GB2272210A

GB2272210A - Beverage can re-sealing cap

Info

Publication number: GB2272210A
Application number: GB9223088A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen Terrence O'connor; Brian Andrew
Original assignee: CONNOR STEPHEN TERRENCE O
Current assignee: CONNOR STEPHEN TERRENCE O
Priority date: 1992-11-04
Filing date: 1992-11-04
Publication date: 1994-05-11
Also published as: GB9223088D0

Abstract

A cap for re-sealing an opened beverage can of the pull ring kind comprises a capping member 1 having a cover portion 5 provided with a sealing ring 11 arranged to engage the can top and sealingly surround the dispensing aperture of the can and engagement means arranged to grip the outer circumferential wall of the can, thereby to secure the device in position on the can. The engagement means may comprise a plurality of downwardly extending walls 4a connected to the cover portion and resiliently deformable to engage the outer wall of the can, and an engagement ring 10b - d surrounding the downwardly extending walls and rotatable in one direction to urge the walls inwardly into gripping engagement with the outer wall of the can. The engagement ring has tapering recesses 10b in its radially inner surface, cam protrusions 7a, 7b which end in stepped portions 9 and are carried on the outer surfaces of the walls 4a, 4b being received in the recesses. To release the cap the ring is rotated in the opposite direction, so allowing the wall portions to disengage from the can wall. The capping member and ring are preferably of plastics material and the sealing ring is of rubber or plastics. <IMAGE>

Description

Beverage Container Re-sealing Device This invention relates to a device for re-sealing opened beverage containers, and particularly to a device for re-sealing opened beverage cans of the ring pull type.

A large proportion of carbonated beverages are sold in aluminium or steel cans having a dispensing aperture openable by means of a ring pull. Once the can has been opened, its contents need to be entirely consumed or transferred to a re-sealable container to prevent the carbonated liquid from becoming flat.

We have now devised a device for re-sealing an opened beverage can.

According to the invention, there is provided a beverage can re-sealing device comprising: (a) a capping member having a cover portion and a sealing element which sealing element is in use arrangeable in contact with the top of said beverage can to provide a seal around the dispensing aperture of said can; and (b) engagement means selectively operable to grippingly engage the outer circumferential wall of said beverage can such that said device is securely retained thereon.

It is preferred that the capping member is provided with wall means extending downwardly from the cover portion adjacent the outer circumferential wall of the can.

Advantageously, the wall means comprises a plurality of resilient wall elements which wall elements are selectively substantially elastically deformable relative to the cover portion into or out of engagement with the outer circumferential wall of the can. In this embodiment the wall elements therefore comprise the engagement means.

Preferably, the capping member is substantially annular and circular in transverse cross-section with the wall elements being selectively deformable toward or away from the longitudinal axis of the can. Typically, the sealing element will be an annular sealing ring, advantageously of rubber, plastics or the like, secured to the lower face of the cover portion so as in use to surround the dispensing aperture.

Advantageously, the engagement means is operable by means of an actuation member, which actuation member, particularly where resilient wall elements comprise the engagement means, is preferably in the form of an engagement ring or clutch collar mounted around the periphery of the capping member and rotatable relative thereto about a rotation axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the can. Typically, to this end, the resilient wall elements and engagement ring/clutch collar are provided with respective formations arranged to be complementarily engageable in a selected rotational orientation of the engagement ring/clutch collar relative to the capping member, whilst in a second rotational orientation, in which the formations do not complementarily engage, the resilient wall portions are biased into engagement with the circumferential outer wall of the can.

Typically, arcuate tapering recesses are provided on the inner circumferential surface of the engagement ring/clutch collar arranged in the selected rotational orientation to receive complementarily shaped arcuate tapering projections provided on the outer surface of respective wall elements. Advantageously, each of the plurality of resilient wall elements are spaced from adjacent wall elements by a spacing slot, such that each of the wall elements can resiliently deform into engagement with said outer circumferential can wall.

Reference here has been made to resilient wall elements, in which the term "resilient" should be taken to indicate the character of the connection between the wall portion and the cover member. Typically the capping member is formed of a plastics material such that the connection between the cover portion and downwardly extending wall elements is resilient.

The invention will now be further described in a particular embodiment, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figs la and ib together constitute an exploded schematic view along A-A of a beverage can re-sealing device according to the invention; Fig Ic is a schematic part sectional view along A-A of the can re-sealing device when assembled; Fig 2 is a sectional view along B-B of the beverage can re-sealing device of Figs la and lb when assembled; and Fig 3 is an enlarged detailed view of a part of the device shown in Fig 2.

Referring to the drawings, the can sealing device generally designated 1 comprises a plastics capping portion 2 (shown at Figure la) and plastics engagement or clutch ring 3 (shown at Figure lb) which in use is mounted on the capping portion 2 and manually rotatable around the outer wall portions 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d of the capping portion 2.

The capping portion 2 and engagement ring 3 are both substantially circular in transverse cross-section such that the engagement ring is rotatable about. a central axis of the device.

The capping portion has a cover portion 5 from which downwardly extend four wall portions 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d (with only 4a, 4b being visible in Figure la), each of the wall portions being resiliently connected to cover portion 5 such that, under an applied force, they may be biased inwardly or outwardly relative to the longitudinal rotation axis of the device.

Each wall portion 4 is spaced from adjacent wall portions by a respective longitudinal slot 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d and provided with a respective peripheral tapering arcuate protrusion or cam 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d which lies flush with the surface of the outer wall portion 4 at one end 8, and projects outwardly from the surface of the respective wall portion 4 (i.e. outwardly from the rotation axis of the device) at its other end to form a stepped end portion 9 The inner wall surface of the engagement ring 3 is provided with four complementarily shaped and dimensioned tapering recesses iota, 10b, 10c, 10d arranged when the engagement ring 3 is oriented in a specific rotational orientation relative to the capping portion 2, to receive respective cam protrusions 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d. This specific orientation is clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3.

The lower surface of the cover portion 5 is provided with a rubber sealing ring 11 projecting downwardly therefrom.

In use, the device is placed over the top of a beverage can 12 from which the ring pull has been removed. The capping portion 2 is pushed downwardly causing the sealing ring 11 to engage with the top of the can 12 and effect a seal around the drink dispensing aperture of the can. Whilst downward pressure is being applied by one hand of the user, the other hand rotates the engagement or clutch ring 3 relative to the capping portion 2 (in the direction shown in Fig 3) from the non-engagement position shown in Figs 2 and 3, to an engagement position in which the resilient wall portions 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d engage with the peripheral wall 13 of the can 12. Rotation of the engagement ring 3 in the direction shown causes the respective protrusions/cams 7 to move in the respective complementary tapering recesses 10 in so doing forcing the respective resilient wall portion4 into engagement with the can wall 13. In this way the device effectively grips the can whilst sealing ring 11 is in sealing engagement with the top of the can 12, thereby sealing and preserving the contents of the can.

To release the device, the engagement (or clutch) ring 3 is simply rotated in the opposite direction with the protrusions 7 becoming re-seated in respective tapering recesses 10 causing the resilient wall portions 4 to disengage from the can wall 13 and return to their original position.

Claims

Claims:

1. A beverage can re-sealing device comprising: (a) a capping member having a cover portion and a sealing element which sealing element is in use arrangeable in contact with the top of said beverage can to provide a seal around the dispensing aperture of said can; and (b) engagement means selectively operable to grippingly engage the outer circumferential wall of said beverage can such that said device is securely retained thereon.

2. A beverage can re-sealing device according to claim 1, wherein it is preferred that the capping member is provided with wall means arranged to extend downwardly from the cover portion adjacent the outer circumferential wall of the can.

3. A beverage can re-sealing device according to claim 2, wherein the wall means comprises a plurality of resilient wall elements comprising the engagement means, which wall elements are selectively substantially elastically deformable relative to the cover portion into or out of engagement with the outer circumferential wall of the can.

4. A beverage can re-sealing device according to any preceding claim, wherein the sealing element comprises a sealing ring secured to the lower face of the cover portion so as in use to surround the dispensing aperture of the can.

5. A beverage can re-sealing device according to any preceding claim, wherein the engagement means is operable to grip the wall of the can by means of an actuation member.

6. A beverage can re-sealing device according to claim 5, wherein the actuation member comprises an engagement ring or clutch collar mounted around the periphery of the capping member and rotatable relative thereto about a rotation axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the can.

7. A beverage can re-sealing device according to claim 6, wherein the engagement means comprises a plurality of wall elements extending downwardly from the cover portion of the capping member and resiliently connected thereto, the resilient wall elements and engagement ring or clutch collar being provided with respective formations arranged to be complementarily engageable in a selected rotational orientation of the engagement ring or clutch collar relative to the capping member, whilst in a second rotational orientation, in which the formations do not complementarily engage, the resilient wall portions are biased into engagement with the circumferential outer wall of the can.

8. A beverage can re-sealing device according to claim 7, wherein the complementarily engageable formations comprise arcuate tapering recesses provided on the inner circumferential surface of the engagement ring or clutch collar and arcuate tapering projections provided on the outer surface of respective wall elements.

9. A beverage can re-sealing device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.