Abstract:
A pocket-sized container for use with consumer products includes a frame forming a storage portion which includes a storage compartment and a front access opening for the compartment. A lid is attached to the storage portion for respectively opening and closing the access opening. A manually openable latch structure releasably holds the lid in the closed state. The lid can be pivotably attached to the storage portion by a living hinge and can be opened by being pried open at one end thereof, or by applying inward pressing forces to opposite sides of the container or applying inward pressure to the front of the container.

Description:
[0001]     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/700,014 entitled CONTAINER FOR CONSUMER ARTICLE, filed Jul. 18, 2005, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This disclosure generally concerns a container for one or more consumer articles. More particularly, this disclosure relates to a pocket-sized container having a lid that opens to reveal a storage compartment containing a plurality of articles.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0003]     In a first embodiment, a pocket-sized container for use with consumer products includes a frame forming a storage portion which includes a storage compartment and a front portion forming an access opening for the compartment. A lid is attached to the storage portion by a living hinge to be pivotable between open and closed states for respectively opening and closing the access opening. A manually openable latch structure releasably holds the lid in the closed state.  
         [0004]     In another embodiment, a pocket-sized container comprises first and second sections interconnected by a living hinge. Each of the first and second sections includes a sidewall structure. The sidewall structures are brought into superimposed relationship in response to pivoting of the first and second sections about an axis defined by the living hinge, wherein there is formed a storage compartment having an access opening in a front portion of the container. A pair of cheek members, formed of a softer material than the first and second sections, are inserted onto respective sides of the folded-over first and second sides to hold the first and second sections in the folded over state. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a container according to a first embodiment.  
         [0006]      FIG. 2  is a perspective plan view of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0007]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view taken along the line  3 - 3  in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0008]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view of a junction between a lid and a perspective view of the container.  
         [0009]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of an encircled portion of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0010]      FIG. 6  is a sectional taken along the line  6 - 6  in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0011]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged fragmentary view of an encircled portion of  FIG. 8 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 8  is a sectional view taken along the line  8 - 8  in  FIG. 6 .  
         [0013]      FIG. 9  is a fragmentary view of a living hinge portion of the container.  
         [0014]      FIG. 10  is a schematic view of the container frame in an unfolded state.  
         [0015]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the container showing the lid in an open state.  
         [0016]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a container showing the lid in an open state.  
         [0017]      FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the container.  
         [0018]      FIG. 14  is a sectional view taken along the line  14 - 14  in  FIG. 15 .  
         [0019]      FIG. 15  is a sectional view taken along the line  15 - 15  in  FIG. 13 .  
         [0020]      FIGS. 16 and 17  are enlarged fragmentary views of respective encircled portions of  FIG. 15 .  
         [0021]      FIG. 18  is a sectional view taken along the line  18 - 18  in  FIG. 13 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 19  is an enlarged fragmentary view of an encircled portion of  FIG. 18 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 20  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a container.  
         [0024]      FIG. 21  is a perspective view of the third embodiment of a container.  
         [0025]      FIG. 22  is a sectional view taken through  FIG. 21 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0026]     A first embodiment of a container  20  (see  FIGS. 1-11 ) for consumer products, includes a frame formed by a first section  22  and a second section  24  (see  FIG. 10 ) which can be folded onto one another in superimposed relationship to form the container. The sections can be held together by cheek members  25 ,  25  placed onto respective lateral edges of the container. The two cheek members  25  preferably are fabricated from a material that is relatively soft to touch, as disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 11/142,420 filed Jun. 2, 2005, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. Elastomeric materials are particularly suitable for the cheek members. For example, 95 durometer polypropylene comprises a suitable material, although other conventional materials with comparable properties may also be advantageously used. The cheek members preferably snap into position on the folded sections  22 ,  24  and provide generally smooth, rounded sides for the container.  
         [0027]     Alternatively, suitable pins and holes (not shown) could be formed on the sections  22 ,  24  which mate with one another in the folded state to secure the sections together.  
         [0028]     The first section  22  includes a storage part  26  and a lid  28  which can be swung open and closed about a hinge  30  formed between the lid and the storage part  26 . The hinge  30  is preferably a living hinge formed integrally during a molding step, as shown more graphically in  FIG. 9 .  
         [0029]     The first section  22  includes a floor  32  and side walls  34 , and the second section  24  includes a front  36  and side walls  38  that mate with the side walls  34 . The front  36  extends only partially along a longitudinal axis A of the container to form a gap defining an access opening  37  that is to be covered by the lid  28 .  
         [0030]     The front  36  includes a hole  40  formed between two downwardly projecting fingers  42  that converge downwardly as shown in  FIG. 5 . The lid  28  includes a pin  44  sized to be removably received in the hole  40  to be gripped functionally by the fingers. In that way, the lid can be held in a secured position. In order to open the lid, a user inserts a finger nail between the front  36  and an edge  46  of the lid  28 , in order to pry the pin  44  from the hole  40  (see  FIGS. 4 and 11 ).  
         [0031]     Various expedients can be provided to facilitate opening of the lid. For example, the portion  48  of the front  36  located beneath the edge  46  can be beveled to facilitate insertion of the user&#39;s finger nail. The bevel can extend completely (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) or only partially along the container&#39;s width. Optionally, or additionally, the underside of the front  36  can be provided with a weakening in the form of a slot  47  that extends from the fingers  42  and enables the fingers  42  to separate from one another when a user applies a downward force F to the front  36  at a point adjacent the hole  40  (see  FIG. 6 ). In that way, the pin  44  will “pop” out of the hole due to an inherent upward bias applied to the lid by the living hinge  30 .  
         [0032]     A second embodiment of a container  70 , depicted in  FIGS. 12-19 , includes a lid  72  that is hinged adjacent a longitudinal end of the container, by means of a living hinge similar to that of  FIG. 9 . The lid can be latched to the front by a snap coupling shown in  FIG. 19 , wherein a projection  74  located at a free edge of the lid is able to be snapped beneath a tongue defined by a respective edge  76  of the front.  
         [0033]     In order to open the lid, a user presses inwardly on opposite sides of the container between the hinge and the latched end, preferably close to the latched end as shown in  FIG. 12 . Those pressing forces are transmitted to posts  78  projecting horizontally outwardly from respective side walls  34   b  of the first section of the container, thereby elastically bending those side walls inwardly toward one another. As a result, beveled surfaces  80  located at the upper free edges of the side walls slide across corresponding beveled surfaces of the lid  72  to cam the lid upwardly to unlatch the lid and enable the bias of the living hinge to pop the lid open.  
         [0034]     A third embodiment of a container  90 , depicted in  FIGS. 20-22 , is similar to that of  FIGS. 12-19 , except that the lid  92  is hinged adjacent the midpoint of the container by means of a living hinge formed between the lid and the front  36   c . The free end of the lid is latched to the first section  22   c  by a latching structure similar to that described at  74 ,  76  in connection with  FIG. 19 , and the lid is opened by mechanisms  78 A similar to that shown at  78 ,  80  in  FIGS. 15-17 , except that the opening mechanisms  78 A are located close to the end of the container. By pressing inwardly as shown in  FIG. 20 , the lid is forced upwardly, thereby de-latching the lid and enabling the living hinge to pop the lid open.  
         [0035]     It will be appreciated that there are disclosed herein a number of embodiments of a container which are relatively simple and economic to make and assemble while providing an effective way of storing items which can be quickly and easily accessed.  
         [0036]     The particular proportions of the containers disclosed herein are not critical. The proportions are preferably selected to provide a container suitably sized to accommodate the particular articles to be package therein. Thus, the actual container could be more elongated than the container shown in the drawings. Or, the actual container could be more nearly square, i.e., shorter than shown in the drawings. Preferably, however, the container is sized so that it can be conveniently carried in a user&#39;s pocket.  
         [0037]     The containers can, of course, be used for a variety of products. One specific product for which the container can be used is commercially available smokeless pouched tobacco. Such tobacco pouches are sometimes known as “snus” and comprise an individual packet of tobacco material encased in a pouch material. A predetermined number of such pouches (e.g., 5-10, 10-15, 15-20, or more) can be held in the container in loose form or they can be held in a sealed package such as a bag or tray.  
         [0038]     It will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that a new container has been disclosed which has new, useful, and nonobvious features and characteristics. It will further be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications, variations, substitutions, and equivalents for features of the appended claims, are embraced thereby.