Patent Publication Number: US-10781012-B2

Title: Lid of a container

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a lid of a container, especially a beverage can, comprising a substantially flat lid surface and a preferably folded edge area, as well as at least one pouring opening provided on the lid surface which can be closed in a gas- and/or liquid-tight manner by at least one closure element, with the closure element being movable from a closed position into an open position by an actuating element, which includes a fixing element and a sliding element, and the fixing element is connected to at least one connecting element via at least one predetermined breaking point before opening for the first time. 
     THE PRIOR ART 
     Numerous beverage cans have become known which have a re-closable pouring opening. DE 196 13 246 A1 for example discloses a closure means having substantially the same diameter which is applied to the already existing lid, which closure means closes a pouring opening disposed in the lid by twisting. Similar apparatuses where some of these closure means cover the lid only partly have been described in DE 196 13 256 B4, DE 197 06 112 C2, EP 1 247 752 B1 or U.S. Pat. No. 6,626,314 B1. The disadvantageous aspect in these closure means is their mostly complex arrangement which additionally requires constructional changes to the lid region of the can. 
     A further group of closure means for beverage cans consists of a pull tab which is fastened by means of a rivet connection to the can lid, with the handle part of the pull tab being arranged simultaneously as the closure means for the pouring opening, which after the opening of the pouring opening seals the pouring opening again by twisting and/or folding down the pull tab. Such elements are shown, among other things, in DE 197 46 539 A1, DE 203 19 105 U1, EP 1 190 952 A2, EP 1 097 086 B1 and EP 0 433 502 A1. These beverage cans all have a closure means which is applied from the outside to the pouring opening and partly protrudes beyond the lid edge, so that the same can be removed inadvertently and the content of the can is exposed to the ambient environment. 
     EP 1 796 974 B1 finally describes a closure apparatus for a beverage can of the type mentioned initially, in which an actuating element is provided which has a fixing and a sliding element in order to expose a drinking opening and close it again. A disadvantageous aspect of this apparatus is its complex structure and its only inadequate tightness in practice after opening for the first time, especially over a longer period of time. At first glance, it is equally little apparent for the user whether the beverage can has already been opened once. 
     It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a re-closable lid for containers which is easy to operate and has a high tightness upon re-closure and furthermore acts as a tamper-evident closure. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This object is achieved in accordance with the invention by a lid of the kind mentioned above in such a way that the fixing element has a handle which, upon moving the fixing element from the closed position into the open position, acts upon the at least one pre-determined breaking point by means of at least one edge. The handle allows an intuitive opening of the beverage can, with this opening being accomplished with little expenditure of force as a result of the edge effect of the handle. 
     For this purpose, it is preferably provided that the fixing element can be pivoted from a plane which is disposed substantially parallel to the lid surface, whereby a lever force acts directly or indirectly via the at least one edge of the handle on the at least one predetermined breaking point. 
     In a preferred variant of the invention, the fixing element is in non-detachable articulated communication with the sliding element, which is preferably configured as a film hinge. The fixing element with the handle disposed thereon is used for fixing the sliding element in the closed position of the actuating element whereas the sliding element is connected to the closure element and upon displacement of the actuating element by means of sliding element, a pouring opening is exposed. 
     In addition, it is preferably provided that the at least one connecting element is disposed on the mirror surface in order to function as a component of a tamper-evident closure. 
     In a further embodiment of the invention, the handle is T-shaped or Y-shaped, whereby a particularly easy operation of the fixing element is made possible. 
     In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, a pressure compensating opening is provided, which is exposed upon movement of the fixing element and/or sliding element into the open position. This pressure compensating opening has the task of allowing pressure compensation with the can interior before or during opening of the pouring opening in order to facilitate opening and avoiding the can contents spraying out. 
     In order to close this pressure compensating opening in a gas- and liquid-tight manner when reclosing the container, in a further preferred embodiment of the invention, a closure element, in particular a pin, is provided on the fixing element, which engages in the pressure compensating opening when the fixing element is located in the closed position. 
     A particularly tight closure device of the type in accordance with the invention is achieved if the at least one actuating element is displaceable substantially linearly and parallel to the lid. 
     The invention will now be explained in greater detail by reference to non-limiting embodiments with relevant  FIGS. 1 to 6   a.    
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective top view of a lid according to an embodiment of the invention, 
         FIG. 1 a    is an elevational side view thereof, 
         FIG. 1 b    is a cross-sectional view thereof, 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective top view of the lid with the handle lifted, 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective top view of the lid with the fixing element raised, 
         FIG. 3 a    is a cross-sectional view of the lid as depicted in  FIG. 3 , 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective top view of the lid with the handle positioned in the fixing element, 
         FIG. 4 a    is a cross-sectional view of the lid as depicted in  FIG. 4 , 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the lid with the drink opening opened, 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the lid when re-closed, and 
         FIG. 6 a    is a cross-sectional view of the lid as depicted in  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DEPICTED EMBODIMENT 
       FIGS. 1, 1   a ,  1   b  show a lid  100  according to the invention having a substantially flat lid surface  101  as well as a flanged edge  102  in its closed state before the first opening. 
     The lid  100  has a substantially two-part actuating element  110  with a fixing element  111  that is connected by means of an articulated connection  112 , for example, a film hinge, to a sliding element  113 . A handle  114  is additionally provided in the fixing element  111 , which handle is configured to be substantially Y-shaped in this variant of the invention. The actuating means  110  is connected to a closure element  120  that, in the closed position, closes a pouring opening  103  of the container, in particular the beverage can. 
     A pressure compensating opening  121  is provided in the closure element  120 , which opening allows the excess pressure frequently prevailing in the interior of beverage cans to escape before the pouring opening is exposed. Any spraying out of liquid from the beverage can is thereby prevented and the actual opening of the can is made easier. A pin  111   a  disposed on the fixing element  111  projects into the pressure compensating opening  121  here, which pin  111   a  closes the pressure compensating opening  121  in a gas- and liquid-tight manner in the closed position of the actuating means  110 . 
     By lifting the handle  114  ( FIG. 2 ), it is separated from two connecting elements  115  to which it has been connected via one or more predetermined breaking points  115   a . The primary function of the connecting element  115  consists in fixing the closure of the beverage can on the lid surface  101  during assembly. In so doing, the narrow edge  114   a  of the handle  114  acts as a contact surface for the lever action of the handle  114 , whereby a greater force acts on the at least one predetermined breaking point, usually located in the immediate vicinity, than if merely a tensile force had been applied via the handle  114 . 
     Due to a substantially pulling opening of the handle  114 , in a further step the fixing element  111  is raised and completely separated from the connecting element  115 , with the pin  111   a  being withdrawn simultaneously from the pressure compensating opening  121  and pressure equalization being able to take place ( FIGS. 3 and 3   a ). 
     As soon as the pulling movement is completed, the handle  114  is again disposed inside the fixing element  111  and the sliding element  113  can now be displaced in the direction of the connecting element  115  in order to expose the drinking opening  103  ( FIGS. 4, 4   a  and  5 ). 
     Through displacement of the actuating element  110 , the closure element  120  is pivoted into the interior of the can and the pouring opening  103  exposed. 
     For re-closure the actuating element  110  is pushed back into the original position whereby the closure element  120  is again disposed parallel to the lid surface  110  and as a result of a peripheral seal  130 , which additionally encloses the pressure compensating opening  121 , the closure element  120  closes the pouring opening  103  in a gas- and liquid-tight manner ( FIGS. 6 and 6   a ). 
     Likewise, the pin  111   a  is again disposed in the pressure compensating opening  121  by lowering the fixing element  111  so that this is closed in a gas- and liquid-tight manner toward the outside. Since a connecting part  116  between handle  114  and fixing element  111  is made of thin material, upon first actuation of the handle  114 , in particular upon tearing the predetermined breaking points, this connecting part  116  is stretched so that upon re-closure of the beverage can, this can conspicuously no longer be disposed in a precisely fitting manner around the connecting element  115 . In particular, it is apparent in  FIG. 6 a    that as a result the handle  114  no longer comes to rest completely flat on the lid surface  101 . It can thus be identified immediately that the beverage can has already been opened once. 
     In order to hold the fixing element  111  in the closed position without it being able to be raised unintentionally and thereby expose the pressure compensating opening  121 , for example, latching pins are provided which engage in corresponding recesses of the closure element  120  and which allow a pivoting of the fixing element  111  and therefore an opening of the beverage can only with a certain application of force. The latching pins can, for example, be configured in such a manner that the engagement causes a clearly audible noise that indicates to the user that the beverage can has been (re-)closed as prescribed. 
     The embodiments of the invention as described above shall be understood in a non-limiting manner. Thus, the closure device according to the invention can also be configured without or with more than one pressure compensating opening. Likewise there are no limits on the shape of the handle as long as it applies a sufficiently strong force, in particular a direct or indirect lever action, on at least one predetermined breaking point and is easy for the user to grip.