Abstract:
The present invention relates to a secondary lid for use with a package containing a foodstuff. That package has an opening that is initially sealed at purchase but the opening is unsealed by the consumer in order to obtain access to the contents of the package. There is a secondary lid that is affixed to the package and which reseals the opening and protects the contents from the external environment. The secondary lid may contact a flap or flaps of the package to hold the flap or flaps tightly closed to the opening or, in the case of a liquid, there may be a plug that enters the opening to prevent the contents from spilling. In any case, there is a seal formed in the secondary lid that surrounds and seals the opening from the environment to protect against the intrusion of air or moisture or other contaminants.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to packaging for materials, and, more particularly, to a secondary lid that is used to re-close and reseal a package that has been opened by a user. 
         [0002]    There are many differing types, sizes and shapes of packages that are currently used for products such as comestibles. As an example, cereal is currently packaged in a multiserve paperboard box having an internal polyethylene bag enclosing the cereal and that packaging is used to transport the goods from the manufacturer to the grocery outlets and thereon to the ultimate consumer. The paperboard box is adequate to meet the functional end-use requirements of product protection, safety, quality and delivered shelf life, however, once the box and internal polyethylene bag are opened by the consumer, the integrity of the package is sacrificed. 
         [0003]    In general, the polyethylene bag cannot be easily resealed by the consumer to prevent moisture and oxygen from entering the polyethylene bag and affecting the contents therein. In addition, while there are tabs and the like provided by the manufacturer that are intended to allow the resealing of the flaps of the paperboard box, those tabs or other means are not particularly effective in closing and sealing the flaps and often tear off or are opened incorrectly by the consumer, thereby thwarting the possibility of resealing the box flaps to secure the integrity of the contents. 
         [0004]    As such, the outside air can readily invade the interior of the present packages, once opened, despite attempts by the consumer to reseal the package and there is an undesirable intrusion of oxygen and moisture as well as foreign bodies, including insects, that can render the contents undesirable and even inedible. Thus, the consumer wastes money by having to throw away the contents of the package where there is cereal or other edible foodstuffs still contained within the package. 
         [0005]    There is a further type of package that is used for containing and delivering drinks and the like and which is often referred to as a “brick pack”. Basically, that type of package is in the shape of a brick, a three dimensional rectangular shape, and can be constructed of paperboard, plastic, aluminum foil or such and is commonly used for juice, juice drinks, water, sports drinks etc. and the brick packages are normally sold in volumes of 4, 6 or 8 ounces for children or adults to consume the contents. There is generally a sealed straw hole in the package that has an adhesive aluminum foil covering and which can be punctured by a sharp end of a straw that is provided with the package. As such, the consumer simply punctures the aluminum covering to insert a straw through the opening for access to the contents. 
         [0006]    Again, there is a problem with this type of package in that once the sealed opening is initially breached, it cannot be resealed and thus, in the event the person cannot finish the drink at one time, the unconsumed contents are wasted or spilled. 
         [0007]    Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a secondary lid that would hold and seal the normal flap or flaps of the package or close the breached opening of a brick pack in order to the seal the contents of the package after it has been initially opened. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is a secondary lid that can be easily affixed to a package, such as a box for foodstuffs, and which provides a seal to protect the contents of the package from the intrusion of oxygen, moistures or certain contaminants. In effect, the secondary lid of the present invention is usable with a package that is intended for multiple uses to extend the life of the foodstuff contained in that package by providing additional protection for the foodstuff after the package has been initially opened. The secondary lid is preferably comprises of an inexpensive plastic material although other materials can be used. 
         [0009]    In an exemplary embodiment of the secondary lid of the present invention, there is a clip that is clipped over the top of the package and which contacts the flaps of the package to secure those flaps in their closed positions. The clip is held to the package by means of a spring force that is designed into the clip and there may also be gripping devices that contact the sides of the package and aid in securing the clip firmly to the package. In such embodiment, the secondary lid acts to hold the flaps of the package in their closed positions to seal the contents of the package from the external environment. 
         [0010]    The secondary lid is therefore affixed to the top of a package and, in certain embodiments, there is a floating seal that surrounds the opening in the package, thereby creating a tortuous path for oxygen, moisture or contaminants to reach the contents of the package. In such embodiments, the secondary lid supplements the normal closure that may be by means of a flap, flaps or pourer that is normally a part of the original package. 
         [0011]    In a still further embodiment, there is a secondary lid that is secured over an opening in a package such as brick pack, after an aluminum foil covering has been punctured by a straw that enters the opening covered by that aluminum foil. The secondary lid has, as with the prior embodiments, a seal that surrounds the opening to seal the liquid contents therein to protect against the intrusion of the surrounding environment as well as prevent spillage or leakage of the liquid remaining within the package. In this embodiment, the secondary lid may also have a tapered plug that is oriented so as to enter the opening and plug up that opening. 
         [0012]    These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent during the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings herein. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a package having a secondary lid affixed thereto and constructed in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the secondary lid of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a secondary lid of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a side cross-sectional view of the secondary lid of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a still further embodiment of the present invention used with a brick pack; 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the underside surface of the  FIG. 6  embodiment; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a side, cross sectional, view of the secondary lid of the  FIG. 6  embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0021]    Turning first to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a perspective view of a package  10  having a secondary lid  12  secured thereto in accordance with the present invention. In this exemplary embodiment, the package  10  is illustrated as a typical cereal box having lateral sides  14 , end panels  16  and a top  18 . As is conventional, the top  18  is comprised of two flaps  20  that meet, and normally slightly overlap, at the free ends  22  at about the center of the top  18 . 
         [0022]    Turning to  FIG. 2 , there is a perspective view of the secondary lid  12  of the present invention, taken along with  FIG. 1 . As can be seen, the secondary lid  12  is in the shape of a clip that is generally U-shaped having a flat base  24  with two sidewalls  26  that extend therefrom. Thus, when the secondary lid  12  is affixed to the package  10  in its operative position, the flat base  24  overlays the top  18  of the package  10  and contacts the flaps  20  to hold those flaps  20  in their closed position. At the same time, the sidewalls  26  extend downwardly over the lateral sides  14  and provide a spring loading against those lateral sides  14  to retain the secondary lid  12  in the operative position as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0023]    The spring loading is the result of both the mechanical design and use of a stiff, yet flexible plastic material used to construct the secondary lid  12 , that is, the spring loaded seal mechanism and overall strength of the seal is controlled by the choice of the plastic material as well as the thickness and geometric shape of the sidewalls  26  that allow the sidewalls  26  to move in a controlled manner to grip the lateral sides  14  of the package  10  during the use of the secondary lid  12 . 
         [0024]    As such, the secondary lid  12  can be tapered inwardly in order to provide the spring loading against the lateral sides  14  of the package  10 . As an example, therefore, the width (W) of the flat base  24  that fits over the top  18  of the package  10  can be about the width of the package  10  between its lateral sides  14 . On the other hand the width or separation between the cantilever ends of the sidewalls  26  (w) is less that the width W of the flat base  24  which represents the inward taper that creates a spring loading against the lateral sides  14  of the package  10 . The inward taper of each lateral side is thus (W-w)/ 2  and that taper determines the amount of force exerted by the sidewalls  26  against the lateral sides  14  of the package  10 . 
         [0025]    As an enhancement to the spring loading, the sidewalls  26  can have an inwardly bowed portion  28  that contacts the lateral sides  14  of the package  10  and there may also be gripping devices  30  provided in the inner surface of the sidewalls  26  to aid in the surface gripping against the lateral sides  14  of the package  10 . The gripping devices  30  can comprise a plurality of projections that may be a conical, triangular or other configuration. 
         [0026]    As can now be appreciated, the secondary lid  12  can be manufactured using a number of standard plastic processes, such as, but not limited to, injection molding, extrusion of sheet and vacuum forming. In addition, the secondary lid  12  can be sold with the package  10  itself as a promotional item, either as a clear or opaque plastic, and may or may not have graphics printed thereon, or the secondary lid  12  can be sold separately as a stand-alone retail item having the same features as described. 
         [0027]    The secondary lid  12  can, of course be made of differing dimensions to accommodate a wide variety of packages, that is, the dimensions of the secondary lid  12  can be designed having differing length, width and depth dimensions and still provide the advantageous features heretofore described. 
         [0028]    Turning now to  FIG. 3 , there is shown a perspective view of a further embodiment of a secondary lid  32  of the present invention affixed to a package  10  and the package  10  can be the same as illustrated in  FIG. 1  and, therefore, the same identification numbers have been employed i.e. lateral sides  14 , end panels  16  and a top  18 . Again, the top  18  is comprised of two flaps  20  that meet, and normally slightly overlap, at the free ends  22  at about the center of the top  18 . 
         [0029]    With this embodiment it can be seen that the secondary lid  32  fully surrounds the top  18  of the package  10 , that is, the perimeter of the secondary lid  32  fully extends around the upper surface of the package  10 . Thus, the secondary lid  32  has a top  34 , lateral sides  36  and end walls  38  and the secondary lid  32  slides over and snugly fits onto the top  18  of the package  10 . Again, as with the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the dimensions of the secondary lid  32  can be varied in accordance with the particular dimensions and configuration of the package  10 . 
         [0030]    Turning to  FIG. 4 , taken along with  FIG. 3 , there is, in this embodiment, a floating seal  40  that is formed on the internal surface of the lateral sides  36  and end walls  38  of the secondary lid  32 . The floating seal  40  can be comprised of a plurality of continuous rib-like projections  42  that surround the top  18  of the package  10  and form the continuous floating seal  40  to prevent air and moisture from passing through the floating seal  40  to reach the internal area of the package  10  where the contents could be affected. 
         [0031]    The rib-like projections  42  can be conical in shape and are forcefully held against the exterior of the package  10  by means of spring tension. As such, there can be some inward deflection of the secondary lid  32  as it is positioned atop of the package  10  such that the inward spring force actually moves the secondary lid  32  inwardly thereby compressing the rib-like projections  42  to enhance the seal against the package  10 . The floating seal  40  thus allows the closure of the package  10  and the floating seal  40  floats and adapts itself to the contour of the package  10  and adjusts for size tolerance variations in the dimension of the package  10 . The floating seal  10  thereby forms an unbroken seal that surrounds the opening in the package  10  to prevent the intrusion of elements in the surrounding environment. 
         [0032]    On one or both sides of the floating seal  40 , there can be formed a narrowed portion forming a hinge  44  and the stiffness and tension of the floating seal  40  can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the thickness of the hinges  44  or by the introduction of live hinges. There can be number of integrated molded hinges formed on either side of the floating seal  40  as either a single hinge or as multiple hinges. In addition, the plastic material and design features such as shape and dimensions can also control the stiffness and effectiveness of the floating seal  40 . 
         [0033]    As with the secondary lid  12  of the  FIG. 1 and 2  embodiment, the secondary lid  32  of this embodiment can be produced by any number of methods, however, injection molding is the preferred method of manufacture. The plastic material can also be a variety of plastics according to the needs of the particular secondary lid  32 . For a durable lid, the material can be increased in thickness. Again, there may be indicia imprinted on or formed on the secondary lid  32  in the form of advertising, promotional material or other such indicia. 
         [0034]    As an option, a biocide could be added to the plastic to provide bacteria resistance and to further enhance the value of the secondary lid  32  in providing reclosability to help preserve the integrity of the contents of any package. 
         [0035]    Turning now to  FIG. 5 , there is shown a perspective view of a package  10  having a secondary lid  46  affixed thereto. In this embodiment, the package  10  is of the type having a pourer  48  located in an end panel  16  covering an opening and therefore is used with foodstuffs such as rice, baking soda and other foods that are packed in a rectangular or square shaped paperboard box and which need to be poured therefrom. 
         [0036]    The secondary lid  46  still encircles the entire perimeter of the top  18  of the package  10 , however the floating seal  50  is localized and surrounds the pourer  48  and, of course, the opening underneath the pourer  48 . The floating seal  50  can be the same as described in the  FIG. 3 and 4  embodiment and again, the floating seal  50  surrounds the opening located underneath the pourer  48  to prevent air or moisture or the like from entering through that opening so as to protect the contents of the package  10 . 
         [0037]    Turning now to  FIG. 6 , there is shown a perspective view of a still further embodiment of the present invention for use with a brick pack package  52  and, as can be seen, the secondary lid  54  is in the shape of a clip that is generally U-shaped having a flat base  56  with two sidewalls  58  that extend therefrom. As with the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , when the secondary lid  54  is affixed to the brick pack package  52  in its operative position, the flat base  56  overlays the top  60  of the package  52  and the sidewalls  58  extend downwardly over the lateral side panels  62  and provide a spring loading against those lateral side panels  62  to retain the secondary lid  54  in the operative position as shown. 
         [0038]    Again, the spring loading is the result of both the mechanical design and use of a stiff, yet flexible plastic material used to construct the secondary lid  54 , as well as the inwardly bowed portion  64  that contacts the lateral sides  62  of the package  52  and hold the secondary lid  54  to the package  52 . A similar gripping function can be used in the two downwardly extending ends  66  of the secondary lid  54  that grip the ends  68  of the package  52 . The gripping can also be enhanced by the tapering inwardly of the sidewalls  58  and the ends  66  in the manner described with respect to the dimensions of  FIG. 2 . As with the  FIG. 2  embodiment, there can also be a plurality of gripping devices  30  on either or both of the ends  66  and sidewalls  58  of the secondary lid  54 . 
         [0039]    As also can be seen in  FIG. 6 , there is a plug  70  that is preferable tapered and which extends downwardly into the opening  71  in the package  52  to seal that opening. As explained, with a brick pack package  52 , there is an opening  71  that is initially, as sold, covered by a secured covering, such as an aluminum foil, and which is punctured by the user with a sharp end of a straw supplied with the package in order to get access to the contents. The straw is normally inserted through the opening  71  into the package  52  to remove the contents. 
         [0040]    As such, the plug  70  is oriented on the lower surface of the secondary lid  54  so that when the secondary lid  54  is affixed to the package  52 , the plug  70  is aligned with the opening  71  and as the secondary lid  54  is attached, the plug  70  enters into the opening  71  in the package  52  and seals the opening  71  from the surrounding atmosphere and prevents spillage of the contents. A circular, unbroken floating spring seal  75  is formed on the underside of the secondary lid  54  to surround the opening  71  to seal the opening  71  against the intrusion of the external environment. 
         [0041]    Turning now to  FIG. 7  and there shown a perspective view of the underside surface  73  of the secondary lid  54  and, in  FIG. 8 , a side cross sectional view of the secondary lid  54  illustrating the tapered plug  70  that enters into the opening  71  of the package  52 . There is a circular rib  72  that is formed on the tapered plug  70  at or proximate to the distal end  74  of the plug  70  and which aids in sealing the opening  71  in the package  52 . 
         [0042]    There can also be seen in  FIGS. 6-8 , a floating spring seal  75  that is formed on the underside surface  73  of the secondary lid  54  and which is a generally circular, unbroken floating spring seal  75  such that when the secondary lid  54  is in position atop of the brick pack package  52 , the floating spring seal  75  surrounds the opening and prevents the intrusion of the external environment. The floating spring seal  75  can be formed of a thin membrane that is bowed in the direction of the top  60  of the brick pack package  52  so as to press against the top  60  and form the floating seal. 
         [0043]    Those skilled in the art will readily recognize numerous adaptations and modifications which can be made to the secondary lid of the present invention which will result in an improved secondary lid for a package to protect the contents therein, yet all of which will fall within the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined in the following claims. Accordingly, the invention is to be limited only by the following claims and their equivalents.