US20070284374A1

US20070284374A1 - Structure of a lid of easy open can

Info

Publication number: US20070284374A1
Application number: US11/451,391
Authority: US
Inventors: Kou-An Chen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-06-13
Filing date: 2006-06-13
Publication date: 2007-12-13

Abstract

A container can be easily opened, particularly to a container opened under more hygienic and pollution free condition. Easy open end can be improved by forming a tear strip on its surface, the tear strip is circumvent by a score line; the tear strip is riveted with a tab by a rivet; further the tear strip is divided into a front and a rear tear strips, a folded line between the front and rear strips can be applied to bend downward the rear tear strip close to the front tear strip; a folded line between the rear tear strip and the lid can be applied to bend the rear tear strip close to the lid; and the front tear strip is riveted adjacent to a nose of the tab by rivet.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to a container can be easily opened, particularly to a container opened under more hygienic and pollution free condition.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A conventional lid, so called easy open end, of an easy open can is equipped with a tab and a tear panel; the tab and the tear panel are riveted together by a rivet inserted with both heads larger than the diameter of the hole into which the rivet has been inserted. One head of the rivet is retained the original type, the other head finished by clinching metal after the rivet has been inserted. A user lifts a finger to grip a nose of the tab upward, thereby, a force exerted by a tab likely a leverage at an inclined angle to rip a tear panel apart from a lid according to a score line formed approximately at a center of the lid, as usual, the tear panel with the tab is first pulled apart from the lid a little, and then a lid may be totally separated from a can. A user may directly sip or gulp down beverage from such an easy open end. After use, a useless lid, perhaps only a tab with tear panel should be deserted by a user one by one, when they are sequentially separated from the end of a can; eventually the wasted lid or tab with tear panel as scattered debris lead to destruction and pollution of the environment.
Point against aforesaid problems, persons skilled in the art provided lid of easy open can such as TW 204323 entitled “Easy open end and its manufacturing method” assigned to Toyo Seikan Kaisha Ltd., on Apr. 21, 1993. In which, Toyo disclosed that a tab having a cambered nose at a distant end is coupled to a center of an easy open end by rivet. Both a beginning and an end of a score line are converged toward in front of the rivet, and a clearance retained between the beginning and the end of the score line can be used as a junction of a hinge connected to the lid. Thereby, the nose of the tab can be operated to press a tear panel downward to open the can. The lid situated beneath the nose of the tab has a concaved pit for receiving the nose. This concaved pit is slantwise, not stepwise, formed along the score line. Thus the tab will not break away from the easy open end, even the can opened by pulling apart the tab together with the tear panel. Thus the tab and the tear panel within a lid kept hung over the opened can, which can be recycled integrally as a whole, thereby the easy open end is pollution free once for all.
According to TW 204323, the nose of the tab is pressed downward to open a can. A user can gulp down the beverage from the opened can to his mouth directly. Though the tab and the tear panel are kept hung over the lid along a score line formed with concaved pit, the nose can be received therein. But a tear panel ripped apart from a lid must be first pressed downward, further lowered at an inclined angle to immerse within the beverage fully reserved in the can. Dirt or filth may be gathered at the surface of a can lid for a longer while, therefore, the beverage contained in the opened can, if not splash wet the user, is to be contaminated by such immersed tear panel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is to provide an improved structure of a lid of easy open can comprising: a can 1, and a lid 2 seamlessly welded to the can 1; said lid 2 has a tear strip 20 on its surface, the tear strip 20 is formed integrally within a lid 2, only a score line between them can be used to separate the tear strip 20 from the lid 2; the tear strip 20 is further riveted with a pull tab 3 by a rivet 4 characterized in that, the tear strip 20 is divided into a front and a rear tear strips 21,22, a folded line 23 between the front and rear strips can be applied to bend downward the front tear strip 21; a folded line 24 between the foldable rear tear strip 22 and the lid 2 can be applied to rip the rear tear strip 22 apart from the lid; and the front tear strip 21 is riveted adjacent to a nose 32 of the pull tab 3 by rivet 4.
An improved structure of a lid of easy open can as mentioned above wherein a boss 25 is projected from a surface of the front tear strip 21 in front of the rivet 4 by punching.
An improved structure of a lid of easy open can as mentioned above wherein two bosses 26 are projected from a surface of the rear tear strip 22 by punching, they are distributed in symmetry, both bosses 26 are opposite to each other.
An improved structure of a lid of easy open can as mentioned above wherein a groove 27 is formed on a surface of the lid 2 by punching.
An improved structure of a lid of easy open can as mentioned above wherein two ends of the score line 20 are bent outward and diverged from the score line.
The merits and advantages can be achieved by embodiments of the present invention as following:
A nose 32 of the tab 3 is pressed downward to force the front tear strip 21 further depressed downward to rip apart from the opening 28, the tab 3 is consecutively pulled backward and then pressed downward again; whereby, the front and rear tear strips 21,22 first a little inclined downward and then pulled backward and folded up to stack together above the lid in parallel, in other words, a pair of bi-packed front and rear tear strips are pulled out of the can lid but not separated from it. Neither the tear strip 20 is led into the opening 28, nor the beverage is contaminated by the tear strip dropped off from the can lid. Tear strips 21,22 are opposite to each other; both of them are folded up to give way to form an opening on the can lid. Tear strips 21,22 are not only retained on the lid 2, but also a space occupied by the folded up tear strips is reduced. That is, to facilitate the users drink beverage from the easy open can, but the tear strips will not be separated from the lid.
Bosses 25,26 formed on the surface of the front, rear tear strips 21, 22 by punching can enhance the structure of the tear strip 20 to prevent the tear strip from deformation.
Groove 27 formed on the surface of the lid 2 behind the rear tear strip 22 can enhance the structure between the lid 2 and the rear tear strip 22 to prevent the lid from deformation.
Both ends of the score line are bent outward and diverged from the score line can prevent the tear strip 20 from deformation after ripping apart from the lid 2.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the easy open can of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional view of the lid of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a top plan view of the tear strip of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a first action of the tear strip of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a cross sectional view of the lid of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a second action of the tear strip of the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows a cross sectional view of the lid of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a third action of the tear strip of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 shows a cross sectional view of the lid of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The description is described in detail according to the appended drawings hereinafter.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a perspective and a cross sectional views of the lid are illustrated. In which, an easy open can 10 includes a can 1, and a lid 2 seamlessly welded to the can 1. A tear strip 20 is disposed on the lid 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the structure of the tear strip 20 is illustrated. Such tear strip and the lid are integrally formed. But a circumference of the tear strip 20 is bound and connected to the lid 2 by a score line, which can be used to separate the tear strip from the lid. To prevent the tear strip 20 form breaking away the lid 2, both ends of the score line can be formed as curved lines 29 bent outward and diverged from the score line; said tear strip 20 can be divided into a front tear strip 21 and a rear tear strip 22, a joint between the foldable front and the rear tear strips 21,22 can be formed as a folded line 23, across which bends the front tear strip 21 toward the rear strip 22. But a joint between the rear tear strip 22 and the lid 2 can be formed as a folded line 24, across which rips the rear tear strip 22 apart from the lid. Next, a surface of the front tear strip 21 is riveted together with a tab 3 adjacent to its nose by riveting.
Moreover, a cambered boss 25 is formed on a surface facing outward of the front tear strip 21 by punching; the cambered boss 25 is located in front of the rivet 4 by punching. Two cambered bosses 26 are formed on a surface facing outward of the rear tear strip 21 by punching; both cambered bosses 26 are opposite to each other and distributed symmetrically in left and right relationship on the rear tear strip 22. A cambered groove 27 is formed on a surface facing outward of the rear tear strip 22 by punching; the cambered groove 27 is located behind the rear tear strip 22. All of the cambered bosses 25,26 and the cambered groove 27 are formed to enhance the structure of the tear strip 20 and the lid 2.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a perspective and a cross sectional views of the first action of the tear strip are illustrated. When a ring shaped second end 31 of the tab 3 is pulled upward, the tab is based on the rivet 4 as a pry to exert a force; therefore, a first end of the tab 3, that is, a nose 32 can be pressed downward, further ripped along the score line, which is bordered in between the front tear strip 12 and the lid, apart from the lid 2 to form an opening 28. And the front tear strip 21 is bent downward across the folded line 23; according to the principle of leverage, when the tab 3 has an input arm larger than the output arm, a labor-saving effect can be obtained.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a perspective and a cross sectional views of the second action of the tear strip are illustrated, which are consecutive to the first action views depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5. When the user pulls out the tab 3 backward, the rear tear strip 22 will be erected rearward across the folded line 24. At the same time, the front tear strip 21 will be pulled out from the opening 28 following the rear tear strip 22 further to raise above the lid in parallel and supported by the upright rear tear strip 22. Therefore, the front tear strip 21 will be separated from the opening 28 until the rear tear strip 22 is upright illustrated as shown in FIG. 7. The second action is therefore completed.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a perspective and a cross sectional views of the third action are illustrated, which are also consecutive to the second action views depicted in FIGS. 6 and 7. The tab 3 is further pulled rearward and then pressed downward; therefore, the rear tear strip 22 reclined rearward and downward across the folded line 24 close to the lid 2. Furthermore, the front tear strip 21 is pressed downward across the folded line 23 close to the reclined tear strip 22. As a result, the tear strip 20 is formed as bi-pack tear strip folded up and stacked together in parallel above the lid 2. That is not only space economical, but the user can drink the beverage from the can more easily. And the tear strip 20 is clung to the lid 2 in parallel; the tear strip 20 will not be dropped off into the opening 28.
Said front and rear tear strips 21,22, can be folded up to give way to form the opening 28 fully opened out, and both tear strips 21, 22 retained on the lid 2. In comparison to the conventional easy open can, both front and rear tear strips 21,22 of the present invention are folded up on the lid 2 parallel to the lid, the tear strip will not drop off into the easy open can to contaminate the beverage.

Claims

What is claim claimed:

1. An improved structure of a lid of easy open can comprising:

a can, and a lid seamlessly welded to the can;

said lid has a tear strip on its surface, the tear strip is formed integrally within a lid, only a score line between them can be used to separate the tear strip from the lid;

the tear strip is further riveted with a tab by a rivet characterized in that; the tear strip is divided into a front and a rear tear strips a folded line between the front and rear strips can be applied to bend downward the front tear strip;

a folded line between the foldable rear tear strip and the lid can be applied to rip the rear tear strip apart from the lid; and

the front tear strip is riveted adjacent to a nose of the tab by rivet.

2. An improved structure of a lid of easy open can as claimed in claim 1 wherein a boss is projected from a surface of the front tear strip in front of the rivet by punching.

3. An improved structure of a lid of easy open can as claim 1 claimed wherein two bosses are projected from a surface of the rear tear strip by punching, they are distributed in symmetry, both bosses are opposite to each other.

4. An improved structure of a lid of easy open can as claim 1 claimed wherein a groove is formed on a surface of the lid by punching.

5. An improved structure of a lid of easy open can as claim 1 claimed wherein two ends of the score line are bent outward and diverged from the score line.