EP2388204A1

EP2388204A1 - Storing device

Info

Publication number: EP2388204A1
Application number: EP10163140A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Olle Mattsson; Kristian Eke; Per-Olof Johansson; Joakim Ahlström
Original assignee: Hammarplast Consumer AB
Current assignee: Hammarplast Consumer AB
Priority date: 2010-05-18
Filing date: 2010-05-18
Publication date: 2011-11-23
Anticipated expiration: 2030-05-18
Also published as: EP2388204B1; US20120125937A1

Abstract

A storing device (1) comprises a lid (3) having on its underside (4) a sealing ring (5), and a box (2) having a bottom and a circumferential wall (7) with an upper portion (8). The upper portion (8) has an inner surface (9) and an outer surface (10). The sealing ring (5) comprises an inner sealing lip (11) in sealing contact with said inner surface (9) and an outer sealing lip (12) in sealing contact with said outer surface (10).

Description

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to a storing device comprising a lid having on its underside a sealing ring, and a box having a bottom and a circumferential wall with an upper portion, the upper portion having an inner surface and an outer surface.

Background

It is known in the art that storing containers may have some kind of sealing between the container and its lid to improve the seal of the container. A basic sealing may consist of a rubber layer between the container and the lid. The rubber layer is usually pressed onto the rim of the container opening, as the lid is put onto the container.
FR 2 827 578 discloses a plastic container having a container body and a lid with a peripheral sealing layer. The lid edge has a peripheral collar onto which the sealing layer is attached. The collar and the sealing layer sit inside the edge of the container body when the container is closed. The collar with the attached sealing layer is slightly larger than the opening of the container body so that the lid is held inside the container body.
One problem with the container disclosed in FR 2 827 578 is that the lid with the collar and the sealing layer must be larger than the opening of the container body in order for the lid to be held in place. This makes closing of the container difficult.
Thus, there is a need for a storing device which is sufficiently sealed but still easy to open and close.

Summary of the invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned drawback and to provide a user-friendly and secure storing device. This and other objects are met by a storing device in accordance with the appended independent claim. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are presented in the dependent claims.
The present invention relates to a storing device comprising a lid having on its underside a sealing ring, and a box having a bottom and a circumferential wall with an upper portion, the upper portion having an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the sealing ring comprises an inner sealing lip in sealing contact with the inner surface and an outer sealing lip in sealing contact with the outer surface.
When the lid is put onto the box the sealing lips are pressed against the upper portion of the circumferential wall of the box. The lips are preferably bent away from each other on the respective side of the circumferential wall to provide a firm sealing. In addition, the storing device according to the present invention provides a double sealing effect, i.e. sealing is provided on the interior side of the storing device and on the exterior side of the storing device. For instance, if a liquid is stored in the box, the interior sealing serves to prevent leakage from the box. The exterior sealing protects the contents inside the storing device from outer contamination. If a liquid is kept in the storage device the exterior sealing will provide a safer environment for the liquid. In addition, articles that should be protected from rain water or humidity, such as a camera when going fishing or dry clothes in a canoe, may be kept in the storing device and be protected mainly by the exterior sealing. Other examples of articles that may be stored in the storing device, and thus protected from water and humidity, include measuring instruments, computers and other electronic equipments.
Preferably, the inner surface and the outer surface of the upper portion of the circumferential wall converge upwards. Having the circumferential wall of the box tapering upwards may improve the sealing effect and will also facilitate closing and opening of the storage device. In order to have an acceptable sealing the sealing lips should be firmly pressed onto the inner and outer surfaces of the upper portion of the circumferential wall of the box, respectively. As the inner and outer surfaces converge upwards, the sealing lips will be gradually pressed onto the upper portion of the circumferential wall of the box as the lid is put onto the box.
Further, the distance from a point of contact between the inner surface and the inner sealing lip to a point of contact between the outer surface and the outer sealing lip when the lid is put on the box is larger than the distance between the corresponding points on the inner and outer sealing lips when the lid is separated from the box. In other words, the sealing lips are bent away from each other as the lid is pressed onto the box.
Preferably, the sealing ring with the sealing lips is made in one piece having the sealing lips integrally formed with the sealing ring on a common structure. In other words, the sealing ring would, according to a preferred embodiment, not have any joints or seams across the ring circumference, a fact which may be advantageous since it minimizes the risk of leakage between different portions of the sealing ring. It may also improve durability of the seal and give lower costs of production.
Preferably, the sealing ring comprises an intermediate portion located between the sealing lips. The intermediate portion may be supported on the box by the top of the upper portion of the circumferential wall. Thus, the sealing lips, which are located on each side of the intermediate portion, serve for the main sealing and the intermediate portion provides basis for support of the lid on the box.
Additionally, the intermediate portion may have sealing contact with the box adjacent to the top of the upper portion of the circumferential wall. As the lid is placed onto the box, the intermediate portion is pressed towards the top of the upper portion of the circumferential wall of the box. Thus, the intermediate portion may give an additional sealing effect. The intermediate portion and the sealing lips may be made in one piece having the sealing lips integrally formed with the intermediate portion on a common structure. It is suitable that the inner and outer sealing lips are flexible and arranged to bend away from each other to provide the sealing contact with the inner surface and the outer surface, respectively.
It may be preferred to have at least one of the sealing lips supported by a flange projecting downwards from the underside of the lid. The sealing lip is in this way made stiffer and prevented from flexing too much. The flange may be made of the same material as the lid, which may be a plastic such as polypropene (PP). Polypropene is not a completely stiff material which means that the flange may have some flexibility. However the flexibility of the flange should be less than the flexibility of the sealing lip in order for the flange to serve as a support for the sealing lip.
The box may comprise an outwardly protruding portion on which the lid may be supported. The protruding portion may be circumferential to provide maximum support for the lid. Further if the protruding portion is circumferential the lid may be supported on the protruding portion having an outer sealing between the protruding portion and the lid. The outer sealing may serve as an additional external seal to protect the outer sealing lip in for instance pelting rain or stormy weather. The outer sealing may also serve as a shock absorber when the lid is put onto the box and additionally as a decoration border on the storing device. According to one embodiment the outer sealing is made in one piece with the sealing ring.
Further objects and features of the present invention will be apparent from the description and the claims.

Brief description of the drawings

The present invention will now be described in more detail, with reference to the appended drawings showing one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view and shows a storage device according to the present invention.
Figure 2a is a cross sectional view and shows, schematically, a portion of an open storage device according to the present invention.
Figure 2b is a cross sectional view and shows, schematically, a portion of a closed storage device according to the present invention.

Detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention

The invention will now be described in more detail by means of an example and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 shows a storing device 1 according to the invention. The storing device 1 includes a storage box 2 and a lid 3 made of a plastic material such as polypropene. The box 2 has a basically rectangular bottom 6 and a foursided circumferential wall 7. The corners of the box 2 are cut, making the geometrical shape of the box 2 really eightsided. The upper portion 8 of the circumferential box wall 7 is formed by a rather rounded fold which is adapted for fitting into a peripheral hollow elevation 3a of the lid 3.
Figure 2a shows the storing device 1 in an open position, where the lid 3 is about to be put onto the box 2, and Figure 2b shows the storing device 1 in a closed, sealed position.
A rubber sealing ring 5 is attached inside the hollow elevation 3a, on the underside 4 of the lid 3, to enhance the tight fit of the lid 3 on the upper portion 8 of the box wall 7. The upper surface of the sealing ring 5, i.e. the surface of the sealing ring 5 that is attached to the lid 3, has the same shape as the hollow elevation 3a. Thus, the upper surface of the sealing ring 5 follows the shape of the hollow elevation 3a. At its very outer portion 14 the sealing ring 5 is folded, following a peripheral exterior notch in the lid 3. The outer portion 14 of the sealing ring 5 is visible from the outside of the storing device 1 even when the storing device 1 is closed.
The sealing ring 5 has two sealing lips 11, 12 separated from each other a distance essentially corresponding to the width of the upper portion 8 of the wall 7. However, the distance between the sealing lips 11, 12, when the lid 3 is separated from the box 2 as seen in Figure 2a, should be slightly smaller than the width of the upper portion 8, in order to allow the sealing lips 11, 12 to be bent away from each other when the lid 3 is put onto the box 2, as is seen in Figure 2b.
The sealing ring 5 has an intermediate portion 15 located between the sealing lips 11, 12. The intermediate portion 15 is arranged to abut against the top 16 of the upper portion 8 of the wall 7 when the storing device 1 is in a closed, sealed position, as in Figure 2b. As described above, the sealing ring 5 has the same shape as the hollow elevation 3a of the lid 3. Thus, due to the geometry of the hollow elevation 3a of the lid 3, which has a sharper and more unsymmetrical shape than the fold of the upper portion 8 of the box wall 7, the point of contact between the intermediate portion 15 and the box 2 is located slightly exterior of the very top of the upper portion 8.
The top 16 of the upper portion 8 should be considered to be located between the inner surface 9 and the outer surface 10. However, the top 16 of the upper portion 8 is not to be seen as necessarily being located at the very top point of upper portion 8. The exact location of the sealing contact between the box 2 and the intermediate portion 15 of the sealing ring 5 depends on the box 2, lid 3 and sealing ring 5 geometries. For instance, the point of contact may be at a location slightly below the very top point of upper portion 8 of the wall 7, as is seen in Figure 2b.
To prevent the sealing lips 11, 12 from flexing too much, the underside 4 of the lid 3 is provided with two circumferential flanges 17 ,18. The inner sealing lip 11 is supported by the inner flange 17 and the outer sealing lip 12 is supported by the outer flange 18. In the embodiment of the invention disclosed here, the flanges 17, 18 are embedded in the sealing lips 11, 12 down to a certain length of the sealing lips 11, 12. In Figure 2a such a length of the support provided by flange 18 for the outer sealing lip 12 is denoted H_s. The total length of the outer sealing lip 12 is denoted H_L and is measured on the inner side of the outer sealing lip 12 where the lip 12 is slightly longer than on the outer side of the outer sealing lip 12 due to the shape of the lid 3 and sealing ring 5. As can be seen in Figure 2a, the length of the support H_s, as measured on the same side of the lip 12 as the length H_L, is, in this embodiment, about half of the length H_L of the outer sealing lip 12. A similar ratio may apply to the relation between the length of the inner sealing lip 11 and the length of the flange 17 supporting the inner sealing lip 11.
The length H_L of the outer sealing lip 12 shown in the exemplary embodiment of Figure 2a is between 4 and 12 mm, preferably between 6 and 10 mm, most preferred between 7 and 9 mm. The length of the inner sealing lip 11 shown in the exemplary embodiment here is between 2 and 10 mm, preferably between 4 and 8 mm, most preferred between 5 and 7 mm.
The length H_s of the support provided by the respective flange 17, 18 is typically 30 to 90% of the total length H_L of the respective lip 11, 12, i.e. H_s = 0.3 × H_L to 0.9 × H_L.
The sealing effect of the sealing ring 5 to a large extent takes place at the points of contact between the sealing lips 11, 12 and the inner and outer portions 9, 10, respectively, of the upper portion 8 of the box wall 7. However, the lid 3 is basically not supported on the box 2 by the sealing lips 11, 12. Instead the lid 3 is supported by the upper portion 8 of the wall 7 by a portion, i.e. the top 16, located between the lips 11 ,12.
The sealing ring 5 is made in one piece, i.e. the sealing lips 11, 12, the intermediate portion 15 and the outer portion 14 are integrally formed having the sealing lips 11, 12 integrally formed with the intermediate portion 15 and the outer portion 14 on a common structure.
The inner and outer surfaces 9, 10 of the upper portion 8 of the wall 7 are inclined making the upper portion 8 tapering upwards. The sealing lips 11, 12 are gradually pressed onto the inner and outer surfaces 9, 10, respectively, as the lid 3 is put onto the box 2. Moreover, fitting the lid 3 onto the box 2, having the inner sealing lip 11 on the interior side and the outer sealing lip 12 on the exterior side of the upper portion 8 of the box wall 7 is facilitated by the tapering shape of the upper portion 8.
The external side of the upper portion 8 of the box wall 7 has a shoulder or protruding portion 13 on which the outer portion 14 of the sealing ring 5 may, according to one embodiment, be held when the storing device 1 is closed. The shoulder 13 supports the lid 3. When the lid 3 has been put onto the box 2 the lid 3 may be held in place by components such as claps or straps (not shown).
The storing device 1 may be used for many different kinds of storing purposes. It is specifically useful for storing of either an article that should be protected from water or dust entering the storing device 1, or storing of different kinds of liquids that should be prevented from leaking out from the storing device 1.
The person skilled in the art realizes that the present invention by no means is limited to the embodiment described above. On the contrary, many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims. For instance the shape of the lid 3 with the hollow peripheral elevation 3a may be made differently. Also the upper portion of the box may have a different appearance and so may the shape of the box. Even though it may be preferred that the sealing ring is a made in one continuous piece extending along the periphery of the lid it is possible to have several ring pieces joined together along the periphery of the lid to form the sealing ring. The material of the box 2 and the lid 3 may be a plastic, such as polypropene (PP) or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), or any other suitable material. The box 2 and the lid 3 are not necessarily made of the same material. The sealing ring 5 may be made of a thermoplastic elastomer or another suitable material.
In the exemplary embodiment disclosed above the lid 3 is supported on the box 2 mainly at two locations, i.e. at the intermediate portion 15 of the sealing ring 5 and at the outer portion 14 of the sealing ring 5. However, other arrangements for supporting the lid may be preferred, depending on the geometry of the box and the lid. For instance, the lid may be supported by the box at the intermediate portion 15 only, or at the outer portion 14 only.

Claims

Storing device (1) comprising a lid (3) having on its underside (4) a sealing ring (5), and a box (2) having a bottom (6) and a circumferential wall (7) with an upper portion (8), the upper portion (8) having an inner surface (9) and an outer surface (10), characterised in that the sealing ring (5) comprises an inner sealing lip (11) in sealing contact with said inner surface (9) and an outer sealing lip (12) in sealing contact with said outer surface (10).
Storing device (1) according to claim 1, wherein said inner surface (9) and said outer surface (10) converge upwards.
Storing device (1) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein said sealing ring (5) with the sealing lips (11, 12) is made in one piece.
Storing device (1) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the sealing ring (5) comprises an intermediate portion (15) located between the sealing lips (11, 12), the intermediate portion (15) being in contact with the top (16) of said upper portion (8).
Storing device (1) according to claim 4, wherein the intermediate portion (15) and the sealing lips (11, 12) are made in one piece.
Storing device (1) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the inner and outer sealing lips (11, 12) are flexible and arranged to bend away from each other to provide said sealing contact with the inner surface (9) and the outer surface (10), respectively.
Storing device (1) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the sealing lips (11, 12) is supported by a flange (17, 18) projecting downwards from the underside (4) of the lid (3).
Storing device (1) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the box (2) comprises an outwardly protruding portion (13) on which the lid (3) is supported.
Storing device (1) according to claim 8, wherein said outwardly protruding portion (13) is circumferential and supports the lid (3) with an outer sealing (14) therebetween.
Storing device (1) according to claim 9, wherein said sealing ring (5) and said outer sealing (14) are made in one piece.