U.S. patent application number 12/835467 was filed with the patent office on 2011-01-20 for reclosable container end.
Invention is credited to Gerald Baker, Rowdy Holstine, Jianwen Hu, Steve Manne.
Application Number | 20110011868 12/835467 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43464567 |
Filed Date | 2011-01-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110011868 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Manne; Steve ; et
al. |
January 20, 2011 |
Reclosable Container End
Abstract
A resealable container and/or resealable container end for foods
such as beverages. The end includes an opening and a pull-tab
closure which includes a plug for sealing the opening. The closure
may be fabricated from a thermoplastic coated foil. A portion of
the foil is formed as a cup located within the opening to include a
lip to engage the edge of the opening or a grove which is engaged
by the edge. A resilient material such a cured plastisol fills the
cup and cooperates with the cup to form a plug. The thermoplastic
hermetically seals the closure over the opening and a tab on the
closure permits the user to remove the closure and plug from the
opening. The plug can be reinserted into the opening after removal
to reseal the opening with a generally fluid-tight seal.
Inventors: |
Manne; Steve; (Oconomowoc,
WI) ; Baker; Gerald; (Wauwatosa, WI) ;
Holstine; Rowdy; (Hartford, WI) ; Hu; Jianwen;
(Nashotah, WI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
REINHART BOERNER VAN DEUREN S.C.;ATTN: LINDA KASULKE, DOCKET COORDINATOR
1000 NORTH WATER STREET, SUITE 2100
MILWAUKEE
WI
53202
US
|
Family ID: |
43464567 |
Appl. No.: |
12/835467 |
Filed: |
July 13, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61225558 |
Jul 14, 2009 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/359.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 2517/5005 20130101;
B65D 2517/0082 20130101; B65D 2517/0013 20130101; B65D 17/506
20130101; B65D 17/4012 20180101; B65D 2517/0038 20130101; B65D
2517/501 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/359.2 |
International
Class: |
B65D 17/34 20060101
B65D017/34 |
Claims
1. A container comprising: a metal, cylindrical side-wall; a metal
bottom wall joined to the side-wall; a metal top wall joined to the
side-wall to define a container interior, the top wall including an
opening defined by an edge, the opening providing access to the
interior; a film piece including a cup disposed within the opening,
the cup including a lip located in container interior which engages
at least a portion of the edge; a sealant which seals the film to
the metal top to hermetically seal close the opening; and a
resilient material disposed within the interior of the cup to form
a plug for the opening.
2. The container of claim 1, wherein the film is a metal foil and
further includes a pull-tab.
3. The container of claim 1, wherein the seal between the film and
opening is broken by removing the film and plug from the metal
top.
4. The container of claim 2, wherein the seal between the film and
opening is broken by applying force to the pull-tab to remove the
plug from the metal top.
5. The container of claim 4, wherein the portion of the edge
engaged by the lip engages the full periphery of the edge.
6. The container of claim 4, wherein the metal is a steel
alloy.
7. The container of claim 6, wherein the side-wall and top are
separately formed, and the side-wall and the top are joined to form
a rolled metal joint therebetween.
8. The container of claim 7, wherein the rolled metal joint is a
double seam.
9. The container of claim 8, wherein the bottom is formed
separately from the side-wall and joined to the side-wall to form a
rolled metal joint therebetween.
10. The container of claim 4, wherein the film further includes an
attachment tab joined to the metal top by the sealant.
11. The container of claim 10, wherein the sealant is a
thermoplastic adhesive.
12. The container of claim 4, wherein the film further includes an
attachment tab joined to the metal top by an adhesive, the sealant
is a first thermoplastic adhesive, and the adhesive is a second
thermoplastic adhesive which provides greater resistance to removal
of the film from the metal top than the first thermoplastic
adhesive.
13. The container of claim 1, wherein the resilient material is a
plastisol which can be poured into the cup and cured to provide
resilience to the cup.
14. A container end comprising: an end wall having first and second
sides, and an opening extending from the first to the second side,
the opening being defined by an edge; a closure including a cup
located within the opening, a pull-tab, and an attachment tab, the
cup including a groove engaged by at least a portion of the edge; a
sealant which seals the closure to the end wall to hermetically
seal close the opening; and a resilient material disposed within
the interior of the cup to form a plug for the opening.
15. The container end of claim 14, wherein the end wall is formed
from metal and formed separately from an associated container, and
joined to the associated container with a rolled seam.
16. The container end of claim 14, wherein the opening has a shape
from a group including circular, oval, rectangular, triangular, and
trapezoidal wherein such shapes with corners may include rounded
corners.
17. The container end of claim 14, wherein the end wall is formed
from metal, the closure is formed from foil, the sealant is a
thermoplastic adhesive, the resilient material is a curable
plastisol cured after placement in the cup, and the portion of the
edge is the full periphery of the edge.
18. The container of claim 14, wherein the sealant is a first
thermoplastic material which seals the closure to the container end
at the periphery of the opening, and a second thermoplastic
material which seals the attachment tab to the closure end, the
second thermoplastic material providing a stronger bond than the
first thermoplastic material.
19. A can end comprising: a stamped metal end wall having first and
second sides, an opening having a shape defined by an edge, and a
flange joinable to a metal can side-wall; a metal foil piece
including a cup located within the opening, a pull-tab, and an
attachment tab, the cup including a groove engaged by at least a
portion of the edge; a sealant which seals the closure to the end
wall to hermetically seal close the opening; and a resilient
material disposed within the interior of the cup to form a plug for
the opening.
20. The can end of claim 19, wherein the metal is a steel alloy,
the sealant is a thermoplastic adhesive, and the resilient material
is a curable plastisol.
Description
[0001] This patent application claims priority of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 61/225,558 entitled "Reclosable Container
End," and which was filed on Jul. 14, 2009, the entirety of which
patent application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
[0002] The present invention relates to a container for storing
solids, liquids, food quality solids, food quality liquids, etc.,
where the can has a reclosable end which uses a film-based,
reclosable plug-type structure.
SUMMARY
[0003] A resealable container including a cylindrical side-wall, a
bottom wall joined to the side-wall, and a top wall joined to the
side-wall to define a container interior is provided. The top wall
includes an opening defined by an edge, with the opening providing
access to the interior. The container also includes a film piece
including a cup disposed within the opening. The cup includes a lip
located in the container interior which engages at least a portion
of the edge. A sealant is provided to seal the film to the metal
top to hermetically seal close the opening. The cup cooperates with
a resilient material disposed therein to form a plug.
[0004] A container end for use in making a resealable container is
also provided. The end includes an end wall having first and second
sides, and an opening extending from the first to the second side.
A closure including a cup, a pull-tab, and an attachment tab, is
sealed to the end wall with a sealant to hermetically close the
opening. The cup includes a groove for engaging all or a portion of
the edge of the opening. A resilient material is disposed within
the interior of the cup to cooperate with the cup to form a plug
for the opening.
[0005] A metal can end for use in making a resealable container is
also provided. This type of can end includes a stamped metal end
wall having first and second sides, an opening having a shape
defined by an edge, and a flange joinable to a metal can side-wall.
A metal foil piece is provided which includes a cup located within
the opening, a pull-tab, and an attachment tab, the cup including a
groove engaged by at least a portion of the edge. A sealant seals
the closure to the end wall to hermetically seal close the opening.
A resilient material is disposed within the interior of the cup to
cooperate with the cup to form a plug for the opening.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container including a
film-based reclosable plug.
[0007] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a can end including a
film-based reclosable plug.
[0008] FIG. 3 is a top view of the can end of FIG. 2.
[0009] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the can end of FIG. 2.
[0010] FIG. 5A is a sectional view of a first embodiment of the can
end take along line 5-5 in FIG. 3.
[0011] FIG. 5B is a sectional view of a second embodiment of the
can end take along line 5-5 in FIG. 3.
[0012] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the reclosable plug.
[0013] FIG. 7 is a top view of the reclosable plug.
[0014] FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the reclosable plug.
[0015] FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the reclosable plug taken
along line 9-9 in FIG. 7.
[0016] FIG. 10 is a process flow diagram for the making a can end
including a reclosable plug.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] It is challenging and difficult to develop reclosable
container ends suitable for beverage products and/or thermal retort
processing.
[0018] With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary container 120 is
illustrated. An end of the container 120 is preferably coupled to a
container end 102 impermeably sealing the container 120. The
container end 102 defines an opening 106 (illustrated in FIGS. 5A
and 5B) that may be formed to dispense the contents of the
container 120. A reclosable plug 118 is also provided. The
reclosable plug 118 is configured to selectively seal the opening
106.
[0019] The container end 102 is configured to couple to the
container body 120 (e.g., side-wall) via a double seam. In other
embodiments, however, the features of the container end 102 shown
and described herein may be provided to a container end 102
integrally formed with the container body 120 or otherwise secured
to a container body 120. The container end 102 and the container
body 120 to which the container end 102 is coupled are metal (e.g.,
aluminum, tin, steel, etc.) in the figures but the container end
102 and the container body 120 may be formed from other suitable
materials (e.g., plastic, cardboard, etc.) according to various
alternative embodiments.
[0020] With reference to FIGS. 2-5B, the reclosable container end
102 is shown unattached to the container body 120 according to
various exemplary embodiments. The container end 102 defines an
opening 106 which is preferably selectively sealed with a
reclosable plug 118. The reclosable plug includes a foil cup 104
which is filled with a material 116 that adds rigidity to the foil
cup 104 when hardened and, with the foil of the cup 104, serves as
the reclosable plug 118 for the container end 102.
[0021] Though the opening 106 is illustrated in the figures as a
circular opening, in various embodiments it may be of any suitable
shape known in the art, including but not limited to oblong,
triangular, and tear drop shaped. Additionally, the size of the
opening 106 relative to the container end 102 may vary in various
embodiments. Also, the shape of both the container body 120 and the
container end 102 may vary and may be of any suitable shape known
in the art.
[0022] As is illustrated in more detail in the cross-sectional view
of FIG. 5A, the reclosable container end 102 includes the foil cup
104 extending into the opening 106 defined in the container end
102. The bottom 108 of the foil cup 104 extends beyond the diameter
D of the opening 106 below the bottom surface 110 of the container
end 102. The top of the foil cup 104 also extends beyond the
diameter D of the opening 106 to form a foil portion 112 covering
at least the periphery of the top surface 114 of the container end
102 around the opening 106. The foil portion 112 is heat sealed,
adhered, or otherwise coupled to the top surface 114 of the
container end 102. This attachment is preferably selected so the
plug 118 hermetically seals the container 120. The foil portion 112
may be attached or sealed to a portion of the container end 102
immediately radially outwardly surrounding the opening 106 or may
extend farther radially outwardly in embodiments including a larger
area of attachment.
[0023] In an exemplary embodiment, the foil can be steel, aluminum,
or formed from any other suitable material. Depending upon the use,
a plastic sheet or foil may be used. The material 116 that fills
the foil cup 104 may be a plastisol, a UV curable material or
another material that can flow into the cup 104 and harden to the
cup shape yet have suitable elastic properties to allow the opening
and closing activities described herein. The material 116 may be
any suitable material known in the art, and is generally a
resilient material that generally permits opening and reclosing of
the opening 106.
[0024] FIGS. 6-9 illustrate various views of an embodiment of the
reclosable plug 118 unattached to the container end 102. The
reclosable plug 118 includes a tab 122, which may be integrally
formed from the same foil coupled to the top surface of the
container end 102 and the foil cup 104, may extend from the foil
and be configured for grabbing by a human hand. In other
embodiments the tab may be replaced with a ring grip or any other
suitable apparatus known in the art. When a user pulls upwardly on
the tab 122, the material 116 and the foil cup 104 are preferably
sufficiently elastic to allow the portion 105 of the foil cup 104
and material 116 that extend beyond the diameter D of the opening
106 below the bottom surface 110 of the container end 102 to
temporarily deform so that the foil cup 104 and material 116 can
"pop" out of the opening 106. Similarly, the material 116 and foil
cup 104 are preferably sufficiently elastic to allow the foil cup
104 and material 116 to "pop" back into the opening 106 such that
the bottom 108 of the foil cup 104 again extends beyond the
diameter D of the opening 106 below the bottom surface 110 of the
container end 102.
[0025] Such a configuration advantageously allows the container end
102 to be reclosed after opening (e.g., after the heat seal or
other adhesive or sealant between the foil surface 112 and the top
114 of the metal container end 102 has been broken). Further, such
a configuration advantageously allows a closed and filled (with
food or drink) container 120 to be subjected to a thermal retort
(cooking) process. Particularly, the bottom 108 of the foil cup 104
and the material 116 filling it that extend beyond the diameter D
of the opening 106 below the bottom surface 110 of the container
end 102 are configured to resist pressure build-up from within the
container 120 during the retort process and to refrain from
breaking a hermetic seal formed by the foil over the opening
106.
[0026] With reference to FIG. 9, in one embodiment, the cup 104
defines a radially inwardly projecting groove 124. The groove 124
is configured to receive the edge defining the opening 106 in the
container end 102 which is preferably a rolled edge 126
(illustrated in FIG. 5A as a downwardly rolled edge). The groove
124 terminates in a radially projecting lip 128 which along with
the groove 124 tends to allow for an interference fit between the
reclosable plug 118 and the opening 106 in the container end
102.
[0027] FIG. 5B illustrates an alternate embodiment of the
reclosable container end 102. In this second embodiment, the rolled
edge 126 is an upwardly rolled edge 126. This downwardly rolled
edge 126 of FIG. 5B also interacts with the groove 124 and radially
projecting lip 128 to create an interference fit between the
reclosable plug 118 and the opening 106 in the container end
102.
[0028] With reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 5A-9, one embodiment of
the reclosable plug 118 includes an attachment tab 130. The
attachment tab 130 may be integrally formed with the cup 104 and
coupled to the foil portion 112 or coupled directly to the cup 104.
The attachment tab 130 may be made of the same material as the cup
104 and foil portion 112. In other embodiments, the attachment tab
130 may be formed separately from the cup 104 or made of different
material, and later attached to the foil portion 112 or to the cup
104 directly. The attachment tab 130 may be heat sealed, adhered,
or otherwise attached to the top surface 114 of the container end
102.
[0029] In one embodiment, the attachment tab 130 may be coupled to
the container end 102 more securely than the foil portion 112 is
coupled to the container end 102. This configuration allows a user
to break the seal between the foil portion 112 and the container
end 102, thereby exposing the opening 106, while the attachment tab
130 remains coupled to the container end 102. Thus, the opening 106
of the container 120 may be selectively opened and closed while the
reclosable plug 118 remains coupled to the container end 102 by the
attachment tab 130.
[0030] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary method for forming and
using an embodiment of a container end 102 of the present
disclosure. In one step 132, a foil cup 104 may be placed in the
opening of a container end 102. In another step 134, the opening
106 of the container end 102, as well as a portion of the top
surface 114 may be covered with the foil 112 extending from the top
of the cup 104 and over at least a portion of the container end
102. In another step 136, the foil 112 may be coupled to the top
surface 114 of the container end 102. In another step 138, the foil
cup 104 may be formed such that the bottom 108 of the foil cup 104
may extend beyond the diameter D of the opening 106 below the
bottom surface 110 of the container end. 102 when the reclosable
plug 118 is in the closed or sealed configuration. In another step
140, the foil cup 104 may be filled with plastisol. In another step
142, the plastisol may be hardened to add rigidity to the
reclosable plug 118. In another step 144, the can end 102 may be
coupled to the filled metal container 120. In another step 146, the
container 120 may be subjected to a thermal retort process. In
another step 148, a user may pull back on the tab 122 of the
reclosable plug 118 to open the container 120 to allow dispensing
of the contents of the container 120. In another step 150, a user
may urge the reclosable plug 118 into the opening 106 thereby
reclosing the container 120.
[0031] The construction and arrangement of the container end and
method as shown in the various exemplary embodiments are
illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been
described in detail in this disclosure, many modifications are
possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes
and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters,
mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations,
etc.). For example, the position of the elements may be reversed or
otherwise varied and the nature or number of discrete elements or
positions may be altered or varied. Accordingly, all such
modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present
disclosure.
[0032] Although the foregoing description of the present invention
has been shown and described with reference to particular
embodiments and applications thereof, it has been presented for
purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be
exhaustive or to limit the invention to the particular embodiments
and applications disclosed. It will be apparent to those having
ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications,
variations, or alterations to the invention as described herein may
be made, none of which depart from the spirit or scope of the
present invention. The particular embodiments and applications were
chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the
principles of the invention and its practical application to
thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the
invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as
are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such changes,
modifications, variations, and alterations should therefore be seen
as being within the scope of the present invention as determined by
the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth
to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.
* * * * *