Patent ID: 6910623

Claim:
A container for releasably dispensing contents contained therein, the container being convertible from a substantially sealed orientation to a substantially open, dispensing orientation and back to the substantially sealed orientation, the container comprising: a paperboard tubular body having an upper edge defining an upper opening; a lid, including a substantially planar lid panel member having a peripheral edge region, the lid panel member being operably configured to extend across at least a portion of the upper opening; the lid further including a band operably connected to the lid panel member along the peripheral edge region thereof, the band extending generally at right angles to the lid panel; at least portions of the band being juxtaposed and affixed to the tubular body along at least a portion of the tubular body proximate the upper edge thereof; the lid having a fixed back portion for maintenance in a position juxtaposing the band to the interior of the tubular body at its upper edge, a hinge portion extending completely across the lid, and a movable front portion, pivotable at said hinge portion, between a closed position adjacent the upper edge of said tubular body and an open position enabling access to an interior region of the tubular body; a container bottom opposite said lid, the lid being fabricated primarily from a plastic material; and wherein the lid comprises means for enabling the lid to be fixedly yet releasably positioned in a stable, open, raised position, subsequent to opening of the container and pivoting of the movable front portion of the lid up to a predetermined position, said means comprising at least a section of the fixed back portio of the lid being operably disposed to interfere with and positively engage a section of the movable front portion when the movable front portion has been moved to an upright open position, relative to the fixed back portion; wherein the means for enabling the releasable, fixed positioning of the lid in a stable, open, raised position, subsequent to opening of the container and pivoting the movable front portion of the lid up to a predetermined position, comprise: at least one retaining ridge, operably emanating inwardly from an inside surface of the band, disposed within the fixed back portion of the lid; and an outwardly extending lip portion, operably disposed on the movable portion of the lid at least adjacent the retaining ridge, said lip portion configured to interferingly engage with the at least one retaining ridge, when the movable portion of the lid is raised to an open position, to enable the at least one retaining ridge to hold the movable portion of the lid in said stable, releasable, raised position.