US3441168A - Reversed easy open ring tab - Google Patents

Description

Filed Jan. 4, 1968 April 29, 1969 J. J. LUVIANO I 3,441,163

REVERSED EASY OPEN RING TAB Sheet of 2 INVENTOR 1/5 .ZJuwzwa ATTORNEYS April 29, 1969 J. J. LUVIANO 3,441,168

REVERSED EASY OPEN RING TAB PM Jan. 4, 1968 INVENTOR fiH f jar/0N0 ATTORNEYS United States Patent US. Cl. 220-53 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An end closure for a tubular container has an aperture therein with a one-piece thin metal plug, which closes the aperture, sealingly engaged to the closure adjacent the periphery of said aperture. A radially extending tear strip is formed in the plug by a pair of spaced-apart score lines extending from the outermost edge of the plug to points adjacent the innermost edge of the plug. The radially innermost end of the tear strip has no score line interconnecting the pair of score lines so that the tear strip will remain integral with the plug after the container has been opened and the radially outermost end of the tear strip has a ring pull tab integral therewith, which is folded over at its juncture with the tear strip so as to extend radially inwardly from the juncture with the tear strip to overlie the tear strip.

Brief description of the invention The present invention relates to and end closure for a container and, in particular, to an end closure having a tear strip with a reversed easy-open ring tab which enables the container to be easily opened.

In recent years, there has been a marked trend in the container industry toward cans provided with tear strips which can be opened by hand without the use of any special tools. These containers are typically used for packaging beer and carbonated beverages, but they can also be used for packaging numerous other products and are in no way limited to use with the two above-mentioned beverages.

The end closure of the present invention has an aperture therein with a one-piece thin metal plug within the aperture hermetically sealed to the end closure adjacent the periphery of the aperture. The function of the plug is to close the aperture until the container is opened by the consumer. A radially extending tear strip is formed in the metal plug by a pair of spaced-apart score lines extending from the outermost edge of the plug to points adjacent the innermost edge of the plug. Since no score line interconnects the inner ends of the pair of spacedapart score lines, the tear strip remains integral with the plug after the strip has been severed from the plug along the pair of spaced-apart score lines and the can opened. The radially outermost edge of the tear strip has a ring pull tab integral therewith, which is folded over at its juncture with the tear strip, so as to extend radially inwardly from the juncture to overlie the tear strip. With this arrangement, the initial gripping of the ring pull tab, which is spaced slightly above the tear strip and the severing of the tear strip along the score lines is greatly facilitated.

From the above, it can be readily seen that one object of the present invention is to provide a tear strip which remains integral with the can after the container has been opened so as to eliminate littering problems in parks, ball parks and other places where beverages are consumed by large groups of people. With the present invention, the tear strip remains attached to the container rather than being dropped to the ground, or otherwise 3,441,168 Patented Apr. 29, 1969 ice discarded, so that the tear strip and empty container can be thrown away as a unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction which will facilitate the initial gripping of the ring tab when opening the container. With the ring tab extending inwardly over the tear strip and spaced slightly above the tear strip, the ring pull tab can be easily gripped and pulled radially inwardly to sever the tear strip from the plug along the spaced-apart score lines. Although the ring pull tab can be easily gripped, since it is spaced above the tear strip, the structure of the present invention prevents the container from being accidentally opened. The tear strip is located on the central portion of the plug which is depressed relative to the outer surface of the end closure. Therefore, the ring pull tab can be spaced above the tear strip so as to be readily accessible without being spaced above the upper surface of the end closure to such an extent that it can be accidentally actuated.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the upper end of a container utilizing an end closure of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the outer surface of an end closure of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view showing the tear strip being severed from the plug along the substantially radially extending spaced-apart score lines;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the inner surface of the end closure of the present invention;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the end closure and plug substantially along lines 5-5 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken through the plug with the tear strip severed along its side edges from the plug.

Detailed description of the invention Referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, a sheet metal end closure, preferably formed from tin plate and generally designated by reference character 10, is shown mounted on a tubular can body 12. While the end closure can be formed in a variety of configurations, the end closure 10 has a substantially circular panel 14 with a pair of kidney-shaped depressions 16, 16' which lend additional strength to panel 14. Of course, it is contemplated that other forms of ribbing can be utilized or that the depressions 16, 16 can be omitted leaving the circular panel 15 flat should additional strengthening of the panel prove unnecessary.

A substantially U-shaped annular reinforcing bead 18 (as best shown in FIGURES 5 and 6) surrounds panel 14 with the outer periphery of the bead 18 merging with an annular outwardly extending cover hook 20 that is utilized to secure the closure to a container body such as in a double seam. Where internal pressures exerted against the end closure are not going to be too great, reinforcing bead 18, which strengthens the end closure, can also be omitted just as kidney-shaped portions 16, 16'.

The panel 14 has an aperture 22 intermediate reinforcing portions 16, 16' with the longitudinal center line of the aperture extending along a diameter of the end closure. While other configurations can be used, in the preferred form, the aperture is rectangular in shape with rounded corners and the inner edge of the aperture is located substantially at the center of panel 14.

Aperture 22 is closed by a one-piece, sheet metal plug or insert 24 having the same general configuration as aperture 22 and formed from aluminum or some other metal which can be easily torn. Plug 24 is imperforate and has a peripheral flange 26 engaging and overlying a portion of the outer surface of panel 14 adjacent aperture 22. A peripheral wall 28 extends laterally from the inner edge of flange 26 through aperture 22 and merges with an imperforate center portion 32 of the plug that extends across and substantially closes aperture 22. As in the patent to Zundel, No. 3,223,277, issued Dec. 14, 1965, the peripheral walls 28 is collapsed around its entire periphery, except for the portion which merges with the pull tab, to form an outwardly extending crimped portion 36 of the plug which engages the inner surface of panel 14 adjacent aperture 22.

The plug or insert 24 is retained in aperture 22 by means of flange 26 and crimped portion 30 which are in tight frictional engagement with the outer and inner surfaces, respectively, of panel 14. To insure a hermetic, liquid-tight seal between the plug 24 and panel 14, a synthetic resin sealant 34 adheres to and covers the whole bottom surface of the plug or at least the periphery of the plug center portion 32 (i.e., crimped portion 30) and the adjacent inner surface of panel 14. The plastic seal 34 is preferably molded in place to effect a secure hermetic seal between the plug 22 and the end panel 14. However, it is contemplated that other methods of applying the sealant, which are well known in the art, can also be utilized.

A notch 36, with convering edges, is provided in flange 26 midway along the outermost edge of the flange which is adjacent the periphery of panel 14. By having a notch 36 with converging edges, the crimped portion 30 of the plug which, along with flange 26, retains plug 24 in aperture 22 is kept at a maximum thereby maximizing the area of mechanical securement between plug 24 and panel 14.

Spaced-apart score lines 38, 38' extend inwardly from the inner edge of notch 36 across the depressed center portion 32 of plug 24 to the innermost side of the plug with the spaced-apart score lines ending just short of crimped portion 30 thereby forming a tear strip 40. While as shown, the spaced-apart score lines at first diverge as they extend inwardly from notch 36 and then converge, tear strips of other configurations can also be formed. However, whether the preferred or another configuration is used, the score lines 38, 38' terminate at spaced terminal end portions and are not connected by a score line at their inner ends. With this construction, the portion of the plug intermediate the inner terminal ends of score lines 38, 38' forms a hinge portion so that the tear strip 40 will remain integral with plug 24 when the container is opened.

The tear strip 40 is provided at its outermost end with an integral reversed easy-open ring pull tab 42 with the juncture of the tear strip and the ring pull tab coinciding with the inner edge of notch 36. The sides of the ring pull tab diverge, with respect to each other, between the juncture of the tab with the tear strip and the ring portion 44 of the tab. The ring portion 44 is substantially circular having a centrally located aperture or finger receiving opening. To prevent the consumer from cutting his finger when he grasps the ring pull tab, the inner and outer edges 46, 48 of the ring portion are rolled or hemmed under so as to provide a smooth rounded finger engaging surface. At its juncture with the tear strip 40, the ring tab 42 is folded or bent over so that it extends radially inwardly from its juncture with the tear strip 40 and overlies but is slightly spaced above the tear strip. With the ring tab 42 extending inwardly over and spaced above the tear strip 40, the tab can be readily grasped and the container can be easily opened by merely raising the pull tab and pulling the tab radially inwardly. Since the innermost end of the tear strip is unscored, the tear strip 40 will not be completely severed from the plug, but will remain attached thereto by a hinge-like connection as best seen in FIGURE 6.

While the preferred form of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. An end closure of a tubular can body comprising:

a panel;

an aperture in said panel;

a one-piece thin metal plug sealingly engaged with the portion of said panel adjacent said aperture to close said aperture;

a radially extending tear strip formed on a portion of said plug which is depressed relative to an outer surface of said panel adjacent said aperture, said tear strip being formed by a pair of spaced-apart score lines extending from an outermost edge of said plug only along the sides of said tear strip, said score lines terminating at spaced-apart points, said points being spaced from the innermost edge of said plug, said tear strip having a hinge means at its innermost end formed by a portion of said plug intermediate said points so that said tear strip will remain integral with said plug after said strip has been severed from said plug along said pair of spaced-apart score lines, a radially outermost end of said tear strip having a ring pull tab integral therewith, said ring pull tab being folded over at its juncture with said tear strip, and said ring pull tab extending radially inwardly from said juncture to overlie sead tear strip with a ring portion of said ring pull tab being spaced above said portion of said plug which is depressed relative to said outer surface of said panel whereby the insertion of a finger into said ring portion for gripping said ring pull tab is facilitated.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,789,788 1/1931 Sundquist 220-53 3,327,891 6/1967 Smyth 22O54 3,308,986 3/1967 Balocca et al. 220-53 3,353,739 3/1967 Schay 220-54 XR GEORGE T, BALL, Primary Examiner.

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