Redesigned Pull Tab Systems

Description

RELATED PATENT APPLICATION AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This utility application claims the benefit and priority of provisional patent application of 63/452,397 filed on Mar. 15, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated by reference as if restated herein.

COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK NOTICE

This application includes material which is subject or may be subject to copyright and/or trademark protection. The copyright and trademark owner(s) has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by any of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright and trademark rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The invention generally relates to opening systems for canned goods. More particularly, the invention relates to the use of new designs, spatial relationships and other features to make pull tabs easier and safer to use.

(2) Description of the Related Art

Published patent application US2005/0258175 A1 by Robertson, published on Nov. 24, 2005 discloses a football shaped pull tab apparatus. The Robertson system fails to offer spacing between the top of can and a pull tab. Moreover, Robertson presents an unwieldly system that is difficult to manufacture and awkward to use.

U.S. Pat. D474,967 by Kancko issued on May 27, 2003 presents a heart shaped tab, but fails to provide any spacing between the tab and can and also fails to provide curvature or pocket point for a finger to tool to raise the tab.

U.S. Pat. D620,796 issued on Aug. 3, 2010 to McEldowney et al fails to provide a raised lip section to comport with a finger or tool to be used to lift the tab.

U.S. utility Pat. No. 8,695,235 B2 issued to Schorre on Apr. 15, 2014 presents a wing shaped beverage pull tab that is wide enough to accommodate advertisements and not be a choking hazard. Unfortunately, the Schorre tab is planar and is disposed flat upon the can top, giving little room for a finger to lift the tab. Moreover, the size of the Schorre tab leaves little room for a finger or tool to fit between the tab and raised perimeter edges of the can.

Published Patent Application US 2006/0196875 A1 by Cherian, published on Sep. 7, 2006 discloses a pull tab system with a slightly angled edge and with an indentation in the top of the can. Such indentations or redesigns of a can top present an unrealistic redesigning and retooling of existing manufacturing facilities and thus will not be implemented.

The need in the art is acute. For example, various specialized tools or implements are sometimes used to lever a pull top. These present extra storage and expense challenges and are not integrated into the native pull tab. Examples of such indirect measures are found in:

Container Opener U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,223 issued on Feb. 15, 1983 by Miller; Can Top Opener U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,446 issued on Apr. 28, 1987 to Soltis; and Beauty Nail Saver Pop Tab Opener U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,118 issued on Apr. 24, 2001 to Pacheco et al. Then non-patent literature for pull tab accessory tools include 2 Pieces Easy Open Ring Pull Can Opener Easy Grip Opener Ring-Pull Helper for Ring Pull Tab Cans Tins Bottles from the Mudder Store, sometimes sold on Amazon and the Can Tab Pull by Niles Bottle Stoppers sometimes called the Niles Tab Pull.

Thus, prior attempts to overcome shortfalls in the related art have been unsuccessful. The current state of the art fails to provide pull tab systems that provide an improved purchase or grip or finger space to open a can. The current state of the art results in broken fingernails and bruised fingertips. The disabled are especially burdened by current pull tab systems. Thus, there is an urgent need in the art for the disclosed improvements and embodiments presented herein.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes shortfalls in the related art by presenting an unobvious and unique combination, configuration and use of new raised tabs, vector forces, spatial relationships and other features to make pull tabs easier and safer to use while not unduly disrupting current manufacturing systems.

Moreover, the disclosed embodiments include raised tabs with center apex curvatures or angles so as to provide adequate finger access without having tab sides that are unduly raised. The disclosed embodiments keep tab sides angled downwardly to avoid being a snag hazard to clothing or a cutting hazard to people.

Disclosed embodiments include the novel use of upper apex curve systems (A) with lateral and downward legs (AB) and (AC) with lower curve systems (B) and (C) with the lower curved systems or lower ends sometimes raised above the surface (S) of the can top. For a typical 12 oz can, lower legs (AB) and (AC) may be angled in the range of 15 to 50 degrees wherein A is the center or angle BAC. The distance between the upper apex (A) and line (BC) may be in the range of 1 to 15 mm some shown as H1. The upper apex curve system (A) and/or lower curve systems (B) and (C) may include curvilinear and/or compound curvilinear corners. Angles ACB and ABC may be in the range of 15 to 50 degrees. Legs or sections AB and AC may have a length in the range of 5 to 30 mm. The improved pull tab systems enable easier finger or tool access for lifting a tab so as to open a container.

The disclosed systems overcome shortfalls in the related art by, inter alia, providing subtle but yet effective modifications to existing tab systems so as to improve ease of use without the wholesale rebuilding of existing manufacturing equipment. The disclosed curvilinear and/or compound curvilinear corners provide increased access to and purchase upon a tab with compact and minimal adjustments to current manufacturing systems. The disclosed curvilinear and/or compound curvilinear corners may be achieved by the illustrated V cuts in the tab material and other economical means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of disclosed embodiments executed in a 12 oz SPAM can

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of further features and disclosed embodiments executed in a 12 oz SPAM can

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of disclosed embodiments executed in a 10.5 oz soup can

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of disclosed embodiments executed in a 10.5 oz

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of disclosed embodiments executed in a 3 oz pet food can

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of disclosed embodiments executed in a 12 oz soda can

REFERENCE NUMERALS OR LETTERS IN THE DRAWINGS

• • “A” apex or center location of a disclosed tab
  • “B” a point of inflection between the lateral arch or angle of a flat portion of the tab and start of a raised or angled portion with the angled portion leading to the apex or point “A”.
  • “C” a point of inflection between the arch or angle of a flat portion of the tab and start of a raised or angled portion with the angled portion leading to the apex or point “A”.
  • “H” the height of points B and C to the can surface
  • “H1”
  • “Line AB” the line or space between apex point A and lower lateral point B
  • “Line AC” the line or space between apex point A and lower lateral point C
  • Line “BC” the line between lateral points B and C, with the line sometimes raised above the top of the can
  • “H” the height of line “BC” if any, from the top of the can surface “S”
  • “H1” the between line is the distance between line BC and A
  • 200 a curvilinear and/or compound curvilinear corner or curve section at or near points or areas B or C
  • 300 a curvilinear and/or compound curvilinear corner or curve section at or near point or area A

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the associated drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is directed to certain specific embodiments of the invention. However, the invention can be embodied in a multitude of different ways as defined and covered by the claims and their equivalents. In this description, reference is made to the drawings wherein like parts are designated with like numerals throughout.

Unless otherwise noted in this specification or in the claims, all of the terms used in the specification and the claims will have the meanings normally ascribed to these terms by workers in the art.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in a sense of “including, but not limited to.” Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number, respectively. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application.

Referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a can having a disclosed tab system is shown. The apex point or point “A” is raised above the lower planer sections of the tab. Point “A” may comprise a fixed or straight angle or curvilinear and/or compound curvilinear corner or curve section. Points “B” and “C” or may comprise a beveled or more gradual curve as shown in FIG. 1. or may comprise a curvilinear and/or compound curvilinear corner or curve section as shown in the other figures. Line BC represents a line between points or areas B and C. The top surface of the can may be labeled “S” and may be disposed at some distance, known as “H” which may be measured as the height between line BC and the surface S of the can. The distance H provides an advantage of extra finger space to place under point A in order to open the can by use of the tab. The height of BC over the surface S of the can, allows for extra finger space with undue modifications to existing tabs or existing tab manufacturing tools.

In the disclosed embodiments H or height may be in the range zero to 15 mm.

Further advantages over the prior art are found in the distance or height H1 between the apex or point A and the BC line which may be in the range of 1 to 15 mm. Thus, the disclosed embodiments overcome shortfalls in the art by proving extra finger space by virtue of the cumulative distances of H and H1.

The angle at lines ACB and ABC at appoints C and B respectively may be in the range of 15 to 50 degrees. The angle at A in BAC may be in the range of 15 to 50 degrees.

The angles at points or areas A, B or C may be cambered, varied or curvilinear and/or compound curvilinear.

FIG. 2 is an expanded view of FIG. 1. The cambered angles at A, B and C can be seen. The flattened area at point A comports to a typical finger width.

FIG. 3 presents an embodiment with greater angles.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of FIG. 3 with the angle points labeled.

FIG. 5 presents another embodiment having more sweeping curves with point B labeled 200 and point A labeled 300 to denote the compound curvilinear shapes of each point. In FIG. 5, area 200 or B also defines an inverse “V” void that is useful in efficiently creating the desired curvature shown.

FIG. 6 presents another embedment having a higher height “H” from the top of the can.

Disclosed embodiments may be secured to a can by use of a rivet at a medial section of the tab system. The tab system may further comprise a distal end disposed over a scored section of the can, with the scored section separating from the can when the proximal section of the tab is raised. Sections A, B and C may be considered to be on the proximal section of the disclosed tab systems.

The above detailed description of embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example, while steps are presented in a given order, alternative embodiments may perform routines having steps in a different order. The teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to other systems, not only the systems described herein. The various embodiments described herein can be combined to provide further embodiments. These and other changes can be made to the invention in light of the detailed description.

All the above references and U.S. patents and applications are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the invention can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions and concepts of the various patents and applications described above to provide yet further embodiments of the invention.

These and other changes can be made to the invention in light of the above detailed description. In general, the terms used in the following claims, should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless the above detailed description explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the invention encompasses the disclosed embodiments and all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention under the claims.

While certain aspects of the invention are presented below in certain claim forms, the inventors contemplate the various aspects of the invention in any number of claim forms.