Lid

Abstract

A coverall lid or closure for gripping and sealing engagement with the bead of a cuplike container. The lid includes a central panel which is connected to a circumferential cavity by means of a corrugated ring. The cavity is adapted to receive the bead of the container and abut the bead in sealed engagement. A conical skirt extends downward and outward from the lower edge of the cavity. The upper portion of the skirt and the lower portion of the cavity form a waist and this waist is interrupted by a series of circumferentially spaced flutes. The portion of the skirt between the flutes act as lands, each land having a decreasing circumferential extent from a lower portion to an inner portion thereof to facilitate flexing of the lands radially outward when engaged by the container bead. The lower portion of the cavity is moveable into position beneath the bead to grip the latter when the lid is fitted on the container.

What I claim is: 
     
       1. A lid for gripping and sealing engagement with a container having a bead about an upper edge thereof, said lid comprising a central panel, means defining an inwardly opening, circumferentially extending cavity on said lid at a position radially outwardly of said central panel to receive said bead and to abut said bead in sealed engagement, means connecting said cavity to the outer edge of said panel, a conical skirt extending downward and outward from the lower edge of said cavity defining means and terminating a free end having a diameter larger than the diameter of said bead, whereby the upper portion of said skirt and the lower portion of said cavity defining means from a waist, and a series of circumferentially spaced flutes, interrupting said waist, the portions of said skirt between said flutes acting as lands when the lid is telescoped on a container, each of said lands having a decreasing circumferential extent from a lower portion to an inner portion thereof to facilitate flexing of said land radially outward when cammed by the container bead, the lower portion of said cavity defining means being moveable into position beneath said bead to grip the latter when the lid is fitted on said container. 
     
     
       2. A lid in accordance with claim 1 in which said cavity-defining means is elongated in the vertical direction to accommodate bulges in the container bead. 
     
     
       3. A lid in accordance with claim 1 in which said connecting means includes a flexible annular corrugated ring disposed between said central panel and said cavity-defining means, each of the corrugations in said ring being tapered on height with the higher ends outermost. 
     
     
       4. A lid in accordance with claim 3 in which said flutes project upwardly into said cavity-defining means to a point immediately below a tangential line to said cavity-defining means. 
     
     
       5. A lid in accordance with claim 4 in which the waist extends inward to about one-half of the width of said cavity and the skirt extends downward at an angle of less than about 31° to the vertical plane. 
     
     
       6. A lid in accordance with claim 1 in which stacking lugs in the shape of oblique frustums of triangular pyramids depend from said central panel and into the area defined by said skirt for resting on another central panel of another lid when stacked therewith, said lugs having one corner thereof directed outward. 
     
     
       7. A lid in accordance with claim 5 in which said connecting means includes a tapered collar connecting the inner end of the corrugations to the central panel. 
     
     
       8. A lid for gripping and sealing engagement with an open mouth container having an annular bead about the upper edge thereof, said lid comprising a central panel extending substantially across the mouth of the container, a conical-shaped collar joined to outer edge of said panel, a ring having radially extending corrugations joined to and projecting outward and downward from said collar, said corrugations being tapered in height with the higher ends being outermost, a circumferentially extending cavity defining means joined to said ring and elongated in the vertical direction to receive said container bead and to have a sealed engagement therewith, a conical skirt depending from said cavity defining means and projecting downwardly and outwardly to a free end having a diameter larger than that of said container bead, whereby the lower portion of said cavity-defining means and the upper portion of said skirt forms a waist and a series of flutes interrupting said waist, the portions of said skirt between said flutes acting as lands when the lid is telescoped on the container, each of said lands having a decreasing circumferential dimension in the upward direction and flexing outward about the lower and wider portion of said land to permit telescoping of said lid on said container bead, said lower portion of said cavity-defining means flexing inward and beneath said bead when said lid is telescoped on said container to grip therewith and hold said lid in sealed engagement with said container bead. 
     
     
       9. A lid in accordance with claim 8 in which stacking lugs in the shape of oblique frustums of triangular pyramids depend from said central panel into the area defined by said skirt for resting on another central panel of another lid when stacked therewith, said lugs having one corner thereof directed outward. 
     
     
       10. A lid in accordance with claim 8 in which the waist extends inward about one-half the radial width of said cavity. .Iadd. 11. A lid for gripping and sealing engagement with a container having a bead about an upper edge thereof, said lid comprising a central panel, means defining a circumferentially extending cavity on said lid at a position radially outwardly of said central panel to receive said bead and to abut said bead in sealed engagement, means connecting an inner end of said cavity defining means to the outer edge of said panel for permitting said inner end to flex and to expand the cavity radially outwardly during application to a container bead, a conical skirt extending downwardly and outwardly from a lower edge of said cavity defining means and terminating in a free end having a diameter larger than the diameter of said bead, an upper portion of said skirt and the lower edge of said cavity defining means forming a waist having a diameter less than the outer diameter of the container bead, a series of circumferentially spaced flutes interrupting said waist, said flutes having a decreasing depth from said waist toward said free end of said conical skirt, and surfaces of decreasing circumferential extent in the upward direction on portions of said skirt between said flutes acting as lands for camming engagement with the container bead when the lid is forced onto a container, said means being being located downwardly of said connecting means and radially inwardly of the outermost portion of said cavity thereby defining an inwardly directed access opening into said cavity for the bead, said waist being positioned to engage the bead and to be forced radially outwardly during movement of said bead through said access opening, the outward movement of said waist forcing an upper wall of said cavity defining means to roll outwardly which forces said connecting means upwardly, and said waist returning to a position beneath said bead to grip the latter and the radially outer end of said connecting means positioned adjacent the bead when said bead is 
     
     
        projected into said cavity. .Iaddend..Iadd. 12.  A lid in accordance with claim 11 in which said flutes have an increasing width in said conical skirt from their lower ends to said waist. .Iaddend..Iadd. 13. A lid in accordance with claim 12 in which said connecting means includes a flexible annular corrugated ring disposed between said central panel and said cavity defining means. .Iaddend..Iadd. 14. A lid in accordance with claim 11 in which said lands are generally flat and generally trapezoidal in shape. .Iaddend..Iadd. 15. A lid in accordance with claim 11 in which said waist extends inward to about one-half the width of said cavity and the skirt extends downward at an angle of less than about 31° to the vertical plane. .Iaddend..Iadd. 16. A lid for gripping and sealing engagement with a container having a bead about an upper edge thereof, said lid comprising a central panel, a cavity defining wall extending circumferentially on said lid at a position radially outwardly of said central panel to receive said bead therein, a conical skirt extending downward and outward from the lower edge of said cavity defining means and terminating in a free end having a diameter larger than the diameter of said bead, said conical skirt joining a lower and radially outwardly end of said cavity defining wall at a waist located substantially beneath the center of said cavity to grip the underside of a bead inserted therein, a radially inner end of said cavity wall being spaced upwardly and radially inwardly of said waist, a connecting wall extending circumferentially between said central panel and said inner end of said cavity defining wall, said connecting wall extending upwardly and inwardly from said inner end of said cavity to the outer edge of said central panel, said inner and outer ends of said cavity wall defining an access opening directed inwardly and a series of circumferentially spaced flutes interrupting said waist, and the portions of said skirt between said flutes acting as lands as said bead forces said waist outwardly and rolls the upper wall portion of said cavity defining wall in an upward and outward direction as said bead is being forced through said access opening and into said cavity, the radially outer end of said connecting means being disposed adjacent said bead when said lid is positioned on said container, said lands having a decreasing circumferential extent in an upward direction and said flutes having a decreasing depth from said waist toward said free end of said conical skirt. .Iaddend..Iadd. 17. A lid in accordance with claim 16 formed of one piece and thermoformed from a sheet of plastic of uniform cross-sectional thickness. .Iaddend..Iadd. 18. A lid in accordance with claim 17 in which spaced stacking lugs are formed in said central panel for resting on the central panel of another lid when stacked therewith. .Iaddend..Iadd. 19. A lid in accordance with claim 16 in which said connecting means comprises a flexible annular corrugated ring disposed between said central panel and said cavity defining means. .Iaddend.