AU638519B2 - Accessory for cans or like containers - Google Patents

Description

PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Short Title: Int. Cl: Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification-Lodged: Accepted: Lapsed: Published: Priority: 19 P/00/011 Form Related Art: 1 0 '*.Nate of Applicant: .0 Address of Applicant: 0o00 0 Actbal Inventor: 00:0, *0 oo TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT .ei MALCGOLM STE WAR--Me-K-EN IE- 6 Northumberland Drive BALLINA NSW 2478 MALCOLM STEWART McKENZIE '**Adiress for Service: JOHN R.G. GARDNER Registered Patent Attorney PO Box 443 MUDGEERABA Q 4213 plete Specification for the invention entitled: ACESSORY FOR CANS OR LIKE CONTAINERS The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:-* SNote: The description is to be typed in double spacing, pica type face, in an area not exceeding 250 mm in depth and 160 mm in width, on tough white paper of good quality and it is to be inserted inside this form.

14599/78- L Printed by C. J. THOMPSON, Commonwealth Government Printer, Canberra THIS INVENTION relates to an accessory for cans or like containers and in a particular aspect to a drinking accessory for use with cans of drink.

Conventional cans of drink such as soft drink or beer are provided in their top face with an integral closure which is opened by pulling and lifting a ring which serves to depress a closure tab to open access to the can. The contents of the can may then be dispensed as required or alternatively as occurs in many situations the contents are simply drunk directly from the can. This, however, necessitates the opening in the can to be oriented into the correct position for drinking if spillage is to be avoided.

Drinking from cans is also not desirable in a number of situations and often not attractive to female drinkers.

The present invention aims to overcome or alleviate the above disadvantages by providing a drinking accessory which may be fitted to a can so as to facilitate drinking therefrom. The present invention also aims to provide an accessory which will promote the sales of canned drinks by making more acceptable the drinking of liquids from cans. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

The present invention thus provides a drinking oo: accessory for use with cans of the type having an annular 25 lip or rim at one end surrounding a discharge opening, said o accessory including a generally annular body having a o frustoconical wall portion converging towards one end of said accessory to a first annular region having a diameter, relative to the axis of said body, less than the outer diameter of said lip or rim, said body having a second annular region spaced from said first region, said second region having a diameter, relative to the axis of said body, less than the outer diameter of said lip or rim, said first ~and second regions defining therebetween a groove, said groove being adapted to receive and engage said annular lip S or rim of said can, said first region being disposed in use on one side of said lip or rim and said second region being o 5 oo disposed in use on the opposite side of said lip or rim, the inner surface of said body diverging outwardly from said second region to said one end of said accessory to facilitate placement of said body over said one end of said can and engagement of said groove with said lip or rim of said can when said accessory is forced onto said can.

Preferably, the first and second regions are radiused. Suitably, the one end of said body is radiused.

The accessory of the invention is suitably formed of a plastics material which has sufficient resilience to enable it to grip the lip of the can in such a manner as to be substantially sealed thereto.

Reference will now be mac to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and wherein: Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate in elevation and plan view the accessory of the present invention; Fig. 3 an elevational view of a drink container with which the accessory may be used; Fig. 4 illustrates the accessory of the invention engaged with the container; Fig. 5 is an enlarged part-sectional view of the area A of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 illustrates the manner in which liquid is 25 dispensed from the container using the accessory of the invention; Fig. 7 is a part-sectional elevational view of an alternative form of accessory according to the present invention; Fig. 8 illustrates the manner in which the accessory of Fig. 7 is engaged with the container.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of a further form of accessory according to the invention; Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of the area designated A in Fig. 9; and Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate alternative ways in

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Referring to the drawings and firstly to Figs. 1 and 0SOF 00 0 o:

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5 S. S 2, there is illustrated an accessory 10 according to the present invention which comprises an annular wall 11 of generally frustoconical form and which defining openings at each end with one end 12 being sized for engagement with a can as described below and the other end 13 defining a discharge area.

The accessory 10 is adapted to be used with a can or similar container 14 of the type shown in Fig. 3 which includes an end wall 15 provided as is conventional with a closure (not shown) surrounded by an enlarged lip 16 which comprises the join between the body 17 of the can and the end wall 15. The inner diameter of the end 12 of the accessory is sized to be slightly less than the outer diameter of the lip 16 such that the end 12 may be forced over the lip 16 so as to be securely engaged with and substantially sealed to the can 14 in the manner shown in Fig. 4. The material of the accessory 10 is such as to permit this engagement, whilst at th-, same time ensuring that the end 12 of the accessory is securely engaged with the lip 16 in the manner shown in o2 Fig. o *After engagement of the accessory 10 with the can 14 o as above the can 14 may simply be upended in the manner shown in Fig. 6 so that the contents are dispensed therefrom through the accessory 10 in the manner of a normal cup or glass. The accessory 10 may thus be simply placed against the lips of the drinker and the contents consumed.

It will be found in this arrangement the disposition of the dispensing opening in the end wall 15 of the can 14 is oo t* not relevant to dispensing of liquid from the can so that efficient and hygienic drinking is achievable.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate an alternative embodiment

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S of accessory 10' according to the present invention except that in this instance the annular wall 11' of the accessory at the end 12' is provided with an inwardly directed annular rib 18. This accessory 10 is engaged with a can 14 in a similar manner to that described above except that in this case the annular rib 18 locates on the underside of the lip 16 of the container 14 so as to improve sealing and positively retain the accessory 10 on the container 14.

Referring now to Figs. 9 and 10 there is illustrated a modified form of accessory 19 according to the invention which has an annular body form similar to that of the previous embodiments but which is formed with an annular groove 20 adjacent its lower end, the groove 20 being formed between radiused portions 21 and 22 of the accessory 19.

The radiused portions 21 and 22 are arranged on diameters less than the diameter of the lip 16 of a container 14 as is the groove 20 on a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the lip. This permits the accessory 19 to be forced onto a container 14 and in the manner shown in Fig. 11 so that the lip 16 will locate in a sealing manner within the groove to be arranged between the positions 21 and 22. As the groove 20 is on a slightly smaller diameter than the lip 16, the lip 16 will be firmly engaged therewith.

foce Alternatively, the accessory 19 may be further forced onto the container 19 in the manner shown in Fig. 12 00 0" so that the portion 21 is located below the lip 16. The 0 skirt portion 23 of the accessory 19 however will engage 25 with the frustoconical portion 24 of the container 14 which 0* limits downward movement of the accessory and which causes 6: the skirt portion 23 to outwardly deflect. This will translate into an upward force urging the radiused portion 21 into firm sealing contact with the lip 16. Of course when used in this configuration, the groove 20 may be eliminated.

Engagement of the accessory 19 with the container 0 14 is further enhanced by forming the inner wall of the accessory 19 so that it diverges outwardly from the rib 22 to terminate in a radiused end 26 of the skirt portion 23.

This enables the accessory 19 to be engaged with a container 0' without catching. The portions 21 and 22 may not 0.0 necessarily be radiused but formed as sharp edges or in 300 #A00 any other configuration where used in defining a groove The latter may also be of other forms than of arcuate cross section as illustrated.

Whilst the present invention is particularly suited to use with cans of drink, it may be similarly applied to other containers to function in a similar manner for the discharge of their contents.

The present invention also has particular advantages as an advertising tool permitting advertising logos or other information to be displayed on the annular side wall 11 or 11'.

The accessory of the invention is suitably formed as a plastics moulding from linear low density polyethylene however other plastics materials are suitable.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative embodiment of the invention, all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein defined in the appended claims.

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Claims (4)

1. A drinking accessory for use with cans of the type having an annular lip or rim at one end surrounding a discharge opening, said accessory including a generally annular body having a frustoconical wall portion converging towards one end of said accessory to a first annular region having a diameter, relative to the axis of said body, less than the outer diameter of said lip or rim, said body portion having a second annular region spaced from said first region, said second region having a diameter, relative to the axis of said body, less than the outer diameter of said lip or rim, said first and second regions defining therebetween a groove, said groove being adapted to receive and engage said annular lip or rim of said can, said first region being disposed in use on one side of said lip or rim and said second region being disposed in use on the opposite side of said lip or rim, the inner surface of said body diverging outwardly from said second region to said one end of said accessory to facilitate placement of said body over said one end of said can and engagement of said groove with said lip or rim of said can when said accessory is forced onto said can.

2. An accessory according to Claim 1 wherein said 25 first and second regions are radiused. 6

3. An accessory according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 S: wherein said one end thereof is radiused.

4. An accessory for cans substantially as :0 60 hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 9 to 11 of S the accompanying drawings. DATED this twenty-second day of April 1993 GWENDA MOYA McKENZIE 35 BY MY PATENT ATTORNEY JOH/N R GARDNER L T o