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US 8,844,761 B2Granted
Resealable beverage containers and methods of making same
OwnerDaniel A. Zabaleta, Sam Hackettinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Resealable beverage containers include caps that are twisted to impart translational motion of the cap to push a tear panel into the container. Cam elements are used to convert rotational movement to translational movement. The caps are preferably made of molded plastic material, and include cam elements formed on the sidewalls of the caps that engage cam followers or projections formed on the inner cylindrical surface of a socket which is formed in the lid of the beverage container. Methods of manufacturing resealable beverage containers avoid the need to form rivets and to attach pull tabs, thus saving costs and making the beverage containers more easily recycled.
Claims35
A beverage container comprising:
- a container body having a sidewall defining a tubular section extending between a top edge and a bottom end, a bottom wall providing a seal across the sidewall bottom end, and an opening defined by the sidewall top edge;
- and
- a lid for a beverage container, comprising:
- a substantially planar member having a peripheral edge;
- a socket formed near the peripheral edge of the planar member and having a cylindrical sidewall and a bottom wall;
- a score line disposed in the bottom wall of the socket and defining a tear panel, wherein the score line is located inward from the cylindrical sidewall, defining an annular surface between the score line and the cylindrical sidewall providing a seating arrangement segment, and whose start and end do not meet to define a hinge for the tear panel;
- a hinge section defined by ends of the score line, wherein the hinge section extends between the tear panel and the annular surface maintaining attachment of the tear panel to the planar member when the score line is fractured;
- a cap having a bottom surface extending across a lower edge of a cylindrical sidewall, the cap movably disposed in the socket, locating the cap bottom surface adjacent the bottom wall of the socket, the cap comprising a pointed projection extending downward from the cap bottom surface and disposed offset to a center axis of the cap, wherein when the cap is assembled in the socket, the pointed projection extends downwardly into the socket and is disposed immediately above the score line;
- and
- an earn feature for driving the cap between opening, removal and resealing positions relative to the score line, the earn feature comprising at least one earn surface in cooperative engagement with a cam feature, wherein the earn feature translates a rotational motion into a linear motion substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by the rotational motion,
- wherein the lid is assembled to the container body by joining the peripheral edge of the planar member to the top edge of the sidewall creating a sealed beverage container.
8 more elements
A lid for a beverage container, comprising:
- a substantially planar member having a peripheral edge;
- a socket formed near the peripheral edge of the planar member and having a cylindrical sidewall and a bottom wall;
- a score line disposed in the bottom wall of the socket and defining a tear panel, wherein the score line is located inward from the cylindrical sidewall, defining an annular surface between the score line and the cylindrical sidewall providing a seating arrangement segment;
- a cap having a bottom surface extending across a lower edge of a cylindrical sidewall, the cap movably disposed in the socket, locating the cap bottom surface adjacent the bottom wall of the socket, the cap comprising a pointed projection extending downward from the cap bottom surface and disposed offset to a center axis of the cap, wherein when the cap is assembled in the socket, the pointed projection extends downwardly into the socket and is disposed immediately above the score line;
- and
- an earn feature for driving the cap between opening, removal and resealing positions relative to the score line, the earn feature comprising at least one earn surface in cooperative engagement with a cam feature, wherein the earn feature translates a rotational motion into a linear motion substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by the rotational motion.
3 more elements
A method of opening and resealing a beverage container, comprising steps of:
- obtaining a beverage container comprising:
- a container body having a sidewall defining a tubular section extending between a top edge and a bottom end, a bottom wall providing a seal across the sidewall bottom end, and an opening defined by the sidewall top edge;
- and
- a lid for a beverage container, comprising:
- a substantially planar member having a peripheral edge;
- a socket formed near the peripheral edge of the planar member and having a cylindrical sidewall and a bottom wall;
- a score line disposed in the bottom wall of the socket and defining a tear panel, wherein the score line is located inward from the cylindrical sidewall, defining an annular surface between the score line and the cylindrical sidewall providing a seating arrangement segment;
- a hinge section defined by ends of the score line, wherein the hinge section extends between the tear panel and the annular surface maintaining attachment of the tear panel to the planar member when the score line is fractured;
- a cap movably disposed in the socket and adjacent the bottom wall of the socket, the cap having a grip at one end and a pointed projection at an opposite end, wherein the pointed projection is disposed offset to the center axis of the cap, wherein when the cap is assembled in the socket, the pointed projection extends downwardly into the socket and is disposed immediately above the score line;
- and
- an earn feature for driving the cap between opening, removal and resealing positions relative to the socket bottom wall, the earn feature comprising at least one earn surface in cooperative engagement with a cam feature, wherein the earn feature translates a rotational motion into a linear motion substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by the rotational motion,
- wherein the lid is assembled to the container body by joining the peripheral edge of the of the planar member to the top edge of the sidewall creating a sealed beverage container;
- providing cam surfaces and cam followers respectively on the cap and the lid;
- movably connecting the cap to the lid through the earn surfaces and cam followers;
- twisting the cap in a first direction and allowing the cam surfaces to convert rotational movement of the cap to linear motion in a direction generally perpendicular to a plane of rotation, whereby linear motion of the cap pushes the pointed projection into the score line to a degree shearing the bottom panel along the score line breaking the tear panel from the lid and enter the beverage container, thereby forming an opening suitable for drinking a beverage stored within the beverage container;
- twisting the cap in a second, reverse direction to an extent that the cam followers are disengaged from the earn surfaces, thereby allowing removal of the cap;
- re-engaging the cam followers and cam surfaces;
- and
- twisting the cap in the first direction until the cap is seated over the drinking opening.
16 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.