CN1113786C - Hygienic drinking containers for liquids - Google Patents

Abstract

A sanitary beverage can end (20) wherein the central platform (31) of the end including a pull tab (30) rises from below the rim (17) of the can (10) to a position adjacent to or above the can rim as in conventional beverage cans. The diameter of the central platform is reduced to provide additional space between the outer edge of the can body and the edge of the central platform. The pull tab is centrally located on the central platform so that the end of the pull tab is located at the edge of the central platform to facilitate opening of the can. The elevated central platform and lid design prevents the lips of the user from contacting a groove (21) along the edge of the lid where dirt can collect. Another feature is that the raised edge of the platform has an internal return ramp (47) so that any excess beverage flows back into the cartridge.

Description

Hygienic drinking containers for liquids

Background of the Invention

The present invention relates to beverage cans for soft drinks, beer, fruit juices and similar liquids, the beverage cans having a pull handle on the upper lid. In particular, the invention relates to a hygienic lid in which the drinker drinking directly from the can does not come into contact with the rim trough where dirt and litter are likely to collect.

The present invention is designed to provide a hygienic beverage can end which eliminates the problems associated with prior art beverage can ends. The prior art is varied, but it is believed that the inventions disclosed here are particularly effective over any prior art patents.

In the prior art, patent 4,262,815 to Klein discloses a conical barrel with an opening handle at the top of the cone for the sole purpose of stacking. This patent discloses a rather complicated conical barrel with a handle of a distinctive form. In addition, the key issue is that the conical neck will carry the weight of such cones when they are stacked for storage and transportation. This requires a very thick and strong material for the neck, such as steel. In addition, this design introduces stress at the crimp seal between the neck and body. In the present invention, however, the beverage cans are stacked at the curled edge, thereby eliminating the need for extra strong lid material and allowing the use of reusable aluminum lids. Compared to the Klein patent, less space is required for storage and shipping.

Patents 5,108,003 and 5,119,955 to Granofsky disclose the use of complimentary lids for beverage cans to allow sanitary drinking from the can.

Patent 4,895,270 to Main discloses a sanitary cap for a poptop beverage container including a resilient membrane extending axially along the top surface of the container and a portion of the side wall of the container.

Among other forms of containers, Patent 3,946,895 to Pugh discloses a container lid having a peelable cover and stem. Another interesting and different proposal for a sanitary drinking cartridge lid is disclosed in patent 4,114,778 to O'Neal which provides a built-in sanitary drinking spout within a container.

Also of interest are patents 4,407,425; 4,047,634; 3,300,081; 4,318,493 and 5,415,313.

The aforementioned prior art patents disclose various cartridge caps and devices for providing a hygienic cartridge opening for drinking directly from a container. The unique ideas presented in this application are not found or suggested in these specific references.

Summary of Invention

This invention relates to beverage cans, and more particularly to a new and improved sanitary beverage can.

The technical scheme of the present invention is as follows: a sanitary drinking container for liquid, comprising:

a body portion having: a bottom; a hollow cylindrical wall extending upwardly from one end of the bottom; and a rim formed at the other end of the cylindrical wall; and

a cover having: an outer edge mounted on the edge and extending along the hollow cylindrical wall; a grooved portion adjacent the edge; a central portion extending upwardly from the groove a predetermined distance to proximate the edge; a hole; and a handle mounted on the center portion covering the hole; wherein the extended center portion allows drinking from the hole and avoids drinking from the groove portion;

wherein the central portion includes an integral inner edge portion extending upwardly from the groove to prevent liquid from flowing into the narrow groove and having a bevel extending inwardly toward the bore to allow liquid to flow back into the hole; and

Wherein, the slope includes a large arc radius to facilitate sanitation, wherein the cover extends upwards at the end of the slope to form a groove on the cover, wherein the handle extends outwards above the groove for easy opening.

The present invention includes a lid spaced inwardly from the main outer cylindrical surface of the container and a raised center portion or platform that rises immediately adjacent the lid groove that is in contact with the outer surface of the can The upper edge connection. The central portion of the cover includes a large handle mounted in the center of the platform and extending substantially to the edge of the central portion. The hole exposed by the tab thus starts adjacent to the edge. As a result of the drinking person's lips facing the center rather than the curled rim, traditionally shaped caps include grooves extending inwardly from the rim to the center of the cap.

In the present invention, the height of the central portion is adjacent to or higher than the edge, so the drinking person directly puts his lips against the central portion, and the central portion can be wiped clean without collecting dirt and rubbish, while in the traditional edge Dirt and litter tend to collect in the tank. In addition, the raised central portion includes a lip extending upwardly from the groove and sloping inwardly to form a return ramp whereby excess liquid flows back into the container bore.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved hygienic cap for beverage containers.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved lid for beverage cans comprising a raised central portion extending outwardly for a distance close to or above the rim and A groove is included along an edge which is very small relative to the circumference of the cover.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved beverage container comprising: a raised central platform extending above the outer edge; and a return ramp extending from the central The edges of the platform extend inward so excess beverage flows back into the hole in the center platform.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved sanitary drinking tank, wherein the tank comprises: a sloping upper portion terminating at a rim; and a lid mounted on the rim and having a a central portion that extends outwardly for a distance that is close to or above the height of the rim, the lid including a tab to expose a hole at the rim of the central portion so that the drinker's lips do not contact the can body and the trough, Essentially only the center portion of the lid is contacted to eliminate the possibility of exposure to unsanitary conditions including dirt that typically resides in the groove between the lid and rim of conventional drinking cans.

                   

Above-mentioned object and advantage of the present invention will be clearer after carefully watching accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 discloses a front view of a beverage can encompassed by the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a top view of the beverage can shown in Figure 1, particularly showing the sanitary cap and its handle in place;

Figure 3 is a side view of a beverage can and partially exploded Figures 3A and 3B showing details thereof;

Figure 4 is a top view of the lid with its handle processed to reveal the opening of the can;

Figure 5 shows a prior art design; and

Figures 6A, B and C show various designs of the lid, including a return slope leading to the tank bore.

Detailed description of the present invention

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 discloses a front view of a beverage can 10 having a lid 20 forming the present invention. Can 10 includes a bottom 11 including a recess 12 and a tapered transition 13 extending outwardly from bottom 11 to an outer cylindrical wall 14 . The top of tank 10 includes a transition 16 extending inwardly from wall 14 and terminating at edge 17 .

A cover 20 is mounted on the transition 16 where the cover 20 is crimped to seal to the edge 17 . The cover 20 includes a recess or groove 21 formed by a bead and extending along the outer circumference of the cover 20 adjacent the edge 17 . A conventional pull handle 30 is mounted on the upper surface or central portion 31 of the lid 20 and includes an opening 32 that allows the drinking person to grasp and turn it about a connecting post 33 to drive the punched portion 34 of the lid 20 into the can 10 ,As shown in Figure 4. The opening 35 is located adjacent to the interior 36 of the recess 21 , and the height of the platform 31 is equal to or higher than the outer edge 17 of the cover 20 . Positioning the handle 30 in the center of the central platform 31 and making the end 39 of the handle located on the edge of the platform 31 facilitates the opening of the tank 10 due to the ease of lifting the handle.

Essentially, the lower the platform hole 35 is, the closer the hole needs to be to the center of the cover 10, whereas the higher the platform 31, the farther the hole 35 can be located from the center of the cover. Once the platform 31 is above the edge level, the opening may be adjacent to the edge 37 .

In FIG. 3 , enlarged views 3A and 3B more clearly depict details of tank 10 . For example, in FIG. 3A, the handle 30 is bent upwards, with a small gap 46 between the handle 30 and the return slope 47 for easy opening. However, the edge height is high enough to avoid unintentional lifting of the handle 30 . In FIG. 3B , the feature of the 360° return ramp is shown, which makes it easy for excess liquid to flow back into the tank 10 instead of into the tank 21 . The large radius of the bevel 47 facilitates hygienic handling. Typically, the edge 17 is circumferentially symmetrical to the central platform 31 to facilitate stacking. In an alternative design, the central platform 31 is not symmetrical across 360°.

Figures 6a to 6c illustrate various forms of reflow ramps 47, with conventional grooves 21 and beaded edges 33. Various positions and various shapes of the handle 30 on the central platform 31 are shown in the figure. Since the groove formed by the bevel 47 is shallower than the groove 21, its sanitation is much easier. The location of the pull handle 30 is important to allow sanitation underneath the handle 30 .

The central portion, or central platform 31 , is reduced compared to conventional tanks 10 to provide a greater space or clearance between the side 37 of the central platform 31 and the edge 17 of the tank 10 . The purpose is to make the lower lip of the drinker lean against the central platform 31 when drinking. In this way, when drinking the beverage directly from the can 10, the drinker's lips and the beverage avoid contact with the groove 21. One can easily wipe off the raised central platform 31 without reaching into the trough 21 in an attempt to sanitize it.

As a result of the above design, the drinking person can drink directly from the opening 35 without having his lips come into contact with "dirt" (not shown), which may have collected in the groove 21 . First, by providing a cover 20 in which the upper platform surface 31 is raised above the outer edge 17 and the handle 30 extends to the edge 37 of the platform 31, the possibility of dirt and debris at the groove 21 and the The chances of contacting dirt while drinking are reduced or eliminated.

As an additional advantage, the new and improved container 10 allows for easy stacking, since the rim 17 and cylindrical wall 14 bear the weight of the second container. In this way, aluminum covers can be used instead of high-strength materials, and existing stock and shipping materials can be utilized.

Conventional tanks 60 have a deep groove 53 which collects dirt and debris during storage and transport. A typical prior art cover 50 is shown in FIG. 5 . The cover 50 has no raised central portion 31 and the surface 51 is lower than the edge 52 which has a groove 53 adjacent the edge 52 . This trough 53 has the problem of collecting dirt and litter.

Although the present invention has been described in detail through some specific embodiments, it should be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, various modifications and replacements can be made to any part thereof, and these modifications and replacements are also included in the equivalent scope of the embodiments.

Claims (12)

1. health drinking container that is used for liquid comprises:

Main part, this main part has: the end; One end extends upward from the bottom for open circles post jamb, this wall; And the edge, this edge is made at the other end of described cylindrical wall; With

Lid, this lid has: the outside is installed on the edge, and extends along the open circles post jamb; Concave part, this concave part neighboring edge; Central part; This central part extends upward a preset distance to keeping to the side from groove; The hole; And handle, this handle is installed in central part, covers the place, hole; Wherein, the central part of extension allows to drink from the hole, avoids drinking from concave part;

It is characterized in that: wherein this central part comprises the inward flange part of one, and this inward flange part extends upward preventing that flow of liquid from going in the narrow groove from groove, and has an inclined-plane, and this inclined-plane inwardly extends towards the hole to allow liquid return to the hole; And

Wherein, the inclined-plane comprises a large circular arc radius so that sanitary measures, and wherein this covers to extend upward in the end on described inclined-plane covering and forms a groove, and wherein handle extends outwardly into the groove top, so that open.

2. the health drinking container that is used for liquid as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

The peripheral bead of lid and extends to form a narrow groove downwards from here, and this narrow groove has an inside part that extends upwardly to central part.

3. the health drinking container that is used for liquid as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

Handle strides across the central authorities of central part, extends to the upwardly extending inside part of groove, and therefore, the hole of being shaken hands to cover extends to the edge of central part, makes and drinks and avoid drinking from groove from the hole easily.

4. the health drinking container that is used for liquid as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

One peripheral portion extends upward from groove, avoids liquid to flow into groove, and this outward flange has an inclined-plane, and the inclined-plane extends inwardly to the hole, allows liquid return to the hole.

5. the health drinking container that is used for liquid as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

Handle comprises the outer end with curve shape, is installed in place, contiguous inclined-plane, and has predetermined space, makes to open handle conveniently.

6. the health drinking container that is used for liquid as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

The inclined-plane has large circular arc radius, makes sanitary measures convenient.

7. the health drinking container that is used for liquid as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

The position of opening changes with the height of central part, if the height of central part is lower, then opening is arranged on the center near central part, and for higher central part, then opening is arranged on the edge of more close central part.

8. the health drinking container that is used for liquid as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

It is enough high that the height of inward flange is wanted, to avoid unconsciously mentioning handle.

9. the health drinking container that is used for liquid as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

Inner edge portion and central part can conveniently pile up along the circumference symmetry.

10. the health drinking container that is used for liquid as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

Central part is asymmetric, has a deep trouth in the part of central part.

11. the health drinking container that is used for liquid as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

This container allows second similar containers to stack on it, and wherein, edge and cylindrical wall bear the weight of second container.

12. the health drinking container that is used for liquid as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

Handle is arranged on the central authorities of central platform, and handle comprises an end, and this end extends to the flat-bed limit, with the unlatching of convenient container.

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