EP1165380A1 - Recipient ecrasable - Google Patents

Recipient ecrasable

Info

Publication number
EP1165380A1
EP1165380A1 EP99972598A EP99972598A EP1165380A1 EP 1165380 A1 EP1165380 A1 EP 1165380A1 EP 99972598 A EP99972598 A EP 99972598A EP 99972598 A EP99972598 A EP 99972598A EP 1165380 A1 EP1165380 A1 EP 1165380A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
container
paths
longitudinal axis
path
cylindrical body
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP99972598A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Roman Stanley Mojsak
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from GBGB9825559.9A external-priority patent/GB9825559D0/en
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP1165380A1 publication Critical patent/EP1165380A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D21/00—Nestable, stackable or joinable containers; Containers of variable capacity
    • B65D21/08—Containers of variable capacity
    • B65D21/086—Collapsible or telescopic containers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D1/00—Containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material, by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
    • B65D1/12—Cans, casks, barrels, or drums
    • B65D1/14—Cans, casks, barrels, or drums characterised by shape
    • B65D1/16—Cans, casks, barrels, or drums characterised by shape of curved cross-section, e.g. cylindrical
    • B65D1/165—Cylindrical cans
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D17/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers specially constructed to be opened by cutting or piercing, or by tearing of frangible members or portions
    • B65D17/02—Rigid or semi-rigid containers specially constructed to be opened by cutting or piercing, or by tearing of frangible members or portions of curved cross-section, e.g. cans of circular or elliptical cross-section

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a collapsible container and to a method of collapsing such containers.
  • Empty containers are wasteful of space, and transport, storage and disposal of containers, both before and after their intended use, can be greatly facilitated if the volume of the container can be reduced.
  • this invention is primarily directed to providing for the collapsing of containers after use, thus providing for improved waste disposal, the invention also contemplates the possibility that, under certain conditions, the containers may be collapsed before use, for assisting transport and storage.
  • a widely used form of container is a can serving to contain a material which must be protected against deformation and/or which is pressurised. In either function the can serves to protect the contents by providing a degree of resistance to distortion whether arising from the interior of the can or from outside the can. While this resistance is required when the can and its contents is being stored complete it can present problems when the can has to be disposed of having been opened and the contents removed. While a single empty can can be placed as it is in a suitable waste receptacle the question of disposing of numbers of waste cans can raise problems in view of the space required. Typically an empty can occupies a volume comparable with that it occupied when it is full. To provide for effective disposal there is thus a need to reduce the volume occupied by a waste can.
  • the container of US 5,209,372 has a sidewall consisting of a plurality of raised spiral ridges, defining therebetween a groove, which ridges extend from top to bottom of the container. At the bottom of the groove is a fold line. When an appropriate force is applied, the spiral ridges collapse, somewhat in the manner of a bellows, resulting in a reduction in the longitudinal dimension of the container.
  • the present invention presents an improved design which does not rely on a bellows-like formation on the exterior of the container. More generally, the invention seeks to provide a container, and a method of disposing of such a container, without a need for any external equipment and without the need for application of excessive force.
  • a container comprising a cylindrical body with a longitudinal axis and closures at either end of the body, said container being characterised by a plurality of paths on the surface of the cylindrical body, each path being inclined, at least over a part of its length, to the longitudinal axis, and each path defining along its length a locally weakened region of the cylindrical body.
  • Said paths may be formed on the outer surface of the cylindrical body, or on the inner surface of the cylindrical body. Alternatively, some of said paths may be formed on said inner surface, and some on the outer surface. In the latter case, the ends of respective paths on the inner and outer surfaces may cross or join, leaving just the thickness of the material of the cylindrical body between them, to thereby effectively form a line of weakness alternating from an "inner” path to an "outer” path in a zig-zag pattern right around the circumference of the container.
  • Each path extends generally in the direction of the longitudinal axis but need not necessarily be inclined to the axis over the whole of its length. For example, the ends of each path may extend parallel to the longitudinal axis, with the intermediate portion being inclined as aforesaid.
  • That part of the path which is inclined, or the whole path if it is inclined for its full length, may be straight or curved or any other shape, for example, helical.
  • all of the paths will be of the same form and have substantially the same angle with respect to the longitudinal axis; however, this is not necessary the case - for example, where paths are provided on both of the inner and outer surfaces, those on the inner surface may be at a different angle to those on the outer.
  • the paths may be formed by continuous locally weakened regions, or by discontinuous locally weakened regions.
  • the regions are spaced apart along the path by distances, not necessarily the same, which are sufficiently small that the regions act together during collapsing of the container.
  • the paths are formed into a plurality of sets of paths spaced apart along the longitudinal axis.
  • This technique has been found to enable long containers to be collapsed; otherwise the maximum practical limit of container length is approximately in the range of 1 to 1.25 times the container diameter.
  • any length or size of container can be collapsed by utilising an appropriate repeating number of sets of paths.
  • each such set has the same pattern of paths, but this is not essential.
  • the patterns of each set may be circumferentially shifted with respect to one another for ease of operation. The patterns may also be controlled so as to produce pop-up recovery for amusement purposes.
  • Each such set of paths comprises a pattern of paths of the type described above, and preferably extends circumferentially completely around the container.
  • the container may be made from any suitable material, such as aluminium, steel, plastics material, paper or cardboard.
  • An example of a container suitable for the application of the present invention is the well- known beverage can commonly used for soft drinks and beer.
  • at least one of the paths comprises a continuous groove formed on the inside and/or outside surface of the cylindrical body, which groove thus locally thins the material of the body to provide the locally weakened region of the body.
  • the groove does not actually thin the material of the body but locally folds the material so that it is stressed by its shape to be the point of first failure.
  • the grooves which comprise the paths may be formed in any convenient manner, for example by scoring or indenting of the material of the cylindrical body. In practice this might be achieved by, for example, press forming or drawing through dies. Paradoxically, the action of forming the grooves can actually enhance the strength of the container, potentially enabling thinner material to be used and resulting in a container which is cheaper to produce.
  • the grooves may have various cross sectional shapes and further work is being carried out to find the optimum shape. Currently it is felt that a very low radius "U"-section shape will be used.
  • grooves which are too deep weakens the area resulting in splitting of the container when the container is collapsed; grooves which are too shallow may be aesthetically attractive, but can make the container difficult to collapse.
  • the process acquires a momentum which means that the grooves need not be as deep as is necessary to start the collapsing process in the first place.
  • the depth of the grooves can be graduated, longitudinally of the paths, to even out the collapsing force required, or a particular length of the grooves can be made deeper than the rest to overcome the momentum needed at the beginning of the collapsing process, and thus enable the process to get started.
  • An alternative trigger to collapse the can may be provided by varying the depths of the grooves forming the different paths around the can: for example, if one or more of the paths comprise grooves which are deeper than the remainder, then these deeper grooves will get the collapsing process started.
  • the angle at which the paths are inclined will depend upon the circumstances.
  • the range of angles will be 13° to 16° to the vertical axis of the can depending upon the size of the can, and the number of paths.
  • a typical angle might be 14.5°, with nine segments.
  • At least one path comprises a discontinuous series of grooves or recesses, each groove or recess serving to provide in the path a sequence of locally weakened areas which together form the locally weakened region of the body.
  • the container is filled with a material which is liquid or gaseous or a combination of a liquid and gaseous material.
  • a primary intended use of the invention is to enable used cans to be collapsed and thus disposed of more efficiently.
  • it may be possible to collapse the can before use to thus save on storage and transport costs by reduced goods volume.
  • a method of collapsing containers of the type according to the first aspect comprising the step of: applying a torque to the cylindrical body about the longitudinal axis causing the locally weakened regions to distort, resulting in a reduction in overall length along the longitudinal axis.
  • the torque may be applied in any convenient manner, for example by holding the container by its ends and then rotating the ends in opposite directions.
  • the resultant opposing twisting motion causes the container to fold along the paths and collapse inwards on itself.
  • the step of applying the torque is preceded or accompanied by applying pressure to the exterior surface of the cylindrical body at an area adjacent one of the paths, in order to initiate the process which leads to the collapse.
  • the application of pressure occurs simultaneously with the initial application of torque, to get the process started; once collapsing has started, the process acquires a momentum of its own, and the pressure can be released.
  • This pressure may, for example, be applied by the thumb at the same time as the remainder of the hand grips the end for applying the rotating motion.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a container according to the invention, in its normal working configuration
  • Figure 2 is a view of the container of Figure 1 in its collapsed condition
  • Figure 3 is a side view of a second embodiment of a container according to the invention, in its normal working configuration
  • Figure 4 is a view similar to that of Figure 3, but showing the container in a partially collapsed condition
  • Figure 5 is a side view showing the container of Figure 3 in a fully collapsed condition
  • Figure 6 is a side view of a third embodiment of a container according to the invention, in its normal working configuration;
  • Figure 7 is a view similar to that of Figure 6, but showing the container in a partially collapsed condition;
  • Figure 8 is a side view showing the container of Figure 6 in a fully collapsed condition.
  • Figure 1 shows a container in the form of a beverage can 11 containing an aerated drink.
  • the can 11 is made up of a cylindrical body section 12 with a longitudinal axis l_, and a respective closure member at each of the top end 10 and bottom end 14.
  • the top closure member includes a conventional tear out tab 15.
  • the can 11 is made of aluminium alloy sheet.
  • the can 11 can have printing on it, or have a separate sleeve surrounding it, bearing advertising and other information in a known manner.
  • the can 11 has on its body section 12 a plurality of paths (paths 13A to 13H being visible - corresponding paths are also formed on the opposite, unseen, side of the can 11) in the surface of the body section 12, each path following a helical or otherwise curved track about the longitudinal axis L.
  • each path 13A to 13H is formed by an indented groove which serves to reduce the wall thickness of the wall of the body section 12 so as to define along the length of each path 13A to 13H a locally weakened region of the body section 12.
  • the paths 13A to 13H have lying between them strips, typically strip S, of uniform thickness layers of the body material.
  • the can 11 has a normal working length W.
  • the tab 15 is raised and the contents drunk from, or poured out by way of, the aperture resulting from the opening of the tab. Once emptied the can 11 needs to be disposed of. To do this, the can 11 is grasped in one hand at or near the top end 10 and in the other hand at or near the bottom end 14. The top and bottom ends are then twisted in opposite directions to apply a torque to the body section 12 about the axis L.
  • the lines of reduced wall thickness corresponding to the grooves forming the paths 13A to 13H fail, and the intermediate strips corresponding to strip S are twisted up to form a series of overlapping and contracted strips as the can 11 is screwed up into the form of collapsed can 1 1 ', shown in Figure 2.
  • the can 11 ' is about one quarter the normal working length W.
  • the contracted can 1 1 ' shown in Figure 2 can then be disposed of in a conventional waste bin. By disposing of the can in this way it is possible to provide for much more compact storage of such cans when used in a given waste bin.
  • the direction of twisting to collapse the can is such that the top end 10 of the can is twisted anticlockwise with respect to the bottom end 14 of the can.
  • the same effect may be achieved by holding the top end 10 of the can and twisting the bottom end 14 in the clockwise direction.
  • An opposite direction of twisting i.e. such that the top end 10 of the can is twisted clockwise with respect to the bottom end 14 is possible, but only if the paths 13A to 13H are inclined in the opposite direction with respect to the axis L.
  • the grooves are formed by machining, scoring or otherwise indenting the exterior and interior surfaces of the material of the cylindrical body section 12 to thereby form lines of weakness.
  • FIGs 3 to 5 show a second embodiment of the invention, also a beverage can.
  • FIG 3 it will be seen that, as well as the paths 13A to 13E formed in the exterior surface of the body section 12 of the can, there is a further set of paths 16A to 16F, shown dotted, formed on the inside surface of the can.
  • each exterior path 13 is joined top and bottom to the next adjacent interior path 16 - thus, for example, exterior path 13B is joined at the top to interior path 16C and at the bottom to interior path 16B.
  • the paths 13,16 are actually straight only in the two dimensional blank which would be formed if the material of the cylindrical body section 12 were laid out flat. Thus, when the body section 12 is formed into a cylindrical shape, the paths would actually take on a curved appearance when seen in elevation, as in Figure 3.
  • the surface of the can is scored or otherwise indented, as before.
  • the scoring or indenting takes place from the exterior side of the can material in the case of paths 13 and from the interior side in the case of the paths 16. Twisting of the ends of the can in the manner described above causes the can to collapse longitudinally.
  • Figure 4 shows the can partially collapsed and
  • Figure 5 shows the can when fully collapsed. The can is fully collapsed when the top and bottom of the can meet and lock together. Due to physical constraints, it has been found that there is a maximum height of container which can be collapsed using the formation of paths illustrated in the above-described embodiments.
  • Figures 6 to 8 show a third embodiment of the invention for use with a taller container.
  • two sets of paths of the type illustrated for the container of Figures 3 to 5 are provided.
  • there is a lower set of paths comprising paths 17A to 17F formed on the exterior surface of the body section 12 and paths 18A to 18F, shown dotted, formed on the interior surface.
  • paths 17A to 17F formed on the exterior surface of the body section 12
  • paths 18A to 18F shown dotted, formed on the interior surface.
  • Other detail is the same as in the embodiment of Figures 3 to 5, described above.
  • the two sets of paths are separated by a short groove-free axial space 19 and a similar short groove-free space 20, 21 is left at the top and bottom ends respectively, as with the previous embodiments.
  • the pattern of paths in each set are offset in the circumferential direction with respect to one another, as is made clear in Figure 6. Twisting of the container of Figure 6 causes the container to collapse longitudinally, as described above, but this time the collapse takes place in two sections, corresponding to the two sets of paths, as clearly illustrated in Figure 7.
  • Figure 8 shows the container in the fully collapsed condition.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
  • Rigid Containers With Two Or More Constituent Elements (AREA)

Abstract

Cette invention se rapporte à un récipient, par exemple une boîte-boisson, qui est rendue facilement écrasable pour pouvoir être mise au rebut, grâce à des rainures (13A à 13E) sur la surface externe et des rainures (16A à 16F) sur la surface interne de la paroi cylindrique (12) du récipient. Chaque rainure externe (13A à 13E) rencontre une rainure interne correspondante (16A, 16F) au niveau de leurs extrémités, afin de former un motif en zigzag de rainures internes et externes qui alternent sur tout le pourtour du récipient. On écrase ce récipient en saisissant les extrémités supérieure et inférieure avec les mains et en imprimant un mouvement de contre-torsion qui amène le récipient à s'écraser facilement sur lui-même pour occuper un petit volume, de façon à pouvoir être mis au rebut.
EP99972598A 1998-11-20 1999-11-18 Recipient ecrasable Withdrawn EP1165380A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB9825559.9A GB9825559D0 (en) 1998-11-20 1998-11-20 Collapsible container
GB9825559 1998-11-20
GBGB9921753.1A GB9921753D0 (en) 1998-11-20 1999-09-16 Improved collapsable container
GB9921753 1999-09-16
PCT/GB1999/003856 WO2000030941A1 (fr) 1998-11-20 1999-11-18 Recipient ecrasable

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1165380A1 true EP1165380A1 (fr) 2002-01-02

Family

ID=26314706

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP99972598A Withdrawn EP1165380A1 (fr) 1998-11-20 1999-11-18 Recipient ecrasable

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1165380A1 (fr)
AU (1) AU1394700A (fr)
WO (1) WO2000030941A1 (fr)

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2139143A (en) * 1937-03-27 1938-12-06 Norman N Wiswell Collapsing container and collapsing device
JPS54710B2 (fr) * 1972-10-17 1979-01-13
JPS6414624U (fr) * 1987-07-17 1989-01-25
US5209372A (en) 1992-04-08 1993-05-11 Norwood Peter M Collapsible spiral container
DE19715453C2 (de) * 1997-04-10 2002-08-29 Bernd Kriegel Dünnwandiges Gefäß

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO0030941A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU1394700A (en) 2000-06-13
WO2000030941A1 (fr) 2000-06-02

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