WO2019213572A1

WO2019213572A1 - Locking ring wrench

Info

Publication number: WO2019213572A1
Application number: PCT/US2019/030666
Authority: WO
Inventors: N. Kenneth Campbell; Darren SCHOLL; Keith RUKVINA; Tom REESE; Robert Russell
Original assignee: Kw Container
Priority date: 2018-05-04
Filing date: 2019-05-03
Publication date: 2019-11-07

Abstract

A locking ring wrench is disclosed which is molded from plastic. Two pieces, a pry insert and a lever, are joined perpendicularly by insertion of the pry insert through a slot in the lever. The user places a hook on the under a locking ring installed on a plastic container and then grasps finger grips with each hand and lifts upward to remove the locking ring from the plastic container, repeating the movement around the locking ring to completely disengage the locking ring from the plastic container.

Description

Locking Ring Wrench

Statement Concerning Priority

This application claims the benefit of and priority to US provisional patent application number 62/667,219 filed on May 4, 2018, and expressly incorporates herein said application in its entirety.

Background

The present invention is a tool for removing a plastic locking ring used for air transport of plastic containers filled with liquid, one of which is described more fully in US Patent Application No. 15/651,909, which is incorporated fully herein by reference. A plastic container of the type which can be used with the locking ring of 15/651,909 and the present invention is found in US Patent No. 8,985,383 and PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US2017/ 044940, both of which are expressly incorporated herein. After the air transport, the user or handler of the plastic container will seek to remove the plastic locking ring so that the container may be sold or used in the normal course. Removal of the ring by hand unassisted by a tool is very difficult. There have been prior efforts to create tools for effective and simple removal of the locking ring without damaging the locking ring or even the lid of the underlying container. One such prior art tool which has been used is a set of pliers, wiiich is not a satisfactory solution. The use of pliers potentially damages the package leading to spilling contents, a potential safety concern, i.e., slipping off and causing bodily injury. Also, pliers cannot be used with success by all users. Pliers’ action deforms the ring thereby tightening the grip of the ring on the container subsequently increasing difficulty to remove. The present invention design is positioned on the top of the container thereby maintaining balance. On the other hand, pliers approach from the side of the locking ring and this tends to lift the container and possibly flip it.

Brief Description of the Figures

The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the disclosure. Furthermore, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Fig. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the invention w th the lever comprising a radial extension, as assembled with the pry insert inserted through the slot of the lever.

Fig. lB is a side view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 rotated 90 degrees.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 showing the lever from the inner side of the frame with the reinforcing ribs and the slot. The pry insert is not shown.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 showing the outer side of the frame of the lever and the slot without a pry insert having been inserted. The pry insert is, however, attached to an outer edge of the lever as molded. The connection between the pry insert and the lever is weak enough to be snapped off by hand.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the opposite side of the frame of the embodiment as in Fig. 4, showing the inner side of the frame of the lever and the slot without a pry insert having been inserted. The pry insert, however, is attached to an outer edge of the lever as molded.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the inner side of the lever of the embodiment of Figs. 3-4.

Fig. 6A is a perspective view of the embodiment of the pry insert in Fig. 1 showing a chamfered corner of the slot.

Fig. 6B is a perspective view of a portion of the embodiment of the lever in Fig. 1 showing the slot showing a corner of two w^ralls of the slot, and the space in the slot, which matches and is sized complementarity to the chamfered corner in Fig.

6A.

Figs 7-8 are perspective views of two flattened areas of the lever which are inserted between the rim and lid of the container after removal of the locking ring.

Fig. 9 is a side view of the locking ring wrench embodiment in Fig. 1 in position and ready for use to remove a locking ring installed on a plastic container, with the hook positioned underneath the locking ring. Figs. ioA-ioB are perspective views of an embodiment with a square extension from the edge of the middle portion of the frame.

Fig. n is a perspective view of an embodiment of the locking ring wench with a thin frame without reinforcing ribs.

Figs. 12A is a perspective view of an embodiment similar to the lever of the embodiment of Fig. i but with a pry insert which is tapered to fit a complementarily tapered slot in the lever. Figs. 12B is an elevation of the tapered pry insert; 12C is a side view; 12D is a bottom view; 12E is an upper perspective view; and 12F is a bottom perspective view.

Detailed Description

Disclosed herein is a locking ring wrench in one embodiment molded from polypropylene. The invention in one embodiment comprises two components, a lever and a pry insert which is inserted through a slot in the lever, so that the pry insert as inserted is perpendicular to the lever. The frame of the lever, in one embodiment, is generally planar and rectangular with two finger grips, one near opposite ends of the lever, the finger grips projecting from the generally rectangular shape of the lever, and separated by an outer edge of the frame. The locking ring wrench, with the pry insert inserted into the slot of the lever, may then be positioned on top of a portion of an edge of a locking ring previously installed on a plastic container, with a hook of the pry insert underneath the locking ring. In US Patent Application No. 15/651,909, Fig. 3 therein shows a section view of a locking ring with element 7 therein being a guide, which is the structure of the locking ring which is lifted by the hook of the locking ring wrench (as positioned in Fig. 9 herein). So positioned, the user then may lift the wrench up at each of the finger grips and dislodge the locking ring from its installed position on the plastic can. In order to lift the wTench, the user grasps one finger grip with each hand with a thumb on top and the forefinger and index finger underneath. The wide spacing of the finger grips, in one embodiment with the centers approximately 4.65 inches apart, aids in the working of the invention. The bilateral finger grips, coupled with their wide spacing, distributes the upward pressure applied by the hook for optimal release from the plastic can. After releasing the initial portion of the locking ring from the plastic can, then the user moves the WTench around the locking ring and repeats the same procedure so that the locking ring is removed completely from the plastic container. The lever, in one embodiment, further comprises flattened areas which may be used to remove the lid from the rim of the container after the locking ring has been removed from the container.

A plastic locking ring wrench i in one embodiment comprises a lever 2 comprising a frame 2A comprising a middle portion 15 having an inner side 2B and an outer side 2C, the inner side being integral with reinforcing ribs 11 perpendicular to the frame, a slot 9 comprising walls and defining a space 9A near an outer edge 8 of the lever but said slot not communicating with the outer edge, and two finger grips 6, each of said finger grips extending beyond opposite ends of the outer edge of the lever, and a pry insert 3 comprising two ends, a first end comprising a hook 4 and upper walls 16, said upper walls of the pry insert slightly smaller than the walls of the slot 9 and sized to insert into said slot and to fit snugly within said slot, such that when the pry insert is inserted fully into the slot, then a user may position the outer side 2C of the frame on a top of a locking ring installed on a container with the hook 4 underneath an outer edge of the locking ring, and lift a portion of the locking ring 18 off of the container 19 by applying upward force at each of said finger grips 6. The reinforcing ribs 15 may be cross-linked at one or more joints 11A. The lever 2 may further comprise a radial extension 10 from an edge 10 A of the middle portion 15 of the frame arcing towards the inner side 2B of the frame, and the radial extension 10 may be cross-linked with the reinforcing ribs 11 at joints 11A. The extension may comprise any shape selected from a group consisting of a radius, a square structure and the like. The pry insert may further comprise upper walls 16 and, to insure insertion of the pry insert in the correct orientation, the walls of the slot 9 and the upper walls of the pry insert may further comprise at least one chamfered feature which fit complementarity upon insertion of the pry insert into the slot. Other structures such as a tongue and groove for the corresponding locations on the pry insert and the slot insure correct placement of the pry insert. In Fig. 6A, the complementary features are a chamfered or shaved corner 12

corresponding to a filled in corner 13 in 6B. In one embodiment the pry insert further comprises a stop 5 at a second end of the pry insert. The plastic locking ring wrench as in claim 1 may further comprise the upper walls 16 of the pry insert and the walls of the slot 9 being tapered complementarity to nest together after full insertion. In another embodiment the lever further comprises at least one flattened area 14 for prying a lid from a rim of a container after the locking ring has been removed from the container. The middle portion 15 of the frame defined by an edge

10 may be generally planar or any other shape including without limitation wavy or ridged. The dotted lines 10A in Figs demarcate the finger grips from the edge of the middle portion of the frame. Each of the two finger grips has a center 17, and the centers in one embodiment are approximately 4.65 inches apart.

Although the pry insert may be molded as a separate piece from the lever, as show in Figs. 3-5 the pry insert may also be molded at the edge of the lever and the pry insert may be snapped off for insertion into the slot. Molding the lever and the pry insert in one piece lA provides advantages such as keeping the pieces together during shipment in a carton of containers, and reducing the number of revolutions of the molding machinery. The pry insert may be molded to the lever at any convenient location.

Figs. 1-9 depict one or more embodiments comprising the lever comprising reinforcing ribs 15 which provide strength to a frame of the lever. This allows use of less material like polypropylene.

Fig. 9 shows the locking ring wrench 1 in position and ready to be used to lift a locking ring 18 installed on a plastic container 19. The hook 4 is underneath the outer portion of the locking ring (in application 15/651,909 Fig. 3, element 7).

Lifting the finger grips causes the hook to move upward and lifts the locking ring.

Fig. 10A-10B depict an embodiment similar to the embodiment of Fig. 1, except that there is a square extension 20 from the edge 10A of the middle portion of the frame instead of a radial extension as in Fig. 1.

Fig. 11 depicts a locking ring wrench whose lever comprises a thin frame 21 without the reinforcing ribs of Fig. 1. The thin frame is suitable for more rigid materials like metal or very rigid plastic.

Figs. 12A-F depict the pry insert whose upper walls 16 are tapered to nest within complementarily tapered walls of the slot 9. In Fig. 12B, the taper of the upper walls 16 is shown for example in the space between the two arrow's as the difference between the dotted line and the outer border of the upper wall. No stop 5 is required for this embodiment of the pry insert, in that the pry insert is pressed snugly until the tapered upper walls of the pry insert are fully nested against the tapered walls of the slot 9.

Claims

We claim:

1. A locking ring wrench comprising

a. a lever comprising

i. a frame comprising

1. a middle portion having an inner side and an outer side, the inner side being integral with reinforcing ribs perpendicular to the frame,

2. a slot comprising walls near an outer edge of the lever but said slot not communicating with the outer edge,

3. and two finger grips, each of said finger grips extending beyond opposite ends of the outer edge of the lever, and b. a pry insert comprising two ends, a first end comprising a hook and upper walls, said upper walls of the pry insert slightly smaller than the walls of the slot and sized to insert into said slot and to fit snugly within said slot,

such that when the pry insert is inserted fully into the slot, then a user may position the outer side of the frame on a top of a locking ring installed on a container with the hook underneath an outer edge of the locking ring, and lift a portion of the locking ring off of the container by applying upward force at each of said finger grips.

2. The locking ring wTench as in claim 1 wiierein the reinforcing ribs are cross- linked.

3. The locking ring WTench as in claim 1, w^rherein the lever further comprises an extension from an edge of the middle portion of the frame arcing towards the inner side of the frame.

4. The locking ring WTench as in claim 3 wherein the extension is cross-linked with the reinforcing ribs.

5. The locking ring wrench as in claim 3, wherein the extension comprises a shape which is selected from a group consisting of a square and a radius.

6. The locking ring WTench as in claim 1 further comprising the upper walls of the pry insert and the walls of the slot further comprising at least one chamfered feature which fit complementarily upon insertion of the pry insert into the slot.

y. The locking ring wrench as in claim l further comprising a stop at a second end of the pry insert.

8. The locking ring wrench as in claim i further comprising the upper walls of the pry insert and the walls of the slot being tapered complementarily to nest together after full insertion.

g. The locking ring wrench as in claim i further comprising at least one

flattened area for prying a lid from a rim of a container after the locking ring has been removed from the container.

10. The locking ring wrench as in claim i wherein the middle portion of the

frame is generally planar.

11. The locking ring wrench as in claim i wherein each of the two finger grips has a center, and the centers are approximately 4.65 inches apart.

12. A locking ring wrench comprising a lever comprising a middle portion, a slot near an outer edge of the lever and two finger grips extending beyond opposite ends of the outer edge, and a pry insert comprising two ends, a first end comprising a hook and upper walls, said upper walls of the pry insert slightly smaller than the walls of the slot and sized to insert into said slot and to fit snugly within said slot, so that when the pry insert is inserted fully into the slot, then a user may position the lever on a top of a locking ring installed on a container with the hook underneath an outer edge of the locking ring, and lift a portion of the locking ring off of the container by applying upward force at each of said finger grips.