Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CONTAINER, SET COMPRISING A RING, A FOIL AND A
LID, A PRESET THEREFOR, AND A METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE
SET FOR THE CONTAINER
The present invention relates to a container
comprising a body provided with a ring, a foil adhered to
the ring and a lid covering the foil. The invention
further relates to a set comprising the ring, the foil
and the lid, wherein the foil is adhered to the ring, to
a preset comprising the body, the foil and the lid and
wherein the foil is not yet adhered to the ring, and
finally to a method for producing the set comprising the
ring, the lid and the foil adhered to the ring.
Containers according to the present invention
should have an optimal airtight closure due to their
content and to their use under conditions which when in
open contact with the container content results in a
accelerated degradation of the content. Therefore the
body is provided with a ring determining an opening and
this opening is closed of by a foil adhered to the
container. The foil may be pealed of using a foil tab.
The container is furthermore provided with a metal lid
covering the foil. Accordingly, the lid protects the foil
against undesired breakage. However, the container is
furthermore tamper proof and reduces a risk for unwanted
additions to the content of the container.
One type of such containers comprises a foil
which is seamed into the seam formed between a ring curl
and a curl of the container body. Such type of container
is called a PAL container.
Another type of container comprises a pealable
foil which is sealed to an horizontal ring part. The lid
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closes over the foil and onto the ring and is often
provided with arresting means (a circumferential bead or
dimples) avoiding an undesired release of the lid from
the ring. Such container is often called a PALOS
container.
Another type of container comprises a pealable
foil which is sealed to the ring and a plastic lid or cap
overcloses foil and ring and is connected to the
container seam. Such container is often called an easy
opening container.
It will be appreciated that the PAL container
requires a tool for getting access to the content of the
container. The PAL container is optimally reclosable and
is of high safety against unwanted additions to the
container content. However, the manufacturing costs of
the PAL container are relatively high.
The PALOS container also requires a tool for
breaking the foil and getting access to the container
content. The PALOS container is less optimally reclosable
but has the same safety properties. Manufacturing costs
are even higher than those of the PAL container.
The container has the optimal properties for
opening by tearing off the foil using the foil tab. The
container is only reclosable by using the additional
plastic cap overclosing the ring and connected to the
body seam. Safety is reduces but manufacturing costs are
relatively low.
The present invention has for its object to
provide a container which has optimal opening properties
similar to those of the pealable closure container.
Furthermore, reclosability should be optimal and
manufacturing costs relatively low.
The invention provides such a container which
comprises:
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- a body provided with a ring determining an
opening;
- a foil adhered to the ring and closing the
opening; and
- a lid covering the foil and connected to the
ring,
wherein the ring and the lid are resiliently
connected and the foil is adhered to the ring in the
resilient connection between the ring and the lid.
The gist of the invention resides in the
formation of a preset comprising the ring and the lid and
the foil being interposed between the ring and the lid
which have a mutual resilient connection and thereby
resiliently maintaining the foil between ring and lid.
The foil is provided with sealing material such that by
application of heat the foil is adhered to the ring while
being present and resiliently pressed in placed between
the lid and ring.
Accordingly, less foil material and thinner foil
(such as less than 100}Zm, in particular 70um) for reasons
that in view of the PALOS container the foil is no longer
seamed in between the ring curl and the body curl. At the
same time less foil material is required due to the
smaller diameter. A material reduction is estimated to
about 10%.
Furthermore, the ring and lid could be made of
thinner material for reasons that in the resilient
connection material sizes are less critical. Finally, due
to the resilient connection between ring and lid, the
foil is maintained in the preset between ring and lid and
this preset could be subjected to the heat treatment
using an oven. Accordingly, it is not required to use a
particular sealing apparatus comprising sealing means
which only temporarily contact ring and/or lid in a
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position where the foil is to be adhered to the ring by
application of heat. Accordingly, the production rate may
be increased while using standard equipment.
According to a preferred embodiment the resilient
connection has a contact area which is at an angle of 45-
100 , preferably 45-900, more preferably 75-900 with the
axial direction of the container. Selecting the contact
area within the range of 45-1000, preferably within 45-
90 and more preferably between 75-90 with the
(horizontal) plane defined by the ring results in less
force required for removing the lid out of the resilient
connection. For reasons that only a force slightly higher
than the friction force is to be applied. Larger the
contact angles will result in a lower fraction of the
normal force for the resilient connection to be
compensated. At an angle of 90 the normal force of the
resilient connection in a direction of releasing the lid
from the ring is very low if present at all. Under those
circumstances it is only the friction force which is
experienced by the consumer when removing the lid from
the ring. The resilient force required for the resilient
connection may originate from the lid part or from the
ring part, or from both parts. Preferably both parts are
resilient such that the sizes and measures of these parts
are less critical.
The resilient property in the resilient part of
the lid and/or ring is obtained by deforming these parts
to 0.2% of their yield point.
For optimally maintaining the foil between the
ring and the lid it is preferred that the resilient
connection has a surface pressure within the range of
600-1300N/cm2, preferably 700-1200N/cm2. Accordingly,
under practical conditions the resilient connection
complies with the manufacturing, handling and user
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requirements and an undesired release of the lid from the
ring is substantially avoided.
Within one embodiment according to the present
invention the lid resides within the ring opening such
5 that in outward radial direction the lid is in the inner
position and the ring is in the outer position and the
foil inserted there between.
According to another embodiment the lid closes
over the ring opening. Accordingly, in outward radial
direction the ring part connected to the foil is at the
inner position and the corresponding lid part in the
outer position having the foil inserted in between.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a set
comprising a ring, a foil adhered to the ring and closing
the opening, and a lid covering the foil and connected to
the ring, wherein the ring and the lid are resiliently
connected and the foil is adhered to the ring in the
resilient connection between the ring and the lid.
Another aspect of the present invention relates
to a preset formed by a ring and a lid having resiliently
connected the foil between the ring and the lid.
Finally, the present invention relates to a
method for producing a set comprising the steps of:
i) forming a preset by resiliently connecting the
foil between the ring and the lid; and
ii) subjecting the preset to a heat treatment for
adhering the foil to the ring.
Stated above the invention is based on the
insight that a preset could be formed by inserting the
foil in between the ring and the lid using a resilient
connection. It is this preset that could be subsequently
subjected to a heat treatment (preferably at a heat
treatment temperature of in between 90-150 dependent on
the sealing material used). Accordingly, no additional
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equipment or tools are required for maintaining the
preset during the application of heat for a minimum
amount of time for adhering the foil to the ring.
Obviously, when forming the preset, the foil may
be first mounted on the ring or first mounted on the lid
and subsequently apply the lid or the ring respectively
and form the resilient connection.
In mounting the foil it might be that the foil
remains on the ring or lid due to gravitation forces. If
not applicable then the foil could be mounted using
clamping force and/or magnetic force.
Mentioned and other features of the set, preset,
container and its method of production will be further
explained and illustrated by reference to several
embodiments which are only given for illustrative
purposes and are not intended to limit the present
invention to any extent. In the description reference
will be made to the figures wherein:
Figure 1 shows a container according to the
invention;
Figures 2, 3 and 4 illustrate production steps
for producing a set according to the invention;
Figure 5 shows at a larger scale detail V of
figure 4;
Figure 6 shows at a larger scale detail VI of
figure 5;
Figures 7, 8 and 9 show in cross-section other
manufacturing steps for producing another set according
to the invention; and
Figures 10, 11 and 12 show an alternative to the
production steps shown in figures 7-9.
Figure 1 shows a container 1 according to the
invention. The container comprises a body 2 and a ring 3
which is seamed to the body 2. A foil 4 is adhered to the
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ring and comprises a tab 5 for removing the foil 4 and
making the content of the container 1 available via an
opening determined by the ring 3. The container 1 further
comprises a lid 6 which (if present) covers the foil and
is connected to the ring 3.
Figures 2-4 illustrate a method for producing a
set 7 comprising a ring 3, a foil 4 and a lid 6.
The ring 3 comprises a curl 8 for being connected
to the container body 2 via a seam. The ring 3 further
comprises a wall 9 connected via a horizontal wall 10 to
a curved and downwardly directed ring part 11. This ring
part 11 has resilient properties when urged into a
radially outward direction.
The foil 4 is cup shaped having a central panel
12 and an upright edge 13.
The lid 6 has a central lid panel 14 and an
upright wall 15.
As shown in figure 2 the metal foil 4 is mounted
on the lid 6 and maintained on the lid 6 using a magnet
16.
Subsequently following the direction of the arrow
17 the lid 6 having mounted thereon the foil 4 is pressed
into the ring 3 thereby forming a resilient connection in
between the resilient ring part 11 and the slightly
resilient wall 15 while the foil 4 with the upright edge
13 is interposed and clamped between. This preset 18
comprising the ring 3 and the lid 16 with resiliently
connected in between the foil 4, is subsequently
subjected to a heat treatment using heat 19. Thereby
seaming the foil to the ring 3 for reasons that the
upright edge 13 at its outer surface 20 and/or the inner
surface 21 of the ring part 11 is provided with seam
material. It is noted that the heat treatment may be
carried out in an oven at a increased temperature such as
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1300, or may be subjected to other heat treatments using
other types of radiation.
Figure 5 shows more in detail the set 7
comprising the ring 3, the lid 6 and the foil 4 which is
at an resilient connection 22 in between the ring part 11
and the lid wall 15. As better illustrated in figure 6 it
is shown that the foil 14 is adhered to the ring part 11
via the seem material 23. Clearly the compression force
is in the direction of the arrow 24 whereas the direction
of releasing the lid 6 from the ring 3 is in the
direction of the arrow 25 and experiences only the
friction force and not the resilient compression force.
Figures 7, 8 and 9 show another method according
to the invention for producing a set according to the
invention.
Figure 7 shows another ring 26 which has a
resilient and bended ring part 27 which is in figure 7 in
a slanted position. The foil 28 has an edge 29 which is
in a similarly slanted position as the ring part 27. The
lid 30 also comprises a lid wall 31 having a similarly
slanted orientation. As shown in figure 8 the foil 28 is
mounted on the lid 30 with the foil edge 29 and lid wall
31 closely fitting to one another. Subsequently following
the arrows 32 the ring 26 is pressed onto the combination
of lid 30 and foil 28. This results in a preset 33 shown
in figure 9. Obviously the lid wall 31 and the ring part
27 are resilient thereby forming a resilient connection
between the ring 26 and the lid 30 with the foil 28
pressed in between.
Application of heat 19 results in a seaming of
the foil 28 to the ring part 27 by seam material applied
to contact surfaces of the foil edge 29 and/or the ring
part 27. Thereby forming the set 35 comprising the ring
26 with adhered thereto the foil 28 which is closed off
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by the lid 30 which is in a resilient connection with the
ring 26.
The edge 29, the lid wall 31 and the ring part 27
have a corresponding slanted position which means that
the angle alpha between a plane 36 through the contact
area and a horizontal plane of the ring 26 is at about
60 .
Figures 10, 11 and 12 show the manufacturing
steps of a preset 38 which after heat treatment results
in a set 39 according to the invention.
The ring 40 comprises an upright part 41 for
receiving a foil 42 which has a downwardly directed edge
43. The foil 42 is laid onto the ring 40. A preset 38 is
formed by applying a lid 44 having a resilient and curved
circumferential edge 45 on the ring. The lid 44 is
applied following the direction of the arrow 46. The lid
44 is overclosing the foil 42 and the ring part 41.
Formed is a resilient connection 47. In an oven heat 19
is applied thereby seaming the foil 42 via seaming
material 48 to the ring 40.
It will be appreciated that the container and the
ring according to the invention may be made of any
suitable metal material, such as plated iron. The foil
may be made of any suitable metal foil, preferably
aluminum foil which is coated conventionally and if
needed coated with seaming material for seaming the foil
to the ring.
Similarly the lid may preferably made of metal
material but a plastic material is also possible whenever
the plastic is indifferent to the heat application for
forming the seam in between the foil and the ring.
Relevant according to the invention is that the lid and
the ring with the interposed foil form a resilient
connection before and in particular during the
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application of heat for forming the seam connection
between the foil and the ring.
It is noted that the ring part 11, 27 and 41 may
have the illustrated form which will provide a contact
5 surface with the foil and closure. However, the ring part
may have the form of a curl. This form is more rigid and
will have a substantially line contact with the foil and
closure. Still a resilient connection and a practical
airtight closure obtained.
10 Furthermore, the container may be made of any
conventional diameter and form.
