Container

Claim 2

A snap-in thermoplastic lid for a container, said lid comprising an annular base joined at its outer edge with a generally inverted U-shaped rim, said rim defined by two generally vertical legs traversed by a bight portion, a stacking ring extending generally circumferentially about said bight portion and presenting along its inside dimension a shoulder inclined upwardly and outwardly from said bight portion, wherein the outer edge of said annular base defines an area the diameter of which is at least as great as the area defined by the circumferential inside corner at the lower end of said shoulder, said stacking ring being interrupted about its circumference to provide at least one venting passageway, whereby when one said lid is stacked with another like lid the bottom of the annular base of the upper lid is spaced upwardly from the bight portion of the lower lid to allow ready venting therebetween and through said venting passageway so that separation of the stacked lids can be readily accomplished.

Claim 3

The lid of claim 1 wherein the angular inclination of said shoulder from said bight portion is about 120* plus about 40* or minus about 20* .

Claim 4

A thermoplastic container including a tub and a Lid snap-fitted therein, said tub having a bottom wall, a circumferential sidewall extending upwardly and generally inclined outwardly from said bottom wall and ending in a peripheral rim at its upper extent, a circumferential stacking ridge including said rim and a portion of said sidewall immediately therebelow, said stacking ridge being defined by a tub shoulder at its lower end and by a shelf at its upper end, the outer extent of said tub shoulder being greater than the inner extent of said shelf whereby the tub shoulder of one such container can seat on the shelf of a next lower like tub to provide a positive stack between two such tubs when nested together, said lid comprising an annular base joined at its outer edge with a generally inverted U-shaped rim, said rim defined by two generally vertical legs traversed by a bight portion, a stacking ring extending generally circumferentially about said bight portion and presenting along its inside dimension a lid shoulder inclined upwardly and outwardly from said bight portion and presenting along its inside dimension a lid shoulder inclined upwardly and outwardly from said bight portion, wherein the outer edge of said annular base defines an area the diameter of which is at least as great as the area defined by the circumferential inside corner at the lower end of said lid shoulder, said stacking ring being interrupted about its circumference to provide at least one venting passageway, whereby when one said lid is stacked with another like lid the bottom of the annular base of the upper lid is spaced upwardly from the bight portion of the lower lid to allow ready venting between the two and through said venting passageway so that separation of the lids from a nested stack can be readily accomplished.

Claim 5

A thermoplastic container including a tub and a Lid snap-fitted therein, said tub having a bottom wall, a circumferential sidewall extending upwardly and generally inclined outwardly from said bottom wall and ending in a peripheral rim at its upper extent, a circumferential stacking ridge including said rim and a portion of said sidewall immediately therebelow, said stacking ridge being defined by a tub shoulder at its lower end and by a shelf at its upper end, the outer extent of said tub shoulder being greater than the inner extent of said shelf whereby the tub shoulder of one such container can seat on the shelf of a next lower like tub to provide a positive stack between two such tubs when nested together, said lid comprising an annular base joined at its outer edge with a generally inverted U-shaped rim, said rim defined by two generally vertical legs traversed by a bight portion, a stacking ring extending generally circumferentially about said bight portion and presenting along its inside dimension a lid shoulder inclined upwardly and outwardly from said bight portion and presenting along its inside dimension a lid shoulder inclined upwardly and outwardly from said bight portion, wherein the outer edge of said annular base defines an area the diameter of which is at least as great as the area defined by the circumferential inside corner at the lower end of said lid shoulder, said stacking ring being interrupted about its circumference to provide at least one venting passageway, whereby when one said lid is stacked with another like lid the bottom of the annular base of the upper lid is spaced upwardly from the bight portion of the lower lid to allow ready venting between the two and through said venting passageway so that separation of the lids from a nested stack can be readily accomplished.

Claim 6

The container of claim 3, wherein said lid and said tub have complimentary sidewall sections.

Claim 7

The container of claim 4, wherein the sidewall sections of said lid have a total vertical depth less than the vertical depth of said tub stacking ridge from the tub rim so that the annual base of said lid is spaced upwardly from the shoulder of said tub stacking ridge.

Claim 8

The container of claim 5 wherein the angular inclination of said lid shoulder from said bight portion is about 120* plus about 40* or minus about 20* .