Patent ID: 7306110

Claim:
A container, comprising: a container body defining at least side walls and a bottom, and having frame elements at least partly forming a door opening with a hinge side, a latch side and a bottom side; a container closure including a door panel sized to fit the door opening, the door panel being hingedly attached relative to the frame elements at the hinge side and being movable to occupy the door opening; a compressible sealing gasket carried by at least one of the door panel and the frame elements, the gasket being compressed between the door panel and the frame elements up to the hinge side, under an operative sealing pressure when the container closure is sealed with the door panel occupying a closing position in the door opening, wherein compression of the gasket resists hinging movement of the door panel into the closing position; at least one closing mechanism for holding together the door panel and the frame elements in conjunction with said compression of the gasket, the closing mechanism being disposed along at least part of an edge of the door opening; wherein the closing mechanism has an intermediate state wherein the gasket is engaged by the door panel at a sealing pressure less than the operative sealing pressure while the door panel is ajar; a door clamping mechanism operable to advance the door panel by further hinging movement from the intermediate state to the closing position, wherein the door clamping mechanism comprises a rotatable locking bar having at least one eccentric cam, and a manual lever handle extending radially from the locking bar, the cam being received in a cam pocket in an associated one of the frame elements when the door panel is in the intermediate state, such that the door clamping mechanism is in range to be closed using the lever handle; and, a spring catch configured to hold the door panel in the intermediate position when the door panel is forced to compress the gasket.