Back to results
US 9,580,203 B2Granted
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.
Claims9
A metallic end closure with controlled opening characteristics, comprising:
- a peripheral curl which is adapted for interconnection to a neck of a container body;
- a central panel;
- a countersink positioned between said peripheral curl and said central panel;
- a pull tab having a nose end and a tail end, wherein said pull tab is operably interconnected to said central panel;
- a first score line in said central panel which defines a tear panel, said tear panel severable along said first score line when said nose end of said pull tab is pushed downwardly on said tear panel;
- a first anti-missile feature positioned proximate to said first score line which deforms at least a portion of said first score line to affect the rate at which said tear panel opens along said first score line when a user pivots said nose end of said pull tab into said tear panel;
- and
- a second anti-missile feature positioned proximate to said first anti-missile feature, wherein said second anti-missile and said first anti-missile feature are substantially parallel.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.