End for easy-opening metal containers intended for drinks, which hygienically preserves the contents.

Abstract

End for easy-opening metal containers intended for drinks, which hygienically preserves the contents.

Description

[0001] End for easy-opening metal containers intended for drinks, which hygienically preserves the contents.

[0002] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Technical field

[0004] The present invention falls within the metal packaging sector, in particular, but not necessarily, it concerns metal containers intended for packaging beverages.

[0005] It specifically concerns a end to be applied to the can containing the drink (or any other product for which there is a need) with an opening system that avoids contamination of the product. The invention also extends to a container obtained with the application of this end.

[0006] Background art

[0007] It is necessary to say a few words to describe the current closing systems of metal containers intended for beverages, in particular those which concern the use of a can made up of two pieces, a body and an end, usually in aluminium, and a can made up of three pieces, a body, a bottom and an end. The most commonly used container in the beverage sector is the aluminum can, made up of a body and an end, both made of aluminium. But there are also containers intended for beverages, with much more limited use, made of tinplate, made up of either two pieces (body and end) or three pieces (bottom, body and end). The end, in any case, is of the 'easy opening' type. In the jargon it is called 'Easy Open End' when it comes to beverages, the opening of which is limited to a portion of the end, while 'Full Open End' when it comes to ends intended for food, such as the tuna can, which opens completely. The 'Easy Open End', which from here on we will abbreviate as EOE, has a pull tab which is fixed to the end via a rivet and includes a panel with an engraved part called a tear panel, which allows the end to be opened to release the contents. The consumer, lifting the tab with a finger and using the rivet as a fulcrum, pushes the final part of the tab onto an area of the tear panel which gives way to the pressure, in the jargon it breaks through, and bends towards the inside of the container. End for easy-opening metal containers intended for drinks, which hygienically preserves the contents.

[0008] All the ends of metal containers for drinks on the market have this functioning. They may vary in design, e.g. have a more oval or more squared tab, a more teardrop or more oval tear panel, the rivet that keeps the tab off-center with respect to the center of the end, but these are variants that do not change the type of opening; the common denominator is that of having a part of the end which, from the contaminated outside, is pushed towards the inside in contact with the drink.

[0009] The Full Open type end, however, is always equipped with a tab fixed to the end with a rivet but the engraved area, the tear panel, includes the entire perimeter of the end so lifting the tab with a finger causes a break on a point of the incision and then pulling it from the opposite side (inserting the finger into the ring-shaped part of the tab) achieves total opening.

[0010] One of the largest manufacturers of metal containers, including two-piece aluminum cans for beverages, Crown Cork, shows on its website, among other products, the types of ends in production for beverage containers: https: / / www.crowncork.com / beveraqe-packaqinq / products / beveraqe-ends . The Super End®, for example, is a end designed to reduce the consumption of raw materials but it is a traditional type end, i.e. composed of a tear panel which is pushed towards the inside of the container and which inevitably comes into contact with the drink.

[0011] Or the Ring'-P ul I End, one of the first ends marketed for beverage cans, which is still produced in some markets, but which, although it does not present the problem of the tear panel that enters inside the container, presents that of the tab that detaches completely from the end together with the tear panel and creates environmental pollution problems as well as the danger that animals and children may injure themselves by coming into contact with it; as well as the 360 End®, an end designed for drinks such as beer which has a total opening and therefore also detaches from the can with the consequence of double rejection and the possibility of being injured near the completely End for easy-opening metal containers intended for drinks, which hygienically preserves the contents.

[0012] 'uncovered' sharp opening compared to a traditional facilitated opening, much smaller. Finally, the Global Vent™ and the Large Opening are two types of ends that always have the breakout of the tear panel inside, beyond the benefits sponsored by the manufacturer, the first makes the contents flow better and the second lets more of it come out .

[0013] It should be added that Crown Cork itself, with publication no. W02010 / 135166 A1 , has obtained the granting of a patent for various types of ends for beverage cans of the 'resealable' type, providing, among others, the application of the resealable also on the Super End® end produced by itself, for which always presents the problem of the tear panel entering the container, beyond the observation that this 'resealable' end application is not present on the site among the range of ends currently produced by the Company.

[0014] Another important manufacturer such as Ball Packaging presents traditional ends on its website https: / / www.ball.com / packaQinQ / beverage-ends-tabs , as well as, subsequently, Can Pack https: / / www.canpack.com / capabilities / beveraqe-cans / , Ardagh Metal Packaging https: / / samplestore.ardaqhmetalpackaqinq.com / collections / specialties-ends and Visy https: / / www.visy.com / products / beveraqe-can / capabilities-and- formats ; an informative note, just for completeness, on the Orora https: / / www.ororabeveraqe.com / products / cans which promotes on the site a type of 'resealable' end which shows a plastic application on an aluminum end and which does not there is a way to find out whether or not the breakout occurs inside part of the end, and in any case a solution that has not currently been observed on the market.

[0015] Regarding, however, patents granted on closure systems that do not contaminate the drink, relating to metal containers for beverages, we mention the recently granted patent with publication number WO2023209743A1 (this End for easy-opening metal containers intended for drinks, which hygienically preserves the contents. is an original Italian patent with publication number 102022000008267 of 2024). It concerns an opening system which includes a tab made with an underlying hook, or even the version with a separate hook, which by lifting it pulls the tear panel (i.e. the engraved part of the end) upwards, on which it is was placed as a slot into which the hook enters, and which then keeps it vertical. This system presents two critical issues. The first is the force to be exerted to 'puli' the tear panel and allow it to detach from the rest of the end; the part of the end that constitutes the tear panel is delimited by an incision which requires very precise characteristics in order to obtain the hermetic closure of the container and at the same time be able to detach this panel from the rest of the end. The metal end, both Full Open and Easy Open, which has been commercialized on a large scale is, at the moment, only the 'breakthrough' one due to the certainty of breakage at a point on the tear panel or at a point on the incision , which then guarantees detachment by 'pulling'. Therefore, the certainty of breakage through a system which involves as the first operation a pull by leveraging the fixing point of the tab to the end could lead to a frequent failure in opening the container, or in any case a difficulty for the user who will have to exercise greater strength compared to traditional openings. The second critical issue is given by the increase in material for the construction of the end, having to provide a hook under the tab or even a separate hook. And finally, the difficult commercial acceptance of the system could constitute the greatest disadvantage.

[0016] Similar to the previous invention, patent JPH0671424U from 1994 is cited, which still includes a hook for pulling the tear panel but which uses the edge of the end seamed to the can to lever the pull and cause breakage. The considerations are the same for the previous patent, in addition to the fact that this invention has not achieved commercial acceptance.

[0017] We also mention patent FR2675467A1 of 1992 which provides for a breakthrough opening, with the tear panel which is pulled, again using a tab applied End for easy-opening metal containers intended for drinks, which hygienically preserves the contents. with a rivet on the end, outwards and folded onto the end and then held in this position by hooking the tab to the edge of the container through a hook located under the tab. It overcomes the problem of the force applied due to the use of the 'breakthrough' system, but always presents the criticality of the greater consumption of material and in addition the difficult possibility of hooking to the edge of the container which, as is well known to those employed in the sector , is rounded and does not allow hooking. And finally this invention also did not gain commercial acceptance.

[0018] And for completeness, we cite the utility model ES1250075U of 2020, in which the inventor has designed an end with a 'breakthrough' system which, after causing breakage at a point of the incision by lifting the tab always applied to the end with a rivet, the same tab is pulled upwards, taking with it the tear panel, which remains vertical. This system presents an important critical issue: the tear panel remains exposed along its entire length, which the inventor also lengthened to allow better air escape during consumption of the drink, with the danger for the user of injuring himself by handling the container, since the tear panel is sharp along the entire perimeter, and at the same time the area of the end that the user brings closer to the mouth is greater with an increase in the risk of cuts during consumption itself. It has not yet achieved commercial acceptance.

[0019] The overview regarding the closure systems currently in use on the market of metal containers for beverages shows that the problem of content contamination has not been effectively resolved to date.

[0020] Some attempts have only been made through the application of a plastic cover on the end, which is not within our scope and which has not found large- scale commercial acceptance.

[0021] Disclosure of invention

[0022] In light of all of the above, the need therefore arises for a end for metal beverage containers, now widely used (think of the annual global production End for easy-opening metal containers intended for drinks, which hygienically preserves the contents. of around 230 billion beverage cans, info of 2023) which does not contaminate the contents at the time of opening.

[0023] The main purpose of the present invention is to propose an end to be applied to metal containers for beverages which does not compromise the integrity of the contents, avoiding contamination with an opening which does not provide for the entry of a part of the end, exposed externally to polluting agents, in the container and at the same time reduce the possibility of injuring oneself with the sharp parts both during opening and during handling of the open container and during the consumption of the drink.

[0024] Brief description of drawings

[0025] For an easier understanding of the present invention, the following drawings are attached, purely by way of example, but not by way of limitation, in which:

[0026] - Figure 1 : shows an end (A) consisting of a central panel (B) on which an incision is made (C) which delimits a tear panel (D) on which a tab (E) fixed to the tear panel (D) is applied using a rivet (F) so that the final part of the tab (E) is positioned in correspondence with the incision (C) near the part that is towards the outside of the end (A), with a rib (G) with a convex section, created in the part of the tear panel (D) close to the rivet (F) towards the inside of the end and a rib (H) with a concave section, created at the end of the tear panel (D) , in the area not affected by the incision (C) but which constitutes the area in which the tear panel (D) remains connected to the central panel (B) and a rib (I) with a concave section created around the entire perimeter of the incision (C) whose central area includes the same incision (C);

[0027] - Figure 2: shows the end (A) of figure 1 in the phase in which the user pulls the tab (E) which breaks through the extreme part towards the outside of the tear panel (D) acting on the incision line (C) without it coming into contact with the content (L) of the container (M); End for easy-opening metal containers intended for drinks, which hygienically preserves the contents.

[0028] - Figure 3: shows the end (A) of Figure 1 in the phase in which, after the user has pulled the tab (E) as in Figure 2, he continues to pull it upwards causing the panel to completely detach tear (D) which is now completely outside the container (M) in a vertical position, thus opening the end (A);

[0029] - Figures 4 and 5: shows the end (A) of figure 1 in the phase in which, after the actions shown in figures 2 and 3, the user pushes the tab (E) downwards obtaining a folding of the tear panel (D) as a semi-S, an operation favored by the presence of the rib (G) and rib (H), which is pressed, together with the tab, on the part of the central panel (B) not affected by the opening.

[0030] - Figure 6: shows the end (A) of figure 1 in the phase in which, after the actions shown in figures 2, 3, 4 and 5, the user brings the container (M) to his lips (N) without the panel (D), which is located under the tab (E), comes into contact with any part of the face (0) and shows how the rib (I) ensures that the lips (N) cannot be easily injured during the of consumption of the contents (L).

[0031] List of reference letters:

[0032] A = End

[0033] B = Central panel

[0034] C = Incision

[0035] D = Tear panel

[0036] E = Tab

[0037] F = Rivet

[0038] G = Convex section rib (rivet area)

[0039] H = Concave section rib '•s (central area)

[0040] I = Concave section rib (incision area)

[0041] L = Content

[0042] M = Container End for easy-opening metal containers intended for drinks, which hygienically preserves the contents.

[0043] N = Lips

[0044] 0= Face

[0045] Best mode for carrying out the invention

[0046] The end of the present invention is made starting from a metal panel, on which an incision is made to delimit an area to be tom which will allow a partial opening of the end, on which a tab is applied with a rivet, made by a specially folded and shaped metal strip; ribs are then formed on the panel to facilitate the operations, as described in the figures above.

[0047] Industrial applicability

[0048] With the present invention, therefore, it is possible to obtain a container for drinks which does not upset the current industrial production system of said containers because it can be applied to the can bodies currently marketed, and which, although presenting a novel character compared to the current ends marketed, can be achieved through an already tested industrialization system for the production of ends for said containers and does not involve an increase in material consumption. In addition to solving the problem of contamination, it reduces the possibility of injury both during handling and consumption.

[0049] It is understood that the above has been described by way of example and not by way of limitation, therefore any variations in construction are understood to fall within the protective scope of the present technical solution, as described above and claimed below.

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on 9 December 2025 (09.12.2025)Claims

1. End for metal container (A), consists of a central panel (B) on which an incision is made (C) which delimits a tear panel (D) on which a tab (E) fixed to the tear panel (D) is applied using a rivet (F) so that the final part of the tab (E) is positioned in correspondence with the incision (C) near the part that is towards the outside of the end (A), characterized by the fact that said end(A) has a rib (G) with a convex section, created in the part of the tear panel (D) close to the rivet (F) towards the inside (that is, towards the center) of the end and a rib (H) with a concave section, created at the end of the tear panel (D) , in the area not affected by the incision (C) but which constitutes the area in which the tear panel (D) remains connected to the central panel(B) and a rib (I) with a concave section created around the entire perimeter of the incision (C) whose central area includes the same incision (C);

2. Container, characterized in that it includes the lid referred to in claim 1).

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