Abstract:
There is disclosed a container ( 10 ) including a receptacle ( 12 ) having an opening ( 18 ) and a lid ( 11 ) for closing the opening. The container further includes a link ( 13 ) which permanently attaches the lid to the receptacle. The link is configured to enable the lid to move between a position in which the lid seals the opening and a position in which the lid is underneath the receptacle and engaged with a ridge ( 19 ) extending about the periphery of the base ( 15 ) of the receptacle.

Description:
RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    Not applicable.  
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]    Not applicable.  
       REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX  
       [0003]    Not applicable. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    The following invention relates to a container having a permanently attached lid.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    It is known to store food in a plastics container including a receptacle and a snap-on lid. The lid seals to the receptacle to keep food therein fresh. A problem with such a container is that the lid is often lost rendering the container useless for the purpose of maintaining the freshness of food.  
           [0006]    Another known container has a hinged lid. However such a container is not practical for heating food in a microwave oven as the lid must be removed to allow the container to vent during the cooking process. An open lid of such a container might strike the roof walls or door of a microwave oven, preventing proper rotation of the container on a turntable of the oven during the cooking process.  
           [0007]    It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art and/or, more generally, to provide an improved container.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    According to the invention there is provided a container including:  
           [0009]    a receptacle defining a receptacle interior, the receptacle having a base with a surface facing into the interior and an opposite surface, and having an opening spaced from the base;  
           [0010]    a lid configured to seal the opening; and  
           [0011]    a link permanently attaching the lid to the receptacle and configured to enable the lid to move between a closure position in which the lid seals the opening and a support position in which the lid is engaged with the opposite surface of the base for supporting the receptacle.  
           [0012]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each of the receptacle and the lid has a projecting tab having a hole defined therein, the link passing through the holes.  
           [0013]    In a preferred embodiment, the link is in the form of a loop. Preferably, the loop is elliptical.  
           [0014]    In one preferred embodiment, the base defines a base ridge and the lid defines a ridge-engagement groove which is complementary with the base ridge, for receiving the base ridge when the lid is in the support position. In another preferred embodiment, the lid defines a lid ridge and the base defines a ridge-engagement groove which is complementary with the lid ridge, for receiving the lid ridge when the lid in the support position.  
           [0015]    In a preferred embodiment, the container is adapted to be supported on a container supporting surface and the base has at least one support-engaging face for engaging the supporting surface at first spaced positions when the lid is not in the support position; and the lid has at least one support-engaging face for engaging the supporting surface at second spaced positions when the lid is in the support position, and the second spaced positions are more widely spaced than the first spaced positions, thereby more stably to support the container when the lid is in the support position.  
           [0016]    In a preferred embodiment, the receptacle includes a ridge-like rim defining the opening, and the lid defines a sealing groove which is complementary with the rim for receiving the rim to seal the opening when the lid is in the closure position.  
           [0017]    A container according to embodiments of the invention can be used to store food or other articles with the advantage that the risk of the container&#39;s lid becoming lost is minimized. The lid can also be removed from the opening, placed under the receptacle, and engaged therewith. This yields the further advantage that the receptacle is stably supported on the lid, for example when the container is used in a microwave oven to heat food. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a container having a receptacle and a lid attached thereto;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional elevational view of the container of FIG. 1;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the container of FIG. 1 with its receptacle supported on, and engaged with, the lid; and  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 4 is a schematic partly cross-sectional elevational view, shown partly cut-away, of the container of FIGS.  1  to  3  showing the lid adjacent to, but parted from, the base of the receptacle. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0023]    In the accompanying drawings there is shown schematically a container  10  having a lid  11 , a receptacle  12  and a link  13  (shown in broken-chain lines in FIGS. 2, 3 and  4 ). The receptacle  12  has an interior  14 . The lid  11  and the receptacle  12  are fabricated from moulded plastics material. However, in other embodiment, the components could be made from metal or other suitable materials, depending on the intended application of the container. The receptacle  12  has a base  15  and walls  16  extending from the base and terminating in a ridge-like rim  17  which defines an opening  18 . In the embodiment shown, the opening  18  is generally rectangular, although in other embodiments it could be square, oval shaped, circular or of any other suitable shape.  
         [0024]    The base  15  of the receptacle  12  has a downwardly projecting ridge  19  extending about the periphery of the base.  
         [0025]    Projecting laterally from the receptacle  12  adjacent the rim  17  is a tab  20  having a hole  21  therethrough.  
         [0026]    The lid  11  includes, in its under-surface, a sealing groove  22  which is complementary with the rim  17  of the receptacle  12 , and configured to receive the rim as a snap-fit to seal the opening  18 .  
         [0027]    The lid  11  also includes, at its upper side, a ridge-engagement groove  23  which is complementary with the ridge  19  and which extends along a continuous path about the lid. The groove  23  is configured to receive the ridge  19  as a snap-fit, in the configuration shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0028]    The lid  11  also includes a tab  24  which has a hole  25  therethrough.  
         [0029]    The link  133 , which passes through the holes  21  and  25 , is made, in different embodiments, of moulded or extruded plastics material, rubber, fibrous material or any other suitable material capable of being formed as a link. In this regard, the word “link” is not limited to a closed loop of the type shown, but might, in other embodiments be a straight piece passing through both holes  21  and  25  and having enlarged ends preventing the link being removed through the holes. In the preferred embodiment, the link  13  is elliptical as shown. The link may be formed from a length of material attached end-to-end to form a loop, the ends being joined by heat bonding, glueing, inter-locking or by other means.  
         [0030]    In use, the receptacle  12  can hold food or other articles and the lid  11  can be snap-engaged with the receptacle to cover the opening  18  thus sealing the opening and the interior  14 . Thus the position of the lid  11  as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be considered as the lid&#39;s “closure” position. It will be noted that the tabs  20  and  24  are in close proximity to each other with the holes  21  and  25  aligning with each other when the lid  11  is in this position.  
         [0031]    The lid  11  can be removed from the opening  18  but not detached entirely from the receptacle  12  due to the presence of the link  13 . The longer axis of the ellipse of the link  13  is large enough to enable the lid  11  to be moved between the “closure” position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and a position as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 in which the lid is disposed under the receptacle  12 . This may be considered as the lid&#39;s “support” position. When the lid  11  is moved into the “support” position, the receptacle  12  can then be pressed onto the lid  11 , such that the ridge  19  snaps into engagement in the groove  23 .  
         [0032]    It will be appreciated that where the container  10  is in this configuration (i.e. with the lid  11  in its support position), the container can, for example, be placed on the turntable of a microwave oven. The lid  11 , by being disposed under the receptacle  12 , will support the receptacle (hence the term “support′ position”) and will provide minimal obstruction, if any, within the confined space of the oven, as the turntable rotates.  
         [0033]    It will also be appreciated that while the larger axis of the ellipse of the link  13  is large enough to permit the lid  11  to be moved between its “closure” and “support” positions, the smaller axis of the ellipse is sufficiently small for the link to be largely non-obstructive.  
         [0034]    To enable easy washing of the receptacle  12  and the lid  11 , the lid can be parted from the receptacle, while still being connected to the receptacle by the link  13 . Then, both the receptacle and the lid can be placed face-down in a dishwasher, or opened at an angle to each other, preferably substantially face-down in a dishwasher. The permanent connection of the lid  11  to the receptacle  12  by the link  13  is advantageous as it prevents the lid and receptacle being completely separated during the washing process. During manual washing and drying, the link  13  enables the receptacle  12  and the lid  11  to be placed substantially face-down, or at an angle to each other, on a dish rack without becoming detached from each other.  
         [0035]    The lid  11  includes faces  26  for engaging a support surface (such as a microwave oven turntable) on which the container  10  is supported, these faces being more widely spaced than corresponding faces  27  constituted by the lower extremities of the ridge  19 . Thus, when the lid  11  is its “support” position, it provides more stable support for the receptacle  12  than would be the case if the lid were not in its “support” position—that is, if the receptacle were directly supported on the support surface rather than on the lid. This feature makes the container  10  particularly suitable for uses such as in a microwave oven, where stable support of the container during rotation of the microwave oven&#39;s turntable is desirable.  
         [0036]    It should be appreciated that the invention, being defiried by the claims, is not limited to the embodiments described, but extends to modifications and alterations thereto as would be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, rather than having sealing groove  22  and ridge-engagement groove  23  at opposite faces of lid  11 , these grooves could both be at the same face thereof.