Patent Publication Number: US-7213711-B2

Title: On structure of a container

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a container, more particularly one, which includes a transparent plastic containing part, and a metallic outer layer securely fitted on a portion of the plastic containing part such that people can see the contents thereof through a portion of the enclosing wall of the containing body that isn&#39;t covered with the outer layer. 
   2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
   Transparent plastic containers are available, which allows people to see the contents without opening the lids while there are no transparent metallic containers available. However, plastic containers usually are cheaper than and don&#39;t look as high class as metallic ones. Therefore, some manufactures have developed various new containers that are comprised of metallic parts and plastic ones. 
   Referring to  FIG. 10 , a prior container includes a metallic outer part  61 , and an inner part  62 ; the outer part  61  is formed with several ornamental holes  611  on the wall portion. The inner part  62  is made of transparent plastics, and it is closely fitted in and stuck to the outer part  61 ; thus, people can see the contents of the container through the holes  611  of the metallic outer part  61 . Because plastics and metals have different coefficients of expansion, the adhesion between the inner and the outer parts  62 ,  61  is prone to reduce owing to change of temperature. Consequently, the inner and the outer parts  62 ,  61  are no longer firmly joined. 
   An improvement on container was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,341,712B1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,841B1, which includes a metallic inner barrel part, and a plastic outer part, which inner part has several ornamental holes thereon, and which outer part is directly formed over the inner part, with some portions thereof projecting into the ornamental holes, by means of injection molding. Therefore, the advantages of plastic containers and metallic ones are combined. However, the inner and the outer parts of the container are prone to lose the firm connection between them, and in turns separate from each other, because they have different coefficients of expansion. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is a main object of the invention to provide an improvement on a container to overcome the above disadvantage. 
   The container of the present invention includes a transparent containing body, a metallic outer layer member, and an upper part. The containing body has a base, and a wall projecting from the base, which wall has a raised portion on a portion of an outer side, and a recess portion on the other portion of the outer side. The base has a trench thereon, which is next to the recess portion of the wall. The outer layer member is closely fitted over the recess portion, and inserted into the trench of the base at a lower end. The upper part has an opening, and a trench on a lower side thereof, and it is securely disposed on top of both the containing body and the outer layer member with an upper end of the outer layer member being inserted into the trench thereof. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of the first embodiment of a container according to the present invention, 
       FIG. 2  is a vertical section of the first embodiment, 
       FIG. 3  is a horizontal section of the first embodiment, 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the first embodiment in use, 
       FIG. 5  is a horizontal section of the second embodiment of a container in the present invention, 
       FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of the third embodiment, 
       FIG. 7  is a top view of the fourth embodiment, 
       FIG. 8  is a top view of the fifth embodiment, 
       FIG. 9  is a side view of the sixth embodiment, and 
       FIG. 10  is a vertical section of the conventional container. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , a first embodiment of a container includes a containing body  1 , an outer layer member  2 , and an upper part  3 . 
   The containing body  1  is transparent, and it has a base  11 , and a wall  12  projecting up from the base  11 . The wall  12  has a raised portion  13  on a portion of an outer side, and a recess portion on the other portion of the outer side. The base  11  is formed with a fitting trench  14  on an upper side, which is next to the recess portion of the wall  12 , and which is connected to two sides of the raised portion  13  of the wall  12  at two ends thereof. 
   The outer layer member  2  is made of metal, and formed with two folded vertical edge portions  21  and an opening  22  between the folded edge portions  21 , and it is bent such that it can closely fit over the recess portion of the wall  12  of the containing body  1 ; the width of the opening  22  is equal to that of the raised portion  13  of the wall  12 . 
   The upper part  3  has an opening  31 , and a fitting trench  32  on a lower side. 
   In assembly, the outer layer member  2  is closely fitted over the recess portion of the wall  12 , and inserted into the fitting trench  14  of the base  11  at a lower end, touching two sides of the raised portion  13  at the folded edge portions  21  thereof. And, the upper part  3  is disposed on top of the containing body  1  and the outer layer member  2  with the upper end of the outer layer member  2  being inserted into the fitting trench  32  thereof. Thus, people can see objects held in the container through the raised portion  13  of the wall  12  of the transparent containing body  1 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 5 , a second embodiment of the present invention includes a depressible ejecting member  34 , and upper part  3 , which is formed with a neck portion  33  instead, and screw threads  331  on the neck portion  33 . The depressible ejecting member  34  is screwed onto the neck portion  33  of the upper part  3 , and it is made in such a way as to be capable of ejecting contents of the container via an outlet  341  thereof when it is depressed. 
   Referring to  FIG. 6 , a third embodiment of the present invention includes two outer layer members  4  instead, and containing body  1  whose wall  12  is formed with two raised portions  13  as well as two recess portions on the outer side instead; the outer layer members  4  are respectively fitted onto the recess portions of the wall  12  with the edges thereof touching the edges of the raised portions  13 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 7 , a fourth embodiment of the present invention includes containing body  1 , and outer layer member  2 , which containing member  1  has fitting trenches  15  formed along raised portion  13  of wall  12  thereof, and which outer layer member  2  is inserted into the fitting trenches  15  of the raised portion  13  at vertical edge portions  21  thereof. 
   Referring to  FIG. 8 , a fifth embodiment of the present invention includes containing body  1 , and outer layer member  2 , which containing body  1  has fitting trenches  16  formed on recess portion and next to raised portion  13  of wall  12  instead, and which outer layer member  2  has folded edges  23  along edge portions  21  thereof. And, the outer layer member  2  is inserted into the fitting trenches  16  of the containing body  1  at the folded edges  23  thereof. 
   Referring to  FIG. 9 , a sixth embodiment of the present invention is equipped with a lid  5  for sealing an opening  31  of upper part  3  thereof. 
   From the above description, it can be understood that the present container has the following advantages over the conventional one: 
   1. The container is more pleasant-looking than the conventional one, and people can see contents of the container through the raised portion of the wall more clearly because the outer layer member is substantially co-planar with the wall of the containing body. 
   2. The outer layer member and the containing body are firmly joined together because the edges thereof are inserted into the fitting trenches formed on the containing body.