Can-jacket

Application filed October 6, 1917. Serial No. 195,006.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Walter A. West, a citizen, of the United States, residing at Elkhorn, in the county of Walworth and State 5 of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements'in Can-Jackets, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved protecting device for cans, particularly such as milk cans,' serving two purposes, first and primarily to protect the contents of the cans against outside tem15 perature, either heat or cold, and second, to defeat pilfering of the contents of the can. It consists in the elements and features ,of construction, shown and described, as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings:—

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a can equipped with a jacket embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a section at the line, 2—2, on 25 Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section at the line, 3—3, on Eig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail side elevation of the upper part of a jacketed can showing a 30 modified application of the sealing device.

Fig. 5 is a section at the plane of sealing of the neck, showing a modification.

The can, A, shown in the drawings is of the familiar form and construction of milk 35 cans having a contracted neck, A¹, and a cover, A², which is withdrawable upward from above the neck, the can having also handles, A³, A³, in the usual position for handling it. The jacket, B, is in the nature 40 of an inverted bag, that is, being closed at the top and adapted to be applied from above downward over the can and cover. In the main it fits the can loosely, that is, with considerable slack, particularly at the neck, 45 and some slack throughout, so that it may be easily applied and withdrawn. It has apertures, B¹, B¹, for the can handles, A³, and flaps, B², which are secured to the body and adapted to be inserted through the openings 50 of the handles, and are preferably provided with means for buttoning or otherwise securing them below the handle to the body of the jacket. At the bottom the jacket is provided with buckle straps, C, C¹, sewed to 55 the jacket near the lower margin and adapted for drawing the jacket snugly about the bottom of the can and securing it by the buckle. At the neck portion, B⁴, of the jacket, there are suitably anchored to it at a , distance apart which is somewhat more than 60 the slack of the neck,—that is, excess of the circumferential extent of the neck of the jacket above the circumferential extent of the neck of the can,—rings⁴ D, D, which ^rhave reeved through them the strap or wire, 65 V, of a sealing device which being thus reeved through them may be drawn tight to take up the slack and secure the can cover । unremovably until the seal is broken, because the neck of the jacket when contracted 70 in this manner about the neck of the can is smaller than the top of the can so that the. jacket cannot be drawn over the top or cover. The cover is thereby securely retained in place, preventing the pilfering of 75 the contents of the can, which ordinarily is easily accomplished notwithstanding the can may be sealed, by tilting it' on its side which will cause the milk to flow out to some extent between the can and the cover, so that 80 the pilferer may collect it for use. This is obviously impracticable when, notwithstanding the can might be thus tilted and the milk caused to flow out, the pilferer would be unable to collect the escaping contents 85 until it had flowed down over the whole interior surface of the jacket, which would render it valueless to the pilferer. The means for securing the flaps, B²,. after? their insertion down through the handles, pref- 90 erably comprises a buttonhole or eyelet δ²in the flap B², and a staple or eye, δ³, anchored in the body of the j acket and adapted to be passed through the eyelet or buttonhole of the flap, and to receive Outside 95 thereof the strap or wire of the sealing device, F, which would prevent the withdrawal of the flap, and thereby cause the flap to retain the jacket on the can as effectually' as it is retained or would be retained by the seal- 100 ing device drawing the neck of the jacket around the neck of the can. The sealing device may therefore be applied in either of the places indicated, or in both if desired, and as shown. 105

A specific purpose of this jacket is to insulate the can in respect to heat, so that the contents may neither become overheated or over-cooled in transportation, and for this purpose the jacket is composed of an inner 110 layer, M, and an outer layer, N, of the fabric, which is preferably oil-treated, or otherwise

1.375.480 waterproofed, and may also be painted, an intermediate layer, P, of paper being inter-_rposed and secured between the inner and outer fabric layers, such paper layer serving 5 very effectually as an insulation. The neck portion, B⁴, of the jacket which is to be collapsed around the neck of the can when the jacket is sealed at that point as described, may have a contractible paper filler, p, inter10 mediate the inner and outer fabric layers; or such layer may be made of comparatively narrow strips of paper, p*, which will slip over each other in the collapsing of the neck, as seen in section in Fig. 5. ft will be ob15 vious that instead of utilizing the rings, D, D, which are anchored in the fabric of the jacket at the neck for looping the sealing strap through them as described and shown, a strap, V, of the sealing device may be 20 passed entirely around the neck and drawn tight to collapse the neck of the jacket about the neck of the can, with the same effect so far as Securing the jacket to the can, and . preventing the removal or opening of the 25 cover is concerned. This mode of applying the same device is seen in Fig. 4.

In order to prevent air circulation under the jacket which would tend to defeat the purpose of insulation, it is preferred to pro30 vide at the bottom and as near the top as convenient,—which is usually at the upper end of the straight or cylindrical part of the body of the can, a strip of some such material as felt, or leather shown at E, E, on the inside of the jacket,—to seat snugly on the 35 can body, the buckle straps, 0, C¹, at the bottom on the outside of the jacket, and similar straps, c, c¹, being suitably positioned for clamping the jacket to the can at the zones occupied by the straps, D, D. 40