Pail and lid assembly

Abstract

A pail and lid with an integral handle molded with the lid includes a pail side wall extending upwardly from the pail bottom to an upper peripheral edge. The lid includes a cover portion shaped to cover the open top and a peripheral skirt depending from said cover portion, said skirt having an upper annular portion and a lower annular portion and both shaped to surround an outer surface of the pail side wall at or adjacent the upper edge and separated by a peripheral tear strip. The handle is integrally formed with said lower portion for carrying the pail. The skirt and pail have co-operating upper and lower pairs of retaining lips shaped to snap over each other by downward movement of the cover portion onto the pail to hold the cover portion on the pail. The skirt is sufficiently stiff to allow both snap actions to be effected simultaneously be pressure downwardly from the cover. The lower pair provide greater retaining force such that, prior to pulling the tear strip, co-operation of said lower retaining lip of the peripheral skirt and said lower retaining lip of the pail provides a strong force in maintaining the cover portion on the pail and such that, upon tearing, co-operation of said lower retaining lip of the peripheral skirt and said lower retaining lip of the pail substantially prevents upward vertical displacement of said lower portion and the handle thereon relative to said pail so that the handle can accept high loads.

1 . A container comprising: 
 a pail comprising: 
 a pail bottom;  
 a pail side wall extending upwardly from the pail bottom to an upper peripheral edge spaced from the bottom and defining inwardly of the peripheral edge an open top;  
 an upper outwardly facing retaining lip extending around the pail side wall at or adjacent the upper edge;  
 and a lower outwardly facing retaining lip disposed about the pail side wall below the upper outwardly facing retaining lip;  
   and a lid assembly for the pail comprising: 
 a cover portion shaped to cover the open top;  
 a peripheral skirt depending from said cover portion, said skirt having an upper annular portion and a lower annular portion and both shaped to surround an outer surface of the pail side wall at or adjacent the upper edge;  
 an upper inwardly facing retaining lip extending around said upper portion adapted to co-operate with said upper outwardly facing retaining lip of the side wall to retain said cover portion and said upper portion on said pail;  
 a lower inwardly facing retaining lip extending around said lower portion adapted to co-operate with said lower outwardly facing retaining lip of the side wall to retain said cover portion and said lower portion on said pail;  
 a handle integrally formed with said lower portion for carrying the pail;  
 and a tear strip connecting said upper portion to said lower portion which is tearable around the peripheral skirt to separate the lower portion from the upper portion;  
   the upper retaining lip of the peripheral skirt being shaped to snap over the upper retaining lip of the pail side wall by downward movement of the cover portion onto the pail to hold the cover portion on the pail;    and the lower retaining lip of the peripheral skirt being shaped to snap over the lower retaining lip of the pail side wall by downward movement of the cover portion onto the pail to hold the cover portion on the pail    such that, prior to detachment of said upper portion from said lower portion, co-operation of said lower retaining lip of the peripheral skirt and said lower retaining lip of the pail assists in maintaining the cover portion on the pail;    and such that, upon detachment of said upper portion from said lower portion, co-operation of said lower retaining lip of the peripheral skirt and said lower retaining lip of the pail substantially prevents upward vertical displacement of said lower portion and the handle thereon relative to said pail.    
     
     
         2 . The container according to  claim 1  wherein the upper and lower retaining lips are arranged such that both retaining lips of the lid assembly snap over the respective retaining lip of the pail side wall by downward movement of the cover portion substantially simultaneously.  
     
     
         3 . The container according to  claim 1  wherein the skirt including the tear strip is sufficiently stiff to cause the communication of forces from the cover portion through the skirt and the tear strip to cause the lower retaining lip of the lid assembly to snap over the lower retaining lip of the pail.  
     
     
         4 . The container according to  claim 1  wherein the retaining lips are arranged such that a pulling force necessary to effect separation of the lower retaining lips is greater than a force necessary to effect separation of the upper retaining lips.  
     
     
         5 . The container according to  claim 1  wherein pail side wall is tapered downwardly and inwardly from the top edge to the bottom to allow stacking of the pail inside another identical pail.  
     
     
         6 . The container according to  claim 1  wherein an inside surface of the pail side wall up to and including the top edge is tapered.  
     
     
         7 . The container according to  claim 1  wherein the lower retaining lip of the pail is formed on an outside surface of a beam ring on the outside of the side wall.  
     
     
         8 . The container according to  claim 7  wherein the bearing ring includes a shoulder which abuts the lower portion to prevent dropping of the lower portion on the pail when the tear strip is disconnected.  
     
     
         9 . The container according to  claim 7  wherein there are provided a series of angled guide surfaces between the outside surface of the pail side wall and the raised band for guiding downward movement of lower portion of the skirt.  
     
     
         10 . The container according to  claim 1  wherein the upper retaining lip of each of the lid assembly and the pail is formed by a single ring.  
     
     
         11 . The container according to  claim 1  wherein the handle extends around the peripheral skirt from a hinge coupling at one side to a generally opposed hinge coupling at the other side and wherein the handle is connected to the lower portion of the skirt at the hinge couplings and at least at two additional points angularly spaced around the skirt, the additional points being frangible to allow the handle to be rotated about the hinge couplings.  
     
     
         12 . The container according to  claim 11  wherein the handle follows the skirt at a substantially constant distance from the skirt.  
     
     
         13 . The container according to  claim 11  wherein the handle is wider at a center position spaced from both hinge couplings.  
     
     
         14 . The container according to  claim 1  wherein the lid assembly has an annular skirt extending downwardly along the inside surface of the side wall of the pail which has a lower edge for contacting the inside surface so as to form a seal therewith.