WO2004110917A1

WO2004110917A1 - Container cap having a sign representing the kind of a container and cap opener capable of offering advertising sound according to the sign

Info

Publication number: WO2004110917A1
Application number: PCT/KR2003/001144
Authority: WO
Inventors: Young-Soo Kim; Han-Yong Cho
Original assignee: Young-Soo Kim; Han-Yong Cho
Priority date: 2003-06-12
Filing date: 2003-06-12
Publication date: 2004-12-23
Also published as: AU2003235355A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a container cap and a container cap opener which enable a container to be discerned and a sound to be generated when the container cap is removed, and more particularly, to a container cap having a sign for discerning the kind of container and a container cap opener capable of recognizing the sign of the container cap and offering a predetermined sound according to the kind of container when the container cap is removed by the cap opener. The present invention provides a crown type container cap including a cover deck for covering a container and a cylindrical skirt extending downward from an outer periphery of the cover deck. In the container cap, a conductive paint is applied to have a predetermined width on a surface opposite to a contact surface of the cover deck with the container by applying the conductive paint along a circumference of a circle having a radius centered on the center of the cover deck, thereby discerning the kind of container by means of a flow of an electric current through the applied conductive paint. According to the present invention, there is provided a container cap opener having a means for recognizing the kind of container and offering a proper advertising sound or message stored in a memory according to the recognized kind of container. Therefore, the container cap opener has an advantage in that a product of a specific company can be effectively promoted when a cap is removed from a beverage container or an alcoholic liquor container by the container cap opener.

Description

CONTAINER CAP HAVING A SIGN REPRESENTING THE KIND OF A

CONTAINERAND CAP OPENER CAPABI ,E OF OFFERING ADVERTISING

SOUND ACCORDING TO THE SIGN

Technical field

The present invention relates to a container cap and a container cap opener which enable a container to be discerned and a sound to be generated when the container cap is removed, and more particularly, to a container cap having a sign for discerning the kind of container and a container cap opener capable of recognizing the sign of the container cap and offering a predetermined sound according to the kind of container when the container cap is removed by the cap opener.

Background Art There has been known a conventional container cap opener ("melody opener") having the function of generating a melody, an advertising sound or a voice when a container cap is removed by the opener. Korean Utility Model Application No. 2002- 0000340 filed on January 5, 2002 and entitled "Bottle opener capable of outputting music" discloses a bottle opener which outputs music and a message when the opener comes into contact with a bottle cap. As shown in Fig. 8, the bottle opener has a confining means 1 for receiving and removing the bottle cap, which is divided into two portions to serve as a switch. The bottle opener also has a main body 2 including a substrate 4, a power source 3 and a speaker 5 for outputting a sound. The substrate is provided with a memory in which a melody or message is stored, a control unit, and the like. However, the bottle opener has a disadvantage in that the bottle opener does not operate for a bottle cap coated with a thin non-conductive film. The bottle opener is not practical since most containers sold practically have bottle caps coated with films for preventing corrosion.

In order to solve the disadvantage, Korean Utility Model Application No. 2001- 0024120 filed on August 9, 2001 and entitled "Bottle opener capable of making sound" discloses a bottle opener in which a catching blade is formed at a lower portion of a confining means for removing a bottle cap, i.e. a portion caught by a crown of the bottle cap to provide a force for lifting the bottle cap, and the catching blade removes a coating film to correctly generate a sound.

However, a technical constitution for removing the coating film is unclear in the structure of the above bottle opener. Upon use of the bottle opener for a long time, the blade for removing the coating film becomes blunt so that contact between the coating film and the blade is deteriorated and thus the blade does not operate normally.

Further, since most of conventional container cap openers cannot discern the kind of container, the container cap openers generate the same sound whenever container caps are removed from relevant containers, whereby this bottle opener has a disadvantage in that the desired advertisement effects cannot be obtained. That is, since the conventional container cap openers cannot discern containers sold by specific manufacturers and thus cannot generate proper advertising sounds or messages according to respective containers, the advertisement effects cannot be improved. Moreover, a conventional melody bottle opener does not provide a means capable of timely offering an advertising sound or message at the moment when a container cap is removed. Furthermore, there is a problem in that an advertising sound or message is offered even in a state where the opener is in contact with the bottle cap but a force for removing the bottle cap is not actually applied to the bottle cap.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is conceived to solve the aforementioned problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a container cap and a container cap opener, wherein means capable of recognizing the kind of container from a sign formed on the container cap and generating a proper advertising sound or message according to the recognized kind of container are provided to offer the proper advertising sound or message according to the kind of container.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container cap opener with a means capable of offering a stored advertising sound or message only when a certain force for removing the container cap is applied after the container cap opener is in contact with the container cap.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an opener that is commonly applicable to a bottle container and a can container, and a can having a can-opening tab with a sign capable of offering an advertising sound or message when the can-opening tab is removed while discerning the kind of can.

According to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the objects, there is provided a crown type container cap including a cover deck for covering a container and a cylindrical skirt extending downward from an outer periphery of the cover deck, hi the crown type container cap, a conductive paint is applied to have a predetermined width on a surface opposite to a contact surface of the cover deck with the container by applying the conductive paint along a circumference of a circle having a radius centered on the center of the cover deck, thereby discerning the kind of container by means of a flow of an electric current through the applied conductive paint.

In the container cap, the cover deck may have a plurality of circles of the conductive paint applied thereon. Each circle of the conductive paint has the predetermined width and has a radius centered on the center of the cover deck.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container cap opener including a main body, a container cap confining means fixed to the main body and having a first supporting portion for confining an upper surface of a cover deck of a container cap and a second supporting portion for confining a lower portion of a skirt of the container cap, and a sound-generating means for generating a sound if an electric current flows upon contact of the container cap opener with the container cap. hi the container cap opener, the sound-generating means comprises a power source unit for supplying electric power; a plurality of signal input terminals provided at the first supporting portion to detect a flow of an electric current upon contact thereof with the conductive paint applied on the container cap according to Claim 1 or 2 and to receive a signal for discerning the kind of container; a control unit for outputting a control signal that causes a specific sound to be offered according to the signal input through the plurality of signal input terminals; a memory for storing the specific sound therein; and a sound output unit for outputting the stored sound according to the control signal from the control unit. In the container cap opener, the container cap opener may further comprise a resilient member provided between the container cap confining means and the main body, and the sound-generating means may further comprise a switch for sensing an elastic deformation of the resilient member when a certain force is exerted on the container cap confining means to remove the container cap.

In the container cap opener, the container cap confining means may be plate- shaped, have a cap receiving opening for receiving the container cap and be formed with the first supporting portion at a side of the cap receiving opening. The signal input terminals may be formed on the first supporting portion. The second supporting portion of the container cap confining means may be plate-shaped and fixedly installed on the container cap confining means at a side opposite to the first supporting portion such that the second supporting portion at least partially protrudes inward of the cap receiving opening. A resilient member may be provided between the container cap confining means and the second supporting means. The sound-generating means may further comprise a switch for sensing an elastic deformation of the resilient member when a certain force is exerted on the container cap confining means to remove the container cap.

In the container cap opener, the resilient member may be an O-ring, the second supporting portion may be formed with a groove for accommodating the O-ring, and the first supporting portion and second supporting portion may be fixed to each other by a rivet passing through a hole of the O-ring.

In the container cap opener, the sound-generating means may further comprise a delay means for causing the sound to be output when a certain period of time elapses after the signal has been input from the container cap.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a can container including a can-opening tab that is fixed on an upper surface thereof by means of a fixing rivet and has an opening for receiving a finger and a grasping portion formed outside of the opening. In the can container, a conductive paint for discerning the kind of can container is applied to a surface of the can-opening tab opposite to a surface thereof facing the upper surface of the can container. Brief Description of Drawings

Fig. Ia is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a container cap opener according to the present invention.

Fig. Ib is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a container cap according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view illustrating a state where the container cap opener of the present invention is used to remove the container cap of the embodiment of the present invention which is mounted to a container.

Fig. 3 a is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the container cap opener according to the present invention.

Fig. 3b is a partial sectional view of the container cap opener taken along line A-A in Fig. 3 a.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a sound-generating means of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing a further embodiment of the container cap opener according to the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a plane view of a can-opening tab mounted to a can container according to the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a view illustrating a state where the container cap opener according to the further embodiment of the present invention is used to remove the can-opening tab mounted to the can container of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view of a conventional container cap opener.

<Explanation of reference numerals for designating main components in the drawings> 10: Container cap confining means 30: First supporting portion

40: Second supporting portion 41 : Resilient member

60: Control unit 70: Memory

80: Sound output unit 85: Power source unit

90: Main body 100: Container cap 110: Conductive paint Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings. Fig. Ib shows an embodiment of a container cap of the present invention. The container cap of the present invention is constructed by applying a conductive paint 110 to an upper surface of a cover deck of a known crown-shaped container cap 100. Since a container cap is generally made of a metal material, inner and outer surfaces thereof are coated with a plastic material to prevent the container cap from rusting. Accordingly, when the container cap is removed by a conventional melody container cap opener capable of offering an advertising sound or message, an electric current is not applied to an electrode through the container cap due to the coating layer, so that the container cap opener cannot operate or should have an additional means for removing the coating layer. In the present invention for solving these problems, the conductive paint 100 is applied to or printed on the upper surface of the cover deck of the container cap 100. The conductive paint contains fine metal powder to have conductivity, and the metal powder may be aluminum, gold, silver or copper powder, or the like.

The conductive paint is applied in the form of a circle with a center coincident with the center of the cover deck of the container cap. The application of the conductive paint in the form of the circle enables correct electrical connection of a signal input terminal formed at the container cap opener to the container cap irrespective of the position of the container cap opener even though the container cap opener is in contact with the container cap at any locations. Further, a more important feature of the present invention is that the conductive paint is applied to the cover deck in the form of plural concentric circles with gradually increased radii centered on the center of the cover. By applying the conductive paint in the form of plural concentric circles, the kind of container can be discerned and an advertising sound or message can be differently offered when the container cap is removed by the container cap opener. For example, in a case where a container cap and a container cap opener are designed for three concentric circles of the conductive paint 110, it is assumed that a container cap with only a first concentric circle of the conductive paint applied at a radially outer position thereon indicates a beer bottle produced by company "P," a container cap with first and second concentric circles of the conductive paint applied thereto indicates a cola bottle produced by company "P," and a container cap with all three concentric circles of the conductive paint applied thereto indicates a beverage bottle produced by company "P." When the container cap opener comes into contact with the concentric circle(s) of the conductive paint and receives electrical signals, the container cap opener can output an advertising sound or message corresponding to each container.

Fig. Ia shows an embodiment of the container cap opener according to the present invention which can offer an advertising sound or message when it removes the container cap shown in Fig. Ib from the container. The container cap opener of the present invention comprises a main body 90, a confining means 10 fixed to the main body 90 to confine the container cap for the removal of the container cap, and a sound-generating means for offering an advertising sound or message when the container cap confining means comes into contact with the container cap and an electric current then flows through the container cap.

The main body 90 is made of a plastic material and has an inner space for accommodating the sound-generating means. The container cap confining means 10 has an opening 20 for receiving the container cap 100, and includes a first supporting portion 30 formed at a side of the opening 20 to confine the upper surface of the cover deck and a second supporting portion 40 formed on a side opposite to the first supporting portion 30 to confine a lower portion of a skirt of the container cap. Although the first and second supporting portions 30 and 40 are constructed to protrude inward of the opening 20 in this embodiment, they are not limited thereto. Any shapes capable of confining the container cap can be employed. Although the container cap confining means 10 is made of metal, it can be made of any materials with appropriate rigidity.

The sound-generating means comprises a power source unit 85 for supplying electric power; a plurality of signal input terminals 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 that are provided at the first supporting portion 30 and will come into contact with the conductive paint applied on the container cap of the present invention to detect the flow of an electric current through the conductive paint and to receive a signal for discerning the kind of container; a control unit 60 for outputting a control signal for offering a specific sound in response to the signal input to the plurality of signal input terminals, a memory 70 with the specific sound stored therein; and a sound output unit 80 for outputting the stored sound in response to the control signal from the control unit.

A conventional small-sized battery is used as the power source unit 85. However, any power sources including a solar cell that can supply electric power may be used as the power source unit 85.

The signal input terminals 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 come into contact with the conductive paint applied to the container cap 100 so that the electric current can easily flow through the terminals and may be made of any metal materials which can withstand a force applied thereto when the container cap is removed. Further, the terminals are arranged at proper intervals to correspond to the respective circles of the conductive paint 110 applied to the container cap 100. The plurality of terminals may be formed integrally on a flexible printed circuit board (PCB) which in turn is attached to the first supporting portion 30. In a case where the container cap confining means 10 is made of metal, it should be isolated from the signal input terminals. It is preferred that an electrical wire 50 for connecting the signal input terminals to the control unit 60 be installed within the container cap confining means 10. The control unit 60 selects one of advertising sounds or messages stored in the memory 70 according to a signal transmitted from the signal input terminals 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 and causes the selected sound or message to be output through the sound output unit 80. Specifically, when the container cap is intended to be removed using the container cap opener, a user lifts the main body 90 in the state shown in Fig. 2. At this time, the signal input terminals 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 provided on the first supporting portion 30 come into contact with the conductive paint applied to the container cap 100 along a dotted line I shown in Fig. Ib. If the container cap has only two printed circles of the conductive paint inwardly of an outer periphery thereof, the outermost terminals 31 and 36 of the signal input terminals come into contact with an outermost circle of the conductive paint and thus are electrically connected to each other. Further, the terminals 32 and 35 come into contact with a second inner circle of the conductive paint and thus are electrically connected to each other. In this case, the control unit recognizes this container cap as a cap for the cola bottle produced by company "P." Accordingly, the control unit selects an advertising sound corresponding to the cola bottle produced by company "P" among the sounds stored in the memory and causes the selected sound to be output through the sound output unit 80.

The advertising sounds or messages corresponding to the kinds of bottles are stored in the memory 70. It is preferred that a commercially available melody chip be used as the memory. A small-sized speaker is used as the sound output unit 80.

The control unit 60, the memory 70 and the sound output unit 80 are accommodated within an accommodation space of the main body 90. It is preferred that the control unit 60, the memory 70 and the sound output unit 80 be made and installed in the form of modules. Further, it is possible to manufacture the control unit 60, the memory 70 and the sound output unit 80 as a single unit.

Fig. 3 a is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the container cap opener according to the present invention, and Fig. 3b is a partial sectional view of the container cap opener taken along line A-A in Fig. 3 a.

The container cap opener of this embodiment is different from the embodiment shown in Fig. Ia in view of the structures of the container cap confining means 10 and the main body. That is, in the container cap opener of this embodiment, the second supporting portion 40 is made separately from the container cap confining means 10 and then coupled thereto. Another substantial feature of this embodiment is that a resilient member 41 is provided between the container cap confining means 10 and the second supporting portion 40, as shown in Fig. 3b.

In this embodiment, the container cap confining means 10 is plate-shaped and has the opening 20 for receiving the container cap. Further, the first supporting portion 30 is formed at one side of an inner periphery of the cap receiving opening. Moreover, the plurality of signal input terminals 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 are provided on the first supporting portion 30. The second supporting portion 40 is plate-shaped and is fixedly installed on the container cap confining means 10 to at least partially protrude inward of the cap receiving opening at a side opposite to the side of the cap receiving opening where the signal input terminals 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 are formed. The main body 90 has a structure by which it is installed over the container cap confining means 10 to cover the entire container cap confining means 10. The main body 90 is coupled to the container cap confining means 10 such that a space for accommodating the sound-generating means is defined therebetween.

The resilient member 41 is provided between the container cap confining means 10 and the second supporting means 40 to precisely estimate the moment when the container cap 100 is substantially removed, through detection of a deformation of the resilient member 41 caused by a certain force applied thereto when the main body 90 of the container cap opener is lifted to remove the container cap. A switch S5 (see Fig. 4) for detecting the deformation of the resilient member 41 is provided at a proper position between the container cap confining means 10 and the second supporting portion 40. In this embodiment, terminals 43 and 44 for sensing contact of the container cap confining means 10 with the second supporting portion 40 through compression of the resilient member 41 are provided at the second supporting portion 40 and the container cap confining means 10, respectively.

Although a commercially available rubber 0-ring is preferably used as the resilient member 41, the resilient member is not limited thereto but may comprise a spring or the like. If the O-ring 41 is used, it is preferred that a groove for accommodating the O-ring 41 be formed in the second supporting portion 40 or the container cap confining means 10 to prevent escape of the O-ring. hi this embodiment, the container cap confining means 10 and the second supporting portion 40 are fixed to each other by a rivet passing through a hole of the O-ring.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a sound-generating means according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 4, the sound- generating means comprises the power source unit 85, a plurality of terminals Sl, S2 and S3, the control unit 60 for recognizing an input signal and outputting a control signal, the memory 70 in which the advertising sounds or messages according to the kinds of containers are stored, and the sound output unit 80. The sound-generating means further comprises the switch S 5 for sensing the deformation of the resilient member. The sound- generating means may further comprise a separate delay timer for precisely adjusting timing when the container cap is removed or have a delay timer contained in the control unit. The configuration of this sound-generating mean is the same as a conventional melody opener except that a plurality of terminals are provided, a circuit for discerning the kind of signal input into the plurality of terminals is contained in the control unit, and the control unit can select and output a predetermined, stored advertising sound or message according to the kind of input signal. That is, the control unit having the aforementioned functions designates an address in the memory determined according to the kind of input signal and causes the sound or message stored in the address to be output. The control unit may be constructed simply in a hardware or software manner. It will be readily apparent that those skilled hi the art can easily construct the control unit having additional functions. Therefore, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing a further embodiment of the container cap opener according to the present invention. Contrary to the embodiment shown in Fig. Ia, the container cap confining means 10 of the container cap according to this embodiment does not have the opening 20. That is, the container cap opener of this embodiment has a more compact structure to be conveniently carried with a user and can also be used as a can opener. Further, the container cap opener of this embodiment is characterized by a nail shiner 200 for polishing nails, which is provided at a portion of the main body or the container cap confining means of the container cap opener.

Fig. 6 is a plane view of a can-opening tab mounted to a can container according to the present invention, and Fig. 7 is a view illustrating a state where the container cap opener according to the further embodiment of the present invention is used to remove the can-opening tab mounted to the can container of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 6, the can container of the present invention is different from a conventional can container in that a conductive paint 310 for discerning the kind of can container is applied on a surface of the can-opening tab 300 opposite to a top surface of the can container. As shown in Fig. 7, in a case where the can-opening tab with the conductive paint J. ό

applied thereon is lifted from the can having the can-opening tab by using the container cap opener shown in Fig. 5, the conductive paint 310 and an electrode of the container cap opener come into contact with each other, thereby offering an advertising sound or message stored in the memory.

Industrial Applicability

According to the present invention, there is provided a container cap opener having a means for recognizing the kind of container and offering a proper advertising sound or message stored in a memory according to the recognized kind of container. Therefore, the container cap opener has an advantage in that a product of a specific company can be effectively promoted when a cap is removed from a beverage container or an alcoholic liquor container by the container cap opener.

Further, the present invention provides a means capable of effectively detecting timing when a container cap is removed and precisely matching the generation of the advertising sound or message with the removal timing of the container cap. Therefore, there is an advantage in that advertisement effects can be maximized.

Moreover, the present invention provides a can container provided with a can- opening tab that has a sign (conductive paint) enabling discernment of the kind of can when the can-opening tab of the can container is removed. Therefore, the present invention has an advantage in that upon removal of the cap-opening tab from the can container by the container cap opener, an advertising sound or message can be offered to improve advertisement effects.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided a container cap having predetermined patterns coated with a conductive paint, thereby performing a business method in which if a specific sound is offered upon removal of the container cap, a premium can be provided. Accordingly, products can be more effectively advertised.

It is intended that the embodiments of the present invention described above and illustrated in the drawings should not be construed as limiting the technical spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications thereto without departing from the spirit. Therefore, various changes and modifications obvious to those skilled in the art will fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A crown type container cap including a cover deck for covering a container and a cylindrical skirt extending downward from an outer periphery of the cover deck, wherein: a conductive paint is applied to have a predetermined width on a surface opposite to a contact surface of the cover deck with the container by applying the conductive paint along a circumference of a circle having a radius centered on the center of the cover deck, thereby discerning the kind of container by means of a flow of an electric current through the applied conductive paint.

2. The container cap according to Claim 1, wherein the cover deck has a plurality of circles of the conductive paint applied thereon, each circle of the conductive paint having the predetermined width and has a radius centered on the center of the cover deck.

3. A container cap opener including a main body, a container cap confining means fixed to the main body and having a first supporting portion for confining an upper surface of a cover deck of a container cap and a second supporting portion for confining a lower portion of a skirt of the container cap, and a sound-generating means for generating a sound if an electric current flows upon contact of the container cap opener with the container cap, wherein: the sound-generating means comprises: a power source unit for supplying electric power; a plurality of signal input terminals provided at the first supporting portion to detect a flow of an electric current upon contact thereof with the conductive paint applied on the container cap according to Claim 1 or 2 and to receive a signal for discerning the kind of container; a control unit for outputting a control signal that causes a specific sound to be offered according to the signal input through the plurality of signal input terminals; a memory for storing the specific sound therein; and a sound output unit for outputting the stored sound according to the control signal j- O

from the control unit.

4. The container cap opener according to Claim 3, wherein the container cap opener further comprises a resilient member provided between the container cap confining means and the main body, and the sound-generating means further comprises a switch for sensing an elastic deformation of the resilient member when a certain force is exerted on the container cap confining means to remove the container cap.

5. The container cap opener according to Claim 3, wherein the container cap confining means is plate-shaped, has a cap receiving opening for receiving the container cap and is formed with the first supporting portion at a side of the cap receiving opening; the signal input terminals are formed on the first supporting portion; the second supporting portion of the container cap confining means is plate-shaped and is fixedly installed on the container cap confining means at a side opposite to the first supporting portion such that the second supporting portion at least partially protrudes inward of the cap receiving opening; a resilient member is provided between the container cap confining means and the second supporting means; and the sound-generating means further comprises a switch for sensing an elastic deformation of the resilient member when a certain force is exerted on the container cap confining means to remove the container cap.

6. The container cap opener according to Claim 5, wherein the resilient member is an O-ring, the second supporting portion is formed with a groove for accommodating the O- ring, and the first supporting portion and second supporting portion are fixed to each other by a rivet passing through a hole of the O-ring.

7. The container cap opener according to Claim 3, wherein the sound-generating means further comprises a delay means for causing the sound to be output when a certain period of time elapses after the signal has been input from the container cap.

8. A can container including a can-opening tab fixed on an upper surface thereof by means of a fixing rivet, the can-opening tab having an opening for receiving a finger and a grasping portion formed outside of the opening, wherein: a conductive paint for discerning the kind of can container is applied to a surface of the can-opening tab opposite to a surface thereof facing the upper surface of the can container.