Angled Beverage Can End for Nose Clearance While Drinking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional beverage cans cause discomfort during drinking due to the flat can end contacting the user's nose and require awkward tilting, leading to spillage and health strain, with existing solutions being inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
An angled can end with a descending disk from the rim, featuring a tab and lid, allowing comfortable drinking without nose contact and reducing spillage by enabling optimal tilting angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a flat can end is used, then manufacturing is simple and cost-effective, but user comfort deteriorates due to nose contact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an angled surface that slopes downward from the rim toward the center, transforming the flat two-dimensional can end into a three-dimensional angled structure. This dimensional change creates spatial clearance between the can end and the user's nose while maintaining manufacturing efficiency through a single integrated forming process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the geometric parameters of the can end by introducing a specific angle (alpha) between the angled surface and the horizontal plane. This parameter change optimizes the clearance space for nose accommodation while preserving the simplicity of manufacturing through standardized angular formulations.
2Productivity
If a cylindrical can shape is used, then storage and distribution efficiency is improved, but drinking comfort deteriorates due to inability to tilt at optimal angle
Solution Approach 1:
The angled surface extends the functional geometry of the can end into a third dimension, creating a sloped drinking surface that enables optimal tilting angles. This maintains the cylindrical body for storage efficiency while adding angular geometry at the end for improved drinking ergonomics.
3Ease of operation
If plastic or rubber attachments are added to create buffer, then user comfort is improved, but production cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the angled comfort-enhancing surface directly into the metal can end structure, merging the protective buffer function with the structural can end itself. This eliminates the need for separate plastic or rubber attachments, reducing both component count and assembly complexity while maintaining comfort benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent achieves the buffer effect through geometric parameter optimization - specifically the angle and dimensions of the angled surface - rather than through material substitution. This parametric approach provides nose clearance and comfort while maintaining the simplicity of the metal can structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A can end comprising an angled disk that descends from the rim of a beverage can, into the cavity of the beverage can at an angle. The can end comprises an angle of preferably 15-degrees to allow for a user to comfortably drink from the beverage can without the angled disk of the can end, touching the nose of the user. The can end includes a tab, a rivet, and a lid wherein a normal force applied to the tab will punch out the lid to reveal an opening wherein liquid may exit through the can end.