Receptacles – Closures – With closure opening arrangements for means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-24
2001-03-20
Newhouse, Nathan J. (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Closures
With closure opening arrangements for means
C220S906000, C220S257200, C206S508000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06202881
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention relates to beverage containers, and more particularly to a beverage container with easy cleaning upper panel that can prevent the dirt from accumulating in the ring shaped indented groove formed around the upper panel thereof, where the user would find very difficult to clean out the accumulated dirt and will also drink the dirt while consuming the containing beverage.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
FIG. 1
shows a common beverage container structure, which is generally illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,645,189, 5,590,807, 4,606,472, 4,578,007, or 3,774,801. The conventional beverage container
10
comprises a U-shape can body
11
, an upper panel
12
sealedly connected to a top end of the U-shape can body
11
, and an opening device
13
for opening an opening portion of the upper panel. The opening device
13
is formed of a lifting ring
131
, a pressing portion
132
integrally formed with the lifting ring, an elongated portion
133
extending from the lifting ring, and a fixing member
134
affixing a part of the elongated portion
133
to the upper panel
12
. Since the fixing member
134
must be affixed to a central flat surface
121
of the upper panel
12
, a round shaped indented groove
122
having a predetermined depth has to provided around the upper panel
12
to reinforce the central flat surface
121
while the pressing portion
132
is pressed down against the central flat surface
121
of the upper panel
12
by lifting up the lifting ring
131
.
Undoubtfully, such indented groove
122
is a smart design to prevent the central flat surface
121
of the upper panel
12
from being bent out of shape that may make the opening of the can becoming extremely difficult. However, it merely solves the mechanical problem but, at the same time, creates an unexpected serious sanitary problem to every beverage consumer.
In fact, it takes a long time before a beverage container delivers to a consumer. After a beverage container is manufactured in the factory, it will be stored in the warehouse for days before it is ordered by a retailer. Cockroach and mice may crawl or run on the upper panel
12
and leave behind residue of germs in the indented groove
122
. Therefore, during the storing period, dust, germs deposited by insects and rodents, and bacteria will start to accumulate on the upper panel
12
, especially in the indented groove
122
. During the delivery from the factory to the retailer, the indented groove
122
would continue to collect dirt and bacteria. Even the beverage container arrives the retailer, before the consume purchases the can of beverage from the retailer or the beverage machine, more dust, bacteria and germs would be accumulated on the upper panel
12
and in the indented groove
122
. That is why almost every consumer will use tissues, handkerchiefs or at least his or her hand to wipe over the upper panel
12
attempting to remove the dirt thereon before consumption so as to avoid consuming the dirt and germs too.
However, most people including the beverage container manufacturers fail to aware that no matter how to clean the upper panel
12
, the dirt collected in the indented groove
122
is still hiding therein. It is nearly impossible to reach the bottom of the indented groove
122
without the help of a special sharp tool. Therefore, when one is consuming the beverage inside the beverage container
10
, the flowing out beverage will first flow inside the indented groove
122
and will substantially wash and dissolve the dirt inside the indented groove
122
before entering the consumer's mouth. Besides, between the first sip and the last sip, dirt will be dissolved by the residual beverage left in the indented groove
122
. Subsequently, it will be all drunk off by the consumer. Even the consumers refuse to directly consume the beverage with mouth. The flowing out beverage will still wash the indented groove
122
and the beverage will be poured with the dirt and germs into the cup. Therefore, the beverage container consumer would virtually drink the beverage as well as the dirt, bacteria and germs.
Moreover, the lifting ring
131
is normally extended on the central flat surface
121
of the upper panel
12
. Only a very narrow gap
15
is provided between the lifting ring
131
and the central flat surface
121
of the upper panel
12
for the consumer's finger to lift and grip the lifting ring
131
. May be the designer of the beverage container is not a female, so that he did not aware that most girls and ladies pay great care to their finger nails. No one likes to take the risk of breaking her beautiful nail by using her nail tip to lift and grip the lifting ring
131
.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
It is thus a first object of the present invention to provide a beverage container with easy cleaning upper panel that can prevent the dirt from accumulating in the ring shaped indented groove formed around the upper panel of the conventional beverage container.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a beverage container with easy cleaning upper panel wherein the conventional indented groove is eliminated while still providing a reinforced structure to incorporate with the opening device of the beverage container.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a beverage container with easy cleaning upper panel wherein an enlarged gap is sufficiently provide between a lifting portion on the upper panel and the lifting ring, so that the consumer can easily grip on the lifting ring.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a beverage container with easy cleaning upper panel wherein a protective film is capable of attaching on the upper panel so that the consumer may simply remove the protective film to obtain a clean panel surface for consuming the beverage.
Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a beverage container which comprises a tubular can body, a concave bottom panel integrally formed at a bottom end of the can body, an upper panel integrally formed at a top end of the can body, and an opening device comprising a lifting ring, a pressing portion integrally formed with the lifting ring, an affixing portion formed between the lifting ring and the pressing portion, and a fixing member affixing the affixing portion to the upper panel. The upper panel is divided into two an opening portion and a lifting portion. The opening portion has a semi-circular flat surface extending to a first segment of peripheral edge of the upper panel. The lifting portion provides a semi-circular indented area extending from a side edge of the opening portion to a second segment of peripheral edge. The fixing member is affixed adjacent to the side edge of the opening portion, so that the lifting ring is extended above the lifting portion of the upper panel while the pressing portion is extended on the opening portion. A ring-shaped precut breaking line is formed on the opening portion, so that when the pressing portion of the opening device presses on the opening portion of the upper panel by lifting up the lifting ring, an opening will be formed along the precut breaking line for the beverage stored inside the beverage container to pour out therethrough.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4480763 (1984-11-01), Schneider
patent: 4913305 (1990-04-01), Hanafusa et al.
patent: 5555993 (1996-09-01), Borkowski et al.
patent: 5647497 (1997-07-01), Labbe
patent: 5655678 (1997-08-01), Kobayashi
patent: 5749488 (1998-05-01), Bagwell et al.
patent: 1-39936 (1989-08-01), None
patent: 3-14455 (1991-01-01), None
patent: 4-311452 (1992-11-01), None
patent: 9-193930 (1997-07-01), None
Chan Raymond Y.
David and Raymond Patent Group
Newhouse Nathan J.
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