US3386615A

US3386615A - End closure for cylindrical can

Info

Publication number: US3386615A
Application number: US427187A
Authority: US
Inventors: Kjell M Jacobsen
Original assignee: Platmanufaktur AB
Current assignee: Platmanufaktur AB
Priority date: 1964-03-04
Filing date: 1965-01-21
Publication date: 1968-06-04
Anticipated expiration: 1985-06-04
Also published as: FI47171C; FI47171B; DE1285348B

Description

June 4, 1968 M. JACOBSEN 3,335,615

END CLOSURE FOR CYLINDRICAL CAN Filed Jan. 21, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR KJELL M. JACOBSEN June 6 I K. M. JACOBSEN 3,386,615

END CLOSURE FOR CYLINDRICAL CAN Filed Jan. 21, 1965 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR KJELL M. JACOBSEN BY 7; Mm M M/ Mm 2 [L ATTORNEYS,

United States Patent 3,386,615 END CLOSURE FOR CYLINDRICAL CAN Kjell M. Jacohsen, Hohog, Sweden, assignor to AB Platmanufaktur, Malmo, Sweden Filed Jan. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 427,187 Claims priority, application Sweden, Mar. 4, 1964, 2,642/64 Claims. (Cl. 220-67) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Disclosed herein is an end closure for cylindrical cans of the type which are to be evacuated and/ or partially filled with gas prior to the sealing thereof. The end closure includes a central panel portion, a generally tubular portion extending from the periphery of the panel portion and a radially outwardly directed flange which is to be seamed to a corresponding flange on the can body. A plurality of grooves are formed in the closure and extend between the tubular portion and the flange for providing a separation between the container body and the closure member for the passage of gases therethrough. The grooves extend only partially along the length of the tubular portion and only partially radially outwardly along the flange and may be of varying configurations.

The present invention relates to an end closure for a cylindrical can, and, while adaptable for more general uses, is particularly applicable to coffee cans.

Cans are usually supplied to a coffee wholesaler closed in one end and with the cover separate. At the wholesalers, the cans are first filled in modern, rapidly operable machines. When this has been done, the covers are placed on the cans in these machines, but before the covers are seamed on in the conventional manner, the cans are evacuated and, possibly, filled with some sort of gas. Said evacuation and gas filling takes place very rapidly, as is well known. When this has been done, the covers are seamed onto the cans, as stated. Cans of the abovementioned kind, which are supplied to the wholesaler, are provided with outwardly turned flanges intended to be rolled or turned into closure securing seams with the flanges of the complementary covers.

In order to be able to carry out said evacuation and, possibly, said filling of gas, it is necessary, when the cover is placed loosely on the can, that there be provided a space between the upper edge of the can and its complementary cover. In an effort to obtain this desired space, a number of depressions have hitherto been stamped in the flange of the cover, intended to bear against said flange of the can in a manner for providing the desired narrow space. This procedure has functioned fairly well, although there have sometimes been difliculties involved in positioning said depressions so that said space is formed.

As it is a desire to keep the cost of each can as low as possible, thinner and thinner material has come into use in the making of cans. A consequence of this is that when such cans are worked upon in modern filling and closing machines, in spite of said depressions, the flange of the can will be formed around said depressions in such a manner that the passage desired is not assured, and the can has such a contact with a cover which has not been seamed on that difliculties often arise in evacuating the can and, possibly, filling it with gas.

A purpose of the present invention is to solve the problem which has arisen in conjunction with the adoption of thinner materials in the manufacture of cans.

According to the invention, the problem is solved in such a way that the cover is provided with grooves. Such a cover consists of a circular part, from the periph- "ice ery of which a tubular part extends endwise or axially. From the free end of the tubular part, a peripheral flange, in turn, extends outwardly in the general plane of said circular part. Said grooves have the character of depressions, each groove originating from the inside of the tubular part and extending axially all the way to the free edge of the tubular part, and from there radially to a point between the inner and outer peripheries of the flange.

With the above and other objects in view which will more fully appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by following the description, the appended claims, and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the following, a known can with cover, as well as a can with cover according to the invention, will be shown and described. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing a can with cover, before it has been seamed on, the cover being shown spaced above the open top of the can.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary radial sectional view taken through the cover and a portion of the flanged open top portion of the can of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 and illustrating a cam and cover complement embodying the invention.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 and illustrating the can and cover structure of FIGURE 3.

FIGURES 5 and 6 each shows in perspective a fragment of 'a cover, a slightly modified] shaping of the grooves being illustrated in each view.

In the following, it is assumed that both the cans and the covers are to be made of thin metallic material. However, it should be obvious that the invention is applicable also to other materials; thus, for instance, the end closure can be made of metal and the can body of some other material, e.g. plastic, paper or some other suitable material.

FIGURE 1 shows a can 1, provided with a bottom 2. The body of the can is folded or turned outwards at the top, so that a flange 3 is formed. Above the can, a cover 4 is shown, which consists of a circular central part and a tubular part 5, extending axially away from the periphery of the circular part. A flange 6 extends outwardly from the upper edge of the tubular part. In the circular flange .surfiace there are 'a number of depressions arranged and positioned in such a way that, when the cover 4 is placed lightly on the can, said depressions will rest against the flange 3 of the can, as is clearly shown in FIGURE 2. In this way, air channels to the inside of the can are obtained.

Said cover 4 can appropriately be pressed from a round blank.

It now, the above-mentioned cover is made of thin material, the flange 3 of the can will take on a form to fit the different depressions, and the air passages desired from the outside to the inside of the can will thereby be choked up.

In the filling and closing machines which are used, the pressure to which the cover and can are subjected is quite considerable.

FIGURE 3 again shows a can 1 with a bottom 2 and a flange 3, of the same kind as the one shown in FIG- URE 1. However, the cover 4 in the present figure is different, in that it has grooves 7 instead of said depressions. The grooves 7 emanate from points on the inner surface of the body 5, along one and the same circular line. The grooves extend axially towards the upper edge of the tubular part, with an increasing width. From said edge, each groove extends radially outwardly in said flange, and with a decreasing width, to a point in a circular, line. The points of all such grooves extend to said circular line. Each groove 7 has a depth from one end which increases to the edge between the tubular part 5 and the flange 6. From said edge and in the flange 6, each groove has an outwardly decreasing depth.

By giving the grooves said form, it has proved possible to maintain the passages desired between the inside and outside of the can, in the aforementioned modern filling and closing machines.

It has also been found that, during the seaming on of the cover, said grooves 7 can be smoothed out completely, which is an extremely great advantage in that the can will then be given a more attractive appearance.

FIGURES S and 6 show two diflerent, alternative designs of grooves. These grooves have been given the reference designations 7' and 7", respectively. In these examples of groove shape modification it will be recognized that the radially projected end extremities of the grooves 7' of FIGURE 5 are less sharply angled than are those of FIGURE 3, and in FIGURE 6 the grooves 7" are shown as having parallel or generally parallel sided radially projected walls and well rounded inner and outer end extremities.

It should be obvious that the before mentioned grooves can be given any desired form, on the condition that the desired passages are assuredly formed, and on the conditions that the grooves are smoothed out during the seaming operation. However, a further condition is that the grooves first extend along a tubular body surface and thereafter outwardly in a flange surface.

While preferred forms of the novel closure structure {have been disclosed in detail herein it is to be understood that variations in shaping and placement of the grooves may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An end closure for attachment to a cylindrical can provided at one end with an outwardly turned flange, said end closure comprising a circular part, a tubular part extending axially away from the periphery of the circular part and a peripheral flange extending radially outwardly from said tubular part at the end thereof remote from said circular part, a number of grooves, in the form of depressions formed in said end closure, each of said grooves emanating from a point on the inner surface of the tubular part intermediate the ends thereof and extending axially all the way to said end of the tubular part remote from said circular part, and from there radially outwardly in said peripheral flange to a point thereon between the inner and outer peripheries of said peripheral flange.

2. An end closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the points on the inner surface of the tubular member from which said grooves emanate are on one and the same circular line.

3. An end closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the points on the peripheral flange to which said grooves extend are on a circular line.

4. An end closure according to claim 1, wherein the depth of each of said grooves is least near the points on said inner surface from which said grooves emanate and the points on said peripheral flange to which said grooves extend and greatest at said end of said tubular part remote from said circular part.

5. An end closure according to claim 1, wherein the cross-section area of each of said grooves is generally triangular.

6. An end closure according to claim 1, wherein the cross-section area of each of said grooves is generally triangular with straight sides joined by a well rounded apex.

7. An end closure according to claim 1 wherein the cross-section area of each of said grooves is an outwardly opening are.

8. An end closure according to claim 1 wherein the closure is formed of thin metal, said grooves being deformable for the smoothing out thereof during the seaming on the closure on a flanged can body.

9. An end closure according to claim 1, wherein the depth of each of said grooves is least near the points on said inner surface from which said grooves emanate and the points on said peripheral flange to which said grooves extend and greatest at said end of said tubular part remote from said circular part, said closure being formed of thin metal, said grooves being deformable for the smoothing out thereof by stresses set up in the seaming on of the closure onto a flanged can body.

10. An end closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the points on the inner surface of the tubular member from which said grooves emanate are on one and the same circular line, and the points on the peripheral flange to which said grooves extend are on a further circular line.

11. An end closure according to claim 10, wherein the depth of each groove increases from each of said circular lines in a direction towards said end of said tubular part remote from said circular part.

12. An end closure according to claim 10, wherein the depth of each groove increases from each of said circular lines in a direction towards said end of said tubular part remote from said circular part, said closure being formed of thin metal, said grooves being deformable for the smoothing thereof by stresses set up in the seaming on of the closure onto a flanged body.

13. An end closure for a can comprising a central panel portion, a generally tubular portion extending axially from the periphery of said panel portion and a peripheral flange protruding generally radially outwardly from said tubular portion at the end thereof farthest from said central panel portion, a plurality of grooves interconnecting said tubular portion and said flange, said grooves extending only partially across said flange and only partially along the axial length of said tubular portion.

14. An end closure according to claim 13 wherein said flange includes a continuous planar portion disposed radially outwardly from said grooves, and said tubular portion includes a continuous smooth generally cylindrical surface displaced axially from said grooves and adjacent said central panel portion.

15. An end closure for a can comprising a central panel portion, a generally tubular portion extending. axially from the periphery of said panel portion, a peripheral flange protruding generally radially outwardly from said tubular portion at the end thereof remote from said panel portion, and a plurality of grooves emanating from points on said tubular member and terminating at points on said flange, said grooves being of least depth near said points on said tubular member and said points on said flange and gradually increasing in depth toward said end of said tubular portion remote from said panel portion.

References Cited THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

JAMES R. GARRETT, Examiner.