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US 9,517,859 B2Granted
Stacking clip for beverage cans
AssigneeOregon Precision Industries, Inc.
InventorsZakary James Borg, Ronald Lee Mellor, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stacking clip is provided for vertically attaching two beverage cans together. The stacking clip comprises tabs and ledges used to attach to the lip of a circular rim of a lower beverage can and clipping protrusions used to attach to an undercut region in a concavity of another upper beverage can. Wings are configured to flex inward under an influence of a digit of a user to bias the ledges outward away from the central region of the clip body, detaching the ledges from the rim of the attached beverage can.
Claims20
A stacking clip for beverage cans, comprising:
- a clip body with a top side configured to attach to a bottom of an upper can and a bottom side configured to attach to a top of a lower can, the clip body including:
- a plurality of outer securing structures formed around a substantially circular outer perimeter of the clip body, each outer securing structure including an outer tab extending downward from the bottom side the clip body, a ledge formed at a bottom end of the outer tab and extending inward toward a central region of the clip body, and a wing extending upward from the outer tab away from the top side of the clip body, wherein the wing is configured to flex inward under an influence of a digit of a user to bias the ledge outward away from the central region of the clip body;
- and
- a plurality of inner securing structures formed around a substantially circular intermediate perimeter, each of the inner securing structures having a support tab extending downwardly from the clip body and a clipping protrusion extending upwardly from the clip body;
- wherein each ledge grips an outer lip of a circular rim formed on the top side of the lower can, to thereby releasably grip the lower can;
- and
- wherein a distal end of each support tab contacts a top horizontal surface on the top side of the lower can and each clipping protrusion contacts an undercut region in a concavity formed on the bottom side of the upper can, to thereby releasably grip the upper can.
4 more elements
A stacking clip for beverage cans, comprising:
- a clip body with a top side configured to attach to a bottom of an upper can and a bottom side configured to attach to a top of a lower can, the clip body including:
- a plurality of outer securing structures formed around a substantially circular outer perimeter of the clip body, each outer securing structure including an outer tab extending downward from the bottom side the clip body, a ledge formed at a bottom end of the outer tab and extending inward toward a central region of the clip body, and a wing extending upward from the outer tab away from the top side of the clip body, wherein the wing is configured to flex inward under an influence of a digit of a user to bias the ledge outward away from the central region of the clip body;
- and
- a plurality of inner securing structures formed around a substantially circular intermediate perimeter, each of the inner securing structures having a support tab extending downwardly from the clip body and a clipping protrusion extending upwardly from the clip body;
- wherein each ledge grips an outer lip of a circular rim formed on the top side of the lower can, to thereby releasably grip the lower can;
- wherein a distal end of each support tab contacts a top horizontal surface on the top side of the lower can and each clipping protrusion contacts an undercut region in a concavity formed on the bottom side of the upper can, to thereby releasably grip the upper can;
- wherein the wings are configured to rest in a spaced apart orientation from the bottom side of the upper can when the upper can is gripped, so that the wings are prevented from being flexed inwardly sufficiently to release the ledge from the lip of the rim of the lower can when the upper can is secured in the stacking clip;
- and
- wherein the wings are slanted inward toward the central region and are configured to contact an inwardly sloping surface around the bottom of the upper can when the upper can is placed on the stacking clip, to center the upper can on the stacking clip and align the undercut region with clipping protrusion.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.