Food can side covers
The side cover for canned food, featuring a flat rubber belt with varying widths, addresses the issue of visible side labels by concealing the sides of the canned food, thereby improving privacy and comfort during consumption.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2025000650U
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Utility models
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-28
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-28
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-02-28
AI Technical Summary
When consuming canned food on the go, the side labels containing information such as ingredients and nutritional content are visible, leading to concerns about privacy and discomfort due to the visibility of eating habits.
A side cover for canned food is designed using a flat rubber belt with sections of different widths, where the narrower section is inserted into a sleeve of the wider section, and the belt is sewn to form a ring, providing a compressive grip around the sides of the canned food.
The side cover effectively conceals the sides of canned food, enhancing privacy and comfort while eating, allowing individuals to enjoy their meals without the stigma of visible food labels.
Smart Images
Figure 0003251116000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a side cover for a food can for concealing the display on the side of the food can.
[0002] Canned food can be stored for a long time because the food is packed into a can, sealed, and then sterilized by heat. This makes it possible to stockpile it as a preserved food, but it can also be eaten as a side dish at the regular dinner table because it does not require cooking at home.
[0003] Food cans have a pull tab on the top lid, so the lid can be easily removed by hand. This makes them suitable for use as a packed lunch or when on the go, such as for hiking. Many canned foods contain seafood such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, saury, and scallops, but they also contain meat such as yakitori, making them popular for on-the-go use, for example as a snack to go with alcohol during cherry blossom viewing parties.
[0004] However, in addition to a picture of the food, the sides of canned food are labeled with information stipulated by the Food Labeling Act, such as the names of ingredients, content, manufacturer, and nutritional content. Therefore, when eating canned food outside, people worry about being seen by others, and they also feel a kind of guilt about sticking chopsticks into the can and picking up the food to eat, which makes it difficult to enjoy their meal. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a means for hiding the sides of a can of food when the food in the can is being eaten. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] The above problem is solved by a side cover for a food can comprising a fabric band and flat rubber band which constitute a sleeve, the fabric band having sections with different width dimensions, a first section with a smaller width of the band being inserted into a sleeve of a second section with a larger width dimension, the flat rubber band being within the sleeve and sewn to the fabric band at a specific position of the first section, and a ring being formed by sewing together portions near the front and rear ends of the flat rubber band, and the compressive force of the flat rubber band gripping the side of the food can.
[0007] The side cover may also be a side cover for a food can that includes a cylindrical body having an outer surface and an inner surface, characterized in that a protrusion is provided at one open end of the cylindrical body extending in a normal direction from the inner surface.
[0008] The side cover for a food can may also be formed of a band in an annular shape, the band being deformable and contractible. Effect of the Invention
[0009] This invention allows the sides of the food can to be hidden when the food in the can is eaten. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a side cover 1 for a food can according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a procedure for making the fabric strip 22 that constitutes the side cover 1 of the food can. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a procedure for producing the side cover 1 for a food can. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a side cover 2 of a food can according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an example of a food can that is the subject of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0011] Fig. 1 shows a side cover 1 for a food can according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 shows how to make a fabric strip 22 (hereinafter simply referred to as "strip 22") that constitutes the sleeve 117 of the side cover 1 for a food can.
[0012] Fig. 2(a) shows a piece of cloth 11 which is the material of strip 22. The material of cloth 11 is preferably cotton, but nylon, polyester, or a blend of these with cotton may also be used. The dimensions of cloth 11 are determined according to the dimensions of food can 500 (Fig. 4). Length L should be about 1.5 times the overall circumference of side 511 (Fig. 4) of food can 500, and width B should be about twice the height H of food can 500. Strict dimensional control is not required.
[0013] The shapes and dimensions of food cans are stipulated by the Japanese Industrial Standard JIS Z157, but the types of cans seen in retail stores are round (1), round (2), oval, and rectangular, as shown in Figure 5 (Figures 5(a) to 5(d). For convenience, these will be called "A can," "B can," "C can," and "D can," respectively.) Depending on the shape of the top lid 501 (Figure 4), cans can be seen. Note that the food cans 500 covered by this invention have top lids 501 that are full-open lids or stay-on-tab lids.
[0014] The overall circumference of side surface 511 of cans A, B, C, and D is in the range of approximately 230 to 300 mm. Similarly, the height H of food can 500 is 39 for can A, and 27 for the others.
[0015] 2(b) to 2(d) show the procedure for making a strip 22 from the piece of cloth 11. First, the front end 111 and the rear end 112 of the piece of cloth 11 are folded back by about 10 mm from the front surface 115 to the back surface 116, and stitching S1 and S2 is performed (FIG. 2(b)).
[0016] Next, the piece of cloth 11 is folded in two so that the back surface 116 is in contact with the top end 113 and the bottom end 114 in a line, and stitches S3 and S4 are applied. The stitch S3 is applied from the front end 221 of the strip 22 to the interruption point i1, and the stitch S4 is applied from the rear end 222 of the strip 22 to the interruption point i2. In this case, the dimension B111 between the stitch S3 and the fold-back line 118 of the piece of cloth 11 is made about 5 mm smaller than the dimension B112 between the stitch S4 and the fold-back line 118 (FIG. 2(c)). Then, the strip 22 is divided into a first section 22a from the interruption point i1 to the front end 221, a third section 22c from the interruption point i2 to the rear end 222, and a second section 22b from the interruption point i1 to the interruption point i2, depending on the difference in the stitching positions. The second section 22b has an opening e.
[0017] Next, the back surface 116 of the band 22 in Fig. 2(c) is taken out from the opening e, and the entire band 22 is turned inside out so that the back surface 116 of the band 22 in Fig. 2(c) is the front surface. After that, stitching S5 is applied to the opening e. As a result, the first section 22a of the band 22 has a width B111 smaller than the width B112 of the third section 22c, and the second section 22b has a width that increases linearly from B111 to B112 from the interruption point i1 to the interruption point i2. As a result, the band 22 has a sleeve 117 that penetrates from the front end 221 to the rear end 222, and the first section 22a and the third section 22c of the band 22 can be nested within each other.
[0018] Fig. 3 shows a method for producing the side cover 1 for food cans according to the first embodiment of the present invention. First, the flat elastic 12 is inserted into the sleeve 117 from the rear end 222 of the band 22, and the tip 121 is taken out of the band 22 from the front end 221, and the band 22 is sewn widthwise at the front end 221a (Fig. 3(a)). The flat elastic 12 may be a commercially available rubber belt used for waistbands for skirts or trousers.
[0019] The flat elastic band 12 is fixed near the rear end 122 with the right hand, and the band 22 is pinched near the rear end 222a with the left hand, and the rear end 222 is moved toward the front end 221. This forms wrinkles in the band 22, reducing the distance between the front end 221 and the rear end 222 (FIG. 3(b)).
[0020] Using both hands, make a ring of flat elastic 12, face the front end 121 to the rear end 122, overlap the front end vicinity 121a and the rear end vicinity 122a, and sew widthwise S7 (Figure 3(c). The left and right hands are omitted).
[0021] The stitching S7 is performed at a position where, when the band 22 has its first section 22a inserted into the sleeve 117 of the third section 22c, the compressive force of the flat rubber band 12 forming the ring, i.e., the force of the flat rubber band 12 stretched by being pulled back into its original shape, can grip the side 511 of the food can 500 (Figure 3(d). The food can is not shown).
[0022] According to the first embodiment, the first section of the band 22 is inserted into the sleeve of the third section and can slide within the sleeve 117 due to the contraction of the flat rubber 12, so that the sides of various food cans can be hidden by the band 22.
[0023] Although the above describes a method for manually producing the side cover 1 for a food can, industrial production also falls within the scope of the present invention.
[0024] Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a side cover 2 for a food can according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4(a) shows a cylindrical body 31 having an outer surface 311 and an inner surface 312, and at one open end 31b, a protrusion 32 extending in the normal direction from the inner surface 312. Note that it is sufficient that a tip 321 of the protrusion 32 is inside the outline 510a of the bottom surface 510 of the food can 500.
[0025] The material for the side cover 2 of the food can is preferably a thermoplastic resin that can be mass-produced, but any material that is hard enough to maintain its shape may be used.
[0026] FIG. 4(b) shows the food can side cover 2 when the projections 32 are extended until they merge with each other.
[0027] 4(a) and 4(b), the cross-sectional shape of inner surface 312 of cylinder 31 is made to match the contour shape of side surface 511 of food can 500. In this case, the fit tolerance according to Japanese Industrial Standard JIS B0401, when considering side cover 2 of the food can as a hole and food can 500 as an axis, is preferably a transition fit when the material of side cover 2 of the food can is relatively soft such as polypropylene, and a clearance fit when the material is hard such as plastic.
[0028] The side cover 2 for food cans according to the second embodiment of the present invention is easy to mass-produce and can hide the side 511 of food cans 500 having top lids 501 of all kinds of shapes.
[0029] In a third embodiment of the present invention, the band may be formed into a ring shape using a deformable and shrinkable material, such as a synthetic resin sheet such as silicone rubber, or a woven fabric made of threads of cotton, nylon, or other fibers.
[0030] The food cover 3 (not shown) of the third embodiment of the present invention can be produced at a relatively low cost. [Explanation of symbols]
[0031] 1, 2: Side cover of food can, 11: Piece of cloth, 12: Flat rubber, 22: Strip, 31: Cylinder, S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7: Stitching, 500: Food can
Claims
1. A fabric strip constituting a sleeve; A flat rubber band, The fabric band has sections with different widths, a first section with a smaller width of the band is inserted into a sleeve of a second section with a larger width, the flat rubber is in the sleeve and sewn to the fabric band at a specific position of the first section, and a ring is formed by sewing together the front and rear ends of the flat rubber, and the compression force of the flat rubber grips the side of the food can. Side cover for food cans.
2. 1. A side cover for a food can comprising a barrel having an outer surface and an inner surface, A protrusion is provided at one open end of the cylindrical body, the protrusion extending in a normal direction from the inner surface. Side cover for food cans.
3. A side cover for a food can having a band formed into a ring shape, The band is characterized in that it is deformable and contractible. Side cover for food cans.