GB1574432A

GB1574432A - Containers

Info

Publication number: GB1574432A
Application number: GB94276A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Metal Box PLC
Current assignee: Crown Packaging UK Ltd
Priority date: 1977-01-10
Filing date: 1977-01-10
Publication date: 1980-09-10

Description

(54) CONTAINERS (71) We, METAL BOX LIMITED, of Queens House, Forbury Road, Reading RG1 3JH, Berkshire, a British Company, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to containers, and more particularly, although not exclusively, to paint tins.

Some paints are sold pigmented to a basic colour and at the point of sale colouring materials are added to tint the basic colour to that required by the customer. Usually the paint is contained in lever lid tins and in order to add the colouring materials, hitherto, the retailer generally removes the lever lid by carefully prising at several points around the lid so that it will not become distorted and useless for reclosing the tin after the colouring material has been added. This is time consuming, particularly in the case of large tins.

The present invention provides a container having a container body with an open mouth encircled by a lever ring of the body, a plug lid which is a friction fit within the lever ring and which includes an aperture, said aperture being defined within a cylindrical skirt which is integral with a closure panel of the lid, and a plug closure received within the aperture in engagement with the skirt and provided with a shoulder extending laterally beyond the skirt, by which shoulder the closure may be levered from the aperture.

Various embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings accompanying the Provisional Specification in which: Fig. 1 is a fragmentary section through a lever lid tin having a plug lid with a plug closure; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the container shown in Fig. 1: Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section through a plurality of lids such as the one illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 to show stacking; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section through the lid of Figs. 1 and 2 showing a lever access slot for the plug closure; Fig. 5 is a side view partly in section of an alternative (embodiment of the) lid, the closure being made of plastics material; and Fig. 6 is a section through a further embodiment of lid with the plug closure of Fig. 1.

As shown in Fig. 1 a paint tin, made from tinplate,-has a body 1, a lever ring 2, encircling an open mouth of the body 1, a plug lever lid 3 and a plug closure 4 within an aperture in a closure panel 5 of the lever lid.

The lever ring 2 is joined to the body 1 by means of a double seam 6. The lever lid 3 is a relatively tight friction fit in the mouth of the lever ring 2 as is customary in the paint trade because the forces arising over the relatively large surface area of the lid 3, when the tin is dropped or abused, are sufficient to tend to force it open. However the surface area of the plug closure is relatively small, and therefore the forces acting upon it would not be so great as upon the lever lid and so it need not be such a tight fit as the lever lid.

The aperture for the closure 4 is defined within an upwardly directed cylindrical skirt 11 which is integral with the closure panel 5 and which engages the plug portion 12 of the closure 4. A curled rim 9 of the closure 4 extends laterally beyond the skirt 11 and provides a shoulder by which the closure 4 may be levered from the aperture. The material around the skirt 11 is formed into a substantially frustoconical recess 10 and a lever access slot 8 (see Figs. 2 and 4) is depressed into the closure panel 5 so that there is access under the rim 9 for a lever.

This arrangement places the raw edge of the tinplate of the skirt 11 outside the tin and prevents the closure 4 from being pushed too far into the aperture.

Referring to Fig. 3, a pair of lids are shown stacked, as they would be in the feeding chute of a lidding machine. The upper first lid 3A rests upon a stacking bead 7 in the plug wall of the lower lid 3. This arrangement prevents the plug closure 4A in the upper lid 3A from touching the lower lever lid 3 and the lower plug closure 4 and generally helps the lids pass through the chute without wedging which would interfere with sequential removal of the lids for placing on filled tins.

In Fig. 5 a region of the closure panel 15 of an alternative embodiment of lever lid has been raised to form a frustoconical boss 20 having integral therewith a downwardly directed cylindrical skirt 21 so that the raw edge of the tinplate is inside the tin. The aperture is closed by a bung 24 made of plastics material. The bung 24 has a frustoconical portion 25, which masks the raw edge of the skirt 21, a stem 26 which seals the aperture and a head 27 which provides a shoulder extending laterally beyond the skirt for levering the bung from the aperture.

In Fig. 6 the plug closure 4 is shown in another common type of paint tin lid 13 having a flush top closure 14 and a channel wall 16 for engagement with a lever ring which is not shown. This embodiment serves to show that the invention may be used for a variety of containers in which there is a need for temporary access.

In the lid embodiments of Figs. 1 and 6, the cut edge of the lid material surrounding the plug closure, is outside the container, and this is the preferred arrangement for cans containing water based paint which may cause rusting. However arrangements, such as that shown in Fig. 5, in which the cut edge of the material surrounding the plastics bung is inside the can, may alternatively use a metal plug closure which does not mask the raw edge provided the contents of the container are not corrosive.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A container having a container body with an open mouth encircled by a lever ring of the body, a plug lid which is a friction fit within the lever ring and which includes an aperture, said aperture being defined within a cylindrical skirt which is integral with a closure panel of the lid, and a plug closure received within the aperture in engagement with the skirt and provided with a shoulder extending laterally beyond the skirt, by which shoulder the closure may be levered from the aperture.

2. A container as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the plug closure is made from sheet material.

3. A container as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the plug closure is a bung made of plastics material.

4. A container as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a slot in the closure panel provides access for a lever for removing the plug closure from the lid.

5. A container substantially as hereinbefore particularly described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings accompanying the provisional specification.

6. A container substantially as hereinbefore particularly described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 when modified by Fig. 5 of the drawings accompanying the provisional specification.

7. A container substantially as hereinbefore particularly described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 when modified by Fig. 6 of the drawings accompanying the provisional specification.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. tinplate of the skirt 11 outside the tin and prevents the closure 4 from being pushed too far into the aperture. Referring to Fig. 3, a pair of lids are shown stacked, as they would be in the feeding chute of a lidding machine. The upper first lid 3A rests upon a stacking bead 7 in the plug wall of the lower lid 3. This arrangement prevents the plug closure 4A in the upper lid 3A from touching the lower lever lid 3 and the lower plug closure 4 and generally helps the lids pass through the chute without wedging which would interfere with sequential removal of the lids for placing on filled tins. In Fig. 5 a region of the closure panel 15 of an alternative embodiment of lever lid has been raised to form a frustoconical boss 20 having integral therewith a downwardly directed cylindrical skirt 21 so that the raw edge of the tinplate is inside the tin. The aperture is closed by a bung 24 made of plastics material. The bung 24 has a frustoconical portion 25, which masks the raw edge of the skirt 21, a stem 26 which seals the aperture and a head 27 which provides a shoulder extending laterally beyond the skirt for levering the bung from the aperture. In Fig. 6 the plug closure 4 is shown in another common type of paint tin lid 13 having a flush top closure 14 and a channel wall 16 for engagement with a lever ring which is not shown. This embodiment serves to show that the invention may be used for a variety of containers in which there is a need for temporary access. In the lid embodiments of Figs. 1 and 6, the cut edge of the lid material surrounding the plug closure, is outside the container, and this is the preferred arrangement for cans containing water based paint which may cause rusting. However arrangements, such as that shown in Fig. 5, in which the cut edge of the material surrounding the plastics bung is inside the can, may alternatively use a metal plug closure which does not mask the raw edge provided the contents of the container are not corrosive. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A container having a container body with an open mouth encircled by a lever ring of the body, a plug lid which is a friction fit within the lever ring and which includes an aperture, said aperture being defined within a cylindrical skirt which is integral with a closure panel of the lid, and a plug closure received within the aperture in engagement with the skirt and provided with a shoulder extending laterally beyond the skirt, by which shoulder the closure may be levered from the aperture.