초록 ▼

The invention covers a number of alternative improvements to the prior art pull-tab used to open container such as soda cans. One improvement is by forming the nose of the pull tab at a certain angle to the body of the tab, thus allowing the user to tilt the tab thus lifting the pull tip higher and

The invention covers a number of alternative improvements to the prior art pull-tab used to open container such as soda cans. One improvement is by forming the nose of the pull tab at a certain angle to the body of the tab, thus allowing the user to tilt the tab thus lifting the pull tip higher and providing more room for the user to insert the finger tip under the pull tip thus making it easier to open the container. Another improvement is by rotating the pull tab a certain angle and making it follow a caming surface thus lifting the pull tip and again providing more room to insert the finger tip and making it easier to open the container.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, a) said container lid applied to a container body, said container lid comprising b) a panel having a generally flat horizontal surface, and a scored area in said panel for defining a push-in seal, which is frangibly secured to said panel for

1. A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, a) said container lid applied to a container body, said container lid comprising b) a panel having a generally flat horizontal surface, and a scored area in said panel for defining a push-in seal, which is frangibly secured to said panel for enabling said push-in seal to be at least partially severed from said panel andc) said pull tab opener, comprising d) a rigid non-articulated elongated tab body, having a tab longitudinal axis and a tab transverse axis, said pull tab opener comprising e) a nose portion, ending with a nose end and a nose tip, at one end of said tab body, along said tab longitudinal axis,f) a lifter portion, ending with a lifter end and a lifter tip, at the opposite end of said tab body, along same said tab longitudinal axis, andg) a controlled flex donut plate, being disposed between said nose portion and said lifter portion, proximate the intersection of said tab longitudinal and transverse axes,h) two rigid side rails, connecting said nose portion and said lifter portion to each other and to said donut plate and running at a certain distance and a certain angle to said longitudinal axis of the pull tab opener, andi) a cross-bridge, connecting said two side rails together, running transverse to the tab longitudinal axis, at a certain distance from said donut plate, andj) said combination also comprising a rivet for pivotally securing said pull tab opener to said panel, said rivet being disposed at the intersection of said tab longitudinal and transverse axes, said rivet attaching said donut plate to said panel, and having a rivet axis, being generally vertical, perpendicular to the generally flat horizontal surface of said panel, allowing said pull tab opener to rotate in a horizontal clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, when the pull tab opener and container lid are viewed from a top down direction,k) said donut plate also being flexible enough to allow said tab body to have a vertical seesaw rotation or movement, i.e. to seesaw and to rotate in a vertical clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, about the tab transverse axis, when viewed from a cross-sectional side view direction, if and when a force is applied to any part of the tab body, e.g. a downward force on the nose portion or an upward force on the lifter portion, wherein an upward movement of said lifter portion creates a downward movement of said nose portion,l) said donut plate being flexible enough, presenting only a small amount of donut flexing resistance against the vertical seesaw rotation of the pull tab opener,m) said container lid also having an imaginary rivet-seal axis passing through and from said rivet to the general center of said push-in seal area, andsaid nose end being disposed proximate said push-in seal and said lifter end being disposed remote therefrom, andwhereinn) the pull tab opener and container lid are shaped such that when the tab longitudinal axis is aligned with the rivet-seal axis, then the nose end will be overlying a portion of the push-in seal, but with a certain predetermined nose initial vertical clearance angle between the bottom surface of the nose end and top surface of the push-in seal, requiring that the tab body be rotated through a certain vertical angle, say by raising the lifter end of the pull tab opener a certain distance or angle, before the nose end touches the push-in seal, andwhereino) the process sequence of opening the container lid and breaking open said push-in seal comprises at least three distinguishably individual and separate incremental process steps, which occur consecutively or sequentially,whereinp) the first incremental process step or movement is to ensure that the nose end is overlying the push-in seal, by checking the initial position of the pull tab opener, and if the nose end is not overlying the push-in seal, then to horizontally rotate the pull tab opener about the rivet vertical axis, until the tab longitudinal axis is generally aligned, or in line, with the rivet-seal axis, which would bring the nose end to be generally overlying the push-in seal, while during this first movement, only a small amount of horizontal force will be required to rotate the pull tab opener horizontally against any friction at the rivet against the donut plate,q) o) the second incremental process step or movement comprises the step of vertically rotating and pivoting or seesaw-ing the pull tab opener, so as to close the nose initial vertical clearance angle,r) by moving the nose portion of the pull tab opener downwards towards the push-in seal, traversing said nose initial vertical clearance angle, until the bottom surface of the nose portion reaches and touches the top surface of the underlying push-in seal, but just before engaging the push-in seal, while during this vertical rotation step,s) a second incremental force, a vertical force in this case, is required to be applied or exerted on the pull tab opener, the magnitude of said second incremental force being equal to the force required to overcome only the donut flexing resistance, i.e. the resistance of the donut plate against being bent; andt) the subsequent third incremental process step comprises the step of urging the nose portion of the pull tab opener to break open the push-in seal, during which third stepu) a third incremental force, being also a vertical force in this case, like the second force, is required to be applied or exerted, in addition to the second vertical incremental force, the magnitude of said third vertical incremental force being equal to the force required to break open the push-in seal,v) wherein said third incremental force is considerably larger than said first or second incremental forces;w) in other words,x) said nose initial vertical clearance between the nose end and the push-in seal creates and introduces a delay in the onset of the larger third incremental force which is required to break open the push-in seal, thus making it easy to go through both the first and second incremental process steps, by applying only the smaller first and second incremental forces to the pull tab opener, before encountering the need to apply the larger third incremental force which is required to break open the push-in seal,and whereiny) the container lid has a cam feature with at least one cam ramp with a ramp surface, said cam surface being filleted and having smooth transitions, and whereinz) the pull tab opener has a cam follower feature, proximate said lifter end, and riding on the ramp surface of said cam feature, andwhereinaa) by rotating said pull tab opener, horizontally, about the vertical rivet axis, a camming action takes place, whereinab) the cam follower rides on the cam ramp, so that at the end of the camming action, the nose end of the pull tab opener would be overlying the push-in seal, and the lifter end of the pull tab opener would be raised to a level wherein the lifter tip gets raised to a higher level over the surface of the lid, higher than its level at the beginning of the camming action, thus creating a larger space between the lifter tip and the lid panel, thus in turn allowing the user to more easily place his/her finger tip under the lifter tip, in the effort to ultimately more easily open and crack the push-in seal, and whereinac) while during all this camming action, the camming action does not totally eliminate all the nose initial vertical clearance angle, so that the nose end still remains above a certain minimum clearance elevation away and above the push-in seal, in other words, even at the end of the camming action, neither the nose end nor the nose tip will engage the push-in seal, so that the neither the nose end nor the nose tip will apply any force on the push-in seal, which makes it that the horizontal rotation of the pull tab opener and the camming action take place without the need of any force related to breaking or to opening the push-in seal. 2. A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in claim 1, wherein the combination also comprises at least one stop feature, to limit the horizontal rotation of the pull tab opener from exceeding the desired amount of rotation, so that at the end of the tab rotation the nose end of the pull tab opener would be located generally above and overlying the push-in seal, in a position wherein if the lifter portion or the lifter end is pulled higher than where it is at the end of the rotation and the camming action, then the nose end would get lowered down further and would touch the push-in seal, and upon further pushing the nose end down, e.g. by further lifting the lifter end of the pull tab opener, then the nose end would engage the push-in seal and upon further pushing the nose end down, e.g. by further pulling the lifter end higher yet, then the nose end and nose tip would break and open the push-in seal. 3. A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in claim 1, wherein At the beginning of the camming action, tab's longitudinal axis starts being generally in line with the rivet-seal axis, and the horizontal rotation of the pull tab opener and the camming action happen over a relatively narrow angle, i.e. short rotation, short angular motion of the pull tab opener, so that by the end of said angular rotation and of the camming action, the nose end is still in a position overlying the push-in seal, so that any subsequent lowering of the nose end, e.g. by raising of the lifter end would lower the nose end onto the push-in seal and would still break the push-in seal and accomplish all the normally expected functions of the pull tab opener. 4. A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in claim 1, wherein At the beginning of the camming action, the tab longitudinal axis is at a certain angle with respect to the rivet-seal axis, and whereinthe camming rotation is such that it ends when the tab longitudinal axis is generally in line with the rivet-seal axis, and so that the nose end is positioned overlying said push-in seal, but still not touching nor breaking the push-in seal. 5. A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in claim 1, wherein said combination comprises two frangible push-in seals, instead of just one, and whereineach one of said two push-in seals is disposed on each side of an imaginary central axis of said lid panel, and whereinsaid combination also comprises two cams, each cam having its own cam ramp, and each one of said two cams being disposed on each side of said lid panel imaginary central axis, and whereinat the beginning of the camming action, the pull tab opener is disposed with the tab longitudinal axis generally in line with said lid panel imaginary central axis, and whereinthe camming action requires a relatively large or wide angular motion of the pull tab opener, and whereinthe nose is proximate and generally central between said two push-in seals and whereinthe lifter and the tab cam follower are proximate to and generally central between said two cams, and whereinat the end of the camming action, by rotating the tab body horizontally, either clockwise or counter-clockwise, the lifter end will rise, thus lowering the nose end and bringing the nose tip in proximity to and overlying one of said two push-in seals, while still not touching the push-in seals. 6. A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in claim 5, wherein a trough is provided, along a certain arc of the perimeter of the lid panel, in the area underlying the path of the tab lifter end and lifter tip, during its rotation path, throughout the whole range of rotation of the pull tab opener. 7. A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in claim 1, wherein the cam feature is shaped as a recess below the lid panel surface, being disposed generally in line with the rivet-seal axis, but on the remote side of the push-in seal with respect to the rivet, andthe cam feature has at least one ramp,the cam ramp starting proximate the rivet-seal axis, at a level below the lid panel surface and ramping up to the level of the lid panel surface, going either clockwise or counter-clockwise, along a generally curvilinear path around the rivet vertical axis, and whereinthe tab longitudinal axis initial position is such that the tab longitudinal axis is initially centrally disposed generally in line with the rivet-seal axis, andthe tab cam follower is disposed adjacent to the tab lifter end, e.g. at the cross-bridge of the pull tab opener, and whereinthe camming action occurs, by rotating the pull tab opener horizontally in the appropriate direction, about the rivet vertical axis,so that the cam follower will travel along the cam ramp and will raise the lifter end of the pull tab opener and whereinsaid pull tab opener rotation, during the complete camming action, is generally a small angle, so that the nose end will overlay the push-in seal during said camming action. 8. A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in claim 7, wherein the cam feature has two such ramps, one going clockwise and the second going counter clockwise, with respect to the rivet vertical axis, whereinthe camming action occurs, by rotating the pull tab opener horizontally in either a clockwise direction or in a counter clockwise direction, about the rivet vertical axis,to still achieve the same result, i.e.so that the cam follower will travel along the cam ramp and will raise the lifter end of the pull tab opener and whereinsaid pull tab opener rotation, during the complete camming action, is generally a small angle, so that the nose end will overlay the push-in seal during said camming action. 9. A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in claim 1, wherein the cam feature is shaped as a protrusion above the lid panel surface, andthe cam feature has one ramp, shaped along a generally curvilinear path, around the rivet vertical axis, said ramp starting at the level of the lid panel surface and ramping upwards until a summit point, and whereinsaid summit point is disposed generally in line with the rivet-seal axis, but on the remote side of the push-in seal with respect to the rivet, and whereinthe pull tab opener has a cam follower, disposed proximate the cross bridge, and whereinthe camming action occurs, by rotating the pull tab opener horizontally in the appropriate direction, about the rivet vertical axis,so that the cam follower will travel along the cam ramp and will raise the lifter end of the pull tab opener andwhen the cam follower of the pull tab opener reaches the summit point of the cam ramp, the lifter end of the pull tab opener would be raised to a higher level above the lid panel, higher than its height at the beginning of the camming action, andat which time,the pull tab opener longitudinal axis would be generally in line with the rivet-seal axis, andthe nose end of the pull tab opener will be disposed generally above the push-in seal. 10. A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in claim 1, wherein the cam feature is shaped as a protrusion above the lid panel surface, andthe cam feature has one ramp, shaped along a generally curvilinear path, around the rivet vertical axis, said ramp starting at the level of the lid panel surface and ramping upwards until a summit point, and whereinsaid summit point is disposed generally offset to one side of the rivet-seal axis, but on the remote side of the push-in seal with respect to the rivet, and whereinthe pull tab opener utilizes one of the side rails as the cam follower, and whereinthe camming action occurs, by rotating the pull tab opener horizontally in the appropriate direction, about the rivet vertical axis,so that the cam follower will travel along the cam ramp and will raise the lifter end of the pull tab opener andwhen the cam follower of the pull tab opener reaches the summit point of the cam ramp, the lifter end of the pull tab opener would be raised to a higher level above the lid panel, higher than its height at the beginning of the camming action, andat which time,the pull tab opener longitudinal axis would be generally in line with the rivet-seal axis, andthe nose end of the pull tab opener will be disposed generally above the push-in seal. 11. A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in claim 1, wherein the cam feature is shaped as protrusions above the lid panel surface, andthe cam feature has two ramps,each one of said two ramps is disposed generally to one side of the rivet-seal axis, at an appropriate distance from said axis, in order to properly cooperate with its respective cam follower,each ramp shaped along a generally curvilinear path, around the rivet vertical axis, said ramp starting at the level of the lid panel surface and ramping upwards until a summit point, and wherein said summit point is disposed generally offset to one side of the rivet-seal axis, but on the remote side of the push-in seal with respect to the rivet, and whereinthe pull tab opener utilizes both of the side rails as the cam followers, and whereinthe camming action occurs, by rotating the pull tab opener horizontally in the appropriate direction, about the rivet vertical axis,so that the cam followers will travel along the cam ramps and will raise the lifter end of the pull tab opener andwhen the cam followers of the pull tab opener reach the summit point of the cam ramps, the lifter end of the pull tab opener would be raised to a higher level above the lid panel, higher than its height at the beginning of the camming action, andat which time,the pull tab opener longitudinal axis would be generally in line with the rivet-seal axis, andthe nose end of the pull tab opener will be disposed generally above the push-in seal. 12. A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in claim 11, wherein the cam ramps are shaped such that the top surface of the ramps ridge, which will be in contact with the bottom surface of the side rails, which are acting as the cam followers, is inclined at a certain inclined angle with respect to the generally flat horizontal surface of the lid panel,said inclined angle varying along the length of the ramp, whereinat the lower end of the ramp, the inclined angle is practically zero, i.e. horizontal or parallel to the lid panel, andas the ramp gets higher, the inclined angle gets steeper, andby the time the ramp is at the summit point, the inclined angle gets to its maximum inclination, whereinthe inclination of the ramp surface with respect to the generally flat horizontal surface of the lid panel, will generally match the inclination of the bottom surface of the side rails, i.e. the cam followers, said inclination angle varying during the camming process, so as to provide a wider contact surface area between the cam ramp and the cam followers, in other words,in a cross-sectional side view through the lid and the cam, the top surface of the cam will look almost trapezoidal, so that this top surface would match the surface of the pull tab at any particular “mating” position during the camming process. 13. A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in claim 1, wherein the pull tab opener has at least one raised edge above the level of the general top surface of the pull tab opener, to facilitate in the rotating of the pull tab opener. 14. A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in claim 1, wherein the pull tab opener has at least one raised flange, along the side of at least one of the side rails of the pull tab opener, to facilitate in the rotating of the pull tab opener. 15. A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in claim 1, wherein the pull tab opener nose portion is bent upwards, to enhance the nose initial vertical clearance angle. 16. A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in claim 1, wherein the pull tab opener lifter portion, or at least the lifter end, is bent upwards, to enhance the finger space between the pull tab opener and the lid panel.