U.S. patent number 3,912,128 [Application Number 05/410,810] was granted by the patent office on 1975-10-14 for end closure with integral safety fulcrum pin.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Weatherchem Corporation. Invention is credited to Michael J. Duffy, Albert J. Weatherhead, III, Carl N. Ziemann.
United States Patent |
3,912,128 |
Ziemann , et al. |
October 14, 1975 |
End closure with integral safety fulcrum pin
Abstract
A dispensing container end closure is disclosed which includes a
one piece cap and a one piece disc rotatably secured to the cap.
The disc has various shapes and sizes of openings for dispensing
the contents of the container. The cap includes a removable tab
which is defined by a reduced thickness tearing web for sealing the
container during shipping and storage. A novel fulcrum pin is
provided on the cap for preventing the tab from falling into the
container during removal of the tab.
Inventors: |
Ziemann; Carl N. (Broadview
Heights, OH), Duffy; Michael J. (Mayfield Heights, OH),
Weatherhead, III; Albert J. (Cleveland Heights, OH) |
Assignee: |
Weatherchem Corporation
(Cleveland, OH)
|
Family
ID: |
23626323 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/410,810 |
Filed: |
October 29, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/541.6;
222/548 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
47/265 (20130101); B65D 47/10 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
47/06 (20060101); B65D 47/26 (20060101); B65D
47/04 (20060101); B65D 47/10 (20060101); B65D
047/10 () |
Field of
Search: |
;222/541,565,556
;220/315,35 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Tollberg; Stanley H.
Assistant Examiner: Stack, Jr.; Norman L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: McNenny, Farrington, Pearne &
Gordon
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A container comprising a tube, a bottom end closure, and a top
end closure, said top end closure including a one piece plastic cap
secured to said tube, said cap including a removable tab defined by
a reduced thickness tearing web at the bottom surface of said cap
and two fulcrum pins being constructed and arranged to provide a
pivotal axis for rotating one end of said tab in a direction into
said container and the other end of said tab in a direction out of
said container to break said tearing web when a force is exerted on
said one end of said tab in a direction into said container, a
groove in said cap extending downwardly from the top surface of
said cap to said tearing web at said bottom surface of said cap,
each of said fulcrum pins including an elongated pin molded
integrally with said cap on the bottom surface thereof, the
longitudinal axis of each of said elongated pins extending
laterally across said tearing web, the length of each of said
elongated pins exceeding the width of said groove and each of said
elongated pins extending beyond said tearing web on both sides of
said tearing web a substantial distance sufficient to prevent
breaking of said elongated pins during said breaking of said
tearing web whereby said elongated pins prevent said tab from
falling into said container, and said elongated pins being
frangible in response to a shearing force substantially in excess
of the force required to shear said tearing web whereby after said
breaking of said tearing web said elongated pins may be broken to
permit removal of said tab whereby said tab may be permanently
removed to provide a dispensing passage.
2. A container as defined in claim 1 wherein said elongated pins
are located on opposite sides of said tearing web and said groove
in generally V-shaped.
Description
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to end closures for containers,
and more specifically to plastic end closures which seal the
container for shipping and storage and which include a removable
tab for opening the container.
Plastic end closures for containers may include a one piece
stationary cap which closes the end of the container and a one
piece rotatable disc which provides various sizes and shapes of
openings for dispensing the contents of the container as shown in
U.S. Pat. No. 2,961,132 to Robert W. Ankney. The one piece cap of
such prior art closures includes a removable tab which seals the
container during shipping and storage and which is defined by a
reduced thickness tearing web. The reduced thickness tearing web is
located at the bottom of a V-shaped groove in the cap, and the
V-shaped groove is discontinuous at two locations to provide two
fulcrum pins about which the tab can be rotated. To remove the tab,
one end of the tab is pushed down into the container to begin
tearing the web at such one end, and the tab rotates about the
fulcrum pins so that the other end of the tab moves upwardly away
from the container. This permits grasping such other end of the tab
to remove the tab and prevent the tab from falling into the
container for both sanitary and safety reasons.
Such prior art end closures have received widespread commercial
acceptance and in general have operated in a satisfactory manner.
However, it has been found that a novel type of fulcrum pin, when
applied to such end closures, provides a significantly greater
resistance to premature breaking both during the tearing of the
tearing web and also during rotation of the tab about the fulcrum
pin.
The fulcrum pin according to the present invention is an elongated
pin molded integrally with the end closure cap on the bottom
surface thereof and extending laterally across the bottom of the
tearing web. This permits the fulcrum pin to be longer than the
prior art fulcrum pins (which could only be as long as the width of
the V-shaped groove of the cap), and it is believed that the
angular deformation of the fulcrum pin is thereby distributed over
a greater length to reduce the twisting stress at any given
location on the fulcrum pin and prevent premature breaking
thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other aspects of the invention are incorporated in the
preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings,
wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container and end closure
according to the principles of the invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along reference
view line 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of the end closure
shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion of the top
of the stationary cap of the end closure shown in FIG. 1, with the
tab partially rotated for removal;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion of the
bottom of the stationary cap before rotation of the tab; and
FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the fulcrum pins
shown in FIG. 5 with the tab partially rotated for removal.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, FIG. 1 is a
perspective view of a dispensing container having an end closure
according to the principles of the invention. The dispensing
container shown in FIG. 1 is particularly adapted for use with food
products and includes a paper fiber tube 11, a bottom end closure
12, and a top end closure 14. The end closures 12 and 14 in the
preferred embodiment are secured on the ends of the fiber tube 11
by glue. In actual use, one of the end closures is first secured on
the fiber tube 11 to form an open ended can, the can which is so
formed is filled with a product which is to be dispensed, and the
other end closure is then secured on the open end of the can to
form the dispensing container.
FIGS. 2 through 6 show the top end closure 14 in greater detail.
The end closure 14 includes a one piece stationary cap 15 and a one
piece rotatable disc 16. The cap 15 and the disc 16 are each
injection molded, and the cap 15 is preferably made of a medium
impact polystyrene while the disc 16 is preferably made of a
flexible polyethylene. This provides a stationary cap which is
relatively rigid and a rotatable disc which is relatively flexible
so that the disc can be snapped onto the cap without breakage.
As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rotatable disc 16 includes a
large arcuate shaped opening 17 for pouring or for receiving a
spoon and a plurality of smaller openings 18 for dispensing the
contents of the container by shaking. The rotatable disc 16 also
includes a depending axle portion 19 which is snapped into a
suitable opening in the center of the stationary cap 15, and the
disc 16 is rotated to bring the openings 17 and 18 into alignment
with a suitable opening formed in the stationary cap 15 and
described below.
The construction of the stationary cap 15 is best shown in FIGS. 2
through 6. The cap 15 includes a laterally extending end portion 23
and an annular skirt portion 24 extending axially from the end
portion 23.
The laterally extending end portion 23 includes a removable tab 30
which is defined by a reduced thickness tearing web 31 so that the
tab 30 can be removed to permit dispensing the contents of the
container through the large opening 17 or through the smaller
openings 18 of the disc 16. The tearing web 31 is located at the
bottom of a V-shaped groove in the laterally extending end portion
23, and the V-shaped groove extends from the top surface of the end
portion 23 and terminates at the tearing web 31.
The laterally extending end portion 23 of the stationary cap 15
also includes two elongated fulcrum pins 32 molded integrally with
the cap 15 on the bottom surface thereof. The longitudinal axis of
each of the fulcrum pins 32 extends laterally across the tearing
web 31, and the fulcrum pins 32 are located on opposite sides of
the tearing web 31. In this manner, the tab 30 seals the stationary
cap 15 during shipping and storage, and the tab 30 is removed for
dispensing the contents of the container.
To remove the tab 30, one end of the tab 30 is manually pushed
downwardly into the container in the manner shown in FIG. 4. This
begins to break the tearing web 31 at such one end of the tab 30.
As the tearing web 31 tears further from such one end of the tab
30, the tearing reaches the location of the fulcrum pins 32. The
fulcrum pins 32 do not break, but instead they provide a fulcrum
about which the tab 30 rotates so that the other end of the tab 30
moves in a direction away from the container to tear the web 31 at
such other end. When the web 31 is torn around the periphery of the
tab 30, the one end of the tab 30 is pushed further manually into
the container so that the tab 30 rotates about the fulcrum pins 32
and the other end of the tab 30 can be grasped. The tab 30 can then
be twisted back and forth until the fulcrum pins 32 break to permit
removal of the tab 30.
The operation of the fulcrum pins 32 during rotation of the tab 30
is best illustrated in FIG. 6. As the tab 30 rotates, the angular
deformation of each fulcrum pin 32 is believed to be distributed
over a length which is greater than the length of the prior art
fulcrum pins located in the V-shaped groove of the cap as disclosed
in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 2,961,132. It is believed that
this reduces the twisting stress at any given location on the
fulcrum pins 32, and that this is the principal reason that
premature breaking of the fulcrum pins 32 is prevented by this
invention.
Test samples of this invention were made by the assignee of this
application using polystyrene for the cap 15. It was found that,
after breaking of the tearing web 31, the removable tab 30 could be
rotated through an arc of at least 90.degree. without breaking the
fulcrum pins 32. It was also found that, upon such rotation, the
fulcrum pins 32 appeared to deflect in the manner shown in FIG. 6
along a length greater than the width of the V-shaped groove in the
cap 15. To compare the fulcrum pins 32 with the fulcrum pins
provided in prior art end closures manufactured by the assignee of
this application in the manner disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
2,961,132, the polystyrene test samples of the end closures
according to the principles of this invention were compared to
substantially identical polystyrene end closures having the prior
art type fulcrum pins located in the V-shaped groove of the cap. It
was found from such comparison that the end closures according to
the principles of the invention provide a significantly greater
resistance to premature breaking of the fulcrum pins (and
consequent falling of the tab into the container) than the prior
art fulcrum pins.
* * * * *