Secondary protective lid

Abstract

The present invention relates to a secondary lid for use with a package containing a foodstuff. That package has an opening that is initially sealed at purchase but the opening is unsealed by the consumer in order to obtain access to the contents of the package. There is a secondary lid that is affixed to the package and which reseals the opening and protects the contents from the external environment. The secondary lid may contact a flap or flaps of the package to hold the flap or flaps tightly closed to the opening or, in the case of a liquid, there may be a plug that enters the opening to prevent the contents from spilling. In any case, there is a seal formed in the secondary lid that surrounds and seals the opening from the environment to protect against the intrusion of air or moisture or other contaminants.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates generally to packaging for materials, and, more particularly, to a secondary lid that is used to re-close and reseal a package that has been opened by a user.[0002]There are many differing types, sizes and shapes of packages that are currently used for products such as comestibles. As an example, cereal is currently packaged in a multiserve paperboard box having an internal polyethylene bag enclosing the cereal and that packaging is used to transport the goods from the manufacturer to the grocery outlets and thereon to the ultimate consumer. The paperboard box is adequate to meet the functional end-use requirements of product protection, safety, quality and delivered shelf life, however, once the box and internal polyethylene bag are opened by the consumer, the integrity of the package is sacrificed.[0003]In general, the polyethylene bag cannot be easily resealed by the consumer to prevent moisture and oxygen from enteri...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is a secondary lid that can be easily affixed to a package, such as a box for foodstuffs, and which provides a seal to protect the contents of the package from the intrusion of oxygen, moistures or certain contaminants. In effect, the secondary lid of the present inventi

Problems solved by technology

In general, the polyethylene bag cannot be easily resealed by the consumer to prevent moisture and oxygen from entering the polyethylene bag and affecting the contents therein.

In addition, while there are tabs and the like provided by the manufacturer that are intended to allow the resealing of the flaps of the paperboard box, those tabs or other means are not particularly effective in closing and sealing the flaps and often tear off or are opened incorrectly by the consumer, thereby thwarting the possibility of resealing the box flaps to secure the integrity of the contents.

As such, the outside air can readily invade the interior of the present pa

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