EP1879801B1

EP1879801B1 - Pouring lid for cans

Info

Publication number: EP1879801B1
Application number: EP06721648A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Antonio Carlos Teixeira Alvares; Antonio Roberto Sene
Original assignee: Brasilata SA Embalagens Metalicas
Current assignee: Brasilata SA Embalagens Metalicas
Priority date: 2005-05-13
Filing date: 2006-05-12
Publication date: 2009-12-16
Anticipated expiration: 2026-05-12
Also published as: DE602006011147D1; EP1879801A1; WO2006119599A1; MX2007014212A; UY29529A1; JP2008540267A; US20080156820A1; AR053276A1; BRPI0501905A; KR20080021600A

Description

Field of the Invention

The present invention refers to a pouring lid to be applied to a can generally formed in metallic sheet and presenting a polygonal or circular cross section and being provided with an end upper lid of the type which allows multiple opening and closing operations during the progressive consumption of the bulk product stored in the can in a particulate or liquid form.

Prior Art

The cans of the type considered herein are generally those described in document WO 2005/023664 A of the same applicant and comprising a tubular body formed by one or more peripheral sidewalls, to whose lower edge is double seamed or otherwise incorporated a bottom wall, and to whose upper edge is double seamed or otherwise affixed the outer peripheral edge of an upper annular wall, having an inner peripheral edge that defines a median opening to access the interior of the recipient and in which is configured a seat onto which will be seated and retained a reclosable lid that can be made in metallic sheet or plastic material.
In many solutions of the known can constructions, the radial extension of the annular upper wall, defined between its outer peripheral edge and its inner peripheral edge, in which is formed the opening to access the interior of the can, is provided with at least one circumferential region which, when the can is inverted, defines a barrier that impairs the free radial and gravitational flow of the bulk product, which is still seated on the annular upper wall of the can, towards the opening of the latter.
Said prior patent application PI0306608-8 of the same applicant comments the known difficulty the user has to pour out the whole bulk product contained in this type of can provided with an annular upper wall, in which it is practically impossible or at least very laborious to extract all the product from the interior of the can by the simple gravitational effect. It is commented that a small quantity of the product, whether in powder, granulated or liquid form, tends to be retained against the annular upper wall when the can is inverted after the lid has been removed.
Due to the deficiency mentioned above, the solution proposed in said prior document PI0306608-8 provides a can which, when opened and inverted, allows the stored product that is seated against the annular upper wall to radially and gravitationally flow towards the opening of the can and outwardly from the latter.
The patent application mentioned above further provides, in the annular upper wall of the can, a seat onto which is seated a lid that can be opened and hermetically reclosed multiple times during the operation of the can as a recipient for storing a product.
According to this prior constructive proposal of the same applicant, the annular upper wall of the tubular body is constructed so that any point of its inner face remains positioned at a height, measured in the interior of the tubular body, at minimum equal to the height of another point of said inner face positioned radially external, aligned and adjacent in relation to said point.
The construction mentioned above allows the annular upper wall of the can to operate as a kind of hopper which directs the product towards the opening of the tubular body, when the can is inverted, permitting the flow of the product still contained in the interior of the tubular body of the can.
Although the solution above allows the bulk product stored in the can to completely flow from within said can when the lid is removed and the recipient is inverted, there is a certain difficulty in providing a controlled and directed flow of the bulk product through the opening of the annular upper wall of the can, it being noted that the more critical the need to transfer the bulk product from the inside of the can to another specific place to receive a determined amount of said bulk material, the higher said difficulty, as it occurs when a certain amount of the particulate material is supplied to soap and detergent reservoirs of washing machines or when it is desired to transfer a relatively precise amount of the bulk material to recipients designed to contain single or reduced dosages.

Summary of the Invention

Due to the deficiency mentioned above of the prior art regarding the direction and control of the bulk material released through the opening provided in the annular upper wall of the can, the present invention has the generic objective of providing a pouring lid for cans of the type considered herein and which permits, when fitted in said upper opening of the can, the product stored in the interior of the latter to be controllably and directionally released through said upper opening.
A more specific objective of the present invention is to provide a pouring lid as mentioned above, which incorporates, medianly and externally, a pouring spout disposed so as to direct the flow of the bulk material being released from the can to the desired place.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a pouring lid such as defined above, which can remain fitted into the annular upper wall of the can, without defining, in the inner face of the latter, any point positioned in a level inferior to that of the surrounding region of said annular upper wall.
In order to reach the objectives mentioned above, the present invention provides a pouring lid for a bulk product can of the type comprising a tubular body, having at least one peripheral sidewall and an annular upper wall presenting an outer edge affixed to the peripheral sidewall, an inner face turned to the interior of the tubular body and an inner edge defining an opening, said annular upper wall having any point of its inner face positioned at a height, measured in the interior of the tubular body, at minimum equal to the height of another point of said inner face positioned radially external, aligned and adjacent in relation to said point, said lid being removably fitted and retained in the opening to close the latter.
According to the invention, the pouring lid comprises a closing wall provided with a median opening and externally carrying a tubular projection aligned with the median opening, any point of the inner face of the closing wall of the lid when mounted to the can, being positioned at a height, measured in the interior of the tubular body, at minimum equal to the height of any other point of the inner face of the annular upper wall.
With the construction defined above, it is possible for the user, after removing a lid of the type described in said document WO 2005/023 664 A , to reclose the can, using a pouring lid of the type mentioned above, it being however considered that the pouring lid can be used only when there is the need for controllably discharging an amount of the bulk product stored in the can, or it can be maintained continuously fitted into the annular upper wall of the can, after purchase of the product.
It should be further considered the possibility of a tubular projection of the pouring lid being provided, in the region of its free end, with an obturator which can be manually operated by the user, allowing the bulk product of progressive consumption to remain hermetically stored inside the can, after the original closing lid has been substituted by the pouring lid object of the present invention.
The construction disclosed herein prevents the pouring lid from forming any obstacle to the free radial flow of the stored product, mainly when the latter is about to finish, from the region adjacent to the sidewall of the can until reaching the median opening provided in the closing wall of the lid and outwardly extending through the tubular projection that defines the pouring spout.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be described below with reference to the enclosed drawings, given by way of example of a possible construction for the present pouring lid and in which:

Figure 2 srchematically illustrates an exploded partial diametrical sectional view of the upper portion of a can and of the respective pouring lid constructed according to the present invention;
Figure 1 schematically illustrates a partial diametrical sectional view of the upper portion of a can closed by the pouring lid;
Figure 3 schematically illustrates an enlarged view of part of figure 1, showing the profile of the annular upper wall of the can and the seating region between the pouring lid and said annular upper wall; and
Figure 4 is a schematic view similar to that of figure 1, but illustrating a can in an inverted position and containing a remaining portion of the product flowing gravitationally through the opening of the pouring lid and its tubular projection.

Detailed Description of the Invention

As illustrated in the figures of the enclosed drawings, the present invention is applied to a can for bulk products, in the powder, granulated or liquid form, comprising a tubular body 10 generally made of metallic sheet and presenting a circular cross section with a peripheral sidewall 11, or any polygonal section with multiple peripheral sidewalls (not illustrated), the tubular body 10 being provided with an annular upper wall 12 presenting an outer edge 12a which is affixed, usually double seamed, to an upper edge 11a of the peripheral sidewall 11 of the tubular body 10, said annular upper wall 12 being provided with an inner face 12b, turned to the interior of the tubular body 10, and an inner edge 12c defining an opening 13 to give access to the interior of the tubular body 10.
The can of the present invention further comprises a pouring lid 20, usually made of plastic and which is configured to be removably fitted and retained in the opening 13, in order to close the latter, as described ahead.
According to the illustrated construction, the annular upper wall 12 of the tubular body 10 of the can is preferably constructed to present any point of its inner face 12b positioned at a height, measured in the interior of the tubular body 10, at minimum equal to the height of another point of said inner face 12b positioned radially external, aligned and adjacent in relation to said point.
The preferred construction defined above allows any radial alignment of the inner face 12b of the annular upper wall 12 to take the form of a kind of ramp, which can be continuous or interrupted by steps lying on planes orthogonal to the axis of the tubular body 10, which ramp is inclined upwards and towards the opening 13 of the tubular body 10, from the peripheral sidewall 11.
In the preferred illustrated embodiment, the points of the inner face 12b of the annular upper wall 12, positioned according to the same circumferential alignment concentric to the axis of the tubular body 10, are contained in a plane orthogonal to said axis, allowing the annular upper wall 12, when applied to a tubular body 10 with a circular cross section, to be defined as a revolution surface obtained by rotation of a generatrix around the axis of the tubular body 10 and which is defined by the single profile of said annular upper wall 12.
As illustrated in the figures of the drawings, the inner face 12b of the annular upper wall 12 is configured to present, along at least a portion of its radial extension, a height which increases progressively and continuously towards the opening 13. Thus, the inner face 12b of the annular upper wall 12, in principle, is in the form of a straight line segment, inclined in relation to the axis of the tubular body 10 and extending from the outer edge 12a affixed to the peripheral sidewall 11 to the inner edge 12c that defines the opening 13.
Nevertheless, considering that the annular upper wall 12 is usually double seamed to the upper edge 11a of the peripheral sidewall 11, the annular upper wall 12 has its inner face 12b presenting an outer radial extension portion 12d, adjacent to the peripheral sidewall 11 of the tubular body 10, lying in a plane that is orthogonal to the axis of the tubular body 10. This outer radial extension portion 12d facilitates mounting the devices to double seam the annular upper wall 12 to the peripheral sidewall 11.
Besides the outer radial extension portion 12d, the inner face 12b of the annular upper wall 12 further presents, preferably, an inner radial extension portion 12e, adjacent to the opening 13, lying in a plane orthogonal to the axis of the tubular body 10, said plane being generally parallel and disposed at a height that is slightly superior to the height of the orthogonal plane in which is contained said outer radial extension portion 12d of the inner face 12b of the annular upper wall 12, said outer and inner radial extension portions 12d and 2e being interconnected by a conical portion of said inner face 12b of the annular upper wall 12.
Still according to the illustrated construction, the inner edge 12c (figure 2) of the annular upper wall 12 is upwardly and radially outwardly bent, in order to form a circumferential rib 15 with a cross section defined by at least a portion of an arc of a circle, with the center in a plane P orthogonal to the axis of the tubular body 10 and which is medianly intersected by said plane P.
In this construction, the pouring lid 20 comprises a closing wall 21 incorporating a peripheral lateral portion 22 which is shaped to define, externally, a circumferential cradle 23 (figure 3), with the cross section in the form of an arc of a circle facing downwardly and within which is fitted the circumferential rib 15 of the annular upper wall 12, upon the seating of the pouring lid 20 onto the can. The peripheral lateral portion 22 of the closing wall 21 of the lid 20 has its upper portion incorporating a continuous outer peripheral flange 24 which is seated onto the circumferential rib 15 and also, optionally, onto an adjacent portion of the annular upper wall 12 of the can when the circumferential rib 15 is fitted into the circumferential cradle 23 of the pouring lid 20, maintaining the latter fitted and retained in the opening 13.
As illustrated in the drawings, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the circumferential rib 15 of the annular upper wall 12 is bent in such a way as to define a tubular cross section, the bending of the inner edge 12c of the annular upper wall 12 being achieved so that the free end thereof is disposed adjacent to an outer face of said annular upper wall 12.
The circumferential rib 15 with a circular tubular cross section, jointly with the pouring lid 20 being constructed in plastic material, permits a plastic deformation of one or both parts upon fitting and removing the pouring lid 20 in relation to the opening 13 of the tubular body 10.
The pouring lid 20 is preferably constructed in plastic material, with its peripheral lateral portion 22 projecting upwardly from a recessed outer edge 25 of the closing wall 21.
The pouring lid 20 has its closing wall 21 provided with a median opening 21a and incorporating, externally, a tubular projection 27 that defines a pouring spout aligned with said median opening 21a of the closing wall 21. The tubular projection 27 may be rectilinear or totally or partially bent, so as to better comply with the main utilization of the bulk product to be dispensed, said tubular projection being incorporated, in a single piece, to the pouring lid 20 to be applied to the can, substituting the closing lid supplied with the can or recipient when purchased by the user.
As shown in the drawings, particularly in figures 2 and 3, the peripheral lateral portion 22 of the closing wall 21 can be externally configured, in the region of the cradle, to seat against the circumferential rib 15, by an extension defined not only above but also below the plane P, guaranteeing, jointly with the dimensional interference between the peripheral lateral portion 22 and the opening 13, the axial retention of the pouring lid 20 when fitted into the annular upper wall 12 of the tubular body 10.
To avoid the pouring lid 20 from impairing the descending radial flow of the bulk material, from the region of the peripheral sidewall 11 to the median opening 21a of the pouring lid 20, the closing wall 21 of the latter is designed to include, in the whole extension thereof, its recessed outer edge 25 and the peripheral lateral portion 22, in a level not inferior to the level of the inner face 12b of the annular upper wall 12 in the region of the latter adjacent to its opening 13.
The pouring lid 20 may have its tubular projection 27 constantly open in its free end spaced away from the closing wall 21, or provided with an obturator 30, preferably positioned in said free end of the tubular projection 27 and which can have different constructions that enable it to be manually operated between open and closed pouring lid positions.
In the exemplary construction better illustrated in figure 3, the obturator takes the form of a plug which can be removably fitted and retained in the free end of the tubular projection 27, in order to close the latter. The obturator can take the approximate form of a plug which is coupled, preferably in a single piece, to said tubular projection 27, by means of a plastic band 31 that operates both as a hinge and a loop for retaining the obturator 30.
While only one way of carrying out the invention has been described herein, it should be understood that changes in the form and arrangement of the component parts can be carried out whereby the scope of the invention is defined by the claims.

Claims

A pouring lid on a can of the type comprising a tubular body (10) having at least one peripheral sidewall (11) and an annular upper wall (12), which presents an outer edge (12a) affixed to the peripheral sidewall (11), an inner face (12b) turned to the interior of the tubular body (10), an inner edge (12c) defining an opening (13), said annular upper wall (12) having any point of its inner face (12b) positioned at a height, measured in the interior of the tubular body (10), at minimum equal to the height of another point of said inner face (12b) positioned radially external, aligned and adjacent in relation to said point; and a pouring lid (20) removably fitted and retained in the opening (13) in order to close it, said pouring lid (20) being characterized in that it comprises a closing wall (21) provided with a median opening (21a) and externally carrying a tubular projection (27) aligned with the median opening (21a), any point of the inner face of the closing wall (21) of the pouring lid (20), in the mounted condition in the can, being positioned at a height, measured in the interior of the tubular body (10), at minimum equal to the height of any other point of the inner face (12b) of the annular upper wall (12), said tubular projection (27) being incorporated in a single piece to the closing wall (21) of the pouring lid (20).
The lid as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the inner edge (12c) of the annular upper wall (12) is bent upwardly and radially outwardly, in order to form a circumferential rib (15) with a cross section defined by at least a portion of an arc of a circle with the center lying in a plane (P) orthogonal to the axis of the tubular body (10) and medianly intersected by said plane (P), said pouring lid (20) having a peripheral sidewall (22) externally provided with a circumferential cradle (23) presenting a cross section in the form of an arc of a circle and in which inside is fitted the portion in the form of an arc of a circle of the circumferential rib (15).
The lid as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that the peripheral sidewall (22) of the lid (20) has an upper region incorporating an outer peripheral flange (24) that is seated onto the circumferential rib (15) upon the fitting of the latter in the circumferential cradle (23) of the pouring lid (20), maintaining the latter closing the opening (13).
The lid as set forth in claim 3, characterized in that the outer peripheral flange (24) is continuous and seated onto an adjacent portion of the annular upper wall (12) of the can, upon the closing of the lid (20).
The lid as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the closing wall (21) of the pouring lid (20) comprises a recessed outer edge (25) from which upwardly projects the peripheral sidewall (22).
The lid as set forth in claim 5, characterized in that the closing wall (21) of the pouring lid (20) is configured to remain, in the whole extension thereof, including the recessed outer edge (25) and the peripheral sidewall (22), in a level not inferior to the level of the inner face (12b) of the annular upper wall (12) of the tubular body (10).
The lid as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the tubular projection (27), which is carried by the closing wall (21) of the pouring lid (20), defines a pouring spout aligned with the opening (21a) of the closing wall (21).
The lid as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the pouring lid (20) is formed in any material such as plastic, metal or a composition thereof.
The lid as set forth in any one of the previous claims, characterized in that the tubular projection (27) of the closing wall (21) of the pouring lid (20) is provided, in the region of its free end, with an obturator (30) that can be manually operated between closed and open pouring lid positions.
The lid as set forth in claim 9, characterized in that the obturator (30) is defined by a plug that is coupled to said tubular projection (27) by means of a plastic band (31) that operates both as a hinge and a loop for retaining the obturator (30).
The lid as set forth in claim 10, characterized in that the plastic band (31) joins the side of the obturator (30) to the free end of the tubular projection (27).