Plastic container including plastic hinge assembly

a plastic container and hinge technology, applied in the field of plastic containers, can solve the problems of preventing cost-efficient automation, affecting the safety of workers, and affecting the safety of workers, and it is difficult to prevent the pin from working its way ou

Inactive Publication Date: 2005-05-19
MONOFLO INT
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a container including a hinge assembly using a plastic hinge pin that is suitable for automation while overcoming the drawbacks associated with prior attempts. The proposed design uses both a strong and secure snap fit for the hinge pin, which provides an initial engagement between the lid and the container body and a relatively short p

Problems solved by technology

Attempts have been made to automate the assembly of plastic containers including lids and the like, but problems have arisen that prevent cost-efficient automation.
It is considerably expensive if not impossible to automate the process of bending the hinge pins after installation into the hinge.
Using a straight hinge pin could solve the problem, but then it becomes difficult to prevent the pin from working its way out

Method used

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  • Plastic container including plastic hinge assembly
  • Plastic container including plastic hinge assembly
  • Plastic container including plastic hinge assembly

Examples

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Embodiment Construction

[0016] The container illustrated in FIG. 1 is exemplary as many other container configurations may benefit from the subject matter of the present invention. Additionally, the hinge assembly and the manner of securing the lid(s) to the container body is also exemplary. The invention is not necessarily meant to be limited to the container and hinge assembly shown in the drawings.

[0017] The container 10 in FIG. 1 includes a main body portion 12 formed by a bottom, side walls and end walls. A pair of complementary shaped lid members 14 are secured via a hinge assembly 16 to an uppermost surface of the side walls as shown. With the exemplary container shown in FIG. 1, in a closed position, the lid members 14 cooperate to close the container 10. Of course, the container 12 may alternatively include a single lid member or even additional lid members.

[0018] With continued reference to FIG. 1 and with reference to FIG. 2, the hinge assembly 16 is preferably formed entirely of molded plasti...

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PUM

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Abstract

A container that is preferably formed entirely of molded plastic materials includes a container body and a lid secured to the container body via a hinge assembly. The hinge assembly includes a hinge pin having a head and a shaft, where the hinge pin head has a maximum diameter substantially matching a maximum diameter of the shaft. With this construction, the container assembly can be easily and cost-effectively automated.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 519,253, filed Nov. 13, 2003, the entire content of which is herein incorporated by reference. STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT [0002] (Not Applicable) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The present invention relates to a plastic container and, more particularly, to a plastic container including a hinge assembly with a substantially straight plastic hinge pin suitable for automated assembly. [0004] Attempts have been made to automate the assembly of plastic containers including lids and the like, but problems have arisen that prevent cost-efficient automation. For example, hinge pins are typically formed of aluminum or other metal material for its strength characteristics to prevent the hinge from being broken into. In order to secure such pins in place, a bend is typically formed at an end thereof after insertion. It i...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): B65D43/16
CPCB65D43/165E05Y2900/602E05D5/125
Inventor RADER, HENNINGNIEMANN, HANS
Owner MONOFLO INT
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