WO1999005033A1

WO1999005033A1 - A can and lid assembly

Info

Publication number: WO1999005033A1
Application number: PCT/BR1998/000052
Authority: WO
Inventors: Antonio Henrique Kramer
Original assignee: Kramer, Alessandra, Cristina; Kramer, Elisangela
Priority date: 1997-07-24
Filing date: 1998-07-21
Publication date: 1999-02-04
Also published as: BR9702651A; AU8524898A

Abstract

A can and lid assembly, in which the can (10) has a tubular body (11) with its upper edge portion having a free end (13, 16) and supporting a reclosable lid (20), which comprises a sealing median portion (21) and a retaining annular portion (22), incorporating a radially external peripheral edge (25), which is internally connected to the sealing median portion (21) by means of an annular seal portion (23), which can be manually broken, the upper edge portion being plastically deformed in a ferrule (12, 15), whose free edge (13, 16) forces a part (24) of the retaining annular portion (22) against the tubular body (11, 40) of the can (10), in order to hermetically retain inside the ferrule (12, 15) the peripheral edge (25) of the retaining annular portion (22).

Description

A CAN AND LID ASSEMBLY

Field of the Invention

The present invention refers to a can and lid assembly, of the type in which the can comprises a tubular body, which is obtained in a metallic sheet or in any adequate material and which comprises end walls defined by a. bottom, incorporated as a single piece or hermetically double seamed to the respective end edge of the tubular body, and by an opposite end lid, which is at least partially detachable by the user and which may be reclosed during the time in which the content of the can is consumed. Background of the Invention Certain products, such as food products, require to be fully hermetically packaged and provided with a prompt visual indication to the consumer that the package in which they are offered in the market has not been violated . Moreover, it is many times desirable and even indispensable, after the package has been opened for the first time, that the lid which gives access to the inside of the can may be reclosed as many times as it is necessary during the progressive consumption of the packaged product, in order to guaranty at least a partial hermeticity to the reclosed can and to protect the remaining of the content thereof .

In order to comply with the requirements stated above, some cans have been provided, the so called cans with a pressure fitted lid, in which the bottom is usually double seamed to the lower end of the can body and in which the lid is pressure fitted in a peripheral structural ring, provided internally to the upper edge of the can body and hermetically double seamed thereto. The hermeticity and the inviolability of the content are guaranteed in this type of construction by a metallic sheet, for example in aluminium, which is peripherally double seamed to the upper edge of the can body together with the structural ring .

This type of seal can only be seen after the lid has been removed and requires the use of a cutting instrument, such as a knife, in order to be removed. Moreover, the provision of the structural ring and also of the seal made of an double seamed metallic sheet, makes this a relatively expensive type of construction. A deficiency of this known construction is the fact that the edge of the remaining portion of the seal, after the latter has been ruptured, frequently causes accidents, such as cuts in the user's hands. In another known construction, the upper wall of the can has a circumferential weakened line, which is provided internally to the peripheral edge double seamed to the tubular body of the can and which carries a riveted ring, which, when pulled by the user's finger, brings together with it the portion of said upper wall peripherally defined by the circumferential weakened line. The unremoved peripheral portion remains double seamed to the body of the can.

This type of construction is very expensive, since said weakened line requires a delicate production with a sophisticated equipment, besides a strict quality control. Even so, there is a great probability of occurring failures, mainly by loss of tightness on the weakened line when the latter is unduly deep. Moreover, also in this case, the inner peripheral edge of the remaining ring is very sharp and may easily cut the user's hands. In this type of can, the reclosable lid, if there is one, usually takes the form of a cap or cover, which is made of plastic material and which is seated onto the end upper peripheral edge of the can.

In another type of prior art construction, the seal of the can comprises a metallic sheet, such as in aluminium, which is glued or otherwise double seamed to the metallic structural ring of the can. Said metallic sheet has in its peripheral region a radial upwardly inwardly bent projection defining a lug, which will be used by the user to manually detach said seal . This construction may be considered of easy handling, since it permits the structural ring to have its inner peripheral end inwardly bent inside the can when the can is manufactured, hiding its cutting portion. Nevertheless, it is still an expensive construction, due to the already mentioned costs related to the metallic sheet and the provision of a structural ring. Moreover, since said metallic sheet is glued onto the entire surface of the can structural ring, this construction permits only the use of a reclosable lid in the form of a cap or cover in plastic material, which is seated onto the end upper peripheral edge of the can body. As mentioned above, the prior art constructions are relatively expensive, requiring the provision of complex seals in the form of pieces produced separately from that piece which defines the reclosable lid and which are not always promptly visualized by the consumer when buying the product. Disclosure of the Invention

It is a generic objective of the present invention to provide a can and lid assembly comprising, by means of a simple construction of reduced cost, a reclosable lid formed together with a seal, which provides a prompt visual indication of violation and which guarantees full hermeticity to the can until it is broken by the use . It is also an objective of the present invention to provide a can and lid assembly, as defined above, which may be safely and easily handled by the user. These and other objectives and advantages of the present invention are attained by the provision of a can and lid assembly, in which the can has a tubular body with its upper edge portion having a free end and supporting a reclosable lid.

According to the invention, the lid comprises: a sealing median portion; a retaining annular portion, incorporating a radially external peripheral edge, which is internally connected to the sealing median portion by means of an annular seal portion, which may be manually broken in order to disconnect, at least partially, said sealing median portion from said retaining annular portion, the upper edge portion being plastically deformed in a ferrule, whose free edge forces part of the retaining annular portion against the can tubular body, in order to hermetically retain inside the ferrule the peripheral edge of the retaining annular portion. In practical terms, the can and lid assembly of the present invention is a very simple, cheap, practical, efficient and safe solution for a can which has to be hermetic, inviolable and reclosable and which is thus adequate to contain perishable products, such as food preserves . Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be described below, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a partial diametral sectional view of a a can and lid assembly of the invention, in a pre- assembly condition, prior to the plastic deformation of the ferrule;

Figure 2 is a similar view to that of figure 1, but showing the assembly in an assembled condition, in which the ferrule is already deformed to the hermetic retaining position of the retaining annular portion;

Figure 3 is a view similar to that of figure 2, showing a second embodiment for the lid of the can and lid assembly illustrated in figures 1 and 2 ;

Figure 4 is a partial diametral sectional view of a third embodiment of the can and lid assembly of the invention in the assembled condition;

Figure 5 is a partial diametral sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the invention in the assembled condition;

Figure 6 is a partial diametral sectional view of a fifth embodiment of the invention in the assembled condition;

Figure 7 is a partial diametral sectional view of a sixth embodiment of the invention in the assembled condition; and Figure 8 is an upper plan view of the lid, as illustrated in the assembly of figure 5; Best Mode of Carrying Out the Invention

Firstly, taking into account the embodiment illustrated in figures 1 and 2, the assembly of the present invention comprises a can 10 having a tubular body 11, which is usually cylindrical and made of a metallic sheet, such as a tin plate or aluminium sheet or other adequate non-metallic material . This tubular body 11 may have its lower portion closed by a bottom (not illustrated) , which is attached to the tubular body by being usually double seamed or incorporated in a single piece, such as it occurs in the drawn or stretched cans . According to the embodiment illustrated in figure 1, the upper edge of the tubular body 11 incorporates a ferrule 12, which is outwardly and downwardly bent, so as to have its free edge 13 keeping, in a pre-assembly inoperative condition, a first radial distance R in relation to the tubular body 11, as illustrated in figure 1.

In this same embodiment, the lid 20 is made of a usually elastomeric material, comprising a sealing median portion 21, in the form of a tray and with a lateral wall 21a adjacent to the inner peripheral wall 22a of a retaining annular portion 22 projecting radially outwardly from the sealing median portion 21 and being hermetically connected to the latter, preferably in a single piece, through an annular seal 23, which can be manually and selectively broken, at least in a substantial portion of the circumferential extension thereof, in order to allow a prompt visual indication of a structural separation that has occurred between the sealing median portion 21 and retaining annular portion 22, upon the first opening of the can, as described later. As illustrated in figure 1, the retaining annular portion 22 incorporates, by means of a usually constricted part 24, a widened peripheral edge 25. In this first embodiment, the part 24 is orthogonally upwardly projected from the lower end of the retaining annular portion 22, the dimension of the widened peripheral edge 25, in the radial direction of the can and lid assembly, being usually substantially equal to said first radial distance R.

With the above described construction, the lid 20 may have its retaining annular portion 22 submitted to a deformation so as to be progressively bent, until its widened peripheral edge 25 is upwardly inserted inside the ferrule 12, as illustrated in figure 1. In this condition, an adequate tool causes the plastic deformation of the ferrule 12 to an assembled operative condition, in which the first radial distance R, between the free edge 13 of the ferrule 12 of the tubular body 11, is reduced to a second radial distance r, as illustrated in figure 2, which is generally smaller than the dimension, in the radial direction of the can and lid assembly, of the part 24 of the retaining annular portion 22, which is thus radially forced by said free edge 13 of the ferrule 12 against the tubular body 11. Since the material of the lid 20 is elastomeric, the free edge 13 of the ferrule 12 penetrates in the part 24 of the retaining annular portion 22, increasing the safety provided by the hermeticity of the can and the retention of the widened peripheral edge 25 inside the ferrule 12. Through the elastically deforming interference of the free edge 25 of the ferrule 12 against the part 24 of the retaining annular portion 22, there is usually achieved a hermetic fixation of the lid 20 to the can 10. In specific cases, however, in which for example the material of the lid is not resilient enough, or when the content of the can is susceptible to great volumetric variations in higher room temperatures, consequently requiring a better sealing, there is applied in any contact region between the retaining annular portion 22 of the lid 20 and the ferrule 12 of the can 10, a gasket G, in the form of a film with an elastomeric sealing mass, the elastic deformation thereof providing the desired increase in the sealing degree . For indicating to the user that the can 10 has not been violated, as well as to allow him to open said can, the retaining annular portion 22 and the sealing median portion 21 are bonded to each other only by the annular seal 23, which comprises a connecting portion 23a of small thickness, which can be manually broken and which hermetically interconnects the front adjacent edges defined by the external lateral wall 21a and internal peripheral wall 22a of the sealing median portion 21 and retaining annular portion 22, respectively, said connecting portion 23a having a 360o circumferential extension, in order to, when broken, be detached from the lid, completely separating the sealing median portion 21 from the retaining annular portion 22 and making evident the violation of the lid 20. In this embodiment (not illustrated), in which the annular seal 23 is completely broken, the external lateral wall 21a of the sealing median portion 21 and the internal peripheral wall 22a of the retaining annular portion 22 may be constructed as a slightly frusto-conical arrangement, so that the latter operates as a seat for the former, or they may be provided with axial locking means, such as ribs and recesses (not illustrated), which prevent the sealing median portion 21, after the rupture of the annular seal 23, from passing beyond the seat defined by the internal peripheral wall 22a of the retaining annular portion 22. According to the specific construction illustrated in figure 4, the interruption of the displacement of the sealing median portion 21 towards the inside of the can 10, after the seal 23 has been broken, is achieved by making the internal diameter of the ferrule 15 be smaller than the diameter of the connecting portion 23a of the seal 23, in order to define a seat for the external lateral wall 21a of the sealing median portion 21. In another embodiment for the annular seal 23, the connecting portion 23a does not suffer a complete rupture, having a portion of its circumferential extension substituted by a reinforced part 27, which is not breakable and which serves as a kind of hinge for the sealing median portion 21 upon the partial rupture of the annular seal 23, as illustrated in figures 4 and 8.

Independently from which embodiment is used, with or without a hinge of the sealing median portion 21, the connecting portion 23a of the annular seal 23 incorporates, along the whole extension thereof, an upper flange 23b provided with an interruption having a raised end part 23c (figures 4 and 8), in order to facilitate the grasping of the user's fingers upon applying force for breaking the annular seal 23. As illustrated in figures 3, 5 and 8, the sealing annular portion 21 may incorporate, inside the contour thereof, a small handling ring 28, which is diametrically opposite to the hinge 27, in order to move the lid more easily during the time in which the product is consumed. The conceptive construction of the invention has been described above in relation to a can 10 without a metallic structural ring and provided with an external downwardly bent ferrule 12. The lid 20 is mounted to the top of the can 10 by means of a small elastic deformation of the retaining annular portion 22, so that its widened peripheral edge 25 may be fitted into the ferrule 12, where it is hermetically retained after the plastic deformation of the ferrule. In this construction, the can 10 is kept closed by the lid 20 still incorporating the annular seal 23 and having its retaining annular portion 22 hermetically double seamed to said ferrule 12.

Once the annular seal 23 has been broken, the internal peripheral wall 22a of the retaining annular portion 22 serves as a seat for seating at least part of the sealing median portion 21.

Nevertheless, within the same inventive concept, the can and lid assembly may assume a large number of embodiments, some of which being illustrated and described below.

Figure 3 illustrates an embodiment, which is similar to that of figures 1 and 2, except for the fact that the ferrule 12 is internal and downwardly bent. In this construction, the lid 20 is provided with the already mentioned small handling ring 28, the retaining annular portion 22 in this case being provided with a constricted part 24, which is upwardly extended and terminates at the widened peripheral edge 25, which is hermetically retained inside the already plastically deformed ferrule 12 . In this construction, the lid 20 is mounted through the bottom of the tubular body 11, axially sliding until the widened peripheral edge 25 is inserted, practically with no relevant plastic deformation, into the ferrule 12 which is then plastically deformed to the position in which its free edge 13 forces the adjacent part 24 of the retaining annular portion 22 against the tubular body 11. A gasket G, in the form of a film of elastomeric mass, may be applied between the ferrule 12 and the adjacent surface of the retaining annular portion 22. As it may be observed, the invention described with respect to figures 1, 2 and 3 refers to those can and lid assemblies lacking a metallic structural ring. Nevertheless, with the aim to demonstrate the great versatility of the invention, there will described below, with illustrative purposes and referring to figures 4 and 5, two embodiments of the can and lid assembly, in which the cans are provided with a metallic structural ring. Figure 4 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention, in which the can 10 is optionally provided with a structural ring 40, which is metallic and double seamed, forming an internal upwardly bent ferrule 15. It should be understood that the structural ring 40 may be incorporated as a single piece to the tubular body 11 of the can 10 and obtained by bending, and it may also be constructed, so as to seat against the inner wall of the can 10 when the diameter of the lid opening has a dimension which is close to the diameter of the tubular body 11. The lid 20 is mounted to the structural ring 40 of the can 10 by the top thereof, with no need of a relevant elastic deformation in the retaining annular portion 22 and sealing median portion 21, until the insertion of the widened peripheral edge 25 inside the ferrule 25, when the latter may be plastically deformed, so that the free end 16 thereof begins to press the adjacent part 24 of the retaining annular portion 22 against the descending wall 40a of the structural ring 40. Figure 5 shows a can 10 provided with a structural ring 40, which is externally double seamed to the upper end edge of the tubular body 11 of the can 10 and which internally defines a ferrule, which is downwardly directed and which is similar to the ferrule 12 illustrated in figure 3, said can 10 being closed by a lid 20 of a similar construction to that illustrated in figure 4.

In the embodiments of figures 4 and 5, the plastic deformation of the ferrule 12 or 15 presses the part 24 of the retaining annular portion 22 against a tubular wall portion defined by the structural ring 40, which begins to act as a projection of the tubular body 11 itself, in the form of a internal and concentric skirt pending from the upper edge of the tubular body 11 whereto it is double seamed. The constructions illustrated in figures 4 and 5 are useful not only to produce metallic can bodies made of aluminium or steel, but also can bodies produced from plastic material (transparent or not) , or in laminated structures, which are helically adhered and which contain kraft paper between the laminated elements, with the purpose of imparting mechanical strength to the can body. When the can body is constructed in a plastic material or celullosic laminate, the ferrule 12 cannot be formed in the can body itself, in which case the ferrules 15 are obtained internally to the structural ring 40, which is double seamed to the upper end of the can body . As observed in figures 1-8 and by the comments presented above, the new lid 20 has its sealing median portion 21 constructed so as to be partially or completely detached from the retaining annular portion 22, upon the annular seal 23 being ruptured, and thus requires a stop means in order to limit its penetration into the seat defined by the internal peripheral wall 22a of the retaining annular portion 22. This operational requirement is due to the fact that the sealing median portion 21 does not have any portion to be directly supported onto the tubular body 11 of the can 10, being retained to the retaining annular portion 22 by means of the annular seal 23, until the latter is broken . The alternative constructions cited up to now for illustrative purposes, in order to stabilize the sealing median portion 21 in the closed position after the rupture of the seal, include the frusto-conical shape of the seat defined by the internal peripheral wall 22a of the retaining annular portion 22, or the incorporation, into said seat, of a recess or a rib to cooperate with a corresponding rib or recess provided on the lateral wall 21a of the sealing median portion 21, when the latter is taken to a closing condition. Within this concept, figures 6 and 7 illustrate two constructive variants, in which the ferrule 12 is inwardly downwardly bent, so as to retain, in a way as previously described, the peripheral edge 25 of a retaining annular portion 22. Independently from the shape used for the ferrule 12, the construction of the tubular body 11 is carried out in order to produce an internal peripheral step 18, which is obtained by bending the metallic wall of the can 10, said step 18 having a radial extension which is larger than that of the retaining annular portion 22, so as to be able to axially support thereon, not only said retaining annular portion 22, but also the lower peripheral edge of the sealing median portion 21, defining a positioning stop for the latter. The dimensioning of the internal peripheral step 18 is usually made so as to have the inner edge thereof seating with more or less interference against a portion of the lateral wall 21a of the sealing median portion 21.

It should be understood that the internal peripheral step 18 may be produced in a corresponding part of a structural ring, such as the structural ring 40 suggested in figure 5.

In the solutions illustrated in figures 6 and 7, the plastic deformation of the ferrule 12 occurs naturally, without the pre- assembly condition and in order to force its free edge 13 orthogonally against the internal peripheral step 18 which, in figure 6 has its final form in a pressed double sheet obtained together with the plastic deformation of the ferrule 12. The plastic deformation of the upper edge portion of the tubular body 11 is produced after the retaining annular portion 22 has been seated onto the internal peripheral step 18.

The construction of the annular seal 23 may be achieved with or without the inclusion of the hinge portion 27 illustrated in figure 8, though it is also preferred that the sealing median portion 21 incorporates a handle 28 to make easier the multiple opening and closing movements thereof.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A can and lid assembly, in which the can (10) has a tubular body (11) with its upper edge portion having a free end (13, 16) and supporting a reclosable lid (20), characterized in that the lid (20) comprises a sealing median portion (21) and a retaining annular portion (22), incorporating a radially external peripheral edge (25), which is internally connected to the sealing median portion (21) by means of an annular seal portion (23), which can be manually broken in order to disconnect, at least partially, said sealing median portion (21) from said retaining annular portion (22), the upper edge portion being plastically deformed in a ferrule (12, 15), whose free edge (13, 16) forces a part (24) of the retaining annular portion (22) against the tubular body (11, 40) of the can (10), in order to hermetically retain inside the ferrule (12, 15) the peripheral edge (25) of the retaining annular portion (22).

2. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 1, characterized in that the sealing median portion (21), retaining annular portion (22) and annular seal portion (23) of the lid (20) are formed in a single piece.

3. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 1, characterized in that it is provided a gasket (G) between the ferrule

(12, 15) and the retaining annular portion (22), said gasket (G) being carried by one of these elements.

4. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 1, characterized in that the retaining annular portion (22) has an internal peripheral wall (22a) defining a seat against which is seated at least part of a lateral wall (21a) of the sealing median portion (21) after the rupture of the annular seal (23).

5. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 4, characterized in that the internal peripheral wall (22a) of the retaining annular portion (22) defines a frusto-conical seat .

6. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 4, characterized in that the internal peripheral wall (22a) and the lateral wall (21a) comprise, on the surfaces thereof, ribs and recesses, which fit into each other when the sealing median portion (21) is taken to a seating position on the seat defined by the retaining annular portion (22 ) .

7. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 1, characterized in that the annular seal (23) comprises a connecting portion (23a) of small thickness, which may be manually broken and which hermetically interconnects radially adjacent front edges of the sealing annular portion (21) and retaining annular portion (22), said connecting portion (23a) incorporating along the extension thereof, an upper flange (23b) provided with an interruption having a raised external part (23c) to be manually grasped.

8. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 7, characterized in that the connecting portion (23a) of the annular seal (23) has a portion of its circumferential extension defined by a reinforced part (27), which is not breakable and which acts as a hinge between the sealing median portion (21) and the retaining annular portion (22) after the rupture of the annular seal (23) .

9. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 1, characterized in that the annular seal (23) is located on a plane, which is spaced back in relation to the plane of the upper edge of the body (11, 40) of the can (10).

10. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 1, characterized in that the sealing median portion (21) incorporates inside the contour thereof a small handling ring (28).

11. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 1, characterized in that the ferrule (12) is incorporated in a single piece to the tubular body (11) and defines the upper edge of the latter.

12. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 11, characterized in that the ferrule (12) is external to the tubular body (11) and downwardly bent.

13. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 11, characterized in that the ferrule (12) is internal to the tubular body (11) and downwardly bent.

14. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 1, characterized in that the ferrule (12, 15) is defined at the internal periphery of a structural ring (40), which is externally double seamed to the upper edge of the tubular body (11) of the can (10).

15. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 14, characterized in that the ferrule (15) is internal to the tubular body (11) and upwardly bent.

16. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 14, characterized in that the ferrule (12) is internal to the tubular body (11) and downwardly bent.

17. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 1, characterized in that the peripheral edge (25) of the retaining annular portion (22) is widened.

18. A can and lid assembly, as in any of claims 1 or 16, characterized in that the free edge (13, 16) of the ferrule (12, 15) maintains, in a pre-assembly inoperative condition, a first radial distance (R) in relation to an adjacent portion of the tubular body (11, 40), said ferrule being plastically deformable to an assembly operative condition, in which the radial distance (R) is reduced to a second radial distance (r), in order to force said part (24) of the retaining annular portion (22) against the tubular body (11, 40) of the can (10), so as to hermetically retain inside the ferrule (12, 15) the peripheral edge (25) of the retaining annular portion (22).

19. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 1, characterized in that the dimension of the widened peripheral edge (25), in the radial direction of the can and lid assembly, is substantially equal to said first radial distance (R) .

20. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 19, characterized in that said second radial distance (r) is generally inferior to the dimension, in the radial direction of the can and lid assembly, of the part (24) of the retaining annular portion (22) which is radially forced by the ferrule (12, 15) against the tubular body (11, 40).

21. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 4, characterized in that the retaining annular portion (22) and the back peripheral edge of the lateral wall (21a) of the sealing median portion (21) are axially seated against an internal peripheral step (18) of the tubular body (11, 40) of the can (10).

22. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 21, characterized in that the internal peripheral step (18) is obtained by bending the metallic wall of the tubular body (11, 40) of the can (10).

23. A can and lid assembly, as in claim 21, characterized in that the plastic deformation of the upper edge portion of the tubular body (11, 40) forces said part (24) of the retaining annular portion (22) against the internal peripheral step (18).