RECLOSABLE LID FOR A FOOD OR BEVERAGE CONTAINER AND HAVING A VACUUM OR PRESSURE RELEASE BUTTON
A sheet metal lid has a rim portion removably secured to a container and includes a vent button having a top wall portion surrounded by a side wall portion and an outwardly projecting flange portion. A portion of the button has an arcuate shear line extending substantially into or through the sheet metal, and the sheet metal is flattened or compressed at the shear line to form positively connected opposing sheet metal portions. A resilient sealant material is bonded to the inner surface of the vent button, and the opposing sheet metal portions and the sealant material form a small gap for releasing a vacuum or pressure from the container in response to downward pressure on the top wall portion of the vent button.
This invention relates to a closure or lid for a food or beverage container as disclosed, for example, in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,688 and No. 6,206,220, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. These patents are directed to a thin sheet metal closure or cap or lid for a sealed food or beverage container wherein the closure is removably sealed to the container and reclosable on the container. Commonly, the container is formed of glass but may also be formed plastic or thin sheet metal, and the vacuum or pressure within the sealed container is released to facilitate or simplify the removal of the closure or lid from the container with reduced torque. Other forms of containers with reusable closures for containers and having a vacuum or pressure release structure before the closure is removed from the container are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,410,436 and U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2014/0103044,
As used herein, the term container includes a glass or sheet metal or plastic container, and the term lid includes any form of removable closure such as a twist-on, twist-off sheet metal cap or a press-on, press-off sheet metal cap or lid for a container. The lid has a peripheral chime or rim portion with a bonded sealant material to form a releasable sealed coupling between the lid and the container. In such an enclosed container and lid assembly, it has been found desirable to add an easily activated and dependable vacuum or pressure release button to the lid, including after the lid has been formed on tooling which shapes the lid and which may have bonded sealant material on the inner surface of the rim portion of the lid. It is also sometimes desirable to minimize the thickness of the sheet metal which forms the lid and to provide some form of visible tamper-proof indication when vacuum or pressure has been released from the container, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,152,911.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is directed to an improved sheet metal removable lid for a container having a vacuum or pressure enclosed food or beverage product and which includes a vacuum or pressure release button operable with a controlled and dependable pressure to facilitate easy removal of the lid, and to the tooling and method for producing the lid. The method steps of forming the lid are especially adapted for adding the vacuum or pressure release button to a lid which has been pre-formed for removably attaching to a glass jar or sheet metal container. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a sheet metal lid having a peripheral rim portion with a bonded sealant material has a center portion formed with tooling in successive stages of a progressive die to form an upwardly projecting vent button within an annular cavity. The button has a top wall portion surrounded by a side wall portion which is surrounded by a flange portion. An arcuate score or shear line is formed within the flange portion adjacent the bottom of the side wall portion, and the shear line is formed to produce a small gap in response to a limited pressure on the top wall of the button. The arcuate shear line extends through at least eighty percent of the thickness of the sheet metal forming the flange portion and may extend completely through the sheet metal.
An arcuate or annular retention rib or bead projects downwardly within the flange portion of the vent button and extends adjacent the arcuate shear line. The opposing flange portions that define the shear line are pressed axially together or flattened for closing the shear line and controlling the pressure required on the top wall to separate the flange portions and define a small vent gap. A sealant material is bonded to the inner surface of the vent button below the shear line and has a lip portion which extends to the retention bead. When the top wall of the vacuum release button is pressed downwardly, the opposing flange portions of the button separate and the lip portion of the sealant material extending to the bead peels away from the inner surface of the flange portion of the button and air or gas flows through the gap to release the vacuum or pressure within the container. When the button is released, the sealant recontacts the inner surface of the flange portion of the button due to spring hinge action produced by the sheet metal portions at the opposite ends of the arcuate shear line and by the reinforcement provided by the retention rib or bead. These sheet metal portions also limit the small vent gap.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.
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The optimum desired downward pressure on the vent button 40 to separate the flange portions 48′ and 48″ at the shear line 60, may also be obtained by pressing a shearing or scoring tool 75 (
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It is apparent from the drawings and the above description that a removable container lid provided with a vent button 40 in accordance with the invention, provides desirable features and advantages. For example, the forming the vent button with the shear line 60 as shown in
While the reclosable lid and vacuum or pressure release button and its method of construction herein described constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise methods and forms of release button described, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims
1. A sheet metal lid having a vertical axis and including a top wall and a peripheral rim portion adapted to be secured to a container receiving a product and having vacuum or pressure, the lid comprising
- a portion of the top wall defining a vent button having a top wall portion, a surrounding side wall portion with an outwardly projecting flange portion extending around the side wall portion,
- a portion of the vent button having an arcuate shear line extending substantially into the thickness of the sheet metal forming the vent button,
- the portion of the vent button having the shear line being compressed at the shear line to provide for obtaining a predetermined downward pressure required on the top wall portion of the vent button to separate opposing portions of the sheet metal at the shear line,
- a resilient sealant material bonded to an inner surface of the vent button and having a portion overlapping the arcuate shear line, and
- the portion of the sealant material being effective to form a narrow gap along the shear line in response to depressing the top wall portion of the vent button for releasing vacuum or pressure from the container.
2. A lid as defined in claim 1 wherein the shear line extends completely through the sheet metal and forms opposing portions for defining the gap, and the opposing portions of the sheet metal being axially compressed to be substantially flush with the sheet metal adjacent the shear line.
3. A lid as defined in claim 1 wherein the top wall portion of the vent button includes a generally triangular and downwardly projecting recess portion for indicating where to depress the top wall portion to separate the opposing portions and produce the gap.
4. A lid as defined in claim 1 wherein the top wall portion of the vent button is below the top wall of the lid before pressure is applied to the top wall portion of the vent button.
5. A lid as defined in claim 1 and including a circular bead in the flange portion of the vent button.
6. A sheet metal lid having a vertical axis and including a top wall and a peripheral rim portion with a bonded sealant material, and adapted to be releasably secured to a container receiving a vacuum or pressure enclosed product, the lid comprising,
- a portion of the top wall defining a vent button having a top wall portion, a surrounding side wall portion with an outwardly projecting flange portion extending around the side wall portion,
- the flange portion having an arcuate shear line projecting into the flange portion adjacent the side wall portion of the button and extending substantially through the thickness of the sheet metal forming the flange portion,
- an arcuate bead within the flange portion and disposed laterally outwardly from the arcuate shear line,
- the flange portion being axially compressed at the shear line to obtain a predetermined downward pressure required on the top wall portion of the vent button to separate opposing flange portions of the sheet metal at the shear line,
- a resilient sealant material bonded to an inner surface of the vent button and having a portion projecting laterally outwardly onto an inner surface of the lid and overlapping the shear line, and
- the projecting flange portion of the sealant material being effective to define a narrow gap along the shear line in response to depressing the top wall portion of the vent button for releasing vacuum or pressure from the container.
7. A lid as defined in claim 6 wherein the opposing flange portions of the sheet metal at the shear line cooperate to define the gap, and the opposing flange portions of the sheet metal being axially compressed to be substantially flush with the sheet metal forming the flange portion at the shear line.
8. A lid as defined in claim 6 wherein the top wall portion of the vent button includes a generally triangular and downwardly projecting recess portion for indicating where to depress the top wall portion to separate the opposing flange portions and produce the gap.
9. A lid as defined in claim 6 wherein the top wall portion of the vent button is below the top wall of the lid before pressure is applied to the top wall portion of the vent button.
10. A lid as defined in claim 6 wherein the bead is circular.
11. A method of adding a vacuum or pressure release button to a sheet metal lid having a vertical axis and a peripheral rim portion adapted to be secured to the top end portion of a container for a product and having a vacuum or gas pressure, the method comprising the steps of
- pressing a portion of the top wall of the lid downwardly to form an upwardly projecting vent button,
- forming the vent button with a top wall portion and a surrounding side wall portion extending to a flange portion projecting laterally outwardly from the side wall portion,
- forming a downwardly projecting bead within the flange portion adjacent the side wall portion of the vent button,
- shearing an arcuate portion of the flange portion between the side wall portion and the retention bead to form an arcuate shear line extending substantially through the metal thickness of the flange portion,
- compressing a top surface and a bottom surface of the flange portion along the shear line between opposing tooling members to select the downward force required on the top wall portion of the vent button to shear the sheet metal at the shear line, and
- bonding a sealant material to an inner surface of the vent button below the shear line and effective to define a vacuum or pressure release gap in response to depressing the top wall of the vent button above the shear line for releasing vacuum or gas pressure from the container.
12. A method as defined in claim 11 wherein the step of shearing an arcuate portion of the flange portion comprises shearing completely through the sheet metal and separating opposing flange portions, and axially compressing the flange portions back together into opposing alignment.
13. A method as defined in claim 11 wherein the step of bonding the sealant material to the inner surface of the button is performed when a sealant material is bonded to the rim portion of the lid.
14. A method as defined in claim 11 and including the step of forming a generally triangular recess portion into the top wall portion of the vent button.
15. A method of adding a vacuum release button to a sheet metal lid having a vertical axis and a horizontal peripheral rim portion adapted to be releasably secured to the open end portion of a container for a vacuum or gas pressure product, the method comprising the steps of
- pressing a portion of the top wall of the lid downwardly to form an upwardly projecting vent button,
- forming the vent button with a top wall portion and a surrounding side wall portion extending to an annular flange portion projecting laterally outwardly from the side wall portion,
- forming a downwardly projecting bead within the flange portion adjacent the side wall portion of the vent button,
- shearing an arcuate portion of the flange portion between the side wall portion and the bead to form an arcuate shear line extending substantially into through the flange portion,
- compressing a top surface and a bottom surface of the flange portion along the shear line between opposing tooling members to control the downward force required on the top wall portion of the vent button to shear the sheet metal at the shear line, and
- bonding a sealant material to an inner surface of the vent button below the shear line and effective to define a vacuum or pressure release gap in response to depressing the top wall of the vent button above the shear line for releasing vacuum or gas pressure from the container.
16. A method as defined in claim 15 wherein the step of shearing an arcuate portion of the flange portion is effect to separate opposing flange portions, and axially compressing the flange portions back together into opposing alignment.
17. A method as defined in claim 15 wherein the step of bonding the sealant material to the inner surface of the button is performed when a sealant material is bonded to the rim portion of the lid.
18. A method as defined in claim 15 and including the step of forming a generally triangular recess portion into the top wall portion of the vent button.
19. A method as defined in claim 15 wherein the step of shearing an arcuate portion of the flange portion comprises shearing the sheet metal into the top and bottom sides of the flange portion.
Type: Application
Filed: May 25, 2017
Publication Date: Nov 29, 2018
Inventor: R. Peter Stodd (Bellbrook, OH)
Application Number: 15/605,050