WO1997010158A1

WO1997010158A1 - Pull-open drinks can with a protective outer sheath of heatshrink film

Info

Publication number: WO1997010158A1
Application number: PCT/IT1996/000171
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nicola Francesconi
Original assignee: Nicola Francesconi
Priority date: 1995-09-15
Filing date: 1996-09-10
Publication date: 1997-03-20
Also published as: ITFI950089V0; AU7093996A; ITFI950089U1

Abstract

In order to preserve a hygienic environment around a drinks can without negatively affecting its use, each individual can (1) is wrapped in a sheet of heatshrink film (7).

Description

PULL-OPEN DRINKS CAN WITH A PROTECTIVE OUTER SHEATH OF HEATSHRINK FILM

The present innovation relates to a drinks can of the type opened by means of a ring pull or the like.

Drinks cans having pull means with preformed incision lines which are pulled to make an opening of approximately triangular shape on the top of the can are becoming ever more popular. The can contents are very often consumed by drinking directly from the can or more rarely after pouring them into a glass. In either case the contaminants deposited on the top surface of the can, where the pull-open means is located, are at least partly ingested together with the contents of the can, either by direct contact of the mouth with the can or by being washed off with the flow of liquid as it is poured from the can into the glass. In cans in which the components of the opening means are not removed with the portion of the top bounded by the incision, but remain attached to the top, and the portion partially detached along the incision line is bent down into the can and washed by the liquid as it is poured out through the opening, the lack of hygiene is still more pronounced.

The problem is aggravated by the fact that, for technical reasons, a can has a circular groove running around the end where the pull-open means is located. This groove is prone to collect dirt, which it is not possible to remove before consuming the contents of the can owing to the very awkward narrow shaping of the groove.

When the contents of the can are drunk directly by placing the lips against the can itself, the lips come into contact not only with the top surface of the can but also with its cylindrical sides.

The subject of the present innovation is a can that provides a solution to the hygiene problems discussed above. In essence, according to the innovation the can is wrapped in a heatshrink film which contracts when heated to form a sheath that clings to the can. The result is a can individually wrapped in a protective film or sheath covering all its surfaces, not only the top surface where the pull-open means is located, but also the cylindrical sides. In this way the entire surface of the can is protected and it gathers none of the contaminants and dirt which would otherwise lodge thereon, especially in the circumferential groove around the surface on which the pull-open means is located.

Using a heatshrink film makes it possible to produce a very thin sheath that will cling closely to the can and will therefore not interfere with the packaging of the can in multiple packs or with its transportation and sale by the usual methods of distribution.

The resulting individually packaged cans can be processed and handled like ordinary cans: they can be sold singly, in boxes, in cases or in multiple packs that may include a second packaging film containing several cans. The surface of the can, bearing trademarks, indications about the product contained inside it and the other information normally provided on this type of item, is left perfectly visible by the transparent film.

The individual packaging of the cans can be carried out easily on the same kind of machines as are normally used for heatshrink film packaging and is therefore extremely economical and allows a high throughput.

The film may be made of PVC, PE, LLDP, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyester or other suitable material, provided it is heatshrinkable.

The packaging can advantageously be prepared from a single rectangular sheet of heatshrink film that is laid over one of the ends of the can, folded and welded around three sides, or alternatively from two smaller rectangular sheets between which the can is placed and which are then welded around all four sides.

The drawing shows one possible embodiment of the model. In particular:

Figs. 1 to 4 show successive stages in the packaging of the can, Fig. 4 being a cross section on IV-IV of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 shows a longitudinal section through the can packaged in accordance with the present innovation.

Fig. 1 shows a can 1 with a top circular surface 3 containing the ring pull means 5 or the like. This design of can may be an ordinary commercially available can. The pull means 5 can be a metal pull made of the same material as the can and separable along a preformed incision line, or an adhesive pull means or other means suitable for closing an aperture of appropriate shape on the surface 3 of the can.

The numeral 7 indicates a sheet of plastic heatshrink film intended to form a protective sheath for the individual can 1. The plastic film 7 is wrapped around the can 1 and welded around its three edges 9, 10 and 11 (see Figs. 2-4). The dimensions of the sheet of plastic film are such that before being heat-treated it encloses the can 1 loosely.

After the sheet 7 has been wrapped around the can 1 and welded, the can is passed through an oven where the temperature is sufficient to bring about the thermal shrinking of the film, which contracts onto the can 1 to which it clings, as shown in Fig. 5, in which the broken line schematically indicates the size of the plastic film prior to heatshrinkage, while the solid line indicates the shrunk film clinging to the side walls of the can.

The final package thus has the same dimensions and shape as the can 1 since the film clings to it tightly, forming a protective sheath that will prevent dirt and contaminants from collecting not only on the top surface 3, but also on the cylindrical sides of the can.

Claims

1. Drinks can (1) with a pull-open means (5) , characterized by a sheath of heatshrink film (7) that surrounds and clings to the can.

2. Can according to Claim 1, in which said heatshrink film is a PVC and/or polyolefin and/or polystyrene and/or polyester film.

3. Can according to Claim 1 or 2, in which said heatshrink film (7) has two diametrically opposite weld lines (9, 11) parallel to the axis of the can and one diametrical weld line (10) on either the top or bottom end of the can (1) .

4. Can according to Claim 1 or 2, in which said heatshrink film (7) has four weld lines.