STAY-TAB BEVERAGE CAN WITH PROTECTIVE GUARD
A stay-tab beverage can with protective guard is provided. An example protective guard made integral with beverage cans keeps insects and foreign objects out of the beverage can. Rotating versions of the protective guard can use the existing rivet of a stay-tab to accommodate the protective guard as an add-on to the manufacturing process. Other versions of the protective guard hinge or slide to protect the can's opening. Example designs of the protective guard are attached to the can in various ways, and rotate, flip, or slide to engage the opening of the beverage can. Some example designs of the guard can hold a drinking straw in place, with other versions cap or seal the beverage. A webbed version of the guard provides a grill or grate, while solid flap versions open for fluid flow and close when the flow stops. The protective guards may be made in various commercially desirable shapes and colors.
This patent application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/496,653 to Webster, filed Oct. 25, 2016, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUNDA beverage can container is a closed vessel, typically made of a metal, for holding a measured amount of liquid for human consumption. Can capacity varies throughout the world, but is generally between 300-500 ml (355 ml or 12 ounces in the U.S.). The contents of the beverage container may or may not be under pressure. Each beverage can is closed and sealed, enclosing its apportioned liquid, but each beverage container typically has a built-in opening mechanism. Approximately 350 billion such beverage cans are manufactured annually worldwide. About three-fourths of the world's annual production of such cans are manufactured from aluminum, while the remaining one-fourth are mostly steel cans, plated with tin (“tin cans”). Very thin linings made of plastic polymer usually prevent the liquid beverage contents from reacting to the metal of the can.
As shown in
Once open, most disposable beverage cans 100 are not reclosable, and the open hole 104 is subject to liquid loss, carbonation loss, and intrusion by bees, insects, and other foreign objects. A small percentage of cans have resealable openings, such as a beverage can made by Cogitocan (Champforgeuil, France), but the resealable opening is a relatively complex and expensive additional apparatus, and relatively difficult to manufacture. Once reclosed, the consumer must reopen the Cogtiocan container to access the liquid, and cannot drink through the reclosable mechanism.
Most metal beverage cans manufactured in the United States are made of aluminum. In some parts of Europe and Asia, approximately 55 percent of beverage cans are made of steel and 45 percent are aluminum alloy. Steel cans often have a top made of aluminum. The aluminum used in United States and Canada are alloys containing 92.5% to 97% aluminum, less than 5.5% magnesium, less than 1.6% manganese, less than 0.15% chromium and some trace amounts of iron, silicon, and copper according to specifications from aluminum producer Alcoa. Alloys used may include 3004, 3105, or other 3xxx/5xxx series aluminum.
Several attempts have been made to provide a bug guard for the stay-tab opening of a beverage can. U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,742 to Lewis describes a guard separate from the can that includes a retaining slot adapted to fit over the can tab actuator. This (plastic) bug guard is secured to the top lid of the can by bending the tab actuator upward, sliding the tab actuator through the retaining slot, and bending the tab actuator downward. The Lewis bug guard includes a plurality of apertures in alignment with the drink opening to allow a consumer to drink from the can while preventing insects and debris from entering the can through the drink opening. However, the Lewis device is a separate apparatus from the can, made of different materials than the can, and must be attached manually to the can as a separate item.
U.S. Patent Publication 20040094550 to Poole describes a pull tab with insect guard for drinks, wherein the beverage container has a moveable ring pull with a bug-restrictive openings in the ring pull itself. The ring pull is moveable over the opening of the container, and the opening is also sized to cooperate with the geometry of the ring pull to prevent foreign objects from coming into the opening of the can, while letting the contents of the can be poured out. The Poole can, however, would require extensive changes in the current process and machination for manufacturing standard beverage cans, a process that already optimizes the stay-tab 102 for making 350 billion beverage cans 100 annually. Moreover, the Poole can provides an opening that is restrictive and not very suitable for the consumer to drinking through.
SUMMARYA stay-tab beverage can with protective guard is provided. An example protective guard made integral with beverage cans keeps insects and foreign objects out of the beverage can. Rotating versions of the protective guard can use the existing rivet of a stay-tab to accommodate the protective guard as an add-on to the manufacturing process. Other versions of the protective guard hinge or slide to protect the can's opening. Example designs of the protective guard are attached to the can in various ways, and rotate, flip, or slide to engage the opening of the beverage can. Some example designs of the guard can hold a drinking straw in place, with other versions cap or seal the beverage. A webbed version of the guard provides a grill or grate, while solid flap versions open for fluid flow and close when the flow stops. The protective guards may be made in various commercially desirable shapes and colors.
This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Certain embodiments of the disclosure will hereafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements. It should be understood, however, that the accompanying figures illustrate the various implementations described herein and are not meant to limit the scope of various technologies described herein.
In the Figures, the shown parts are not necessarily to scale, and not necessarily in scale with regards to relative sizes and relative thicknesses of adjacent parts. Rather, the components of the Figures are sized and scaled relative to each other for purposes of description.
Overview
This disclosure describes stay-tab beverage cans with protective guards. In an implementation, a stay-tab beverage can has an example hygienic bee and bug guard (hereinafter “protective guard” or just “guard”) built-in during manufacture of the can, or in another implementation, added-on during an additional step in the manufacture of the beverage can. Although the example protective guards can be part of the beverage can itself, a given protective guard on a can may be ignored if not needed.
Example designs of the protective guard are attached to the can in various ways, and rotate, flip, or slide to engage the opening of the beverage can. Various webbed designs of the protective guard keep insects and other foreign objects out of the beverage can while allowing the beverage to be consumed or poured out. Some webbed designs may also hold a drinking straw securely in the beverage can. Yet other example designs of the guard can cap or seal the beverage in the beverage can. In an implementation, some designs of the protective guard provide a solid flap that keeps insects and other foreign objects out of the beverage can, while moving valve-like to allow beverage to flow or be consumed. In another implementation, an example protective guard can be manufactured with the beverage can, and slides over the tab of the stay-tab feature of a beverage can to advance or retract over the opening of the beverage can.
Example Rotating Guard Designs
The strain-relief void 202 may be a crescent-shaped hole or void disposed partially around the rivet 108 that prevents the protective guard 200 from interfering with the leverage action of the stay-tab opening device 102.
In an example design, the protective guard 200 provides an ample opening 204 in the surface of the protective guard 200 for beverage flow, while the opening 204 is divided by bars 206 spaced to keep a foreign object out of an opening 104 of the beverage can 100.
Example Rivet Fastening Mechanisms
There are several ways to take advantage of the rivet 108 of a beverage can 100 to secure the protective guards to the beverage cans 100.
Example Hinged Guard Designs
Besides versions that rotate on a rivet 108 of the beverage can 100, versions of the protective guard may use a hinging mechanism to protect the opening 104 of the beverage can 100.
Example Sliding Guard Designs
An example sliding version of the protective guard 2200 can be produced as part of the beverage can 100 during manufacture. The example sliding protective guard 2200 engages the tab 106 of the stay-tab opening device 102, and slides back-and-forth on the tab 106. The sliding protective guard 2200 can advance over the opening 104 of the beverage can 100, or can retract up the tab 106 when not needed. In an implementation, the sliding protective guard 2200 is made as part of the tab 106, and the rivet 108 of the beverage may be drawn during manufacture through a drinking straw hole 2202 of the sliding protective guard 2200.
Example Method
At block 2402 a hole is sized in a rotatable protective guard for a beverage can in order to utilize a rivet head of a stay-tab opening device on the beverage can as a rotational hub. The rotatable protective guard prevents foreign objects from entering an opening of the beverage can.
At block 2404, the protective guard is placed above a tab of the stay-tab opening device of the beverage can during a manufacture of the beverage can.
At block 2406, a plate or a cap is secured to a top of the rivet head of the stay-tab opening device to hold the rotatable protective guard in a same plane as the rivet head of the stay-tab opening device of the beverage can for rotation of the rotatable protective guard around the rivet head.
In an implementation, a rounded cap is secured to the top of the rivet head of the stay-tab opening device. The rotatable protective guard is then pressed over the rounded cap and onto a shaft of the rivet of the stay-tab opening device to fasten the rotatable protective guard to the beverage can.
In the foregoing description and in the accompanying drawings, specific terminology and drawing symbols have been set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. In some instances, the terminology and symbols may imply specific details that are not required to practice those embodiments. For example, any of the specific dimensions, quantities, material types, fabrication steps and the like can be different from those described above in alternative embodiments. The term “coupled” is used herein to express a direct connection as well as a connection through one or more intervening circuits or structures. The terms “example,” “embodiment,” and “implementation” are used to express an example, not a preference or requirement. Also, the terms “may” and “can” are used interchangeably to denote optional (permissible) subject matter. The absence of either term should not be construed as meaning that a given feature or technique is required.
Various modifications and changes can be made to the embodiments presented herein without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure. For example, features or aspects of any of the embodiments can be applied in combination with any other of the embodiments or in place of counterpart features or aspects thereof. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
While the present disclosure has been disclosed with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having the benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate numerous modifications and variations possible given the description. It is intended that the appended claims cover such modifications and variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of the disclosure.
Claims
1. An apparatus, comprising:
- a beverage can including a stay-tab opening device secured to the beverage can by a rivet;
- a protective guard to keep foreign objects out of the beverage can, the protective guard disposed above the stay-tab opening device and rotatably secured to the beverage can by the rivet; and
- a strain-relief void in the protective guard to enable flexing of the protective guard near the rivet.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the strain-relief void comprises a crescent shape disposed partially around the rivet to enable a leverage action of the stay-tab opening device.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protective guard further comprises an opening in a surface of the protective guard, the opening divided by bars spaced to keep a foreign object out of an opening of the beverage can.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the bars are arranged to display at least one symbol, at least one word, at least one abbreviation, at least one acronym, or at least one initialism.
5. The appratus of claim 3, wherein the bars are arranged to represent a sports symbol and the bars are arranged to indicate a sports team or a sports league.
6. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a ring connected to at least one of the bars, the ring to secure a drinking straw in the beverage can.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protective guard further comprises an opening in a surface of the protective guard, the opening divided by a ring to keep a foreign object out of an opening of the beverage can, the ring capable of securing a drinking straw in the beverage can.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protective guard comprises aluminum or plastic.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protective guard comprises a solid surface for displaying an advertisement.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protective guard comprises both a solid surface for displaying an advertisement and an opening in the solid surface, the opening divided by bars, by a ring, or by both bars and a ring, spaced to keep a foreign object out of an opening of the beverage can.
11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protective guard further comprises an opening in a surface of the protective guard, the opening divided by a single bar to keep a foreign object out of an opening of the beverage can.
12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a double-headed rivet comprising a first hub with a first radius for a rotation of the stay-tab opening device and a second hub with a second radius for a rotation of the protective guard.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the double-headed rivet has a curved top; and
- wherein the protective guard is capable of being pressed on or snapped onto the beverage can over the curved top during a manufacture of the beverage can.
14. An apparatus, comprising:
- a beverage can including a stay-tab opening device secured to the beverage can by a rivet;
- a protective guard to keep foreign objects out of the beverage can, the protective guard disposed above the stay-tab opening device and secured to the beverage can by at least one hinge member drawn from a metal of a tab member of the stay-tab opening device.
15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein a hinge member comprises one or more parts of the tab member, and a second part of the hinge comprises a part of the protective guard; and
- wherein the hinge straddles the stay-tab opening device, the hinge having a first connection point to the tab member on a first side of the stay-tab opening device and a second connection point to the tab member on a second side of the stay-tab opening device.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first part of the hinge comprises one or more immovable parts of the beverage can and the second part of the hinge comprises a moveable part of the protective guard.
17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the protective guard comprises a solid flap, wherein the solid flap lifts by a flow of a fluid from the beverage can and closes when the flow stops.
18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the solid flap has lips to seal the solid flap to edges of an opening of the beverage can.
19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the protective guard comprises a grid to prevent foreign objects from entering the beverage can while allowing the beverage to leave the beverage can.
20. An apparatus, comprising:
- a beverage can including a stay-tab opening device secured to the beverage can by a rivet;
- a guard capable of sliding over the stay-tab opening device to keep foreign objects out of the beverage can;
- the guard having a bracket to slideably fit over a part of the stay-tab opening device; and
- the guard capable of advancing over an opening of the beverage can or retracting from the opening of the beverage can by sliding along a part of the stay-tab opening device.
21. An apparatus, comprising:
- a beverage can including a stay-tab opening device secured to the beverage can by a rivet;
- a horseshoe-shaped clip formed from a tab of the aluminum metal of the beverage can;
- a protective guard attached to the horseshoe-shaped clip capable of covering an opening in the beverage can to keep foreign objects out of the beverage can.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 24, 2017
Publication Date: Apr 26, 2018
Inventor: DONALD G. WEBSTER (SPRAGUE, WA)
Application Number: 15/792,683