Container with gasket seal invention

Abstract: A container (210) for holding granular or powdered material and formed by a top wall (212), a bottom wall (214), a front wall (216), a rear wall (218), a first side wall (220), and a second side wall (222). A rotatably removable lid (D) is interiorly mounted with a scoop (32) and is pivotally hinged to a collar (300) that includes a sealing gasket (330). The collar (300) mounts to the walls of the container (210). A sealing wall 240 of the lid (D) cooperates with the gasket 330 to prevent the contents from spilling. The container (210) incorporates powder control features, a container wall junction (50) preferred geometry and congruent scoop (32) enabling convenient access to the contents, a tolerance variation accommodating and strength improving, J-shaped collar (300) and interlocking indentations (290) and flex clips (310), and a pressure controlling portion (350) that prevents unwanted deformation due to pressure differentials.

This application claims the benefit of the earlier filing date of commonly owned and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/645,887 filed Dec. 27, 2006, and No. 61/014,595 filed Dec. 18, 2007, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as though fully set forth in the present application.

This application is also related to three other commonly owned and co-pending applications filed on Dec. 26, 2007, concurrently with this application, each incorporated by reference. The titles and inventors are: CONTAINER WITH SEALING WALL, invented by James P. Perry, David Compeau, Craig A. McCardell, and Jeremy McBroom and given Ser. No. ______. CONTAINER AND CONGRUENT SCOOP ASSEMBLY, invented by James R Perry, Peter B. Clarke, J. Kevin Clay, Marc A. Pedmo, Richard C. Darr, Katherine Jordan, William J. Hook, Ashley A. Gohike, and Jack E. Elder and given Ser. No. ______. CONTAINER AND COLLAR WITH ATTACHING MEANS, invented by James P. Perry, Charles R. Schotthoefer, David Compeau, Craig A. McCardell, Jeremy McBroom, Frank S. Walczak and Jack E. Elder and given Ser. No. ______.

This invention relates to the field of packaging, and more particularly, packaging containers for granulated products, such as for example, a powder.

Currently, products in granular or powdered form, such as, for purposes of example without limitation, infant formula, flour, coffee, sugar, are packaged in containers. Scoops are provided within the package for measured dispensing of such contents. Consumers or users of such containers have found that the current packaging is difficult to handle with a single hand, and have found that it is difficult to open the container and to locate and remove the scoop from the packaging upon the first use without experiencing spillage. Once the lid of the container is removed and/or opened, the contents are often loosely caked or packed into parts of the interior of the lid or top of the container, which leads to spillage as the contents fall away from the lid or top. While some of the falling powder may fall back into the interior of the container, much of it is wasted and contaminated as it spills onto the surrounding workspace. Additionally, prior containers do not offer adequate sealing of the contents after the container has been opened for the first time. This leads to the undesirable and inadvertent leaking or escape of the contents from various poorly sealed areas of the container.

When the user wishes to withdraw a portion of the product from the container, she must first dig around in the interior of the container with her fingers to find the scoop. This search and locate process contaminates the contents and soils the hands of the user, which can lead to more unwanted spillage as the powder-coated fingers and hands are removed from the interior of the container. Once located, the scoop is withdrawn so that it can be used, and the scoop is also coated with the contents. The bowl of the scoop is also caked or packed with the contents. As the coating of powder and the packed bowl of powder loosen during the removal process, more contents are contaminated and wasted as the coating falls away from the hands, fingers, and scoop, and as any powder caked in the bowl loosens and falls.

Additional problems have been experienced with scoops that are positioned in a more convenient location, perhaps against an interior or exterior wall. These additional problems include difficulty in grasping the scoop, which may be tightly fastened with adhesive against the wall and/or with a mechanical retainer or fastener that leaves very little clearance between the scoop and surrounding structure of the container for grasping the scoop. These undesirable configurations typically will require more than one free hand for removal and grasping of the scoop.