End closure with double anti-missile score
AssigneeBall Corporation
InventorDennis K. Frank
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An end closure for food and beverage containers provides controlled opening characteristics to prevent the unintentional missiling of a tear panel. The end closure comprises a score line that defines a portion of the tear panel, and the end closure may comprise one or more anti-missile features that inhibit the propagation of a fracture down a score line, which reduces the likelihood that a tear panel will inadvertently detach from the end closure and injure the user or another.
Claims20
A tool for forming anti-missile features in a metallic end closure, comprising:
- a body having a first end and a substantially circular shaped second end;
- a flange disposed on said first end of said body, said flange having a larger outer diameter than said body;
- a first shaped feature and a second shaped feature extending from said second end of said body, said first and second shaped features each having a substantially rectangular shape and arranged substantially parallel to each other and offset from each other;
- and
- wherein an end of said first shaped feature is offset from a plane oriented through a center of said body by a first horizontal dimension, and wherein an end of said second shaped feature is offset from said plane oriented through said center of said body by a second horizontal dimension that is distinct from said first horizontal dimension.
A tool for forming anti-missile features in a metallic end closure, comprising:
- an elongated body having a first end and a second end, wherein said elongated body is substantially cylindrical with a flat side;
- a first shaped feature and a second shaped feature extending from said second end of said elongated body, said first and second shaped features each having a substantially rectangular shape and each aligned in a substantially parallel relationship with said flat side;
- and
- wherein said first shaped feature is offset from said second shaped feature by a first distance in a first direction, and said first shaped feature is offset from said second shaped feature by a second distance in a second direction, wherein said first direction is perpendicular to said second direction.
A tool for forming anti-missile features in a metallic end closure, comprising:
- an elongated cylindrical body having a first end and a second end;
- a first shaped feature and a second shaped feature extending from said second end of said elongated cylindrical body and aligned in a substantially parallel relationship, said first and second shaped features each having a substantially rectangular shape that tapers as each shaped feature extends from said second end of said elongated cylindrical body;
- and
- wherein a center of said first shaped feature is offset from a first plane through a center of said elongated cylindrical body by a first center dimension, and wherein a center of said second shaped feature is offset from said first plane through said center of said elongated cylindrical body by a second center dimension;
- and
- wherein an end of said first shaped feature is offset from a second plane through said center of said body by a first horizontal dimension, and wherein an end of said second shaped feature is offset from said second plane through said center of said body by a second horizontal dimension.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.