Plastic Container Hinged Snap Lid

Abstract

The present invention relates to a reusable plastic container. The container comprises a container body having side walls, end walls, and a bottom. It further includes a hinged lid with lid sections, each section having a hinged edge and at least one free edge. A hinge connects the hinged edge of a lid section to a side wall of the container body. The lid section includes a snap element engageable with a container body end wall. The snap element is configured such that inward pressure applied to an end or side wall of the container body causes the snap element to have greater engagement with the container body to increase the lid's resistance to opening when subjected to an impact.

1 . A reusable plastic container, the container comprising:
 a container body having side walls, end walls, and a bottom;   a lid providing access to container contents, the lid including lid sections; and   a snap element engaging at least one lid section and at least one of the container body side walls or end walls, the snap element having a neutral position and an impact position, the snap element having greater engagement with the lid section when in the impact position.   
     
     
         2 . The reusable plastic container of  claim 1  wherein the at least one lid section includes a lip having an inner surface, and the at least one of the container body side walls or end walls includes a rib, and wherein the snap element includes a protuberance on the inner surface of the lip of the at least one lid section, the protuberance overlapping the rib on the at least one of the container body side walls or end walls. 
     
     
         3 . The reusable plastic container of  claim 1  wherein each lid section includes a hinged edge having a plurality of hinges, the hinges being spaced to permit the lid section to shift horizontally between the neutral position and the impact position. 
     
     
         4 . The reusable plastic container of  claim 2  wherein the protuberance and rib overlap to a greater extent when in the impact position than in the neutral position. 
     
     
         5 . The reusable plastic container of  claim 2  wherein the rib and protuberance are in a neutral position, and wherein the overlap between the protuberance and rib in the neutral position is in the range of approximately 0.05 inches to 0.075 inches. 
     
     
         6 . The reusable plastic container of  claim 2  wherein the rib and protuberance are in an impact position, and wherein the overlap between the protuberance and rib in the impact position is in the range of approximately 0.10 inches to 0.15 inches. 
     
     
         7 . A reusable plastic container, the container comprising:
 a container body having side walls, end walls, and a bottom;   a hinged lid providing access to container contents, the lid having lid sections, each section having a hinged edge;   a hinge connecting the hinged edge of each lid section to a side wall of the container body; and   each lid section including a snap element engageable with a container body end wall, the snap element having a neutral position and an impact position, the snap element having greater engagement when in the impact position.   
     
     
         8 . The reusable plastic container of  claim 7  wherein the snap element is configured to have greater engagement with the container body when inward pressure is applied to the lid. 
     
     
         9 . The reusable plastic container of  claim 7  wherein inward pressure applied to a side wall of the container body causes the snap element to have greater engagement with the container body. 
     
     
         10 . The reusable plastic container of  claim 7  wherein the lid sections each include a lip having an inner surface, and the end walls each include a rib, and wherein the snap element includes a protuberance on the inner surface of the lips of the lid sections, the protuberance overlapping the ribs on the container body end wall. 
     
     
         11 . The reusable plastic container of  claim 7  wherein the hinge is spaced to permit the lid section to shift horizontally when inward pressure is applied to an end wall of the container body. 
     
     
         12 . The reusable plastic container of  claim 10  wherein the protuberance and rib overlap to a greater extent when inward pressure is applied to an end wall of the container body. 
     
     
         13 . The reusable plastic container of  claim 10  wherein the rib and protuberance are in a neutral position, and wherein the overlap between the protuberance and rib in the neutral position is in the range of approximately 0.05 inches to 0.075 inches. 
     
     
         14 . The reusable plastic container of  claim 10  wherein the rib and protuberance are in an impact position, and wherein the overlap between the protuberance and rib in the impact position is in the range of approximately 0.10 inches to 0.15 inches. 
     
     
         15 . A reusable plastic container, the container comprising:
 a container body having side walls, end walls, and a bottom;   a hinged lid providing access to container contents, the lid having lid sections, each section having a hinged edge with a plurality of hinges, wherein the hinges are spaced to permit the lid section to shift horizontally between a neutral position and an impact position; and   a snap element engaging each lid section with one of the container body end walls, the snap element having greater engagement when the lid is in the impact position than in the neutral position.   
     
     
         16 . The reusable plastic container of  claim 15  wherein the lid sections each include a lip having an inner surface, a raised portion connected to the lip, and an inner wall connected to the raised portion, and wherein the container body end walls each include a rib, and wherein the snap element includes a protuberance on the inner surface of the lip of the lid sections, the protuberance overlapping the rib on the container body end walls. 
     
     
         17 . The reusable plastic container of  claim 16  wherein the protuberance and rib overlap to a greater extent when the lid section is in the impact position than in the neutral position. 
     
     
         18 . The reusable plastic container of  claim 15  wherein each lid section has a snap element at each end wall. 
     
     
         19 . The reusable plastic container of  claim 16  wherein the rib and protuberance are in a neutral position, and wherein the overlap between the protuberance and rib in the neutral position is in the range of approximately 0.05 inches to 0.075 inches. 
     
     
         20 . The reusable plastic container of  claim 16  wherein the rib and protuberance are in an impact position, and wherein the overlap between the protuberance and rib in the impact position is in the range of approximately 0.10 inches to 0.15 inches.