Patent Publication Number: US-8540113-B2

Title: Pop and slide container

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/US2010/059474, filed Dec. 8, 2010, which International Application was published by the International Bureau in English on Jun. 16, 2011, and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/267,493, filed Dec. 8, 2009, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and for all purposes. 
    
    
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Disclosed is a container comprising a lid and a base. The lid has a top surface and a side wall all about the perimeter of the top surface. The side wall may terminate in a rolled edge. The base has a bottom surface and a side wall all about the perimeter of the bottom surface. The side wall may further include a plurality of tapered sections, a plurality of retention bumps that protrude out from the side wall, and a plurality of pivot bumps that protrude out from the side wall. The lid is adapted to fit over the base such that the rolled edge abuts underneath the retention bumps and pivot bumps securing the lid in place when the container is closed. The rolled edge of the lid pivots about and slides along the pivot bumps when the container is in an open position to create an opening for accessing contents of the container. The base can further include a finger indent at one end such that a user can apply pressure simultaneously on the base and the lid at the same end of the container to cause the lid to release from the retention bumps positioned substantially at the other end of the container. The pivot bumps protrude out from the side wall of the base further than the retention bumps so as to let the rolled edge of the lid release from the retention bumps but not the pivot bumps. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a pop and slide container comprised of a lid and a base according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the lid according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the base according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective cross-sectional view of the lid according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the base according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective cross-sectional view of the container according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of the container in the closed position with hidden lines according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of the container in the initial open position with hidden lines according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of the container in an advanced open position with hidden lines according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the container in an advanced open position with hidden lines according to an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Embodiments of the invention describe a container comprised of a base and a lid that is adapted to be held and manipulated by one hand. The container is opened and closed using a pop and slide motion with respect to the lid to expose the contents of the base. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a pop and slide container in a closed position comprised of a lid  10  and a base  20  according to an embodiment of the invention. The lid  10  and base  20  each comprise a relatively flat surface and side wall  11 ,  21  that extends the entire perimeter of the surface area giving each component a depth dimension. The base  20  further includes a finger indent  22  area at one end that is adapted to receive a user finger during the opening process. In its closed position, the lid fits atop the base and is held in place through a mechanical coupling of elements of the lid  10  and base  20 . These elements are not visible in this figure but will be described further with reference to later figures. 
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the lid  10  according to an embodiment of the invention. The surface area referenced earlier comprises the top of lid  10 , whereas the side wall  11  about the perimeter of the surface area can be considered the side wall(s) of the container. 
       FIG. 3  is a side view of the base  20  according to an embodiment of the invention. The side wall  21  extends upward and away from the base  20  surface area in a substantially perpendicular direction. Also shown are a pair of bumps that protrude outward from the side wall  21 . The first bump is referred to as a pivot bump  24  and the second bump is referred to as a retention bump  26 . Identical bumps  24 ,  26  are also present on the side of the base not seen in this figure. The pivot bump  24  and retention bump  26  cooperate with a rolled edge on the side wall  11  of the lid  10  to create a means by which the container can be opened with one hand. Also of note are the tapered sections  28  of the top line of the side wall  21 . As will be described in more detail later, the taper closest to the pivot bump  24  is functionally important to the opening and closing of the container. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective cross-sectional view of the lid  10  according to an embodiment of the invention. This view illustrates how the side wall  11  terminates in a rolled edge  12 . The rolled edge  12  creates a lip that can be coupled with the pivot bump  24  and the retention bump  26  of base  20 . It is to be understood that the lip could be created using an edge other than the rolled edge. Different materials (plastic, paperboard etc . . . ) may be capable of creating this lip using a different edge structure. It is to be understood that manufacturing preferences may adjust the structure depending upon the material used in the lid and or base. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the base  20  according to an embodiment of the invention. All of the elements and features previously described for base  20  are present. The side wall  21  circumnavigates the perimeter of the surface area of base  20 . The tapered sections  28  define high and low points about the side wall  21 . The pivot bump  24  and retention bump  26  are also visible. This view further shows that the pivot bump  24  protrudes slightly further out from the side wall  21  than the retention bump  26 . As will be described in more detail later, this allows the lip formed by the rolled edge  12  of the lid  10  to release from the retention bump  26  but stay in cooperative contact with the pivot bump  24 . 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective cross-sectional view of the container according to an embodiment of the invention. This illustration shows the container in its closed position. The lid  10  fits atop the base  20  such that the lip formed by rolled edge  12  of the lid  10  fits over and is in contact with the pivot bump  24  and retention bump  26  that protrude from side wall  21 . 
       FIG. 7  is a side view of the container in the closed position with hidden lines according to an embodiment of the invention. This figure provides a good illustration of the lip formed by the rolled edge  12  in cooperative contact with the pivot bump  24  and the retention bump  26 . This cooperative contact on both sides of the container secure the lid  10  to the base  20 . 
       FIG. 8  is a side view of the container in the initial open position with hidden lines according to an embodiment of the invention. This figure illustrates the position of the container immediately following the “pop” motion that a user applies to open the container. The user pinches the end of the container having the finger indent  22 . The pinching action causes the rolled edge  12  at the far end of the lid to break free of the retention bump  26  while the lip of the rolled edge  12  remains in contact with the pivot bump  24 . The circular geometry of pivot bump  24  allows the lip of the rolled edge to pivot about pivot bump  24 . 
       FIG. 9  is a side view of the container in an advanced open position with hidden lines according to an embodiment of the invention. In this illustration, the lid  10  has been moved back in a sliding motion to provide more access to the base  20 . The tapered section  28  provides a degree of clearance for the lid  10  to pivot. The steeper the slope of the tapered section  28 , the further the lid  10  can be moved relative to the base  20  to expose more of the open base  20 . The lip of the rolled edge  12  remains in contact with the pivot bump  24 . The lid  10  can continue to move away from the base  20  until the lip of the rolled edge  12  encounters too much resistance from the base  20  such that further movement will cause the lid to break free of the pivot bump  24 . 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the container in an advanced open position with hidden lines according to an embodiment of the invention. This figure is essentially a perspective view of  FIG. 9  and further shows the cooperative relationship between the rolled edge  12  and the pivot bumps  24 . 
     In operation, a user will grasp the container in one hand such that a finger or thumb is positioned within finger indent  22 . Using a pinching motion, the user presses against the finger indent  22  of base  20  and the top of lid  10 . This causes the opposite end of lid  10  to “pop” up after a sufficient force has released the rolled edge  12  from the retention bump  26 . The user can then pull the lid  10  back in a sliding motion to partially reveal the base  20 . The lip formed by the rolled edge  12  of lid  10  remains in cooperative contact with pivot bump  24  of base  20 . The tapered sections  28  of side wall  21  of base  20  allow the lid room to slide and expose a portion of the base  20  such that the user can access the contents of the base  20 . 
     To close the container, the user slides the lid  10  back atop base  20  and presses downward sufficiently to cause the rolled edge to snap over and become secured against retention bump  26  of base  20 . 
     It is to be understood that a variety of materials may be used to make this package, including but not limited to various types of metal, tin, plastic, and paperboard. The lip on the top may be a rolled edge, a divot, an undercut, a ledge or any other structure that would provide a means of retainment. 
     It is believed that the present invention includes many other embodiments that may not be herein described in detail, but would nonetheless be appreciated by those skilled in the art from the disclosures made. Accordingly, this disclosure should not be read as being limited only to the foregoing examples or only to the designated embodiments. 
     Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.