The present invention refers to a lid for closing a container, such as a can or any other container made of glass, plastic or other adequate material. The invention refers, particularly, to a lid to be applied to a can used to contain powdered or particulate bulk products of progressive consumption, such as certain food products and chemicals. Background of the Invention

Certain powdered or particulate bulk products, such as some food products or potentially toxic or corrosive chemicals, need to be submitted to hermetic storage and provided with a clear visual indication to the consumer that the container in which they are presented to the market has not been violated. It should be further considered that, since many of these products are of progressive consumption, it is indispensable that after the first opening of the container, the lid which gives access to the interior of the can may be reclosed as many times as necessary during the progressive consumption of the stored product, in order to guarantee the tightness of the reclosed can and protect the remaining content thereof.

There are well known in the art the cans in which the lid is press fitted in a peripheral structural ring, internal to the upper edge of the can body and which is hermetically double seamed thereto. The tightness of the content is guaranteed in this type of construction upon fitting the lid in the seat for seating and retaining the lid and which is provided in the structural ring that defines the annular upper wall of the can. Brazilian patent application PI0003727-3 of the same

applicant describes a plastic lid comprising a removable sealing portion, which is seated and retained in the seat, and a pair of generally semi- annular gripping strips disposed around an upper edge of the sealing portion and having ends incorporated to the latter. The gripping strips can be medianly displaced from an inoperative position, coplanar to said upper edge, to a raised operative position, after the rupture of breakable means that connect the median regions of the gripping strips to the sealing portion of the plastic lid. In the operative position of said gripping strips, the user grasps them to extract the lid of the can. Brazilian patent application PI0203950-8, also of the same applicant, discloses a plastic lid for a can comprising, in a single piece, a sealing portion, to be broken upon the first opening of the lid and presenting an interruption in its circumferential extension, extending through the width of the upper ring and through at least part of the height of the lower skirt of the can. The sealing portion of said lid incorporates a gripping tab projecting through said interruption of the seal and which can be manually operated only by breaking part of the seal . The user needs only to use a finger bent in the form of a hook to pull out the lid from the can. As it can be noted, the constructions mentioned above, as well as other known prior art constructions, comprise plastic lids molded in a single piece, in which the main concern is to optimize both the sealing of the lids and the provision of tamper evident seals that can be easily and safely broken without causing injuries to the user, which commonly occurs when metallic seals are used. While the traditional problems inherent in the known

closure arrangements for cans have been solved, a new problem has arisen, which occurs upon the opening of the can, especially when its content consists of powdered or particulate material . Since the user sometimes extracts the lid, pulling it out in the axial direction of the container, there occurs an abrupt opening of said container and, in the moment the lid is released, a negative pressure is formed in the container opening, dragging the powdered or particulate material and eventually spreading the latter. Besides the resulting mess and loss of product, there is a risk of causing injuries or intoxications to the user, depending on the content of the recipient . Summary of the Invention

Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lid for containers, such as cans, with a construction that induces the user to remove the lid softly, avoiding the undesirable spreading or dragging of the content of the container.

This and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved by providing a container lid of the type comprising, in a single piece, an end closing portion having a peripheral region that incorporates a sealing portion to be removably press fitted and retained in a seat provided in a container. According to the invention, the lid further comprises a handle having at least one marginal edge portion that is seated and incorporated to a respective extension of the peripheral region of the closing portion, and a median portion that is raised in relation to the end closing portion, the marginal edge portion and an adjacent part of the median portion of the handle being cut by at least one radial cutout, defining a radial opening with sufficient dimensions

to allow radially inserting, from the outside to the inside of the lid, the end phalange of at least one finger of the user, as well as resting at least one of his/her palm and wrist on a region of the sealing portion diametrically opposite to the radial opening, so that the user's hand forms a lever to help him/her to gradually open the lid from the peripheral region adjacent to the radial opening. The constructive arrangement of the lid of the present invention forces the user to remove the lid angularly, using his/her hand as a lever. The result is that the lid is softly released, avoiding abrupt displacements of air in the opening of the container, which in the prior art lids can spread or drag the content of the container.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be described below, with reference being made to the appended drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a lid constructed according to the present invention, its handle presenting a gripping opening for the fingers . Figure 2 is a diametrical sectional view of the lid of the present invention when mounted in a container, said section being taken according to line II-II of figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment for the present lid, in which the handle has two radial gripping openings for the fingers; Figure 4 is a diametrical sectional view of the lid of the present invention when mounted in a container, said section being taken according to line IV-IV of figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a top plan view of a third alternative embodiment for the present lid, in which the handle has three radial gripping openings for the fingers.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment

According to the appended drawings, the present invention refers to a lid 30 made in a single piece by injection or otherwise molded in plastic material, such as polypropylene, polyamide, or any other adequate material, and which comprises a closing end portion 31 having a peripheral region 31a that incorporates a sealing portion 32 with a proper construction to be removably seated and retained in a seat "S" provided in a container 10 made of metal, plastic, glass or any other adequate material. In the embodiment illustrated in figures 1 and 2, the seat ^λΛ S" , positioned in a central discharge opening "A" of the container 10, is defined by a circumferential rib 11a obtained by bending upwardly and radially outwardly the inner end edge of an annular upper wall 11 of the container 10, said circumferential rib 11a having the cross section thereof defined by at least one portion of an arc of a circle, said annular upper wall 11 having its outer edge, opposed to that in which is defined the seat "S" , affixed, usually by double seaming, to an upper edge 10a of the peripheral side wall of the container 10. Also in the embodiment illustrated in figures 1 and 2, the sealing portion 32 of the lid 30 is defined by a circumferential cradle 32a with its cross section in the form of an arc of a circle and inside which is fitted the circumferential rib 11a of the annular upper wall 11 of the container 10 upon closing the lid

30 on the latter.

The sealing portion 32 may incorporate a continuous external peripheral flange 32b which is seated on an adjacent portion of the annular upper wall 11 of the container 10 upon fitting the circumferential rib 11a

in the circumferential cradle 32a of the lid 30, maintaining the latter in the closing condition of the opening "A" of the container 10.

On the other hand, in the embodiment illustrated in figures 3 and 4, the seat ^ΛΛ S" of the container 10 is defined by a depending tubular projection 12 that is superiorly incorporated to the edge of an opening "A" provided in the annular upper wall 11. The depending tubular projection 12 is provided with a lower end portion which is bent inwardly the opening "A", then upwardly and towards the depending tubular projection 12, in order to form a continuous tubular rib 13 which can have a circular shape, for example. Still in the embodiment illustrated in figures 3 and 4, the peripheral region 31a of the closing end portion 31 of the lid 30 has a free upper edge 31b which is bent outwardly, downwardly and towards the peripheral region 31a, in order to define a tubular upper rib 31c to be seated on the annular upper wall 11 of the container 10 around the opening "A" .

It should be understood that the free upper edge 31b of the peripheral region 31a of the lid 30 might present different constructive forms.

In the constructions of figures 3 and 4, the peripheral region 31a of the lid 30 extends downwardly, defining the sealing portion 32 in the form of a surrounding side wall, in which is provided a continuous peripheral recess 32c, inside which is sealingly fitted and axially retained the continuous tubular rib 13 of the depending tubular projection 12.

According to the invention, the lid 30 further comprises a handle 33 defined by a wall portion comprising a median portion 33b_ with_ _. an___ _. uj3Wj-rjiJLy_ curved profile, preferably frusto-conical or in the form of a calotte, and having a marginal edge 33a that

is seated and incorporated to a respective extension of the peripheral region 31a of the end closing portion 31, preferably by being molded jointly with the lid 30. As illustrated in figures 1 and 2, the marginal edge 33a and an adjacent part of the median portion 33b of the handle 33 are cut by a radial cutout 34, defining a radial opening 35 with sufficient dimensions to allow the radial insertion, from the outside to the inside of the lid 30, of the end phalange of at least one finger of the user, preferably the end phalanges of his/her parallel fingers.

In the preferred construction, the radial cutout 34 is bent inwardly the lid 30 and its median portion is disposed in a radial region between the center of the lid 30 and the peripheral region 31a to open the container, in order to provide a comfortable fitting place for the user's fingers, with his/her palm resting on a region of the sealing portion 32 of the lid 30 diametrically opposed to the radial opening 33, so that the user's hand forms a lever, using his/her fingers to gradually open the lid 30.

In order to allow stacking one container over the other, and considering that most containers are provided with flat bottom walls, the lid 30 is superiorly contained in a plane P orthogonal to the axis thereof. For this reason, the end closing portion 31 of said lid 30 is lowered in relation to the sealing portion 32, having the tubular upper rib 31c thereof superiorly contained in said plane P and the preferably frusto-conical handle 33 being disposed inferiorly to said plane P. However, in an alternative embodiment, not illustrated, in case the container to be closed is provided with a concave bottom wall, both the closing portion of the lid and its sealing portion

could be contained in said plane P, with the gripping handle of the lid projecting upwardly, beyond said plane P.

It should be noted that, while the embodiment above is the preferred one, mainly due to its simplicity, the lid of the present invention might present two radial openings 35, as illustrated in figures 3 and 4, three radial openings 35, as illustrated in figure 5, or even more, not illustrated, equally angularly spaced apart. The only basic condition to be considered resides in the radial openings being always positioned in a region between the center of the lid and the opening peripheral region of the container, for allowing the user to use his/her hand as a lever to remove the lid.