Patent ID: 7261216

Claim:
A reclosable beverage container comprising: (a) a metal beverage can made from a thin gauge metal, comprising a sidewall, a bottom wall, a converging shoulder portion extending upwardly and inwardly from said sidewall, a neck on top of said shoulder portion, said neck having a top edge portion turned downwardly to form a flange with a lower edge providing an abutment, (b) a closure cap having an inner surface including an internal thread, and (c) a threaded plastic sleeve mounted in coaxial overlapping relation to said neck, said sleeve comprising an open-ended tubular member having an annular ledge projecting laterally from a mid-region of the tubular member, an outer face above the projecting ledge being engageable with the inner surface of the closure cap to constitute therewith a reclosable seal for the container with at least a portion of the outer face comprising a threaded portion adapted to receive the internally threaded closure cap, and a portion of the tubular member below the projecting ledge having at the lower end thereof an annular catch adapted to slide downwardly over the flange and latch over the flange lower edge abutment against axial movement, and including a plurality of axially spaced annular gripping ribs located between the annular catch and the projecting ledge, said gripping ribs securely engaging the exposed face of the flange and being angled upwardly and adapted to slide downwardly along the flange while gripping the flange face against upward movement relative thereto, and an annular skirt projecting downwardly from the outer edge of said annular ledge, said skirt extending downwardly and in engagement with the outer face of the can neck, with an inward projection on the skirt engaging an abutment on the can neck against relative axial movement, wherein the threaded plastic sleeve is adapted to be joined with the can neck by being pushed axially into the open end of the neck and wherein a bonding agent is provided between the engaging faces of the sleeve and the can neck.