EP0830293B1 - Raised pouring spout, recessed in an inverted position in a can lid - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a metal canister lid comprising a spout reverse pourer, composed of a first pouring part, motor arm of a manual lever metallic knockout rivet pre-notched in the cover and secured to a second part, a striker.

There are many metal boxes with attached metal covers on the market, welded or crimped to the box, intended to contain food liquids (or not) usable by spill.

In recent years, these metal boxes, most often aluminum or steel, have been the subject of numerous technological developments, the main ones of which are materializing particularly in the production of carbonated or (non) more drink cans commonly cans, made worldwide hundreds of millions copies per day; these cans are cylindrical, especially due to the fact that the fixing waterproof covers is more reliably achievable on circular sections.

In the description of the invention, we will take as a basis for application the cans metallic (or beverage cans) which have technically quick opening lids very sophisticated. In general, these concave bottom cans are intended to be stacked vertically. The body of the bobbin is made apart from the lid which will be crimped in automation fast after filling, directly from beverage conditioners, called fillers or canners.

In fact, the finest technology attaches to the production of crimp covers. These, seen from above have a circular rim whose internal base has a circular channel concentric to the rim; from the center of the lid emerges the body of a hollow pseudo-rivet cylindrical, arranged by central stamping of the internal face of the cover, therefore closed in tip and waterproof.

A small flat metal lever, improperly called a pull tab, of elongated shape and having its center a hole whose diameter corresponds by slight excess to the diameter of the pseudo-rivet above, is threaded through said hole around the cylindrical body of the pseudo-rivet to position flat against the cover before the riveting operation by vertical crushing of the body pseudo-rivet only makes the captive lever rotate relative to the cover.

The cover has a circular or similar perimeter cover, this perimeter having a pseudo-rectilinear portion perpendicular to the lever, the entire line perimeter of the cover being pre-notched to facilitate tearing by operation of the lever.

The lever, of complex manufacture, generally presents a nose of shape often trapezoidal or semi-circular, lever whose edge is hemmed for good resistance to bending when using the lever to break down the cover. In general according to the process manufacturing the zipper, notches are cut in the edge of the blank of the zipper, the extremity of the hemmed nose, in order to relax the compression forces which appeared during hemming of the edge.

In the present invention, novelty is claimed only that of the lever, to which it is provided a spout function, and its position relative to the lid and it is considered as a common denominator for all the beverage can lids, first of all have a perimetrically tear-off lid, positioned in symmetry with respect to the lever, then they all have a pseudo-rivet most often central, hollow emerging, closed at the end, and obtained by stamping the internal face of the cover.

The object of the invention is to propose a cover for a metal can of drink comprising a spout, composed of a first pouring part, motor arm of a metallic manual lever, attached to the second part, a striker, resistant arm, which is similar to all the noses of known pull tab, the lever itself (solid pouring part and striker) coming to rivet in useful position on the cover like all known pull tabs using the pseudo-rivet of the cover of known technique, the striker of the lever serving to smash a perimeter cover pre-notched according to also known pre-notching techniques.

If the invention is especially focused on providing a possibility of a metal can cover beverage with a spout, configured as a lever, is that as we deduce clearly existing techniques, if these allow boxes to be opened perfectly metallic liquid cans by knocking out the lid, they do not not allow you to directly consume the drink from the box without taking the risk to cut one's lips by drinking through the hole in the sharpened cover along its perimeter, notwithstanding that drinking directly through this hole causes the flow of the drink through the channel circular cover on either side of the mouth, the tight application of the lips around the hole being made impossible precisely because of the concavity of this channel.

In addition, when he drinks directly from the can, in the flow of the drink, the consumer ingests all the dirt around the hole, especially in the area of channel located between the hole and the edge of the cover; even when we pour the contents of the can in a glass, the liquid flow in the same way causes soiling in the glass. The real concerns of canmakers have so far been completely overlooked consumer safety and comfort.

They consisted in making bodies and lids of cans increasingly lighter and faster and faster with the sole stated aim of reducing direct and transport costs. Furthermore, if the current bobbin lids are fitted with a riveted flat knockout lever, it is for the sole purpose of easy stacking of the covers at the end of the production line, and this relentless for easy stacking because multidirectional, limits the zipper to its function of striker of the lid cover; the result is the need for a cutting hole and a cover drooling when drinking directly from the can, which is the case for most of the consumers, all drinks combined.

In the technological background of the present invention, there may be mentioned the patents: US-A-3 980 214 (DAHLQUIST), WO-A-86 01488 (SCAVO), US-A- 4 073 403 (ORANGE), US-A-4 000 838 (BOGERT), US-A-5 000 337 (IM), US-A-4 561 557 (PARK), US-A-3 473 705 (MAY). In most of these patents, the inventors have sought with different means to provide a spout on the cover of a cylindrical metal box containing a liquid; these beaks pourers, most often plunging into the can during assembly, fall into place from the opening after tearing the cover outwards by pulling a ring. None of these patents were only used for beverage cans.

Patent FR-A-2 233 239 (CONTINENTAL CAN COMPANY) presents a tab (17), which in the closed position is a lever arm, but which in the active position does not act as a spout pourer if not a simple pouring orifice, as it is also said in the first paragraph of the page 1 of the text of the description presenting the invention. However, a spout by definition must must have a pouring part in the shape of a spill lip, flared and high wall, which is absolutely not the case of the device of the patent in question. Besides, it It is clear that the fixing system in the hole of the lid has nothing comparable with that of the present invention, in addition to the fact that the cover according to patent FR-A-2 233 239 has and requires a specific pentagonal shape.

WO-A-9512526 (THOMASSEN & DRIJVER-VERBLIFA) is also part of the background technological invention.

It offers a three-piece metal can cover with a tilting tab.

This tongue, called "pouring tongue" in this patent, is intended for liquids very thick (eg condensed milk) or for powders.

It is in fact a flat element which can be inverted after perforation of the cover and comprising laterally very low edges.

The inventor, as he expresses it in his text, remains in his concept as close as possible, a classic flat lever (SOT), riveted to a cover which retains its flat shape and this in the only concern to be able to produce its tongue by current techniques.

The device of this invention which is in no way suitable for common drinks, for which it does not claim to serve (the text clearly states at the very beginning that the tilting tab (THOMASSEN & DRIJVER-VERBLIFA) is intended for "liquids such that condensed milk and, if necessary, powders "), offers the application restricted by the inventor, but only on condition that the user is skillful insofar as the technical obligation of very low edges on either side of the tongue favors lateral overflows of the contents beyond these edges which are ineffective dams, especially if the flow rate is accelerated for any reason.

A fundamental difference between the specific tab of the THOMASSEN & patent DRIJVER-VERBLIFA and the spout of the invention is that this one, as will be described below, is a real spout, that is to say a spout as already stated, the pouring part has a pouring lip, flared and with a high wall, making it possible to pour or drink directly into the container fluids (water and other drinks) carbonated or not) but also to pour thicker liquids such as oil, condensed milk, same as powders).

The invention is presented in the figures of plates 1 and 2, plate 3 showing two original proposals of the invention among a large number possible regarding the geometry of the spout.

Figure 1 shows (in perspective as all the following figures of all boards) the overall concept of the spout (1) in the inverted position. In this figure, (5) represents the hole through which the hollow pseudo-rivet stamped in metal enters to be crimped cover A visible at (8) in Figure 3; this hole (5) is drilled on the riveting tongue (3) lever; (2) represents the nose striker (10) reinforced in the active position; L represents the lip of the pouring part of the pouring spout, pouring lip, flared and high wall, view of below since the spout is inverted; (9) represents the lip lip L and (16) represents the external face of the lip L; (12) represents the lower ring (of open form) of the pouring part of the pouring spout, secured to the lip L, and intended for practically after rotation 180 ° from the spout relative to the cover A, to be housed in the hole in the cover (6) of the cover in Figure 3; (13) shows the collar of semi-circular section or the like arranged in excess thickness all along the lower part of the outer edge of the ring lower (12), this flange constituting the perimeter clipping system, said clipping being made after complete rotation of the lever by manual pressure on the pouring part, the ring lower (12) then penetrating by chamfer effect of the collar (13) in force in the hole the cover (6), after centering the leading edge of the flange against the periphery of the hole the cover; the base perimeter of the collar (13) must be homothetic and very slightly lower than the perimeter (7) of the cover to allow chronological centering, clipping and the locking of the pouring part; (11) represents a metal reserve strip, part integral with the riveting tongue (3), located between the passive edge of the striker (2) (side opposite the knockout nose) and the riveting hole (5) of said tongue.

Figure 2 shows the spout (1) in the active position.

In this position, the lower ring (12) is considered to be clipped into the hole in the cover (6) Figure 3; the pseudo-rivet (8) of Figure 3 is presented crushed in (4) Figure 2 for fixing the lever as of its initial positioning figure 1; spill lip, flared and high-walled has its upper face in the active position while the striker (2) has passed under the face internal cover at the pseudo-rivet and in a plane practically parallel to that of the lid; the metal reserve strip (11) is deployed with sufficient ease for the reversing spout movement by practically 180 ° rotation in one plane perpendicular to the plane of the cover and along a horizontal axis sliding in the direction of the riveting tab (3) towards the striker (2), could have been realized between the moment of the knockout of the cover (6) and that of the clipping of the lower ring (12) in said cover by its collar (13).

Figures 1 and 2 show that the attachment of the pouring part of the spout with the striker (2) is all the more robust as the rim (9) of the pouring part and the ring lower (12) (comprising the collar (13) in excess thickness) which is integral with it, enclose laterally and symmetrically the lateral edges of the striker to form with it a monobloc assembly.

In the event that it is opted for the spout of the invention to be riveted flat on the plane of the cover, the plane of the striker (2) in Figure 1 and the plane of the flange (9) of the lip L are practically the same plane; in this case, the volume of the spout reversed at mounting and riveted flat on the cover, would be partially external to the cover, without as much to harm the vertical stacking of the cans, since stacking is made possible thanks to the free space between the rim (14) of the cover A in Figure 3 and the point furthest from the flange (13) in excess thickness of the ring (12) relative to the striker.

Figure 3 in perspective view from above shows the cover A (crimped on the box B), which it has already been mentioned, the rim (14), the cover (6), its perimeter (7) of pre-notching and the body of the hollow pseudo-rivet (8).

In the preferred configuration of the invention Figures 2 to 10, the top of the cover has a knockout zone (15) intended to receive flat the pouring spout (1) inverted according to the plane upper inverted rim (9) of the lip L of its pouring part. We see in Figure 3 that if the plane of the knockout zone (15) is offset below with respect to the plane of the base of the striker (2), the striker must necessarily be touching the cover (6), and theoretically in the same plane as that of the lower ring (12) of the flange (13), the lever of the invention is angled between its driving arm and its arm resistant, which is not the case when the inverted spout (1) is placed flat on the flat cover (without knockout), and that the striker is then practically in the plane of the rim (9) of the pouring part.

The defect area (15) in Figure 3 and following allows both to limit the height of protrusion of the pouring part of the pouring spout (1) after its riveting in the inverted position on the cover A of the box B, and to angle the lever between its motor arm (the pouring part of the spout) and its resistant arm (the striker of the spout) to minimize the effort of knockout due to improved torque compared to a right lever same proportions for a poured spout riveted on a flat cover.

Figure 4 shows the inverted spout (1), composed of its pouring part secured to its striker (2), riveted in the center of the cover A, supported by the flange (9) of its lip L on the plane of the knockout zone (15) of theoretical depth (h), value of the perpendicular segment between the plane of the rim of the cover and the plane of the knockout zone (15) considered to be practically parallel to the first, the striker touching the cover (6) not yet smashed; in this figure, the highest point (17) of the inverted jug is the highest point of the collar (13). It must therefore be optimally at a height of value (h) relative in the plane of the knockout area (15) so that on the one hand, the pouring part of the spout (1) has a sufficient useful height after clipping to allow the best possible comfort of use of the spout, and on the other hand, that the spout inverted to the riveting does not exceed of the plane of the rim (14) of the cover, which would harm not the stacking but the packaging usual cans in cardboard packs, which does not allow any overflow of the rim plane of the cover.

It is obvious that the useful level of the plane of the knockout zone (15) relative to the plane of the cover A must meet a technical feasibility requirement in relation to the thickness and the mechanical characteristics of the metal sheets or strips used for the manufacture of the lid.

Figure 5 shows well in the vertical intermediate position of the spout (1) after knocking of the cover (6) how the metal reserve strip (11) allows the rotation in sliding axis parallel to the plane of cover A, of the entire lever in all its possible angular sector (practically 180 °) until the spout is clipped by its collar (13) into the hole in the cover.

To directionally facilitate the deployment of the metal reserve strip during the rotation of the lever on sliding axis at the moment of the knockout of the cover, it is desirable that the metal reserve strip is located between two primer pleats perpendicular to the length of said strip, that is to say parallel to each other and to the passive side of the striker FIG. 5, this side passive which leads to the riveting tongue which can itself act as a support for one of the primer folds, the other must be located a little before the rivet hole of the tongue starting of the striker.

FIGURE 6 shows the pouring spout (1) clipped in the active position.

It goes without saying that for total comfort of use, the spout (1) should be either in a completely fixed and integral position with the cover A of the box B.

The only clipping of the pouring spout (1) into the hole of the cover (6) by the collar (13) of the ring bottom (12) of the pouring part might seem sufficient. However in use, we would notice that the elasticity of the metal of the cover A results in the spout (1) would remain slightly floating after clipping.

To obtain a real stable position of the spout during use, it is necessary that the part lower lip L carries light pressure on the rim (14) of the cover once the spout pourer clipped into the hole in the lid.

It is therefore a question of using the elastic properties of the metal of the cover A and incidentally of the metal of the lip L so that after clipping the spout (1) is prestressed between the inner face of the cover and its rim.

In fact, after clipping, the collar (13) by its upper perimeter zone, that is to say the zone opposite its chamfer zone, remains in plan support against the perimeter zone of the internal rim of the hole of the operculum, thanks to the combined antagonistic efforts applied on the one hand, by the face elastic plane of the cover A on the flange (13) and on the other hand, by the edge of the cover in frank stop on the external face (16) of the lip L of the pouring part of the pouring spout (1), this perimeter plane support to obtain a sufficient metal / metal seal during the spill to avoid a flow between the pouring part in prestressed between the rim (14) of cover A and the internal rim of the hole in the cover on the same cover; this prestressing also has the positive result that the support of the pouring spout (1) on the flange (14) of the lid makes pinching of the lower lip of the mouth completely impossible precisely between the spout and the edge of the cover.

Note that the spout (1) is in a configuration slightly protruding from the edge of the cover, always for the best comfort of the user.

Figures 7 and 8 show a variant of the spout corresponding approximately to the greatest possible practical useful dimension.

Figures 9 and 10 show another variant in which the shape of the spout is calculated so that the spout is in flat support above the channel portion that it covers.

The pouring spout of the invention is handled in the following way: when the cover (6) is not still smashed, you just have to run a finger, preferably the index finger, in the hole in the lower ring (12) so that the finger phalanx can rest on the inner wall of the lip L inverted to apply the slight force necessary for the action of the striker (2) against the cover (6).

It should be noted here the advantage of comfort that there is to use a phalanx and not the tip of the finger and its nail as in the current cans and as in the THOMASSEN patent for operate the lever.

Women in particular who want to protect their nails are reluctant to use zippers current.

The pouring spouts of the invention only need to be robust; they can be manufactured by all known techniques including plastic overmolded on the riveting tab (3), and in particular those for manufacturing all of the current pull tabs metal boxes (type "stay-on-tab" /S.O.T), in combinations of susceptible materials to achieve the best possible recycling conditions.

The covers provided with the pouring spouts of the invention will be stackable in a position unique given the volume of the spout compared to current flat pulls.

The central riveting of the zipper on the current lids was chosen for the lids of beverage can due to the small diameter of these lids, you can mount spouts according to the invention on covers of larger diameter; in this case the riveting would not be located more in the center of the cover.

In the pouring spouts according to the invention, with riveting in the center of the cover, the area of knock in which nestles the inverted spout remains completely outside the circular channel located at the base of the rim, so that this continuous channel keeps its important role in mounting ("seaming") the cover provided with the spout on the body of the bobbin after filling.

For this purpose, an optimized value of the length of the riveting tab and its strip of metal reserve between the riveting hole and the passive side of the striker to which it ends, allows after 180 ° rotation of the spout on a sliding axis, following the knockout of the lid, a clip-on positioning of the spout according to the overflow desired by relative to the edge of the cover; the positioning of the hole in the cover must also be optimized compared to the channel.

It should be noted that the invention, in principle of the knockout zone (15) of the cover, proposes the only possible geometry of integration of a pouring spout with a knockout lever pre-notched, without this spout protruding from the upper plane of the box and allowing vertical stacking of boxes.

Finally, it is clear that the device of the invention represents the limit of optimization function of the "stay-on-tab" type lever principle for a lid pre-notched.

Claims (6)

1. A cover A for a metal beverage-container B, with a pouring-spout (1) composed of a first pouring part, which is the driving arm of a manually-operated, riveted, metal lever for staving-in an occluder (6) with a prescored perimeter (7) in the cover A, and which is joined integrally to a second part, which is a striker (2), being a prolongation of a riveting tongue (3), and constituting the working arm of the lever,

   the reinforced nose (10) of the striker being used, at the commencement of rotation of the lever about an axis parallel to the plane of the cover A, to stave in the occluder (6) along its tearing perimeter, so that after the rotation of the lever, resulting in perforation of the cover, the pouring-spout passes from the upside-down position in which it was initially riveted to an active or service position, in which the striker is located beneath the inner surface of the cover,

   characterized in that the first, pouring part comprises a high-walled, flared pouring lip L with an edge (9) said lip being integrally joined, at its base, to an open lower ring (12),

   the edge (9) and the lower ring (12) clasp, laterally and symmetrically, the lateral edges of the striker (2), forming a single-block connection therewith,

   the ring (12) itself being provided, on the lower part of its outer edge, with an extra-thick flange of semicircular or similar section (13), permitting it to centre itself in the hole left by the occluder (6), and then, through the bevel effect of said flange, enabling the pouring part to lock itself perimetrically after being clipped into said hole by slight manual pressure, with the striker then positioning itself beneath the internal surface of the cover in a plane practically parallel thereto, in the vicinity of the riveting point, thanks to the spreading of a metal reserve band (11) provided between the striker and the riveting tongue, to enable the reinforced nose (10) of the striker to stave in the occluder (6) of the cover at the commencement of the rotation, by practically 180°, of the lever (constituted by the pouring part jointed integrally to the striker) about a horizontal axis sliding parallel to the plane of the cover.
2. A cover A for a metal beverage-container B comprising a pouring-spout (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that in the active position, after clipping in place has occurred, the positioning of the end of the lip L of its pouring part is such that said lip L slightly projects from the outer perimeter of the cover A, with the outer surface (16) of the lip L being stably supported against the edge (14) of the cover.
3. A cover A for a metal beverage-container B comprising a pouring-spout (1) as claimed in claims 1 and 2, characterized in that in the active, stable position after clipping in place, the flange (13), by way of its upper perimetric zone, is supported flat against the perimetric zone of the inner edge of the occluder hole, thanks to the combined opposing forces applied, on the one hand, by the edge of the cover A which freely abuts the outer surface (16) of the lip L of the pouring part of the pouring spout, this perimetric planar support making it possible to achieve sufficient metal-to-metal liquid-tightness to prevent discharge between the pouring part prestressed between the edge (14) of the cover A and the internal edge of the occluder hole on the same cover, during pouring.
4. A cover A for a metal beverage-container B comprising a pouring-spout (1) as claimed in claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the cover comprises a recessed zone (15) of theoretical depth (h), this being the value of the perpendicular segment between the plane of the edge (14) of the cover and the plane of the recessed zone (15) (the latter being considered as practically parallel to the former), such that after the riveting of the pouring spout in the upside-down position on the cover A, the highest point (17) of the inverted pouring part, that is to say, the highest point of the flange (13) is preferably in the plane of the edge (14) of the cover.
5. A cover A for a metal beverage-container B comprising a pouring-spout (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the annular shape of the lower ring (12) of the pouring part in its upside-down, riveted position, enables the occluder (6) to be stove in by pulling the lever, by passing a finger into the lower ring (12) in such a way that the phalangette (distal phalanx) of the finger can bear on the internal wall of the upside-down lip L to apply the force necessary for the action of the striker (2), with the clipping of the pouring-part into the occluder hole after rotation of the pouring-spout being preferably performed by thumb pressure.
6. A cover A for a metal beverage-container B comprising a pouring-spout (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that in its configuration in the upside-down position after riveting, the lower ring (12) of the pouring part, and the edge (14) of the cover, leave a free space between them sufficient to permit vertical stacking of the metal containers comprising said pouring spout.

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