Dispensing container for powdery, granular and pellet-like materials

Claim 1

A container for storage of powdery, granular and pellet-like materials and from which such materials can be dispensed, said container comprising a box-like receptacle which is open at a front thereof and which has a rear wall, a pair of opposite side walls that have vertically elongated lengthwise parallel front edges, and top and bottom walls that have front edges near a plane that contains the front edges of both of the side walls, said container being characterized by: A. a laterally outwardly projecting flange on each of said side walls, adjacent to the front edge thereof and extending along at least a substantial portion of the length of that front edge; B. a removable cover for closing the open front of said receptacle, having opposite front and rear surfaces and top, bottom and side edges, said cover further having (1) marginal portions of its rear surface arranged to closely overlie the front edges of said top, bottom and side walls all along the length of each, (2) boss means adjacent to said marginal portions and projecting rearwardly beyond them for engaging inner surface portions of said top, bottom and side walls to confine the cover against edgewise sliding relative to the receptacle, and (3) an aperture near said top edge through which material can issue from the receptacle; C. a retaining member for confining the cover against forward displacement off of the receptacle, said retaining member having (1) a substantially flat front surface, (2) an opposite rear surface for closely overlying the front surface of said cover, and (3) a rearwardly projecting elongated channel portion extending along each of a pair of opposite side edges thereof, each said channel portion defining an elongated groove which opens laterally towards the other channel portion and wherein one of said flanges is receivable, said channel portions being cooperable with said flanges to slideably connect the retaining member to the receptacle in closely overlying relation to the cover, said retaining member being impregnated with magnetized material to be magnetically securable to an upright supporting surface with its said front surface flatwise engaging the same; and D. protuberance means on the top of said receptacle, adjacent to its open front, defining a downwardly facing abutment against which an upper edge portion of the retaining member is engageable to prevent the receptacle and the cover from sliding downward relative to the retaining member past a position in which a hole through the retaining member is in register with said aperture in the cover.