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
  • B65D51/00—Closures not otherwise provided for
  • B65D51/18—Arrangements of closures with protective outer cap-like covers or of two or more co-operating closures
  • B65D51/20—Caps, lids, or covers co-operating with an inner closure arranged to be opened by piercing, cutting, or tearing
  • B65D51/22—Caps, lids, or covers co-operating with an inner closure arranged to be opened by piercing, cutting, or tearing having means for piercing, cutting, or tearing the inner closure
  • B65D51/228—Caps, lids, or covers co-operating with an inner closure arranged to be opened by piercing, cutting, or tearing having means for piercing, cutting, or tearing the inner closure a major part of the inner closure being removed from the container after the opening
• • 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
  • B65D47/00—Closures with filling and discharging, or with discharging, devices
  • B65D47/36—Closures with frangible parts adapted to be pierced, torn, or removed, to provide discharge openings
• • 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
  • B65D17/28—Rigid or semi-rigid containers specially constructed to be opened by cutting or piercing, or by tearing of frangible members or portions at lines or points of weakness
  • B65D17/401—Rigid or semi-rigid containers specially constructed to be opened by cutting or piercing, or by tearing of frangible members or portions at lines or points of weakness characterised by having the line of weakness provided in an end wall
  • B65D17/4012—Rigid or semi-rigid containers specially constructed to be opened by cutting or piercing, or by tearing of frangible members or portions at lines or points of weakness characterised by having the line of weakness provided in an end wall for opening partially by means of a tearing tab
• • 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
  • B65D51/00—Closures not otherwise provided for
  • B65D51/18—Arrangements of closures with protective outer cap-like covers or of two or more co-operating closures
  • B65D51/20—Caps, lids, or covers co-operating with an inner closure arranged to be opened by piercing, cutting, or tearing
• • 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
  • B65D51/00—Closures not otherwise provided for
  • B65D51/18—Arrangements of closures with protective outer cap-like covers or of two or more co-operating closures
  • B65D51/20—Caps, lids, or covers co-operating with an inner closure arranged to be opened by piercing, cutting, or tearing
  • B65D51/22—Caps, lids, or covers co-operating with an inner closure arranged to be opened by piercing, cutting, or tearing having means for piercing, cutting, or tearing the inner closure
• • 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
  • B65D2251/00—Details relating to container closures
  • B65D2251/0003—Two or more closures
  • B65D2251/0006—Upper closure
  • B65D2251/0009—Upper closure of the 17-type
• • 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
  • B65D2251/00—Details relating to container closures
  • B65D2251/0003—Two or more closures
  • B65D2251/0006—Upper closure
  • B65D2251/0025—Upper closure of the 47-type
• • 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
  • B65D2251/00—Details relating to container closures
  • B65D2251/0003—Two or more closures
  • B65D2251/0068—Lower closure
  • B65D2251/0093—Membrane

Definitions

• the present invention relates to pre-foiled closures which are applied over an opening in a container.
• Cartons and plastics containers for drinks and other liquids are frequently sealed by means of an induction heat sealed (IHS) foil that is bonded to a rim of a mouth of the container typically within a spout.
• the foil closes the mouth opening in order to provide a gas barrier.
• IHS induction heat sealed
• the foil may also have its border bonded between the rim and a portion of the spout as, for example in the applicant's own earlier application,
• GB 2350105 A (SPRECKELSEN MCGEOUGH LTD). 2000-11-22. that a plate be sealed to and support the foil.
• the plate is mounted to the overcap so that it can swivel relative to the overcap during the opening process.
• the plate is provided primarily to support the foil to prevent it being ruptured by gas pressure when the closure is used with pressurised fluids.
• opening of the overcap also initiates a tear in the foil membrane and breaks the seal.
• GB 2108464 (CONTAINER CORPORATION). 1983-05-18. there is described in relation to figures 6 to 8, a container defining an opening, a foil membrane closing the opening and having a border adapted to be induction heat sealed to a rim of the container, and an overcap having a formation terminating in an edge bonded to the foil to define a removable portion of the foil.
• the formation is a cylindrical inner rim of a hinged lid, which is closed so that it is aligned with and directly supported by the rim of the container. This results in a strong seal that is difficult to break and the foil may remain bonded to either rim once the lid is lifted.
• the container, foil and overcap are assembled in a single operation, which results in assembly problems.
• WO WO 93/13998 A (CAP SNAP CO.). 1993-07-22. describes a closure comprising a spout defining an opening and a foil membrane closing the opening , the closure having an openable section with a foil retaining formation terminating in an edge bonded to the foil to define a removable portion of the foil membrane, the foil membrane also being bonded to a non-openable section of the closure before application to a container.
• Cap Snap This closure is described by Cap Snap as an optional embodiment of Figure 5 in which the foil retaining formation is a bottom edge of a plug skirt that must be lifted up through a spout to open the closure.
• Cap Snap also teaches the use of a foil disk of greater diameter than a flange of the fitment that defines the spout. Only one side of the Cap Snap foil is used in the bonding operations. The reader is not taught how to create the weld to the foil without welding the skirt to the adjacent spout or how the closure can be opened. Considerable problems would also be presented during handling of this closure by the presence of an unsupported and unprotected foil border beyond the flange. The closure would also leave the edge and other side of the foil exposed to the contents of the container.
• the present invention addresses the technical problems that arise with pre-foiled closures in the opening of the foil without the littering problem of removable pull rings and foil and without the need for undue force, skill, knowledge or dexterity on the part of the user.
• the closure of the present invention is characterised in that the closure has means for engaging it over an open end of a container; in that the foil membrane is held inside the closure in order to provide a border adapted to be induction heat sealed to the container; and in that the openable section is pivotable relative to the non-openable section of the closure.
• the foil membrane is bonded to a land on the non-openable section close to an edge of the opening in order to create a region of foil which is stretched between the land and an adjacent part of the foil retaining formation during the opening process to create an initial tear in that stretched region.
• the stretched region is opposite a hinge about which the openable section pivots open. In order to create that tear, it may be desirable to provide at least one foil tearing tooth between an edge of the opening and the land.
• the edge of the formation may be continuously or intermittently welded to the foil.
• the formation is preferably a depending wall having an edge with a radius of less than .3 mm, preferably .1 mm.
• closure in accordance with the invention can be moulded very simply as there are no complex ring pull structures requiring the use of separate retractable metal cores which increase the cycle time of the mould.
• the formation preferably has a shape which converges to a tip aligned with the peak.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a spout as moulded for a closure in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention
• Figure 2 is a view from below of the spout of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 in Figure 2 showing the closure with a foil membrane applied;
• Figure 4 is a perspective view of a variation of the first embodiment of the closure shown secured to a can and in an open condition;
• Figure 5 is a perspective view of the spout and overcap in an open condition showing two alternative designs for the edge of the formation in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention;
• Figure 6 shows a plan view of the overcap and spout of Figure 5;
• Figure 7 shows a section on line 7-7 of Figure 6
• Figure 8 shows a plan view of the second embodiment of the closure after it has been assembled into a closed, foiled condition;
• Figure 9 shows a section on line 9-9 of Figure 8;
• Figure 10 shows a plan view of an overcap and spout in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention;
• Figure 10a and 10b shows plan views as in Figure 10 showing variations of the profile for the shape of the foil retainer;
• Figure 11 shows a perspective view of a closure for a can end in accordance with the fourth embodiment of the invention;
• Figure 12 shows a section through an edge of the overcap of Figure 11;
• Figure 13 shows a fifth embodiment of a closure for a can end; and
• Figure 14 shows a section through an edge of the overcap of Figure 12.
• the present invention can be implemented as a one- piece spout overcap for use over an open mouth of a container as shown in Figures 1 to 4 and 11-14 or as a spout and overcap combination as shown in Figures 5-10.
• a closure 2 for an open end of a container is made up of a spout overcap 4 to which a foil membrane 20 is induction heat sealed prior to the presentation of the closure to an open mouth of a container.
• the foil membrane 20 is a double sided foil, which is a thin aluminium foil coated on one side with a plastics material compatible with the material from which the spout overcap is moulded and on the other side with a plastics material compatible with the material of the container.
• the membrane 20 may also be or contain a plastics barrier membrane.
• the membrane may be a laminate that contains a plastics barrier layer.
• the spout 4 as shown in Figure 1 can be moulded in one piece from relatively rigid plastics materials such as HDPE or PP. LDPE would not be suitable as it would be too flexible.
• the spout 4 consists of a non-openable section in the form of an overcap 6 with a skirt 8.
• An opening 10 is defined in the non-openable section and has an edge 12 shaped to provide a convenient pouring opening.
• An openable section 18 is moulded in a vertical position as shown in Figure 1 and merges with the overcap section at a hinge 22 formed by a thinner plastics web between a root of the openable section and the non-openable section.
• the spout By moulding the spout in this configuration, it can be made efficiently using a three-part mould which has two laterally separable parts to create the upper side of the overcap. These upper parts define between their facing surfaces, a cavity for creating the openable section 18.
• the openable section 18 carries a foil retaining edge formation 24 that is shaped to fit inside the opening 10.
• a flange 26 at the remote end of the openable section is angled relative to the remainder of the section to enable it to be gripped and lifted. This flange 26 sits outside the skirt 8 when the openable section has been pivoted down into the same plane as the rest of the overcap.
• Figure 2 shows the underside of the overcap after the openable section 18 has been closed down.
• a peripheral broad land 28 is formed around the inside edge to retain the foil membrane 20 inside the spout.
• a land 30 is also provided around the periphery of the opening 10. This land 30 must be close to an edge of the opening 10 at least opposite the hinge 22.
• these lands are not perfectly flat but have a raised ridge 32 along one edge.
• the induction heat sealing foil membrane 20 is applied over the surface of the lands 28, 30, it comes into contact with the ridge 32 and it is this which melts first and welds to the plastics coating of the foil 20. In this way, less energy is consumed as a world can be created simply by supplying sufficient energy to melt the bridge and then allowing the melted plastic to flow across the land. This also ensures that the rest of the moulding is not damage during the pre-foiling.
• a series of foil tearing teeth 19 are formed around the edge 12 of the opening 10.
• the teeth do not need to reform all around the opening but it may be desirable to have at least one foil tearing tooth in the region opposite the hinge and between a portion of the land 30 close to the edge of the opening in that region as this is where an initial tear in the foil membrane will be made as the openable section is pivoted open.
• FIG. 4 In the variation of Figure 4 designed for use with a PET container having the shape of a standard 350ml can.
• the openable section 18' extends across the entire width of the spout overcap 4 and has a hinge 22 at the edge of the overcap by means of which it is pivoted open.
• the openable section 18' has a liftable tab 33 moulded into a recess in order to facilitate the pivoting of the openable section relative to the non-openable overcap section 6.
• the foil retainer 24 surrounds an opening 25 directly above the opening 10 so that the foil 20 can be seen. This opening 25 can be covered in use by a plug.
• the opening 10 in the overcap 6 is shown as tear drop shaped converging to a point towards the centre of the can mouth opposite the hinge 22.
• Spout overcap components 4 are moulded as shown in Figure 1 and removed from their moulds.
• the openable section 18 of each component is then folded down so that the thin foil retaining formation wall 24 snap fits into the opening 10.
• a foil disc 20 is then placed inside each overcap to cover the entire lower surface.
• An anvil holds the disc in contact with the lands 28, 30 of the surface while the assembly is in an induction heat sealing chamber and subjected to a magnetic field which create sufficient heat in the aluminium foil to weld foil membrane to the lands 28 and 30 to create a pre-foiled closure.
• the edge of foil 20 is inside the skirt 8 and is therefore protected from damage during transit of the pre-foiled closures.
• closures 2 can be sterilised in the closed, foiled condition and supplied to a factory where they will be fitted to containers.
• the pre-foiled closure exposes a border of foil opposite the land 28 that can be bonded to a rim of a container. Because this border of foil 20 will be welded on both sides, it will be extremely difficult to separate this border from the container without considerable force. This weld also ensures that an exposed aluminium edge within the foil 20 is kept securely away from the contents of the container. There should be no part of the container which bonds to the foil opposite the foil retainer 24 and therefore this bond will be preferentially weaker than the bond at the rim of the container.
• the openable section 18 is gripped by the flange 26 and pivoted about the hinge 22. This causes the foil membrane 20 in the region between the land 30 and an adjacent part of the foil retaining formation 24 opposite the hinge (in this version adjacent the outer edge of the overcap) to stretch and come into contact with the foil tearing tooth 19 which will initiate the tear if the stretching does not.
• the lifting force be applied to a relatively small area and this can be achieved by making the opening pointed and using a pivoting action to lift the foil retainer.
• the user grasps the pull tab 33 and lifts it. This will create a significant opening pressure on the foil in a stretched region between the foil retainer 24 at the point of the tear drop shaped opening 10 in the middle of the container opposite the hinge 22. This region is limited by the closely adjacent land 30 and may contain cutting teeth 19 over which the foil will be stretched to puncture it.
• the openable section 18' can pivot about the hinge 22. This will also stretch the remainder of the foil 20 in the region between the non-openable section and the land 30 close to the edge of the opening so that the tear will propagate around the opening resulting in a portion of the foil 20 enclosed by the wall 24 being lifted out of the opening 10 with the pivoting openable section 18'. This ensures that there is no littering.
• a closure 2 for fitting to a container (not shown) consists of a spout 40 connected to a flip-top overcap 60 by a hinge 80.
• the spout 40 constitutes the non-openable section of the closure 2 and the overcap 60 the openable section.
• the spout 40 has a cylindrical wall portion 120 defining an opening 10 and a base 140.
• the cylindrical wall portion 120 terminates in a pour lip 160.
• a sealing rib 180 is formed around an inner surface of the side wall 120 in order to seal against a valve in the overcap 60.
• a series of foil tearing teeth 19 are formed around the opening 10.
• a foil membrane 20 is sealed across the opening 10 in the spout 40.
• a border 220 of the foil membrane 20 is welded by induction heat sealing to the base 140 of the spout.
• the overcap 60 is also substantially as described in that earlier specification.
• the overcap has a top wall 300, a side wall 320 and a peak 34 opposite the hinge 80.
• a cylindrical valve 36 depends from the inside of the top wall 300 and is positioned so that its outer surface will engage with and seal against the sealing rib 180 inside the side wall 120 of the spout 40.
• the overcap of the present invention however differs in that there is an additional foil retaining formation, in this case a cylindrical wall 400 that acts as a foil retainer.
• the foil retainer 400 depends from the top wall 300 of the overcap 60 inside the valve 36.
• the foil retainer 400 terminates in an edge 42 that is formed with a fine radius of .3 mm or less preferably .1 mm.
• the thickness of the wall 40 tapers towards the edge 42.
• the height of the foil retainer 400 is such that the edge 42 will just touch an upper surface of the foil membrane 20 when the overcap 60 is closed over the spout 4. When the edge 42 is in contact with the foil 20, it will define and enclose a circular portion of the foil membrane 20.
• the edge 42 may be continuous as shown in the major portion of the edge 42 in
• the edge 42 may also be crenellated as illustrated at 44.
• the edge is therefore discontinuous with short sections 46 separated by cut-outs 48. Only the sections 46 of the edge will weld to the foil membrane 20. It will be appreciated that the shapes of the cut-outs 48 are to be designed to facilitate moulding and tearing.
• the foil membrane may be weakened in the region of the edge 42 to facilitate tearing. This weakening can be created by a laser process. It is preferable to avoid this step but it may be necessary for thicker foils or where the edge 42 cannot be moulded sufficiently fine.
• An arrowhead 50 is moulded as a depression in a flat top surface of the top wall 300 in order to point to a centre of the peak 34. This arrowhead directs the consumer to the peak in order to indicate the point at which the closure should be opened. Forming the arrowhead as a depression facilitates use of the closure by blind or partially sighted consumers.
• a breakable tab (not shown) may be formed between an edge of the overcap and the spout to facilitate visual tamper evidence. Such a breakable tab must be removed before the overcap can be lifted.
• Other standard forms of tamper evidence such as a band or strip around the overcap may be adapted for use with this closure.
• Figure 10 shows an alternative embodiment of the foil retainer 400 but is otherwise identical to the previously described embodiment.
• the formation 400 is not a cylindrical wall but is shaped to converge to a narrower tip 52 aligned with the centre of the peak 34.
• FIG. 10a and 10b Other variations for the shape of the formation are shown in Figures 10a and 10b. In these designs the formation 400 has a shape which defines tips 52' spaced to either side of the peak 34. . These designs have been found to be more effective in tearing out the enclosed portion of foil with minimal effort.
• the spout and overcap embodiments described can be moulded readily in one piece with a mould that forms the spout and overcap together in an open condition as shown in Figure 5.
• the closure 2 is assembled by pivoting the overcap 60 about the hinge 80 so that the valve 36 is engaged inside the spout 40.
• a foil membrane 20 is placed in the base 140 of the spout and induction heat sealed to the spout.
• the induction heat sealing process will weld the foil to the areas of plastics material that it is touching when the placing pressure is applied. Therefore, the border 220 of the foil will weld to a horizontal surface of the base.
• edge 42 or those spaced portions of it 46 which touch the foil 20 will also weld to it. Limiting the area of contact between the foil and the plastics of the spout 40 and edge 42 reduces the amount of energy used to weld the foil and reduces the effort to tear it later.
• closures 2 can be sterilised in the closed, foiled condition and supplied to a factory where they will be fitted to containers.
• the overcap 60 When the overcap 60 is pivoted fully open, the space within the foil retainer 400 will normally be covered by the enclosed portion of the foil which has been removed during the opening process.
• the foil may also be torn by the teeth 19 at the edge of the opening 10.
• the lifting force applied by the user to the peak 34 initially creates a tear at the tip 52 at which the force is concentrated.
• the tear will then propagate in both directions around the edge 42 resulting in a droplet shaped enclosed portion of foil being removed with the overcap.
• a similar effect will be produced using the profiles of Figures 10a and 10b. Shaping the edge 42 in one of these ways is particularly desirable in applications with larger closures and thicker foils.
• the closure can be resealed by the consumer as with the existing BAP closures.
• the construction of the present invention therefore retains all the consumer attributes of the earlier closures but allows a simpler mould and a lighter weight closure.
• the invention therefore makes a closure that is suitable for applications which are of greater price sensitivity.
• Figures 11 to 14 relate to an implementation of the invention in which a single piece moulded closure 600 (as opposed to a two piece moulded or hinged unit) is designed to replace the whole of an end of a cylindrical can 61, for example a drinks can or bottle made of thermoformed plastics material.
• the can is essentially cup shaped and has an opening which is closed by the closure 600.
• the closure 600 comprises an overcap 62 having a flat top 64 and a depending skirt 66, and a foil membrane disc 68 held inside the overcap by means of a foil retaining formation 70 in the form of an annular ridge or land that is formed on an inner surface of the top 64.
• the foil retainer 70 terminates in an edge 72 that is bonded to the foil 68.
• An edge of the skirt 66 has a bead 74 formed around its internal surface in order to provide means by which the overcap can be engaged over the can end to hold it in position during assembly.
• the closure 600 is sealed to the can end by induction heat sealing of a border of the foil 68 to a rim of the can.
• the overcap 62 also has a section 800 that is adapted to be torn from a remainder of the overcap to create a drinking or pouring opening.
• the section 80 carries an arcuate section 82 of the foil retaining formation 70.
• the section 80 is separated from the remainder of the overcap by tear lines 84 along each side. These tear lines 84 are thinner plastics webs.
• a hinge 86 is formed in the overcap at a back of the removable section 800 nearest the centre of the top 64.
• a peak 88 can be moulded at the front edge of the section 80 to facilitate lifting of the section.
• a tab 90 is formed so that it projects outwardly from the remainder of the skirt 66 so it can be grasped to initiate the tearing of off of the section 800 and subsequent opening by pivoting the section 800 about the hinge 86.
• the foil will be torn as it is lifted by the section 82 of the foil retaining formation 70.
• the tab 90 can be clipped right over out of the way of the user's mouth by clipping it over the edge of the skirt 66 opposite the opening. After opening, the can can be closed by bringing the section 80 back over the opening.
• FIG. 13 and 14 An alternative style of can end closure is illustrated in Figures 13 and 14. Like reference numerals are used for similar parts.
• the overcap 62 does not have a continuous upper surface but exposes parts of the foil membrane 68.
• a portion 94 of the upper surface of the overcap 62 is moulded in such a manner that it can be removed by gripping on a pull tab 96.
• the foil retainer is a wall formation 98 underneath the portion 94 indicated by dotted lines. This formation 98 does not need to be a closed circle as shown in previous embodiments. There may also be more than one foil retainer edge.
• This type of can end can be adapted for various types of spout construction.
• closure as illustrated in Figures 5 to 10 is intended for use with a 33mm bottleneck but it will be appreciated that it can be used for wide mouthed bottles and smaller drinks bottles as well as adapted for wide mouthed jars, cartons, cans and thermoformed containers of all manner of diameters.
• Additional tamper evidence can be provided by a removable or breakable tab adjacent the peak 34 locking the overcap to the adjacent wall of the base.
• a similar breakable tab or other tamper evidence structure may be provided.
• the can end embodiments can also be used on a variety of can diameters.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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• 2006
  • 2006-02-24 GB GB0603728A patent/GB2435467B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2007
  • 2007-02-23 EP EP07712966A patent/EP1989125A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2007-02-23 US US12/279,598 patent/US20090218346A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-02-23 AU AU2007217151A patent/AU2007217151A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-02-23 CN CN2007800062985A patent/CN101389544B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2007-02-23 CA CA002642684A patent/CA2642684A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-02-23 NZ NZ570430A patent/NZ570430A/en unknown
  • 2007-02-23 MX MX2008010818A patent/MX2008010818A/es not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2007-02-23 ZA ZA200807026A patent/ZA200807026B/xx unknown
  • 2007-02-23 BR BRPI0708270-3A patent/BRPI0708270A2/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2007-02-23 WO PCT/GB2007/050083 patent/WO2007096674A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2007-02-23 JP JP2008555883A patent/JP2009527422A/ja not_active Withdrawn
  • 2007-02-23 RU RU2008137729/12A patent/RU2008137729A/ru not_active Application Discontinuation
• 2009
  • 2009-08-07 HK HK09107277.0A patent/HK1127326A1/xx not_active IP Right Cessation

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