Package with lid-sealing system

Abstract

A package includes a container and a lid adapted to mate with a brim of the container. The lid closes a top opening in the container when mounted to the brim of the container.

1 . A process for making and using a package, the process comprising the steps of
 providing a container formed to include an interior product-storage region and a brim arranged to border a top opening into the interior product-storage region, the brim including an endless upwardly facing top surface including an endless inner perimeter region bordering and surrounding the top opening and providing an endless temporary sheet-bonding zone thereon and an outer perimeter region surrounding the endless inner perimeter region and providing a ring-support zone thereon,   providing a closure configured to mount on the brim in a closed position to close the top opening and block access to the interior product-storage region, the closure including a sheet-support ring arranged to engage the ring-support zone on the outer perimeter region of the endless upwardly facing top surface of the brim when the closure is positioned to lie in the closed position on the brim, and the closure further including a membrane sheet coupled to the sheet-support ring to move therewith relative to the brim of the container when the closure is separated from the brim to allow access to the interior product-storage region, the membrane sheet including a ring-shaped outer portion bonded permanently to the sheet-support ring to form an endless seal therebetween, a central portion surrounded by the ring-shaped outer portion and arranged to cover the top opening into the interior product-storage region when the closure is positioned to lie in the closed position on the brim, and a ring-shaped middle portion arranged to interconnect an outer perimeter edge of the central portion and an inner perimeter edge of the ring-shaped outer portion, the ring-shaped middle portion including a downwardly facing surface arranged to overlie and confront the endless temporary sheet-bonding zone on the endless inner perimeter region of the endless upwardly facing top surface of the brim,   moving the membrane sheet of the closure downwardly toward the brim of the container to cause the ring-shaped middle portion of the closure to contact the endless inner perimeter region of the endless upwardly facing top surface of the brim and to locate any spilled product extant on the endless upwardly facing top surface of the brim under the downwardly facing surface of the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet, and   stretching the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet of the closure in radially outward directions relative to the central portion of the membrane sheet during further movement of the closure relative to the brim of the container to move substantially all of the spilled product extant on the upwardly facing surface of the brim away from the endless temporary sheet-bonding zone of the brim to cause substantially all of the upwardly facing surface of the brim to be free of spilled product and to mate with the downwardly facing surface of the ring-shaped middle portion and confront the endless temporary sheet-bonding zone on the endless upwardly facing top surface of the brim.   
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of heating the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet to establish a chemical-bond sealing connection between the membrane sheet and the upwardly facing surface of the brim of the container to cause a hermetic seal to be established. 
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 2 , wherein heat in excess of a selected temperature is applied to the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet during the heating step to cause any residual spilled product located on the upwardly facing surface of the brim in a space provided between the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet and the brim of the container after the stretching step to be gasified and pass as a gas from the space through the membrane sheet into the surroundings so that no spilled product remains on the brim of the container. 
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 2 , further comprising the step of pivoting a portion of the sheet-support ring relative to the brim of the container about a fulcrum provided on a first bend line upwardly away from the brim of the container to cause the closure to move from an initial position associated with the closed position of the closure on the brim of the container. 
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 4 , further comprising the step of peeling a first peel-initiation section of the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet from the endless temporary sheet-bonding zone on the endless inner perimeter region of the endless upwardly facing top surface of the brim. 
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 5 , wherein the peeling step occurs after the pivoting step. 
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of heating the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet to establish a chemical-bond sealing connection between the membrane sheet and the upwardly facing surface of the brim of the container to cause a hermetic seal to be established, pivoting a portion of the sheet-support ring relative to the brim of the container about a fulcrum provided on a first bend line upwardly away from the brim of the container to cause the closure to move from an initial position associated with the closed position of the closure on the brim of the container, and peeling a first peel-initiation section of the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet from the endless temporary sheet-bonding zone on the endless inner perimeter region of the endless upwardly facing top surface of the brim, wherein the sheet-support ring includes a central brim-mount platform and a first pivotable sheet-separator lever arm providing the portion of the sheet-support ring which pivots about the fulcrum and the first pivotable sheet-separator lever arm is coupled to a first end of the central brim-mount platform. 
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 7 , wherein the sheet-support ring further includes a second pivotable sheet-separator lever arm coupled to the central brim-mount platform to locate the top opening between the first and second pivotable sheet-separator lever arms for movement relative to the central brim-mount platform about a second bend line upwardly away from the brim of the container during the peeling step. 
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 7 , wherein the central brim-mount platform of the sheet-support ring includes a first strip arranged to mate with an underlying portion of the outer perimeter region located on one side of the brim in the ring-support zone provided thereon and a second strip arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the first strip to locate the top opening therebetween and to mate with an underlying portion of the outer perimeter region located on an opposite second side of the brim in the ring-support zone provided thereon. 
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 9 , wherein the first pivotable sheet-separator lever arm is coupled to one end of each of the first and second strips and the sheet-support ring further includes a second pivotable sheet-separator lever arm coupled to an opposite second end of each of the first and second strips of the central brim-mount platform to locate the top opening between the first and second pivotable sheet-separator lever arms for movement relative to the central brim-mount platform about a second bend line upwardly away from the brim of the container during the peeling step. 
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 7 , wherein the first pivotable sheet-separator lever arm is arranged to extend outwardly away from the brim and the first bend line to cause a free end of the first pivotable sheet-separator lever arm to lie at a first pry distance from the first bend line, the first peel-initiation section of the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet initially is bonded temporarily to a portion of the endless temporary sheet-bonding zone provided on the first pivotable sheet-separator lever arm between the first bend line and the free end of the first pivotable sheet-separator lever arm, the first peel-initiation section of the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet has a tip arranged to lie between the free end of the first pivotable sheet-separator lever arm and the first bend line to establish a sheet-lift point at the tip at a peel-initiation distance from the first bend line, and the peel-initiation distance is less than the first pry distance to cause a mechanical advantage to be created so that a lifting force applied to the membrane sheet at the sheet-lift point is greater than a pry force applied by a consumer to an underside of the free end of the first pivotable sheet-separator lever arm during first-time removal of the closure from the container. 
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 11 , wherein the first pivotable sheet-separator lever arm includes a first shelf bonded permanently to the ring-shaped outer portion of the membrane sheet and a handgrip appended to the first shelf, the first shelf includes an outer edge defining a first peel-initiation notch opening toward the central portion of the membrane sheet and having an apex lying in spaced-apart relation to the first bend line and adjacent to the tip of the first peel-initiation section of the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet to locate the first peel-initiation section between the apex and the first bend line in temporary mating relation with the endless temporary sheet-bonding zone on the brim. 
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 12 , wherein the central brim-mount platform of the sheet-support ring includes a first strip arranged to mate with an underlying portion of the outer perimeter region located on one side of the brim in the ring-support zone provided thereon and a second strip arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the first strip to locate the top opening therebetween and to mate with an underlying portion of the outer perimeter region located on an opposite second side of the brim in the ring-support zone provided thereon, and the first shelf is coupled to first ends of each of the first and second strips. 
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of heating the membrane sheet after the stretching step and wherein the downwardly facing surface of the ring-shaped middle portion is configured to provide means for chemically bonding with the upwardly facing surface of the brim during the heating step, separating from the upwardly facing surface of the brim in response to application of an external peeling force to the membrane sheet to disengage the closure from the brim of the container, and mating with the upwardly facing surface of the brim of the container to close the top opening into the interior product-storage region formed in the container when the closure is coupled to the container by a consumer so that any product stored in the interior product-storage region is retained in a chamber defined by the container and the closure. 
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the endless inner perimeter region of the endless upwardly facing top surface also includes an unbonded zone arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the ring-support zone to locate the endless temporary sheet-bonding zone therebetween and the central portion of the membrane sheet includes a center segment arranged to close the top opening into the interior product-storage region and an outer segment arranged to surround the center segment and interconnect the center segment and the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet and positioned to overlie the unbonded zone established on the endless inner perimeter region of the endless upwardly facing top surface of the brim. 
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein a first portion of the spilled product extant on the upwardly facing surface of the brim moves in a radially outward direction away from the interior product-storage region during the stretching step. 
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 16 , wherein a second portion of the spilled product extant on the upwardly facing surface of the brim moves in a radially inward direction toward the interior product-storage region during the stretching step. 
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 17 , wherein the first portion and the second portion of the spilled product extant on the upwardly facing surface of the brim are substantially all of the spilled product extant on the upwardly facing surface of the brim. 
     
     
         19 . The process of  claim 17 , further comprising the step of heating the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet to establish a chemical-bond sealing connection between the membrane sheet and the upwardly facing surface of the brim of the container to cause a hermetic seal to be established, wherein heat in excess of a selected temperature is applied to the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet during the heating step to cause a third portion of the spilled product extant on the upwardly facing surface of the brim in a space provided between the ring-shaped middle portion of the membrane sheet and the brim of the container after the stretching step to be gasified and pass as a gas from the space through the membrane sheet into the surroundings so that no spilled product remains on the brim of the container. 
     
     
         20 . The process of  claim 19 , wherein the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion of the spilled product extant on the upwardly facing surface of the brim are substantially all of the spilled product extant on the upwardly facing surface of the brim.