Containers having distinctive tabs with laser etching and void forming a promotional image

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The invention generally relates to containers, for example, metal or plastic containers for consumer goods, such as food and drink. More specifically, the invention relates to cans and can ends having a manually manipulated tab used to open such a container that includes an advertising or decorative image.

Description of the state of the art related to the invention

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the traditional beverage cans known in the art. The can 10 is formed from a one-piece cup made by extrusion broaching. The cup walls are stretched in a can body making station to form the can sidewall 12. In the upper part of the can, neck 14 is formed by means of a set of crimping stations such as those described in US Patent No. 4,774,839 by Caleffi and others or US No. 5,755,130 Tunga and others. After the neck 14 is formed on the upper portion 16 of the can 10, the can is sent to a flange forming station where a flange is formed around the upper peripheral edge of the can. After the can has been filled, the flange is connected to the peripheral edge of the can end 18 using well known techniques.

Referring to Figure 2, the can end 18 includes a substantially flat central plate 19, integrally connected to the peripheral cavity, which is surrounded by an outer flange or curl. The middle plate contains score lines that define a plate that, when opened, allows the can to be removed.

The cut portion 20 cooperates with the manually manipulated tab 22 so as to allow the user to remove, for example, a larger part of the middle plate, as is the case for the end that easily opens the whole plate, which is used in cans containing cat food, appetizers or other food , or to remove or open a pouring can on a beverage can.

In a typical beverage can, such as that shown in Figure 2, the incision 20 defines a pouring plate 21 which, when opened, remains attached to the central plate by means of a joint (not shown). The pouring plate is opened by means of the ear 22. Ear 22 is attached to the central plate 19 by means of a rivet 32. The user inserts a finger under the eye 22 and raises the ear upwards, pulling the rivet 32 ​​upwards, which initiates a crack or initial fracture of the score line 20. Continued lifting of the ear 22 will continue to break the notches to create a hole in the can. At this point, the user can pour the contents of the can outside or drink from the can.

Prior art solutions for decorative, advertising, or other similar features for beverage containers include US Patent No. 4,203,240; US No. 1,257,710 Januchowski; US Patent Des. 365, 021 Parka; and US No. 1,878,541 to Rheingold. US Patent No. 4,557,505 by Schaefer et al. Describes a tape, which becomes cloudy under the action of stress, tampering, applied to the container openings, on which the tape displays a visible message indicating whether the closure has been opened or tampered with. Minder, in US Patent 3,822,496 shows a can with a detachable pictorial plate or button that is attached to the pull ring of the can. In addition, beverage cans were previously sold in the United States with alphanumeric characters formed on the ear by means of inkjet printing. Published application PCT / GB00 / 00463, publication no. WO 00/47487 published on August 17, 2000, discloses methods and apparatus for printing on cartridges and many features for advertising containers and container ends. EP-A-1,123,772 discloses a laser device that performs marking on the surface of an ear.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A can end was constructed, such as a can containing food or drink for human consumption, which includes a cut portion forming a frangible portion at said end. The manually manipulated tab is attached to said end and has a first end portion and a second end portion, and opposing sides, first and second. The first end part cooperates with the cut part to open the end when the second end part is lifted up using the user's finger or other tool. The ear further comprises an ear surface extending across the ear between the first and second sides. According to the invention, the surface of the eye is decorated in a distinctive manner to form an advertising or decorative image in the eye. The advertising image is created as a combination of empty space in the eye and laser etching of the surface of the eye in the area adjacent to this empty space. In a preferred embodiment, the tab is colored and the laser etching burns the tab color to expose the base color of the tab material. The combination of empty space, colored ear material and laser etching of the color material to reveal the color of the basic material of the ear (i.e. silver for the aluminum material of the ear), with the possible color applied to the end of the can body, results in a very distinctive container.

In a preferred embodiment, the promotional image is created by applying a layer of coloring agent to the surface of the ear (such as by applying a varnish containing the coloring agent to the ear), feeding the material of the ear to the laser station, where part of the coloring agent is burnt out revealing the silver color of the aluminum under the dyeing, then feeding the ear to the press, where the features of the ear are formed. The press includes a punching tool that forms an empty space forming part of an advertising or decorative image.

Finally, according to the invention, any suitable can can be equipped, for example a can intended for foodstuffs for human or animal consumption. In a preferred embodiment, the can is an aluminum beverage can, but with inventive ends and dumplings, cans (e.g. peanuts) or other types of products can be used. The end can be the end that easily opens the entire plate, in which the whole plate is removed, or the end in which the eye is used to open the pouring plate finally to provide means of access to the contents of the can.

The advertising or decorative image can be the logo or trademark of the can content manufacturer, or another advertising or fancy image associated with the can content manufacturer. Other examples of advertising images can be letters, numbers, symbols or fancy shapes.

These and other advantages, features and improvements of this invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Currently preferred embodiments of the invention are described below in connection with the drawings in which the same reference numerals refer to the same elements in different views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of prior art beverage cans;

Figure 2 is a top view of the end of the beverage can of the prior art and the manually manipulated eye of the beverage can of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top view of the inventive end of the beverage can of Figure 1 showing an advertising or decorative image formed as a hollow space on the surface of the ear in combination with an adjacent laser etching in the ear.

Figure 3A is an alternative arrangement of the tab of Figure 3.

Figures 4 and 5 show two alternative decorative or promotional images formed in the surface of the ear.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Figure 3 is a top view of the inventive end 18 for the can 10 of Figure 1. The end 18 has a cut portion 20 to define an opening at this end and a manually manipulated eye 22 having an advertising or decorative image 30 formed therein.

Ear 22 is attached to end 18 with a rivet 32 ​​or other suitable structure that allows ear 22 to remain attached to end 18 when the user manipulates the ear to open the can 10. Ear 22 has a first end portion 34 and a second end portion 36 and opposite sides, first and second, respectively 38 and 40. The first end portion 34 is pressed into the area 37 delimited by the cut portion 20 to open the end when the second end portion 36 is lifted up using a user's finger or other tool.

The ear further comprises an ear surface 41 extending across the ear 22 between the first and second sides 38 and 40. As shown in Figure 3, the ear surface 41 has an advertising or decorative image 30 formed therein. In the example shown in Figure 3, the tab is covered with varnish or other pigment to form a colored tab (e.g., black, red or blue), and the advertising image 30 is formed by creating a hollow space 50 in the tab and laser etching the color adjacent to the gap above a pattern or system 52 to expose the base metal (aluminum). A combination of void 50 that reveals the color of the end plate 19 (which may be colored, e.g. gold, or unstained, e.g. silver) plus the color of the surface 41 of the lug, plus laser etching at locations 52 forming the distinctive end of the container. Thus, it is possible to provide the consumer or viewer with at least three colors: (1) the color of the end plate 19, which will also be visible through the void space 50 in the eye, (2) the color applied to the surface 41 of the eye, and the color of the material of the eye ( silver aluminum lug) in area 52 where the laser burned out the color.

The specific image shown in Figure 3 is an advertising or decorative star-shaped image. The star has a circular cut hole 50, and the blades of the 52 stars consist of areas where the laser has burned a color or coating applied to the surface of the ear. Consider, for example, the end with a golden plate 19, an empty space 50 revealing a golden color, and silver blades 52 against a black ear on the surface 41 of the ear form an exceptionally distinctive arrangement. In addition, the resulting star has no sharp surfaces that could hurt the user when the can is opened. The combination of the feature of empty space and laser etching opens up many new possibilities for decorating can ears.

The next two examples are shown in Figures 4 and

5. Figure 4 shows a decorative picture in the form of the number "1" with a bar 50 formed as a hollow space and base and the upper left part of the number formed as laser etching of the surface of the ear to burn the color applied to the ear. Alternatively, the ear has no color and the laser etching burns the coating to the aluminum base material, which can result in dimming of the ear color in area 52. In the example of Figure 5, the advertising or decorative image consists of the letter "P" and is formed of a void 50 and a laser etching in area 52. The laser etching and the empty space can of course be reversed in the examples of Figures 4 and 5.

Various types of advertising or decorative images may be formed on the surface of the ear, such as logos, sports team logos, trademarks, product images or features suggesting the contents of the can, letters, numbers, symbols of all kinds, any designs and so on.

In one preferred embodiment, the advertising image 30 is formed in the eye 22 first by applying a layer of coloring agent or varnish containing the coloring agent to the surface of the eye, or by purchasing pre-coated material on the eyes, and then removing a portion of the colorant at predetermined locations at using a laser. The eye material is then introduced into the eye forming press (such as the Dayton Reliable Tool press). Then the eye is formed in the press. One operation in the press involves a die-punching operation in which voids 50 are cut into the surface of the lug. The empty space will usually be formed in the immediate vicinity of the places where the color etching has occurred, so that the laser etching and the empty space together form a single uniform image. For example, consider a bull-head logo. Laser etching is made to etch the shape of the bull's horns, ears and nose, revealing these features in the color of the base material. The remaining surface of the eye is the colored material of the eye. The inverted triangle is punched out of the surface of the eye to form the basic shape of the head.

In an alternative but less preferred embodiment, the laser etching of the eye surface 41 in the area 52 can be done after forming the ears and fitting them to the end in a shell conversion press. In this embodiment, the precise end position relative to the laser must be maintained to ensure that etching is carried out in the right places.

Other embodiments are also contemplated. It is possible to use a non-colored ear, and the advertising image may be created by a hollow space in addition to other etched features such as patterns or other features in the surface of the ear adjacent to the empty space.

Further embodiments may incorporate three-dimensional ear shapes derived from extrusion in various ways (embossing or debossing) in addition to features such as etching and void formation described herein. In these embodiments, the metal in the lug surface 41 is either pressed down (toward end plate 19) or lifted up.

The techniques of this invention can be applied to various types of container ends, and representative examples include can ends for food, beverage and other types of products.

Figure 3A is an alternative arrangement of the embodiment of Figure 3 in which a laser etching was used to draw a circular outline 52A and outline 52B of star blades, showing the color of plate 19 visible through void 50.

Variations on the specific embodiments described above can be considered within the scope of the invention. The actual scope of the invention is determined by the appended claims, which must be interpreted in the light of the above description.

Rexam Beverage Can Europe Limited Full power:

38P21163PL00

EP 1 663 794 B1