Retainable Tear-away Tab For Container

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a tear-away tab opener which is retained on the container wall after an opening has been formed in the wall to permit the container to be emptied. A closure strip or tongue in the top wall of the container is defined by a discontinuous scored line and a bend line extending between the ends of the scored line. An operating handle overlying the closure strip includes a pull ring with a stem secured at one end to the inside edge of the pull ring, and extending inwardly therefrom so that the stem is completely encircled by the pull ring. The stem extends along the closure strip so that its other end terminates at the leading edge of the closure strip and is secured thereto. The stem is used to sever the closure strip along the scored line and force the strip inside the container to provide the opening.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates, in general, to a pull tear-away tab opener for a can, and more particularly is an improvement to the tear-away tab device which is disclosed in the prior U.S. Pat. application of Russell W. Brown, Ser. No. 91,255, filed Nov. 20, 1970 and entitled "Retainable Tear-Away Tab for Containers", now U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,535, assigned to the same assignee as the present application.

There is available on the market today a great variety of containers for various types of beverages such as beer, carbonated soft drinks, etc., but among the most popular are cans having a tear strip in the top to provide easy opening of the container. In most of the presently known tear-away strip devices, the strips are either completely removed from the container wall or are provided with means to prevent complete removal so that the strip is retained on the can in some position outside the can. This type of easy-opening can is extremely convenient for outdoor activities such as boating, picnics, and the like, but they have become of growing concern to conservationists and ecologists who seek to protect our natural resources from litter and destruction. The no-deposit, no-return throw-away can has been of major concern in the past, but little attention has been focused on the pollution problems caused by the tear-away tab itself. However, it is now recognized that at least two major problems are created by the tear-away tab: littering and safety. In areas where large numbers of people gather, as in; recreational areas--parks, picnic grounds, etc. --the tear-away tabs which are discarded on the ground whereever the user happens to open the container produce great amounts of litter which will remain an eyesore until they are picked up, since many of the cans and tabs are now made of metals such as aluminum which will not oxidize or decompose easily. The discarded tabs also produce a safety hazard, in that severe lacerations may be inflicted if a person not wearing shoes happens to step on one of the tabs. This safety hazard is a particular problem in recreational areas which are apt to be frequented by families having small children.

Besides the littering of the recreational areas and the safety hazards caused by discarded tear-away tabs, another environmental problem is the destruction of our game fish. Many tabs are discarded in lakes and rivers, etc., by people using recreational water facilities for boating, fishing or other water sports. In the past, it was thought that all of the dead fish found in our polluted lakes had died from some type of poisoning due to the chemicals in the water. But it has been reported by many conservationists and ecologists that many of the dead game fish, such as bass, trout, and the like, which have been examined are found to have been mortally injured by swallowing a tab which has been thrown in the water. The fish will strike at the tab as it settles to the bottom of the water, and upon swallowing it, serious internal injuries usually result and the fish usually dies.

Some attempts have been made to alleviate the above-mentioned problems by making tear-away tabs which cannot be detached from the can top, and examples of such non-detachable tabs are well known in the prior art. Although all of these prior art devices eliminate the abovementioned problems of the discarded tabs, they have produced other problems such as exposing the user to sharp edges of the tab since the tabs are generally torn outwardly and retained on the can top. In addition, serious tooling and manufacturing difficulties have been encountered. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,535, hereinabove mentioned, some of these problems were eliminated by providing a retainable tear-away tab for a can top which is forced into the can, thereby locating the tab away from the can top in order to eliminate all sharp edges which might cause injury to the user. It has been found, however, that several problems still exist. The two major problems with the present known devices are the problems of tooling and manufacturing difficulties causing excess expense and the problem of the thickness of the operating lever assembly which prevents two cans from being stacked end-to-end, one on top of the other.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a means for retaining a tear-away tab on a can top which will prevent the tab from being discarded and thereby reduce environmental pollution.

Another object of this invention is to provide a means for retaining an easy-opening container tab on the container but in a location away from the opening in the container top in order to eliminate danger from all sharp edges which might injure the user.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an operating lever assembly for a tear-away strip for a container which will permit two or more containers to be stacked upon one another in end to end relationship.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an easy-opening can having a pull tab device which can be retained on the can wherein the pull tab is easy and economical to manufacture.

These and other objects are accomplished by the present invention through the use of a pull tab opener for the top of a container in which a retainable tear or closure strip is provided in the top wall of the container. The opener further includes an operating lever assembly which is adapted to partially sever the tear strip from the container wall and force it into the container to provide an opening in the top wall to allow the container to be emptied. The tear strip is defined by a discontinuous scored line which forms a tongue having a root end near the rim of the can and a leading edge near the center of the can top. The scored line defining the tongue has spaced, parallel scored lines which extend outwardly from the rim of the can to a preselected point where they begin to converge and terminate at a rounded scored section near the center of the can top. When the strip is severed from the container wall, the root end of the closure strip remains attached to the container wall and defines a bend line. The operating lever assembly overlies the closure strip and includes a pull ring and stem. One end of the stem is attached to the inside edge of the pull ring, and the stem extends inwardly therefrom along the tear strip. The other end of the stem is suitably secured to the tear strip contiguous to its rounded leading edge.

To open the can, the pull ring is lifted upwardly and pulled toward the leading edge of the closure strip, thus causing the stem to exert a downward pressure on the leading edge of the tear strip and severing the leading edge of the tear strip from the remainder of the container wall. Further movement of the pull ring toward the rounded edge section of the opening causes the stem to be positioned generally vertically or perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the can top, and thus causes the tear strip to be forced inside the can. The pull ring is then forced downwardly to a position flush with the surface of the can top and pulled forward so that a pair of notches located at the base of the stem contiguous to the connection between the stem and the pull ring will engage opposite edges of the opening near the rounded edge section. The notches provide a means to latch or secure the pull ring adjacent the can top. The tab remains attached to the can along the root end of the tear strip while the stem and the pull ring are conveniently positioned so that any interference with the normal use of the can is at a minimum.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a portion of a plan view of a can showing a portion of the can top having a pull tab opener according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross section view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross section view of a portion of a can shown in FIG. 1, illustrating the initial stage in the sequence of severing the tear strip from the can top according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross section view of a portion of a can top shown in FIG. 1, illustrating the second step in the sequence of severing the tear strip from the can top;

FIG. 5 is a cross section view of the portion of the can top shown in FIG. 1, illustrating the third step in the sequence of severing the tear strip from the can top and the final position of the pull ring;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a portion of a can top having a pull tab opener of the subject invention wherein the tear strip has been severed from the can top and illustrating the final position of the pull tab opener;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of an operating lever blank illustrating the configuration of the pull ring and stem subsequent to a cutting operation;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the operating lever blank shown in FIG. 7 illustrating the configuration after a first folding step;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the operating lever according to the subject invention after the second folding step has been performed; and

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the operating lever blank illustrating another embodiment of the blank subsequent to the cutting operation.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in FIGS. 1 and 2, the numeral 10 indicates a partial section of a can top having a pull tab opener device 12 according to the subject invention. The pull tab opener 12 includes a tear or closure strip 14 which is defined by a discontinuous scored line. The scored line consists of two spaced parallel lines 16 and 18 originating contiguous to the rim 20 of the can and extending inwardly and terminating at a point equidistant from the rim of the can. At this point, the parallel scored lines 16 and 18 continue as converging lines 22 and 24 toward the center of the can top. Prior to the geometric intersection of the converging lines 22 and 24, a rounded scored segment 26 joins the converging scored line. The parallel scored lines 16 and 18, the converging scored lines 22 and 24 and the rounded scored section 28 form a segment or tongue having a leading edge at the rounded scored section 26 and a root at 28. The root defines a bend line extending between the originating points of parallel scored lines 16 and 18 near the rim of the can. Since the scored line is discontinuous, severence along the scored line will permit the tear strip to be bent along the bend line at root 28, but will prevent detachment of the strip from the remainder of the can top.

The tear strip 14 is partially severed from the container top by an operating lever 30 which overlies the tear strip, as can be seen in FIG. 2. The operating lever 30 includes a pull ring portion 32 and a stem portion 34 which are, in this preferred embodiment, integrally formed from one piece of material through a cutting and folding operation which will be described hereinafter. The pull ring portion 32 has an outer rectangular portion 36 which is slightly larger than the space between parallel scored line 16 and 18. Extending inwardly from each side of the rectangular portion 36 are side members 38 and 40 which are formed integrally therewith. In positioning the pull ring portion 32 on the can top, the side members 38 and 40 are approximately parallel to scored lines 16 and 18. An end member 42 formed integrally with the side members 38 and 40 joins the side members to form a finger loop for the pull ring portion 32. Extending inwardly from inside edge 44 of rectangular portion 36, approximately bisecting it, is stem portion 34. The stem is preferably formed integrally with the pull ring portion 32, however, other suitable means may be used to secure the stem to the pull ring. The stem extends along closure strip 14 and is secured by riveting, spot welding, or other suitable means to the tear strip 14 contiguous to the leading edge 26. At the base of the stem 34 adjacent the rectangular portion 36 of pull ring 32 a pair of notches 45 are provided to lock or secure the pull ring 30 adjacent the top of the can after the can has been opened. As can be seen in FIG. 1, stem 34 has a small portion produced by the notches 36. When manipulating the operating lever to open the can, the stem will bend along the small portion as will be explained hereinafter.

Turning now to the procedure for opening the pull tab opener device, FIG. 2 illustrates the initial position of the tab opener device prior to lifting the pull ring 32. In FIG. 3, the pull ring is lifted upwardly and is pulled toward the leading edge 26 of the tear strip 14, thereby permitting the stem 34 of the operating lever 30 to bend or pivot downwardly at 50. The downward movement of the inner end of the stem forces the leading edge 26 of tear strip 14 down, thus severing it from the can top along the scored line.

Continuing with the opening operation, in FIG. 4, stem 34 is moved approximately to the vertical position and is then forced downwardly to sever the tear strip along the remainder of the scored line. After the stem is forced downwardly into the can, the pull ring 32 is pulled further toward the arcuate edge 26' of opening 48 so that the notches 46 on opposite sides of the stem will slide into engagement with the edge of the opening 48 near the rounded edge 26', as can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The preferred method of forming the pulling lever 30 for the tab opener device described hereinabove is illustrated in FIGS. 7-9. The stem portion of the operating lever of the present invention must not bend at any point along its length, except at pivotal line 50, during manipulation of the lever 30. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a reinforced stem. This object is accomplished by cutting a blank 50 of a suitable sheet material by die cutting or other suitable means to form a pull ring and reinforceable stem section, as shown in FIG. 7. The stem portion has side reinforcing wings 51 and 51' and a center portion 52. During the die cutting operation, areas indicated by 53, 53', 54, 55 and 55' are removed and an aperture 58 is punched in the stem. Each reinforcing wing 51 and 51' has a first fold line 60 and 60', respectively which permits the outer portions 62 and 62' to be folded inwardly toward the center portion 52, as shown in FIG. 8. The reinforcing wings are provided with a second fold line 64 and 64' which coincides with the edges of stem 34. The wings are folded along the second fold line as can be seen in FIG. 9, thereby forming a reinforcing rib 66 and 66' along the edges of the stem. This reinforcing rib provides the stiffness required of the stem to prevent it from bending when it is used as an operating lever to sever the tear strip 14 from the can top. The aperture 58 is provided to connect the operating lever 30 to the tear strip by any known reveting method.

Another embodiment for cutting the operating lever blank is illustrated in FIG. 10. Portions 68, 69 and 70 are removed during the cutting or stamping operation. In this configuration, the stem is reinforced along its entire width rather than limiting the reinforcement to the edges of the stem. The outer portions 72 and 72' of the reinforcing wings are large enough so that when they are folded over along the first fold line 74 and 74', they will contact each other at the center of the stem. The inner portion 76 and 76' of the reinforcing wings are of such a dimension that when folded along the edge 78 of the stem 80 the inside edges of the reinforcing wings will be contiguous to each other along the center line of the stem. The apertures 82 at the free end of the stem may be punched during the initial die operation as shown in FIG. 10 or, if desired, after the folding operation, an aperture may be punched through the three layers of reinforced stem.

It should be understood that the drawings herein described only illustrate the major components used to accomplish the invention and its principal of operation. The particular size and shape of the tab segment or tear-away strip, the pull ring is not significant and may be varied in any desired manner.

It can be seen from the above description and drawings that this invention provides a device in which the pull tab opener can be retained on the can top and any sharp edges of the tab will be positioned remotely from the outside of the can so that they will not injure the user. The device will also permit easier tooling and manufacturing as well as providing a one-piece construction which will reduce the thickness of the pull lever, thereby eliminating the problem of stacking the cans end to end which was encountered in the prior art.

The above embodiment can be modified in numerous ways as will be apparent from the foregoing. For example, the configuration of the tab and the pull ring may be varied as mentioned above while any appropriate means can be used to secure the stem to the tab. However, these and other variations and changes can be made in the invention as above described and illustrated without departing from the true spirit and scope thereof as defined in the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An improved tear strip opener device for providing an opening in a container wall to permit the contents of the container to be emptied comprising:

a. a tear strip in said container wall, said tear strip being formed by a scored line, one end of said scored line originating adjacent a rim of said container and extending inwardly towards the center of said container wall to define a leading edge of said tear strip and then extending outwardly towards said rim of the container so that the other end of said scored line terminates adjacent said rim of said container and is spaced from said one end of said scored line, said scored line forming a tongue-like element extending inwardly from the rim of said container and adapted to be partially severed from the remainder of the container wall and depressed downwardly into said container;

b. a pull ring overlying said tear strip;

c. stem means having a base integrally formed with the inside edge of said pull ring at a location which is contiguous to said rim of said can, said stem means extending inwardly and terminating over an inner end of said tear strip near said leading edge;

d. a pivotal line across said base of said stem means adjacent the inside edge of said pull ring to permit said stem means to rotate downwardly when said pull ring is lifted and pulled toward the leading edge of said tear strip;

e. means for securing said inner end of said stem means to said leading edge of said tear strip;

f. reinforcing means along the length of said stem means to insure that said stem means will bend only at said pivotal line; and

g. a pair of securing notches located at the base of said stem means, said securing notches engaging the edge of the opening formed by partial severing of said tear strip when said pull ring is pulled toward the leading edge of said tear strip, whereby said pull ring portion is secured adjacent said container wall after said opening has been formed in said container wall.