt by a plurality of integrally molded spokes which extend between the two parts. For a round lid, the spokes extend radially of the lid.
At least two of the secondary panels have adjacent side edges arranged in mutually abutting relationship. The secondary panels, thus, substantially continuously cover a portion of the face of the skirt and provide a portion of the outside surface of the lid for imprinting indicia or other print media thereon. Preferably, all of the secondary panels are in mutually abutting relationship, thereby covering the entire outer surface of the lid with a paperboard surface. The plastic resin may be injected from the side of the li
Double "H" Plastics, Inc.
Elkins Gary E.
Synnestvedt & Lechner LLP
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