Patent ID: 9032698
Filing Date: 2015-05-19
Classification: B29C,B29L,B31B,B65B,B65D

Abstract:
1. A process for coupling a lid to a brim of a container to close an opening into an interior product-storage region formed in the container, the process comprising the steps of providing a lid having an elastic top wall made of an elastic material and a container having an annular brim arranged to surround an opening into an interior product-storage region formed in the container, wherein the annular brim includes an inner peripheral surface bounding the opening, an outer peripheral surface surrounding the inner peripheral surface, and an upwardly facing surface lying between and interconnecting the inner and outer peripheral surfaces, moving the elastic top wall of the lid downwardly toward the annular brim of the container to cause a radially inner portion of the lid to contact the inner peripheral surface of the annular brim and to locate any spilled product extant on the upwardly facing surface of the annular brim under a downwardly facing surface of the elastic top wall of the lid, stretching the elastic top wall of the lid in radially outward directions relative to the radially inner portion of the lid during further downward movement of the lid relative to the brim of the container to move substantially all of the spilled product extant on the upwardly facing surface of the annular brim in a radially outward direction away from the interior product-storage region and into a radially outer space provided between the lid and the outer peripheral surface of the annular brim to cause substantially all of the upwardly facing surface of the annular brim to be free of spilled product and to mate with a confronting companion surface of the downwardly facing surface of the elastic top wall of the lid therebetween so that substantially all of the spilled product formerly extant on the upwardly facing surface of the annular brim is wiped away, and heating the elastic top wall of the lid to establish a chemical-bond sealing connection between the elastic top wall of the lid and the upwardly facing surface of the annular brim of the container, wherein heat in excess of a selected temperature is applied to the elastic top wall of the lid during the heating step to cause any residual spilled product located on the upwardly annular brim in a space provided between the elastic top wall of the lid and the annular brim of the container after the stretching step to be gasified and pass as a gas from the space through the elastic top wall of the lid into the surroundings so that no spilled product remains on the annular brim of the container.