IMPROVED TEAR-AWAY CANISTER LID

The present invention pertains to improved closure arrangements which are durable in construction, yet easy to open and reclose, and which provide an initial hermetic seal with tamper evidency, all utilizing a one-piece lid design. In two embodiments according to the present invention, unique combinations of a mechanical interlocking closure system (17, 26), heat-sealing or bonding (25), and a weakened failure zone (24) are employed in the vicinity of the lid/container juncture to achieve these desirable characteristics. In a third embodiment of the present invention, a mechanical interlocking and sealing arrangement is utilized to achieve hermetic sealing of the container without the need for a heat seal or bonded region, and a weakened failure zone is located just inward of the mechanical interlocking connection. With all embodiments according to the present invention, upon tearing the lid open the lid forms a recloseable plug-fit closure to reclose the container, while the rim of the lid once remains attached to the container in its initial position. The resulting container is extraordinarily simple in construction, rendering it easy and cost effective to produce, yet providing superior performance both in maintaining the initial freshness of the product and in providing ease of consumer operation.