JPH09240785A - Pull-top opener - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pull-top opener whose scooping-up piece is easily inserted to a pull-top tub or its lower side gap and which can cope with the size of the diameter of a can, the difference in height of the edge part of the top face of the can and whose scooping-up piece can be always easily applied by force. SOLUTION: A pinching piece 1 made of a round sheet material is connected with a scooping-up piece 3 made of a sheet material with approximately the same shape as this and whose bottom face has a little taper through a joint part 2 at its central part and there exists no joint part on its peripheral edge 3a. The thickness and the width of a tub inserting gap 5 formed between the pinching piece 1 and the scooping-up piece 3 are fitted to the shape of a pull-top tub T and the freely existing site of the whole peripheral edge of the scooping-up piece 3 is inserted in a gap C between the pull-top tub T and the top surface S of the can to make the neighborhood of a symmetrical position of a point being brought into contact with a pull-top rivet R to the central point of the pinching piece 1 or the scooping-up piece 3 as a power point 6.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to pull-top openers.

[0002] A pull-top is a new type of pull-top, which is designed from the viewpoint of environmental pollution and resource saving and does not separate from the can body even after the can is opened, on the upper surface of a sealed can that seals and incorporates feed such as food and drink or pet food. The present invention relates to a pull-top opener as a can-opening aid used for facilitating opening of this new type of pull-top.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art When opening a pull-top, a claw is inserted into the end of the ring-shaped frame without using an auxiliary tool such as a pull-top opener, the ring-shaped frame is lifted to a considerable extent, and then a finger is pulled into the ring-shaped frame. Since it is usual to insert it between the top surface of a can and hook it to a ring-shaped frame, pull it down and open it, pull-top openers are a stage that is not familiar as a living tool for ordinary healthy people. Stays.

[0004] However, although gradually, pull-top openers are also becoming widespread, and among such conventional pull-top openers, a type in which a pull tab is inserted by two pieces, a gouged piece and an inserted piece. As a first prior art, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6 (1996) -19764, recently developed by the inventor of the present invention.
There is a technique of No. 260378. As shown in FIG. 9 which is a perspective view of this technique, two pieces of metal or a hard synthetic resin are continuously connected to each other in a U-shaped cross section, and a handle is provided near the U-shaped bottom portion or continuously with the U-shaped bottom portion. As the gripping part,
The thickness of one of the two pieces is formed so that it can be inserted between the surface of the can and the pull-top insertion ring, and the pull-top ring-shaped frame part can be freely inserted into and removed from the gap space formed by the two pieces. It has a structure that can be inserted and sandwiched.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, as a second conventional technique, a member made of a flexible material such as synthetic resin or metal is provided with a space surrounding the pull tab, and a member forming this surrounding space. There is a U.S. patent (patent number 4723465) and the like as a pull-top opener having a grip portion continuously provided with and having the same function as the above-mentioned technology.

[0006]

[Problems to be solved] In the above prior art, the pulling piece of the pull top opener at the time of opening the can, and the positioning of the pull top and the pull top opener provided on the upper part of the sandwiching piece sealing can are considerably limited, and the pull top tab Or, it was necessary to hold the can with one hand while inserting the scooping piece into the gap below it, so a somewhat complicated procedure was required.

Further, in the above-mentioned prior art, gripping pieces or grips are often gripped in the tip regions of fingers, and in particular, for cans having a large can diameter or a can having a high top edge, There was a problem that it was difficult to apply force when lifting the tabs.

In view of the above problems, the present invention is capable of easily inserting the pulling piece into the pull top tab or the gap below the pull top tab, and is different in the diameter of the can and the height of the top edge of the can. Correspondingly, it aims to provide a pull-top opener in which it is easy to constantly apply force to the scooping piece.

[0009]

According to the present invention, a scooping piece which is used at the time of opening a beverage can or food can with pull-top and which is inserted in the gap between the tab end of the pull-top and the can surface at the time of use is applicable. Composed of a hard material with flexibility,
The edge of the scooping piece has a thickness slightly smaller than the gap between the tab end and the can surface, and the contact surface of the scooping piece with the can surface is formed with a tapered surface or a spline curved surface, The thickness of the scoop is monotonically increasing from the edge toward the root,
In a pull-top opener that is provided with a gap that is slightly wider than the thickness of the tab and that is stacked on the scooping piece through the joint and that sandwiches the tab with the scooping piece, the tab sandwiching of the scooping piece is performed. The peripheral shape of the part to be the range of the arc is an arc shape or a similar arc shape, and both the scooping piece and the sandwiching piece do not have a joint part on the periphery, and the entire periphery is a tab sandwiched. The main means for solving the problem is to configure the feeding part, and in particular, the peripheral shape of the portion that is the tab holding range of both the scooping piece sandwiching pieces is a perfect circle or a perfect circle.

In the latter means for solving the problem, the peripheral shape of the portion of the scooping piece sandwiching piece which is the tab sandwiching range may be polygonal.

Based on these means for solving the above two main problems,
The surrounding edge of the tab clamping range of both
It is composed of a peripheral edge with a large curvature for a pull top of a small can or a can edge with a high edge height, and a peripheral edge with a small curvature for a pull top of a medium-sized can or a can edge with a low edge height. ing.

Further, in addition to the means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is configured such that the shape of both the scooping piece and the sandwiching piece is congruent or similar, and the joint or the joint between the scooping piece and the sandwiching piece. A structure in which a magnet mechanism is arranged in the vicinity, a scooping handle is extended to at least one of the scooping piece and the sandwiching piece, or an extended scooping handle is provided with an unplugging means. May be taken.

[0013]

With the above-described structure, when the pulling piece is inserted into the gap between the tab of the pull top mounted on the upper surface of the can and the upper surface of the can, the arc shape or circular shape of the portion that is within the tab clamping range is inserted. When the peripheral edge of the arc is brought into contact with the rivet of the pull-top tab, the pull-top opener main body can be rolled around this rivet, so the position where the force can be applied most efficiently at the time of scooping, that is, Position so that the entire pull-top tab is sandwiched between the scooping piece and the clamping piece, or the center line of the tab starting from the rivet is almost in the center of the range where the force of the scooping piece or the clamping piece is applied. It becomes possible to perform positioning.

Further, since the tab caulked by the rivet has an elastic force in the contact direction with the upper surface of the can, the elastic force causes the tab to be separated between the clamping piece and the scooping piece during the positioning. It is sandwiched while maintaining an appropriate degree of fixing in the gap. Therefore, one-handed scooping is also possible.

Since both the scooping piece and the clamping piece do not have a joint portion at the peripheral edge and the peripheral edge entirely constitutes the tab clamping portion, positioning on the pull-top can be arbitrary. In addition, the point of applying the force at the time of pumping can be arbitrary according to this.

In particular, when the peripheral shape of the portion of the scooping piece sandwiching piece which is the tab sandwiching range is a perfect circle or a perfect circle, the pull-top opener body can be placed at any position, that is, at any position. Even if the tab is clamped in, the pull-top opener body can be rolled around the vicinity of the rivet, so the positioning to the position where the force can be applied most efficiently during the scooping becomes wider,
The procedure efficiency is also very good.

Also, since the small can has a small can diameter and the height of the edge of the can top is relatively high, it is difficult to mount the can on the pull-top tab.
If the distance between the two contact points of the bottom of the scooping piece and the edge of the top of the can is long, it is difficult to fit the value tab. Therefore, if the peripheral edges of the tab clamping range of both the scooping piece and the scooping piece are made to have a slightly larger curvature for a pull-top of a small can or a can with a high edge height, such a difficulty is caused. Disappears.
On the other hand, in a medium-sized can, such difficulty is relatively unlikely to occur, and the curvature of the peripheral edge is small. Therefore, if both pull-top openers are provided in one pull-top opener, it suffices to selectively use the peripheral edge of the sandwiching piece according to the characteristics of the can. Become.

In the above construction, stress concentration occurs at the joint between the clamping piece and the scooping piece when the tab is scooped, so that when the shape of the scooping piece and the scooping piece does not match, or at the joint part. If the distance from the peripheral edge is too long, the tab may drop out of the gap between the scooping piece and the clamping piece, or the scooping piece may unnecessarily bend and transmit the force applied during the scooping. It is bad, inefficient, and easily damaged. For this reason, the shapes of both the scooping piece and the sandwiching piece are congruent or nearly congruent, or the distance between the periphery of the scooping piece or the sandwiching piece and the joint is determined by the rivet and the tab end of the pull top. It is necessary to take a configuration that is approximately equal to the length between and. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The pull-top opener of the present invention is a small article used for daily life, and therefore, for example, if a magnet mechanism is arranged at the joint or in the vicinity thereof, a refrigerator,
It is convenient for daily life if you attach it to the wall of a library or other steel product and store it as a permanent storage. Also, the provision of the key chain mechanism is similar if it is optionally attached to clothing or the like.

Furthermore, if at least one of the scooping piece and the sandwiching piece is provided with a scooping handle, or if the scooping handle is provided with a corkscrew means and other can opener means, 1 It becomes an extremely useful daily life article with several functions.

[0020]

【Example】

(First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 which is a perspective view of the whole, a sandwiching piece 1 having a perfect circle having a diameter of 50 mm inside and outside and a thickness of 5 mm inside and outside, and a joining piece 1 and a joining portion 2 are continuously connected. And a magnet 4 that is fitted into the joint portion 2 and exposes the end face of the surface. Parts other than the magnet 4 are integrally molded of hard semitransparent synthetic resin.

The joint portion 2 has a columnar shape with a diameter of 18 mm inside and outside, and a thickness of 2 mm inside and outside. A fitting concave portion is formed in the central portion from the outer surface side of the scooping piece 3, and the magnet 4 is formed therein.
Is installed. The end surface 4a of the magnet 4 is exposed to the outside,
It is almost flush with the outer surface of the sandwiching piece.

The scooping piece 3 connected to the sandwiching piece 1 with a tab fitting gap 5 having a thickness of 2 mm formed by interposing the joint portion 2 is shown in FIG. 2, which is a side view of this embodiment. As described above, the circular plate-like body has a thickness of 1.5 mm in the vicinity of the joint portion 2 and 1 mm in and out of the peripheral edge 3a, and the bottom surface 3b has a weak taper. The shapes are almost congruent. The width of the tab fitting gap 5 is substantially equal to or slightly larger than the length of the pull top tab.

With the above-described structure, as shown in FIG. 3 showing the pull-top cleaving by using the present embodiment, the pulling tab 3 and the can top surface S where the pulling piece 3 is mounted on the can top surface. It is inserted into the gap C between the two and is pushed in until the peripheral edge 3a of the scooping piece comes into contact with the rivet R of the pull top. When the scooping piece 3 is inserted into the gap C, the scooping piece peripheral edge 3a has a thickness of 2 mm or less, so that the scooping piece 3 is easily inserted, and the scooping piece bottom surface with a weak taper extends to the vicinity of the joint portion 2. 3b contacts the upper edge V of the can and serves as an insertion guide. At the peripheral part 3a of the scooping piece,
There is no limitation on the insertion position into the gap C, and it may be arbitrarily determined.

Since the peripheral edge 3a of the scooping piece is a perfect circle,
When the peripheral edge 3a of the scooping piece comes into contact with the rivet R of the pull-top tab, the pull-top opener main body of this embodiment rolls around the rivet R or the vicinity thereof so that the force can be applied most efficiently during scooping. That is, the position where the entire pull-top tab is clamped by the scooping piece and the clamping piece, or the center line of the tab starting from the rivet is almost in the center of the range where the force of the scooping piece or the clamping piece is applied. To position.

Since the tab T has an elastic force in the contact direction with the upper surface of the can, the elastic force causes the tab T to have a tab fitting gap 5 between the clamping piece 1 and the scooping piece 3 in the above positioning. The positioning is freely performed while being appropriately clamped and held by.

After the positioning is performed at a position suitable for scooping, the vicinity of the symmetrical position of the tab clamping portion, that is, the vicinity of the center point symmetrical position of the clamping piece or the scooping piece via the joint 2, is set as the scooping force point 6. Using the contact point between the peripheral edge 3a of the scooping piece and the upper surface of the can as a fulcrum, the scooping is performed to open the tab. Therefore, the lifting force point 6 is automatically determined when the tab is lifted to a suitable position for lifting, and is freely set in the clamping piece 1 or the lifting piece 2.

When the tab is opened, the width of the tab fitting gap 5 is substantially equal to or slightly larger than the length of the pull top tab, and therefore the bending of the clamping piece 1 is less likely to occur. Further, the degree of fixing and pinching in the tab fitting gap 5 is also good.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, which is a perspective view of the essential parts showing the one-handed can opening using the present embodiment, the can is held by the thumb, ring finger, and little finger, and the pulling piece by the index finger and the middle finger. ,
It is also possible to lift the sandwiching piece and open the can with one hand.

In the case of beverage cans, after the can is opened, the pulling force point 6 is pushed back toward the can surface while the entire pull-top opener of this embodiment is inserted, and if it is pulled out, it is difficult to open the can. The action that allows drinking without any inconvenience and with one-touch operation is the same as in the above-described conventional art.

(Second Embodiment) In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 which is a perspective view of a main part showing a one-handed can opening by use thereof, the first embodiment is a small can or can edge portion. It is a deformed shape that fits a pull-top can with a high edge height, and is provided with a large curvature portion on the periphery of the scooping piece.

In this embodiment, the portion having a large curvature is 7a,
7b are formed at two locations, and as a whole, the shape is an almost perfect elliptical plate or rugby ball type plate. This edge 3
The other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment except that a is an ellipse. However, the major axis is 1.3 to 1.5 times that of the first embodiment, and the minor axis is 3 to 4 times that of the first embodiment.
Millimeters smaller.

In this embodiment, the difference from the first embodiment is that even when the can is not a pull-top can having a high edge height at the can edge, it has a long major axis at the time of mounting and positioning at the time of tab lifting. At the same time that the distance between the contact points to the edge is considerable,
Since the width of the handle portion is also narrow, it is unsuitable for fitting the tab fitting gap 5 to the tab T and for scooping. Therefore, the part to be used, that is, the tab pinching part, is the part with the large peripheral edge curvature 7a
Limited to 7b.

With the above-described structure, when these large peripheral edge curvature portions 7a and 7b are fitted to the tab T, the width between the contact points with the edge of the can becomes considerably small, so that a small can or can. As for the fitting of the can with a high edge height to the pull-top tab T and the positioning of the tab pulling-out part after the fitting, the tab pinching part is limited as compared with the first embodiment. In any case, it is easy and smooth, and can be applied to the pull-top of a medium-sized can or a can having a low rim height of the can edge portion in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

Therefore, as an eclectic type of this embodiment and the first embodiment, any one of the large peripheral edge curvature portions 7a, 7b is molded into a shape close to the peripheral shape of the first embodiment, that is, an egg shape. The embodiment can be easily recalled as an embodiment of the present invention.

(Third Embodiment) In this embodiment, the second embodiment has a shape suitable for a small can or a pull-top can having a high edge height, and the peripheral edge of the scooping piece is polygonal. It is of a shape. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, which is an overall view thereof, it is a vertically long hexagon as a whole. Other configurations except that the peripheral edge 3a is elliptical,
This is the same as the first and second embodiments. The length in the vertical direction is
Similar to the second embodiment, 1.3 to 1.3 in the case of the first embodiment.
The length is 1.5 times and the minor axis is almost the same as that of the first embodiment.

In the present embodiment, when mounting and positioning the tabs when hoisting the tabs, due to the configuration, the tab pinching portion is a tab pinching portion 8a for a small can which is a portion of two sides perpendicular to the longitudinal direction line, It is limited to the tab holding portion 8b for medium-sized cans.

The angle formed by the two adjacent sides of the tab holding portion 8a for small cans is smaller than the angle formed by the two adjacent sides of the tab holding portion 8b for medium-sized cans. In addition, the distance between the contact points at which the bottom surface of the scooping piece abuts the edge of the can top surface when fitted to the pull top of this example is:
The tab holding portion 8a for small cans has almost the same length as that of the second embodiment, and the tab holding portion 8b for medium-sized cans has almost the same length as that of the first embodiment.

With the above structure, when the tab holding portion 8a for small cans and the tab holding portion 8b for medium-sized cans are fitted to the tabs T, the fitting to the pull-top tabs T and the tabs after fitting are fitted. As for the positioning of the lifting portion, as in the second embodiment, the tab holding portion is limited, and accordingly, the portion serving as a grip portion at the time of tab cleaving, that is, the tab holding portion via the joint portion 2. The vicinity of the symmetric position of the can is limited to the small can handle 9a and the medium can handle 9b, but the tab fitting gap 5 is closed at the side where the tab is fitted. It is not an object but an open state, and the tab can be fitted from the side portion, so that it is easy and smooth.

(Fourth Embodiment) In this embodiment, the large-curvature portion of the second embodiment is used as it is as a small-diameter perfect circle, and a corking piece or a scooping piece is connected to the cap removing means. It was done. FIG. 7A is an overall view of FIG.
(B) is a side view thereof. FIG. 8 is an overall view of a development example in which a design feature is attached.

The pull-top opener section 10 of this embodiment
Indicates that the large-curvature portion of the second embodiment is used as it is as a small-diameter perfect circle, and the direct system is about 3 of that of the first embodiment.
The peripheral edge of the sandwiching piece 1 and the scooping piece 3 is a joint part 2 on the side surface in the vicinity of the boundary between the gripping piece 11 and the gripping piece 3. A little less than one-third is blocked. Also, at the end of the handle 11,
A cap opener 12 is provided.

With the above-mentioned structure, the peripheral edge of the pull-top opener portion 10 becomes the tab holding portion 10a.
In the present embodiment, only one tab pinching portion 10a is fitted to the tab of the pull top when the can is opened. However, the fitting procedure is the same as in the third embodiment, except that the tab fitting gap 5
Since the side where the tab is fitted is not closed and is in an open state, the tab can be fitted from the open part of the side, which is easy and smooth. Further, also when positioning for scooping, the scooping piece end edge of the tab holding portion can be brought into contact with the rivet, and the handle 11 can be rolled and rolled easily.

If the tab holding portion 10a has a convex spline curve shape, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments can be obtained.

The present embodiment has a large possibility of being manufactured in design. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a fish-like shape is manufactured, and the pull-top opener portion 10 is attached to the fish head and the handle 11 is attached. The trunk of the fish with the corkscrew as a tail can be considered as a development of the embodiment of the present invention, particularly the fourth embodiment. Further, similar manufacturability or modified form in design can be freely recalled in the interposing piece 1 of the first to third embodiments.

[0044]

As described in detail above, according to the pull-top opener of the present invention, it is easy to insert the pulling-out piece into the pull-top tab or the space below it, and particularly to mount it at the optimum position for pulling out the tab. In addition, it corresponds to the difference in the size of the can diameter and the height of the top edge of the can, and it is easy to constantly apply force to the scooping piece,
In addition, a large pull-top opener that offers a great deal of added design possibilities is provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is an overall perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a diagram showing the pull-top cleaving by using the first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a perspective view of the essential parts showing the one-handed can opening by using the first embodiment of the present invention. <Figure 5> It is the principal part perspective view which shows the one hand open can with the use of 2nd execution example of this invention. 6 is an overall view of the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7A is an overall view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention,
(B) is a side view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. 8 is an overall view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention developed form. 9 is an overall perspective view of the first conventional example during use. 10 is an overall perspective view of the second conventional example in use.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 clamping piece 2 joining part 3 scooping piece 3a scooping piece peripheral edge 3b scooping piece bottom surface 4 magnet 4a magnet end face 5 tab fitting gap 6 pulling force point 7a, b peripheral edge large curvature part 8a tab clamping part for small can 8b Tab holding part for medium-sized cans 9a Handle part for small cans 9b Handle part for medium-sized cans 10 Pull top opener part 10a Tab holding part 11 Handle 12 Opening means C Gap R Pull top rivet S Can top surface T Pull top tab V Can top Edge

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tomokazu Ozaki 1891-1 Fukai Nakamachi, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture La Foret Fukai No. 202 (72) Inventor, Kazuhiko Kitaoka 2-11-71, Yokotsumi, Tsurumi Ward, Osaka City (72) Inventor Toshio Suzuki 4-17-58 Fukano Daito City, Osaka Prefecture Fukano Heights No. 203

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A scooping piece which is used when a beverage can with a pull-top or a food can is opened and which is inserted into a gap between the tab end of the pull-top and the surface of the can during use is made of a flexible and hard material. In addition, the edge of the scooping piece has a thickness slightly smaller than the gap between the tab end and the can surface, and the contact surface of the scooping piece with the can surface has a tapered surface or a spline curved surface. Is formed, the thickness of the scooping piece is monotonically increasing from the edge toward the root part, and a gap slightly wider than the thickness of the tab is provided so that the scooping piece is superposed on the scooping piece through the joint and together with the scooping piece. In a pull-top opener provided with a clamping piece that clamps a tab, the peripheral shape of the portion of the scooping piece that is the tab clamping range is an arc shape or a similar arc shape. . 2. A scooping piece, which is used when a beverage can or food can with pull-top is opened, and which is inserted in a gap between the tab end of the pull-top and the can surface at the time of use, is made of a hard material having flexibility. In addition, the edge of the scooping piece has a thickness slightly smaller than the gap between the tab end and the can surface, and the contact surface of the scooping piece with the can surface has a tapered surface or a spline curved surface. Is formed, the thickness of the scooping piece is monotonically increasing from the edge toward the root part, and a gap slightly wider than the thickness of the tab is provided so that the scooping piece is superposed on the scooping piece through the joint and together with the scooping piece. In a pull-top opener provided with a pinching piece for pinching a tab, both the scooping piece and the pinching piece do not have a joint portion at the peripheral edge, and the peripheral edge entirely constitutes a tab pinching portion. And pull top opener. 3. The pull-top opener according to claim 2, wherein a peripheral edge shape of a portion of the scooping piece sandwiching piece which is a tab sandwiching range is a perfect circle or a perfect circle. 4. A peripheral edge of a portion which is a tab clamping range of both the scooping piece and the scooping piece has a large curvature for a pull top of a small can or a can edge having a high edge height, and a medium-sized can or can. The pull-top opener according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pull-top opener has a peripheral edge having a small curvature for a pull-top of a can having a low edge height. 5. The pull-top opener according to claim 2, wherein the shape of the peripheral portion of the tab clamping range of both the scooping strip sandwiching strip is a polygon. 6. The pull-top opener according to claim 1, wherein the shape of both the scooping piece and the sandwiching piece is congruent or similar. 7. The distance between the peripheral portion of the scooping piece or the sandwiching piece and the joint is substantially equal to the length between the rivet of the pull top and the tab end. Pull top opener as described. 8. A magnet mechanism is arranged at or near a joint between the scooping piece and the sandwiching piece.
The pull-top opener according to any one of to 7. 9. The pull-top opener according to claim 1, wherein a pulling handle is provided on at least one of the pulling piece and the sandwiching piece. 10. The pull-top opener according to claim 9, wherein a pulling handle which is provided on at least one of the scooping piece and the sandwiching piece is provided with a cap opener.