Receptacles – Closures – With closure opening arrangements for means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-18
2001-09-11
Cronin, Stephen K. (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Closures
With closure opening arrangements for means
C220S240000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286703
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to drink cans and more particularly pertains to a new resealable drink can for allowing a drink can to be closed and sealed after it has been opened.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of drink cans is known in the prior art. More specifically, drink cans heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Beverages such as beer and carbonated soft drinks have been sold in tubular cans, made from aluminum or steel, for many years. Early tubular cans were mostly used for beers and lagers. In early can design, both ends of the can were planer, and to open the can, one or typically two, holes were pierced in one end of the can to allow beer to pour out from one hole, and to allow air to enter the other hole to equalize the pressure in the can. The major disadvantage with that design was that can openers were required to open the cans.
The next development was in the invention of the ring pull can end in which a tear drop shaped weakened portion was formed in one end of the can. The perimeter of the tear drop shaped portion had a substantially reduced thickness and a handle or pull was attached to the tear drop shaped potion which could be used to pull the tear drop shaped portion away from the can end to define a tear drop shaped opening for pouring beverage from the container.
The ring pull design was highly successful, however the design had one major drawback, in that when the can was opened the ring pull became separated from the can. This was considered to be a problem in terms of the litter it caused and the original ring pull design is considered to be environmentally unfriendly. The latest development of the ring pull is a can end in which the ring pull or handle pushes the weakened tear drop shaped portion in the can itself, rather than separating that portion from the can end, so that the tear drop shaped portion remains attached to the can.
However all the above mentioned drink can ends share one problem which so far no design has solved, in that whatever opening method is used, they cannot be resealed. This is a substantial disadvantage when compared with bottles with reclosable screw cap type closures, which bottles have traditionally been made of glass but are now often made of plastic.
Known prior art drink cans include U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,343; U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,099; U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,073; U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,665; U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,851; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,860,814.
In these respects, the resealable drink can end according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of allowing a drink can to be closed and sealed after it has been opened.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of drink cans now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new resealable drink can construction wherein the same can be utilized for allowing a drink can to be closed and sealed after it has been opened.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new resealable drink can apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the drink cans mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new resealable drink can which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art drink cans, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally includes an end plate for closing one end of a container, one side of the end plate defining a first surface which in use faces an inside of the container and an second surface which in use faces an outside of the end plate, the end plate further defining at least one through aperture therein; a closure plate hinged to the end plate about a pivot located adjacent to the aperture, the closure plate being larger in area than the aperture, and being disposed on a first side of the end plate and adapted to close the aperture; and a handle which is disposed on a second side of the end plate and which is operatively connected to the closure plate such that movement of the handle moves the plate about the pivot.
By making the closure plate larger than the aperture such that the extreme portions of the closure plate abut the areas of the can end plate adjacent the perimeter of the aperture, pressure in the can forces the closure plate against the end plate and hence increases the strength of the seal. Thus the can is inherently sealed since an increase in the pressure in the can increases the strength of the seal. This contrasts with the prior art ring pull type can where the closure plate is effectively smaller than the aperture defined in the can when the can is opened. In such a design an increase in pressure in the can would merely put increased pressure on the weakened portions around the closure. The use of a handle attached to the closure plate enables the closure plate to be manipulated so that the can may be opened by raising the handle in the same manner as with existing beverage containers. However, in contrast with existing end plates for beverage cans, the handle may also be used to close the container after opening by pushing the handle towards, and flat against, the end plate. If there is sufficient carbonated beverage in the can the pressure in the can increases above atmospheric pressure due to carbon dioxide in the beverage coming out of solution. This increase in pressure may be sufficient to push the closure plate against the aperture thereby providing a satisfactory seal. However, in a preferred embodiment, a plastic sealing material is provided around the perimeter of the closure and the aperture to improve air tightness of the seal.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of t
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