Sealing lid and tote combination

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11440723-B2
Application number	US-201916585685-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2019
Priority date	Sep 28, 2018
Publication date	Sep 13, 2022
Grant date	Sep 13, 2022

Abstract

A tote assembly has a tote and a lid. The tote has a sealing channel formed in a lip that extends around a perimeter of a tote opening. At least one drain is formed in the lip and is adapted to direct a fluid away from the sealing channel. The lid has a center portion, a collar disposed around the center portion forming a perimeter of the lid, and a sealing rib formed in the collar that extends around the perimeter of the lid. The collar forms an interference fit with the lip of the tote. The sealing rib is configured to be disposed in the sealing channel to form a fluid tight seal. The fluid-tight seal between the tote and lid ensures the contents of the tote remain dry in an otherwise wet environment or conditions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tote, comprising:
a hollow main body having a front wall, a rear wall, a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and a base wall, the hollow main body further having a lip extending laterally outwardly from the front wall, the rear wall, the first sidewall, and the second sidewall, the lip defining a perimeter of an opening at an end of the hollow main body, the opening disposed opposite the base wall, a sealing channel formed in the lip and extending around the perimeter of the opening, and at least one drain formed in the lip and adapted to direct a fluid away from the sealing channel, wherein the at least one drain includes a funneling wall extending downward from the lip and beyond a side surface of the lip,
wherein a top surface of the lip has a sloping edge angled downwardly from the top surface toward the base wall to direct the fluid away from the sealing channel and down the funneling wall of the drain.

2. The tote of claim 1 , wherein the at least one drain includes a drainage passageway and at least one aperture, the drainage passageway defined by a rim of an opening in the lip, the funneling wall extending downward from the rim, and a base wall opposite the rim having the at least one aperture formed therethrough.

3. The tote of claim 2 , wherein the at least one aperture includes a plurality of the apertures spaced apart along a width of the base wall.

4. The tote of claim 3 , wherein the drainage passageway includes a first partition and a second partition, the first partition and the second partition together with the funneling wall defining at least a first drainage passageway, a second drainage passageway, and a third drainage passageway, and the plurality of apertures including a first aperture, a second aperture, and a third aperture, the first drainage passageway having the first aperture, the second drainage passageway having the second aperture, and the third drainage passageway having the third aperture.

5. The tote of claim 1 , wherein the at least one drain is positioned laterally outside of the sealing channel and a gap is formed between the hollow main body and the funneling wall.

6. The tote of claim 1 , wherein the at least one drain includes at least one front drain, at least one rear drain, at least one first sidewall drain, the at least one front drain formed in a front section of the lip adjacent the front wall, the at least one rear drain formed in a rear section of the lip adjacent the rear wall, the at least one first sidewall drain formed in a first sidewall section of the lip adjacent the first sidewall, and the at least one second sidewall drain formed in a second sidewall section of the lip adjacent the second sidewall.

7. The tote of claim 1 , wherein the sealing channel is defined by a concave portion of a top surface of the lip.

8. The tote of claim 1 , wherein the sloping edge extends from the sealing channel to the at least one drain, the downward slope adapted to direct the fluid away from the sealing channel and into the at least one drain.

9. The tote of claim 1 , further comprising at least one handle portion formed in the lip and positioned outside of the sealing channel.

10. A tote assembly, comprising:
a tote including a hollow main body having a front wall, a rear wall, a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and a base wall, the hollow main body further having a lip extending laterally outwardly from the front wall, the rear wall, the first sidewall, and the second sidewall, the lip defining a perimeter of an opening at an end of the hollow main body, the opening disposed opposite the base wall, a sealing channel formed in the lip and extending around the perimeter of the opening, and at least one drain formed in the lip and adapted to direct a fluid away from the sealing channel, wherein the at least one drain includes a funneling wall extending downward from the lip and beyond a side surface of the lip,
wherein a top surface of the lip has a sloping edge angled downwardly from the top surface toward the base wall to direct the fluid away from the sealing channel and down the funneling wall of the drain; and
a lid having a main body with a center portion, a collar, and a sealing rib, the collar disposed around the center portion and forming a perimeter of the lid, the collar having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a side surface, the side surface of the collar extending downwardly from the top surface, and the sealing rib formed in the collar and extending around the perimeter of the lid,
wherein the collar forms an interference fit with the lip of the tote, and
wherein the sealing rib is disposed in the sealing channel and forms a fluid tight seal therebetween.

11. The tote assembly of claim 10 , wherein the at least one drain includes, a drainage passageway and at least one aperture, the drainage passageway defined by a rim of an opening in the lip, the funneling wall extending downward from the rim, and a base wall opposite the rim having the at least one aperture formed therethrough.

12. The tote assembly of claim 11 , wherein the at least one aperture includes a plurality of the apertures spaced apart along a width of the base wall.

13. The tote assembly of claim 12 , wherein the drainage passageway includes a first partition and a second partition, the first partition and the second partition together with the funneling wall defining at least a first drainage passageway, a second drainage passageway, and a third drainage passageway, and the plurality of apertures including a first aperture, a second aperture, and a third aperture, the first drainage passageway having the first aperture, the second drainage passageway having the second aperture, and the third drainage passageway having the third aperture.

14. The tote assembly of claim 10 , wherein the at least one drain is positioned laterally outside of the sealing channel.

15. The tote assembly of claim 10 , wherein the at least one drain includes at least one front drain, at least one rear drawing, at least one first sidewall drain, the at least one front drawing formed in a front section of the lip adjacent the front wall, the at least one rear drain formed in a rear section of the lip adjacent the rear wall.

16. The tote assembly of claim 15 , wherein the at least one first sidewall drain formed in a first sidewall section of the lip adjacent the first sidewall, and the at least one second sidewall drain formed in a second sidewall section of the lip adjacent the second sidewall.

17. The tote assembly of claim 10 , wherein the sealing channel is defined by a concave portion of a top surface of the lip, and the sealing rib is defined by a convex portion of the bottom surface of the collar.

18. The tote assembly of claim 10 , wherein the sloping edge extends from the sealing channel to the at least one drain, the downward slope adapted to direct the fluid away from the sealing channel and into the at least one drain.

Assignees

• Creative Plastic Concepts Llc

Inventors

• Reinhart Nickolas
• Whitta Jacob H

Classifications

• B65D2543/00527

  NO contact · CPC title

• B65D81/261 Primary

  for draining or collecting liquids without absorbing them · CPC title

• B65D1/22

  Boxes or like containers with side walls of substantial depth for enclosing contents {(B65D43/162, B65D81/02, B65D81/3813 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B65D43/0216

  inside a peripheral U-shaped channel in the mouth of the container · CPC title

• B65D2543/00296

  Plastic · CPC title