CAN END

Description

The invention relates to a can end having a reclosable opening, in particular for beverage cans, having a metallic end surface in which an opening region is formed, having a sealing frame composed of plastic material that is connected to the metallic end surface and that surrounds the opening region, having a closure unit composed of plastic material that is pivotably attached to the metallic end surface via a first pivot bearing and that is configured to close the opening region directly or by means of a closure piece of the metallic end surface supported by the closure unit, wherein the sealing frame and the closure unit cooperate in a sealing manner via at least one sealing rib and an associated reception groove, and having an annular pull handle that is connected to the closure unit via a second pivot bearing disposed opposite the first pivot bearing, wherein the annular pull handle is pivoted towards the closure unit in a base position and projects obliquely or transversely from the closure unit in a pulling position.

Can ends of this type are used on a large scale to manufacture beverage cans, food cans and the like. Due to the cooperation of the sealing rib and the reception groove, a corresponding can end can be closed again after the opening. Before the can end is opened for the first time, the closure piece can be separated from the surrounding end surface by a microgap or a weakening line extending at least sectionally along the margin of the end surface, wherein a sealing film composed of a plastic material and applied to the inner side of the can end can cover the microgap or the weakening line. After the first opening, the leak tightness of the reclosed can end can only be ensured via the sealing rib and the reception groove.

In certain situations, such as during violent movements of the can, liquid can, however, escape via the contact region between the sealing rib and the reception groove in the reclosed state. This is undesirable, even if only minimal amounts of leaked liquid are involved.

It is an object of the invention to increase the leak tightness of reclosable can ends of the type mentioned, in particular in the reclosed state.

The object is satisfied by a can end having the features of claim 1.

According to the invention, in the base position, the annular pull handle radially engages around the closure unit and in so doing exerts a radially inwardly directed clamping effect on the closure unit so that the sealing rib is pressed against a wall of the reception groove.

A tighter contact between the sealing rib and the reception groove, and thus a better sealing of the cooperating plastic components of the reclosable closure, namely the sealing frame and the closure unit, results due to the clamping effect.

The ring shape of the pull handle here ensures that the clamping effect is effective all around, i.e. along the entire course of the sealing rib. Thus, a particularly reliable sealing is achieved by the design according to the invention. Since the pull handle that is provided anyway is used to generate the clamping effect, no costly provision of a separate clamping component is required. Due to the dual function of the pull handle, the manufacturing costs of a can end according to the invention are comparatively low despite the increased leak tightness.

The clamping effect can be brought about in a relatively simple manner by selecting the inner diameter of the annular pull handle to be slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the closure unit.

In the present disclosure, the term “radial” is to be understood as “radial with respect to an annular axis of the annular pull handle”.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the sealing frame and the closure unit are configured such that, on a movement of the annular pull handle from the base position in the direction of the pulling position, an air passage through the arrangement of the sealing rib and the reception groove is possible due to the decreasing clamping effect. This provides a pre-ventilation of the can before it is fully opened, which is also called “venting”. An unwanted splashing or foaming over and unpleasant noises are prevented by the venting. While a venting during the first opening can be enabled, for example, by certain design features of the metallic end surface, a venting during an opening from the reclosed state is not provided for conventional reclosable can ends. However, with a corresponding flexibility, the pull handle, which engages around the closure unit and tensions it inwardly, is capable of providing a “reclosed venting”.

In the base position, the annular pull handle is preferably arranged at least substantially completely radially outside the closure unit so that it can develop as pronounced a clamping effect as possible.

The annular pull handle and the locking unit can extend in a common base plane when the annular pull handle is in the base position. The space required by the closure components is thus minimal in the base position of the pull handle.

A latching device having at least one holding rib and a recess formed in a complementary manner is preferably formed between an inner peripheral region of the annular pull handle and the closure unit. The pull handle is thereby reliably held at the closure unit. The latching device in particular prevents an unintentional movement of the pull handle from the base position into the pulling position and thus an unintentional reduction in the clamping effect.

It is preferred that the holding rib and the recess extend along the entire inner peripheral region of the annular pull handle to ensure a particularly secure hold.

According to one embodiment of the invention, at least one handling projection is arranged at an outer peripheral region of the annular pull handle. The handling projection facilitates a lifting of the pull handle from the base position pivoted towards the closure unit, even if the pull handle is areally aligned with the closure unit in the base position and/or contacts the metallic end surface. The handling projection can be easily gripped or gripped beneath with a finger or fingernail. The handling projection is preferably plate-like or nub-like. As soon as the pull handle projects diagonally or transversely from the closure unit, it can be gripped directly and with two fingers for the opening process.

A further embodiment of the invention provides that the sealing frame and the closure unit further cooperate in a sealing manner via a further sealing rib, which is located radially further inwardly than the other sealing rib, and an associated further reception groove, which is located radially further inwardly than the other reception groove, wherein, when the can end is opened, the further sealing rib and the further reception groove still cooperate in a sealing manner when a release of the other sealing rib and the other reception groove has already begun. The venting is thereby improved. The radially inwardly disposed sealing rib is in particular capable of retaining foam taken along by the air flow.

The annular pull handle is preferably made of plastic material. The type of plastic material can be chosen depending on the desired flexibility.

The sealing frame, the closure unit and the annular pull handle can in particular be made of the same plastic material. This enables a particularly simple and inexpensive production, for example by means of an injection molding process.

According to a specific embodiment of the invention, the sealing frame, the closure unit and the annular pull handle are formed by a single-piece plastic part. This enables a particularly simple manufacture.

The first pivot bearing and the second pivot bearing can here be formed by flexible connection sections between the sealing frame and the closure unit, on the one hand, and the closure unit and the annular pull handle, on the other hand, which enables a particularly simple construction.

Further developments of the invention can also be seen from the dependent claims, from the following description, and from the enclosed drawing.

The invention will be described in the following by way of example with reference to the drawing.

FIG. 1 is a perspective part representation of a can end according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a reclosable opening system of the can end according to FIG. 1 with a pull handle located in a base position in a plan view;

FIG. 3 shows the opening system according to FIG. 2 in a lateral sectional view along the line A-A in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is the enlarged section B from FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a plastic part by which a sealing frame, a closure unit and an annular pull handle of a can end according to the invention are formed.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a can end 1 that is in particular intended for a beverage can and into whose metallic end surface 13 a reclosable opening system 15 is integrated. The can end 11 can be connected to an associated container, not shown, via a beaded rim 17. In the metallic end surface 13, an opening is provided that is closed by a section of the metallic end surface 13 in the form of a closure piece 19 in the delivery state of the can end 11 shown in FIG. 1. The closure piece 19 is separated from the surrounding end surface 13 by a microgap or weakening line (not shown).

The metallic end surface 13 is preferably formed from a sheet metal layer of aluminum or tin plate. A sealing film composed of plastic can be applied to the inner side of the can end 11, which is not shown in the Figures, however.

The reclosable opening system 15 comprises a sealing frame 21 composed of plastic material that surrounds the opening and that is fixedly connected to the surrounding end surface 13. A closure unit 25 composed of a plastic material is further provided that supports the closure piece 19 and that is attached to the surrounding end surface 13 via a first pivot bearing 27.

A tear-open member in the form of an annular pull handle 29 (FIGS. 2 and 3) is connected to the closure unit 25 and is accordingly fastened to the closure piece 19. By pulling at the pull handle 29, a user can pivot the closure piece 19 upwardly out of the opening plane 33 defined by the opening and can thus release the opening, possibly while separating the sealing film. The connection between the pull handle 29 and the closure unit 25 is provided by a second pivot bearing 35 that is disposed diametrically opposite the first pivot bearing 27. For a better overview, the pull handle 29 is omitted in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the annular pull handle 29 in a base position. In this position, the pull handle 29 is pivoted towards the closure unit 25 and engages around it in a radial direction. To save installation space, the pull handle 29 is arranged completely radially outside the closure unit 25 in the base position. The pull handle 29 further has the same height as the closure unit 25 so that the annular pull handle 29 and the closure unit 25 extend in a common base plane 39 when the pull handle 29 is pivoted towards the closure unit 25 in a space-saving manner, as shown. Since the pull handle 29 cannot be easily gripped by a user in this position, two plate-like handling projections 40 are provided at positions spaced apart from the second pivot bearing 35 at the outer peripheral region 41 of the pull handle 29. The handling projections 40 can be gripped beneath with a finger or fingernail to pry open the pull handle 29.

As can be seen in FIG. 4, a peripheral holding rib 45 having a rounded cross-section is located at the outer peripheral region 43 of the closure unit 25. Said peripheral holding rib 45 engages into a recess 47, which is formed in a complementary manner and which is likewise peripheral, at the inner peripheral region 49 of the pull handle 29 when the latter is in the base position. The pull handle 29 is thereby held in a fixed position at the closure unit 25 and can only be pivoted with a manual force effort into a pulling position, not shown, in which it projects obliquely from the closure unit 25 and can thus be gripped easily. A chamfer 50 is provided at the upper margin of the closure unit 25 to facilitate a pivoting of the pull handle 29 back from the pulling position into the base position.

As can also be seen from the enlarged detailed representation of FIG. 4, a radially outer sealing rib 51 and a radially inner sealing rib 52 are formed at the sealing frame 21. Furthermore, a radially outer reception groove 53 and a radially inner reception groove 54 are formed at the closure unit 25. The sealing ribs 51, 52 and reception grooves 53, 54 engaging into one another enable a releasable fluid-tight connection between the sealing frame 21 and the closure unit 25. The can end 11 is therefore reclosable. It is understood that the sealing ribs 51, 52 could also be arranged at the closure unit 25 and the reception grooves 53, 54 could also be arranged at the sealing frame 21. Depending on the application requirements, more than two pairs of sealing ribs 51, 52 and reception grooves 53, 54 could also be provided.

The inner diameter of the pull handle 29 is adapted to the outer diameter of the closure unit 25, but is selected to be somewhat smaller in amount. Therefore, in the base position, the pull handle 29 exerts an inwardly directed clamping effect on the closure unit 25 and thereby presses the sealing rib 51 against a wall of the reception groove 53. The clamping effect acts along the entire periphery of the closure unit 25 in the direction of the annular axis 60 (FIG. 2). A high leak tightness of the reclosable opening system 15 is thereby achieved.

When a user lifts the pull ring 29 via one of the handling projections 40 or via both handling projections 40, the tension is released, deformations and subsequently a venting of the associated can occur, wherein liquid or foam is prevented from exiting by the sealing ribs 51, 52 still engaging into the reception grooves 53, 54 to some extent. Therefore, with the reclosable opening system 15, a venting is also possible after the first opening.

FIG. 5 shows a single-piece plastic part 55 that comprises the sealing frame 21, the closure unit 25 and the annular pull handle 29. Here, the first pivot bearing 27 is formed by a flexible connection section 57 between the sealing frame 21 and the closure unit 25, while the second pivot bearing 35 is formed by a flexible connection section 59 between the closure unit 25 and the pull handle 29.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

• • 11 can end
  • 13 metallic end surface
  • 15 reclosable opening system
  • 17 beaded rim
  • 19 closure piece
  • 21 sealing frame
  • 25 closure unit
  • 27 first pivot bearing
  • 29 pull handle
  • 33 opening plane
  • 35 second pivot bearing
  • 39 base plane
  • 40 handling projection
  • 41 outer peripheral region of the pull handle
  • 43 outer peripheral region of the closure unit
  • 45 holding rib
  • 47 recess
  • 49 inner peripheral region of the pull handle
  • 50 chamfer
  • 51 radially outer sealing rib
  • 52 radially inner sealing rib
  • 53 radially outer reception groove
  • 54 radially inner reception groove
  • 55 plastic part
  • 57 flexible connection section
  • 59 flexible connection section
  • 60 annular axis