DE20300327U1 - Drinks can has pouring opening with rotatable closure tongue and cover foil - Google Patents

Abstract

The drinks can (1) has a pouring or drinking opening (7) and a frangible separable closure (8). The closure has a flat tongue (9) to close the opening (7) by breaking it off. The closure can rotate around a point (12) to which is connected to the can. The tongue can have printed information on it. The tongue can have a cover foil (13).

Description

Beverage packaging

The invention relates to a beverage packaging, in particular a beverage can, with a pouring or drinking opening and a breakable, separable or tearable closure.

A wide variety of beverage packaging is available on the market. In particular, lightweight packaging made of aluminium,

Cardboard or plastic have become more important because they are lighter and lighter in volume than (glass) bottles, for example, which makes them easier to transport and store. Such drinks packaging is usually suitable for drinking directly from the packaging without using a glass or other drinking vessel. On the other hand, since such containers, usually in the form of a can, do not usually have a screw-on lid, contaminants can get into the container, especially when drinking outdoors. This primarily includes insects that are attracted by the sweet smell of the drink, but also smaller leaves or the like. While the latter is relatively harmless, an unnoticed insect that is accidentally washed into the mouth while drinking can cause severe pain to the person concerned with stings or the like, and in some people can trigger life-threatening allergic reactions.

These disadvantages of the described prior art give rise to the problem which initiated the invention, namely to take precautions in the case of generic beverage packaging in order to prevent insects or other particles from penetrating the packaging after it has been opened.

This problem can be solved by using a flat element to close the pouring or drinking opening after the closure has been broken, separated or torn.

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Such an element can protect the packaging contents from the ingress of insects or the like. It can, for example, be integrated with a (lever-shaped) element for opening the packaging. The closure element preferably has no perforations; its outline should be larger than the outline of the pouring or drinking opening, so that when closed, there is as little gap as possible through which small insects could possibly penetrate the packaging. For the same reason, the closure element should be free of all openings, i.e. at least in the area covering the pouring or drinking opening.

&iacgr;&ogr; do not have a recess for inserting a straw or the like. However, it is conceivable to provide different closure positions of the closure element, whereby in a first position the pouring or drinking opening is completely covered and in a further position a free space is left, for example from the cross-section of a straw, which is formed by a recess in the closure element now placed above the pouring or drinking opening.

It has proven to be advantageous that the flat closure element is arranged on the packaging so that it can be adjusted about a pivot point, in particular pivoted. This means that it can be brought into an open position for drinking or pouring and into a closed position for storing the contents. On the one hand, it is possible to bend the flat closure element about a bending line that extends along the closure element; however, pivoting about a pivot axis that runs approximately perpendicular to the surface of the closure element is preferred. Such a pivot axis can be formed, for example, by a rivet pin or the like, with which the closure element is fixed to a surface area of the packaging.

The invention can be further developed in such a way that the closure and the surrounding area of the packaging are covered by a removable film or similar. This film protects the covered area from the ingress of pathogens or other toxic substances. Only directly before the

When drinking or pouring, this film is removed, leaving behind a germ-free, uncontaminated surface area of the packaging in question.

It has proven to be beneficial for the film to reach up to a (drinking) edge of the packaging or to overlap it. When drinking directly, the edge of a vessel is involuntarily used to hold a vessel. The film in question should therefore reach at least up to such an edge. If such an edge is overlapped, a safety margin is created which further reduces the risk of infection or contamination.

If the film has an adhesive area, it can simply be stuck onto the relevant area of the packaging. However, it is important to ensure - particularly with cardboard packaging - that such a film can be removed without tearing and, if possible, without damaging the packaging material. This can be achieved by using a moderately adhesive adhesive whose adhesive strength is lower than, for example, the adhesive strength of the top layer of the packaging, such as a varnish or laminate layer.

Another way to fix the film is to suck it onto the relevant surface area. The term suction should be understood both in the sense of fixing it using negative pressure, for example by bringing the film into contact with the relevant packaging under a vacuum, and other active principles that create an adhesive effect without adhesive. This includes in particular, but not exclusively, electrostatic forces of attraction, which can take place on a molecular level and yet lead to macroscopically detectable adhesive forces. A high adhesive force is not required, since the film in question should be completely removed before the packaging in question is opened. It should only stick during storage and transport, but possibly also over longer periods of time, for example until the expiry date of the packaging contents.

Another fixing technique involves shrinking the film onto a part of the packaging. In this case, a film is stretched over the relevant packaging area in a softened, e.g. heated, state, possibly with (local) stretching, and then left to solidify, in particular to cool. In the latter step, the film contracts as much as possible and lies as tightly as possible against the relevant surface area. On the one hand, this allows a larger, particularly uneven, area of packaging to be covered, and on the other hand, an additional form fit can be achieved, which contributes to an increase in adhesion and makes the use of adhesives unnecessary.

The invention further recommends that the film be provided with a tab by which it can be grasped for removal. This makes it easier for a person to remove the protective film according to the invention. Grasping the loose tab and briefly pulling is sufficient. In the case of shrunk-on protective films, for example those deformed into a hood, perforations can be provided in order to break down the form fit by tearing open in a defined manner. Such perforations can preferably be provided on the areas of the protective film facing away from the drinking or pouring opening.

Finally, it is in accordance with the teaching of the invention that the flat closure element and/or the protective film according to the invention is provided with information, in particular printed. This means that the often unused areas in the area of the packaging opening can also be used for advertising purposes or for other information.

Further features, details, advantages and effects based on the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention and from the drawing. Here:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an inventive

beverage can;

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Fig. 2 shows another embodiment of the invention in plan view;

Fig. 3 shows a modified embodiment of the invention, in

a representation corresponding to Fig. 1, but broken off, and

Fig. 4 is a section through Fig. 2 along the line IV - IV at

film removed and closure opened, partially broken off.

Fig. 1 shows a beverage can 1 according to the invention. The jacket and base area 2 drawn from a single metal part, in particular aluminum, can be seen, which has approximately the shape of a cylindrical pot, possibly with a slightly tapered upper section 3. This pot-shaped lower part 2 is closed by an upper part 4 in the form of a cover plate, which overlaps the edge area 5 of the lower part 2, is flanged there and is thus immovably fixed to the lower part 2.

In the upper part 4, the outline 6 of a pouring or drinking opening 7 is marked by a slight, groove-shaped depression which serves as a predetermined breaking or separation point and gives way when moderate pressure is applied to the area 8 of the upper part 4 which initially closes the pouring or drinking opening 7, so that the outlined area 8 is pressed into the pouring or drinking opening 7 in order to release it.

Such pressure can be exerted, for example, by means of a tab 9 which is attached to the upper part 4 above or outside thereof. The tab 9 has a flat, elongated shape, the surface of which is divided into two parts or halves, namely a larger handle part 10 and a smaller active part 11. The attachment to the upper part 4 is carried out by means of a short rivet pin 12 which passes through the tab 9 approximately at the dividing line between the handle and active parts 10, 11 and the upper part 4 near the line 6 marking the pouring or drinking opening 7.

The fastening point formed by the rivet pin 12 serves as a pivot point for the tab 9 when the handle part 10 is pulled upwards and thereby lifted off the upper part 4, against which the tab 9 initially lies flat. Due to the geometric arrangement of the fastening point 12, this results in the function of a two-armed lever, with the active part 11 being pressed down when the handle part 10 is lifted. The active part 11 presses on the area 8 that initially closes the pouring or drinking opening 7. Due to the &iacgr;&ogr; force transmission generated by the different lever lengths 10,11, this pressure is sufficient when the handle part 10 is bent upwards to expose the pouring or drinking opening 7.

It is then possible to pour out the contents of the can or drink it directly through the opening 7 thus exposed.

In Fig. 4 it is shown that after opening the can 1 the tab 9 can be rotated 18 by approximately 180° around the rivet pin 12, so that now instead of the active part 11 the original handle part 10 lies over the opening 7 19. The handle part 10 can also be adapted in size and shape to the opening 7 in such a way that in this position it serves as a closure element 10 and covers the can opening 7 and can thus, for example, keep insects away from the can contents until the person in question intends to take the next sip.

When drinking directly from such a can, it is usual to place the upper lip on the can top 4, enclosing the can opening 7, in order to direct the flow of the escaping liquid directly into the mouth. If this area 4 of the beverage can 1 - e.g. during transport or storage

- pathogens or other toxic substances have settled, these will reach

- possibly dissolved in the liquid in question and/or the saliva of a person - into the body of the person concerned. There they can have serious effects on the health or even the life of the person concerned.

In order to prevent this potentially dangerous side effect, the top side 4 of the beverage can 1 according to the invention can be covered by a film 13, for example by a film 13 with a self-adhesive coating on its back. On the other hand, it is also possible for the film 13 to have a

5 surface quality which, together with the material (e.g. aluminum) of the (smooth) can top 4, produces an adhesive effect which may be based on electrostatic or other physical surface effects. Finally, there is also the possibility that the film 13 is sucked onto the can top 4 by means of negative pressure, in particular as a result of the

&iacgr;&ogr; from the unevenness created by the covered tab 8, in which a vacuum can form.

The film 13 extends on all sides approximately to the edge of the can 5; at one point it can be designed to protrude beyond this, so that a tab 14 is formed for pulling off the film 13. The film 13 ensures that the top 4 of the can initially remains germ-free. It is only pulled off 14 immediately before the can 1 is opened and thrown away together with any contaminants, so that a person is not exposed to any substances that are hazardous to health when drinking.

The embodiment 1' according to Fig. 2 shows that it is sufficient to cover only a part of the can upper part 4 with a film 13', namely the area around the can opening 6, 7. For this purpose, the film 13' can have the shape of a semicircle with a pull-off tab 14' arranged, for example, in the area of a corner 15.

Yet another film arrangement 13" can be seen in Fig. 3. The can 1" there is covered by a hood-shaped film 13" not only in the area of its top side 4, but also along its upper casing section 3", and is thus protected from contamination. This has the advantage that when drinking from such a can, it is possible without hesitation to place the lower lip on the upper casing section 3" below the can rim 5". The hood-shaped film 13" can, for example, be shrunk onto the can 1", e.g.

by heating the film 13", so that it contracts and adapts to the shape of the can. In this case, the tapered jacket section 3" provides an additional, firm hold for the protective film 13". To ensure that it can still be easily removed if necessary, a linear perforation 16 can be made here, for example in the longitudinal direction of the can jacket 2", which can extend from the film edge 17 to the can edge 5". In addition, a tab 14" can be arranged on the film edge 17 in the area of the perforation 16, which makes it even easier to grip and tear open the film 13".

&iacgr;&ogr; Both the film 13, 13', 13" and the closure element 10 or the tab 9 surrounding it can be provided with information, e.g. advertising messages, in particular printed on them. The film 13" can also be kept transparent - at least in its lower area - so that a print or the like arranged on the can jacket 2, 3 remains visible.

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Claims (10)

1. Drinks packaging ( 1 ; 1 '; 1 "), in particular a drinks can, with a pouring or drinking opening ( 7 ) and a breakable, separable or tearable closure ( 8 ), characterized by a flat element ( 9 , 10 ) for closing ( 19 ) the pouring or drinking opening ( 7 ) after breaking, separating or tearing the closure. 2. Drinks can according to claim 1, characterized in that the flat closure element ( 9 , 10 ) is arranged on the packaging ( 1 ; 1 '; 1 ") so as to be pivotable ( 18 ) about a pivot point ( 12 ). 3. Beverage can according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the flat closure element ( 9 , 10 ) is provided with information, in particular is printed. 4. Drinks can according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the closure ( 8 ) and the surrounding area ( 4 ) of the packaging ( 1 ) are covered by a removable film ( 13 , 13 '; 13 ") or the like. 5. Drinks can according to claim 4, characterized in that the film ( 13 , 13 '; 13 ") extends to a (drinking) edge ( 5 ) of the packaging ( 1 ; 1 '; 1 ") or overlaps the same. 6. Drinks can according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the film ( 13 , 13 '; 13 ") has an adhesive region. 7. Drinks can according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the film ( 13 , 13 '; 13 ") is sucked onto the relevant surface area. 8. Drinks can according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the film ( 13 , 13 '; 13 ") is shrunk onto a part of the packaging ( 1 ; 1 '; 1 "). 9. Drinks can according to one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that the film ( 13 , 13 '; 13 ") has a tab ( 14 ) by which it can be grasped for detachment. 10. Drinks can according to one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that the film ( 13 , 13 '; 13 ") is provided with information, in particular is printed.