Vial with lid attachment mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11352177-B2
Application number	US-201615337652-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2016
Priority date	Dec 13, 2010
Publication date	Jun 7, 2022
Grant date	Jun 7, 2022

Abstract

A re-sealable container is disclosed having a lid, a body, an attachment mechanism, and a seal. The seal may extend from, or be attached to, the lid and engage at least a portion of the body, such as the side wall, including the body sealing surface and/or the lip. The engagement of the seal and body creates a seal that prevents the ingress of moisture and ambient conditions into an interior space of the body. The attachment mechanism may retain the lid in a seated, closed position on the body. The configuration of the seal and attachment mechanism accommodate a degree of error in the joining and placement of the lid and body while allowing for both the formation of a seal between the lid and body and the locking of the lid when the lid is in a closed position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A resealable container comprising:
a body having a sidewall, a base, and an opening, the base and the opening being disposed at opposite ends of the body, the sidewall having an inner surface and an outer surface and defining an interior space in the body, the interior space being disposed between the opening and the base;
a lid pivotably joined to the body by a hinge to allow the lid to be moved between a closed position, in which the lid is seated on the body and an open position, in which access to the opening is provided, the hinge comprising a single axis of rotation about which the lid is pivotable relative to the body, the lid including a seating surface that contacts an upper end of the sidewall of the body when the lid is in the closed position, the lid including a seal extending downwardly beyond the seating surface such that when the lid is in the closed position, the seal extends into the interior space of the body and an outer wider surface of the seal, which is perpendicular to a plane of the seating surface, abuts against a body sealing surface of the inner surface of the sidewall to create a compressive force between the outer wider surface of the seal and the body sealing surface, thereby creating a plug between the lid and the body to control ingress of moisture into the interior space, the plug being positioned below the seating surface and the axis of rotation of the hinge, the seal having a bottom portion that includes a tapered outer surface that tapers radially inward from the outer wider surface of the seal above the tapered surface to facilitate movement of the lid from the open position to the closed position, such that when the lid is transitioned from the open position to the closed position, the tapered outer surface initially enters into the interior space with no interference from the body sealing surface or less interference with the body sealing surface than the outer wider surface of the seal has with the body sealing surface when the lid is in the closed position, the lid including a thumb tab that extends outwardly beyond the sidewall of the body when the lid is in the closed position, the thumb tab being configured to be pressed or pulled to assist with moving the lid from the closed position to the opened position, the lid further including an extension positioned radially outward relative to the seal, the extension depending downwardly from a front portion of the lid when the lid is in the closed position, the extension and seal defining an aperture therebetween, the extension comprising a through hole facing the aperture, the through hole defining a floor surface and a ceiling surface within the extension; and
an attachment mechanism configured to retain the lid to the body in the closed position, the attachment mechanism including a protrusion extending from the outer surface of the sidewall, the protrusion being configured to extend into and thereby lockingly engage with the through hole of the extension such that the protrusion is positioned between the floor surface and ceiling surface to assist in retaining the lid in the closed position, the protrusion being configured to disengage from the through hole of the extension in response to application of sufficient upward pressure to the thumb tab so as to unlock the attachment mechanism, thereby allowing the lid to be movable from the closed position to the open position by pressing up or pulling up on the thumb tab, wherein the attachment mechanism is located solely on an opposite side of the body from the hinge.

2. The resealable container of claim 1 , wherein the attachment mechanism comprises only one single protrusion configured to lockingly engage the through hole of the lid.

3. The resealable container of claim 1 , wherein movement of the lid from the closed position to the open position creates an audible popping sound.

4. The resealable container of claim 1 , further comprising:
a desiccant material disposed within the interior space of the body, wherein the desiccant material is a liner or sleeve attached to an interior of the sidewall of the body.

5. The resealable container of claim 1 , wherein the protrusion extends from a claw.

6. The resealable container of claim 5 , wherein the claw extends upwards above the opening.

7. A resealable container comprising:
a body having a sidewall, a base, and an opening, the base and the opening being disposed at opposite ends of the body, the sidewall having an inner surface and an outer surface and defining an interior space in the body, the interior space being disposed between the opening and the base;
a lid pivotably joined to the body by a hinge to allow the lid to be moved between an open position and a closed position, the hinge comprising a single axis of rotation about which the lid is pivotable relative to the body, the lid including a cap and a thumb tab that extends outwardly from the lid beyond the sidewall of the body when the lid is in the closed position, the thumb tab being configured to be pressed or pulled to assist with moving the lid from the closed position to the opened position and back, the lid further including an aperture and an extension depending downwardly from a front portion of the lid when the lid is in the closed position, the extension having a through hole facing the aperture, the through hole defining a floor surface and a ceiling surface within the extension, the lid being configured to be seated on the body when the lid is in the closed position and to allow access to the interior space when the lid is in the open position, the lid including a seating surface that contacts an upper end of the sidewall of the body when the lid is in the closed position, the lid including a seal extending downwardly beyond the seating surface such that when the lid is in the closed position, the seal extends into the interior space of the body and an outer wider surface of the seal, which is perpendicular to a plane of the seating surface, abuts against a body sealing surface of the inner surface of the sidewall to create a compressive force between the outer wider surface of the seal and the body sealing surface, thereby creating a plug between the lid and the body to control ingress of moisture into the interior space, the plug being positioned below the seating surface and the axis of rotation of the hinge, the seal having a bottom portion that includes a tapered outer surface that tapers radially inward from the outer wider surface of the seal above the tapered surface to facilitate movement of the lid from the open position to the closed position, such that when the lid is transitioned from the open position to the closed position, the tapered outer surface initially enters into the interior space with no interference from the body sealing surface or less interference with the body sealing surface than the outer wider surface of the seal has with the body sealing surface when the lid is in the closed position; and
attachment means extending outwardly from the outer surface of the sidewall for securing the lid to the body in the closed position and facilitating maintenance of the plug between the body and the lid when the lid is seated on the body, the attachment means being configured to lockingly engage the through hole of the extension such that a portion of the attachment means is positioned between the floor surface and ceiling surface to assist in retaining the lid in the closed position, the attachment means being configured to disengage from the through hole and thus unlock in response to application of sufficient upward pressure to the thumb tab, thereby allowing the lid to be movable from the closed position to the open position by pressing up or pulling up on the thumb tab, wherein the attachment mea

Assignees

• Csp Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Belfance John
• Supranowicz Ronald

Classifications

• B65D43/162 Primary

  the container, the lid and the hinge being made of one piece (B65D43/161 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65D2251/20

  Sealing means · CPC title

• B65D2251/01

  making a sound upon actuation · CPC title

• B65D2251/1016

  Means for locking the closure in closed position · CPC title

• B65D81/266

  for absorbing gases, e.g. oxygen absorbers or desiccants (B65D51/244, B65D51/30 take precedence) · CPC title