Patent Publication Number: US-10773866-B1

Title: Pail with transparent tamper indicator lid

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/256,907 filed Nov. 18, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a container having a locking lid, and more particularly to a lid having a top with a first locking mechanism portion connected to a rim of the lid and a second locking mechanism portion connected to a top operably coupled to the rim (hingedly or otherwise), along with a transparent window and/or tamper indicator located internal to the top and above a bottommost position of the rim. 
     DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
     The applicant and other companies have developed a number of locking lid pail constructions. Some of these locking lids include triggers or operators which release locking lids from a locked configuration. Mechanisms have been operably coupled to the pail such as provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,513,384 incorporated in its entirety herein by reference. Others such as is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,776,302 and 5,147,060 have a locking mechanism operably coupled to the lid which engages one or more stops on the container. Some of the prior art lid with locking mechanisms have a locking lid mechanism which engages inwardly directed teeth from a container. At least U.S. Pat. No. 6,776,302 has outwardly directed teeth on the container. However, even with these improvements over other prior art constructions, there exists a need to be able to provide a more effective design for at least some particular uses. 
     Additionally, when providing tamper indicators others have added tamper indicators made from the same material as a container lid when injection molding the lid. For pails opaque polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a common material for containers and lids. 
     However, having a window and/or transparent tamper indicator allowing potential consumers to view product in a container before purchase (or other people, possibly at other times), may be desirable for at least some applications. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is the present object of the present invention to provide an improved container having a locking lid with at least one of a transparent tamper indicator or window for viewing contents in the container. 
     It is another object of at least some embodiments to provide an improved container with a lid with a first locking mechanism portion which engages a second locking mechanism portion while at least initially providing a transparent window for viewing contents in the container when the lid is in an installed and open configuration. 
     It is another object of at least some embodiments of the present invention to provide an improved container with locking lid which can open to reveal a transparent tamper indicator for viewing contents in the container. 
     Accordingly, in accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention, a container assembly can be provided comprising a lid and an open ended container. A first locking mechanism is provided operably connected to a rim (of the lid, although other embodiments could provide the first locking mechanism on the container) which cooperates with at least one second locking member connected to a top of the lid. The top is preferably hingedly connected to the rim for at least some embodiments. The locking mechanism can be used to assist in retaining the lid in a shut configuration relative to the rim and container in a locked configuration, and by de-activating the locking mechanism allows the subsequent opening of the top relative to the container to an open configuration. By moving the first locking member to a disengaged configuration, the second locking member may be disengaged from the first locking member in some embodiments. The top of the lid may then be pivoted about a hinged connection relative to the rim, for at least some embodiments, to open the lid relative to the container to expose at least a transparent window for viewing contents in the container. 
     Internal to the rim and/or below the top for at least some embodiments, or at least portions of the rim, is a transparent window which may also be a tamper indicator. The tamper indicator may, or may not, be constructed with mold labeling techniques to attach the lid, such as internal to the rim with perforations possibly provided for assisting in removal. Other tamper indicators could be provided in other ways with other embodiments while still providing a transparent window below the top when opened. 
     This construction has been found to allow a customer to view contents of the container such as at point of purchase while still providing a tamper indicator and/or barrier for use in preventing theft. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The particular features and advantages of the invention as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a rectangular pail embodying a design of a presently preferred embodiment in a closed configuration; 
         FIG. 2  is a top perspective view in an open configuration thereof; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view thereof in an open configuration; 
         FIG. 4  is a top perspective detailed view of the handle and tear strip in operation to remove the tear out portion of the tamper indicator; 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom view of detail A of a portion of the lid  14  shown in  FIGS. 1-3 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view of detail A shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The figures show a container assembly  10  having a container  12  connectable to a lid  14 . The lid  14  is preferably constructed to have a rim  16  which has a downwardly depending portion such as by providing an outer wall  17  defining a groove at  18  with an interior wall  20 . The groove  18  preferably receives a bead  22  or upper lip of the container  12  and secures the lid  14  to the container  12 . 
     It is preferred that many manufacturers will press the lid  14  onto the container  12  after filling the container  12  with product. After press fitting the lid  14  on the container  12 , the product is then ready for delivery to customers with a transparent window illustrated as a tamper indicator  24  permitting customers a notice of whether or not the product has been the subject of tampering and/or while also allowing customers to view inside the container  12  before buying the product. More about the tampering indicator  24  will be discussed below. The top  26  of lid  14  is shown in an open configuration relative to rim  16  as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , but it may be a closed configuration (as well as locked configuration) as shown in other figures, such as  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  and others also show an installed condition of lid  14  relative to container  12 . 
     With the top  26  of lid  14  in the open configuration as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the top  26  is preferably hingedly connection at hinge  28  to rim  16  such as at ledge  30 . Hinge  28  is preferably an integral hinge although in other embodiments it could be provided with separate components such as a rod which cooperates with bores in the top  26  and/or as connected to the ledge  30 . In the illustrated instructions, the top  26  may rotate or pivots about the hinge  28  between the open and closed configurations. Other embodiments may have a round top  26  connected to a rim  16  (such as a round rim) and still provide the window and/or tamper indicator  24  as shown and described herein. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the tamper indicator  24  has been in-molded onto an interior wall  20  of the lid  14 , such as rim  16 , such as with similar techniques as in-mold labeling is applied or otherwise. The tamper indicator  24  can be a transparent (or opaque for other embodiments) plastic molded piece that may have perforations  34  which preferably extend interiorly from inner wall  20 . The containers  12  are normally pails (opaque in nature) and so are the tops  26  and rims  16 . These products are normally a PVC material (although other plastics are certainly usable for some embodiments). 
     With perforations  35 , if provided, the transparent tamper indicator  24  can be relatively easily removed to allow the user to access the contents  35  of the container  12  preferably after purchasing a filled container assembly  10  at a retail store or other establishment. 
     The interior wall  20  is preferably parallel to the rim  16  and the ledge  30  is preferably perpendicular to both interior wall  20  and rim  16 . Other embodiments may have different constructions. 
     At a front  44  of the lid  14  is preferably located a first locking mechanism  46  which may cooperate with a portion of the second locking member portion  48  connected to the top  26 . In one embodiment, the first locking member portion  48  provides an extension  50  (preferably shaped to cooperate with a slot  56  in the wall  58  forming the second locking portion so when in a disengaged configuration a user pulls up on lift handle  60 , the top  26  can be opened relative to the rim  16 . Pushing the extension  50  into the container  12  releases it from slot  56  to provide the disengaged configuration. Other first and second locking mechanisms  46 , 48  can be used with other embodiments. 
     Removing the tamper indicator  24 , if not already removed, allows access to the interior contents stored in the container  12 . With the top  26  opened relative to the rim  16 , one can shut the top  16  such as by pivoting it shut as would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to a closed and preferably locked configuration. The wall  58  of the top  26  could then contact upper slope surface  51  of the extension  50  to facilitate in moving the first locking member  46  out of the way until the top  26  is shut. Then the extension  50  can provide a lock with a slot  48  as would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Of course, other locking mechanisms may be utilized with other embodiments. When placing in a shut configurations, all embodiments are automatedly be placed in a locked configuration. 
     As can be seen from  FIG. 2 , the contents  35  may be visible through the tamper indicator  24  or other window. Tamper indicator  24  is useful to provide a window such as a (i.e., seal) to a transparent film which could be in-molded against the interior wall  20 . This process may provide a seal  32  which is a connection of the tamper indicator  24  to the interior wall  20 . While the interior wall  20  is shown as an upper facing surface, it also could be on a bottom facing (or other oriented) surface of the rim  16 . Furthermore, it is anticipated that the interior wall  20  may extend relatively perpendicular to sides  44  of the container  12  for at least some embodiments. The perpendicular wall  20  is helpful to seal the tamper indicator  24  thereto for at least some embodiments. Tamper indicator  24  is preferably disposed internal to at least a portion of the rim  16  as described above. Furthermore, as it relates to elevation, it may be disposed below a top  13  of the container  16  such as would be understood with reference to  FIGS. 3  and  6 . Other embodiments may have tamper indicator  24  disposed above a top  13  of the container  12 . 
     In a presently preferred embodiment, the tamper indicator  24  is transparent and made of material not too unlike many labels are provided on the sides of pails with in-molding techniques, such as transparent PVC or other appropriate transparent and/or plastic material. To the applicant&#39;s knowledge, no one has ever attempted to in-mold a tamper indicator for use with a lid  14  of a pail and furthermore, no one has known to have attempted to provide a transparent window internal to a pail container construction. Accordingly, with the top  26  in the shut and locked configuration as shown in  FIG. 1 , the tamper indicator  24  can be located completely below the top  26  for at least some embodiments while also, for many embodiments, be located above and/or at the top  13  of the container  12 . 
     With the tamper indicator  24  provided in this manner, the tamper indicator  24  can be provided to a manufacturer already connected to the lid  14  (separated from the container  12 ) so the container may be filled by the manufacturer with a particular product  35  such as pool chemicals or other materials and then the lid  14  pressed on as described above or otherwise attached. Once the container assembly  10  is at a retail establishment, a customer can potentially unlock and open the top relative to the rim to view through the window and/or tamper indicator  24  to view the contents before making a purchase or at other times. 
     Of course, in order to access the material within the container, the user may preferably at least break if not remove the tamper indicator  24  to allow access therein. Perforations  34  certainly can facilitate such an effort. 
     Other container embodiments may connect top  26  relative to rim  16  in other manners and the technology described herein could work with other styles of container assemblies  10 . 
     Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to the preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.