Jar-Concealing Skirt

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to the field of jars and containers and corresponding lids and covers.

Jars, bottles, and more generally containers of all shapes and sizes that are used to hold items, whether solid or liquid, are conventionally paired with lids or covers. For example, the ubiquitous clear glass or plastic jar, like the cylindrical or mason jar, houses solids, liquids or a combination of both (for food and many other categories of items), and is often molded at its open end with a round neck having threading on its outer surface that mates with a round screw top lid. The lid is a generally circular disk that fits precisely on top of the jar's opening. Opening and closing the jar is simply a matter of one hand grabbing the lid and the other grabbing the jar and twisting, conventionally clockwise to close the lid on the jar, and counterclockwise to open it. This simple design has remained popular for decades for many reasons. To name a few, this design offers reliable, compact packaging for many types of products, effectively closes the jar with an airtight seal that protect the contents from the environment (thereby, when the contents is a comestible, helping preserving its freshness), is inexpensive to manufacture in large volumes and in many shapes and sizes, and enables the consumer to see the contents of the jar when it sits on a shelf. To the extent the manufacturer or seller of the goods wants to place product labelling or advertising on the jar, a label is typically affixed, e.g., glued, to part of the outer cylindrical surface of the jar. Or, labeling may be silk-screened on the outer surface of the jar itself.

However, it is not always desirable or even permitted to have a clear glass or plastic jar or bottle with a standard lid sitting on a shelf with its contents exposed to the public. In some cases, the product inside the jar can be undesirably affected, even degraded, by extended exposure to sunlight or even to indoor light. In other cases, parties may want or need to visually conceal the contents of their jars because they are not appropriate for children, or because they contain controlled substances, such as cannabis. In some of these situations, there may be state or federal regulations that require the contents of the jar to be concealed.

Various solutions to these use cases include using opaque or colored glass or plastic as the material for the jar or bottle, painting or silk-screening the entire outer surface of the container so that the contents are not visible unless the jar is opened, or to completely wrap the outer surface in labelling. Unfortunately, none of these solutions are ideal for all cases. Some are impractical, others are expensive. Thus, it would be desirable to be able to use clear jars containers for containing contents along with a structure that completely or nearly completely conceals its contents of the jars. The solution would be inexpensive to make, easy to use and reuse, and could offer more “real estate” for design and marketing than conventionally available.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention meets these needs and more by disclosing a jar lid that also serves as a jar “skirt” that covers both the opening of a jar and all or most of the outer surface of a jar. The present invention thus discloses a skirt for covering and opening and closing a jar having a cavity for accommodating a substance to be stored therein. In one embodiment, the skirt comprises an at least partially opaque skirt wall having an outer surface and an inner surface, and a skirt top portion integral with one end of the skirt wall and having outer and inner surfaces, and the inner side of this portion defines a lid for the jar. In this embodiment, the skirt is adapted to receive the jar such that when the jar is seated in the skirt, the lid of the skirt top portion is adapted to cooperatively engage the jar to open and close the jar, and the skirt wall covers a majority of the jar.

In more detailed embodiments, the jar includes an open neck, and the lid part of the skirt is adapted to cooperatively engage the open neck to open and close the jar. Moreover, with the jar having a jar wall and a bottom, the skirt wall may take substantially the same shape as the jar wall. However, the skirt top portion and the neck of the jar can take a shape that is different from the skirt wall. Thus, in one implementation, the skirt wall and the jar wall are cylindrical, but in others, skirt wall and jar wall are not cylindrical. For example, the skirt wall and jar wall may be square, but the neck of the jar and the lid inside the skirt top portion may be round. In any of these embodiments, the lid may include threads for screwing onto corresponding threads disposed on an outer surface of the neck of the jar.

In further detailed embodiments, when the lid of the skirt engages the jar in a closed position, the skirt conceals all of the jar. Regarding the lid in the skirt, in one embodiment, the lid is integral with the inner surface of the skirt top and in others it is not.

In yet further embodiments, the skirt top and the skirt wall may be fully or at least partially opaque. Thus, the outer surface of the skirt may include a closable window through which the contents of the jar may be viewed. The skirt wall outer surface may be particularly adapted to contain artwork, including product information and advertisements.

In a different embodiment of the present invention, a skirt for inserting therein and covering a jar and a lid for the jar is disclosed. This skirt includes an at least partly opaque skirt wall having an outer surface and an inner surface, and a skirt top portion integral with the skirt wall and having an inner surface adapted to engage the jar lid and forcibly cause the lid to close and open the jar. In this embodiment, when the jar and lid are inserted in the skirt, the skirt wall may cover or conceal a majority of the jar or all of the jar.

In one specific embodiment of this implementation of the present invention, when the inner surface of the skirt top portion separates the jar lid from the jar, the jar lid remains in the skirt top portion of the skirt. In others, the lid may not remain in skirt.

In yet another embodiment, a method of concealing the contents of a container having a container wall and of closing an open end of the container is disclosed. The steps of this method may include providing a skirt-lid assembly having a skirt wall portion that defines an inner space that substantially takes the shape of the outer dimensions of the container wall, inserting the open end of the container in the skirt-lid assembly so that the skirt wall portion substantially conceals the contents of the container; and securely closing the open end of the container to a lid closure mechanism in the inner space of the assembly.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer when the drawings as well as the detailed description are taken into consideration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Further advantages of the present invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art with the benefit of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and upon reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a first embodiment of a jar skirt and jar assembly in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic front view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic right side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic left side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional side view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic exploded view of a second embodiment of the skirt and jar assembly in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses a structure the inventors refer to as a “skirt” for a (typically transparent) jar or container, where the skirt functions both as a lid that covers the opening or mouth of the jar and as a cover for most or all of the longitudinal body of the jar. Being preferably opaque, the extended length skirt functions to conceal most or all of the contents of the jar from view and/or protect its contents from the elements, such as sunlight. The outer side of the skirt may also function as a creative, even dimensional, labelling and/or advertising surface for the jar, obviating the need to label, silkscreen or otherwise mark the jar itself. The enables the use of very inexpensive plain glass or plastic containers, such as cylindrical or mason jars.

It should be understood that while the embodiments that follow disclose a skirt for use with a conventional cylindrical jar having a neck with outer threading for removably attaching (via thereto and removing therefrom a mating lid, i.e., by screwing the skirt on and off the jar, the invention is not so limited. The skirt of the present invention may be advantageously designed for use with a jar or container of any shape or size, and with any jar-lid closing and opening mechanism/method.

Referring now to the drawings, like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding features throughout the several views.

Throughout several figures, embodiments of a skirt and jar assembly according to the present invention are shown generally at 1 and 100. One embodiment of assembly 1 according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1-8, and, in particular, in a perspective view shown of FIG. 1, front, rear, right side and left side views shown in FIGS. 2-5 respectively, top and bottom views shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 respectively, and a cross-sectional of view of assembly 1 taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 6 shown in FIG. 8. Assembly 1 comprises cylindrical skirt 10 having an opaque, cylindrical skirt wall 12 and round skirt top 14 and cylindrical jar 20. Skirt 10 is placed over and on jar 20, which is typically but not necessarily made of transparent or semi-transparent glass or plastic, and with no marking or labels. As best seen in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 8, jar 20 comprises bottom 22, cylindrical jar wall (or longitudinal portion) 24 defining cavity 26, jar neck 30, seen here having a diameter that is slightly smaller than the diameter of jar wall 24, with jar 20 terminating in mouth or opening 28. As will be understood, cavity 26 may contain any substance that may be stored in a jar or container and that may be closed or opened with a lid, often to maintain its freshness or quality, whether that substance is food or non-food, solid, liquid or gas. Also, with jar 20 storing a substance, assembly 1 will typically be positioned upright on (that is, with jar bottom 22 flush to) a horizontal platform such as a shelf, or a display, such that without skirt 10, the contents of jar 20 would be visible to persons looking at it.

As seen, in this first preferred embodiment, skirt 10 “encases” most of jar 20 by having the diameter of the inner side cylindrical skirt wall 12 only slightly larger than the diameter of jar wall 24, and a length that is less than or equal to the height of jar 20. This relative sizing enables skirt 10 to fit over and cover jar opening 28 and to extend down toward jar bottom 22 and over a majority or all of jar wall 24, and preferably with skirt wall 12 snugly over jar wall—or, without much “play”. Also, because in the preferred embodiment skirt wall 12 is opaque and jar wall 24 is transparent, skirt wall 12 conceals from view the portion of the contents of jar 20 that it covers. In the embodiment shown, because the length of skirt wall 12 is slightly less than the height of jar 20, skirt wall 12 does not extend all the way down the entirety of jar wall 24 to jar bottom 22. The reason for this is because in this embodiment, where skirt 10 screws onto and off of jar 20 by twisting skirt 10 relative to jar 20 (see FIG. 8, 18, 32), at least a small portion of jar wall 24 near bottom 22 is uncovered, enabling a person to use one hand to easily grasp that exposed portion and the other hand to grasp skirt 10 and twist skirt 10 on and off jar 20 (conventionally clockwise when looking at skirt 10 from above to securely screw skirt 10 onto jar 20, or counterclockwise to unscrew skirt 10 from jar 20). Skirt 10 covering less than the entire length of jar 20 may for some cases provide adequate concealing of the jar's contents even if a small part of jar wall 24 near bottom 22 is not covered.

However, in cases where the goal is for none of the contents of jar 20 to be visible when the assembly 1 is placed on a flat surface (e.g., on a table, a display, or a shelf), several alternative design options are available within the scope of the present invention. In one optional alternative embodiment, jar 20 may be designed having jar bottom 22 with sufficient thickness (or height) such that the inside surface of bottom 22 is substantially flush with the bottom of skirt wall 12. Thus, even though skirt wall 12 does not extend fully down jar 20 to cover all of bottom 22, any substance in jar 20 at the bottom of jar cavity 26 will still be fully concealed by skirt wall 12.

In other optional embodiments, skirt wall 12 may indeed extend all the way down the length of jar wall 24 and jar bottom 22, such that jar wall 24 and jar bottom 22 are completely concealed when skirt 10 is placed on/secured to jar 20. In such embodiment, various options for securing and removing skirt 10 to and from jar 20 are possible. In one option, jar bottom 22 may have attached to it a small suction cup that removably adheres to the surface of the platform on which jar 20 sits by creating a partial air vacuum when jar 20 pressed down against that surface. With a smooth enough platform surface, such as a glass platform, the adhesion force may be sufficient to enable skirt 10 to twist on and off jar 20 without jar 20 moving relative to the platform.

In yet other embodiments, the lid portion or component of skirt 10 may be close and open jar 20 in a manner other than as a conventional screw on lid for neck 30 of jar 20. Instead, skirt 10 may incorporate any other appropriate means for securely opening and closing a jar or container. Non-limiting examples include a snap-on/snap-off lid, a press-on/press off lid, or a hinged lid. In the latter embodiment, skirt top 14 may not be integral with skirt wall 12 as is shown in the figures but may be a separate component that can swing open and closed via a hinge mechanism attached to one portion of the top edge of skirt wall 12. This design may be most readily adapted to jars and skirts that are not cylindrical or with necks that are not cylindrical, but rather have straight walls (e.g., square, or triangular jar walls and/or jar necks).

In yet another embodiment, skirt 10 may include an integrated cork-type lid, having a cork that seals neck 30 of jar 20 by simply pressing the cork in and pulling it out.

Referring now to the FIG. 9, shown is an exploded view of an alternative embodiment of the inventive skirt/jar assembly 100 of the present invention having a skirt-lid assembly 150 incorporating a security lock, or child-resistant, lid subsystem for jar 120 having a round neck 130 with threading 132 for screwing to it and unscrewing the CR lid subsystem. This embodiment incorporates the disclosure of and improves upon U.S. Pat. No. 11,440,709 to Lei. This design and many other CR lid systems, may be incorporated into the present invention and may particularly useful for situations where it is desirable to have the contents in a jar both concealed and difficult for a child to access.

As seen, assembly 150 comprises skirt portion 110, CR ring 140 and optional seal 148. Skirt portion 110 includes skirt wall 112 and integrated skirt top 114, defining an opening (not shown) into which CR ring 140 may be removably inserted and into which jar 120 may be inserted. CR ring 140 includes CR ring wall 142 having a threading on its inner side (not shown) for screwing onto mating threading 132 on neck 130 of jar 120, and alternating protrusions 144 and indented spaces 145 disposed around the top of ring 140. Ring 140 also has tabs 146 extending out from CR ring wall 142. CR Skirt-lid assembly 150 is assembled by inserting CR ring 140 into the opening of skirt portion 110 and pressing it up against the inner surface of skirt top 114. CR ring 140 is then loosely retained in the top portion of the opening by channel 118 disposed in skirt wall 112 that slightly protrudes around the inner circumference of the skirt opening (not shown). Thereby abutting up against tabs 146 and preventing ring 140 from dropping out of the skirt 110.

When skirt 110 is pushed downward from the top 114 while being properly aligned with CR ring 140, the inward protrusions 116 disposed in top 114 will therein fall into the indented space 145 of CR ring 140. As a result, when the skirt 110 is rotated, the inward protrusions 116 become locked in the indented spaces 145. Consequently, the twisting of skirt 110 forces the inward protrusions 115 to contact the sides of the extended protrusions 144 of CR ring 140, and therein allow a user to rotate this CR ring relative to neck 130 of the jar 120. As a result of the twisting, a user can unscrew skirt/lid assembly 140 from jar 120. If however, the inward protrusions 116 of in skirt top 114 are not properly aligned with the indented spaces 145 of the CR ring 140 (perhaps because skirt 110 is not pushed downward with sufficient force), the inward protrusions 116 will strike the top of the extended protrusions 144 (as opposed to falling into the indented spaces 145) and skirt portion 110 will not rotate in unison with CR ring 114 when the skirt portion 110 is rotated. Then, assembly 150 cannot be separated from jar 120. More specifically, when not properly aligned, the exterior skirt portion 110 rotates independent from the bottom ring 30.

The following listing matches certain terminology used within this disclosure with corresponding reference numbers used in the non-limiting examples illustrated in the several figures.

• • 1—jar/lid assembly
  • 10—skirt
  • 12—skirt wall
  • 14—skirt top
  • 18—skirt threading
  • 20—jar
  • 22—jar bottom
  • 24—jar wall
  • 26—jar cavity
  • 28—jar mouth (opening)
  • 30—jar neck
  • 32—jar neck threading
  • 40—dimple
  • 50—skirt channel
  • 100—jar/lid assembly
  • 110—skirt
  • 112—skirt wall
  • 114—skirt top
  • 120—jar
  • 130—jar neck
  • 132—jar neck threading
  • 140—skirt lid
  • 142—skirt lid threaded lip
  • 146—sealing ring

While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.