Patent Publication Number: US-2011049150-A1

Title: Packaging Container

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This present invention relates to improvements in packaging containers and their manufacture for viscous lotions, creams and waxes, and in particular to containers including a base receptacle having a top opening securely connected to a lid formed from one-piece of material. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Containers for holding viscous lotions, creams and waxes products are well known. Such containers typically include two separate pieces, a base receptacle and a lid. The lid may be attached to the container in various manners, for example, friction fit, a screw connection, an adhesively attached lid and the like. This arrangement ensures that the lid is securely held in place to the base receptacle. This type of container design is particularly appropriate when the lid or base receptacle needs to be made of a different material or colour to each other. However, this type of container can allow for either the base receptacle or lid to be misplacing or possible contamination by foreign material if the lid is separated from the base receptacle. 
     When attaching a conventional lid onto the opening of a container base receptacle, the user needs to orientate the lid relative to the opening so as to find the starting position for the lid before they can commence attaching the lid, which if not done correctly can cause the base and lid to not connect to each other causing possible unwanted air flow or possible contamination by foreign material and be time-consuming. 
     The typical top, bottom and side outer surfaces of conventional containers with a base receptacle and lid are curved and or smooth, which reduces the ability of a user to grip, stack or hang the container. Further, a smooth surface on the underside of a base receptacle can enable unwanted outside temperature variations to transfer from a surface that the base is sitting on through the base material onto the container&#39;s contents, which may effect the content&#39;s quality. 
     Some conventional two piece containers with base receptacle and lid are hinged to allow each piece to pivot relative to each other about a pivot axis near and between the edges of the base opening and lid, which means the lid may have limitations in how far it can be opened and may restrict a user in accessing the contents of the container. 
     The manufacture of conventional two piece base receptacle and lid containers is made up of two separate manufacturing processes and cycles, which requires two different sets of designs, manufacturing tooling, set-up, scheduling and production costs which may cause unwanted material wastage, duplication of costs and be time-consuming. Also, these two pieces need to eventually be brought together to form a container, which requires an additional process to be set up. Further, if either the base or the lid requires printing or stamping on their surfaces, then generally an additional printing or stamping process would be added to the overall manufacture of a two piece container, which further increases the overall duration of container manufacture and associated costs. Typically, the margins between the cost to manufacture and sell a container are low, so decreases in manufacturing and printing cycles and costs are highly desirable. Additionally, any increase in the functionality of a container without an increase in cost or even a reduction in cost, is also highly desirable. 
     It is a non-limiting object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above noted disadvantages of the prior art by providing a container that has a base receptacle and lid formed from the one-piece of material. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to a broad aspect of the invention there is provided a one-piece container comprising an outer surface, an inner surface, a lid section, a base section and two side edges aligned and orientated between these two sections such that they taper off through the mid-point line of the one-piece container creating a narrowed mid-section, the outer surface of the lid section is preferably flat for ease of printing, the outer surface of the base section has fixed a raised ridge with a plurality of openings that is aligned and orientated within the perimeter of the base edge, and the inner surface of the base section has fixed a base receptacle portion with an outside surface positioned within the perimeter of the base edge to provide a user enough outer surface to grip with their fingers to assist in opening and closing the container, with a concavity aligned and orientated around the outer surface of this base receptacle portion near to its opening, and the inner surface of the lid section has fixed and centred a lid portion with a ridge on the inside of the lid portion near to its opening to removably interlock with the opposing inter-fitting concavity of the base receptacle portion, with the outside surface of the lid portion positioned within the perimeter of the lid edge, for use in enabling the user to removably engage the lid section with the base section around the mid-section to provide an airtight seal to securely contain a viscous material. 
     Preferably the base of the lid portion is fixed to the inner surface of the lid section with a surface area between the lid edge and the lid portion large enough for a user to grip with their fingers to assist them in opening and closing the container. Preferably on the inside surface of the lid portion near its opening is a fixed ridge aligned parallel and adjacent to the top edge of this opening. The inside bottom area of the lid portion preferably has a fixed ridge which is positioned adjacent and parallel to the inside surface of the lid portion providing a channel section to removably engage with the top edge of the base receptacle portion when the container is closed. Preferably the inside surface of the lid portion is a neat fit to the outer surface near the opening of the base receptacle portion to enable the ridge to slide down this outer surface until it removably interlocks with the opposing inter-fitting concavity when the container is being closed by the user. 
     Preferably the outer surface of the base section has a fixed ridge with a plurality of openings that is aligned and orientated within the base edge to enable air to circulate between the underside of the base section and the surface that it may rest on, and the inner surface of the base section preferably has fixed and centered a base receptacle portion which is positioned within the base edge. Preferably the peripheral surface area of the base section between the base edge and the base receptacle portion is large enough for a user to grip with their fingers to assist them in opening and closing the container. Preferably on the outer surface of the base receptacle portion near its opening is the concavity aligned and orientated parallel to the top edge of the opening which removably interlocks with the opposing inter-fitting lid ridge when the container is closed to create an airtight seal. 
     Preferably the mid-section is positioned between the lid and base sections of a length equidistant either side of the container&#39;s mid-point line with two side edges which have a mirrored profile shape relative to each other about the longitudinal centre line that taper inwards from the lid and base sections through towards the mid-point line of the container. The mid-section is preferably provided a reduced thickness relative to the thickness of the both the lid and base sections to enable this section to flex and pivot around the mid-point line when the user moves either the lid or base section away or towards each other to open or close the container. Where the mid-section&#39;s thickness merges with the lid and base sections its thickness gradually increases to the thickness of these lid and base sections. Preferably the mid-section when the lid section is removably interlocked with the base section in a closed position flexes into a semi-circular arch that enables the user to hang, store or thread the container. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will now be further explained and illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a top view of the inner surface of the one-piece container in an opened position; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the one-piece container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an underneath view of the outer surface of the one-piece container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the one-piece container in a closed position; 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of the one-piece container of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of the one-piece container of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a rear view of the one-piece container of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 8  is an underneath view of the one-piece container of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the one-piece container in a closed position; 
         FIG. 10  is an alternate perspective view of the one-piece container of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the one-piece container in an opened position; 
         FIG. 12  is an alternate perspective view of the one-piece container of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a cross section of the one-piece container of  FIG. 6 , and 
         FIG. 14  is an enlarged view of the top left corner of  FIG. 13 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention provides a one-piece container  1  comprising an outer surface  2  and an inner surface  3  being manufactured in one process by injection moulding using a plastic material such as polypropylene or any other suitable material which is flexible and durable having a lid section  4 , a base section  5  and two side edges  6  aligned and connected between the lid edge  20  and the base edge  11  such that they taper off through the mid-point line  7  creating a narrowed mid-section  8  of the one-piece container  1 , the outer surface of the lid section is preferably flat, the outer surface  2  of the base section  5  has a raised ridge  9  fixed perpendicularly to this outer surface  2  with a plurality of openings  10  which is aligned and orientated around and within the periphery of the base edge  11 , and the inner surface  3  of the base section  5  has a base receptacle portion  12  fixed perpendicularly to this inner surface  3  with an outside surface positioned around and within the periphery of the base edge  11  to provide the user enough surface  27  area to grip with their fingers to assist them in opening and closing the container  1 , with a concavity  13  aligned and orientated around the outer surface  14  of this base receptacle portion  12  near to the opening  15 , and the inner surface  3  of the lid section  4  has a lid portion  16  fixed perpendicularly with a ridge  17  on the inside surface  18  of the lid portion  16  near to the opening  19  that removably interlocks with the concavity  13  of the base receptacle portion  12 . 
     Preferably the base of the lid portion  16  is perpendicularly fixed and centrally positioned to the inner surface  3  of the lid section  4  and of a thickness that provides flexibility when sliding over the outer surface  14  of the base receptacle portion  12  when closing the container  1 . Preferably the peripheral surface  28  of the lid section  4  between the lid edge  20  and the lid portion  16  is preferably large enough for a user to grip with their fingers to assist them in opening and closing the container  1 . Preferably on the inside surface  18  of the lid portion  16  near the opening  19  is a continuous perpendicularly fixed ridge  17  aligned parallel and near to the top edge  21  of the opening  19 . The external surface shape of the ridge  17  is preferably the same as the internal surface shape of the opposing inter-fitting concavity  13  so that they can removably interlock with each other to affect an airtight seal when the container  1  is closed. The inside bottom  22  area of the lid portion  16  preferably has a continuous perpendicularly fixed ridge  23  with a height less than the distance between the inside bottom  22  area and the apex of the fixed ridge  17  which is positioned adjacent and orientated parallel to the inside surface  18  of the lid portion  16  providing a channel section  24  to removably engage with the top edge  25  of the base receptacle portion  12  when the container  1  is closed to affect an airtight seal. Preferably the inside surface  18  of the lid portion  16  is a neat fit to the outer surface  14  near the opening  15  of the base receptacle portion  12  to enable the top edges  21  and  25  to flex in opposite directions away from each other when sliding passed each other over the ridge  17  to enable the ridge  17  to removably interlock with the opposing inter-fitting concavity  13  when the container  1  is being closed by the user to affect an airtight seal. 
     Preferably the outer surface  2  of the base section  5  has a continuous perpendicularly fixed raised ridge  9  with a plurality of openings  10  that is aligned and orientated around and within the peripheral base edge  11  to enable aeration between the underside of the base section  5  and the surface that it may rest on to reduce the transfer of unwanted temperature variations, and the inner surface  3  of the base section  5  preferably has perpendicularly fixed and centered a base receptacle portion  12  positioned around and within the peripheral base edge  11 . Preferably the peripheral surface  27  of the base section  5  between the base edge  11  and the base receptacle portion  12  is provided large enough for a user to grip with their fingers to assist them in opening and closing the container  1 . Preferably on the outer surface  14  of the base receptacle portion  12  near the opening  15  is the concavity  13  continuously aligned parallel and adjacent to the top edge  25  which removably interlocks with the opposing inter-fitting ridge  17  when the container  1  is closed to affect an airtight seal. The external surface shape of the top edge  25  of the base receptacle portion  12  is preferably the same as the internal surface shape of the channel section  24  of the lid portion  16  to enable them to removably engage with each other to provide an airtight seal between the top edge  21  and the inner ridge  23  of the lid portion  16  when the container  1  is in a closed position. 
     Preferably the mid-section  8  is positioned between the lid section  4  and base section  5  of a length equidistant either side of the one-piece container  1  mid-point line  7  with two side edges  6  having the same profile shape relative to each other about the longitudinal centre line  26  that taper inwards towards this centre line  26  from the lid  4  and base sections  5  at the same angle through the mid-section  8  towards the mid-point line  7  of the container  1  to enable both the lid  4  and base sections  5  to flex and pivot around the mid-point line  7 . The mid-section  8  is preferably provided a reduced thickness relative to the thickness of the both the lid  4  and base sections  5  to enable this mid-section  8  to repeatedly flex symmetrically around the mid-point line  7  to enable the container  1  to be held flat for printing on and when the user moves either the lid section  4  or base section  5  away or towards the other section other along the longitudinal centre line  26  to open or close the one-piece container  1 . Preferably the thickness of mid-section  8  gradually increases outwardly from the mid-point line  7  to the thickness of both the lid  4  and base  5  sections. Preferably the mid-section  8  when the lid section  4  is removably interlocked with the base section  5  in a closed position flexes into a semi-circular arch of a diameter determined by the combined height of the base receptacle portion  12  and the lid portion  16  which enables repeated spring like flexure that assists the user to open the container  1  and position the lid section  4  away from the opening  15  for the user to easily access the container&#39;s  1  contents. Further, the semi-circular arch formed by the mid-section  8  when the container  1  is closed enables the user to hang or thread the container  1 . Advantageously, the mid-section  8  reduces lateral movement of the lid section  4  relative to the base section  5  which enables the user to removably engage these sections easily and correctly. 
     It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Additional advantages of the present invention will become apparent for those skilled in the art after considering the principles in particular form as discussed and illustrated. Thus, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described or illustrated, but is intended to cover all alterations or modifications which are within the scope of claims.