Abstract:
In an illustrative embodiment, a container to store a plurality of articles comprises a body and a cover. The cover is adapted to close the body and comprises at least one opening and at least one lid to close the opening. The lid has a first end and a second end. The first end of the lid may be pivotally connected to the cover. The lid may be slidably connected to the cover. The lid is capable of being in an opened position and in a closed position. The container may comprise a second cover adapted to fit into a cavity in the cover with the opening and the lid located in the cavity. The second cover may completely cover the cavity. The second cover may completely cover the opening and the lid. An outer rim and a tear strip at the bottom of the outer rim for opening the cover may be provided. The opening is adapted to receive a human hand when the lid is in the opened position to retrieve articles. The lid may be a rectangle, triangle, or a semicircle, for example. The lid may comprise a snapper on the second end of the lid to close the lid. The cover may be removable from the body. The lid and the opening may be fully within the cover. The pivotal connection may comprise a hinge, for example. The articles may comprise at least one from the following list of fasteners: nuts, screws, and bolts, for example.

Description:
[0001]     The present application is a continuation-in-part of Design Pat. application No. 29/189,372 filed on Sep. 3, 2003 in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to containers, such as pails, for storing articles.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     A container for storing articles, such as a pail, may comprise a body and a cover. Pails are commonly used to store a large number of small objects, such as nuts, bolts, screws, or other such fasteners. Pails may be used in hardware stores, for example, to store such items separately from similar items of different shape and size. A large number of pails may therefore be stored on shelves in the store. When a user, who may be an employee of the store, needs to take a number of items from a pail, the user typically takes an appropriate pail off the shelf, lowers it to the floor, removes the cover completely, reaches into the body of the pail, and takes the required number of items out. Then the user closes the cover, lifts the pail, and places it back on the shelf.  
         [0004]     The pails, which may contain a large number of small items made of metals such as iron, may be very heavy. Commonly, a pail having a length, width and height of about 7.5×7.5×7.5 inches and filled with fasteners, such as screws, may weigh about 30 pounds, for example. Continuously lifting and moving such pails may be tiring, especially during a typical 8-hour work shift. Moreover, a typical order may include small quantities of dozens of items, each stored in a separate pail, requiring a plurality of pails to be accessed. In addition, while the cover is removed from the pail, the user may accidentally spill the contents of the pail, requiring time to gather the spilled items, interrupting the normal flow of order filling. It is very time-consuming to perform all of the above described steps to retrieve the items, reducing the number of orders which can be filled in a given period of time and therefore reducing sales. It may also require hiring people capable of heavy lifting, thus restricting a potential pool of employees to those with extra strength. It may also have a health toll on the employees performing this heavy lifting, causing back, muscle, and groin injuries which may cause the employees to miss work.  
         [0005]     An alternative method of storing pails is to stack them one upon another, thereby requiring that a pail be made of a sturdy material to withstand pressure from the heavy pails filled with items stacked upon it. Removal of items from a pail in the middle of a stack requires lifting all the pails above it and removing them to a nearby location to gain access to the middle pail. Thus the lifting involved and its associated detriments described above may be increased in this storage arrangement.  
         [0006]     In addition, pails filled with fasteners may be used outdoors. For example, construction workers may take the pails to a worksite and leave them there overnight in the open air. Atmospheric moisture, such as rain or dew, may leak into the body of the pail, thus damaging its contents.  
         [0007]     In addition, since the cover of a typical pail may be removed from the body and then securely attached again, a user would not have any indication that someone had substituted all or part of the original contents of the pail with counterfeit contents. Thus, the user may be harmed by unknowingly using counterfeit products, which are typically inferior to the original products in material and workmanship.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     One embodiment of the invention is directed to easing access to the items stored in a container, such as a pail, by including a lid in the cover. This lid can be opened and closed without removing the cover from the pail. Hence, a user may access the items stored in the pail by opening the lid and reaching into the pail, without removing the cover. In addition, the pail can remain in the place where it is stored, such as on a shelf, and the user need not lift or move the pail to an open space in order to remove the cover. Therefore, with a pail in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the need to lift a heavy pail off a shelf and the need to remove the cover off the pail whenever articles are needed, may be reduced or eliminated. The risk of spilling contents of the pail (when the cover is opened) may also be reduced. Access to the items stored in the pail is thereby facilitated.  
         [0009]     Another embodiment of the invention is directed to preventing rain and other atmospheric moisture from getting inside the body through an opened or not tightly closed lid. To accomplish this, a cavity is defined in the cover into which a second cover, such as a plate, is inserted. The plate completely covers the cavity including the lid, and thus reduces the amount of moisture that may contact the lid and leak through the opening into the body.  
         [0010]     Another embodiment of the invention is directed to providing an indicator of potential counterfeiting of the contents of the pail by providing a tear strip along the circumference of the cover. Since the cover closes the body so tightly, a counterfeiter has to tear off the tear strip in order to substitute the original contents for the counterfeit contents. However, in accordance with this embodiment of the invention, once the tear strip is torn off, the cover cannot be tightly closed on the body. It may also be visually apparent that the tear strip has been removed. The user may thereby realize that the contents of the pail may have been counterfeited.  
         [0011]     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a pail to store articles is disclosed comprising a body and a cover. The cover is adapted to close the body. The cover defines at least one opening and comprises at least one lid to open and close the opening. The opening may be adapted to receive a human hand when the lid is in the opened position, to retrieve articles. The lid has a first end and a second end. The first end of the lid may be coupled to the cover, such as via a pivotable connection. The opening and the lid may be located in a cavity in the cover and the pail may comprise a second cover adapted to fit within the cavity. The second cover may completely cover the cavity, thereby completely covering the opening and the lid. An outer rim and a tear strip at the bottom of the outer rim of the cover may be provided. The lid may be a rectangle, a triangle, or a semicircle, for example. The lid may comprise a snapper on the second end of the lid opposite the pivot to close the lid. The lid and the opening may be fully within the cover. The pivotal connection may comprise a hinge.  
         [0012]     In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a cover for a container is disclosed. The cover comprises at least one opening and at least one lid to open and close the opening. The opening may be adapted to receive a human hand when the lid is in the opened position, to retrieve articles. The lid may have an end. The end of the lid may be coupled to the cover, such as via a pivotable connection. The opening and the lid may be located in a cavity in the cover and the pail may comprise a second cover adapted to fit within the cavity. The second cover may completely cover the cavity, thereby completely covering the opening and the lid. A tear strip may be provided, as described above.  
         [0013]     In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a pail storing a plurality of articles is disclosed comprising a body and a cover, as described above. The articles may comprise a fastener such as nuts, screws, nails, and bolts, for example. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing an illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a top, front, and left side disassembled perspective view of a pail in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, with a handle in a lowered position, a cover removed from the pail and a lid in a closed position, and a plate removed from the cover;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a top view of a cover;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional bottom view of a portion of a cover along line  3 - 3 ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  is a front view of a pail with a handle in an upper position, a cover closed, and a panel removed;  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  is a top, front, and left side perspective view of the pail of  FIG. 1  with the cover in a closed position, the lid in an open position, and a panel removed;  
         [0020]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of a lid and a snapper along line  6 - 6 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 7  is a top view of a panel;  
         [0022]      FIG. 8  is a top, front, and right side perspective view of the pail of  FIG. 1  with a handle in an upper position and a plate inserted in a cavity in the cover.  
         [0023]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the cover with the plate inserted in the cavity along lines  9 - 9  in  FIG. 8 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 10  is a top, front, and left side perspective view of a pail in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, with a handle in a lowered position, two lids in a closed position, and a panel removed;  
         [0025]      FIG. 11  is a top, front, and left side perspective view of a pail in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, with a handle in a lowered position, a lid in an opened position, and a panel removed. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0026]      FIG. 1  is a top, front, and left side disassembled perspective view of a pail A for storing articles in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The pail A comprises a body  1 , a cover  2 , and a plate  5 . The body  1  defines an opening  24  shown in  FIG. 5 . A lid  23  is provided to selectively open and close the opening  24 . The cover  2  is attachable to the body  2  to close the opening  24 . The cover  2  defines a cavity  35 , and the plate  5  is adapted to fit within the cavity  35  to cover the lid  23  and opening  24 .  
         [0027]     The body  1  comprises four walls—a front wall  1   a , a left wall  1   b , a right wall (not shown), and a back wall (not shown). All four walls are attached at their proximal ends to a bottom wall  54 , shown in phantom in  FIG. 4 . In this example, all the four walls extend substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall. The distal ends of all the four walls form a mouth  11 . The mouth  11  extends circumferentially to form an outwardly extending flange  12 . Preferably, another flange  13  extends outwardly from the body  1 , proximate and below the flange  12 . The flange  13  may be located approximately a thickness of the cover  2  or more below the flange  12 , for example. The flange  13  may provide a supporting surface for the cover  2  but that is not required. Another flange  14  preferably extends outward from the body  1 , below the flange  13 . The flanges  13  and  14  reinforce the strength of the pail A, enabling the pail A to withstand the weight of a number of filled pails A stacked upon one another.  
         [0028]     Handle blocks  15  are positioned on the left wall  1   b  and the right wall of the body  1 . Each of the handle blocks  15  has an axial hole  16  for mounting one end of a handle  3 . The handle  3  is thus pivotally connected to the body  1 . The handle  3  may have a lowered position, as shown in  FIG. 1 , or may be lifted from the lowered position into an upper position (shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 ) above the mouth  11  or the cover  2  for carrying the pail A, for example.  
         [0029]     As mentioned above, the lid  23  is located in the cover  2 . The lid  23  is shown in  FIGS. 1, 2 , and  3  in a closed position, thereby covering the opening  24  in the cover  2 . A first end of the lid  23  is pivotally connected to the cover  2  by a hinge  28 , for example. A snapper  29  is provided at a second end of the lid  23  to securely close the lid  23 , for example, as described further below. The lid  23  is shown in  FIG. 5  in an opened position.  
         [0030]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the pail A with the cover  2  closed on the body  2 , the handle  3  in the upper position, the lid  23  in the closed position, and the plate  5  removed from the cover  2 .  FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a half of the cover  2  along lines  3 - 3  shown in  FIG. 2 . The cross-sectional view of the other half of the cover  2  is a mirror image of the cross-sectional view in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0031]     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , a top surface  31  of the cover  2  comprises four sections  31   a ,  31   b ,  31   c , and  31   d  running circumferentially around the cover  2 . A wall  39   b , a wall  39   d  shown in  FIG. 9 , and other corresponding walls of the top surface  31  (not shown) may be inwardly tapered toward a cavity  35 . A bottom surface  32  is located in the cover  2  below the level of the top surface  31 . A groove  30  is located in the cavity  35  below the level of the bottom surface  32  between the bottom surface  32  and the top surface  31 . The opening  24  and the lid  23  are located on the bottom surface  32 . The bottom surface  32  and the groove  30  thereby define the cavity  35  in the cover. The cavity  35  has inner dimensions L1 and L2. A bottom edge  53 , shown in  FIG. 4 , of the body  2  is inserted into the groove  30  when the pails A are stacked one upon another to provide stability. The lid  23  is shown in  FIG. 2  in a closed position, thereby covering the opening  24  in the cover  2 .  
         [0032]     The cover  2  comprises an inner rim  21  consisting of section  21   b  and three other sections (not shown) extending downward from a bottom  34  of the top surface  31  and running circumferentially around the cover  2 . An outer rim  20  consists of four sections  20   a ,  20   b ,  20   c , and  20   d  extending downward from the bottom  34  of the top surface  31  and running circumferentially around the cover  2 . The outer rim  20  defines the thickness of the cover  2 . A gap  22  is formed by a space between the inner rim  21  and the outer rim  20 .  
         [0033]     A flange  26  consists of four sections (not shown) extending from the sections  20   a ,  20   b ,  20   c , and  20   d  of the outer rim  20  inwardly into the gap  22 . The four sections of the flange  26  run circumferentially around the outer rim  20  underneath the sections  31   a ,  31   b ,  31   c , and  31   d  of the top surface  31 . An edge  27  extends downward from the top surface  31 . The flange  26  is made of a resilient material, such as polypropylene, to enable it to be deformed when pressed over the flange  12  of the body  2  and to return to its normal dimensions when the flange  12  is cleared, providing a snap fit. When the cover  2  has to be closed on the body  1 , the cover  2  is placed on the mouth  11  such that the flange  12  fits into the gap  22 . Then pressure is applied onto the cover  2 , downward toward the bottom wall of the body  1 , until the flange  26  snaps over the flange  12  to securely close the cover  2  on the body  1 , preventing the contents of the pail A from escaping. Since the flange  26  snaps over the flange  12 , it is difficult to remove the cover  2 . A tool, such as a screw driver, may be inserted as a wedge between the outer rim  20  and the flange  12 , for example.  
         [0034]     To remove the cover  2  for the first time, the tear strip  25  needs to be torn off, to remove the flange  26  or substantial portions of it from the cover  2 .  FIG. 4  is a front view of the pail A, showing a portion of the tear strip  25 . The tear strip  25  runs circumferentially around the outer rim  20 . The tear strip  25  is preferably of uneven height—in some parts of the outer rim  20  the tear strip  25  has a height  55 , in other parts it has height  57 . The height  57  is formed by a groove  50  having a wave-like edge, which is a part of the outer rim  20 . The tear strip  25  is defined by a thin region  25   a  of the outer rim  20 , which preferably extends completely around the outer rim  20 . The thin region  25   a  facilitates tearing off the tear strip  25  by a user. The tear strip  25  is formed in an extrusion molding process used to form the cover  2 . The groove  50  extends downward below an edge  59  (which is left exposed when the height  55  of the tear strip  25  is torn off) and provides for tighter closure of the cover  2  on the body  1  after the tear strip  25  has been removed. A bottom edge  53  of the body  2  extends downward from the bottom wall  54 , shown in phantom lines, of the body  2 . In this example, the bottom edge  53  is substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall. When the pails A are stacked one upon another, the bottom edge  53  of an upper pail fits into the groove  30  of the cover  2  of a lower pail.  
         [0035]     In this embodiment, once the tear strip  25  is torn off, the cover  2  cannot be tightly closed on the body  1  because the flange  12  does not engage the remaining portion of the flange  26  as tightly as when the tear strip  25  and the complete flange  26  were in place. Thus, this aspect of the invention can alert a user to possible counterfeiting because the user, who purchased the pail A with articles in it, would notice that the cover  2  is not securely closed on the body  1  and is likely to become suspicious of the origin of the contents of the pail A. Given this ease of detecting potential tampering, counterfeiters are less likely to counterfeit the items stored in the pails constructed in accordance with this embodiment of the invention. Upon noticing the absence of the tear strip  25  and becoming suspicious of potential counterfeiting, the user is likely to examine or test the contents of the pail A to ascertain the quality of the contents, thus establishing whether or not actual counterfeiting occurred. Therefore, this aspect of the invention increases the chance of the user detecting counterfeit items. Hence, with the risk of detection increasing, the incentive to counterfeit is decreased.  
         [0036]      FIG. 5  is a top, right, and left side perspective view of the pail A with the cover  2  closed on the body  1 .  FIG. 5  shows the lid  23  in an opened position, with a second end of the lid  23  pointing upward at an angle. The opening  24  is shown. A snapper  29  is located at the second end of the lid  23  to securely close the lid  23 , as shown in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view the snapper  29 , shown in a vertical position, and the lid  23  along lines  6 - 6  in  FIG. 5 . The snapper  29  is made of a resilient material, such as polypropylene. When the lid  23  is in a closed position, a top part  71  of the snapper  29  rests against an edge of the opening  24 . The lid  23  is moved from a closed position as shown in  FIG. 1  to an opened position as shown in  FIG. 5  by applying pressure to the top part  71  toward a bottom part  73 , thereby disengaging the top part  71  from the edge of the opening  24  and moving the top part  71  into gap  75 . Once the snapper  29  disengages from the edge of the opening  24 , the lid  23  may be moved into an opened position by pulling upwards on a tip  76  of the snapper  29  towards the section  20   c  shown in  FIG. 1 . Once the pressure is no longer applied, the top part  71  returns to its normal position.  
         [0037]     As discussed above, in this embodiment, the plate  5  is provided to be inserted into the cavity  35  of the cover  2  to reduce the amount of atmospheric moisture, such as rain and humidity, that may come into contact with the lid  23  and the opening  24  and penetrate the pail A, where it could damage the contents of the pail A.  FIG. 7  is a top view of the plate  5 . The plate  5  is preferably made of the same material as the pail A and is adapted to securely fit into the cavity  35  by a pressfit. Outer dimensions L3 and L4 of the plate  5  are therefore preferably slightly greater than the inner dimensions L1 and L2 of the cavity  35  shown in  FIG. 2 . The plate  5  has a side surface formed by four sides  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c , and  5   d . The plate  5  is inserted into the cavity  35  and pressure is applied downward on the plate  5  until it fits snugly into place in the cavity  35 . Alternatively, the plate  5  can be adapted to snug-fit into the cavity  35  by providing a flange (not shown) at the edge of the plate  5 . When a user needs to remove the plate  5 , the user can grab a bar  7  protruding from a corner of the plate  5 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 7 , and pull the plate  5  upward until it is removed from the cavity  35 . The bar  7  may include a group of bars to assist in grabbing the bar  7 .  
         [0038]     The plate  5  may also have markings forming two rulers  6   a  and  6   b , for example. The ruler  6   a  may be in centimeters and the ruler  6   b  may be in inches, for example. When the plate  5  is removed, the rulers  6   a  and  6   b  can be used to measure different objects, thereby obviating a need to have a separate ruler.  
         [0039]      FIG. 8  is a top, front, and right side perspective view of the pail A with a handle in an upper position, and a plate inserted in the cavity  35  in the cover  2 . The lid  23 , which is in the closed position, and the opening  24  are covered by the plate  35  and therefore not shown in  FIG. 8 .  
         [0040]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the cover  2  along lines  9 - 9  in  FIG. 8  with the plate  5  inserted in the cavity  35 . Some details of the cover  2  are omitted in  FIG. 9 . The side  5   b  of the plate  5  rests against the wall  39   b  and the side  5   d  of the plate  5  rests against the wall  39   d . The plate  5  may rest on the bottom surface  32 .  
         [0041]     The preferred material for the pail A is a plastic, such as polypropylene. The pail A may be formed in an extrusion molding process. Other materials that may be used may include resilient materials, such as metals and metal alloys.  
         [0042]     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the shape, size and number of openings in the cover  2  and their corresponding lids can be modified in a variety of ways. For example,  FIG. 10  is a top, front, and left side perspective view of a pail B in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, with a cover defining two openings  24   a  and  24   b  and two lids  23   a  and  23   b  covering the two openings  24   a  and  24   b , respectively. In this alternative embodiment, the lids  23   a  and  23   b  have the same rectangular shape as the lid  23  of  FIG. 1 . The first ends of the lids  23   a  and  23   b  are pivotally connected to the cover  2  by hinges  28   a  and  28   b , respectively.  
         [0043]     In addition, a lid may have other shapes. For example,  FIG. 11  is a top, front, and left side perspective view of a pail C in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, with a lid  33  in the form of a triangle. A base of the lid  33  is pivotally connected to the cover  2  by a hinge  28 . The lid and opening may be semi-circular, for example, as well.  
         [0044]     It will be also appreciated by those skilled in the art that in alternative embodiments of the invention a lid may be coupled to the cover by a variety of methods. For example, two or more lids may be used to close the same opening. Each lid may be separately opened and closed via a separate snapper. Other examples of lids may include a sliding lid that may slide over the opening  24 . In addition, a lid may be shaped as a circle with one half of the circle defining a hole in the lid. The circular lid may cover a semicircular opening in a cover and may be rotatably coupled to the cover by a pin at the center of the circular lid. In addition, a lid may be divided into a plurality of flexible lids that may be displaced by a user&#39;s hand and return to their original position closing the opening when the hand is removed.  
         [0045]     It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a body of a container may be build out of a number of materials, e.g., paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, fabric, etc. to suit particular storage needs. The body of a container may comprise a number of rigid sides, i.e., walls, or a fairly flaccid body, for example, a sack. The body may have more than one opening in the side walls, such as a mouth, both covered and uncovered, through which a container may be connected with other containers or mechanisms for storage, transportation, or manipulation of items. The body may comprise internal partitions enabling storage of two or more types of items in separate compartments of the same container.  
         [0046]     The foregoing merely illustrates preferred embodiments of the invention. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous other arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the invention, which is defined by the claim below.