Receptacles – Closures – Superposed closures for common opening
Patent
1997-07-25
1998-06-30
Shoap, Allan N.
Receptacles
Closures
Superposed closures for common opening
220269, 220359, 220711, 2291231, 156227, 156297, B65D 572, B65D 1750
Patent
active
057720606
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a pull-tab for a liquid container to be attached to a pour opening thereof.
Conventionally, a liquid container formed mainly of paper or a plastic is provided with a pour opening which is sealed with a lid member, such as a film-like sheet or a pull-tab made of a resin, attached thereto. The, container is opened by removing the whole lid member.
Once the whole lid member is removed, however, the pour opening is always in the opened state so that the liquid in the container, e.g., juice, is apt to be spilled. In addition, the removed lid member makes another piece of refuse which is separate from the liquid container and separately discarding the removed lid member increases problems of waste disposal.
To solve these problems, it is possible to construct the lid member such that only a part thereof is torn off. In this case, however, when the consumer releases the partly torn lid member, the lid member undesirably covers the pour opening again by its own restoring force (so-called toughness).
Further, with the construction in which only a part of the lid member is torn off, there arises another problem in that the lid member torn off and pulled up may interfere with the consumer's nose when the consumer drinks the contained liquid with the consumer's mouth being in direct contact with the pour opening.
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing problems and is aimed at the provision of a pull-tab for a liquid container which is simple in structure and is easily producible, which retains the fully opened state without covering the pour opening even when the pull-tab after opening remains on the container and which does not act as an obstacle to drinking.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a pull-tab for covering and sealing a pour opening of a liquid container is provided and includes a sheet having a ring-like cut therein. The cut has two ends separated by an uncut connecting portion and defines an outer tab portion and an inner body portion outside and inside the cut, respectively. The body portion has a folded end portion remote from the connecting portion and folded toward a back side of the sheet along a fold line extending obliquely relative to a line extending between a center of the end portion and a center of the connecting portion. A lower side of the folded end portion is bonded to a surface of the container such that the pour opening is covered and sealed with a sealing portion of the body portion located between the folded portion and the connecting portion.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a container is provided and includes a top lid having a pour opening therein. The container further includes a pull-tab in the form of sheet having a rind-like cut therein. The cut has two ends separated by an uncut connecting portion and defines an outer tab portion and an inner body portion outside and inside the cut, respectively. The body portion has a folded end portion remote from the connecting portion and folded toward a back side of the sheet along a fold line extending obliquely relative to a line extending between a center of the end portion and a center of the connecting portion. A lower side of the folded end portion is bonded to a surface of the lid such that the pour opening is covered and sealed with a sealing portion of the body portion located between the folded portion and the connecting portion.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, a method for making a container having a pull-tab is disclosed. According to the method, a ringlike cut is formed in a sheet. The cut has two ends separated by an uncut connecting portion and defines an outer tab portion and an inner body portion outside and inside the cut, respectively. An end portion of the body portion remote from the connecting portion is folded toward a back side of the sheet along a fold line extending obliquely relative to a line extending between a center of the end portion and a center of
REFERENCES:
patent: 4258876 (1981-03-01), Ljungcrantz
patent: 4582216 (1986-04-01), Byrd
Kaneko Masamichi
Konno Hidetoshi
Satoyoshi Junichi
Newhouse Nathan
Shoap Allan N.
Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A.
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