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Containers with interlocking coversContainers with interlocking covers description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20090084796, Containers with interlocking covers. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
The present invention relates generally to containers, and, more particularly, to containers whose covers align together when stacked in a first position and which may be locked together in a second position. Rigid, thermoplastic food containers are generally known. Users often accumulate a large number of these containers in different sizes and shapes. When not in use, the containers are often stored haphazardly into drawers. In this case, the unused containers take up a great deal of room, and finding a matching base and cover, which make up a container, in a disarranged drawer may be difficult. To avoid this, some users stack the containers in cabinets. While the bases of the containers usually nest and therefore take up less room than in a disorganized drawer, it may still be difficult to match a base with a cover. In addition, the covers may not stack and the covers may tend to topple down. When the containers are in use to store food, the containers are often stacked one on top of another in cabinets or in a refrigerator. These stacks may be precarious, and their fall may cause food to spill from the containers. Many users would find it desirable if the containers, whether empty or in use, could be stored in a manner space efficient, less precarious, and more structurally rigid. During large-scale manufacturing, the covers may be transported in bulk before being separated out for individual packaging. During bulk handling, manufacturers would find it desirable if the covers would form a stack stable enough to resist the vertical and lateral movements caused by forces typically encountered during manufacturing operations. The present invention has as a general aim to provide containers that satisfy both users and manufacturers. Embodiments according to the principles of the present invention provide containers whose covers may be stacked together in two different ways. First, the covers may be nested and stacked and configured into an “aligned” stack. The aligned stack provides enough structural rigidity for bulk handling during manufacturing. Second, the covers may be stacked, interlocked one to another, and configured into a “locked” stack. The locked stack provides even more structural rigidity than does the aligned stack and is useful when storing unused covers. Finally, once the stack of covers is locked, the top cover of the stack may be easily released from the locked stack and removed. In some embodiments, the cover includes a first closure portion, an engagement portion, and an alignment portion. The base of the container includes a second closure portion that is sealingly engageable with the first closure portion of the cover to define a substantially sealed, leak-proof, and re-sealable storage area for items such as food. It is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, that the cover may be sealingly engaged with its base. The alignment portion of the cover is engageable with the alignment portion of a second cover to form an aligned cover stack. The engagement portion of the cover is engageable with a second cover to form a system of covers in a locked cover stack. In one embodiment, once engaged to form a locked stack of covers, the engagement portion of the top cover of the locked stack is disengageable from the cover immediately below the top cover in the cover stack. The top cover is removable from the locked stack by a simple lifting action supplied by the thumb or forefinger of a user on a gripping tab coupled to the cover. In one embodiment, the engagement portion of the cover is positioned on a gripping tab of the cover. The engagement portion is configured as a downwardly directed protrusion on the top of the cover of the container. A male cap component of the engagement portion, cooperates with a female well component of the engagement portion of a second cover aligned immediately below the cover to lock the two covers together in a stack. The male cap component may be nearly vertical and fits with minimal clearance inside the female well component so that cover stacking is provided when the cover stack is not kept in a vertical orientation. In one embodiment, the male cap component of a cover physically contacts the female well component of a second cover and provides a friction fit that locks the covers stacked together. The male cap component may have a shape similar to an opened topped hollow tub having a wedge-shaped outer surface wall. The male cap component may further include at least one undercut and at least one lead-in. The lead-in of the cover cooperates with the undercut of a second cover to provide a “snap” fit, well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, to lock the cover with the second cover. Thus, The covers may either nest by sitting on top of each other in a stack that may be shear de-nested, or the male cap component may abuttingly engage into the female well component to lock the covers into one unit for convenient storage. In another embodiment, the cover includes a first closure portion at the outer peripheral edge of the bottom of the cover. The first closure portion of the cover cooperates with a second closure portion on the top perimeter rim edge of the base of the container to form a seal. The container uses a rim or perimeter design that includes both inside and outside seals. Containers may be embodied with a variety of closure portion designs including outer closures and/or inner closures. The engagement portion is in a position spanning between an inner sealing wall and an outer sealing wall at the top of the first closure portion. The engagement portion of the cover is configured as a locking lug integral with the first closure portion. The covers and bases of container may be economically constructed from relatively thin-gauge plastic so that the user may either wash them after use or dispose of them with the view that their purchase price allows them to be used as a consumable good. The container may be readily manufactured, for example, with conventional thermoforming equipment or thin-walled injection molding. The cover may be made from a semi-transparent material to ensure satisfactory visibility of the container\'s contents. The container may be suitable for refrigerator, freezer, microwave, and machine dishwasher use. The features of the present invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, provided herein. Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and wherein: Continue reading about Containers with interlocking covers... Full patent description for Containers with interlocking covers Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Containers with interlocking covers patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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