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 invention is usable with a package that is intended for multiple uses to extend the life of the foodstuff contained in that package by providing additional protection for the foodstuff after the package has been initially opened. The secondary lid is preferably comprises of an inexpensive plastic material although other materials can be used.

[0011]In a still further embodiment, there is a secondary lid that is secured over an opening in a package such as brick pack, after an aluminum foil covering has been punctured by a straw that enters the opening covered by that aluminum foil. The secondary lid has, as with the prior embodiments, a seal that surrounds the opening to seal the liquid contents therein to protect against the intrusion of the surrounding environment as well as prevent spillage or leakage of the liquid remaining within the package. In this embodiment, the secondary lid may also have a tapered plug that is oriented so as to enter the opening and plug up that opening.

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 packages, once opened, despite attempts by the consumer to reseal the package and there is an undesirable intrusion of oxygen and moisture as well as foreign bodies, including insects, that can render the contents undesirable and even inedible.

Thus, the consumer wastes money by having to throw away the contents of the package where there is cereal or other edible foodstuffs still contained within the package.

Again, there is a problem with this type of package in that once the sealed opening is initially breached, it cannot be resealed and thus, in the event the person cannot finish the drink at one time, the unconsumed contents are wasted or spilled.

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