GB2490552A

GB2490552A - Bottom-filled can and method of pre-orienting cans

Info

Publication number: GB2490552A
Application number: GB1109024.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Anthony Davidson
Original assignee: BEST BEVERAGE CAN LLC
Current assignee: BEST BEVERAGE CAN, LLC
Priority date: 2011-05-06
Filing date: 2011-05-31
Publication date: 2012-11-07
Also published as: GB201109024D0; GB201107585D0

Abstract

A can 10 comprises a body 12, a first end closure element 14, a second end closure element 16, and a can opening element 18. The first end closure element 14 is provided on the body 12 prior to filling and includes the can opening element 18. The second end closure element 16 is solid and provided on the body 12 subsequent to filling to air tightly seal the can 10. A method of pre-orienting a plurality of the cans 10 comprises orienting the cans based on the position of their respective opening elements 18 prior to applying an identification element 38.

Description

The present invention relates to a can which is air-tightly sealable to preserve the contents, a method of filling the can, and to a method of pre-orienting a plurality of said cans.

A can, also referred to as a tin, is well known and used to hold and preserve contents in an air-tightly sealed volume. A can can be used to hold a beverage and/or food.

However, production lines generally produce and fill cans in excess of two thousand per minute. The traditional top of the can includes an opening device, and once the body is filled are engaged to air-tightly close the body. To date, there has been no method of orienting the can body having an identification label thereon indicative of the contents with the can opening device. As such, it takes longer for a shelf stacker to orientate the cans once placed on a shelf in a shop, so that the indication labels are all conectly and uniformly angularly positioned relative to each other and the shelf.

Furthermore, it is often the base of a traditional can that is generally weaker and thus prone to damage during storage and transportation.

Finally, a size of a traditional can is largely dictated by the top end closure, which itself is largely dictated by the can opening device thereon.

The present invention seeks to provide a solution to these problems.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a can comprising a body, a first end closure element, a second end closure element, and a can opening element, the first end closure element being provided on the body prior to filling and including the can opening element, the second end closure element being solid and provided on the body subsequent to filling to air-tightly seal the can.

Preferable and/or optional features of the first aspect of the invention are set forth in claims 2 to 11, inclusive.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a can comprising a body, a first end closure element, a second end closure element, and a can opening element, the body and first end closure element being integrally formed together as one-piece wherein he first end closure element forms a base of the can during production, and the first end closure element including the can opening element, the second end closure element being solid and forming the top of the can during production to air-tightly seal the can.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of filling a can according to the preceding aspects, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a first end closure element as a base on a can body wherein the first end closure element includes a can opening element; b) filling the can body; c) air-tightly closing the can body with a second end closure element as a top, wherein by inverting the sealed can the first end closure element with the can opening element becomes the top.

Preferably, in step a), the first end closure element and the can opening element are covered by a removable cover.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of pre-orienting a plurality of cans according to the first or second aspects, comprising the step of providing a plurality of can bodies, each with an end closed by a first end closure element prior to filling, the first end closure element including a can opening element, orienting the can bodies based on a position of their respective can opening elements, and then applying an identification element to each can body indicative of contents, so that there is a uniform positional relationship between the can opening elements and the applied identification elements across the plurality of cans.

The present invention will now be more particulariy described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic perspective view of one embodiment of a can, in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 shows a diagrammatic plan view of the can shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 shows a diagrammatic cross-sectional view from top to bottom through the can, when inverted relative to Figure 1 and as is for example during production.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown one embodiment of a can 10, which is preferably formed of metal such as aluminium or tin but which can be formed of any suitable material, for example, plastics.

The can 10 includes a generally tubular and substantially cylindrical can body 12, a first end closure element 14, a second end closure element 16 and a can opening element 18.

The can body 12 typically has a uniform circular lateral cross-section along at least a majority of its longitudinal extent. However, the can body 12 may have other lateral cross-sectional shapes, and/or for example include one or more waisted portions partway between its ends.

Furthermore, the can body 12 may be chamfered at or adjacent to the first and/or second end closure element 16, dependent on necessity.

In this embodiment, the can body 12 is integrally formed as one-piece with the first end closure element 14 having the can opening element 18 preformed therein or thereon.

This can be achieved by stamping, pressing and/or moulding, for example. To this end, the first end closure element 14 and can opening element 18 thus form the base of the can 10 as it is filled on the production and filling line. As the can 10 with the open top end travels along a conveyor, the can body 12 is supported by the first end closure element 14 being the base.

So that the can opening element 18 does not destabilise the can body 12 when supported by the first end closure element 14, the first end closure element 14 or end wall may be curved or include a recess 20. In this case, the exterior surface 22 of the first end closure element 14 is concave, but other configurations can 10 be envisaged.

To further improve hygiene, a removable cover 24 may be included over the first end closure element 14 and can opening element 18. It may partly extend along the exterior surface of the can body 12. The removable cover 24 may conveniently be a pliantly flexible plastics cover, for example, which may be transparent or translucent so that any wording or signage on the exterior surface 22 of the first end closure element 14 and/or can opening element 18 can be viewed. By way of example, the removable cover 24 may be bonded around the perimeter of the first end closure element 14 during production, allowing it to be ripped or torn off by the end user to present a hygienic interface.

The can body 12 and first end closure element 14 can be made to a diameter according to necessity and a size of the can opening element 18. As such, a lateral extent of the can body 12 can feasibly be reduced in size, and/or the can body 12 can be made longer and slimmer.

During production and with the can body 12 filled with a beverage or food stuff, the second end closure element 16 is applied to air-tightly close and seal the can body 12.

The second end closure element 16 is therefore applied as a top', and will typically include a substantially planar or at least in part concave body 26 having a channelled perimeter edge 28 forming an upstanding wall 30 when being the can top' but a depending skirt 32 when the can base'. The channel at the perimeter is dimensioned to seat on the upper edge of the open can body 12 during production. Welding, crimping or other fixing means is then used on the production line to permanently attached the second end closure element 16 to the can body 12. The second end closure element 16, being typically devoid of a further can opening element 18, and thus being a solid single-piece unit, can be quickly and efficiently attached.

By inverting the sealed can 10, the second end closure element 16, formerly being the top during production, becomes the base or bottom, thereby orienting the can opening element 18 to the top. The second end closure element 16 being now at the base, is generally stronger and more robust than the first end closure element 14 which is typically unitarily preformed with the can body 12. This solves one of the problems identified above, since the base of the can 10 thus becomes less prone to defornrntion and damage during storage and transport. The second end closure element 16 can be lighter and smaller than traditionally.

The can opening element 18 for breaking into the can body 12 may be a ring pull 34 attached directly to a frangible portion 36 of the first end closure element 14. The frangible portion 36 may extend substantially to the perimeter edge 28 of the can body 12 in the case of food stuffs, or may be a minor portion of the first end enclosure element 14 spaced inwards of the perimeter edge 28, for example, in the case of beverages.

A major issued identified with traditional cans is that the applied identification element, whether plastics shrink wrapped sleeve or an adhered paper label indicating the contents within the can, is applied to the can 10 with the can body in a random orientation.

Consequently, during shelf stacking, a stacker must not only place the can on the shelf but must also then, as a separate exercise, orientate the can body so that the main display portion of the label, typically including the brand name, is facing outwards for simple viewing by the potential consumer. This must take place for each can, and thus is not a particularly efficient use of a stacker's time.

In the present invention, since the can opening element 18 is provided on the can body 12 prior to filling, the can 10 can be pre-oriented based on the position of the can opening element 18 ready to accept the application of the identification element 38, in this case being an adhered label or sleeve. In this way, there is provided a uniform positional relationship between the can opening element 18 and the respective applied identification element 38 across a plurality of cans 10. Beneficially, the can opening element 18 and the main display portion 40 of the identification element 38 will be aligned or substantially aligned.

Consequently, when a stacker is presented with a pallet, box or tray of like cans 10 embodying the invention, the can opening elements 18 being at the tops of the cans 10 once inverted following production are most easily viewable. As such, by rotating each can 10 as it is extracted for placement on the shelf whereby the can opening element 18 faces a predetermined direction, the identification element 38 on the can body 12 will be conectly oriented to face the potential consumer as it is placed on the shelf, thereby saving significant stacker time.

It is therefore possible to provide a can having a can opening element which is provided in the base of the can body during filling, instead of the traditional method wherein it is provided in the lid which seals the can subsequent to filling. By providing the can opening element in the base prior to filling, the can opening element can be used to pre-orientate the can body ready for application of a contents indication element. This therefore saves time during shelf stacking since a further discrete orientation step does not have to be undertaken by the stacker once the can is placed on the shelf or display.

Furthermore, a removable cover to improve hygiene can be incorporated to cover the base of the can body having the can opening element during production. The base of the can body, being the first closure element, may be or include a concave or recessed portion to space the can opening element away from the supporting surface during production. Once filled and sealed, the can can be inverted so that the can opening element faces upwards and thus the first closure element, previously forming the base during production, becomes the top. It is also possible to therefore reduce the mass, size and/or thickness of the top of a can of the present invention compared to a top of a traditional can, due to the first end closure element initially being preferably unitarily formed as one-piece with the can body during production. Additionally, a size of the first end closure element can be selected based on the can opening element and the fact that, during storage and transport, the can will be inverted whereby the second end closure element becomes the base. The second end closure element, being the top of the can during production but the base of the can when displayed on a shelf, may include a walled perimeter edge improving rigidity and strength.

The embodiments described above are provided by way of examples only, and various other modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the field without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

Claims 1. A can comprising a body, a first end closure element, a second end closure element, and a can opening element, the first end closure element being provided on the body prior to filling and including the can opening element, the second end closure element being solid and provided on the body subsequent to filling to air-tightly seal the can.
2. A can as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body and first end closure element are integrally formed together as one-piece.
3. A can as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising an identification label for identifying the contents, the identification label being aligned with the opening element.
4. A can as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first end closure element includes a concave exterior surface.
5. A can as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second end closure element is substantially planar across at least a majority of its diameter.
6. A can as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second end closure element includes a perimeter channel for receiving an end edge of the body.
7. A can as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the can opening element includes a ring pull.
8. A can as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a removable cover which covers the first end closure element and can opening element.
9. A can as claimed in claim 8, wherein the removable cover is pliantly flexible plastics.
10. A can as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body, first and second end closure elements, and can opening element are metal.
Ill. A can as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body is tubular and substantially cylindrical.
12. A can comprising a body, a first end closure element, a second end closure element, and a can opening element, the body and first end closure element being integrally formed together as one-piece wherein he first end closure element forms a base of the can during production, and the first end closure element including the can opening element, the second end closure element being solid and forming the top of the can during production to air-tightly seal the can.
13. A can substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
14. A method of filling a can as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a first end closure element as a base on a can body wherein the first end closure element includes a can opening element; b) filling the can body; c) air-tightly closing the can body with a second end closure element as a top, wherein by inverting the sealed can the first end closure element with the can opening element becomes the top.
15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein, in step a), the first end closure element and the can opening element are covered by a removable cover.
16. A method of pre-orienting a plurality of cans as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, comprising the step of providing a plurality of can bodies, each with an end closed by a first end closure element prior to filling, the first end closure element including a can opening element, orienting the can bodies based on a position of their respective can opening elements, and then applying an identification element to each can body indicative of contents, so that there is a uniform positional relationship between the can opening elements and the applied identification elements across the plurality of cans.