Container for hermetically sealed storage of products, in particular foodstuffs

Abstract

Disclosed is a container for hermetically sealed storage of liquid, paste-like and/or solid products, more particularly foodstuffs, characterized in that the lid of the container is designed to be re-sealable and largely stable pull-tab lid is also provided, the opening of the lid not involving the separation of metal surface leading to swarf formation and the re-sealing of said lid for air tightness.

Claims

1. A receptacle for a hermetically sealed storage of liquid, paste, and/or solid products, the receptacle comprising; a product container open at an open side and a tear open end connected in an airtight manner to the open side of the product container via a beaded margin or via an adhesive connection, or a welded connection, wherein the open side of the product container has a first container curvature and a second container curvature diametrically opposed from the first container curvature, wherein the tear open end is reclosable, and comprises a composite material in the form of a sheet metal layer bonded to a plastic film; wherein the sheet metal layer and a lacquer film at a peripheral line of a respective provided opening region is pierced or punched through accordingly while forming a microgap; wherein the plastic film disposed on an inner receptacle side and closing the microgap is provided at a distance from the microgap with a weakening or with a notch extending at least regionally over a thickness of the plastic film; wherein a peripheral stiffening and coupling frame having at least one sealing and latching rib is fastened to an outer end side on a marginal region of an upwardly pivotable end region and that is bounded by the microgap; wherein a sealing frame that is engaged over by the stiffening and coupling frame is likewise fastened to an outer end side on a fixed end surface adjacent to the microgap and outside the opening region and has reception grooves for a sealing reception of the sealing and latching ribs provided at the stiffening and coupling frame, wherein the sealing frame has a first sealing frame curvature proximal to the first container curvature of the open side of the product container and a second sealing frame curvature proximal to the second container curvature of the open side of the product container, wherein a position of the sealing and latching ribs is swappable, and wherein a position of the reception grooves, is swappable; wherein an end part formed by the upwardly pivotable end region bounded by the microgap and by the stiffening and coupling frame fastened thereto is, provided with a tear open member connected in an articulated manner to an outer margin of the stiffening and coupling frame and is, fixedly connected to the fixed end surface disposed outside the upwardly pivotable end part via a pivot bearing region molded to the stiffening and coupling frame diametrically opposite said tear open member, wherein the pivot bearing region is proximal to the first container curvature of the open side of the product container and the tear open member is proximal to the second container curvature of the open side of the product container; wherein a radius of the first sealing frame curvature is different from a radius of the first container curvature, and wherein a radius of the second sealing frame curvature is the same as a radius of the second container curvature; and wherein an area of the opening region is at least fifty percent of an area of the open side of the product container.

2. The receptacle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the receptacle is for a hermetically sealed storage of foods.

3. The receptacle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the sheet metal layer is composed of aluminum or tin plate.

4. The receptacle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the sheet metal layer is bonded to the plastic film via an adhesive lacquer film.

5. The receptacle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the receptacle has a round, oval, or polygonal cross-sectional shape and the extent of the microgap is at least partly adapted to the respective cross-sectional shape.

6. The receptacle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the stiffening and coupling frame, the sealing frame, and a fixed part of the pivot bearing region are connected to an end material in a sealing and fixed manner.

7. The receptacle in accordance with claim 6, wherein the stiffening and coupling frame, the sealing frame, and the fixed part of the pivot bearing region are connected via an adhesive lacquer film to the end material in a sealing and fixed manner.

8. The receptacle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the tear open member generates a pushing force via a lever translation that becomes effective at a start of a movement, said pushing force acting, adjacent to the microgap, on the punched out end region and separating the region of the plastic film covering the microgap from a fixed position end material in a further opening process.

9. The receptacle in accordance with claim 8, wherein the tear open member is configured as a ring pull.

10. The receptacle in accordance with claim 1, wherein a plastic film layer is configured as a molding adapted to a lower side end contour of the receptacle and having molded positioning elements.

11. The receptacle in accordance with claim 10, wherein the molded positioning elements comprise knobs that engage into corresponding recesses of an end material.

12. The receptacle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plastic film component of the composite material extends up to and into the beaded margin and acts as a sealing material and as corrosion protection in the beaded margin.

13. The receptacle in accordance with claim 1, wherein a mechanical strength of the plastic film component in the composite material is selected such that a material thickness of the sheet metal layer is reduced in comparison with a film-free component while ensuring a required total strength of the composite material.

14. The receptacle in accordance with claim 13, wherein the material thickness of the sheet metal layer is reduced by at least 5%.

15. The receptacle in accordance with claim 1, wherein two reception grooves separated by a center web are formed in the sealing frame surrounding the opening region, with an inwardly disposed groove cooperating with a sealing rib and an outwardly disposed groove cooperating with a latching rib of the stiffening and coupling frame.

16. The receptacle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the pivot bearing region has an integrated toggle spring section that holds the end part formed by the upwardly pivotable end region, by the stiffening and coupling frame fastened thereto, and by the tear open member in an open position of more than 130° after exceeding an opening angle of approximately 90° and that allows the end part to snap into an angular position of less than 30° on a closing procedure after falling below an angle of approximately 90°.

17. The receptacle in accordance with claim 1, wherein a total outer periphery of the stiffening and coupling frame has a sealing skirt that extends up to the fixed end surface and that is bonded to the fixed end surface via an adhesive lacquer film.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) There are shown in the drawing:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a receptacle in accordance with the invention in the form of a typical fish can;

(3) FIG. 2 is a greatly enlarged schematic sectional representation for explaining the setup of the composite material used within the framework of the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 is a section corresponding to the line A-A in FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 is an enlarged representation of the detail C from FIG. 3; and

(6) FIG. 5 is an enlarged representation of the detail D from FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) The plan view in accordance with FIG. 1 shows as a non-restrictive embodiment of the invention, a metal fish can that is hermetically closed and that can be opened via a tear open end 2. For this purpose, an opening region is provided in the can end that can be opened and pivoted up via a tear open member 17 via means still to be shown and described in detail, and indeed via a pivot bearing region 18 whose fixed part 19 is fastened to the can end. A toggle spring section 21 that permits the end pivoted up to be held in a stable open position is provided here between this fixed part 19 and a stiffening and coupling frame 11 fixedly connected to the upwardly pivotable metal end region 10.

(8) The can end in accordance with the invention preferably comprises a composite material whose design is shown schematically and in a greatly enlarged form in FIG. 2.

(9) The main component of the can end comprises a suitably shaped sheet metal layer 5, preferably composed of aluminum or tin plate, and this sheet metal layer is at both sides respectively with an adhesive layer 7 that serves as an adhesive agent and that makes it possible to ensure a very strong and permanent bond by means of e.g. a molecular or atomic bond between the metal, in particular aluminum or tin plate, and the plastic of the film 6 that preferably comprises polypropylene, that is provided at the lower end side, i.e. at the inner can side, and that is suitable for use in foods. The mutual connection of the individual components preferably takes place by induction in a so-called heat seal process or by plastic welding.

(10) A practically significant advantage of this composite is that it makes it possible to reduce the material thickness of the sheet metal layer 5, in particular of the aluminum or tin plate layer, without compromises with respect to the required strength values, with a small reduction in the sheet metal thickness already making possible economically substantial material savings when the large volumes in which such packages are required and produced are taken into account. In particular a mechanical strength of the plastic film 6 component in the composite material is selected such that the material thickness of the sheet metal layer 5 metal component is reduced in comparison with a film-free component while ensuring the required total strength of the composite material 4. The material thickness of the sheet metal layer 5 may be thereby be reduced by at least 5%.

(11) FIG. 3 shows a section corresponding to the line A-A in FIG. 1, with the connection of the end to the respective product container 1 being schematically indicated in this sectional representation. The product container 1 preferably comprises metal, but can also comprise other materials, in particular plastic, with then the respective suitable connection technique, e.g. adhesion, being used to connect the container 1 with the can end in a hermetically sealed manner.

(12) The details of the can end design essential for the function are located in the regions marked by C and D and will be explained separately in the following with references to FIGS. 4 and 5.

(13) FIG. 4 shows in a highly enlarged form the region D of FIG. 3, i.e. the region at which the tear open member 17 is fastened to the upwardly pivotable end part, and indeed at its outer margin, so that on a pulling up of the end part, a lever effect is preferably produced that promotes the opening of the end part.

(14) The can end comprises the composite material schematically shown in FIG. 2, with only the sheet metal layer 5 and the plastic film 6 comprising a plastic molding being shown in FIG. 4 for reasons of simplicity. The molding contour of the plastic film 6 corresponds to the contour of the lower side of the sheet metal end part 5 and preferably extends up to and into the beaded region where it can simultaneously act as a seal and as corrosion protection.

(15) The end region 10 indicated in FIG. 1 is provided in the can end material 5 and, in accordance with the invention, is not bounded by a material weakening, but rather by a so-called microgap 8. This peripheral microgap 8 is preferably formed in that the end region 10 is punched out of the sheet metal material and is subsequently, or in the further course of the production process, pressed back into the opening again so that a planar metal surface is in turn present. The punching process is preferably configured such that a peripheral contour results in the punched part that, observed over the material thickness, comprises a flush-cut section and an adjoining chamfer-cut section, with the flush-cut section preferably extending over less than 50% of the material thickness.

(16) A clamping hold is thus present in the region of the microgap 8 between the sheet metal parts pushed into one another again so that on the first opening of the receptacle, a metal separation no longer has to take place and thus also no formation of metal microparticles occurs. Such an occurrence of microparticles, in particular microparticles of aluminum, cannot be prevented in conventional can ends having closed tear open lines.

(17) The microgap 8, that is preferably formed by a straight line, i.e. a non-toothed line, is covered and thus sealed by the plastic film 6 at the lower side, i.e. at the inner end side. The plastic film has a more or less deep notch 9 adjacent to the microgap 8, said notch 9 ensuring that only a comparatively small force is required to open the end, with the total force required for the opening also being able to be predefinable by the seal pairing that is implemented in the cooperation of the sealing frame 14 and of the stiffening and coupling frame 11.

(18) The sealing frame 14 composed of plastic material, e.g. polypropylene, surrounds the opening region and is fixedly connected, preferably in a recess of the sheet metal layer 5, to the metal end material via the already mentioned adhesive lacquer film.

(19) The sealing frame has two reception grooves 15, 16, divided from one another by a center web 20, for a latching rib 12 and a sealing rib 13 that are provided at the stiffening and coupling frame 11. This stiffening and coupling frame 11, likewise comprising plastic material, preferably polypropylene, is in an analog manner to the sealing frame 14 fixedly connected to the metal end, but not to the fixed position end part, but rather to the upwardly pivotable end region 10. The upwardly pivotable end part is thus formed by the metal end region bounded by the microgap and by the stiffening and coupling frame 11 that is fastened thereto at the marginal side, that gives the end part the desires surface stability, and that prevents an unwanted deformation of the end part.

(20) The tear open member 17 is molded to the outer margin of the stiffening and coupling frame 11 and a pivot bearing region 18 is likewise arranged molded diametrically opposite thereto and is fixedly connected to the end surface disposed outside the upwardly pivotable end part, which will be explained with reference to FIG. 5.

(21) The tear open member 17 has a fixing element 22 that extends toward the end part and is fixed there such that the intactness of the respective packaging is visible or can be checked with reference to this connection.

(22) FIG. 5 shows in an enlarged representation the detail region D of FIG. 3, i.e. the pivot bearing region 18 disposed diametrically opposite the tear open member 17 in connection with the sealing frame 14 and the stiffening and coupling frame 11 that are in engagement with one another in the shown manner and that form a sealing snap and latch connection in the closed state of the can end.

(23) The rib 13 received in the reception groove 16 and the rib 12 received in the reception groove 15 are functionally different, i.e. separate functions are present, whereby an optimization of the cooperation of the sealing frame 14 and the stiffening and coupling frame 11 is made possible. The sealing rib 13 forms a sealing surface pairing 23 with the receiving rib 16, with the opening resistance being able to be set by the predefinable inclination of the mutually cooperating sealing surfaces, i.e. a slanted surface pairing can be selected that ensures that, on the one hand, it is possible to withstand the respective internal pressure and, on the other hand, the opening process is not made too difficult.

(24) The latching rib 12 and the associated reception groove 15 likewise have short, mutually cooperating slanted surfaces that, on the one hand, ensure the latching snap-in connection, but, on the other hand, also make possible a small free relative movement with respect to one another. This free movability can be used to permit a small initial opening of the can end on which a possible internal pressure is reduced without the end already being opened so far that liquid could escape in a disruptive manner.

(25) The stiffening and coupling frame 11 is connected to the fixed part of the pivot bearing via a toggle spring section 21 that makes it possible to hold the end region pivoted up in a position pivoted up of e.g. more than 130° so that the opening region of the can is freely accessible.

(26) To ensure that no dirt particles or contaminants can penetrate under the can end region covered by the plastic parts, provision is made in accordance with a further special feature of the invention that the stiffening and coupling frame 11 has a sealing skirt 24 over its total outer periphery that extends up to the fixed position end surface and that is preferably bonded to the fixed position end surface with e.g. a molecular or atomic bond via the adhesive lacquer film 7. This connection is separated on the first opening.

(27) A receptacle formed in accordance with the invention with a reclosable end has a number of advantages with respect to previously known food receptacles or food cans. No separate end thus has to be used or the can can be closed by an aluminum foil or in another manner. In addition, the end designed in accordance with the invention does not bend like the ends of conventional tear open cans and receptacles of the most varied cross-sectional shapes can be freely used, with the opening cross-section being freely configurable. The reclosable end in accordance with the invention increases the leak tightness and security with respect to an unintended opening and the problem of a formation of metal splinters or microparticles and the health hazard resulting therefrom is also above all fully avoided that has always been present with the previously known metal cans.

(28) In addition to food containers, receptacles configured in accordance with the invention can also be used in the non-food sector, for example for oils and enamels, and equally also in receptacles in which products only have to be stored at a specific pressure, e.g. receptacles for tennis balls. The area of use of receptacles having a reclosable end and configured in accordance with the invention is thus practically unlimited.

REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST

(29) 1 product container, can body 2 tear open end 3 beaded margin 4 composite material 5 sheet metal layer (aluminum, tin plate) 6 plastic film, molding 7 adhesive lacquer film 8 microgap 9 notch 10 end region, upwardly pivotable 11 stiffening and coupling frame 12 latching rib 13 sealing rib 14 sealing frame 15 reception groove, inner 16 reception groove, outer 17 tear-open member 18 pivot bearing region 19 fixed part of the pivot bearing 20 central web 21 toggle spring section 22 fixing element 23 sealing surface pairing 24 sealing skirt