US3314569A

US3314569A - Container closure

Info

Publication number: US3314569A
Application number: US428333A
Authority: US
Inventors: Oscar E Seiferth; Glenn M Austin
Original assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corp
Current assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corp
Priority date: 1965-01-27
Filing date: 1965-01-27
Publication date: 1967-04-18
Anticipated expiration: 1984-04-18

Description

April 18, 1967 o. E. SEIFERTH ET AL 3,314,569

CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed Jan. 2'7, 1965 United States Patent 3,314,569 CONTAINER CLOSURE Oscar E. Seiferth, and Glenn M. Austin, Madison, Wis., assignors to Oscar Mayer & Co., Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Jan. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 428,333 4 Claims. (Cl. 220-54) This invention relates to packaging and is more particularly concerned with improvements in containers, such as cans, which include a tear strip arrangement in an end thereof whereby the container may be opened by merely grasping a pull tab attached to the tear strip and removing the tear strip together with a panel of the container.

Packages have heretofore been provided which employ containers, such as cans, with the containers being characterized by an open ended tubular body and a closure therefor in the form of a panel member having its marginal edges connected in sealed relation with the marginal edges of the tubular body and having incorporated therein a tear strip arrangement with a pull tab adapted to be grasped and pulled so as to tear the panel material along a line extending about the periphery of the panel and thereby release the panel for removal. Objections have been raised to many of these tear strip arrangements generally because of difficulty in starting the tearing of the tear strip from the adjacent material, and it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved tear strip arrangement in a can end which facilitates the starting of the tearing operation without reducing the effectiveness of the closure.

It is a specific object of the invention to provide a closure panel or lid for a container, such as a can, which incorporates therein a tear strip arrangement for removing a portion of the closure panel wherein an end section of the tear strip is cut through and covered by a separate seal forming member of a size to encompass the pre-cut section and which may be lifted to permit the end section of the tear strip to be grasped and pulled so as to tear out a predetermined portion of the panel.

It is a still more specific object of the invention to provide a can closure having a tear strip therein which merges into a peripheral score line so that by tearing on such score line a panel is freed for removal with the tear strip having an end section which is cut through and a sealing and lifting tab adhesively secured over the pre-cut end section so as to form an hermetic closure which tab may be grasped and pulled to lift the pre-cut end section of the tear strip above the surrounding material and enable it to be grasped for tearing along the peripheral score line.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the container end closure which is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a can having a can end which is provided with a tear strip and a pull tab in acccordance with this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view similar to FIGURE 1 showing the tear strip partially removed;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged plan view of the can end of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 3.

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated a conventional type of can which includes a cylindrical body 11 and an end closure 12. The can end 12 is preferably formed of a light gauge metal, for example, aluminum or tin plate, which is easily rupturable. The can end or lid member 12 is secured at its margins to the body 11 by a conventional seam 13 3,314,569 Patented Apr. 18, 1967 The can end 12, as illustrated, is provided with a tear strip formation 14 which has a curved portion defined by a pair of spaced, generally

parallel score lines

15 and 16, which extend, in a generally radial direction, from a circular tab formation 17 in the center of the closure 12, toward the periphery of the closure 12. The one score line 16 curves into merging relation with a peripheral score line 18 which is disposed adjacent the peripheral seam formation 13 so that the portion of the closure 12 within the seam 13 is freed by tearing along the score line 18 and may be removed to open the can. The other score line 15 terminates in an inwardly curved or semi-circular portion 20 which extends in the general direction of the center of the closure 12 and terminates in spaced relation to the main portion of the score line 15.

The pull tab section 17 is defined by a line 21 of circular shape which is completely cut through the closure material so that it is freed from the surrounding material except where it joins the end of the strip formation 14. A seal forming member 22 which is preferably in the form of a strip or patch of tape is adhesively secured to the tab portion 17 and the surrounding material so as to overlie and seal the cutting line 21. The sealing strip 22 is of sufficient size to extend a predetermined distance beyond'the cutting line 21 so as to enable the container to be hermetically sealed. A small marginal portion 23 of the strip 22 is free of adhesive so that it may be grasped to lift the strip 22. The tape member 22 is preferably an impervious plastic material or a thin metal such as aluminum foil. The

score lines

15, 16 and 18 are preferably formed by scoring or cutting through 60% to of the thickness of the material in the closure or lid member 12. A type of adhesive is employed which will adhere sutficiently to permit an hermetic seal to be made but which is sufficiently peelable to permit it to be pulled loose from the closure panel 12 while adhering to the tab 17. The adhesive may be a pressure sensitive type or a heat seal type.

In opening the closed and sealed package the free margin 23 of the seal strip or tab portion 22 is grasped between the fingers and pulled in a straight line in the direction of the hinge connecting the free end or tab portion 17 with the tear strip portion 14 so that as the strip 22 is peeled away from the panel it remains adhered to the tab 17 and lifts it, making it possible to grasp the tab 17 and complete the opening by tearing along the score line 18 which frees the scored panel for removal.

The adhesive coated strip or tab portion 22 serves to hermetically seal the opening resulting from the cutting of the panel material in forming the tab portion 17 of the tear strip and also provides a means to lift the tab portion 17 during the opening operation so that it may be readily grasped by the fingers and pulled to tear out the scored pane While particular materials and specific details of construction are referred to in describing the illustrated form of the invention, it will be understood that other materials and equivalent structural details may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a container, a tear strip arrangement for facilitating the ready opening of said container, said tear strip arrangement being incorporated in a panel of said container and comprising a tear strip portion. defined by a pair of spaced, generally parallel score lines extending inwardly from a point near the periphery of the panel toward the center of the panel and terminating at an enlarged tab forming end portion which is bordered by a circular cutting line extending about said end portion with the material in the panel cut through on said line, one of said score lines merging at its outer end into a score line extending around and forming the perimeter of a portion of said panel which it is desired to remove so as to provide an opening into said container, and a combination seal forming and tab lifting member which is in the form of a strip of relatively thin flexible sheet material of sufficient size to cover said tab forming end portions with a central portion thereof adhesively secured to the tab forming end portion and said strip having its margins sealed to the panel material surrounding said tab forming end portion by a peelable adhesive which permits the strip to be pulled loose from the surrounding material while it remains connected to said tab forming end portion.

2. In a container as recited in claim 1, and said seal forming and tab lifting member having a free end marginal portion which may be grasped to lift the member so that it may be pulled loose from the container panel.

3. In a container as recited in claim 2, and said seal References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,870,935 1/1959 Houghtelling 220-53 3,151,765 10/1964 Griese 220*53 3,182,852 5/1965 Wilkinson 220-54 3,137,931 6/1965 Henchert 22o 54 3,251,515 5/1966 Henchert at al. 22o 53 r THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. 0

G. T. HALL, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. IN A CONTAINER, A TEAR STRIP ARRANGEMENT FOR FACILITATING THE READY OPENING OF SAID CONTAINER, SAID TEAR STRIP ARRANGEMENT BEING INCORPORATED IN A PANEL OF SAID CONTAINER AND COMPRISING A TEAR STRIP PORTION DEFINED BY A PAIR OF SPACED, GENERALLY PARALLEL SCORE LINES EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM A POINT NEAR THE PERIPHERY OF THE PANEL TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE PANEL AND TERMINATING AT AN ENLARGED TAB FORMING END PORTION WHICH IS BORDEDED BY A CIRCULAR CUTTING LINE EXTENDING ABOUT SAID END PORTION WITH THE MATERIAL IN THE PANEL CUT THROUGH ON SAID LINE, ONE OF SAID SCORE LINES MERGING AT ITS OUTER END INTO A SCORE LINE EXTENDING AROUND AND FORMING THE PERIMETER OF A PORTION OF SAID PANEL WHICH IT IS DESIRED TO REMOVE SO AS TO PROVIDE AN OPENING INTO SAID CONTAINER, AND A COMBINATION SEAL FORMING AND TAB LIFTING MEMBER WHICH IS IN THE FORM OF A STRIP OF RELATIVELY THIN FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL OF SUFFICIENT SIZE TO COVER SAID TAB FORMING END PORTIONS WITH A CENTRAL PORTION THEREOF ADHESIVELY SECURED TO THE TAB FORMING END PORTION AND SAID STRIP HAVING ITS MARGINS SEALED TO THE PANEL MATERIAL SURROUNDING SAID TAB FORMING END PORTION BY A PEELABLE ADHESIVE WHICH PERMITS THE STRIP TO BE PULLED LOOSE FROM THE SURROUNDING MATERIAL WHILE IT REMAINS CONNECTED TO SAID TAB FORMING END PORTION.