Wmf Container Corporation

Scott Paper Company

Canada Cup, Inc.

Leesona Corporation

John H Kurz

Edward E Batson

Edward Batson

Clifford J Roberts

Disclosed is a disposable container lid for releasably mounting to a disposable container. The lid includes a central portion having a rim engaging means about the circumference of the central portion. An access strip is provided by a pair of tear impressions extending from the rim engaging means to a hinge means located in the central portion. By breaking the tear impressions, the access strip can be pivoted back from the hinge means to create an access opening through the lid. The central portion of the lid has a primary slit therein which is preferably arcuate. At each end of the primary slit there is a tab forming slit, each forming an inwardly directed retaining flap. A deflection flap is formed by the combination of the primary slit and the tab forming slits. To lock the access strip in a non-interfering position, it is folded back and pushed against the central portion of the lid thereby causing the deflection flap to deflect down toward the contents of the container. The small retaining flaps spring past the sides of the access strip and thus overlap such sides holding the access strip in abutting, face-to-face position with the deflection flap. The access strip can be released from the retaining flaps merely by directing upward force against the access strip causing the retaining flaps to deflect upward and spring past the access strip. The access strip can then be reseated on the rim of the cup if desired.

Multi-function cup lid

A foamable plastic material is introduced to an extruder to produce a tubular parison of the material that is subsequently clamped between mold halves moving both axially and radially inwardly to form cavities for open mounted containers. Cavities for two containers are provided with each set of mold haves clamped together around the parison at the middle of the mold set to provide individual container cavities extending on either side of the clamped portion, said individual cavities terminating in the mouth portion of the container cavity which is joined in a mouth to mouth relationship with an individual container cavity of the next set of mold halves. A portion of the molten plastic material can be removed from the parison extruder at a point upstream from the point of introduction of a foaming agent and routed to the extrusion head where it is coextruded with the material containing foaming agent thus resulting in a coextruded parison having an outer layer of plastic material that contains no foaming agent and an inner layer of the same plastic material that contains a foaming agent. The resulting product is one where the outer layer provides a smooth and glossy surface finish of unfoamed plastic material to the container comprised mainly of foamed plastic material.

Method for continuously forming open-mouthed foamed plastic containers

An apparatus for forming frangible score lines in rigid plastic sheet material. The apparatus utilizes a flat surface having a serrated edge having points and notches. The rigid plastic sheet material is laid on the flat surface. A scoring means is positioned to strike downwardly on the sheet material whereby the points of the serrated edge of the flat surface will extend into the sheet material a distance further than the notches of the serrated edge to thus form a corrugated fracturable score line in the plastic sheet material. The apparatus is useful for forming score lines in lids for drink cups intended for fast food service.

Apparatus for scoring rigid plastic sheet material

According to this invention, there is provided a method and apparatus for making an article, such as a lid for a plastic food container made of plastic having frangible score lines. The article is formed of a sheet of plastic material having substantially constant thickness with score lines defining an offset portion thereof which is connected to the remaining sheet material by a segment that is thinner than said sheet material and being rupturable for the removal of said offset portion. The periphery of the inwardly directed portion of said offset portion overlaps the periphery of the outwardly directed portion of the offset portion on the opposite side of said sheet material. The fracturable score lines are corrugated along their length by a plurality of successive grooves and ridges with the grooves extending deeper into the material than the ridges.

Plastic closure with score lines

A method for making an article, such as a plastic food container lid having frangible score lines. The article is formed of a sheet of plastic material having substantially constant thickness with score lines defining an offset portion thereof which is connected to the remaining sheet material by a segment that is thinner than the sheet material and being rupturable for the removal of the offset portion. The periphery of the inwardly directed portion of the offset portion overlaps the periphery of the outwardly directed portion of the offset portion on the opposite side of the sheet material. The fracturable score lines are corrugated along their length by a plurality of successive grooves and ridges with the grooves extending deeper into the material than the ridges.

Method for scoring rigid plastic sheet material

Container lid

A method for tearing a thin sheet material and a tearable thin sheet material having a predetermined tear line wherein the material is corrugated along a predetermined tear line to be torn. The corrugations have at least one edge, a base and an apex and the material is torn along said edge.

Tearable structure

An extruder or the like, continuously issues a heated plastics material in the form of an elongated web, which is moved sequentially to molding and article severing stations. The products cut out are moved to lip rolling printing and drying stations. Articles such as containers are formed by the mechanism which includes a turntable assembly for varying the length of the web travel path between an extruder and forming station to thereby control the residual heat in the web at the time of forming, and a molding drum with improved plug assist devices which are air powered and also include air emitting ports to move the web into intimate engagement with the mold cavities as a final forming step under controlled conditions which assure that the pressure is applied at exactly the proper time. The system includes a lip curling system which feeds containers severed from the web in stepwise fashion through forming roll sections and releases them in timed relation to indexible mandrels. The system further includes a printing assembly which utilizes offset printing mechanism in combination with the mandrels, and associated ink drying mechanism, to print the containers prior to releasing or ejecting them.

Growing community of inventors

Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America

John H Kurz