Container with air-tight lid
View Patent ↗A storage system including, in an exemplary embodiment, a unitary open-topped container, and an air-tight lid system, suitable for storage of food items. The lid system includes a plastic lid including a cover portion and a plurality of lid latches connected to the lid cover portion by living hinges, and a seal gasket fitted into an inner seal channel formed in a lid peripheral region. The latches are configured for movement between extended positions in which the lid is removable from the container, and a latching position in which latch features engage a peripheral edge of the container to secure the lid and gasket in a sealed position on the container.
1. A sealed storage system, comprising:
a container defining a storage volume and having an open top, the open top circumscribed by a peripheral edge region defining a peripheral top surface and a downwardly extending skirt wall region spaced from an upper container wall portion, the skirt wall region having a distal edge;
an elastomeric seal member;
a lid member configured for attachment to the container to cover the open top in a sealing arrangement, the lid member fabricated as a unitary one-piece structure from a plastic material, the lid member comprising a cover portion and a lid peripheral portion including an annular web portion, and wherein an underside of the lid peripheral portion defines an inner peripheral channel in which the seal member is received, and an outer peripheral channel, the inner peripheral channel and the outer peripheral channel circumscribing the cover portion, and wherein the lid peripheral portion includes an intermediate wall portion separating the inner channel and the outer channel, and an outer wall portion defining an outer wall of the outer channel, the outer wall portion having a bottom edge distal from the annular web portion;
the lid member further comprising a plurality of latch portions each coupled to the bottom edge of the outer wall portion of the annular web portion with a connection portion comprising a living hinge portion, each latch portion having a hook portion extending inwardly to latch under the distal edge of said skirt wall region of the container; and
wherein the plurality of latch portions are each rotatable about the living hinge portion between an open position and a latching position, the lid member and seal member configured such that, with the lid member disposed on the container and the plurality of latches brought into the latching position, the seal member is brought into compression against the peripheral top surface of the container in a sealed arrangement;
wherein the container has a bowl shape, the skirt wall region has a generally cylindrical shape, and the living hinge portion is a linear living hinge portion;
wherein the lid peripheral portion includes a protruding transition web region for each latch portion, connecting the living hinge portion to an edge of the lid peripheral region; and
wherein each transition web region extends angularly from a living hinge end to the bottom edge of the outer wall portion of the lid peripheral region to allow wider latch portions and enhanced latching force, while supporting the living hinge portions.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the top surface is an annular flat surface.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the lid peripheral portion further includes an inner wall portion defining an inside wall portion of the inner peripheral channel, the inner wall portion protruding downwardly, and has an outer dimension sized in cooperation with an inner dimension of a top edge of the open top of the container, such that the inner wall portion fits into the open top and provides a lid alignment feature or rib, to align the lid member with the container as the lid member is being installed onto the container.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the container further comprises a plurality of spaced rib portions extending between the upper container wall portion and the skirt wall region.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein each rib has a transverse bottom surface configured to provide a nesting stop surface for uniform stacking of like containers.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the lid member cover portion includes a generally planar cover surface connected to the lid peripheral portion by a beveled or angled surface portion, facilitating stacking of similarly sized lid members.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the seal member has a solid cross-sectional configuration.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the seal member is an injection-molded unitary structure.
9. A sealed storage system, comprising:
a container defining a storage volume and having an open top, the open top circumscribed by a peripheral edge region defining a peripheral top surface and a downwardly extending skirt wall region spaced from an upper container wall portion, the skirt wall region having a distal edge, the container further comprising a plurality of spaced rib portions extending between the upper container wall portion and the skirt wall region;
an elastomeric seal member;
a lid member configured for attachment to the container to cover the open top in a sealing arrangement, the lid member comprising a cover portion and a lid peripheral portion including an annular web portion, and wherein an underside of the lid peripheral portion defines an inner peripheral channel in which the seal member is received, and an outer peripheral channel;
the lid member further comprising a plurality of latch portions each coupled to the annular web portion with a connection portion comprising a living hinge portion, each latch portion having a hook portion extending inwardly to latch under the distal edge of said skirt wall region of the container; and
wherein the plurality of latch portions are each rotatable about the living hinge portion between an open position and a latching position, the lid member and seal member configured such that, with the lid member disposed on the container and the plurality of latches brought into the latching position, the seal member is brought into compression against the peripheral top surface of the container in a sealed arrangement; and
wherein a latch relief region is defined in each rib portion adjacent the distal edge of the skirt wall region to allow a latch hook portion to engage under the distal edge without interference from the rib portion.