US 7,007,830 B2Granted

Closure for a container

AssigneeGateway Plastics, Inc.

InventorsTerrence M. Parve, William C. Vogel

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A closure for a container includes a base with at least one opening for dispensing a material from the container and a cover coupled atop the base. The cover includes at least one flap that is movable between an open position for dispensing the material and a closed position for covering the opening. At least one projection extends from the flap to releasably retain the flap in the closed position. A tab extends from the projection. A guide surface is provided on the tab and is configured to contact an edge of the opening when the flap is moved toward the closed position and is configured to create a wedging interaction with the edge of the opening when the flap is moved further toward the closed position. The flap is retained in the closed position by the wedging interaction of the tab and the edge.

Claims58

Dependent claims

In an integrally-formed cover for a container comprising a cylindrical portion, a top portion having a shaker opening and a spooning opening, a shaker flap having an outer edge with a downwardly extending skirt and coupled to the top portion and configured for selective movement between an open position in which the shaker opening is opened and a closed position in which the shaker opening is covered by the shaker flap, a spooning flap having an outer edge with a downwardly extending skirt and coupled to the top portion and configured for selective movement between an open position in which the spooning opening is opened and a closed position in which the spooning opening is covered by the spooning flap, at least one projection extending from the shaker flap to releasably retain the shaker flap in the closed position, the improvement comprising:

the projection extending from the shaker flap comprises a tab;
and
a guide provided with the tab so that movement of the shaker flap from the open position to the closed position initially brings the guide into wedging interaction with an inner edge of the shaker opening and further movement of the shaker flap brings the tab into wedging interaction with the inner edge of the shaker opening;
so that the shaker flap is retained in the closed position by the wedging interaction of the tab against the inner edge of the shaker opening.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/751,709Filed 5 Jan 2004 · continuation
Priority: 14 Dec 2001
Published: US 2004/0134942 A115 Jul 2004
Granted: 7 Mar 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

B65D 47/0847
Hinges without elastic bias: located within a flat surface of the base element
B65D 2251/1041
Means for locking the closure in closed position: the closure having a part penetrating in the dispensing aperture and retained by snapping over…
B65D 2543/00842
Integral tabs, tongues, handles or similar: outside of the lid
B65D 2543/00944
Means for facilitating removing of the closure: located only on the container, e.g. recesses

Family

Application10/020,581Parent of this continuation · filed 14 Dec 2001
US 2004/0134942 A1Pre-grant publication · published 15 Jul 2004
US 6,691,901 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2003/0111495 A1Published application
US 7,007,830 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.