End Closure For An Easy Opening Resealable Container

Abstract

An end closure for an easy opening resealable container, the end having a dispensing aperture initially sealed by an internal sealing layer adhered to the inner surface of the end around the aperture and a plug type resealing member extending through said aperture and bonded to said sealing layer. The plug type resealing member is provided with a lower portion which is smaller than the dispensing aperture and extends therethrough, the bottom wall thereof being bonded to the sealing layer. The upper portion of the resealing member is larger than the dispensing aperture and is provided with a depending straight wall which fits into the aperture with interference between the peripheral wall of the aperture and the depending straight wall of the resealing member to thereby releasably seal the easy opening container subsequent to the tearing of the sealing layer.

Description

The present invention relates generally to easy opening containers such as cans. More particularly the present invention relates to easy opening containers which are releasably resealable by means of a plug type resealing member.

In recent years thre has been much activity directed to the development of containers which may be or may not be subjected to internal pressure, and which are capable of being easily opened without the use of can openers or other special opening tools. One type of easy opening container construction which has been developed utilizes a metal pull tab secured to a scored, removable section formed in the container end closure. The score is ruptured and the section removed from the container and closure by the exertion of sufficient force on the pull tab, the pull tab and removed section then being disposed of. However, this construction is burdened with the disadvantage that means are not provided for resealing the container once the pull tab and scored section are removed. Thus, the contents of the opened container must usually be transferred to another container capable of being resealed or consumed relatively quickly. If not and the contents are permitted to remain in the unsealed container it may be necessary to eventually discard them on account of contamination of other reasons and in addition there is the likelihood that the container will be overturned thereby spilling the contents. Another container construction, suitable for easy opening, utilizes a tab which may or may not be integrally formed with the container end closure and which is depressable into the can body. The main purpose of this type of construction is the elimination of littering which may result from the unconcerned discarding of removable sections of the container. However, even this type of end closure construction is subject to the same disadvantage as the pull tab construction in that no means are provided for resealing the container once it has been opened.

Another type of easy opening container construction which has recently been developed provides an internal sealing patch adhered to the inner surface of the container end around the dispensing aperture. In this construction the opening means provides is an external member which is adhered to that portion of the sealing patch covering the aperture and which extends above the can end so that when removed the portion of the sealing patch co-extensive with the aperture is torn against the periphery of the aperture severing it from the balance of the patch. The periphery of the aperture is provided with a sharp cutting edge against which the sealing patch can be readily torn. A late development in this last mentioned easy opening container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,441,167, to Balocca, granted Apr. 29, 1969. The Balocca patent discloses a container having an aperture being surrounded by a raised bead which provides a seat for a plug type plastic reclosure member which is inserted through the aperture and bonded to that portion of the sealing patch which internally covers and seals the aperture. The periphery of the aperture, due to the annular bead, is disposed above both the plane of the central panel of the end and the sealing patch to thereby insure against prematurely rupturing the sealing patch during transportation and handling of the container. The removal of the plastic type plug from the container causes the sealing patch to be torn at the sharp edge of the aperture periphery thereby leaving a flange-like extension at the bottom portion of the plug. The container may then be reclosed by reinsertion of the plug into the aperture and engagement of the flange-like extension with the underside of the container end at the periphery of the aperture. If there is internal pressure within the container subsequent to the reclosing thereof, the flange-like extension of the plug which is engaged with the underside of the container is forced thereagainst thereby resealing the container. However, if there be no internal pressure within the container no resealing occurs and the contents can be readily spilled. Thus, although a reclosure member is provided with this type of container it provides at most a very imperfect and inadequate seal.

One disadvantage common to all of the above end closure constructions is their relative inability to hermetically seal the containers. Thus, in all the mentioned constructions, when the container contains a carbonated beverage or other gas producing product, the gas readily tends to leak out of the container leaving the product "flat" and in some cases undrinkable.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a container which is initially sealed and easily opened without the aid of special tools, and in addition may be releasably resealed to prevent inadvertent spillage of the contents and to hermetically seal the container.

The easy opening container of the present invention includes a container end closure seamed about its periphery to a container body, the end closure being provided with a dispensing aperture. The dispensing aperture is initially sealed by an internal sealing patch adhered to the inner surface of the end around the aperture. A plug type resealing member is provided which extends through the aperture and is bonded to the sealing patch so that upon removal of the resealing member from the container a portion of the sealing patch co-extensive with the dispensing aperture is torn away, thus breaking the seal and opening the container. The plug type resealing member is provided with a lower portion which is smaller than the dispensing aperture and extends therethrough, the bottom wall being bonded to the internal sealing patch. The upper portion of the resealing member is larger than the dispensing aperture and is provided with a depending straight wall which fits into the aperture with interference between the peripheral wall of the aperture and the depending straight wall of the resealing member.

The present invention will be described and understood more readily when considered together with the embodiments depicted in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the top portion of an easy opening resealable container according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the plastic, plug type, pull tab removed from the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view of the container of FIG. 1 taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view of the container similar to FIG. 3 with the plug type pull tab partially removed from the container;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view of the container similar to FIG. 3, but in the resealed condition;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, cross-sectional detailed view of a portion of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, cross-sectional detailed view of a portion of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 of a slightly modified form of the easy opening resealable container of the present invention.

Now referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 the upper portion of an easy opening resealable container, generally designated 10, having an end closure 12 incorporating the easy opening resealable feature of the present invention secured to the end of the container body 14 in any acceptable manner. The container body 14 may be of any conventional type having a suitable bottom end closure (not shown) secured thereto.

End closure 12 is formed with a generally planar central panel, generally designated 16, surrounded by a peripheral reinforcing bead 18 which at its outer edge merges into upwardly extending countersink wall 20. The upper portion of wall 20 merges with outwardly extending flange 22 which, after assembly of container body 14 and end closures 12, becomes a portion of seam 24. End closure 12, as well as container body 14, may be fabricated from any suitable material or combination of materials such as tin plate, coated steel, aluminum, plastic, etc.

End closure 12 is provided with a dispensing aperture, generally designated 26, and also may be provided with a vent aperture, generally designated 28, as most clearly seen in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5. The apertures, while depicted in the drawing as being circular, may be of any suitable shape such as key hole, oval, radially elongated, tear drop, etc. While the size of aperture 26 is not critical it is to some extent dependent on the product (not shown) packaged in the container. Thus, when the container is subjected to internal pressure, such as when the contents are carbonated beverages, aperture 26 should be as small as is consonant with proper pouring in order to enable the closure to withstand the internal pressures while at the same time permitting proper pouring of the contents. In the case where there is no internal pressure to be concerned with, such as when the contents are fruit juices, aperture 26 may be appreciably larger. Vent opening 28 is preferably distantly spaced on central panel 16 from dispensing aperture 26 and is provided for venting the container to the atmosphere.

Raised dimples, generally designated 30 and 32, are formed in central panel 16 around apertures 26 and 28 respectively, as clearly seen in FIGS. 3 to 7. In this embodiment the peripheries 34 and 36 of the respective apertures 26 and 28 are sloped downwardly toward the apertures and the respective peripheral walls 38 and 40 are inclined upwardly toward the apertures. The lower edges 42 and 44 of the respective peripheral walls 38 and 40 are preferably disposed above the plane defined by the adjacent inner surface of the central panel 16. The upper edges 46 and 48 of the respective peripheral walls 38 and 40 are inwardly disposed with respect to the apertures and form wedgelike protrusions extending into the apertures.

Both apertures 26 and 28 are initially sealed by an internal sealing layer or patch, generally designated 50, which is adhered or bonded to the inner surface of central panel 16 adjacent to the apertures. In order to prevent the contents of the container from escaping, the layer or patch 50 is preferably fabricated from flat sheet stock or tape comprising a suitable thin, readily tearable, pressure resistant, impervious material such as aluminum or other metal foil or laminations of metallic foils and other materials. The sealing layer or patch 50 may be of any convenient shape or size to cover the apertures and of a suitable thickness for its intended purpose. As clearly seen in FIGS. 6 and 7 the upper surface of patch 50 is fully coated with a pre-applied layer or lamination, generally designated 52, of an adhesive which bonds the patch to the inner surface of central panel 16. If desired, patch 50 may extend onto reinforcing bead 18 to thereby increased its resistance to creepage when the container is subjected to internal pressures. The bottom surface of patch 50, as well as its exposed edges, may if desired be protected by a thin coating of an inert organic resin (not shown) to protect the material from possible corrosive action resulting from exposure to the contents of the container.

In order to reseal apertures 26 and 28 after the initial seal has been broken a resealing member 54 is provided. The resealing member is preferably injection molded from a suitable flexible thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethene, phenoxy, a vinyl modified polyurethene, a random copolymer of ethylene and acrylic acid, etc. As clearly seen in FIG. 2, the resealing member 54 is basically comprised of a plug 56 for the dispensing aperture, a plug 58 for the vent aperture, and a pull handle 60. Plug 56 is formed with a smaller lower portion, generally designated 62, a larger upper portion, generally designated 64, and a centrally disposed inner recess 66. As clearly seen in FIGS. 3 and 6, lower portion 62 of plug 56 is smaller than aperture 26 and therefore is adapted to pass therethrough to contact sealing layer 50. The larger portion 64 of plug 56 is provided with a depending straight wall having a width that is greater than both the lower portion 62 and aperture 26 so that when the plug is forced into the aperture an interference fit is established between peripheral wall 38 of aperture 26 and the depending straight wall of upper portion 64 of the plug. As best seen in FIG. 7, the edge 46 of peripheral wall 38 is wedged into the depending straight wall of upper portion 64 of the plug thus effectively sealing the aperture 26. A sloped transition piece, generally designated 68, is provided between the smaller lower portion 62, which may have a depending straight wall, and the depending straight wall of the larger upper portion 64 in order to facilitate the insertion of portion 64 into aperture 26. Recess 66 is provided in plug 56 in conjunction with groove 70 for the purpose of forming a button 72 and also for maintaining the wall thickness of member 54 uniform throughout to thereby aid in the injection molding of member 54.

Plug 58 is structured similarly to plug 56 but because of its much smaller size it is not provided with a button corresponding to button 72 of plug 56. The lower portion 74 of plug 58 is smaller than vent aperture 28 and therefore adapted to pass therethrough to contact sealing layer 50, as clearly seen in FIG. 3. Upper portion 76 of plug 58 is provided with a depending wall having a width that is greater than lower portion 74 and aperture 28, and upon insertion 28, it seals the aperture in a manner identical to that described with respect to plug 56. A sloped transition piece, generally designated 78, extends between lower portion 74, which may be provided with a depending straight wall, and the depending straight wall of upper portion 76 of plug 58 to facilitate insertion of upper portion 76 into aperture 28. Recess 80 in the upper end of plug 58 extends therein to thereby maintain the wall thickness of the resealing member uniform.

Flange-like webs generally designated 82, extend circumferentially around the upper extremities of plugs 56 and 58 for the purpose of preventing the complete insertion of the plugs into the respective apertures. The webs 82 around plugs 56 and 58 are integrally connected by means of connecting web 84 which extends webs of the respective plugs. Pull handle 60, which may be in the form of pull ring, is connected to flange-like web 82 surrounding the upper extremity of plug 58 so that an upward pull on ring 60 will first remove plug 58 from aperture 28 and then plug 56 from aperture 26. Downwardly extending protrusions, generally designated 90, serve to maintain the reclosure member 54 distantly spaced from the upper surface of central panel 16 when member 54 is in the resealing position.

Sealing layer or patch 50 is bonded to the inner surface of central panel 16 by the thermoplastic adhesive layer 52 in a bonding operation which involves the application of heat and pressure. The adhesive layer 52 may be any suitable adhesive but preferably a thermoplastic copolymer such as an ethelyene acrylic copolymer. The lower portion of plugs 56 and 58 are inserted into their respective apertures and the bottom walls 86 and 88 of plugs 56 and 58 are heat bonded, by means of adhesive layer 52, to sealing patch 50. The lower portion of plugs 56 and 58 are sufficiently small in relation to apertures 26 and 28 so that when initially inserted therein to bond to adhesive layer 52 ample clearance exists whereby minimum contact occurs between the plugs and the heated end closure.

In order to open the container, which as initially been sealed by sealing layer 50, the user merely grasps pull ring 60 and pulls it upwardly and away from end closure 12, as clearly indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4. This movement of member 54 causes the sealing layer 50 around the vent aperture 28 to contact the knife-like cutting edge 44 of peripheral wall 40 thereby tearing the sealing layer 50 coextensively with the aperture. Continued lifting of the resealing member 54 by the user will tear the sealing layer 50 against the knife-like edge 42 of peripheral wall 38 of the dispensing aperture similarly to the manner described with respect to the tearing of the sealing layer at vent 28, thereby freeing the resealing member from the container. When the user desires to reseal the container he merely positions the resealing member 54 so that the plugs 56 and 58 cover apertures 26 and 28 and then exerts a sufficient force on button 72 of plug 56 to insert the plug into aperture 26 and also on recess 80 of plug 58 to insert it into aperture 28. This resealed condition of the container is clearly seen in FIG. 5 where the depending straight walls of the larger upper portions of plugs 56 and 58 are compression or force fitted into the apertures resulting in an interference between the peripheral walls of the apertures and the depending straight walls of the upper portions of the plugs. It has been found that when in this resealed condition the contents of the container, if carbonated or containing other gases, retain their gaseous content for a greater length of time without becoming "flat." This result is achieved because of the increased sealability of the plastic plug in cooperation with the end closure.

A slightly modified form of the present invention is depicted in FIG. 8. As can be readily seen the reclosure member is substantially the same as above described the only alteration being in the configuration of the aperture peripheries. The peripheries 134 and 136 of apertures 126 and 128 are disposed parallel to central panel 116 rather than downwardly disposed as described above. Thus, when plugs 156 and 158 are force or compression fitted to the apertures the depending straight walls of the upper portions 164 and 176 are compressed against the peripheral walls 132 and 140 of the respective apertures.

This slight modification of the peripheries of the apertures permits the utilization of lower depending straight walls for the upper portions of the plugs thus lessening the required height of the resealing member. The resulting lower height of the resealing member thus lessens the possibility of accidental opening during transportation and handling of the container due to objects contacting and depressing the resealing member into the container.

It is understood that the foregoing general and detailed descriptions are exemplary of the present invention and are not to be interpreted as restrictive of the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. An end closure for and easy opening resealable container which comprises:

a substantially flat central panel seamed about its extremity to the container body and having at least one aperture formed therein;

an internal sealing layer bonded to the inner surface of said panel and covering said aperture;

and a non-rigid resealing member having a plug element insertable into said aperture, said plug element including a lower portion having a width smaller than the aperture into which the plug element is insertable, a bottom wall bonded to said sealing layer, and a depending straight walled upper portion having a width which is larger than said aperture so that said upper portion is insertable into said aperture with interference between the peripheral wall of the aperture and the depending straight wall of the upper portion of said plug element to thereby releasably seal the container subsequent to the initial opening thereof by removal of the

2. The end enclosure as defined in claim 1 wherein said resealing member further includes a push button recessed into the upper extremity of said plug element to thereby aid in inserting said plug element into said

3. The end closure as defined in claim 1 wherein said resealing member further includes a web-like flange around the upper extremity of said plug

4. The end closure as defined in claim 1 wherein the peripheral wall of said apperture is inclined upwardly toward said apperture so that its upper edge wedges into the depending straight wall of the upper portion of said plug element when said upper portion is inserted into said aperture.

5. The end closure as defined in claim 1 wherein said sealing layer

6. The end closure as defined in claim 5 wherein said gas impermeable layer

7. The end closure as defined in claim 5 wherein the metallic foil sealing layer is heat bonded to the inner surface of said panel with a

8. The end closure as defined in claim 7 wherein said thermoplastic

9. The end closure as defined in claim 1 wherein said resealing member is formed of plastic and includes a pull-handle integrally formed with said

10. The end closure as defined in claim 9 wherein the material thickness of

11. The end closure as defined in claim 1 which further comprises a raised dimple formed around said aperture, the periphery of said aperture being sloped downwardly toward said aperture and disposed above the plane of the adjacent inner surface of said central panel and said internal sealing

12. The end closure as defined in claim 11 wherein the peripheral wall of said aperture is inclined upwardly towards said aperture so that its lowermost edge is closest to said sealing layer and serves as a knife-like cutting edge to sever said sealing layer when said sealing layer is moved

13. The end closure as defined in claim 1 which further comprises a raised dimple formed around said aperture, the periphery of the aperture being parallel to the plane of the adjacent surface of the central panel and

14. The end closure as defined in claim 1 wherein the plug element of said resealing member further includes a sloped transition between the

15. The end closure as defined in claim 14 wherein the lower portion of

16. An end closure for an easy opening resealable container which comprises:

a substantially flat central panel seamed about its extremity to the container body and having a dispensing aperture and a vent aperture formed therein;

an internal gas impermeable sealing layer bonded to the inner surface of said panel and covering said apertures;

a raised dimple formed about each of said apertures, the periphery of the apertures being sloped downwardly towards said apertures and disposed above the plane of the adjacent inner surface of the panel, the peripheral walls of the apertures being inclined upwardly towards the apertures so that their lowermost edges are closest to said sealing layer and serve as knife-like cutting edges to sever said sealing layer when the sealing layer is moved upwardly;

and a resealing member including a first plug element insertable into said dispensing aperture and a second plug element insertable into said vent aperture;

said first plug element having a bottom wall, a lower portion, a depending straight walled upper portion, a web-like flange around the upper extremity of the plug element, and a push button recessed into the upper extremity of the plug element, the lower portion having a width smaller than the dispensing aperture, the bottom wall being bonded to said sealing layer, and the depending straight walled upper portion having a width which is larger than said dispensing aperture so that the depending straight wall of said upper portion is insertable into said dispensing aperture with interference between the peripheral wall of the aperture and the depending straight wall of the upper portion of said plug element, the upper edge of the peripheral wall of the dispensing aperture being wedgeable into the upper portion of said depending straight wall of said upper portion of said plug element to thereby releasably reseal said dispensing aperture subsequent to the initial opening thereof by removal of the resealing member and tearing of the sealing layer;

said second plug element having a bottom wall, a lower portion, a depending straight walled upper portion, and a web-like flange around the upper extremity of said plug element integrally interconnecting said first and second plug elements, the lower portion having a width smaller than said vent aperture, the bottom wall being bonded to said sealing layer, and the depending straight walled upper portion having a width larger than said vent aperture so that the depending straight wall of said upper portion is insertable into said vent aperture with interference between the peripheral wall of the vent aperture and the depending straight wall of the upper portion, the upper edge of the peripheral wall of said vent aperture being wedgeable into the depending straight wall of said upper portion to thereby releasably reseal said vent aperture subsequent to the initial opening thereof by removal of the resealing member and tearing of

17. An end closure for an easy opening resealable container which comprises:

a substantially flat central panel seamed about its extremity to the container body and having a dispensing aperture and a vent aperture formed therein;

an internal gas impermeable sealing layer bonded to the inner surface of said panel and covering said apertures;

a raised dimple formed about each of said apertures, the periphery of the apertures being parallel to the plane of the adjacent surface of the central panel and displaced upwardly therfrom;

and a resealing member including a first plug element insertable into said dispensing aperture and a second plug element insertable into said vent aperture;

said first plug element having a bottom wall, a lower portion, a depending straight walled upper portion, a web-like flange around the upper extremity of the plug element, and a push button recessed into the upper extremity of the plug element, the lower portion having a width smaller than the dispensing aperture, the bottom wall being bonded to said sealing layer, and the depending straight walled upper portion having a width larger than said dispensing aperture so that said depending straight wall of said upper portion is insertable into said dispensing aperture with interference between peripheral wall of the aperture and the depending straight wall of the upper portion to thereby releasably reseal said dispensing aperture subsequent to the initial opening thereof by removal of the resealing member and tearing of the sealing layer;

said second plug element having a bottom wall, a lower portion, a depending straight walled upper portion, and a web-like flange around the upper extremity of said second plug element integrally interconnecting said first and second plug elements, the lower portion having a width smaller than said vent aperture, the bottom wall being bonded to said sealing layer, and the depending straight walled upper portion having a width larger than said vent aperture so that the depending straight wall of said upper portion is insertable into said vent aperture with interference between the peripheral wall of said vent aperture and the depending straight wall of said upper portion to thereby releasably reseal said vent aperture subsequent to the initial opening thereof by removal of the resealing member and tearing of said sealing layer.