Metal container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9868564-B2
Application number	US-201314399082-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2013
Priority date	May 8, 2012
Publication date	Jan 16, 2018
Grant date	Jan 16, 2018

Abstract

A metal container body 1 comprises a base and a generally cylindrical side wall 3 . The top edge of the cylindrical side wall is rolled over to form a hollow annular bead 5 surrounding the upper open end of the container body and a notch 6 is formed at a circumferential point in the annular bead. The container body is for use with a releasable closure 2 formed with an end wall 7 and a depending skirt 8 and having an annular layer of sealing material 9 provided on the inside of the end wall adjacent the skirt. When the closure is pressed onto the container body, the annular bead engages the annular layer of sealing material and some of that material extends into the notch 6 . The closure is held on the container only by the partial vacuum formed therein during processing of a food product in the container. After processing, the user opens the container by rotating the closure. Sealing material in the notch forces the closure to lift off from the container to break the seal and release the closure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A metal container comprising:
a body that is threadless, the body comprising:
a base having a center, the center partially defining a center axis of the body that extends through the center perpendicular to the base, and
a generally cylindrical side wall having a top edge that is rolled over so as to form a hollow annular bead that defines an upper open end of the container body, the bead comprising a discontinuity in the form of one or more depressions, one or more protrusions, or a combination of at least one depression and at least one protrusions; and

a releasable closure containing an annular layer of sealing material, wherein the annular layer of sealing material is a non-blown and a non-foamed material,
wherein the body and the closure are configured such that when the closure is pressed onto the body, the annular bead engages the annular layer of sealing material and a portion of the sealing material extends into the one or more depressions, around the one or more protrusions, or into the at least one depression and around the at least one protrusion, and wherein the annular bead is configured such that as the releasable closure is rotated about the center axis, a vacuum in the body that is sufficient to seal the releasable closure to the can body is vented.

2. The container of claim 1 , wherein the annular bead has a diameter of about 1.5 to 2 mm.

3. The container of claim 1 , wherein the discontinuity is one or more notches defined by the bead.

4. The container of claim 3 , wherein each of the one or more notches defines a depth of about 0.2 to 0.5 mm.

5. The container of claim 3 , wherein each of the one or more notches has a circumferential length that is about twice a diameter defined by the annular bead.

6. The container of claim 1 , wherein the container side wall is formed from a sheet of metal rolled into a cylinder and welded and the base seamed onto the side wall.

7. The container of claim 1 , wherein the container has profiling in its side wall providing at least 0.5 bar of panelling performance.

8. The container of claim 3 , wherein the bead has a maximum radial extent that is greater than a maximum radial extent of the one or more notches.

9. A container body and closure combination, the combination comprising:
a metal container body including a base having a center, the center partially defining a center axis of the body that extends through the center perpendicular to the base, and a generally cylindrical side wall having a top edge that is rolled over so as to form a hollow annular bead that defines an upper open end of the container body, the bead comprising a discontinuity in the form of one or more depressions, one or more protrusions, or a combination of at least one depression and at least one protrusions the metal container body being threadless;
a releasable closure including an end wall, a skirt that depends from the end wall, and an annular layer of sealing material disposed on an inside of the end wall adjacent the skirt, the annular layer of sealing material being a non-blown and a non-foamed material, the container body and closure configured such that when the closure is pressed onto the container body, the annular bead engages the annular layer of sealing material and a portion of the sealing material extends into the one or more depressions, around the one or more protrusions, or into the at least one depression and around the at least one protrusion; and
a vacuum that forms a seal between the body and the releasable closure and holds the closure on the body, the container body and closure further configured such that as the releasable closure is rotated about the center axis, the vacuum is vented.

10. The combination of claim 9 , wherein the annular sealing material permanently sets when cured and cooled.

11. The combination of claim 9 , wherein the container body includes an annular bulge disposed below the annular bead, the annular bulge configured to protect the closure skirt from lateral impact.

12. The combination of claim 9 , wherein the seal between the closure and the container body is also formed by the annular layer of sealing material.

13. The combination of claim 9 , wherein the annular bead has a diameter of about 1.5 to 2 mm.

14. The combination of claim 9 , wherein the discontinuity is one or more notches defined by the bead.

15. The combination of claim 14 , wherein each of the one or more notches defines a depth of about 0.2 to 0.5 mm.

16. The combination of claim 14 , wherein each of the one or more notches has a circumferential length that is about twice a diameter defined by the annular bead.

17. The combination of claim 9 , wherein the container side wall is formed from a sheet of metal rolled into a cylinder and welded and the base is seamed onto the side wall.

18. The combination of claim 9 , wherein the container has profiling in its side wall providing at least 0.5 bar of panelling performance.

Assignees

• Crown Packaging Technology Inc

Inventors

• Mcgirr Laura Jane
• Ellison Tristan Robert
• Ramsey Christopher Paul

Classifications

• B65D41/165

  with integral internal sealing means (B65D41/17 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65D41/17

  push-on and twist-off · CPC title

• B65D7/04 Primary

  of curved cross-section, e.g. cans of circular or elliptical cross-section (thermally insulated B65D81/3813, B65D81/3837) · CPC title

• B65D1/165

  Cylindrical cans · CPC title

• B65D43/0204

  secured by snapping over beads or projections · CPC title