GB2306456A

GB2306456A - Reusable capping device for drinks cans

Info

Publication number: GB2306456A
Application number: GB9612332A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Trevor Gilbert Rumbold
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-10-18
Filing date: 1996-06-13
Publication date: 1997-05-07
Also published as: GB9521341D0; GB9612332D0

Abstract

A capping device for removably fitting to a drinks can which, when opened, has an opening in its top, includes a first part (1) for covering over the opening in the top of the can and a second part (2) for removably fitting to the can. The first part (1) is movably mounted on the second part (2) for moving between a closed position in which it covers over the opening in the top of the can and an open position in which the opening is exposed to allow a person to drink from the can substantially unaffected by the capping device. The second part comprises a pair of resilient arms (5) which clip around the upper periphery of the can. A formation (6) prevents the device moving down the can by overlapping its rim.

Description

Reusable capping device This invention relates to a capping device for drinks cans, in particular, but not exclusively, for ring-pull cans or tab-press cans.

Ring-pull cans are very common throw away items which are familiar to most people. The precise form of the ring-pull mechanism varies but at present the commonest form is one in which cans are opened by pulling back a captive ring/tab which, by means of a lever action, causes a sealed but pre weakened captive flap to break open towards the interior of the can, thus creating an aperture through which the liquid contents may be poured out or drunk directly by the consumer.

Once opened, such ring-pull cans do not have provision to be capped or closed off. As a result, foreign material such as particles of dust, sand, dirt, bees, wasps, ants and other crawling/flying insects may enter the can through the aperture. Since the subject cans are usually opaque, the consumer is normally unaware of the presence of any such foreign material which may have entered the can until such time as some or all of the contents are consumed. Detection of foreign material within the mouth is a very unpleasant experience and also a potentially dangerous one. Of particular concern is the possibility of unwittingly swallowing a stinging insect such as a wasp or bee. If one is stung in the throat by such an insect that is likely to be very painful, and the consequences may be very serious, possibly even fatal.

Certain capping devices for drinks cans are already known but they are not suited to solving the problem referred to above. One particular known device comprises two plastic parts pivotally connected together. One part comprises a cap and the other part a base which is fitted over the top of the can. The base is designed to fit as tightly as possible over the can and covers over the top of the can except in one region where an integral drinking spout is formed. In the open position of the cap a person can drink from the spout, while in the closed position of the cap a part projecting from the underside of the cap engages the drinking spout to seal the spout. The purpose of the device is to facilitate drinking from the can and to enable the can to be resealed after opening.In order for the resealing to be effective the cap must be a tight fit on the drinking spout; thus the cap will not normally be closed by a person between taking sips of a drink; accordingly the capping device does not serve to prevent foreign material entering the can.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a capping device for a drinks can which inhibits foreign material from entering the can once the can is opened and during the intervals between a person taking sips from the can.

The present invention provides a capping device for removably fitting to a drinks can which, when opened, has an opening in its top, the device including a first part for covering over the opening in the top of the can and a second part for removably fitting to the can, the first part being movably mounted on the second part for movement between a closed position in which it covers over the opening in the top of the can and an open position in which the opening is exposed to allow a person to drink from the can substantially unaffected by the capping device.

A capping device according to the invention can be made very simply and yet, without impeding a person wishing to drink from the can, is able to prevent foreign bodies from entering the can.

The second part is preferably arranged to be fitted to the can in the region of the top rim of the can.

Preferably the second part is arranged to be fitted around the outside of the top rim of the can. The second part is preferably resiliently deformable and is preferably a snap-fit onto the can.

The second part may include a pair of arcuate limbs which are arranged to extend around the can more than 180", but less than 360". Alternatively and more preferably, the second part comprises a clip that is arranged to be secured to the top rim of the can.

Preferably the clip extends around a small arcuate portion only, for example less than 90 , of the top rim of the can. Preferably the clip is fitted onto the rim by pressing it downwards onto the rim from above.

Preferably, any inward projection of the second part over the top of the can is limited such that, when the second part is correctly fitted to a can, it does not extend over a substantial part of the top of the can.

Preferably, the second part includes at least one projecting portion which extends over the top of the rim of the can to restrict downward movement of the second part relative to the can.

The first part may be freely movable between the open and closed positions. Free movement of the first part facilitates opening and closing of the capping device. The first part is preferably resiliently biased towards a closed position; in such a case, the first part naturally assumes a position in which it performs its function of impeding the entry of foreign bodies into the can. The resilient bias may be provided by a metal spring; alternatively it may be provided by an integral part of the first and/or second parts.

The first and second parts are preferably mounted for pivoting movement relative to one another.

Preferably there is only one axis of pivoting provided between the first and second parts; such an arrangement provides a simple connection between the parts resulting in a simple design for the capping device.

Whilst it is possible for the first and second parts to be connected together by a hinge formed by a thin web that is integral with the first and second parts, it is preferable for the two parts to be made separately, in which case they are preferably snap-fitted together. A hinge pin is preferably formed on one part and a hinge socket on the other part. The hinge pin may be formed on the first part.

Preferably, when the second part is fitted to an upright can, the open position of the first part is a stable position.

The first part preferably includes a cap arranged to fit over substantially the whole of the top of the can.

Preferably the cap is arranged to fit inside a top rim of the can. The cap preferably has a raised central portion surrounded by an outer portion; as an alternative to a raised central portion, the cap may have a series of upwardly projecting portions located around a circular path centred on the centre of the cap and spaced inwardly from the perimeter of the cap; another possibility is to have a raised central portion of smaller diameter from which fins project radially outwardly partway to the periphery of the cap. The raised central portion, the upwardly projecting portions or the fins can provide a location for a can stacked on top of another can to which the capping device is fitted, the raised central portion or the upwardly projecting portions being received within a recess defined in the bottom of the upper can.

Preferably, the uppermost part of the device is defined by the uppermost part of the cap; if no part of the capping device projects beyond the top of the cap, the capping device is less likely to cause an obstruction.

The first part preferably has an actuating lever arranged to project beyond the edge of a can when the device is fitted to a can, the actuating lever being pressable downwardly by a person's finger to move the first part from the closed position to the open position.

The actuating lever is preferably integrally formed with the remainder of the first part and, in the case where the first part is mounted for pivotal movement relative to the second part, the axis of pivoting is preferably provided between the lever and the remainder of the first part. The actuating lever is preferably arranged such that a person grasping a can to which the device is attached can operate the lever with one finger of the hand that is grasping the can.

The present invention also provides the combination of a drinks can, in particular a ring-pull can or a tabpress can, with a capping device as defined above, the second part of the capping device being fitted, preferably removably, to the can.

The combination is preferably arranged such that when viewed in plan the whole of the capping device is contained within a notional square that can be drawn around the can with all four sides of the square tangential to the perimeter of the can. In such a case, where cans are packed side by side in a square grid formation, the inclusion of the capping device fitted to the rim of the can need not reduce the packed density of the cans.

Preferably the combination is arranged such that when the combination is viewed in plan the whole of the capping device is contained within a notional triangle that can be drawn around the can with all three sides of the triangle tangential to the perimeter of the can; an arrangement of this kind enables cans to be packed side by side in a triangular packing formation with the same packing density as if the capping device were not present.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows the capping device in perspective and viewed from above, with the device in an open position; Figure 2 shows the capping device in perspective and viewed from below, with the device in an open position; Figure 3 shows the capping device from the side with the device in the closed position and fitted to a typical ring-pull can; Figure 4 shows the capping device from the side with the device in the open position and fitted to the same ring-pull can; Figure 5 is a perspective view of part of a modified form of device shown in a closed position; Figure 6 is a side view of another modified form of capping device showing the device in a closed position and fitted to a ring-pull can; Figure 7 is a plan view of the device shown in Figure 6;; Figure 8 is a plan view of cans packed together in a square grid packing arrangement; and Figure 9 is a plan view of cans packed together in a triangular grid packing arrangement.

In Figures 3 and 4, the can is shown in thin line to enable it to be distinguished from the capping device assembly which is shown in thick line.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, the capping device generally comprises a first part including a cap 1, an actuating lever 3 and a hinge pin 4, and a second part 2 including a pair of resilient arms 5 which are integral with one another and a pair of mounts 11 having lips 6 and sockets 7 for receiving respective ends of the hinge pin 4 as a snap-fit. The cap 1, lever 3 and hinge pin 4 are formed as one piece, for example by injection moulding of plastics material. Similarly the arms 5 and mounts 11 are formed as one piece, for example by injection moulding of plastics material. The cap 1 is freely pivotable relative to the arms 5.

Before fitting the capping device to a can, the can is opened in the usual manner and the capping device itself is at least partially opened. The arms 5 are then offered up to the top of the can at the thinnest (waisted) position immediately below the top rim of the can and pushed gently in the direction of the arrow 8 until they snap fit onto the can with the arms extending around a major part of the can and the lips 6 sitting on top of the can rim as shown in Figure 4. In the open position of the capping device shown in Figure 4, when the can is upright, the cap is held stably in its open position under the action of gravity.Once this has been accomplished, the cap may be moved into the closed position by the application of slight pressure from the forefinger of the hand holding the can, in the direction of the arrow 9 (Figure 4) and opened by slight pressure on the actuating lever 3 from the same forefinger in the direction of arrow 10 (Figure 3). Thus the cap can easily be flipped between open and closed positions.

In the closed position of the capping device the cap 1 fits snugly inside the top rim of the can as shown in Figure 3 and prevents foreign bodies from reaching the opening in the top of the can. In the open position, shown in Figure 4, the opening in the top of the can is exposed and a person can drink from the can in the same way as if the capping device were not present. Because the cap is freely movable between the open and closed positions by a simple movement of one finger, a person has no difficulty closing the capping device between sips from the can.

Removal of the capping device from the can is readily achieved by opening the capping device and then gently pulling the supporting part 2 away from the can in the opposite direction to the arrow 8.

When used in the manner explained above, and when in the closed position, the device will prevent the type of foreign material previously described from entering the can.

Whilst the capping device will usually be sold separately from the can, it may be sold with an unopened can and in that case may be sold fitted to the unopened can, which may be opened without removing the capping device from the can.

If desired, the capping device may carry advertising material or other print or the like. To facilitate printing on the exterior or interior surfaces of the sides of the cap, they may be of frusto-conical form. It is also possible for the capping device to be embossed.

Figure 5 shows an alternative form of capping device in which parts corresponding to parts shown in Figures 1 to 4 are referenced by the same reference numerals. In the modified arrangement shown in Figure 5, the first part including the cap 1 and the actuating lever 3 is hinged to the second part by integral hinges 4 comprising thin webs of plastics material and the second part 2 is in the form of a clip which, as shown in Figure 5, extends around only a small arcuate part of a can. The first and second parts are biased into a closed position by a spring 14 having a central coil part, one end housed in a groove in the actuating lever 3 and another end (not visible in Figure 5) housed in a similar groove in the bottom face of the clip 2.End faces 20 formed on the second part 2 below the hinges 4 act as limit stops to limit the movement of the first part and define the fully open position of the first part.

The clip 2 is fitted to a can by pressing the clip downwardly on to the rim of the can from above. An arcuate recess 16 of L-shaped cross-section formed in the bottom face of the clip receives thewrim of the can.

Figures 6 and 7 show another form of capping device similar to that shown in Figures 1 to 4, in which parts corresponding to parts shown in Figures l and 2 are referenced by the same reference numerals. The device shown in Figures 6 and 7 differs from the device of Figures 1 to 4 in two principal respects: firstly, in place of the pair of resilient arms 5 for securing the device to a can, the device is provided with a clip of the same general form as that shown in Figure 5. In the case of the device of Figures 6 and 7, the clip 2 extends around an arcuate portion of approximately 90 of the top rim of the can. Secondly, the clip shown in Figures 6 and 7 has a cap 1 formed with a raised central portion 17 surrounded by a flat outer portion 18.When the capping device is fitted to a can and another can is stacked on top of the capping device, the raised central portion 17 is received within the recess typically provided in the base of a can and serves to locate the upper can centrally on top of the lower can. As can be seen in Figure 6 the top of the cap 1 defines the uppermost part of the entire capping device.

Figures 8 and 9 show how cans can be packed at the same packing density regardless of whether or not capping devices of the kind shown in Figures 5 to 7 are fitted to the top of the cans. In Figure 8 cans are shown packed in a square grid formation with sides of the cans in contact with one another. It will be seen that the capping device fits entirely within a notional square drawn in the plan view of Figure 8 with each side of the square tangential to the side wall of the can. Of course to accommodate the capping devices in such a formation they must be appropriately positioned and Figure 8 shows one example of such positions.

Figure 9 is a similar drawing to Figure 8 but shows the cans packed in a denser triangular packing formation.

It can be seen that in this case the capping device fits entirely within a notional equilateral triangle drawn in the plan view of Figure 9 with each side of the triangle tangential to the side wall of the can.

Whilst various specific embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be understood that many other arrangements are possible and that features described specifically in respect of one embodiment may, where appropriate, be applied to another embodiment. For example the spring biasing feature shown in Figure 5 may be employed in the capping device of Figures 6 and 7.

Claims

1. A capping device for removably fitting to a drinks can which, when opened, has an opening in its top, the device including a first part for covering over the opening in the top of the can and a second part for removably fitting to the can, the first part being movably mounted on the second part for movement between a closed position in which it covers over the opening in the top of the can and an open position in which the opening is exposed to allow a person to drink from the can substantially unaffected by the capping device.

2. A capping device according to claim 1, in which the second part is arranged to be fitted to the can in the region of the top rim of the can.

3. A capping device according to claim 2, in which the second part is arranged to be fitted around the outside of the top rim of the can.

4. A capping device according to claim 2 or 3, in which the second part is resiliently deformable and is a snapfit onto the can.

5. A capping device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, in which the second part includes at least one projecting portion which extends over the top of the rim of the can to restrict downward movement of the second part relative to the can.

6. A capping device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, in which the second part includes a pair of arcuate limbs which are arranged to extend around the can more than 180", but less than 360 .

7. A capping device according to claim 5, in which the second part comprises a clip that is arranged to be secured to the top rim of the can.

8. A capping device according to claim 7, in which the clip extends around a small arcuate portion only of the top rim of the can.

9. A capping device according to claim 7 or 8, in which the clip is fitted onto the rim by pressing it downwards onto the rim from above.

10. A capping device according to any one of claims 2 to 9, in which any inward projection of the second part over the top of the can is limited such that, when the second part is correctly fitted to a can, it does not extend over a substantial part of the top of the can.

11. A capping device according to any preceding claim, in which the first part is freely movable between the open and closed positions.

12. A capping device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, in which the first part is resiliently biased towards a closed position.

13. A capping device according to claim 12, in which the resilient bias is provided by a metal spring.

14. A capping device according to claim 12, in which the resilient bias is provided by an integral part of the first and/or second parts.

15. A capping device according to any preceding claim, in which the first and second parts are mounted for pivoting movement relative to one another.

16. A capping device according to claim 15, in which there is only one axis of pivoting provided between the first and second parts.

17. A capping device according to any preceding claim, in which the first and second parts are snap-fitted together.

18. A capping device according to claim 17, in which a hinge pin is formed on one part and a hinge socket on the other part.

19. A capping device according to claim 18, in which the hinge pin is formed on the first part.

20. A capping device according to claim 15 or 16, in which the first and second parts are integrally formed and pivotal movement is provided by a hinge integrally formed with the first and second parts.

21. A capping device according to any preceding claim, in which the first part includes a cap arranged to fit over substantially the whole of the top of the can.

22. A capping device according to claim 21, in which the cap is arranged to fit inside a top rim of the can.

23. A capping device according to claim 21 or 22, in which the cap has a raised central portion surrounded by an outer portion.

24. A capping device according to claim 21 or 22, in which the cap has a series of upwardly projecting portions located around a circular path centred on the centre of the cap and spaced inwardly from the perimeter of the cap.

25. A capping device according to any one of claims 21 to 24, in which the uppermost part of the device is defined by the uppermost part of the cap.

26. A capping device according to any preceding claim, in which the first part has an actuating lever arranged to project beyond the edge of a can when the device is fitted to a can, the actuating lever being pressable downwardly by a person's finger to move the first part from the closed position to the open position.

27. A capping device according to claim 26, in which the actuating lever is integrally formed with the remainder of the first part.

28. A capping device according to claim 26 or 27, in which the actuating lever is arranged such that a person grasping a can to which the device is attached can operate the lever with one finger of the hand that is grasping the can.

29. A capping device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

30. The combination of a drinks can with a capping device according to any preceding claim, the second part of the capping device being removably fitted to the can.

31. The combination according to claim 30, in which the drinks can is a ring-pull can or a tab-press can.

32. The combination according to claim 30 or 31, the arrangement being such that when the combination is viewed in plan the whole of the capping device is contained within a notional square that can be drawn around the can with all four sides of the square tangential to the perimeter of the can.

33. The combination according to any one of claims 30 to 32, the arrangement being such that when the combination is viewed in plan the whole of the capping device is contained within a notional triangle that can be drawn around the can with all three sides of the triangle tangential to the perimeter of the can.