Sheet metal container making – Method – Forming or treating metallic closure
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-02
2004-10-26
Larson, Lowell A. (Department: 3725)
Sheet metal container making
Method
Forming or treating metallic closure
C413S008000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06808351
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to a method for printing information on cans. More specifically but not exclusively this invention relates to providing aluminium cans with printed information on their opening tabs.
Aluminium cans are commonly provided with opening devices such as pull tabs to allow the can to be manually opened by pulling the tab away from the can. Usually cans are provided with pre-printed information on their surfaces. However it is also known to provide information or decoration on the pull tab as part of a promotional campaign or as an advertisement.
The promotional image may be formed as a void in the tab or may be formed on the surface of the tab by various processes such as embossing, blanking, scoring, etching, colour techniques, colour printing techniques and colour removal by laser.
Such tabs are normally manufactured from a sheet of aluminium by a conversion press, which cuts and forms the tab. The conversion press also makes the ends and then attaches the tab to the end by an integral rivet, adjacent to the frangible can end opening.
It has become desirable to print promotional material onto the tabs, for example, for use in competitions. In the competition, a few printed tabs may identify the winners. Such printed information has previously been applied through traditional ink jet printing techniques. However it has been found that this method of printing produces printed tabs which can be easily forged or the printing removed entirely.
Prior art references describing ornamental, promotional, or other similar features for beverage containers include the patents to Goodwin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,240; Januchowski, U.S. Pat. No. 1,257,710; Park, U.S. Pat. Des. No. 365,021; and Rheingold, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,878,541, 4,357,505 to Schaefer et al describes a stress-opacifying tamper indicating tape that is applied to the openings of containers, in which a visible message is displayed in the tape indicative of whether the seal has been opened or tampered with. Minder, U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,496 shows a can with a detachable display plate or button that is affixed to a pull-ring of a can. Additionally, beverage cans have been previously sold in the United States with alpha-numeric characters formed on the tab with ink-jet printing.
It is a requirement of such promotional campaigns that only a certain number of tabs are provided with printed information or decoration. It is also a problem that such tabs could previously only be randomly included in a batch of tabs or can ends by being fed into the production process by hand.
It is also difficult to accurately position the sheet aluminium material such that the printed information is located accurately in a pre-determined position.
It is an object of the invention to attempt to alleviate the aforementioned problems and/or to provide improvements generally.
According to the invention there is provided a method of manufacturing opening tabs for containers comprising the steps of:
a) providing sheet material from which opening tabs are formed, with locating apertures formed therein;
b) locating said sheet material through said locating apertures, within a printing machine and applying printed information on said sheet material at predetermined locations;
c) locating said pre-printed sheet material through said locating holes and forming opening tabs in the location of said pre-printed information on said sheet material;
d) selecting tabs and locating said tabs on a can opening end.
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Brown Bernard
Thompson Steve
Larson Lowell A.
McDonnell Boehnen & Hulbert & Berghoff LLP
Rexam Beverage Can Company
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