CAN

CANETTE

English Abstract

The invention relates to a container or can, especially for use with
beverages, with an essentially cylindrical wall, which is closed on its top
and
bottom by a sheet metal cover each joined to the wall, and with a sealing
element, which is inserted into an opening in the sheet metal cover and
permits resealable opening of the can, where the opening in the sheet metal
cover is surrounded by a first conical part of the sheet metal cover tapering
towards the interior of the can and extending between a circular folding edge
and the circular rim of the opening, and where the sealing element is
provided with an essentially cylindrical holding section, which is inserted
into
the opening of the sheet metal cover and has a peripheral groove, which
receives the first conical part of the sheet metal cover and is bounded in the
direction away from the can by a second projection against which the folding
edge rests. A simple design and economical manufacture can be achieved by
providing that a screw cap of the sealing element rests against the second
projection in the closed state.

French Abstract

L'invention concerne une canette destinée notamment à la réception de boissons et comprenant une enveloppe sensiblement cylindrique (1) qui, côté frontal, se termine respectivement par une coiffe (2) qui est reliée à l'enveloppe (1), et un élément de fermeture (3) prévu dans un évidement de la coiffe (2) et permettant de refermer la canette, l'évidement de la coiffe (2) étant entouré par une première section (13) tronconique de la coiffe, ladite première section s'effilant vers l'intérieur de la canette et s'étendant entre un bord de pliage (17) circulaire et un bord circulaire (20), en délimitant l'évidement. Quant à l'élément de fermeture (3), il présente une section de retenue (7) sensiblement cylindrique qui est insérée dans l'évidement de la coiffe (2) et qui présente une rainure périphérique (21) qui reçoit la première section tronconique (13) de la coiffe (2) et qui est délimitée vers le côté extérieur de la canette par une deuxième saillie (8) contre laquelle vient s'appuyer le bord de pliage (17). En mode fermé, une fermeture à vis (5) de l'élément de fermeture (3) vient s'appuyer contre la deuxième saillie (8).

Claims

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The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or
privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A can with a substantially cylindrical wall, which is closed on its top
and bottom by a sheet metal cover each, which is joined to the wall, and
with a sealing element, which is inserted into an opening in the sheet metal
cover and permits resealable opening of the can, where the opening in the
sheet metal cover is surrounded by a first conical part of the sheet metal
cover tapering towards the interior of the can and extending between a
circular first folding edge and a circular rim of the opening, and where
radially outside of the first conical part a second conical part is provided,
which tapers outwardly, and where the sealing element is provided with an
essentially cylindrical holding section, which is inserted into the opening of
the sheet metal cover and has a peripheral groove, which receives the first
conical part of the sheet metal cover and is bounded in the direction away
from the can by a second projection against which the folding edge rests,
characterised in that a screw cap of the sealing element abuts against the
second projection in the closed state and that the second conical part is
joined at a second folding edge to a third conical part, which tapers towards
the can and extends from the second folding edge outwardly away from the
can.
2. A can according to claim 1 for containing beverages.
3. A can according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral groove of the
holding section is bounded in axial direction by a first projection, which has
a
supporting shoulder on a side of the groove and which is conical on a side
opposite the supporting shoulder.
4. A can according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the width of the
peripheral groove of the holding section in axial direction corresponds to an
axial extension of the first conical part of the sheet metal cover.

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5. A can according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the opening is
positioned excentrically in the sheet metal cover and is immediately adjacent
to the edge of the sheet metal cover.
6. A can according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sealing
element consists of a single-piece base part and the screw cap.
7. A can according to claim 6, wherein the sealing element has a safety
lid, which can be ripped open.
8. A can according to claim 7, wherein the rip-up safety lid is part of a
plate whose rim forms the second projection against which the first folding
edge abuts.
9. A can according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a rip-up loop is formed onto
the safety lid.
10. A can according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the sealing
element is made of a plastic material.
11. A can according to claim 10, wherein the plastic material is a
polyolefin.
12. A can according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the lower sheet
metal cover situated opposite the sheet metal cover carrying the sealing
element, has a recess which is shaped to receive the sealing element of
another can onto which the first can is stacked.

Description

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WO 2008/000013
Can
The invention relates to a container or can, especially for beverages, with an
essentially cylindrical wall, which is closed on its top and bottom by sheet
metal
covers joined to the wall, and with a sealing element, which is inserted into
an
opening in the sheet metal cover and permits resealable opening of the can,
where the opening in the sheet metal cover is surrounded by a first conical
part
of the sheet metal cover tapering towards the interior of the can and
extending
between a circular folding edge and the circular rim of the opening, and where
the sealing element is provided with an essentially cylindrical holding
section,
which is inserted into the opening of the sheet metal cover and has a
peripheral
groove receiving the first conical part of the sheet metal cover and being
bounded in the direction facing away from the can by a second projection
against
which the folding edge rests.
State-of-the-art beverage cans have sealing elements which are ripped open by
the user to make an opening in the can. Usually such openings cannot be
resealed. Various other sealing elements are known which permit opening and
resealing of the can. These elements are difficult to manufacture, however,
and
failure-prone if mass-produced and thus a source of problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,687,831 A shows a can with a sealing element which snaps into
a
corresponding retaining element. A sealing element of this type is suitable
for
fastening a spout but will not be able to withstand the forces and moments
arising in a screw-type closure. Further closures with insufficient strength
are
described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,354 A and U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,842 A.
It is an object of the present invention to propose a can with a resealable
sealing
element, which is simple and economical to manufacture and easy to handle. The
sealing element is to be particularly robust and should neither impede storing
nor
disposing of the can. In particular, the forces and moments arising in the
opening of the can should be reliably supported.
According to the invention it is provided that a screw cap of the sealing
element
rests against the second projection in the closed state. The essential aspect
of

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the invention is that the sealing element may be simply and reliably inserted
into
the opening of the sheet metal cover. The result is a kind of snap-on
connection,
which permits relatively easy insertion of the sealing element into the
opening if
dimensions are properly chosen, but will also guarantee a secure seat of the
element. At the same time a liquid-tight seal will be provided, which will
prevent
undesirable spilling of the contents of the can.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a can with a
substantially cylindrical wall, which is closed on its top and bottom by a
sheet
metal cover each, which is joined to the wall, and with a sealing element,
which
is inserted into an opening in the sheet metal cover and permits resealable
opening of the can, where the opening in the sheet metal cover is surrounded
by
a first conical part of the sheet metal cover tapering towards the interior of
the
can and extending between a circular first folding edge and a circular rim of
the
opening, and where radially outside of the first conical part a second conical
part
is provided, which tapers outwardly, and where the sealing element is provided
with an essentially cylindrical holding section, which is inserted into the
opening
of the sheet metal cover and has a peripheral groove, which receives the first
conical part of the sheet metal cover and is bounded in the direction away
from
the can by a second projection against which the folding edge rests,
characterised in that a screw cap of the sealing element abuts against the
second projection in the closed state and that the second conical part is
joined
at a second folding edge to a third conical part, which tapers towards the can
and extends from the second folding edge Outwardly away from the can.
Particularly reliable functioning of the sealing element together with
robustness
of construction will be achieved if the screw cap of the sealing element
presses
against the second projection in the closed state. This will provide a secure
end
position when the cap is screwed on.
Assembly of the can will be made particulary easy if the peripheral groove of
the
holding section is bounded in axial direction by a first projection, which has
a
supporting shoulder on the side of the groove and is conical on the opposite
side.
In this way the sealing element will slip easily through the rim of the
opening
upon insertion into the opening without causing a permanent deformation.

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A particularly secure seat of the sealing element will be achieved by giving
the
peripheral groove of the holding section a width in axial direction which
corresponds to the axial extension of the first conical part of the sheet
metal
cover. This will eliminate play in the axial direction of the sealing element.
It will
be of particular advantage in this case if the peripheral groove of the
holding
section is bounded in the direction away from the can by a second projection
against which the folding edge rests.
It has been found to be particularly advantageous if a second conical part,
which
is radially adjacent to the first conical part and tapers in the direction
away from
the can, is provided on the outside of the first conical part. This will
enhance the
spring-effect, providing sufficient elasticity to avoid damage when the
sealing
element is inserted, even when hard plastic materials are used.
From the point of view of material strength it is of particular advantage if
the
opening is placed excentrically in the sheet metal cover, i.e. immediately
adjacent to the rim of the cover. This will also enable the user to completely
drain the contents of the can.

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A particularly simple design is achieved if the sealing element consists of a
single-piece base part and a screw cap.
In the case of beverage cans it is often required that a safety seal should
offer
the possibility to discern whether the can still has its original seal or has
been
previously opened. A rip-up safety cover can fulfill this function.
Advantageously,
the safety seal is part of the plate whose rim forms the second projection
against
which the folding edge rests. As an alternative it would also be possible to
provide a screw cap with a pilfer ring, as used with beverage bottles.
A robust design and reliable functioning is achieved if the the screw cap of
the
sealing element rests against the second projection. in the closed state. This
defines a secure end position when the cap is screwed on.
The sealing element is preferentially made of plastic material, in particular
of a
polyolefin such as PE or PP.
The can may be made stackable by providing a recess in the sheet metal bottom
opposite to the sealing element in the sheet metal cover, which is shaped to
receive the sealing element of another can onto which the first can is
stacked. In
this way stacks of cans may be formed in which the cans rest one upon the
other
and are secured against lateral slipping or toppling without exposing the
sealing
elements to undue loads.
The invention will be further described below, with reference to the
embodiment
shown in the enclosed drawings.
Fig. 1 presents a partial section through a can according to the
invention; and
Fig. 2 shows a detail of fig. 1.
The can of fig. 1 has a cylindrical wall 1, which is closed on top by the
sheet
metal cover 2 provided with a sealing element 3. The sealing element 3
consists
of a base part 4 and a screw cap 5 which is screwed onto the base part 4.
The base part 4 comprises a plate 6 onto which is formed an annular
cylindrical
downward extension 7 forming a holding section. Beyond the diameter of the
holding section 7 the plate 6 continues as a flange, which is here referred to
as

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second projection 8. Below the second projection 8 there is provided a first
projection 9, which also is annular.
In plate 6 there is provided a safety lid, which may be ripped up by means of
the
loop 11. On the one hand this will provide additional safety against spilling
or
contamination of the contents prior to the first opening of the can, on the
other
hand it permits the user to ascertain whether the can is in pristine condition
or
has already been opened.
The rim area 12 of the sheet metal cover 2, which surrounds the opening into
which the sealing element 3 is inserted, consists of a first conical section
13
tapering in the direction towards the can's interior and extending between a
circular folding edge 17 and the circular rim 20, which is the border of the
opening. The first conical section 13 connects to a second conical section 14,
which in turn is joined to another conical section 15 at yet another folding
edge
19.
The circular rim 20 presses under preload against a groove 21 of the holding
section 7, which runs around the periphery of the downward cylindrical
extension
7 between a first projection 9 and a second projection 8. The circular rim 20
abuts against the supporting shoulder 16 of the first projection 9. Due to
preloading a reliable seal of the sealing element 3 against the sheet metal
cover
2 of the can is ensured.
Since the axial width of the groove 21 and the height of the conical section
13
are approximately equal the folding edge 17 abuts against the underside 18 of
the second projection 8.
The first projection 9 has a bevelled area 22 on its underside opposite the
supporting shoulder 16. Thus the sealing element 3 can be attached to the can
during production in a simple manner by snapping it into to opening of the
sheet
metal cover 2. The first conical section 13 widens elastically and after
slipping
over the first projection 9 locks into the groove 21. When the can is disposed
of
the sealing element 3 may be separated from the can in a simple manner.
The present invention will permit manufacture of a robust resealable container
in
a simple manner, thus achieving high practical value.

Representative Drawing