The invention relates to an injection moulded plastics container having a circumferential lock rib which engages a circumferential lock rim of a container lid.

It is the purpose of the invention to provide an easily manufactured injection moulded container to be closed with a lid which though easily removable will stay safely and sealingly at the container during transport, especially if the container drops down.

The plastics container according to the invention is characteristic in that the rim portion of the container is connected with the container along a circumferential hinge line at which the wall thickness is reduced so that the rim portion is allowed to swing and/or be torn off.

Contrary to what is the case in known construct¬ ions, this provides a greater resistance against opening of the container during transport without involving that it becomes more difficult to open when to be used. The contain¬ er rim will swing easily and without the use of tools from closing position to opening position, and in upright position it forms a ring which highly secures the container lid. A further advantage consists in that the rim portion according to the invention may be provided with two score lines form¬ ing an angle with the hinge line and defining a breaking flap to be torn off for opening of the container, which will provide an indication as to whether the container has been opened after the first application of the lid. There will be two fields of use in which the invent¬ ion will offer great advantages:

One is the so-called heavy duty-packings which despite the designation will stand up to a fall upon the lid only from quite a low height. The opening thereof may be difficult and often requires tools.

The second field is small packings to which the in¬ vention provides a construction which is secured against un-

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intentional opening, permits an easy intentional opening and allows an exterior decoration right up to the top of the packing. Such containers are cheap to manufacture.

On a container having a large circumference the rim portion may according to the invention be hinged to the periphery of a radial flange of the container lying at some distance from the container mouth so as to form the outer side of a groove opening upwards and in which a lid skirt having a lock edge may be embedded. According to the invent- ion, in containers having a smaller circumference, the fold- able rim portion may be substantially flush with the contain¬ er wall when being in upright closing position.

The container according to the invention is easily manufactured by injection moulding. In a preferred method according to the invention it is moulded with the movable rim portion folded down to point in a direction away from the container mouth whereafter at a time after the moulding it is folded up into closing position in which it points in the opposite direction. This allows the container to be moulded without any negative draw, and the rim portion may be pro¬ vided with a larger snap bead than if moulded in upright position. In cases where it is desired to provide a so-called pilfer-proof construction it will be necessary, however, to mould the hinged rim portion in an upright position. In the following the invention will be further de¬ scribed with reference to the drawing in which

Figures 1 to 4 show partial sections through two different embodiments of the container according to the in¬ vention, with the rim portion in closed position around an attached lid and in folded down position, respectively.

Figure 5 a smaller container according to the in¬ vention, having an internal lid.

Figure 6 an axial section through the container in Figure 5, Figure 7 a partial section showing the rim portion of the container in Figure 5 folded down.

Figure 8 a partial section through a lid for a con-

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tainer according to the invention.

Figure 9 the lid in Figure 8 attached to the con¬ tainer made for it, and

Figure 10 a sectional view of another embodiment of the container formed as a bucket.

Figures 1 and 2 show sections through a part of a container 1. The wall of the container comprises a rim bead 6 at the top and, at some distance from the mouth, a radial flange in the form of a conical bead which continues at its outer periphery into a rim portion 2,7 at a circumferential hinge line 3 along which the wall thickness is reduced. In the upright position shown in Figure 1, the rim portion 2 holds a lid 4 which clutches the rim bead 6 and with a snap bead 5 engages a lock rib on the inner wall of the rim port- ion. When the lid is to be removed, the rim portion 2 is swung downwards into the position shown by 7 in Figure 2, around the hinge line 3. When the lid is to be applied again, the rim portion is swung upwards as indicated by the arrow in Figure 1. In the embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4, the hinge line 3 is situated at the side face of the rim portion 9, which in locking position is the outer side, and the contain¬ er is moulded without any negative draw with the rim portion being in the downward position shown in Figure 3. The snap bead may thus be increased and given the optimum shape to achieve the most effective locking of the lid. The rim port¬ ion is folded upwards to locking position either before or after application of the lid 8. In the present case the lid 8 is a sheet-metal lid having an outwardly bent lock edge catching around a snap lock rib 10 on the rim portion.

Figures 5 and 6 show a perspective resp. a sectional view of a bucket 11 having an internal lid 13 and a rim port¬ ion 12. When it is desired to open the container, the open¬ ing flap 15 is pressed outwards and downwards to break the score lines 1 , and the rim portion may be folded downwards all the way round the hinge line 16.

Figure 8 shows a partial section through a lid 18

for the container 22 through which a partial section is shown as well in Figure 9. The lid is moulded in the shape shown in Figure 8, and it will appear that in mounted position the skirt portion thereof is pressed inwards by the rim port- ion 20 of the container so as to provide a strained contact between the bent lock edge 19 of the lid skirt and the rim portion of the container.

In the embodiment of a bucket according to the in¬ vention shown in Figure 10, the hinge line 16 is situated at the outer periphery of a rim bead on the container 11, and the rim portion 12 catches with a lock rib around a bent lock edge on the skirt of a lid 13, the inner side of which is flush with the inner side of the container wall.

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