US1619411A - Sealed metal container - Google Patents

Description

March 1 1927.

H. A. FINK SEALED MET'AL CONTAINER Filed Aug. 16, 1923 Patented Mar. 1, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. FINK, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T CONTINENTAL CAN COM- PANY, INC., 0F SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SEALED METAL CONTAINER.

Application filed August 16, 1923. Serial N'o. 657,725.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in sealed metal containers, and more particularly to a metal container which may be readily opened by breaking i the sealing means therefor.

An object of the invention is to provide a container of the above type wherein a flange on one of the closing ends and a flange on the body portion of the container are held in sealed contact, one with the other, by an endless integral sealing ring which overlies the flange on the container end and extends around underneath the flange on the body portion of the container, which sealing ring is provided with an integral inwardly extending breaking member, which breaking member is provided with means to receive an implement adapted to rest and turn on the shouldered edge of o the container as a fulcrum for raising said breaking member and thus straining the metal of the sealing ring in line with the side edges of the breaking member for rupturing the sealing ring and releasing the end :5 from the container body.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sealing ring having a breaking member for the purpose above described, wherein said breaking member has an opening extending therethrough back from the edges of the breaking member so that the pry on the metal through the implement extending through the opening will cause the ring to be ruptured in line with the side edges of the breaking member, rather than from the opening to the margin of the breaking member.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means for starting the rupturing of the sealing ring along lines extending across the same and in line with the side edges of the breaking member.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings, which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention:-

Figure 1 is a plan view of an end of a container embodying the improvements;

Fig. 2 is a similar View, but showing the implement for opening the container inserted in the opening in the breaking strip prearatory to the turning of said breaking strip for the rupturing of the integral ring;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on the line XX of Fig. 2; V

Fig. 4 is a similar view on theline 4-4, but showing the breaking strip lifted a sufficient distance to have ruptured the metal in the sealing ring extending along the inner vertical wall of the depression in the container end; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing the breaking member raised to a point where the metal extending across the flange of the container end has been ruptured.

The invention is directed broadly to a metal container which is preferably cylindrical and wherein the body portion is provided with an outwardly extending flange. One end of said container body is closed by an end having a central depression which is adapted to frictionally engage the inner surface of the wall of the container body and a flange which is ada ted to overlie the flange on the container ody.

The end is held on the container body by an endless integral sealing ring which is formed with an imperforate portion overlying the flange on the end and an imperforate portion extending around underneath the flange on the can body. This ring, when placed on the container, draws the end into sealed contact with the container body. The ring has an integral inwardly extending breaking member at its inner edge. Said breaking member is formed with a hole therethrough which is set back some distance from the edge of the breaking member. This hole through the breaking member is so disposed that an implement, such as a knife, fork or even a lead pencil, can be forced through the opening and, while resting on the shouldered edge of the container, used for prying up the breaking member and for causing said breaking member to operate as a lever which is, in effect, a part of the opening tool, which lever will rupture the metal in line with the side edges of the breaking member. This causes the integral ring to be ruptured and release said ring from the container, after which the end may be removed; This end frictionally engages the container body and can, of course, be readily applied as a cover to the container body for re-closing the same.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the improved metal container consists of a body portion 1 having a flange 2 at the end thereof. One end of the container is closed by means of an end 3 which is formed with a central depression, which provides a vertical wall 4 adapted to frictionally engage the inside wall of the container. Said end also has a flange 5 which overlies the flange on the container body. Between the two flanges 2 and 5, I prefer to apply a sealing material, or a gasket, or some suitable means for aiding in sealing the container when the end is applied thereto. The sealing material has been indicated in the drawings by the heavy line 5.

The end is secured to the container body by means of an endless integral sealing ring 6. Said sealing ring 6 is provided with an imperforate portion 7 which lies directly above the flange on the end and a portion 8 which extends over into the depression in the end. As shown in the drawings, I have bent this portion 8 of the sealing ring downwardly so as to fit the vertical wall 4 and thence inwardly as at 9. It will be understood, of course, that these parts extending over the depression may be otherwise shaped.

The sealing ring is preferably provided with a downwardly extending portion 10 before the ring is placed upon the container. The end is seated in the container, the sealing ring placed thereon, and then the lower portion of the depending part 10 is forced underneath the flange on the body of the container, as indicated at 11. This is preferably done by a spinning tool which will cause this portion 11 to conform to the under surface of the flange on the container body throughout its entire circular extent.

It is ditficult to hold two pieces of metal in sealed contact, by the bending or folding of a metal part about the same, even when sealing material is placed between the contacting parts. By using an endless integral sealin ring having an imperforate portion place about the flanges as above described, I am able to secure sufiicient pressure at all points between the contacting faces as to produce a tight seal which will stand up under vacuum or pressure.

As a means for opening the can, I have provided a breaking member which is so constructed and arranged that by a suitable prying and leverage action, said strip may be torn across. As shown in the drawings, this means consists of a breaking member 12 which is formed integral with the inner edge of the sealing ring. Said breaking member, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is of considerable width and extends to a certain distance toward the center of the can. Said breaking member is provided with an opening therethrough as indicated at 13. This opening, as shown, is elongated, although it may be otherwise shaped. I have shown it elongated so that a knife or fork can be infar to permit of the easy raising of the breaking member and, in a sense, to insure the starting of the rupturing of the metal of the sealing ring along the line of the side edges of the breaking member.

In order to open the can, the implement is put through the opening in the breaking member, and it is lifted as indicated in Fig. 3 until the implement is well through the opening so that it will not slip out. The implement is then laid against the shouldered edgeof the container which operates as a rest and fulcrum for the prying up of the breaking member. The opening implement is indicated at 17 in the drawings, and, as shown, is in the form of a knife. As the opening implement is forced 'down, it turns on the shouldered part of the container as a fulcrum and, in a sense, becomes an extension of the breaking member, forming of said breaking member a lever. As the openin implement is forced down to the position s iown in Fig. 4, it will be noted that the metal in the portion 8 of the sealing ring is torn across in line with the side edges of the breaking member.

Referring .to Fig. 4, the metal of the sealin ring was cut from the point a to the point I), and the turning down on the opening implement has torn or ruptured the metal from the point 6 to the point a. A further bending down on the opening implement will cause the metal to be torn or in tured from the point a to the point (1. T e

metal is now so far torn across in the sealing;

ring, that a slight turning of the breaking member by the implement 17 willcause it to rupture the rest of the way across, and the portion of the sealing rin lying between the side edges of the breaking member will be torn out. After this much of the sealing ring has been torn out, the sealing ring can be removed from the container and the end easily pried oil. The end can be applied as a friction top cover to reclose *the container.

One of the essential features of my invention, is the integral breaking member which is so formed and disposed that an implement may be attached thereto which will turn 'said breaking member into a lever for rupturing the metal in line with the side edges of the breaking member. I believe it is also desirengages the inwardly extending flange 9 at the lower edge of the vertical wall on the sealing ring, and this holds the sealing ring firmly in place, while it is drawn around the flanges and the flanges drawn into tight sealingcontact.

While I have described the invention as' applied to the closing of one end of a cylindrical can body during the manufacture of the container, it will be understood that from certain aspects of the invention its sealing end could be applied by the packer. Furthermore, it is also to be understood that this sealed closure end may not necessarily be applied to the open end of the can body, but may be used in connection with the closing of any flanged opening'of a metal contamer. v

It is also obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention a set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:-

A sealed metal container comprising a body portion having an outwardly extending flange, an end havmg a centrally dispose portion adapted to extend into and frictionally engage the inner surface of the Wall of the container body, a flange overlying the flange on the body portion,an endless sealing ring having an imperforate portion overlyingthe. end flange, said sealing ring having a vertical wall at its. inner edge extending into the central depression in the end, a substantially horizontal inwardly projectingportion at the lower end of said vertical wall, an integral breaking member extending inwardly from said hprizontal'portion at the lower edge of the vertical wall, said horizontal portion of the sealing ring at the lower edge of the vertical wall being formed with slits in line with the side edges of the breaking member, said breaking member having means whereby the same may be raised and pried upon for breaking the sealing ring, said sealing ring having an imperforate portion extending down over the edges of the two flanges and underneath the flange on the bodv portion of the container,

said portion of the sealing ring beneath the body flange being shaped vertically and horizontally to conform to the under surface of said flange whereby said sealing ring may be applied to the container and bumped into close contact with the flanges thereof, so that said container may be tightly sealed, said flanges having a sealing material (placed therebetween prior to the. applying of the sealing ring to the container.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

HENRY A. FINK.

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