Snap-on lid

Claim 2

A snap-over cover for containers having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge thereof, said cover being formed of an easily flexed material and comprising: a top wall; a depending peripheral conical skirt; an inverted peripheral channel connecting said top wall to said peripheral skirt for receiving the external peripheral bead formation of a container; an arcuate in cross section bead intermediate said top wall and said channel and having an inner edge and an outer edge; a plurality of circumferentially spaced inwardly directed projections formed in said skirt and adapted to form a waist to underlie the peripheral bead of a container to retain the cover thereon and form spring pressed detent means; and an inwardly facing arcuate land below each projection extending normal to said channel and shaped to provide a camming surface when forcing the cover onto a container and to matingly fit onto the outer side of the channel of another cover stacked in nested relation therewith to prevent lateral movement between nested covers.

Claim 3

A snap-over cover for containers having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge thereof, said cover being formed of an easily flexed material as set forth in claim 1 in which said top wall comprises: a flat generally circular surface.

Claim 4

A snap-over cover for containers having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge thereof, said cover being formed of an easily flexed material as set forth in claim 1 in which said top wall further includes: a flat wall in the center of said container having an outer generally circular edge; and an annular portion raised above the flat wall and having an inner wall connected to said generally circular edge of said central flat wall and an outer wall connected to said inner edge of said arcuate cross-sectional bead.

Claim 5

A snap-over cover for containers having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge thereof, said cover being formed of an easily flexed material as set forth in claim 2 in which each said arcuate land is formed on a circle of diameter at least equal to the outer diameter of said inverted peripheral channel.

Claim 6

A snap-over cover for coNtainers having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge thereof, said cover being formed of an easily flexed material as set forth in claim 1 in which said top wall includes: a flat wall in the center of said container having an outer generally circular edge; an annular portion raised above the flat wall and having an inner wall connected to said generally circular edge of said central flat wall and an outer wall connected to said inner edge of said arcuate cross-sectional bead; and a plurality of notches in said annular portion and spaced around said annular portion whereby each said snap-over cover stacked with another is spaced from each other snap-over cover as each notch of an upper cover bears upon an upper surface of the raised annular portion of a lower cover.

Claim 7

A snap-over cover for containers having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge thereof, said cover being formed of an easily flexed material as set forth in claim 5 in which said notches are molded into the inner wall of said raised annular portion and spaced from each other 759075*and 50*respectively whereby the notches of one cover in nested relation with another cover have the least tendency to fall into each other.

Claim 8

A snap-over cover for containers having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge therof, said cover being formed of an easily flexed material as set forth in claim 1 in which said top wall includes: an annular raised portion having an upper wall, an inner wall and an outer wall and extending adjacent said inverted peripheral channel; and a plurality of notches formed into the inner wall of said annular raised portion and spaced along its extent whereby the lower surface of said notch rests upon the upper wall of said annular raised portion of another cover when one snap-over cover is stacked above another snap-over cover.

Claim 9

A snap-over cover for containers having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge thereof, said cover being formed of an easily flexed material as set forth in claim 7 in which each said arcuate land further includes: an upper surface congruent to the outer upper surface of said inverted peripheral channel and a lower lateral surface congruent to the outer lower lateral surface of said channel whereby the lower surface of said notches rests upon the upper wall of said annular raised portion at the same time that the upper surface of said land rests upon the upper surface of said inverted peripheral channel and the lateral surface of said land rests against the lateral surface of said inverted peripheral channel to prevent lateral shift of said covers relative to each other and to provide two vertical support areas to prevent sticking.

Claim 10

A snap-over cover for containers having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge thereof, said cover being formed of an easily flexed material as set forth in claim 8 in which said notches form a rectangular recess into the inner wall of said raised annular portion.

Claim 11

A snap-over cover for containers having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge thereof as set forth in claim 9 in which said notches form a recess in the inner wall of said raised annular portion having side walls with a curved cross-section and a flat bottom wall.

Claim 12

A snap-over cover for containers having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge thereof as set forth in claim 1 in which said arcuate land further comprises: top wall includes a flat wall in the center of said container having an outer generally circular edge, a plurality of extensions along the circular edge of said flat wall, and an annular portion raised above the flat wall whereby the extensions of one cover bear on the annular portion of another cover in nested relation therewith.

Claim 13

A lid of flexible material for gripping and sealing engagement with a container having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge thereof comprising: a central panel having a generally circular margin defining its circumference; an inverted circumferentially extending channel radially outward of said central panel and having an upper inner circumferential edge and a lower outer circumferential edge; an annular portion raised above the central panel and interconnected between said panel and said channel; a depending peripheral conical skirt extending downwardly from the outer circumferential edge of said channel; a waist formed at the lower outer edge of said inverted channel and a part of the upper portion of said skirt to underlie the peripheral bead of a container on which the lid is mounted to retain the lid thereon; and a series of land arcuately formed along the vertical defining part of said skirt and extending from said waist toward the lower part of said skirt and shaped to guide the peripheral bead of said container into said inverted channel and to form a matingly snug fit onto the outer wall of said inverted peripheral channel when one snap-over cover is stacked above a lower snap-over cover.

Claim 14

A lid of flexible material for gripping and sealing engagement with a container having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge thereof comprising: a central panel having a generally circular margin defining its circumference; an inverted circumferentially extending channel radially outward of said central panel and having an upper inner circumferential edge and a lower outer circumferential edge; an annular portion raised above the central panel and interconnected between said panel and said channel; a depending peripheral conical skirt extending downwardly from the outer circumferential edge of said channel; a waist formed at the lower outer edge of said inverted channel and a part of the upper portion of said skirt to underlie the peripheral bead of a container on which the lid is mounted to retain the lid thereon; and a series of land arcuately formed along the vertical defining part of said skirt and extending from said waist toward the lower part of said skirt and shaped to guide the peripheral bead of said container into said inverted channel and to form a matingly snug fit onto the outer wall of said inverted peripheral channel when one snap-over cover is stacked above a lower snap-over cover.

Claim 15

A lid for gripping and sealing engagement with a container having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge thereof as set forth in claim 12 which further includes: a lower circumferential rim extending about the lower edge of said skirt.

Claim 16

A lid for gripping and sealing engagement with a container having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge thereof as set forth in claim 12 in which said inverted channel: further includes. a continuous rounded section extending from said inner circumferential edge to said outer circumferential edge and of a contour to fit snugly about said bead of the container when said bead is thrust past said waist and into said continuously rounded section.

Claim 17

A lid for gripping and sealing engagement with a container having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge thereof as set forth in claim 14 in which each said arcuate land includes: a curved bearing surface having a shape congruent to a segment of the continuous rounded section of said inverted channel whereby said curved bearing surface rests on said continuous rounded section when one cover is stacked above another cover.

Claim 18

A lid for gripping and sealing engagement with a container having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge thereof as set forth in claim 14 wherein: said raised annular portion includes an inner wall connected to said generally circular margin of said central flat wall and an outer wall connected to said inner edge of said channel; and a plurality of notches formed into the outer wall of said raised annular portion and being of a size to cause the bottom wall of each notch of one cover to ride on the top of said raised annular portion of another cover in stacked relation therewith whereby said covers have supporting surfaces between said notches and said top of said raised annular portion and between said arcuate lands and said continuous rounded section to avoid lateral shifting and vertical sticking between vertically stacked adjacent covers.

Claim 19

A lid for gripping and sealing engagement with a container having an external peripheral bead around the upper edge thereof as set forth in claim 12 which further includes: a plurality of stacking notches formed into said raised annular portion and being of a size to cause each notch to ride on a raised annular portion of a lower cover when one cover is stacked on another.