US20070221676A1

US20070221676A1 - Discardable hygienic device

Info

Publication number: US20070221676A1
Application number: US11/385,798
Authority: US
Inventors: Rosangela De Godoy
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-03-22
Filing date: 2006-03-22
Publication date: 2007-09-27
Also published as: DE102006041853A1; JP2007254025A

Abstract

A discardable hygiene device used as hygienic element for ready-to-drink beverage that are packed in aluminum cans (L) including a labial mouthpiece hygienic device (1) made from a plastic material panel, that has a half-moon shape or similar, being able to compose support edges (2) interweaved by the internal arched (3) in suitable ratio. An external side (4) has ideal conformation and dimension that allows the device to be fitted in a plan way on the cover (T) of the can (L). The hygienic device (1) has a bottom face, more particularly in the bottom contour on the arched side (3) which is folded in the shape of a grab (5), where the thickness (x) is dimensioned due to the thickness of the cover (T) opening pourer (V) border. The hygienic device (1) is packed in a protection capsule (6), thermo sealed, making a kit that is supplied together with the can (L). The device incorporates a labial mouthpiece element for liquid outflow inside the can ensuring that a user does not to touch his/her lips on the can cover.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present Invention relates to a labial mouthpiece discardable hygienic device that was developed to be applied together with aluminum cans opening pourer; the kind that contains ready-to-drink beverages. Such device comprises a small plastic panel, preferably in a half-moon shape and that presents one of the surfaces provided of fast fitting means on the cans' opening pourer, being a labial mouthpiece for pouring the liquid inside the can and ensuring that a user does touch his/her lips on the cover, or even the liquid that leaves the can also does not touch the external wall.
1. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
It is known that aluminum cans' beverage dealer emporiums such as restaurants, bars, supermarkets, and others, by purchasing a specific amount of cans, keep them stored in warehouses, rooms, and other places. Normally, the cans are stored with low hygiene conditions, letting the cans subjected to contaminations from a variety of animals and insects, once they deposit residues, where they pass by, which become fungus and bacteria and for many times remains in the can surface. Consumer by acquiring beverage cans, not paying attention, automatically opens it and puts his/her lips to drink the liquid having the risk to ingest at this moment all dirtiness accumulated on the surface of such a can.
It is rare to find consumers who are concerned about cleaning around the opening pourer before drinking the liquid, and because of it many diseases are caught without even knowing their origin, diseases that, depending on the bacteria, may even kill.
By trying to prevent from or decrease such occurrences, well-known thermoplastic seals are presented as a ring that involves the reentrance part of the cover and body of the can, besides small top and bottom part of the body. Such ring, although representing the concern of protecting the opening, is inconvenient due to the fact of not adhering to metal thereby allowing creation of tiny spaces wherein occurs dirtiness accumulation, thus, helping the proliferation of fungus and bacteria therein.
Other similar seals have already been developed, but many of them are inefficient or aggregate high industrial values that end up making impracticable their incorporation to beverage cans.
Therefore, it is noticed the actual offered protection does not prevent from contamination making the consumer the responsible one for local hygiene before consuming the beverage.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In order to present a discardable hygienic device with characteristics different from the ones presented in the state of art so far of undermost cost, high scale of production, and easy to use by consumer, the applicant herein developed a discardable device using it as labial mouthpiece to be fitted in the aluminum cans opening pourer ready-to-drink, such device was developed from a plastic panel, preferably atoxic PVC, discardable and recyclable especially developed in accordance with ideal dimensions aiming the device, packed in a sealed protection capsule. The advice may be supplied together with the beverage can, preferably positioned immediately on the can cover surface and fitted over the rupture ring, thereby allowing that such ring remains in such position until the moment the consumer tears the seal from the opening pourer through the ring when, then, the consumer has access to the mouthpiece device being able to manipulate it in order to put it in the cans' opening pourer as explained hereafter.
Labial mouthpiece hygienic device presents an inferior grab, more specifically coming from internal edge of the half-moon, setting an “L” folding with designed thickness to be fitted on the pourer opening border.
Thus, having the hygienic device already taken out from the sealed package, a user needs just to fit the grab on the opening pourer in order to make the panel to become arched and in an angled way projected in relation to the can's cover and the body. Hence, by approximating the lips to consume the product, consumer only touches the labial mouthpiece device avoiding labial contact with parts of the can that may have dirtiness.
Only as an addendum, by the fact the covering capsule in seal shape is made of plastic, it can be impressed with publicity in general being able to contain promotional means.
In order to better fix the device together with the can cover before its opening, protection capsule can be fixed to the said cover through glue points or another way. Said fixation may be done not only on the cover surface, but also on the bottom or side external surface of the can.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to complement the present invention so that to obtain a better understanding of the inventive characteristics and in accordance with a preferential performance of it, it follows attached with the description a set of drawings wherein, as examples but not limited to, it is represented as follows:
FIG. 1 illustrates in a schematic way the labial mouthpiece hygienic device herein treated disposed in its ordinary position, that is, on the can cover;
FIG. 2 illustrates the can with the pourer opening already opened by the rupture ring and the hygienic device of labial mouthpiece in exploded position still involved by the protection capsule;
FIG. 3 shows the hygienic device fitted in the opening pourer ready to be used by the consumer;
FIG. 4 illustrates a side cut of the mentioned hygienic device fitted in the opening pourer;
FIG. 5 illustrates another form of disposition of the labial hygienic device herein treated wherein it is positioned under the can which is showed from its inferior angle;
FIG. 6 illustrates an exploded view showed in FIG. 5; and
FIG. 7 illustrates another form of disposition of the labial hygienic device herein treated wherein it is positioned on the side of the can.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to illustrated drawings, the present invention refers to a DISCARDABLE HYGIENIC DEVICE, more particularly it refers to a labial mouthpiece device (1) used as hygienic element for ready-to-drink beverage that are packed in aluminum cans (L), such hygienic device (1) that was developed from a plastic panel, preferably atoxic, flexible and low hardness PVC attending a range from 25 to 40 Shore A, discardable and recyclable; such panel has a half-moon shape or similar, being able to compose support edges (2) interweaved by the internal arch (3) in suitable ratio while external side (4) of half-moon has ideal conformation and dimension that allows the device to be fitted in the space limited by the cover (T) of the can (L).
Device placement (1) on the opening pourer (V), besides preventing the contact of the liquid inside the can (L) with possible dirtiness deposited on the can's cover, prevents also the occurrence of accidents that involve cuts in children or people that, negligently put their tongues or fingers on the referred opening pourer, can region that presents laminar and cutting thickness.
With the hygienic device placement (1) in the opening pourer (V) such risk is eliminated since the inferior grab (5) coming from internal edge of the half-moon coats with plastic all contour of the opening pourer creating a pellicle that prevents from accidents.
Hygienic device (1) bottom face, more specifically in the arched side (3) inferior contour has disposed a folding in the shape of a grab (5), where the thickness (x) is dimensioned due to the thickness of the cover (T) opening pourer (V) border.
Hygienic device (1) is packed in a protection capsule (6), thermo sealed, making a kit that is supplied together with the can (L), preferably positioned on the cover (T) surface and fitted above the rupture ring (A), then allowing the protected encapsulated (6) hygienic device (1) to remain on this position until the moment the consumer ruptures the seal from the opening pourer (V) through the ring (A), moment in which the consumer has access to the mouthpiece hygienic device (1) being able to manipulate it in order to fit it on the opening pourer (V) through fitting contour(5).
In such position, the device acquires an arched form once the edges (2) support each other on the can cover and beside the opening pourer (V) keeping the edge arched coinciding to the opening curve; the device panel in an angled way projects itself as it is indicated through the angle (α) in relation to the cover and body of the can. This allows the user to only touch his/her lips on the labial mouthpiece hygienic device (1) avoiding, then, the contact with can's (L) parts that may have dirtiness.
In order to highlight hygienic device (1) configuration, when it is viewed from the top, the panel is smooth without any element which enhances liquid outflow. On the other hand, when viewed from the bottom, it is possible to see the grab (5) applied on the bottom border on the arched side (3) which aims to fix the referred opening pourer.
FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrates an alternative form of positioning of the device relation to the can (L) where it is fixed to the bottom portion in the referred can through an adhesive seal (S) that includes an edge of removal (S1), which is slightly positioned in any point of the bottom side of the body can (L).
Adhesive seal (S) is removed by the user moments before the effective consumption of the beverage inside the can (L), by pulling it through edge removal (S1), condition specifically showed in FIG. 6 and positioned together with opening pourer (V) of the can (L).
FIG. 7 shows another form of the hygienic device (1) together with can body (L) where protection (6) is fixed on a point on the can (L) on a side for example by collage points or any other suitable manner.
Hygienic device (1) herein proposed by the constructive form presents as correlated characteristics the fact of being able to be used as a vehicle of promotional advertising as it is schematically indicated in FIG. 3 wherein a promotional message is indicated by reference (M).

Claims

1. A discardable hygienic device for use as a hygienic element for ready-to-drink beverages placed in aluminum cans (L) comprising:

a labial mouthpiece hygienic device (1) being made of plastic and having a half-moon shape, said labial mouthpiece hygienic device (1) including a pair of support edges (2);

an internal arch (3) being formed between said pair of support edges (2) of said labial mouthpiece device (1);

an external side (4) of said labial mouthpiece hygienic device (1) opposite said internal arch (3), wherein said external side (4) enables said labial mouthpiece hygienic device (1) to be positioned on a cover (T) of said can (L); and

a grab (5) being formed on an interior side of said internal arch (3), said grab (5) being in the form of a folding on said interior side and having a thickness (x) dependent on the thickness of an opening pourer (V) border of said cover (T).

2. The discardable hygienic device as recited in claim 1, where said labial mouthpiece hygienic device (1) is packed in a protection capsule (6) by thermo-sealing and supplied together with said can (L) in a kit formation.

3. The discardable hygienic device as recited in claim 1, wherein said labial mouthpiece hygienic device (1) is formed of an atoxic, flexible and low hardness PVC having a range from 25 to 40 Shore A.

4. The discardable hygienic device as recited in claim 1, wherein said labial mouthpiece hygienic device (1) forms an arched contour when fitted on the can (L) opening pourer (V) thereby positioning the support edges (2) supported on the can (L) cover and beside the opening pore (V) while the internal arch (3) coincides with the opening pore (V) curve.

5. The discardable hygienic device as recited in claim 1, wherein said labial mouthpiece hygienic device (1) includes an angle (α) in relation to the can cover (T) while it is fitted in the opening pourer (V).

6. The discardable hygienic device as recited in claim 1, wherein said labial mouthpiece hygienic device (1) is positioned by fixation on any point of said can (L).

7. The discardable hygienic device as recited in claim 6, wherein said device (1) is positioned on a bottom of said can (L) through an adhesive seal (S) that includes a removal edge (S1) that is slightly positioned in any bottom side point of the can (L) body, wherein said adhesive seal (S) is removed by a user moments before consuming a beverage inside the can (L) by pulling the removal edge (S1) in removing said labial mouthpiece hygienic device (1) from said protection (6) and positioning said labial mouthpiece hygienic device (1) on the can (L) opening pourer (V).

8. The discardable hygienic device as recited in claim 6, wherein said labial mouthpiece hygienic device (1) is positioned along the can (L) body with said protection (6) by fixation on said can (L) side.

9. “DISCARDABLE HYGIENIC DEVICE”, more particularly it refers to a labial mouthpiece hygienic device (1) used as hygienic element for ready-to-drink beverage that are packed in aluminum cans (L), characterized by the fact the labial mouthpiece hygienic device (1) is made of a plastic panel that adopts a half-moon shape or similar, being able to compose support edges (2) interweaved by the internal arched (3) in suitable ratio while external side (4) of half-moon has ideal conformation and dimension that allows the device to be fitted in the space limited by the cover (T) of the can (L); more specifically in the inferior contour in the arched side (3) it is applied a folding in the shape of a grab (5), where the thickness (x) is dimensioned due to the thickness of the cover (T) opening pourer (V) border; the device (1) is packed in a protection capsule (6), thermo sealed, making a kit that is supplied together with the can (L).

10. “DISCARDABLE HYGIENIC DEVICE”, according to what is claimed in 9, characterized by the fact that material employed to manufacture the panel to be atoxic, flexible and low hardness PVC attending a range from 25 to 40 Shore A.

11. “DISCARDABLE HYGIENIC DEVICE” according to what is claimed in 9, characterized by the fact that the device may acquire am arched form when fitted on the can (L) opening pourer (V) keeping the edges (2) supported on the can (L) cover and beside the opening pourer (V) while the arched edge coincides with the opening pourer (V) curve.

12. “DISCARDABLE HYGIENIC DEVICE”, according to what is claimed in 9, characterized by the fact that the panel hygienic device (1) keeps itself projected in an angled way (α) in relation to the can cover and body while it is fitted in the opening pourer (B).

13. “DISCARDABLE HYGIENIC DEVICE” according to what is claimed in 9, characterized by the fact of contemplating, in a preferably construction, the mentioned device may be supplied positioned through collage points or any other form; said fixation may be done not only on the cover (T) surface, but also on the external surface of the bottom base or side of the can (L).

14. “DISCARDABLE HYGIENIC DEVICE” according to what is claimed in 9, characterized by the fact that in an alternative way, the position of the device in relation to the can (L) contemplates its fixation to the bottom portion of the mentioned can through an adhesive seal (S) that includes a removal edge (S1) that is slightly positioned in any bottom side point of the can body; adhesive seal (S) is removed by the user moments before consuming beverage inside the can (L), being it pulled through the removal edge (S1), and after such operation, the hygienic device (1) may be removed from protection (6) and positioned together to the can (L) opening pourer (V).

15. “DISCARDABLE HYGIENIC DEVICE” according to what is claimed in 9, characterized by the fact that in another way of positioning of the hygienic device (1) along the can (L) body, it is contemplated that the protection (6) that involves it is fixed to some point of the can (L) side through collage points or any other suitable manner.