Reusable lid and container

A container/lid combination comprising:

• a container having an open end, a closed end, a first circumferentially continuous side wall extending from said open end to said closed end, a transversely-extending annular wall attached to and surrounding said side wall at said open end, a second circumferentially continuous side wall attached to and depending from said annular wall, said second side wall being spaced from and surrounding said first side wall, and a plurality of openings in said annular wall;
• and
• a molded lid having a central crown, a circularly shaped rim surrounding said crown comprising an annular flange and a circumferentially continuous side wall depending from said flange, said flange having an outer periphery and said depending side wall of said rim being located at the periphery of said flange and having a bottom end, and mutually spaced locking tabs formed integral with and depending from said bottom end of said depending side wall of said rim, each of said locking tabs comprising a body portion having a bottom end with a radially enlarged locking portion that is characterized by a shoulder that faces upwardly and extends both circumferentially and radially outward of said depending side wall of said rim;
• each of said openings in said annular wall comprising a first portion that is sized to accept said body portion and said enlarged locking portion of one of said tabs and a second portion that is sized to accommodate said body portion but not said radially enlarged locking portion of one of said tabs, whereby said lid (a) may be coupled to said container by inserting said locking portions of said tabs through said first portions of said holes, and (b) may be secured to said container by rotating said lid relative to said container in a direction to shift said tabs so that said body portions reside in said second portions of said holes and said shoulders underlie and engage said annular wall and thereby prevent said tabs from being pulled out of said openings.

A container/lid combination comprising a container and a lid adapted for connection to said container,

• said container having an open top end and a closed bottom end defined by a tubular side wall and a bottom wall formed integral with said side wall, said side wall having a top end portion, a flat annular flange formed integral with and extending radially outward from said tubular side wall adjacent to said top end portion, a skirt formed integral with and depending from said annular flange in surrounding spaced relation to said side wall, and a plurality of like circumferentially-spaced holes in said flange, each hole being elongate circumferentially of said flange and comprising a first portion having a relatively large dimension measured radially of the container and a second portion contiguous with said first portion having a relatively small dimension measured radially of the container;
• and
• a lid for closing off said open top end of said container, said lid comprising a crown portion and a rim formed integral with and surrounding said crown portion, said rim being characterized by concentric inner and outer walls formed so as to accommodate therebetween said top end portion of said tubular side wall, said inner and outer walls each having a bottom end, and a plurality of mutually spaced locking tabs formed integral with and depending from said bottom end of outer wall, said tabs being shaped and sized to fit in said first portions of said holes and the spacing of said locking tabs being such as to permit all of said locking tabs to be aligned with and inserted into said holes, each locking tab being hook-shaped in radial cross-section and having an upwardly facing surface that is exposed in said first portions of said holes when said lid is in a first rotational position relative to said container and underlies and engages said flange radially of said second portions of said holes when said lid is in a second rotational position relative to said container.

A container/lid combination comprising:

• a container having an open end, a closed end, a first circumferentially continuous side wall extending from said open end to said closed end, a transversely-extending annular wall attached to and surrounding said first side wall adjacent to said open end, a second side wall attached to and depending from said annular wall, said second side wall surrounding and spaced from said first side wall, a plurality of openings in said annular wall, and a plurality of mutually spaced catch members that project upwardly from said annular wall;
• a molded lid having a central crown portion, a circularly shaped rim portion surrounding said crown portion and comprising concentric inner and outer walls defining a channel therebetween for accommodating the upper end of said continuous side wail, and mutually spaced locking tabs formed integral with and depending from said rim portion;
• said openings and locking tabs being shaped so that (a) said tabs can be inserted in said openings when said lid is in a first rotational position relative to said container and (b) said tabs extend under and are restrained by said annular wall when said lid is in a second rotational position relative to said container, whereby said lid can be applied to or detached from said container when said lid is in said first rotational position and is locked to said container when said lid is in said second rotational position;
• and
• a latch means on the periphery of said rim for releasably engaging one of said catch members and thereby preventing relative rotation at said lid and container in a direction that would permit removal of said locking tabs from said openings, said latch means comprising an outwardly bulging portion of said side wall and a separation between one end of said bulging portion and said side wall, whereby said bulging portion may be deformed manually to disengage it from a catch member with which it is engaged and thereby permit said lid to be rotated in a direction to permit removal of said tabs from said openings.

A lid/container combination comprising:

• a molded lid having a circular central crown portion, a circularly shaped rim portion surrounding said crown portion, said rim portion comprising a radially projecting annular flange having an outer edge, a circumferentially continuous wall of circular cross-sectional shape formed integral with and depending from said radially projecting flange at said outer edge, said wall having a bottom edge, and a plurality of locking tabs formed integral with and depending from said wall, said locking tabs being spaced along said bottom edge with each locking tab comprising a top body portion that is formed integral with said wall and has a bottom end and an enlarged locking portion on said bottom end of said body portion, said enlarged locking portion being characterized by a shoulder that faces upward and extends radially outward of said top body portion;
• and
• a container having an open end, a closed end, a first circumferentially continuous side wall extending from said open end to said closed end, a transversely extending radially-extending annular wall attached to and surrounding said side wall at said open end, a second side wall attached to and depending from said annular wall, said second side wall being spaced from and surrounding said first side wall, and a plurality of openings in said annular wall, each of said openings comprises a first portion that is wide enough to accept said body portion and said enlarged locking portion of one of said locking tabs and a second portion that is wide enough to accommodate said body portion but too narrow to accept said enlarged locking portion of one of said locking tabs;
• said openings and locking tabs being shaped and spaced so that (a) said enlarged locking portions of said locking tabs can be inserted through said openings when said lid is in a first rotational position relative to said container and (b) said shoulders of said locking tabs extend under and are restrained by said annular wall of said container when said lid is in a second rotational position relative to said container, whereby said lid can be applied to or detached from said container when said lid is in said first rotational position and is locked to said container when said lid is in said second rotational position.