RECLOSABLE METAL BOTTLE

Abstract

Disclosed is an unique reclosable metal bottle in which a trim portion of the neck can be reused and mounted on the neck as a collar, or a separate collar provided, that has the structural rigidity necessary to form threads or lugs for recloseability. Thin wall metal bottles, having thicknesses on the order of thin wall metal cans currently in use, can be made using this process with minimal material waste since the trim neck portion is reused as a threaded collar. Structural rigidity and strength can be added by using fillers to backfill the indentations of the threads in the collar. Threads or lugs can be used, including pressure release lugs, that add both safety and convenience. Since the reclosable metal bottle is an all-metal container, the bottle can be recycled without introducing contaminants.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/715,052 entitled “Reclosable Metal Bottle” by Christopher J. Olson, filed Sep. 7, 2005, the entire contents of which are specifically incorporated herein by reference for all that it discloses and teaches.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

a. Field of the Invention

The present invention pertains generally to containers and more specifically to metal containers.

b. Description of the Background

Metal containers for containing beverages have been in existence for some time. One of the goals of the container industry has been to fabricate a reclosable metal bottle that is capable of withstanding the pressures that can be created by carbonated fluids in the metal bottle that can exceed 100 pounds per square inch. Attempts have been made to provide reclosable metal bottles that use threaded plastic outserts that are mounted on the metal bottle neck. The plastic outserts can provide sufficient rigidity and strength to operate under the high pressures that can be created in the metal bottle from carbonated fluids. An example of the use of a plastic outsert is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,026 issued Jan. 4, 2002 to Hans H. Dickhoff and assigned to Aluminum Company of America.

One of the problems associated with the use of plastic outserts is that contaminants from the plastic can be introduced during the burn off period when the metal bottles are melted for recycling purposes. In addition, the plastic outserts can be expensive which raises the overall price of the container. Also, impact extruding processes that are typically used to form metal containers can be expensive when forming a metal bottle because of the large number of necking stages that are required to neck the container into a bottle shape. As such, the overall cost of making a metal bottle is high and requires a large capital investment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention may therefore comprise a method of making a reclosable metal bottle comprising: necking a body portion of the reclosable metal bottle to form a neck portion that includes an extended neck portion; trimming the extended neck portion from the neck portion to form a collar; working the collar to form threads and increase the diameter of the collar; backfilling indentations formed by the threads in the collar with a backfiller material; placing the collar over the neck; securing the collar to the neck.

The present invention may further comprise a reclosable metal bottle comprising: a thin wall metal body portion; a neck portion that has been formed from the thin wall metal body portion; a collar trimmed from the neck portion and secured to an outside surface of the neck portion; threads formed in the collar; filler material that is backfilled into openings formed by the threads on the inside surface of the collar, the filler material providing strength and rigidity to the threads.

The present invention may further comprise a method of making a reclosable metal bottle comprising: necking a body portion of the reclosable metal bottle to form a neck portion; providing a metal collar; working the collar to form threads and increase the diameter of the collar; backfilling indentations formed by the threads in the collar with a backfiller material; placing the collar over the neck; securing the collar to the neck.

The present invention may further comprise a reclosable metal bottle comprising: a thin wall metal body portion; a neck portion that has been formed from the thin wall metal body portion; a metal collar that is secured to an outside surface of the neck portion; threads formed in the collar; filler material that is backfilled into openings formed by the threads on the inside surface of the collar, the filler material providing strength and rigidity to the threads.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is one embodiment of an isometric view of a reclosable metal bottle.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a necked bottle.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the necked bottle of FIG. 2 with a trimmed collar.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the metal bottle of FIG. 3 and a trimmed collar with the trimmed collar formed with threads.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the metal bottle of FIG. 4 with the trimmed collar mounted on the neck of the trimmed bottle.

FIG. 6 is a cut-away view of the embodiment of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a cut-away, close-up view of the neck portion of the embodiment of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a side view of another embodiment of a metal bottle and a trimmed collar that has been formed with lugs.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the metal bottle of FIG. 8 with the collar mounted on the metal bottle.

FIG. 10 is a cut-away view of the embodiment of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a side view of another embodiment of a metal bottle with the collar formed with pressure released lugs.

FIG. 12 is a side view of the metal bottle of FIG. 11 with the collar portion mounted on the bottle.

FIG. 13 is a cut-away view of the embodiment of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a cut-away view of the neck portion of the embodiment of FIG. 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one embodiment of a metal bottle that is made in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the reclosable metal bottle 100 has a body portion 102 and a neck portion 104. Mounted on the neck portion is a collar 106 that has threads 108. The top of the neck portion 110 is curled and can be crimped to hold the collar 106 in place on the neck portion 104 and retain the collar 106 so that the collar 106 is held on the neck portion 104 and cannot be removed from the end of the neck portion 104. Cap 112 is a standard metal cap with threads that engage threads 108 of the collar 106. The inside top of the cap 112 seals against the smooth curl 110 at the top of neck portion 104.

The process of forming a typical can body results in the mid portion of the body 102, i.e., the mid-body of a typical aluminum beverage can, to have a thickness of around 4 thousandths of an inch. In some applications, the mid-body may be slightly less thick, i.e., on the order of 3.8 or 3.6 thousandths of an inch, for aluminum cans. For steel cans, the thickness at the mid-body can be as low as 2.6 or 2.7 thousandths of an inch. Typically, the neck 104 has a thickness that is 2.0 to 2.5 thousandths of an inch greater than the body portion using ironing processes. Hence, the neck portion in a standard aluminum can have thicknesses in the range of 6.0 to 6.5 thousandths of an inch. At least for aluminum containers, a typical thickness in the neck portion of around 6.0 thousandsths of an inch would normally be considered to have insufficient strength for threads that are capable of withstanding the pressures of over 100 pounds per square inch that may be created by a carbonated liquid in an enclosed container. Hence, additional strength/thickness is required in the neck portion 104 to form threads for a reclosable metal bottle.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the body portion 102 which can be made using an impact extrusion process, or can be formed using a drawn and ironing process. The neck 104 including the extended portion 114 can be made using the above processes or more preferably using a linear drive metal forming machine as described in Publication Number US 2005-0155404A1 which is specifically incorporated herein for all that it discloses and teaches.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the metal bottle illustrated in FIG. 2 with the extended portion 114 removed from the neck 104 to form a collar 106. The collar 106 can be severed or cut in any desired fashion from the neck 104 to form a separate collar 106. The trimming of the collar 106 from the neck 104, as shown in FIG. 3, can constitute a standard trimming process that would otherwise occur in the trimming of the neck 104. In other words, the top of the collar 106 can be trimmed first in the standard manner in which the neck 104 of a container would otherwise be trimmed to form an even and flat surface. Then, the extended portion 114 that forms the collar 106 can be trimmed from the neck 104, in the same fashion, to form a flat and even surface at the top of the neck 104 and the bottom of the collar 106. Using this process, the number of steps in forming the collar 106 is minimized, and there is a minimal amount of waste associated with the process of forming the reclosable metal bottle 100 and the collar 106.

The collar 106 of FIG. 3 can also be constructed separately from the reclosable metal bottle 100. In other words, the reclosable metal bottle 100 can be formed with a neck 104 such as shown in FIG. 3 and a separate collar 106 can be formed separately using other material. This reduces the amount of forming that is required of the metal material in the neck 104. The collar 106 can be sized so that it fits over the neck 104 when the collar 106 is first formed.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the reclosable metal bottle 100 and collar 106. As shown in FIG. 4, the metal in collar 106 has been worked to form threads 108 in the collar 106. In the process of working the metal in the collar 106 to form threads 108, the inner diameter of the collar 106 can also be increased so that the collar 106 can slide over the neck 104 and fit tightly on the neck 104. Conventional stamping techniques and other metal forming processes can be used to form the threads 108 in the collar 106 and expand the inner diameter of the collar so that it slides over the neck 104. For example, a standard stamping process can be used for this purpose. The working of the metal in the collar 106 provides more rigidity to the metal, which further assists in creating threads 108 that will not fail under the pressures that can be created above 100 pounds per square inch within the reclosable metal bottle 100. Since the collar 106 is separated from the reclosable metal bottle during the trimming process, there is easy access to the inner surface of the collar 106 to form the threads 108.

The neck portion 104, including the collar 106, may have a thickness of around 9 thousandths of an inch, resulting in a mid-body portion of the reclosable metal bottle 100 having a thickness of 6.5 to 7 thousandths of an inch which is not substantially greater than the mid-body thickness of a standard aluminum beverage can. Using thicknesses in these ranges results in the fabrication of economical metal bottles, made from aluminum, that do not have substantially more metal, and subsequently do not have substantially more cost, than standard lightweight metal beverage cans. Since the process of trimming the neck 104 must be performed in any event, to provide a smooth and even neck 104, no additional steps are required to form the collar 106. A combined thickness of 18 thousandths of an inch provides sufficient strength to create threads that allow a threaded cap to seal and hold the high pressures that can be created by a carbonated beverage that may exceed 100 pounds per square inch. By using the thickness of the metal in the collar 106 together with the thickness of the metal in the neck 104, total thicknesses in the range of 18 thousandths of an inch are created that are capable of providing the structural rigidity that is necessary for a reclosable threaded structure to withstand pressures in a carbonated beverage container. In addition, and/or alternatively, bonding agents can be used to add further strength and thickness to the structure of the combined collar 106 and neck 104 to further reduce metal thickness, as explained below.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the reclosable metal bottle 100 with the collar 106 mounted on the neck 104. The top edge of the neck 104 is curled (rolled over) along the top edge of the neck 104 to hold the collar 106 in place on neck 104. The top surface of the curl 110 forms a smooth, flat surface on which a seal can be formed with a closure or cap. Threads 108 on the collar 106 extend outwardly and provide a threaded surface on which to screw a cap or other closure device. The collar 106 can be affixed to the neck 104 by strictly mechanical means such as by crimping. Alternatively, an adhesive or other bonding agent can be used to secure the collar 106 to the neck 104. A filler material can be used, which may or may not comprise a bonding agent, that fills the inside surfaces of the threads 108 so as to provide additional rigidity to the structure that forms the threaded surface. In other words, a bonding agent (such as an adhesive), of any desired type, can be used together with a separate filler that fills the inside surfaces of the thread, or the bonding agent itself can function as a filler and an adhesive bonding agent. Bonding agents such as epoxy can be used as both a filler and as an adhesive. The curl 110 can be used in conjunction with the adhesive to ensure that the collar 106 is mechanically secured on the neck 104 and cannot be easily pulled off of the end of the neck 104. If a filler/adhesive is being used in conjunction with the collar 106, the thickness of the metal in the neck 104 and collar 106 may be reduced even further. As disclosed above, without the use of a filler, it may be desirable to have a wall thickness in the neck of approximately 9 thousandths, so that a total of 18 thousandths of an inch is achieved when the collar 106 is placed over the neck 108. However, when a filler and/or adhesive is used that backfills the thread indentations on the collar, it is possible that wall thicknesses as low as 7 thousandths of an inch in the neck 104 and collar 106 can be used that will provide sufficient rigidity and strength so that the threads will not compress as a result of pressure from the interior portion of the reclosable metal bottle 100. As a result, mid-body thicknesses of 4.5 to 5 thousandths of an inch can be achieved which is equivalent to the mid-body thicknesses of typical lightweight aluminum beverage cans. Hence, considerable cost savings in the materials can be obtained, resulting in a significant savings in the overall cost of the reclosable metal bottle. Of course, other types of metals can be used, such as steel, which would result in different thicknesses, but would provide similar savings.

FIG. 6 is a cut-away view of FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 6, the body portion 102 is shown as well as the neck 104 and collar 106. As shown in FIG. 6, the collar 106 slides over the neck 104 with very close tolerances to form a gap 116. Boding agents and fillers can be inserted in the gap 116 to strengthen the double-walled structure, as disclosed above.

FIG. 7 is a cut-away view of the neck portion and the collar of the embodiment of FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 7, the top of the neck 104 is rolled over to form a curl 110. The curl 110 holds the collar 106 in place on the neck 104. As disclosed above, the curl 110 forms a flat top portion 118 that is capable of creating a seal with the threaded closure.

FIG. 7 also illustrates the filler 122 that can be used to backfill the threads 108, which adds additional rigidity and strength to the threads 108. As indicated above, the use of a filler may reduce the overall thicknesses required in the neck and collar to about 7 thousandths of inch for aluminum. As indicated above, this would allow the construction of lightweight reclosable bottles, such as the lightweight cans, that are currently in use. As indicated above, the filler 122 can comprise any desired filler type of material. As indicated above, the filler may comprise a bonding agent such as an adhesive. Other types of fillers can also be used. Once the collar 106 is severed from the neck portion 104, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the collar 106 can be sent through a stamping or other forming operation which would properly size the collar 106 to fit around the neck 104 and to also create the threads 108. The collar 106 is then sent to a coating operation, or lining operation, to apply the filler to the stamped-in features so as to backfill the threads 108. This lining or coating that is applied as a filler may differ from any adhesive that may be applied when securing the collar 106 to the neck 104. Once the filler is applied, the collar 106 may simply be mechanically secured to the neck 104 by way of a crimp created by curl 110. Slotting and other ways of mechanically securing the collar 106 to the neck 104 can be used to prevent rotation of the collar 106 on the neck 104. Since the reclosable metal bottle 100 is sealed by way of the flat top of the curl 118 with the cap, the collar 106 does not have to be hermetically sealed to the neck 104.

Prior to the process of necking to form the extended neck portion 114 of neck 104, an FDA coating is applied to the interior portion of the bottle. The FDA coating is required in beverage containers to prevent the beverage from contacting the metal and thereby contaminating the beverage. In addition, the FDA coating provides a certain amount of lubrication during the necking process. To form the extended neck portion 114, the metal and the FDA coating in the neck 104 are extensively worked. One of the advantages of the process and structure disclosed herein is that the portions of the neck 104, i.e., the extended portion 114, that is worked the hardest, is removed from the bottle. The existence of the FDA coating on the extended portion 114 is irrelevant since the extended portion 114 constitutes the collar 106 which is placed over the outside of the neck 104. Hence, the hardest worked portions of the neck 104 are removed and used as the collar 106. As such, the interior portion neck 104 does not require washing and recoating, which is an expensive process. Another advantage of using the collar 106 which is applied to the outside of the neck 104 is that, if threads were directly stamped into the neck 104, a recoating process may be required to recoat the inside of the neck with an FDA coating, which again, is an expensive process. Of course, these processes are avoided since the neck 104 is not stamped or otherwise reworked after the necking process.

One of the other desirable features is that once the collar 106 is removed from the can, it can be reworked and processed as desired. For example, once the threads are formed, the outside surface of the collar 106 can be powder coated to form a very desirable surface from which to drink.

FIG. 8 is a side view of another embodiment of a reclosable metal bottle 124. As shown in FIG. 8, a collar 126 is also trimmed from the reclosable metal bottle 124 in the manner described above. However, instead of forming threads, lugs 128 are formed in the collar 126 using any one of the processes described above. The lugs 128 have a profile that matches the closure or cap (not shown) so that the closure can be easily applied and engage the lugs 128. The cap can then be sealed on the bottle 124 with a quarter turn. The advantage of lugs over threads is that lugs allow the cap to be opened with a simple quarter turn that eliminates the multiple rotations that are normally required to seal a threaded closure. In addition, threaded closures are more prone to cross-threading than lugs, which further adds to the reliability of being able to form a proper seal using a lug closure device.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the reclosable metal bottle 124 with the collar 126 mounted on the neck 132. Any of the processes disclosed above for mounting the collar 126 on the neck 132 can be used. For example, the curl 130 can be formed in the upper portion of the neck 132 which crimps the collar 126 mechanically onto the neck 132. The curl 130 creates a crimp above the location of the lugs 128 so that the curl 130 does not interfere with the lugs 128.

FIG. 10 is a cut-away view of the reclosable metal bottle 124, illustrating the lugs 128 and the neck 132.

FIG. 11 illustrates another embodiment of a reclosable metal bottle 134. As shown in FIG. 11, a collar 136 is trimmed from the neck 140 in the manner disclosed above. The collar 136 can then be processed, as disclosed above, to form pressure release lugs 138. The pressure release lugs 138, as well as the collar, can be processed and formed using any of the desired processes disclosed above, including the backfilling and coating of the pressure release lugs 138.

FIG. 12 is a side view of the reclosable metal bottle 134. The collar 136 is mounted on the neck 140. Again, any of the processes for mounting of the collar 136 on the neck 140, such as disclosed above, can be used. The pressure release lugs 138 are adapted to engage a closure device such as a cap that is designed to engage the pressure release lugs 138 and form a seal with the curl 142. The pressure release lugs 138 operate such that a small turn of the cap allows the seal between the cap and the curl 142 to open slightly and release pressure around the side of the cap and between the pressure release lugs 138, while still maintaining the cap engaged with the pressure release lugs 138 so that the cap will not be ejected from the top of the reclosable metal bottle 134. The cap can then be turned farther to release the cap from the pressure release lugs 138. The pressure release lugs 138 provide a safe and convenient type of closure.

FIG. 13 is a cut-away view of the reclosable metal bottle 134 of FIG. 12. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the pressure release lugs 138 are disposed around the periphery of the collar 136 for engagement with a closure device (a pressure release lug cap).

FIG. 14 is a cut-away view of the embodiment of FIGS. 12 and 13. As shown in FIG. 14, the collar 136 is fit around the neck 140 and secured in position by the curl 142. Curl 142 can also overlap the collar 136 and crimp the collar 136 in a secure position on the neck 140. As indicated above, notches can also be made in the edge of the curl 142 and the top of the collar 136 to prevent rotation of the collar 136 on the neck 140. As also shown in FIG. 14, the pressure release lugs 138 are formed in the collar 136 and protrude outwardly for engagement with a closure device such as a cap. Again, all the different methods of mounting including gluing and bonding the collar 136 to the neck 140 can be used, as well as backfilling the pressure release lugs 138, to provide additional strength and rigidity to the pressure release lugs 138.

The various embodiments therefore provide a unique reclosable metal bottle in which a trimmed portion of the neck can be reused and mounted on the neck to provide the structural rigidity necessary to form threads or lugs for recloseability, and result in a substantial savings in the overall cost of the reclosable metal bottle. Thin wall metal bottles, having thicknesses on the order of thin wall metal cans currently in use, can be made using this process with minimal material waste since the trimmed neck portion is being reused as a threaded collar. Structural rigidity and strength can be added by using fillers to backfill the indentations of the threads in the collar. Threads or lugs can be used, including pressure release lugs, that add both safety and convenience. Since the reclosable metal bottle is an all-metal container, the bottle can be recycled without introducing contaminants. Backfill and bonding agents can be chosen that do not introduce contaminants in the melting recycling process.

The foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and other modifications and variations may be possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the appended claims be construed to include other alternative embodiments of the invention except insofar as limited by the prior art.

Claims

1. A method of making a reclosable metal bottle comprising:

necking a body portion of said reclosable metal bottle to form a neck portion that includes an extended neck portion;

trimming said extended neck portion from said neck portion to form a collar;

working said collar to form threads and increase the diameter of said collar;

backfilling indentations formed by said threads in the collar with a backfiller material;

placing said collar over said neck;

securing said collar to said neck.

2. The method of making a reclosable metal bottle of claim 1 wherein said step of securing said collar to said neck comprises mechanically securing said collar to said neck by forming a curl in the top portion of said neck that engages said collar.

3. The method of making a reclosable metal bottle as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of securing said collar to said neck further comprises bonding said collar to said neck using bonding agents that comprise said backfiller material that backfills indentations in said collar formed by said threads.

4. The method of making a reclosable metal bottle as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of necking a body portion to form a neck portion comprises a drawing and ironing process.

5. A reclosable metal bottle comprising:

a thin wall metal body portion;

a neck portion that has been formed from said thin wall metal body portion;

a collar trimmed from said neck portion and secured to an outside surface of said neck portion;

threads formed in said collar;

filler material that is backfilled into openings formed by said threads on the inside surface of said collar, said filler material providing strength and rigidity to said threads.

6. The reclosable metal bottle of claim 5 wherein said filler material comprises a bonding adhesive.

7. The reclosable metal bottle of claim 5 further comprising a bonding adhesive disposed between said collar and said neck.

8. A method of making a reclosable metal bottle comprising:

necking a body portion of said reclosable metal bottle to form a neck portion;

providing a metal collar;

working said collar to form threads and increase the diameter of said collar;

backfilling indentations formed by said threads in said collar with a backfiller material;

placing said collar over said neck;

securing said collar to said neck.

9. The method of making a reclosable metal bottle of claim 8 wherein said step of securing said collar to said neck comprises mechanically securing said collar to said neck by forming a curl in a top portion of said neck that engages said collar.

10. The method of making a reclosable metal bottle as set forth in claim 8 wherein said step of securing said collar to said neck further comprises bonding said collar to said neck using bonding agents that comprise said backfiller material that backfills indentations in said collar formed by said threads.

11. A reclosable metal bottle comprising:

a thin wall metal body portion;

a neck portion that has been formed from said thin wall metal body portion;

a metal collar that is secured to an outside surface of said neck portion;

threads formed in said collar;

filler material that is backfilled into openings formed by said threads on the inside surface of said collar, said filler material providing strength and rigidity to said threads.

12. The reclosable metal bottle of claim 11 wherein said filler material comprises a bonding adhesive.

13. The reclosable metal bottle of claim 11 further comprising a bonding adhesive disposed between said collar and said neck.