Abstract:
A container for breath mints and the like includes a tray and lid. The lid may be retracted to define a dispensing slot of limited width for controlled dispensing. An internal shelf may be provided to facilitate dispensing. The lid and tray are configured to resist inelastic deformation during normal use.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention pertains to containers for small sized contents such as breath mints and in particular to such containers having sliding lids.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     A category of small packaging arrangements commonly referred to as sliding cover containers has been undergoing continued improvements. Containers of this type are typically carried about the person and may be used for small items such as mint confections. Such containers are preferably made from formed sheet metal and include a tray and a cover slidably engaged with one another.  
         [0005]     Due to the relatively small size of the containers and the preferred relatively thin gage sheet metal material of which they are formed, the containers are susceptible to deformation in response to manual pressure applied by a user during opening and closing operations. It is been found that the cover, in particular is susceptible to such deformation. Should the cover become deformed, during use or otherwise, increased force may be necessary to open and close the container, requiring the user to apply even greater force, thus aggravating the problem.  
         [0006]     Another problem with containers of this type is that the contents may be difficult to dispense in a controlled manner.  
         [0007]     U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/699,942, filed Nov. 3, 2003, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses a sliding cover container for film strips that has proven to be commercially successful. There remains a need for further innovation with respect to sliding cover containers, and particularly with respect to sliding cover containers for small mints, candies and the like, in the form of tablets and the like.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The invention provides a sliding cover container for food products such as small breath mints or other confectionary items which facilitates dispensing of the contents in a controlled manner. The container may have structural features which offer a user improved gripping of the container, especially during opening and closing operations. The cover is preferably strengthened to resist deformation by applied force, especially manual pressure exerted by user during a closing and opening operation.  
         [0009]     The package assembly preferably includes a tray defining a product-receiving cavity for holding a plurality of food items, and a cover slidably mounted to the tray so as to be movable between a fully closed position and a partially open position for dispensing the food items. The tray has a pair of opposed ends and may define a shelf adjacent one end cooperating with the cover to position a small number of food items so that with minimal opening of the cover, the small number of food items may be dispensed from the package assembly.  
         [0010]     The cover preferably includes at least one stop member engageable with the tray to limit the opening of the cover and prevent the cover from becoming accidentally disengaged from the tray. The tray may include an inclined ramp communicating with the shelf and assisting in directing the food items to the shelf.  
         [0011]     The cover may include a depression which protrudes into the interior cavity of the package assembly. The protrusion may cooperate with the ramp and shelf to facilitate dispensing. The shelf may include a depression sized to retain a predetermined number of food items. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a container assembly according to principles of the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a side elevation thereof;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view thereof;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the tray portion thereof;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the tray filled with food product;  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the container assembly;  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a cross-section view taken along the line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 8  is an end view of the container assembly;  
         [0020]      FIG. 9  is another end view thereof;  
         [0021]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of another container assembly according to principles of the present invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 11  is a top plan view thereof;  
         [0023]      FIG. 12  is an end view thereof;  
         [0024]      FIG. 13  is an opposite end view thereof;  
         [0025]      FIG. 14  is a side elevational view thereof;  
         [0026]      FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line  15 - 15  of  FIG. 11 ;  
         [0027]      FIG. 16  is a perspective view showing the container assembly in an open position;  
         [0028]      FIG. 17  is a bottom perspective view of the container assembly; and  
         [0029]      FIG. 18  is a cross sectional view taken along the line  18 - 18  of  FIG. 17 .  
         [0030]      FIG. 19  is a perspective view of an additional embodiment.  
         [0031]      FIG. 20  is an end view of another additional embodiment. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0032]     Referring now to the drawings and initially to  FIGS. 1-9 , a container assembly is generally indicated at  10 . Container assembly  10  is generally of the type referred to as a sliding cover container, and may be used with food products such as mint tablets  12  shown in  FIG. 5 . Container assembly  10  generally includes a tray  14  and a cover  16  slidably mounted to the tray for movement between an open position, shown for example in  FIG. 1 , and a closed position, shown for example in  FIG. 2 . The tray and cover can be made of any suitable material but are preferably made out of 80-85 lb. tin coated steel.  
         [0033]     Tray  14  has a continuous rolled edge  18  at its upper end. Cover  16  has a rolled edge  20  which cooperates with rolled edge  18  to retain the cover on the tray. If desired, the cover can be slid along the entire length of the tray, resulting in disengagement of the cover from the tray. This full extent of travel may be prevented or inhibited to avoid unintentional disengagement of the cover and tray members. Travel of the cover with respect to the tray is preferably limited in the manner indicated in  FIG. 1  which shows the cover open (in the direction of arrow  22 ) in a dispense position. The direction of opening is indicated by arrowhead marker  24  which may preferably raised or embossed to facilitate application of opening or closing force to the lid.  
         [0034]     A depression  26  is formed in the cover to assist the user in engaging the cover for opening and closing. In the embodiments shown herein, package assembly  10  is small enough to easily fit into the hand, having a length of about 74 mm, a width of about 40 mm and a height of approximately 14 mm. The depression  26  is accordingly sized to receive pressure from a user&#39;s thumb.  
         [0035]     As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , tray  14  includes a bottom wall  28 , sidewalls  30  and an end wall  32 . At the opposite end, tray  14  includes a ramp  34  extending from bottom wall  28  to an intermediate wall  36  spaced below the upper rolled edge  18 . A dispensing shelf  40  is recessed within intermediate wall  36 . Tablets  12  on shelf  40  are constrained by a pair of opposed sides  42  formed in intermediate wall  36  and a rear wall  44  terminated at its upper end by rolled edge  18 . As indicated in  FIG. 5 , shelf  40  is dimensioned to receive two tablets. If desired, shelf  40  could be dimensioned to receive a different number of food items as desired.  
         [0036]     Cover  16  has a dome shape with a concave surface facing toward the interior  48  of the container. A pair of laterally opposed stops  50  is formed in cover  16  and protrudes toward tray  14 . Stops  50  are located immediately adjacent the tray sidewalls  30  and the upper rim portions  18  thereof. Upon opening, the stops  50  engage the upper edge of end wall  32  to provide stopping resistance against further opening of the cover. This allows a user to readily achieve the dispensing position indicated in  FIG. 1 , exposing the food items loaded onto shelf  40 . By merely inverting the container assembly  10 , the food items loaded onto shelf  40  are readily dispensed.  
         [0037]     A locking member  52  is formed at one end of cover  16 , adjacent stops  50 . Locking member  52  engages the upper edge of end wall  32 . As mentioned, the upper edge or rim of tray  14  forms a rolled rim, and locking member  52  readily cams over the rim surface. Preferably, locking member  52  is formed as a small indentation in cover  16 . Stop members  50  are also conveniently formed in the same manner, although stop members  50  may extend a greater distance into the container interior to provide a stopping action rather than a snap action locking.  
         [0038]     With reference to  FIGS. 1, 5  and  7 , food items contained in the interior cavity of tray  14  are enclosed by the domed cover  16 , and are free to move about the interior of the closed container assembly. By tilting the container assembly in the direction of dispensing shelf  40 , food items such as confectionary tablets are free to move toward shelf  40 , so as to be loaded thereon in preparation for a dispensing action as described above with reference to  FIG. 1 . The ramp  34  assists in guiding the food items onto shelf  40  and preferably shelf  40  is smoothly blended with ramp  34  to assist in the loading operation.  
         [0039]     The portions of intermediate wall  36  on each side of shelf  40  are recessed only a slight amount below rolled edge  18 , so as to prevent food items from fitting between these portions of intermediate shelf  36  and cover  16  when the cover is closed. Accordingly, ramp  34 , intermediate shelf  36  and the upstanding walls terminating in rolled edge  18  cooperate to guide food items onto shelf  40  when the container is tilted toward shelf  40 .  
         [0040]     Cover  16  includes an inwardly extending depression  26 , provided to assist the user in opening the cover to the dispensing position shown in  FIG. 1 . Depression  26  may be dimensioned to extend in close proximity to shelf  40 , to aid in maintaining the position of food items  12 , once they are loaded onto shelf  40 , and/or to aid in guiding the food items onto shelf  40 .  
         [0041]     The underside of tray  14  at the dispensing end of the container assembly includes the underside of shelf  40 , which preferably, has a generally rectangular shape, and the underside of ramp  34 . These surfaces cooperate with depression  26  to facilitate handling of the container assembly, particularly closing and opening the assembly. By grasping one end of the container assembly, a user can quickly and easily open and close the container.  
         [0042]     Referring now to  FIGS. 10-18 , a second container assembly is generally indicated at  60 . The container assembly  60  also comprises a sliding cover container and preferably has the same general dimensions and is made of the same material as container assembly  10 , described above. The container assembly  60  is comprised of a tray  62  and a cover  64 . The tray and cover have rolled edges  66 ,  68  as can be seen for example in  FIG. 13 . As can be seen in the figures, tray  62  has upstanding sidewalls  70  and end walls  72  which have a generally rectangular configuration. The tray  62  has a generally flat bottom wall  74 . The cover  64  has a domed shape similar to that of the preceding embodiment. A depression  76  is formed in one end of cover  64 .  
         [0043]     With reference to  FIGS. 16 and 17 , an indentation  80  is formed in bottom wall  74  and extends upwardly into the interior of the enclosed container. As can be seen for example in  FIG. 17 , indentation  80  has a generally oval shape with straight sides and semicircular or otherwise rounded ends. The indentation  80  also provides a raised shelf in the interior of the container that may facilitate dispending. The indentation  80  presents a substantial concave surface feature on the exterior of the tray. This concave feature provides a convenient gripping surface which cooperates with depression  76  to aid a user in opening and closing the container assembly. The indentation  80  also provides a raised shelf in the interior of the container that may facilitate dispensing.  FIG. 18  shows another embodiment having an indentation  180  of a reduced dimension.  
         [0044]     Referring to  FIG. 11 , a pair of stops  84  and a lock  86  are formed in cover  64 . Preferably, the stops  84  and lock  86  are formed as nibs or depressions extending toward the container interior. As with the preceding embodiment, lock  86  cams over the upper edge of the tray end wall to provide a snap action locking feature. As with the preceding embodiment, stops  84  are located adjacent to the rolled upper edge of tray  62  and engage the tray end wall to provide a convenient tactile indication of the desired opening position for dispensing, similar to that described above with reference to  FIG. 1 . The stop members control opening to facilitate controlled dispensing of the product, and a locking nib provides a secure fit with a snap action when the cover is closed. In all embodiments described herein, the stops may be positioned to define a dispensing position for the lid wherein a dispensing slot is formed between an edge of the lid and the adjacent end wall of the tray. The width of the dispensing slot is preferably slightly greater than a horizontal dimension of one of the food items being dispensed, and is preferably less than twice that dimension, in order to facilitate controlled dispensing.  
         [0045]     Each of the illustrated mints is generally square as viewed in plan, with rounded corners and a vertical dimension of about half its length and width. The tray is preferably dimensioned to hold 3 to 5 mints side-by-side.  
         [0046]     In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 5 and 7 , the mints are disposed in an array 4 across and 3 deep. The mints and container may, of course be sized differently in other embodiments. However, the dispensing slot preferably has a dimension greater than the length or width of each tablet, but less than 150% of that dimension to permit a single row of horizontally oriented mints to pass through the slot, while preventing additional mints from passing through at the same time.  
         [0047]     Consumers tend to apply a significant amount of pressure on the container cover to assist with opening and closing. In certain instances, this pressure can cause the cover to bend, sometimes resulting in an inelastic deformation that impairs further operation. To address this problem, embossed or debossed shapes can be incorporated into the lid to increase its stiffness. For example, depressions have been added to the cover as pointed out above, and chevron-type bars or strips can be added to the cover adjacent to locations were a user applies manual pressure to open and close the container assembly. In addition, an arrowhead marker is provided as raised embossing and can be sized and shaped as desired to further strengthen the cover. Both the cover and the bottom of the tray may have shapes departing from flat planar configurations. In particular, dome configurations may be employed. As shown in  FIG. 10 , the cover may have a dome portion  67  with end walls  65  that are nearly vertical, e.g., within 10° of vertical, or at least within 45° of vertical. The curvature of the dome portion preferably accounts for at least one third of the lid height.  
         [0048]     Before the steel is formed into a functional package, i.e. tray and cover, large blanks or flat sheets of metal may be printed using conventional techniques such as offset lithography printing. The printed blank may then be slit into a narrow strip containing several impressions. The metal strip may then be drawn or stamped into the desired shape with conventional cooperating die sets, in a shallow draw process, using conventional techniques. After drawing, raw edges may be curled or hemmed to enhance the strength of the cover and tray and to eliminate rough edges. Curling also adds to the shape retention of the cover and tray providing enhanced ease of operation on sliding the cover open and closed.  
         [0049]     Referring now to  FIG. 19 , there is shown a tray is substantially identical to tray  14  shown in  FIGS. 3-5  except that the central depression in intermediate wall  36  has been omitted.  
         [0050]      FIG. 20  shows an end view of a container assembly generally resembling container assembly  10 , wherein the bottom wall  15  of the tray  14  has increased curvature. This enhances the strength of the bottom wall, increasing its ability to resist deformation under applied manual pressure. Also, the concave shape increases the interior volume of the container assembly.  
         [0051]     A curved bottom wall of this type may be employed in any of the embodiments discussed above.