LID ARRANGEMENT FOR A CONTAINER

Abstract: A two segment lid (7, 8) for a container (1) having a base (2) and side and end walls (3) upstanding from the base (2) and forming an enclosure. The segments (7, 8) are held captive by link means (9) to the side walls (3). Lid segment hooks (13, 26) are engagable with hook receivers on the enclosure to secure the lid segments (7, 8) in position over the open top of the enclosure. The links (9) allow sliding movement of the lid segments (7, 8) to release the lid hooks (13, 26) from the hook receivers and allow pivoting movement of the lid segments (7, 8) to rest positions to uncover the open top of the enclosure. Securement means (20, 23) is provided to prevent sliding movement of the lid segments (7, 8).

Description: LID ARRANGEMENT FOR A CONTAINER FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to lids for containers. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION The invention has particular reference to containers of the type which comprise a base (which may be in the form of a pallet) with four upstanding walls defining an enclosure which, with the base and a lid form a container. On occasions inspection of goods housed in a container of the above type is required and this invention has been devised to facilitate the inspection procedures. STATEMENT OF INVENTION Simply stated, the invention involves the provision of a two segment lid with the segments held captive to the enclosure formed by the container walls in a manner which allows the lid segments to be singly, or both, moved from a secured position closing the container to an open position allowing access to the interior of the enclosure. More specifically stated, the invention provides a captive lid assembly for a container having a substantially rectangular base with four walls upstanding from edges of the base and defining an enclosure, the four walls have substantially coplanar lid supporting upper edges which define an open top for the enclosure, said lid assembly comprising a substantially rectangular first segment of a size to cover part of said open top and a substantially rectangular second segment of a size to cover the remainder of the open top of the container, a link means connecting each segment to said enclosure, each link means allowing its connected segment to slide whilst supported by said upper wall edges to engage and disengage latch means to hold the segment in the open top covering condition and allowing its connected segment when released by said latch means to pivot relative to said enclosure to an enclosure open top uncovering condition. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A presently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which, Fig.1 is a schematic perspective representation of a container fitted with the captive lid assembly of the present invention, Fig.2 is a side view of the container of Fig.1 with the lid assembly closed, Fig.3 is a fragmentary side view of the container of Fig.1 with one lid segment released from lid segment latching means, Fig.4 shows the unlatched lid segment part way through a retracting movement, Fig.5 shows the unlatched lid segment in a fully retracted rest position, Fig.6 is a fragmentary end view of means coupling the lid segments together, Fig.7 is a view similar to Fig.6 showing the coupling means in a released condition, Fig.8 is a fragmentary view of a lid segment to container body connection by a preferred form of link means, where the link means also serves to latch the rear edge of the lid from uplifting movement away from the open top of the container body, Fig.9 is a view similar to Fig.8 where the link means of Fig.8 is unlatched as a result of sliding movement of the lid segment, and Fig.10 shows the lid segment coupled to the container body by the link means of Fig.8 as it will appear when the lid segment has been pivoted to the rest position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings the container 1 has a body part comprised of a base 2 with four panel walls 3 mounted on the base 2 at the edges thereof and upstanding therefrom to provide an enclosure. The walls 3 are corner connected to each other (in any suitable known manner) and to the base 2 (in any suitable known manner) and are corner supported by upstanding angle support members 5. The above arrangement is typical of containers where the walls 3 can be folded down one over the other over the base 2. A number of methods allowing the folding arrangement described are disclosed in patents granted to the present applicant. It is to be understood that the lid assembly of this invention can also be used where the walls 3 are permanently fixed to the base 2 or are demountable therefrom. The container lid, generally indicated 6, comprises two segments 7 and 8 which are supported by the upper edges of the walls 3 and each segment is connected by links 9 to uprights 4 of side walls 3 mounted on the base 2. The lid segments are comprised of rectangular frames of tubular steel and there is a cover sheet over the frame to form a smooth inner face for each lid segment. Referring to the general view Fig.1 and the detailed views of Figs.2 to 5, each of the links 9 has a pivot connection 10 to a lid segment and includes a slot 11 engaged by a pin 12 on the side wall upright 4. The lid segments 7 and 8 each have side edge hooks 13 slidably engagable in hook receivers in the form of sockets 14 fixed to the top rails 15 of the walls 3 and rear edge hooks 26 adapted to engage with a hook receiver in the form of a top rail of an adjacent enclosure end wall to prevent uplifting movement of the lid segment rear edge away from the container body. In a lid opening operation a lid coupling to hold the two lid segments together, to be described later, is first released. Then, as shown in Fig.3, the lid segment 7 is slid in the direction of the arrow sufficient to disengage the hooks 13 and 26 of the lid segment 7 from their co-operating hook receivers on the container body. The sliding movement is accommodated by the slots 11 of the links 9 moving relative to the pins 12. Fig. 4 shows a transient position in the pivoting movement of the lid segment 7 to the rest position shown in Fig.5. The interior of the container can now be inspected and if required samples 5 of the contents can be taken. The lid segment 7 can be returned to the Fig.2 condition by reverse movements to those just described. There is a two part weather protection flange 16 projecting from the leading edge of the lid segment 7 to overlie the leading edge of the lid segment 8 when the lid segments are in operative position. In order to eliminate any l o projection of the weather flange above the top surface of the lid the leading edges members 18,19 of the lid segment frames are formed of tube smaller in height than the tube from which the other sides of the lid segment frames are formed. This is clearly shown in Figs.6 and 7. A number of ways can be devised to couple the lid segments together to 15 prevent accidental sliding separation of the lid segments and consequential disengagement of the hooks 13 and 26 from their hook receivers. In a preferred arrangement, see Figs.6 and 7, a strap 20 with a hooked free end 22 is pivotally connected at its other end at 21 to the lid segment 7, preferably to the leading edge member 18. The strap 20 when operative 20 overlies the leading edge member 19 of the lid segment 8 and hooks over a lug 23 on the lid segment 8. The strap 20 is housed in a gap between adjacent ends of the weather flange parts so as not to project above the top surface of the lid. The lug 23 and the strap hook end 22 are provided with holes 25,24 respectively which are aligned when the flap 20 is operative allowing a lock to be applied to releasably secure the hook 22 to the lug 23 to lock the lid segments 7 and 8 together. It is to be understood that the foregoing is a description of a presently preferred arrangement and, for example, the flap 20 could be on the lid segment 8 and the lug 23 could be on the lid segment 7. Other means may be employed to provide a water seal between the lid members 18,19. Means other than a lock engaged in holes in the flap end 22 and the segment hook 23 may be used to retain the lid segments in a closed and locked adjacent condition. It is to be understood that the specific link configuration coupling the lid segments to the enclosure panels 3 is representative and other link means able to function in the manner required may be provided. An alternative dual function link arrangement is illustrated in Figs.8,9,10. In this arrangement the links 9 each include an open ended slot 27 for engagement with pins 28 on the container body. In Fig.8 it will be seen that with the link 9 in the position adopted when the lid segment is slid to a position to engage the hooks 13 in the sockets 14, the pin 28 will lie in the slot 29. The purpose of this arrangement is to replicate the function of the hooks 26 which are provided to prevent uplifting movement of the rear edge of the lid segment from the top edges of the enclosure walls 3 when the lid segment is in the closed condition. Fig.9 illustrates how the sliding movement of the lid segment to disengage the hooks 13 from the sockets 14 will cause the link 9 to pivot to remove the pin 28 from the slot 29. This can be followed by pivotal movement of the link about the pin 12 to place the lid segment in the rest position, see Fig.10.

Claims: CLAIMS. 1. A captive lid assembly for a container having a substantially rectangular base with four walls upstanding from edges of the base and defining an enclosure, the four walls have substantially coplanar lid supporting upper edges which define an open top for the enclosure, said lid assembly comprising a substantially rectangular first segment of a size to cover part of said open top and a substantially rectangular second segment of a size to cover the remainder of the open top of the container, a link means connecting each segment at or adjacent a trailing edge of the segment to said enclosure, each link means allowing its connected segment to slide whilst supported by said upper wall edges to engage and disengage latch means to hold the segment in the open top covering condition and allowing its connected segment when released by said latch means to pivot relative to said enclosure to an enclosure open top uncovering condition. 2. A lid assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said link means for each segment comprises a pair of links where each link is adapted for pivotal connection at spaced apart locations on the link and where at least one of the pivotal connections includes a slot along which a pivot pin can slide. 3. A lid assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each lid segment has first latch means slidingly engagable and disengagable with a co-operating second latch means on said enclosure as a result of sliding - ir relative movement between the segment and the enclosure. 4. A lid assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein said first latch means comprises hooks on each of two opposite side edges of said segment and on the trailing edge of the said segment and said second latch means comprises hook receivers on said enclosure. 5. A lid assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein said first latch means comprises hooks on each of two opposite side edges of said segment and hooks on said links, and the second latch means comprises hook receivers on said enclosure, 6. A lid assembly as claimed in claim 5 wherein the hooks on the opposite edges of said lid are engagable into socket receivers. 7. A lid assembly as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6 wherein the hooks on said links are in the form of slots into which enclosure mounted pin receivers enter. 8. A lid assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein any gap between leading edges of said lid segments which lie closely adjacent when said lid segments cover the open top of said enclosure is bridged by a water deflecting flange fixed to one segment and extending beyond the leading edge of said one segment sufficiently to overlie the leading edge of the other segment. 9. A lid assembly as claimed in any one of claim 8 having securement means to secure the lid segments in the latched condition. 10. A lid assembly as claimed in claim 9 wherein the securement means includes a flap on one segment hinged to said first segment adjacent the leading edge thereof and a flap engagable lug on the second segment, said flap and said flap engagable lug having means whereby a lock can be applied to lock said flap and said flap engagable lug together. 1 1. A lid assembly as claimed in claim 9 wherein said securement means includes a fixed tongue extending from the leading edge of the first segment and a tongue receiving means on said second segment, said tongue and /or said tongue receiving means being adapted to receive a lock to prevent separation of said tongue from said tongue receiving member. 12. A captive lid assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.

Inventors: KARPISEK LADISLAV STEPHAN, KARPISEK, LADISLAV, STEPHAN
Applicants: KARPISEK LADISLAV STEPHAN, KARPISEK, LADISLAV, STEPHAN
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B65D90
IPC codes: B65D88