NZ748163B2 - Hygienic device for a can - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a hygienic protection membrane (2) for a beverage can (12) provided with a cover (14) with a circular rim (16) and a ring capable of forming an opening in a removable area of said cover, the membrane (2) comprising a first and second superposed films (6) adhered to each other, said membrane (2) being configured to be arranged with the first film adhered to the cover (14), the second film (6) being separable from the first with a view to providing access to the opening in the cover. The membrane has a generally circular central portion (8) intended to cover the cover (14) and a side portion (10) forming a tab extending from the circular portion and capable covering the edge of said cover. The membrane ensures a hygienic surface of the can on the entire lid and on the rim of the can, where the consumer will put his lips. The presence of the two films makes it possible to isolate the lid and the rim of the can from an unhygienic environment and allows direct contact with the can without any risk of contamination. The membrane fits the shape of the can rim which allows the consumer to easily drink from the can or to easily pour its content into a container avoiding any contamination said membrane (2) being configured to be arranged with the first film adhered to the cover (14), the second film (6) being separable from the first with a view to providing access to the opening in the cover. The membrane has a generally circular central portion (8) intended to cover the cover (14) and a side portion (10) forming a tab extending from the circular portion and capable covering the edge of said cover. The membrane ensures a hygienic surface of the can on the entire lid and on the rim of the can, where the consumer will put his lips. The presence of the two films makes it possible to isolate the lid and the rim of the can from an unhygienic environment and allows direct contact with the can without any risk of contamination. The membrane fits the shape of the can rim which allows the consumer to easily drink from the can or to easily pour its content into a container avoiding any contamination

Description

The invention concerns a hygienic protection membrane (2) for a beverage can (12) provided with a cover (14) with a circular rim (16) and a ring capable of forming an g in a removable area of said cover, the membrane (2) comprising a first and second superposed films (6) adhered to each other, said ne (2) being configured to be arranged with the first film adhered to the cover (14), the second film (6) being separable from the first with a view to providing access to the opening in the cover. The membrane has a lly circular l portion (8) intended to cover the cover (14) and a side portion (10) g a tab extending from the circular portion and capable covering the edge of said cover. The membrane ensures a hygienic surface of the can on the entire lid and on the rim of the can, where the consumer will put his lips. The presence of the two films makes it possible to isolate the lid and the rim of the can from an unhygienic environment and allows direct contact with the can without any risk of contamination. The membrane fits the shape of the can rim which allows the consumer to easily drink from the can or to easily pour its content into a container avoiding any contamination NZ 748163 HYGIENIC DEVICE FOR A CAN Technical Field The invention relates to a hygienic protective membrane for a drink can.

Background of the invention Published patent nt WO 99/37546 discloses a hygienic protective device for a drink can intended to be placed on the lid of a can. The device comprises a lower film portion covering a part of the can lid around the ring and the opening and an upper film portion superimposed and adhered to the lower portion. The two portions are interconnected by a hinge and the upper portion is intended to be separated from the lower portion by pivoting around the hinge to the can rim. The lower portion remains attached to the can lid thus forming a g surface of the upper lip of a er and the upper portion a g surface of the lower lip. r, the device does not fully protect the can lid. Thus, when a consumer drinks directly from the can or pours the drink into a container, the drink may come into contact with the unhygienic area and become contaminated. In addition, the hygienic surface formed by the upper portion does not fit the shape of the can rim which can favour the flow of drink on either side of the rim formed by the upper n. The upper portion that tilts must also be maintained by the consumer when the consumer drinks directly from the can or pours the liquid into a container. hed patent nt WO 2012/087168 discloses a hygienic protective membrane for covering the upper face and the rims of a drink can. This membrane is composed of an aluminium film and a PET film interconnected and non-separable. This membrane does not comprise an easy opening to access the orifice of the can and requires that the lid and the rims of the can be perfectly hygienic before the membrane is fixed. All references, including any patents or patent applications cited or mentioned in this specification are hereby incorporated by nce. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications may be referred to herein; this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common l knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country. hed patent document protective ne according to the preamble of claim 1.

Summary of the invention Technical problem to be solved The invention aims to provide a hygienic protective membrane for drink can ming at least one drawback of the prior art, more specifically the prior art mentioned above. More particularly, the invention aims to provide a hygienic protective membrane for drink can which allows to drink directly from the can or to pour the drink in a glass without any ination. The invention also aims to provide a simple and economical solution. It is an object of the present ion to provide an improved ic protective membrane for a drink can or drink can that ameliorates some of the disadvantages and tions of the known art or at least provide the public with a useful choice. cal solution The invention relates to a hygienic protective membrane (2) for a drink can (12) provided with a lid (14) with a circular edge (16) and a ring (18) suitable to form an orifice (20) in a detachable zone (22) of said lid, the membrane comprising a first (4) and a second film (6) superimposed and adhered to each other, said membrane (2) being configured to be disposed with the first film (4) adhered to the lid (14), the second film (6) being separable from the first in order to provide access to the orifice of the lid ; the membrane (2) having a l portion (10) suitable to cover the edge of said lid while the first and second films are adhered to each other; wherein the membrane (2) has a generally circular central portion (8) intended to cover the lid (14), the l portion (10) forming a strip from the circular portion.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the lateral portion (10) ses a distal end with a zone (28) where the first and second films (4, 6) are not adhered to each other so that the second film (6) forms a zipper tab in order to separate the two films.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the zone (28) where the first and second (4, 6) films are not adhered to each other extends over several square millimeters, preferably at least 50 mm2, more preferably at least 100 mm2.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the lateral portion (10) extends over more than 20mm from the central n (6), so as to cover an upper portion of a vertical side (30) of the can (12), adjacent to the lid (14).

According to an advantageous ment of the ion, each of the first and second (4, 6) films has a thickness of less than 1mm, preferably comprised between 0.01 and 0.75mm, more preferably comprised between 0. 05 and 0.5mm.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the first and second (4, 6) films are attached to each other at one end of said membrane (2) opposite to the lateral portion (10) so as to form a hinge during the tion of the second film (6).

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the first film (4) comprises an orifice (24) configured to fit the contours of the ring (18) of the can.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the first film (4) comprises a line of weakening or precut (26) corresponding to the detachable zone (22) of the lid forming the orifice (20).

The invention also relates to a drink can (12) comprising a lid (14) with a ar edge (16) and a ring (18) suitable to form an orifice (20) in a detachable zone (22) of said lid and a protective ne (2) disposed on the lid (14), wherein the membrane is according to any one of the previous preferment’s.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the drink can (12) according to previous preferment, wherein the detachable zone (22) of the lid remains covered by the first film (4) after ion of the orifice (20).

Advantages of the invention The es of the invention are interesting in that the membrane ensures a hygienic surface of the can on the entire lid and on the rim of the can, where the consumer will put his lips. The presence of the two films makes it possible to e the lid and the rim of the can from an unhygienic environment and allows direct contact with the can t any risk of contamination. The membrane fits the shape of the can rim which allows the consumer to easily drink from the can or to easily pour its content into a container avoiding any contamination.

Brief description of the drawings Figure 1 is a representation of the membrane seen from above.

Figure 2 ents the membrane according to the invention fixed on a can and in a closed configuration.

Figure 3 shows the membrane fixed on the can and in an open configuration.

Figure 4 shows the membrane fixed on the can without the second film, the can is here in open configuration.

Description of embodiments Figures 1 to 4 are not at the same scale and are given only as an illustration and not limitative of the invention.

Figure 1 shows the membrane 2 according to the invention. The membrane 2 comprises a first film 4 and a second film 6 superimposed and adhered to each other, only the second film 6 is visible here. The membrane 2 is configured to be disposed on a drink can lid generally made of metal, with the first film adhered to the lid of the can and the second film 6 separable from the first in order to give access to the orifice of the can. The membrane 2 comprises a central portion 8 generally circular intended to cover the lid of the can and a lateral n 10 g a strip from the central n and which is capable of covering the edge of the can lid.

The membrane 2 is made of a material ensuring the ity of the membrane facing the storage conditions of cans such as moisture or heat.

The membrane 2 is preferably made of a flexible material, waterproof, resistant to tearing and more preferably recyclable. The membrane 2 may also be formed of a material on which it can be printed or written. In order to guarantee the hygiene of the membrane, the two films must adhere to each other in a sealed manner. The two films 4; 6 can be d to each other by heating for example. The two films are preferably adhered to one other along their edges. The lateral portion 10 comprises a distal end with a zone 28 where the first and second films 4 and 6 are not adhered to one other so that the second film 6 forms a zipper tab in order to te the two films. The zone 28 extends over several square eters, preferably at least 50 mm2, more preferably at least 100 mm2. The first and second films 4 and 6 are attached to each other at one end of said membrane 2 te to the lateral portion 10, so as to form a hinge during the separation of the second film 6.

The first film 4 comprises an orifice 24, here shown in dotted line, with a size that allows the passage of the can ring adapted to form an orifice, said orifice 24 being configured to fit the contours of said ring. The first and second films 4 and 6 of the ne 2 each have a thickness of less than 1 mm, preferably between 0.01 and 0.75 mm, more preferably between 0.05 and 0.5 mm, which allows the membrane to fit the shape of the can.

Figure 2 shows the membrane 2 according to the invention in a closed configuration and fixed on a can 12 provided with a lid 14 with a circular edge 16. The membrane 2 is fixed to the lid 14 of the can with the first film adhered to the lid 14 and the second film 6 being separable from the first in order to give access to the orifice (not visible) of the lid 14. The first film can be adhered to the lid 14 by means of adhesive material for example.

The central portion 8 of the membrane covers the entire lid of the can 14 and the lateral portion 10 extends from the l portion over more than mm so as to cover an upper portion of a vertical side 30 of the can 12 adjacent to the lid 14. More particularly the lateral portion 10 s over the upper part of a vertical side 30 of the can nt to the orifice of the lid, which corresponds to the place where the consumer will put his lips.

The lid and the can ring must be sterile before attaching the membrane to the can.

Figure 3 shows the membrane 2 fixed on the lid of the can 12 in an open configuration. The second film 6 is almost completely separated from the first film 4 and we now have access to the ring 18 and to a detachable zone 22 of the lid forming the lid orifice. The first film 4 comprises a line of weakening or precut 26 corresponding to the detachable zone 22 of the lid forming the orifice, so as to facilitate the cutting of the first film when opening the can. The references 81 and 101 respectively correspond to the central portion and to the lateral portion of the first film 4 and the references 82 and 102 respectively correspond to the central portion and to the lateral portion of the second film 6.

Figure 4 shows the membrane fixed on the lid of the can 12, the can being open here. The second film has been completely ted from the first film 4 in order to access the detachable zone 22 of the lid forming the e 20. The first film 4 remains adhered to the lid. The ring 18 of the can was tilted so as to detach the zone 22 from the lid in order to form the orifice 20 of the can. After formation of the orifice 20 of the can, the detachable zone 22 of the lid remains covered and protected by the first film 4 thanks to the line of precut or weakening which facilitates its cutting during the opening of the can. This then prevents the liquid ned in the can to be in direct contact with the detachable zone 22 since said zone remains protected by the first film when the can is opened.

Claims (10)

Claims

1. Hygienic protective membrane for a drink can provided with a lid with a circular edge and a ring suitable to form an orifice in a detachable zone of said lid, the ne comprising a first and a second film superimposed and adhered to each other, said membrane being configured to be disposed with the first film adhered to the lid, the second film being separable from the first in order to provide access to the orifice of the lid; the membrane having a l portion suitable to cover the edge of said lid while the first and second films are adhered to each other; wherein the membrane has a generally circular central portion intended to cover the lid, the lateral portion forming a strip from the ar portion.

2. Membrane according to claim 1, wherein the l portion comprises a distal end with a zone where the first and second films are not adhered to each other so that the second film forms a zipper tab in order to separate the two films.

3. ne according to claim 2, wherein the zone where the first and second films are not d to each other extends over several square millimeters, preferably at least 50 mm2, more preferably at least 100 mm2.

4. Membrane according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lateral portion extends over more than 20mm from the central portion, so as to cover an upper portion of a vertical side of the can, adjacent to the lid.

5. Membrane according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each of the first and second films has a thickness of less than 1mm, preferably comprised between 0.01 and 0.75mm, more preferably comprised between 0. 05 and 0.5mm.

6. Membrane according to any one of claims 1 to 5, n the first and second films are attached to each other at one end of said membrane opposite to the lateral portion so as to form a hinge during the separation of the second film.

7. Membrane according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first film comprises an e configured to fit the contours of the ring of the can.

8. Membrane according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first film ses a line of weakening or precut corresponding to the detachable zone of the lid forming the orifice.

9. Drink can comprising a lid with a circular edge and a ring suitable to form an orifice in a detachable zone of said lid and a protective membrane ed on the lid, characterized in that the membrane is according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. Drink can according to claim 9, wherein the detachable zone of the lid remains covered by the first film after formation of the orifice.