Can with pull lip lever

Abstract

To provide a can lid structure that enables even a user with weak finger strength to surely open a can, in order to smooth the can opening operation and prevent erroneous operation. [Solution] The can lid 2 of the can body 1 is provided with an opening piece 3 defined by scores 32, and a pull lip lever 5 is attached to the opening piece 3 via a rivet 4 so that it can rotate horizontally. A protrusion 6 is provided on the can lid 2, excluding the opening piece 3, within the rotation range of the pull lip lever 5, and by rotating the pull lip lever 5 so that it rides on the protrusion 6, the opening piece 3 is pushed down along the scores 32 using the principle of leverage, forming an opening.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to can containers for beverages and food, and in particular to cans equipped with a pull-lip lever structure that allows the can to be opened with little force. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, the most widely used can lid opening mechanism involves lifting a ring-shaped tab with the fingers and breaking a score (break line) to open the can. However, this mechanism requires the user to use their fingertips to grasp the ring tab, which can be difficult to operate for people with long fingernails, the elderly, and people with disabilities. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 2-135447 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-236475 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a can lid structure that allows even users with weak finger strength to reliably open the can with little force, making the can opening operation smoother and preventing erroneous operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] To solve the above problems, the can of the present invention comprises a can body having a can lid on its top surface, an opening flap defined by scores on the can lid, a pull lip lever attached to the opening flap via a rivet so as to be able to rotate horizontally, and a protrusion located outside the opening flap within the rotation range of the pull lip lever in a plan view of the can lid, which functions as a fulcrum when the lever rides on it. When the pull lip lever is rotated toward the protrusion, the lever rides on the protrusion and becomes the fulcrum, and the opening flap is pushed downward by a lever action with the rivet as the point of application and the rear end of the lever as the point of force, thereby forming an opening.

[0006] Furthermore, the protrusion has an inclined surface whose height gradually increases in the direction of rotation of the lever, allowing the lower surface of the lever to smoothly slide and reach the fulcrum position. Note that the average inclination angle of the inclined surface with respect to the can lid surface is preferably 5 degrees or more and 30 degrees or less.

[0007] The pull lip lever is characterized in that its tip is curved in an arch shape in a direction away from the can lid in a side view of the can lid, so that the tip of the pull lip lever smoothly rides up onto the protrusion during the can opening operation. Also, the pull lip lever is curved in an arch shape toward the outside of the pull lip lever in a plan view of the can lid, so that the pull lip lever can be easily gripped with a finger. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this invention, the pull lip lever rides on a protrusion on the can lid, which functions as a fulcrum, and the opening flap can be easily pushed down along the score by lever action with the rivet as the point of application and the lever operating end as the point of force. This allows the can to be opened with less force than with a conventional ring tab structure.

[0009] In addition, the inclined surface on the protrusion allows the pull lip lever to ride up smoothly and be guided to the appropriate fulcrum position, preventing the lever from getting stuck or generating excessive force. Also, by setting the inclination angle between 5 and 30 degrees, malfunctions and manufacturing difficulties caused by excessive inclination are avoided, achieving stable can opening operation.

[0010] In addition, because the lever is curved in a bow shape when viewed from the side, the tip of the lever naturally abuts on the protrusion and rides up smoothly, ensuring that the protrusion acts as a fulcrum. This also increases the tolerance for the positional accuracy of the protrusion and improves the freedom of product design.

[0011] Furthermore, the lever is curved outward in plan view, making it easy for the fingers to rest naturally on it, eliminating slippage and instability when operating the lever, allowing even elderly people and those with limited dexterity to open the can with confidence. As a result of the above effects, the operability, safety, and adaptability to a variety of users are significantly improved compared to conventional ring-tab cans, making the new container highly applicable in the food and beverage industry as a barrier-free container. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a can lid according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the operation of the present invention and its A-A' cross-sectional view. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A can lid 2 is sealed to the top of a can body 1 shown in Figure 1, and an opening piece 3 defined by a score 32 is formed on the can lid 2. A pull lip lever 5 is attached to the upper surface of the opening piece 3 via a rivet 4 so as to be rotatable horizontally. In a plan view of the can lid 2, a protrusion 6 is formed within the rotation range of the pull lip lever 5 and outside the opening piece 3. The protrusion 6 is located on the outer periphery side of the rivet 4 and has an inclined surface that gradually becomes higher toward the top.

[0014] The operation will be explained using the top view and cross-sectional view of Figure 2. When lever 5 is rotated toward protrusion 6 ((a)(a')), the underside of lever 5 slides along the inclined surface ((b)(b')), and lever 5 passes over the top of protrusion 6, becoming a fulcrum. At this time, because rivet 4 is on the left side of protrusion 6, which serves as a fulcrum, the front end of the lever presses opening piece 3 downward, breaking part of score 32 and forming opening 33 ((c)(c')). Thereafter, lever 5 is pulled up to enlarge opening 33, and the entire opening piece 3 can be cut off if necessary.

[0015] Various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims, such as moving the position of the rivet 4 closer to the outer periphery of the can lid 2 and pushing down the opening piece 3 from the outer periphery, or providing multiple protrusions 6 to open in stages.

[0016] The protrusion 6 also has an inclined surface that gradually increases in height along the rotational direction of the pull lip lever 5. As an example, the tip of the inclined surface protrudes approximately 2 mm from the surface of the can lid 2, and the inclination angle is approximately 15 degrees relative to the can lid surface. The underside of the lever 5 slides while making contact with the inclined surface, smoothly climbing onto the top of the protrusion 6, which functions as a fulcrum. This configuration prevents sudden collisions with the protrusion and further reduces the force required for the can opening operation. Furthermore, by setting the inclination angle in the range of 5 to 30 degrees, the lever can be stably moved to the fulcrum while maintaining flexibility in processing.

[0017] The pull lip lever 5 may also be curved in an arched shape so that its tip lifts off the surface of the can lid 2 in a side view. This curved shape is designed taking into account the overall thickness of the lever and the springiness of the material, and induces a natural depressing motion when operated. In other words, the tip of the curved lever slides along the inclined surface of the protrusion 6, allowing it to smoothly ride up onto the protrusion and reliably achieve the intended fulcrum motion. This ensures a consistent level of operational reproducibility even when the angle and direction at which the user operates the lever varies.

[0018] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the pull lip lever 5 may be curved in an arch shape outward in the rotation direction when viewed from above on the can lid 2. This curved shape is designed to allow the fingertips to fit naturally around the lever, and is particularly useful for users with long fingernails and elderly people with weak grip strength. This curve causes the end of the lever to slightly protrude toward the edge of the can lid, increasing the "finger grip" when the user pulls the lever, improving the reliability and comfort of operation. This structure is beneficial from the perspective of universal design, and its distinctive appearance also provides a secondary benefit of high visibility. [Industrial Applicability]

[0019] The can with the pull lip lever of this invention can be used for a variety of can containers, including beverages, food, and alcoholic beverages. Because the force required to open the can is small, it is particularly useful in places where barrier-free access is required, such as elderly care facilities, hospitals, and school cafeterias. [Explanation of symbols]

[0020] 1 can body 2 can lids 3 Opening piece 4 Rivets 5 Pull Lip Lever 6 Protrusion 32 score 33 Opening

Claims

1. a can body having a can lid on its top surface; an opening piece provided on the can lid and defined by a score; a pull lip lever attached to the upper surface of the opening piece via a rivet so as to be rotatable horizontally relative to the can lid; a protrusion that is disposed on the can lid excluding the opening piece within a rotation range of the pull lip lever in a plan view of the can lid, and that functions as a fulcrum when the pull lip lever rides up on it; By rotating the pull lip lever toward the protrusion, the pull lip lever rides on the protrusion and uses the protrusion as a fulcrum, A can with a pull lip lever, characterized in that at least a part of the opening piece is pushed downward along the score by the action of a lever with the rivet as the point of application and the operating end of the pull lip lever as the point of force, thereby forming an opening in the can lid.

2. 2. The can with a pull lip lever according to claim 1, The protrusion has an inclined surface whose height gradually increases in the direction of rotation of the pull lip lever, The can with a pull lip lever is characterized in that the pull lip lever slides up the inclined surface, thereby smoothly reaching the fulcrum position.

3. 3. The can with a pull lip lever according to claim 2, A can with a pull lip lever, wherein the average inclination angle of the inclined surface is 5 degrees or more and 30 degrees or less with respect to the can lid surface.

4. 2. The can with a pull lip lever according to claim 1, The pull lip lever has a tip end curved in an arch shape in a direction away from the can lid when viewed from the side of the can lid, A can with a pull lip lever, characterized in that the tip of the pull lip lever smoothly rides up onto the protrusion during the can opening operation.

5. A can with a pull lip lever according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A can with a pull lip lever, characterized in that the pull lip lever is curved in an arch shape toward the outside of the pull lip lever when viewed in plan of the can lid, and has a structure that makes it easy to grip the pull lip lever with a finger.

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