Abstract:
A hinged connector for joining a metal lid and metal bottom to form a hinged container is provided. The metal lid and metal bottom have generally matching formed edges preventing interfitting of the container lid and bottom. The hinged connector is formed of plastic and includes a pair of ring members that are pivotable relative to one another via an integral hinge. The two ring members are continuous about a periphery that is generally shaped to the periphery of the lid and bottom. The ring members form seats for engaging the formed edges of the lid and bottom. The ring members securely grip the formed edges of the lid and body to form the container. By connecting the lid and bottom through the living hinge, the hinge connector allows the lid and bottom to pivot relative to one another between open and closed positions.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention generally relates to containers and more particularly to metal containers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Thin-walled metal containers are popular for packaging certain items where the packaging is intended to have a degree of permanency. They are advantageous in that they provide good protection for the content, and they provide the opportunity to permanently print attractive designs on the container themselves or to have the designs embossed therein. The containers thus can be used for long periods of time. In the case where the contents are consumed after a short period, the containers are often kept for other storage purposes. Further, a metal container used for packaging retail products can provide an upscale or high-end feel to the packaging of the product that is being sold. 
     Thin-walled metal containers are typically made from thin metal sheets by deep drawing. Some of them have separable lids and bottoms. Others, including many low profile containers, have hinged lids that are not separable from the bottoms. Both hinged and non-hinged metal containers share the aspects that the lids are not identical to the bottoms because they are intended to interfit. Thus, two different tool sets are normally required to form a container, one for making the container lid, the other for the bottom. Typically, the bottom has an edge which is inwardly rolled or hemmed to avoid exposing raw metal edges, and sometimes has a ledge formed at the upper part to serve as a receiving area/stop for the lid. The lid or cover typically has a rolled or hemmed edge to also avoid exposing raw metal edges, and that edge is typically rolled outwardly, to leave the inside wall of the lid available to fit the container bottom. In the case of a hinged container, the lid further has a hinge half that interfits and an associated hinge half of the container bottom. 
     The hinged connection between the lid an the bottom of a hinged container facilitates repeated opening and closing of the container and also eliminates the possibility of mislaying the container lid. Hinged containers, however, are generally more expensive to make than non-hinged containers with separable container halves, due to the cost involved in forming the hinges. For example, the hinge on a low-profile metal container is typically intricately formed from metal tabs extending from the sides of the container halves. To form such a hinge, the sheet metal blank from which a container half is formed has to be processed to form the tabs, and the tabs are then rolled or otherwise processed to form a hinge half. Although the exact configuration of hinges on hinged metal containers may differ, the formation of such hinges generally requires extra metal processing steps and more complicated tool sets than those required for non-hinged containers. 
     Attempts to overcome the problems of trying to connect the lid and bottom of hinged and non-hinged metal containers have been tried. More particularly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,371 to the instant assignee of the present application attempts to provide a plastic hinge member that couples a container lid to a container bottom. The hinge member includes a living hinge between a partial segment and a full ring segment. The partial ring segment pivots relative to the full ring segment via the living hinge. Only a portion of a rolled or formed edge of the container lid is engaged by the partial segment while an entire portion of the other one of the container bottom or container lid is received or engaged by the full segment. In the closed position, the container lid or container body that is engaged with the partial ring segment, includes a portion that is engaged with a portion of the full ring segment. Thus, in this device, the full ring segment engages both of the container lid and container bottom. Further yet, the partial ring segment and full ring segments define channels that completely receive the rolled edges of the top and bottom of the container such that the plastic hinge member extends laterally outward beyond the metal container on all of the sides of them metal container. 
     The present invention relates to improvements over the present state of the art for hingedly connecting two metal container halves together that generally have similar shapes. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has several aspects that may be claimed and stand as patentable independently and individually or in combination with other aspects, including but not limited to the following. 
     The invention provides a container that has a metal bottom and a metal lid that are coupled by a plastic hinge ring. The use of the plastic hinge ring allows the sidewalls of the lid and bottom to have a matching periphery that would otherwise oppose an inter-fit connection of the lid to the bottom. The plastic hinge ring can also provide a living hinge to permit the lid to pivot relative to the bottom so as to allow a user to selectively open and close the container. 
     In practicing one embodiment of the present invention, a metal container comprising a container lid and container bottom that are metal and a plastic hinge ring connecting the lid and bottom is provided. The container lid and container bottom each have a closed bottom and an annular sidewall terminating in a formed edge. The formed edges of the container lid and container bottom define a peripheral container shape. The formed edge of the container lid cannot be inter-fit into or receive the formed edge of the container bottom. The hinge ring pivotally secures the container lid to the bottom. The hinge ring has first and second continuous ring members and a living hinge integrally joining the ring members. The first ring member has an upward facing seat sized to securably engage the formed edge of the container lid and the second ring member has a downward facing seat sized to securably engage the formed edge of the container bottom. The container lid securably connects to the first ring member and the container bottom securably connects to the second ring member. 
     The seats of the hinge ring or hinge ring connector are preferably formed by spaced apart upstanding inner and outer walls. The outer walls being co-planar with the outer surface of the sidewalls of the container lid and container bottom to provide a generally smoother outer profile to the sides of the container. 
     In another aspect, the invention provides a hinge ring for connecting a container lid and container bottom that would otherwise not be axially inter-fit. One particular implementation provides a plastic hinged connector for joining a metal container lid and a metal container bottom to formed a hinged container. The container lid has a formed edge of a first given size and shape. The container bottom has a formed edge of a second given size and shape. The formed edge of the container lid defines a first peripheral shape and the formed edge of the container bottom defines a second peripheral shape. Typically, the first and second peripheral shapes are the same. The hinged connector includes first and second ring members joined by an integrally formed hinge. The first ring member is shaped to match the first peripheral shape and the second ring member is shaped to match the second peripheral shape. The first ring member forms a continuous structure bounding an aperture therethrough. The first ring member has an upward facing upper seat for receiving the formed edge of the container lid. The upward facing upper seat extends along all sides of the first ring member. The upward facing upper seat is on an opposite side of the first ring member as a first abutment surface. The second ring member forms a continuous structure bounding an aperture therethrough. The second ring member has a downward facing bottom seat for receiving the formed edge of the container bottom. The downward facing bottom seat extends along all sides of the second ring member. The downward facing bottom seat is on an opposite side of the second ring member as a second abutment surface. The first and second abutment surfaces face one another when the hinged connector is in a closed orientation. 
     Other embodiments of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a container in accordance with the teachings of the present invention with the container in a closed position; 
         FIG. 2  is a top perspective illustration of the container of  FIG. 1  in an opened position; 
         FIG. 3  is a top perspective illustration of the container of  FIG. 1  in an exploded configuration with the hinge ring of the container in an open orientation; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional exploded illustration of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional illustration of the container of  FIG. 1  in an assembled and closed orientation; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional illustration of the hinge ring of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged partial cross-sectional illustration of one side of the hinge ring of  FIG. 6  in a closed position; 
         FIG. 8  is a further cross-sectional illustration of the hinge ring with the cross section taken through the center of the opening tab and living hinge; 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged partial cross-sectional illustration of the hinge ring of  FIG. 8  illustrating the living hinge between the ring members; 
         FIG. 10  is an enlarged cross-sectional partial illustration of the hinge ring of  FIG. 8  illustrating the opening tab of the hinge ring; 
         FIG. 11  is an enlarged partial cross-sectional illustration of the container of  FIG. 1  illustrating the connection between the container lid and the container bottom by the hinge ring; 
         FIG. 12  is a left-side profile illustration of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a front profile illustration of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a right-side profile illustration of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 15  is a rear profile illustration of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 16  is a top plan view of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 17  is a bottom view of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 18  is plan view of the hinge ring of  FIG. 1  in an open position; and 
         FIG. 19  is a side view illustration of the hinge ring of  FIG. 1  in an open position. 
     
    
    
     While the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to those embodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a container  100  constructed according to the teachings of the present invention. The container  100  generally includes a container lid  102 , a container bottom  104  and a resilient hinge ring  106 . The resilient hinge ring  106  joins the container lid  102  to the container bottom  104  to form the hinged container  100 . The hinge ring  106  operably hingedly secures the container lid  102  to the container bottom  104  such that the two components may pivot via the hinge ring  106  between a closed condition ( FIG. 1 ) and an open condition ( FIG. 2 ). 
     Each of the container lid  102  and container bottom  104  is preferably formed from a thin metal body that is typically deep drawn. As illustrated in the exploded cross-sectional illustration of  FIG. 4 , the container lid  102  has a closed end  112 , an annular upstanding wall  114  (also referred to as a sidewall) that includes a terminating formed edge  1   16 . The upstanding wall  114  and closed end  112  combine to form a cavity  1   18 . As used herein, the term annular shall be broad enough to encompass continuous ring-like sidewalls or ring-like shapes with both curved sections as well as straight sections, which may include, but are not limited to, circular, polygonal, elliptic, or other shapes. As the container lid  102  is preferably deep drawn, container lid  102  is a continuous one-piece construction that is desirably free of voids. Similarly, the container bottom  104  has a closed end  122 , an annular upstanding wall  124  (also referred to as a sidewall) that includes a terminating formed edge  126 . The upstanding wall  124  and closed end  122  combine to form a cavity  128 . The container bottom  104  is also preferably a continuous one-piece construction that is desirably free of voids. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the peripheral shape of the container lid  102  and container bottom  104  are matched such that the dimensions of the widths of the container lid  102  and container bottom  104  are identical in two dimensions. However, the depths of the container lid  102  and container bottom  104  may be the same or different than one another. In this configuration, aligned outer faces, such as, for example, faces  130  and  132  of the upstanding walls  114 ,  124  of the lid  102  and bottom  104 , respectively, are substantially co-planar when the container  100  is assembled, see for example  FIG. 5 . In the illustrated embodiment, each of the four pairs of faces of the upstanding walls  114 ,  124  forming the rectangular shaped container  100  are co-planar within individual planes. This coplanar relationship for all for sets of sides of the container  100  is further illustrated in profile and plan view of the container  100  in  FIGS. 11-16 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 6-10 , the hinge ring  106  is a unitary body that includes two ring members  134 ,  136  that are coupled by an integral living hinge  138  (see  FIGS. 8 and 9 ). The hinge  138  permits the two ring members  134 ,  136  to pivot relative to one another about an axis of rotation defined by cross-hair  140  between the open and closed positions illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , respectively. 
     With reference to  FIG. 7 , ring member  134  includes a channel  142  formed between a pair of annular inner and outer upstanding walls  144 ,  146  and a bottom wall  148 . The inner and outer upstanding walls  144 ,  146  are generally parallel to one another. The channel  142 , and upstanding walls  144 ,  146  are generally rectangular in shape and have four sides that define the rectangular shape of ring member  134 . However, other shapes could be formed while remaining within the teachings of the present invention. Preferably, the container  100 , in a closed condition, has a height of between about 0.5 inch and 2.5 inches, a width in one direction of between about 2 inches and 10 inches and a width in the other direction of between about 2 inches and 10 inches. 
     The outer surface  150  of the inner upstanding wall  144  that faces the outer upstanding wall  146  includes an outward extending or cantilevered projection  152 . The projection  152  provides an undercut arrangement when viewed from the top of the hinge ring member  134  such as along arrow  153 . The projection  152  may be formed by a plurality of individual segments extending about inner upstanding wall  144  or may be formed by a plurality of segments or nibs. 
     Inner upstanding wall  144  extends away from the bottom wall  148  a greater distance than outer upstanding wall  146 . As illustrated, outer upstanding wall  146  includes a tapered inner surface  154  that generally faces inwards toward inner upstanding wall  144 . The taper of the inner surface  154  is between about 30 degrees and 70 degrees relative to bottom  148  and more preferably between about 40 degrees and 60 degrees. As such, the outer upstanding wall  146  has a thicker base as compared to a distal end. The inner upstanding wall  144  bounds an aperture  156  passing through ring member  134 . Ring member  134  includes a planar abutment surface  158  that is generally parallel to bottom wall  148  and that faces away from inner and outer upstanding walls  144 ,  146 . 
     Ring member  136  includes a channel  160  formed between a pair of annular inner and outer upstanding walls  162 ,  164  and a bottom wall  166 . The inner and outer upstanding walls  162 ,  164  are generally parallel to one another, i.e. equally spaced apart about the entire circumference of the ring member  136 . The outer surface  168  of the inner upstanding wall  162  that faces the outer upstanding wall  164  includes an outward extending projection  170 . The projection  170  provides an undercut arrangement when viewing the hinge ring member  136  in  FIG. 7  in a direction opposite arrow  153 . The projection  170  may be formed by a plurality of individual segments extending about inner upstanding wall  162  or may be formed by a plurality of segments or nibs. The channel  160 , and upstanding walls  162 ,  164  are generally rectangular in shape and have four sides that define the rectangular shape of ring member  136 . The four sides are connected by rounded corners. 
     Inner upstanding wall  162  extends away from the bottom wall  166  a greater distance than outer upstanding wall  164 . As illustrated, outer upstanding wall  164  includes a tapered inner surface  172  that generally faces inwards toward inner upstanding wall  162 . The inner upstanding wall  162  bounds a portion of an aperture  174  passing through ring member  136 . Ring member  136  includes a planar abutment surface  176  that is generally parallel to bottom wall  166  and that faces away from inner and outer upstanding walls  162 ,  164 . 
     Unlike ring member  134 , ring member  136  further includes a bottom wall  178  that extends away from abutment surface  176  and inner and outer upstanding walls  162 ,  164 . The bottom wall  178  bounds a portion of aperture  174  passing through ring member  136 . Bottom wall  178  is laterally offset inward from the inner upstanding wall  162  forming a stepped region  180 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 6-10 , the resilient hinge ring  106  is in a closed position. In the closed position, bottom wall  178  of ring member  136  is received by aperture  156  of ring member  134  in such a manner that inner upstanding wall  144  of ring member  134  is positioned in surrounding relation of bottom wall  178 . In this closed position, ring members  134 ,  136  are positioned in a back-to-back orientation with abutment surface  158  facing and abutting abutment surface  176 . Further yet, in the closed position, the outer surfaces  182 ,  184  of the outer upstanding walls  146  and  164  are generally co-planar providing a smooth outer surface (see  FIG. 7 ). 
     With reference to  FIG. 9 , the ring members  134 ,  136  are connected to one another by hinge  138 . Hinge  138  extends outward from outer surfaces  182 ,  184  of the outer upstanding walls  146 ,  164 . The two ring members  134 ,  136  can pivot between a closed position ( FIG. 1 ) and an open position ( FIG. 2 ). 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 10 , ring member  134  of the illustrated embodiment further includes a opening tab  186  that extends outward from outer surface  182  (illustrated as a dashed line in  FIG. 10 ) beyond outer surface  184  of ring member  136  to provide a tab for a user to engage when opening the resilient hinge ring  106 . The opening tab  186  is positioned on a portion of upstanding wall  146  that is opposite hinge  138 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 5 ,  11  and  12 , the hinge ring  106  secures the container lid  102  to the container bottom  104  such that the two components can pivot between a closed position and an open position via living hinge  138 . Formed edges  116  and  126  engage ring members  134 ,  136 , respectively, to secure the container lid  102  and container bottom  104  to the hinge ring  106  to form the container  100 . In the illustrated embodiment, the formed edges  116 ,  126  are generally pennanular having a generally constant radius. However other embodiments can be incorporated where the formed edge has a different cross-sectional profile such as an ellipse or a hem. A hem being a folded over portion of the upstanding walls  114 ,  124  that is press back against an inner surface of upstanding walls  114 ,  124 . Alternatively, the formed edge could merely be a laterally inward projecting flange. 
     In the illustrated embodiment and primary reference to  FIG. 11 , the formed edges  116 ,  126  are partially received by channels  142 ,  160 . The upstanding walls  144 ,  146 ,  162 ,  164  and bottoms  148 ,  166  forming channels  142 ,  160  form an upward facing seat and a downward facing seat for receiving formed edges  116 ,  126 , respectively. However, any one of the surfaces forming channels  142 ,  160  can act as a seat depending on the coupling of the container lid  102  and container body  104  to the hinge ring  106 . For example, the formed edges could only contact the inner upstanding walls  146 ,  164  and not the channel bottoms of the upward and downward facing seats. In alternative embodiments, the upward and downward facing seats need not include the outer upstanding walls  144 ,  162 . 
     It is desirous to have only a limited amount of hinge ring  106  extend outward beyond the outer faces  130 ,  132  of the container lid  102  and container bottom  104 , and most preferably only the hinge  138  or opening tab  186 . As such, the formed edges  116 ,  126  are configured such that the outer surfaces  182 ,  184  of the outer upstanding walls  146 ,  164  align in a co-planar orientation with the outer surfaces  130 ,  132  of upstanding walls  114 ,  124 . As used herein co-planar, co-planar orientation, or vertically aligned shall refer to the condition that a line running substantially perpendicular to closed ends  112   122  is substantially contained by the outer upstanding walls  146 ,  164  and outer surfaces  130 ,  132 , except for any voids that are formed between adjacent structures or interruptions resulting from the living hinge  138  or handle  186 . Thus, the corners of the container can have a “co-planar” orientation even though only a single line segment of the entire plane would be shared by the various components. 
     To accommodate this co-planar arrangement, upstanding wall  114  is axially aligned, at least in part, with outer upstanding wall  146  and upstanding wall  124  is axially aligned, at least in part, with outer upstanding wall  164 . Further yet, outer upstanding walls  146 ,  164  of the ring members  134 ,  136  are axially interposed between upstanding walls  114 ,  124  of the container lid  102  and container bottom  104  when the container  100  is in a closed condition. In this orientation, the distal ends  192 ,  194  are axially positioned between the transition points  196 ,  198  between the formed edges  116 ,  126  and the corresponding upstanding walls  114 ,  124  and the axial apogees  200 ,  202  of the formed edges  116 ,  126 . As used herein, the term “axial apogee” shall refer to the portion of a formed edge that is positioned the furthest most extent away from the closed ends of the corresponding container lid or container bottom. 
     As the distal ends  192 ,  194  are generally truncated, cavities or voids  204 ,  206  are formed between the formed edges  116 ,  126  and outer upstanding walls  146 ,  164 . 
     Because the formed edges  116 ,  126  of the container lid  102  and container bottom  104  are substantially identical, they can be inserted into either of the upper or lower channels  142 ,  160  and either of the container lid  102  and container bottom  104  can be designated as the top or bottom of the container. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the apogees  200 ,  202  axially abut bottoms  148 ,  166  of channels  142 ,  160  when the container lid  102  and container bottom  104  are secured to the hinge ring  106 . Further yet, a laterally innermost portion  210 ,  212  of the formed edges  116 ,  126  extends laterally into a corresponding one of the undercuts formed by projections  152  and  170  to axially secure the corresponding container lid  102  or container bottom  104  to ring members  134 ,  136 . 
     While the illustrated embodiment includes projections  152  and  170  to grip or engage the formed edges  116 ,  126 , other means of gripping or engaging the formed edges  116 ,  126  may be employed. For example, the formed edges  116 ,  126  may be formed such that they engage outer surfaces  150 ,  168  of upstanding walls  144 ,  146  as the container lid  102  and container bottom  104  are axially connected to hinge ring  106 . This engagement may create a friction fit connection, as opposed to the interference fit connection provided by the inclusion of projections  152 ,  170 , between the container lid  102  or container bottom  104  with the hinge ring  106 . Further yet, other means of connecting the container lid and container bottom to the hinge ring  106  may be employed. For example, an adhesive may be applied between the two components. 
     All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein. 
     The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) is to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention. 
     Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.