1 5 Closure having an odorous substance The invention relates to a closure means that can be actuated to open a container, which closure means comprises 10 at least one actuation section at which a user engages the closure means to perform an opening process and one closure section operatively connected to the actuation section, which closure section closes the container and in which closure section the container is opened during the opening 15 process, with which closure means a fragrance for producing a predetermined scent is associated and with which the activation of the release of the scent is performed in response to the performance of the opening process to open the container and which comprises a fragrance reservoir, 20 which accommodates the fragrance, wherein the reservoir comprises a reservoir wall that can be broken open during the performance of the opening process. The invention further relates to a container having such a closure means and to a method for opening such a container. 25 Products are normally packed in protective packing in such a manner that they are not visible or perceivable by other human senses, especially in the food sector. Thus the aim of a modern packing is to convey the advantages of the 30 packed product to the consumer when he buys the product or at least before he consumes the product. It is also 2 advantageous to use the packing in order to confirm the consumer in his purchase. In this respect, the packing constitutes a marketing tool which ideally addresses one or more human senses that cannot be directly addressed by the 5 packed product. One kind of a closure means is disclosed for example in European Patent EP 1 056 660 Bl in the form of a container closure that is molded from a plastic material impregnated 10 with an aromatic substance, i.e. with a substance that has an effect on both the sense of taste and the sense of scent. To this end, it is proposed for the aromatic substance or fragrance to have the scent of fruit, sweets or beverages. The impregnation of the closure means with 15 the fragrance causes the air surrounding the exterior of the closure means to be soaked with that "scent", thus producing the desired effect. A drawback of such a closure means is that an odorant is 20 continuously released to the environment so that there is a risk of a "fragrance overkill", for example in a super market, by the presence of a great number of containers having such closure means that can comprise that most different fragrances. Such usual closure means can be 25 provided if necessary with special covers such as an extra lid for the closure means which at least reduces the release of the fragrance to the environment. But in this case an extra part is required additionally to the closure means, which reduces the design options for the closure 30 means.
3 A closure means of this kind is disclosed for example in the first publication DE 100 64 572 Al which relates to a can lid having in its lid mirror a tongue for forming a grout opening along a score. The lid mirror has on its side 5 facing to the interior of the can a separated space formed by walls for accommodating a fragrance, wherein during the opening process, the part of the tongue which moves inwards exerts a force on the wall whereby the space is provided with an opening through which the fragrance can escape 10 during the opening process. While such a design prevents the above-described "fragrance overkill", it is a drawback that the fragrance during the opening process may come into contact with the food stored inside the container, which is frequently undesired. 15 The invention is thus based on the object of removing at least partially the described drawbacks of a conventional closure means that can be actuated to open a container and with which a fragrance is associated. On part of the 20 device, this is already achieved in a surprisingly simple manner by a closure means that can be actuated to open a container comprising the features of claim 1. The closure means according to the invention is characterized by the fragrance being applied to the actuation section. 25 The invention is based on the idea of providing a closure means in which the fragrance is applied to the actuation section so that providing the fragrance in the region of the closure section can be usually avoided, which finally 30 prevents a contamination of the food by the fragrance. Preferably, in the region of the closure section, i.e. in 4 the section of the closure means which closes the container and in which the container is opened during the opening process, no fragrance is provided. Instead, the fragrance is preferably applied solely to the actuation section. 5 However, it should be noted in this respect that this actuation section comprises a region which is touched by the user during the actuation but can also comprise one or more regions which as a rule are not touched during the actuation, depending on the embodiment. 10 It should be noted that the term "fragrance" can be understood to be a carrier which carries the actual aromatic substance or the aromatic substance reagent and which can carry also further additives. However, it is also 15 possible that the fragrance alone comprises the actual aromatic substance releasing the scent or a scent reagent, which for example reacts with a different scent reagent to form an aromatic substance. Such aromatic substances, carrier materials or additives or fragrance reagents of the 20 fragrance or the aromatic substance releasing the scent are well known to a person skilled in the art and need not be further explained in the following. According to the invention, the means is designed for 25 releasing the scent in a time-controlled manner, for the activation of the release of the scent in response to the performance of the opening process to open the container. It is achieved by this design measure that the scent is released only if the closure means is in fact actuated, 30 i.e. the container opened. According to the invention, this is achieved by coupling the actuation section, the closure 5 section or another section of the container to a scent releasing means which, in order to release the scent, is addressed or activated only at the time of the performance of the opening process. A mechanical operative connection 5 can be provided for example between the actuation section for opening the container and the means for releasing the scent, which makes sure that the means for releasing the scent is activated with or during the opening process of the container so that the scent is released to the 10 environment. According to the invention, the means for releasing the scent comprises at least one fragrance reservoir, which accommodates the fragrance, said reservoir comprising a 15 reservoir wall that can be broken open during the performance of the opening process. Advantageously, the reservoir has a scent-tight reservoir wall so that no aromatic substance is released to the surrounding air of the container equipped with the inventive closure means, 20 before the reservoir wall is broken open. Depending on the embodiment, the reservoir wall can in particular be a part of the closure section, a part of the actuation section, a part of a different container section 25 and/or a coating such as a varnish, foil or paper on the fragrance itself. In the latter embodiment, the fragrance is encapsulated and can be diffused into the surrounding air when the encapsulating wall is broken open. It can be particularly advantageous if a section of the reservoir 30 wall is formed by a scent-tight coating of the fragrance. The coated or encapsulated fragrance can constitute an 6 outer boundary surface of the closure means. If this boundary surface is broken open during the performance of the opening process to open the container, the aromatic substance can escape. 5 It can be generelly advantageous if the means for releasing the scent can be activated by an applying or producing means for applying or producing activation energy. This activation energy can for instance be mechanical energy 10 obtained by producing a movement against a friction force or also by producing a predetermined temperature, predetermined air humidity and/or by producing electromagnetic radiation such as IR/UV or a radiation in the visible range. Moreover, the activation energy can be 15 additionally provided for increasing the surface area of the fragrance and/or for vaporization of the fragrance in order to release scent. Thus, the invention is not limited to designs in which the release of the scent is solely controlled to the point of time of the opening process. The 20 design of the closure means according to the invention is such that the scent is released at the time of the opening process at the latest. The fragrance can be applied to the closure means at 25 different locations. Certain embodiments make sure that fragrance can escape to the surrounding air of the closure means or the container during the opening process so that that consumer can perceive the fragrance. It can be provided for instance that the fragrance is applied to a 30 surface of an actuation section such as a peel-off strap of a container or a metallic strap which is generally referred 7 to as "tap" of a food can or tin. Such a tap can be provided with an encapsulated fragrance for instance by painting, varnishing, gluing or coating, and this encapsulation breaks open when the actuation section is 5 grabbed during the opening process and a force is applied to open the container. It can be particularly advantageous if such an actuation tab is formed as a lever for breaking open a lid mirror, which lever is moved away from the cover mirror during the performance of the opening process. This 10 design makes it difficult for a fragrance that is applied to an actuation section to come into an undesired contact with a food product stored in the container. For encapsulating the fragrance, micro capsules having a 15 size of approximately 4 to 40 pm in diameter, preferably a size of 5 to 10 pm in diameter, are used. Suitable encapsulating materials are for instance melamine resin, cross-linked aminoplasts or melamine formaldehyde resin. Also acrylic resin or gelatine can be provided for example, 20 which offer the additional advantage of releasing no formaldehyde. For being applied to the container or to the closure means that can be actuated, such a micro-encapsulated fragrance 25 can be incorporated in a carrier such as an ink, varnish or adhesive, wherein it turned out to be particularly advantageous if the volume share of micro capsules in the dried mixture of varnish/color or ink etc. and micro capsules amounts to 5 - 35% and even better to 20%. The 30 mixture of the carrier, e.g. ink or varnish, and the micro capsules is then applied especially to the actuation 8 section using a printing process, e.g. pad printing or jet printing, or a spraying process. If a spraying or ink jet process are used, the process parameters or the product parameters of the micro capsules are set in such a manner 5 that the micro capsules remain intact during the application process. After applying, the mixture is dried, e.g. by infrared, laser or UV radiation. Quite generally, the fragrance can be applied to the 10 container, e.g. to the container body. It is also possible for the fragrance being a constituent part of a coating, varnish, foil or paper etc. Moreover, it is possible within the scope of the invention that a coating, varnish, foil or paper is a constituent part of a reservoir wall that 15 encapsulates the fragrance and that is broken open particularly by a mechanical, chemical, photo-electrical or photo-chemical action in order to release the scent. In a further preferable embodiment, the closure means can 20 comprise a screw closure that includes for instance a closure body having an internal thread, while the actuation section is provided by the outer shell of the closure body. In this embodiment, a preferably encapsulated fragrance and/or a fragrance reservoir can be arranged in the region 25 of the outer shell of the closure body so that the fragrance can escape at the time the closure is actuated by the encapsulation or the reservoir being broken open. Additionally, it can be useful for the described screw 30 closure having a seal of warranty, which comprises at least 9 in sections thereof a fragrance reservoir wall that can be broken open. Preferably, the closure section of the closure means can 5 comprise a part of the container wall and a weakening line at least in sections thereof, at which weakening line the container breaks open during the opening process. This kind of closure means is particularly useful in a cardboard or plastic tear-off tab and also in a metal container wall, 10 e.g. in the case of a beverage can, or also in a metallized foil packing. Preferably, the weakening line extends over a wall section of the fragrance reservoir so that the fragrance reservoir 15 is broken open simultaneously with the opening process of the container. Preferably, the actuation section can be designed as an actuation tab which transmits the actuation force to the 20 closure section to break open the container in the region of the closure section. Preferably, the actuation section comprises a part of the fragrance reservoir wall which breaks open upon the 25 exertion of an actuation force by the user grabbing the actuation section. Quite generally, it can be expedient for the actuation section comprising a section of the reservoir wall, which 30 section breaks open as a result of grabbing an actuation section and/or as a result of actuating the closure means 10 to open the container while applying activation energy. A respective producing means for producing activation energy of any of the above-described forms can be provided. 5 Further, it can be expedient for the closure section comprising a section of the reservoir wall, which section breaks open as a result of grabbing the actuation section and/or as a result of actuating the closure means to open the container while applying activation energy. Activation 10 energy can be produced here in various ways, as described above. The closure means according to the invention is normally not limited to the fragrance being applied solely to the 15 closure means, i.e. to the closure section or to the actuation section. In the container which comprises a container body and the closure means, the fragrance can also be applied to the container body. In this respect it can be useful if the container body comprises a section of 20 the reservoir wall, which section breaks open as a result of applying activation energy by a user engaging the container to open the container. Even in this case, it is possible to generate activation energy in various ways, for instance in those as described above. Thus, the invention 25 also comprises containers in which the fragrance is applied to the container body and in which the user when he manipulates the actuation section not only grabs the actuation section but also the container, for example with his other hand, whereby the required activation force is 30 produced and the release of the fragrance is caused by the user grabbing the container. Moreover, it can be provided 11 to apply fragrances to the container body and to the closure means so that during the opening process scent is released from the container at different positions simultaneously or at time intervals. 5 Moreover, it can also be expedient for the closure means, especially for the actuation section, comprising in the surface region thereof a plurality of encapsulated fragrance reservoirs which break open upon applying the 10 actuation force so that the scent can escape to the outside. Further, it can be expedient for the closure means being designed in such a manner that an actuation force for 15 opening the container can be transmitted to the closure section via a section of the reservoir wall, and the reservoir wall being designed in a manner such as to break open upon the occurrence of a predetermined actuation force. This embodiment is suitable for instance for use in 20 a beverage can or in a tin. It can also be expedient for the actuation tab being designed as a lever which during the opening process of the container presses with one lever arm thereof onto a section 25 of the fragrance reservoir wall to break it open. On part of the device, the invention relates to a food container having a closure means to open the container, which closure means is designed and can be operated in 30 accordance with the invention. Such a food container can be designed for instance for being filled with beverages like 12 milk and fruit juices, but also with other products such as stewed fruit, yoghourt etc., wherein the fragrance which is used and which is applied to the closure means or generally to the container is chosen with regard to the product. 5 In a particularly preferable embodiment, it can also be provided to use an aromatic substance as a fragrance, which aromatic substance not only serves as a fragrance but also as a flavor. To this end, the aromatic substance is applied 10 to a section of the closure means in which it can come into contact with the product and/or with the consumer's mouth upon removal from the container so that the aromatic substance can develop its effect also on part of the flavor. In cases in which an aromatic substance is 15 associated with the closure means for opening the container, the aromatic substance is applied in the region of the closure section in which during the opening process of the container an opening is exposed or produced in the container in such a manner that the aromatic substance is 20 simultaneously released and/or set free by the opening process. To this end, the aromatic substance can be applied in the same way as described above for the fragrance in the said region of the closure section, but it can also be generally applied to the container. 25 On part of the method, the object of the present invention is achieved by a method for opening a container using a closure means that can be actuated to open the container, which closure means comprises at least one actuation 30 section at which the user engages the closure means to perform an opening process and one closure section 13 operatively connected to the actuation section, which closure section closes the container, wherein an opening in the closure section of the container is exposed or produced by an actuation of the closure means and wherein a scent is 5 released by the container and particularly by the closure means, the time of release of the scent being selectively controlled in such a manner that the release of the scent is activated during the performance of the opening process. The method of the invention is characterized in that a 10 fragrance is applied to the actuation section. Preferably, the fragrance is applied to a region of the actuation section in which the user touches or grabs the actuation section to perform the opening process. 15 It can be useful if the release of the scent is activated by an adjustment of the environment conditions of the container such as temperature, air humidity and/or power flux density of electromagnetic radiation in the visible, UV or IR range. The adjustment of these environment 20 conditions can be coupled to the performance of the opening process, i.e. the opening process is designed in such a manner that at least one of the above-mentioned environment conditions of the container is thus automatically changed so that the release of the scent is activated. For 25 instance, a fragrance reservoir can be broken open by the actuation of the closure means so that the fragrance is exposed to air humidity or to electromagnetic radiation activating the fragrance itself to release the scent. 30 It should be noted that the term "opening process" used above with respect to the closure means and to the method 14 for opening the container comprises all the time phases which are in direct connection with the process of opening the container. Accordingly, this term comprises all those time phases which are part of the actuation process for 5 immediately opening the container. Accordingly, the opening process does not comprise the removal of a possible cover of the closure means if after the removal of the cover the container itself is not yet opened and the product stored in the container is not yet accessible. 10 In a particularly advantageous embodiment, a fragrance which can be photo-chemically activated can be provided, which fragrance is applied to the closure means in a light tight fashion, an exposure of the fragrance to light being 15 enabled upon the actuation of the closure means for performing the opening process. It is sufficient if the fragrance that can be photo-chemically activated is encapsulated or is accommodated in a reservoir at the closure means, this reservoir being broken open during the 20 opening process or the encapsulation of the fragrance being destroyed. In a further embodiment it can be useful if during the actuation of the closure means wet a chemical reaction of 25 the fragrance is activated so that the scent is released. This method is particularly suitable if the fragrance that is used is activated by a reaction with a body secretion such as sweat. Moreover, it can also be provided that the wet chemical reaction is caused between the fragrance and 30 the product stored in the container, the contact of the two 15 reagents taking place at the time of the removal of the product from the container. It can be particularly useful if several fragrance 5 components that react with each other to produce the predetermined scent, are applied to the closure means as reagents which are separated from each other, a contact of the fragrance components among each other being enabled upon the actuation of the closure means for performing the 10 opening process. Since in this case both reagents are precisely matched, the scent which is produced can be exactly fixed. It goes without saying that in this case the fragrance components can perform for instance a wet chemical reaction with each other to produce the said 15 scent. Preferably, during the actuation of the closure means a force can be exerted on the fragrance in such a manner that for instance the encapsulation of a fragrance is broken 20 open or that the surface-area-to-volume-ratio of the fragrance is considerably increased so that the release of the scent is activated or increased by the increased surface area. 25 Moreover, also a means can be provided which is evaporated, atomized or nebulized on the actuation of the closure means so that the surface area of the fragrance is considerably increased, thus activating or considerably increasing the release of the scent due to the increased surface area. 30 16 It is particularly useful if a reservoir accommodating the fragrance is arranged on the closure means, which reservoir is broken open upon the actuation of the closure means so that the scent can be released. The activation of the 5 closure means can be coupled to applying activation energy to activate the release of the scent. Further, it can be particularly useful if the fragrance is applied to the actuation section and the scent is released 10 by the user grabbing the actuation section. The scent can be released for instance by a wet chemical reaction of the fragrance with the sweat on the user's hands or by bursting encapsulations of a fragrance that is applied to a surface of the actuation section. This method is suitable for cases 15 in which the actuation section is formed by an outer shell of a screw closure, a tab of a tear-off strip on a cardboard, plastic or metal packing, a compound material packing or a riveted metal tab of a can. If solely the actuation section but not the closure section of the 20 closure means comprises a fragrance applied to it, for instance in the form of a reservoir such as a micro encapsulated fragrance, any contact of the fragrance with the product stored in the food container is normally avoided. 25 In further embodiments it can also be provided that the fragrance is applied to the closure section in which the container is opened during the opening process. To avoid the fragrance from being released prior to the performance 30 of the opening process, the fragrance can be encapsulated or accommodated inside a reservoir. This arrangement can be 17 provided on both the inner and outer surfaces of the closure section but also inside the wall of the closure section. This arrangement can be such that the reservoir is broken open during the opening process, thus releasing 5 scent. Several embodiments and further features of the invention will be described in the following with reference to the attached drawings wherein it shown by: 10 Figure la a first embodiment of a container having a parallelepiped shape and a closure means designed in accordance with the invention, illustrated in the closed position; 15 Figure lb the container illustrated in Figure lb, after the actuation of the closure device; Figure 2a a second embodiment of a container in the 20 form of a bottle having a screw closure as a closure means, which screw closure has a strip seal of warranty; Figure 2b the screw closure illustrated in Figure 2a, 25 after the actuation thereof; Figure 3a details of a third embodiment of a container in the form of beverage can having a "stay on-tab" closure system; and 30 18 Figure 3b the closure system of a beverage can illustrated in Figure 3a, in an open position. 5 A container which is designed in accordance with the invention can be generally made of or comprise a plurality of materials, for example plastic, paper/cardboard, metal or a compound material. The exemplary container illustrated in Figure la is a parallelepiped paperboard container 10 10 including on the container wall 11 thereof a closure means 20 that can be actuated. The same comprises a tab-like closure section 22 that merges into an actuation tab 21 that can be grabbed by a consumer. The closure section 22 is a part of the container wall 11 and is delimited against 15 the rest of the wall by means of a weakening line 23 that can also be formed as a perforation if necessary. In an embodiment which is not illustrated, the container can be in the form of a bag. Depending on the embodiment, 20 the container according to the invention can be dimensionally stable or not. In the region of the closure section, below the outer surface of the wall 11 or the closure section 22, a 25 fragrance reservoir 30 is arranged in the embodiment according to the Figures la/b, in which reservoir a fragrance indicated by the broken line is accommodated in an air-tight or scent-tight fashion. The reservoir can for instance be directly incorporated in the wall of the 30 paperboard container so that the reservoir wall also comprises paperboard material. In a different embodiment, 19 the reservoir can also comprise a thin plastic film having the fragrance embedded therein. Further, it should be noted that the fragrance reservoir can be arranged within the container wall or on the outside or inside thereof, 5 depending on the embodiment. In all embodiments the reservoir is placed in such a manner that it tears or breaks open upon the actuation of the closure means so that the fragrance can escape. 10 In the example which is illustrated in Figure la, the actuation tab 21 further includes on the surface thereof a coating 31 or a varnish that comprise an additional fragrance which, however, is encapsulated in an air and thus scent-tight fashion. But this encapsulation can be 15 broken open by applying an external force. Thus the encapsulation of the fragrance is removed if the user grabs the actuation tab 21 to actuate the closure means 22 for tearing open the closure tab 22. 20 The conditions in a partially opened closure tab are shown in Figure 1b. By the actuation of the closure means an opening 12 has been exposed in the container, the fragrance reservoir 30 has been broken open so that the fragrance can escape. At the same time, the encapsulation of the 25 fragrance in the coating 31 has been removed by grabbing the actuation tab 21 so that a fragrance for scenting the surrounding air can escape also at this position. Within the scope of the present invention it can also be provided to apply the fragrance only in the region of the actuation 30 section.
20 In the examples shown in the Figures 2a, b, the container is a bottle 40, particularly a plastic bottle having on the bottle neck 41 thereof an external thread not illustrated in the drawings to which the closure means in the form of a 5 screw closure 50 can be fitted by screwing. The actuation section is here provided by a cylindrical wall 51 of the screw closure 50. On the bottle-side end of the screw closure 50 the same has a strip-like warranty seal 54, with a perforation 53 being provided that separates the warranty 10 seal 54 from the rest of the closure 50. To the outer surface of the actuation section 51 a fragrance in the form of a fragrance reagent 62 is applied that reacts with the sweat of a user's hand manipulating 15 the closure, to release a fragrance. In the illustrated embodiment, the fragrance reagent 62 is applied to the cylindrical wall of the screw closure only in sections, although it possible to provide the fragrance of course also over the entire shell of the screw closure. 20 Furthermore, at least one fragrance reservoir 60 is provided which extends in the region of the strip-like warranty seal 54 and also beyond the perforation line 53 into the section of the remaining closure 50. In one 25 embodiment, the fragrance reservoir can comprise for example a closed plastic cover which accommodates the fragrance. This cover can be attached for example to the inside of the closure facing the bottle neck 41 or to the outside of the closure and can extend from the strip-like 30 warranty seal beyond the perforation line. Figure 2b shows the situation after the actuation of the screw closure, 21 with the webs 55 of the perforation 53 being broken open and also the fragrance reservoir 60 so that the fragrance contained therein can escape. 5 The Figures 3a, b show a further embodiment of the container according to the invention which is designed as a beverage can and of which only details are shown in the Figures. On one of its front faces, the beverage can 70 comprises a closure mirror having an actuating tab 81 fixed 10 to it by means of a rivet 82. A closure section 83 is provided in a partially overlapping relationship with the actuation tab 81, which closure section is fixed in the mirror 71 by means of a weakening line 84. Depending on the embodiment, an optional fragrance reservoir 90 can be 15 arranged and fixed to the outside or to the inside of the mirror 71 in such a manner that it partially extends into and is also fixed to the closure section 83. Further, in a region which is grabbed by a user, the actuation tab 81 has a coating 91 that comprises an encapsulated fragrance. A 20 person skilled in the art will see that such an embodiment is generally suitable for metallic food containers and thus also to a tin having on the front faces thereof a closure mirror with an actuation tab fixed to it by means of a rivet for example, wherein the fragrance is applied to the 25 actuation tab in a region which is touched by the user to perform the opening process. Also in this embodiment, the actuation tab can be arranged in a partially overlapping relationship with the closure section that is fixed in the mirror by means of a weakening line. The fact that the 30 actuation tab is moved upwards and away from the closure mirror in the opening process, see Figure 3, guarantees 22 that the product which possibly foams over from the closure section does not come into contact with the upper part of the actuation tab 81 to which the coating 91 is applied and in which the actuation tab 81 is grabbed by the user for 5 performing the opening process. In this embodiment, the fragrance is released at the time of opening the container at the latest. But it is also possible to release the fragrance earlier. To this end, the user only touches the actuation tab, without performing an opening process for 10 opening the container. The fragrance can be applied to the actuation section, in this case to the actuation tab, for example after filling and closing the food container or also before or during the 15 manufacture of the lid, i.e. before filling the product, depending on the embodiment. At the manipulation of the closure means 80, the user grabs the actuation tab 81 in the region of the coating 91 and 20 moves the tab from its horizontal rest position, see Figure 3a, to a substantially vertical position, see Figure 3b. Through this movement the actuation tab 81 is supported against the closure section 83 and breaks the same out of the mirror 71 in the region of the weakening line 84 and 25 into the interior of the container. By applying the actuation force in the region of the coating 91, the encapsulation of the fragrance is broken open so that the aromatic substance can escape. Moreover, also the optional fragrance reservoir 90 is broken open so that the aromatic 30 substance can escape at this position as well.
23 Closure having an odorous substance 5 List of reference numbers 10 paperboard container 11 container wall 10 12 opening 20 closure tab 21 actuation tab 22 closure section 23 weakening line 15 30 fragrance reservoir 31 coating with encapsulated fragrance 40 bottle 41 bottle neck 50 screw closure 20 51 closure wall 53 perforation 54 strip-like warranty seal 55 web 60 fragrance reservoir 25 62 fragrance reagent 70 beverage can 71 mirror 72 opening 80 closure means 30 81 actuation tab 82 rivet 24 83 closure section 84 weakening line 90 fragrance reservoir 91 coating with encapsulated fragrance