WO2001015976A2

WO2001015976A2 - Hygienic cover for container

Info

Publication number: WO2001015976A2
Application number: PCT/GB2000/003317
Authority: WO
Inventors: Roger Paul Haywood
Original assignee: Kestrel Communications Limited
Priority date: 1999-08-28
Filing date: 2000-08-29
Publication date: 2001-03-08
Also published as: AU7300100A; GB9920343D0; WO2001015976A3

Abstract

A container (11) having a conventional ring-pull opening mechanism comprising a tab or lid and a ring-pull, has a barrier means (20) provided over the ring-pull mechanism to prevent contamination of the ring-pull mechanism prior to opening the container (11). The barrier means (20) can comprise an adhesive layer to seal the barrier means (20) to the container (11). The barrier means (20) can additionally comprise score marks or perforations to allow part or all of it to be removed. An indicator can be provided, incorporated into or on the surface of the barrier means (20) to indicate if the barrier means (20) has been breached. A method of manufacturing containers is also disclosed, including the step of securing a barrier material over an opening mechanism in a container.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS TO CONTAINER HYGIENE

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to improving the hygiene of containers and in particular ring-pull cans

Background to the Invention

Food and drinks containers such as, for example, cans, bottles and tins are often provided with opening mechanisms in the form of a removable portion or seal to facilitate the removal of the contents Screw caps, stoppers, corks and push fit tabs are exemplary of such opening mechanisms

As a particular example, the ring-pull mechanism, comprising a sealing tab and ring-pull, is well known for providing a readily removable seal for cans of food and drink, often carbonated drinks In some ring-pull mechanisms, the entire top of the container or can is removed by the ring-pull When the tab and ring-pull are fully removable however, the small, sharp edged nature of the tab or container section can cause safety problems, such as their being dropped into the can itself and subsequently swallowed, being dropped onto the ground and causing a hazard in the environment and even providing an effective missile or weapon

To provide an answer to such problems, tabs were devised which remained attached to the can after opening However, for many tabs having this feature, a portion of the tab or in certain designs the lid of the can actually dips into the drink As with some of the opening mechanisms described heretofor, should the tab or lid become dirty, during storage for example, this forms a significant health risk to the consumer Furthermore, the external surfaces of the container could be accidentally or deliberately contaminated during manufacture or transport prior to purchase with consequential risk to the eventual consumer

The invention described below has as one of its aims the alleviation of such risks

Summary of the Invention

According to the invention in its broadest aspect, there is provided a container having an opening mechanism comprising a removable portion or seal, the container further comprising barrier means, said barrier means being provided over the opening mechanism preventing contamination of the removable portion of the opening mechanism prior to opening the container, at least a part of the barrier means being removable sufficient to allow the opening mechanism to be freely operated and the contents to be removed

Preferably the container is a drinks container or a food tin Optionally, the container can be used to store cleaning fluids or alternatively oils to be introduced into, for example, an engine

Conveniently, the barrier means comprises a shrink wrap plastics material

Alternatively, the barrier means is provided with an adhesive layer to seal the barrier means to the container about the periphery of said barrier means

The barrier means preferably comprises score-marks or perforations to allow part or substantially all of the barrier means to be removed

A vacuum can be optionally introduced between the barrier means and the container

The barrier means preferably comprises a disinfectant or antibacterial compound The barrier means can optionally comprise an indicator to indicate a breach in the integrity of the barrier means Conveniently, the indicator combines with oxygen to form a coloured compound The opening mechanism preferably comprises a ring-pull mechanism having a tab or lid and a ring-pull

Preferably all of the barrier means is removable

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of manufacturing drinks containers or food tins including the step of securing a barrier material over an opening mechanism of the container

Advantageously, the step comprises shrink wrapping a plastics material barrier over the opening mechanism

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a drinks can or food tin production line including a production station for providing a barrier means to overlie the opening mechanism

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will now be described more particularly with reference to the accompanying drawings which show by way of example, conventional containers and a drinks can or food tin having a barrier membrane overlying a ring-pull mechanism In the drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conventional unopened container having a ring-pull mechanism,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the container when opened,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a container according to the invention,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a container according to the invention, and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a container according to the invention

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Figure 1 shows a conventional can generally referenced 1 1 in which for example drinks are typically supplied The contents of the can 1 1 are poured out via a hole 12, as shown in Figure 2, at the top of the can 1 1, the hole 12 being sealed for purposes of storage and transit by the sealing tab 13 Attached to the sealing tab

13 is a ring-pull 14 Lifting the ring-pull 14 to the position shown in Figure 2, causes the sealing tab 13 to push downwards through the hole 12, into the contents The contents of the can then be removed via the hole 12

Figure 3 shows the can shown in Figure 1 with the sealing tab 13 and the ring-pull

14 covered by means of a barrier 20 The barrier 20 is sealed about its periphery 21 to the top of the can 22 thus isolating the sealing tab 13 and the ring-pull 14 from the environment When the drink is required therefore, the barrier 20 is removed and the can opened, by moving the ring-pull 14 to the conventional position as shown in Figure 2 Any dirt or other undesired material which might otherwise accumulate around the ring-pull mechanism is thus removed with the barrier 20, and does not enter the can 11

Figure 4 shows an embodiment of the invention in which the barrier 30 extends across the inside surface of the top of the can 32, the barrier 30 again being sealed about its periphery 31 to the can 11

Figure 5 shows a yet further embodiment in which the barrier 40 extends across the entire top of the can 1 1 and the barrier 40 is sealed about its periphery 41 to the outside of the can 11

In a still, yet further embodiment (not illustrated) the barrier can extend about and fully enclose the container

It will be appreciated that not all the barrier need be removed, but only sufficient to allow the contents of the container to be removed The barrier may comprise score-marks or perforations to allow part of it to be removed, whilst leaving a part remaining attached to the container

The barrier can be coated with, or otherwise comprise an indicator which shows either contamination of the lid of the container or that the barrier is not intact For example, where a vacuum has been introduced between the barrier and the lid of the container and indicator could be included which has a visible reaction product with oxygen and which therefore indicates a breach in the barrier

The barrier may also be impregnated or otherwise comprise a disinfectant or antibacterial material to improve hygiene The barrier can be formed from

- material which can be pigmented or is suitable to recei e print Such a barrier can then be employed to display, for example, instructions on container and content usage, manufacturer's details such as date of manufacture, batch number etc The barrier can also be used for advertising purposes and in fact give a greater area to display the advertisement than the top of a container having a conventional ring- pull mechanism as the sealing-tab and ring pull normally restrict the space available

The barrier can be sealed to the container by a suitable adhesive The adhesive employed can be sufficiently strong to enable the barrier to be re-sealed into position if only a proportion of the contents has been removed Alternatively or additionally, the barrier can be thermoformed into the desired shape and position about the container

A vacuum can be introduced between the barrier and the container to improve hygiene Alternatively, an inert gas can be introduced to maintain a suitable pressure in the space there between

There is still further considered a method of manufacturing containers in which the barrier is offered to a position in which it overlies the ring-pull mechanism

The barrier is then sealed to the container by means of for example applied heat or pressure to an appropriately chosen adhesive typically located about the periphery of the barrier The ring-pull mechanism is thereby isolated from the environment

The invention is also directed towards a production line including a production station for applying a barrier membrane to overlie the ring-pull mechanisms

The barriers as described herein not only serve to prevent dirt from accidentally contacting the contents of the container They can also be used to prevent deliberate poisoning of the contents, in that any poison applied to the barrier would be removed prior to breaking the seal The barrier could also be so constructed for example by vacuum sealing the barrier, or by the use of tear strips, so that it would reveal if any attempt had been made to introduce material under the barrier, for example, by injection

^■ Although the invention shown herein is described and illustrated with reference to a ring-pull mechanism and is particularly suited therefor, it is suitable for use with other types of sealing or closure mechanisms such as screw-tops, pressure fitting sealing tabs, stoppers and the like

It will of course be understood that the invention is not limited to specific details described herein, which are given by way of example only and that various modifications and alterations are possible within the scope of the invention

Claims

1 A container (1 1) having an opening mechanism comprising a removable portion (13) or seal, the container (1 1) further comprising barrier means (20), said barrier means (20) being provided over the opening mechanism preventing contamination of the removable portion (13) of the opening mechanism prior to opening the container ( 1 1), at least a part of the barrier means (20) being removable sufficient to allow the opening mechanism to be freely operated and the contents to be removed

A container (11) according to Claim 1 wherein the container (1 1) is a drinks container or a food tin

A container (11) according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the barrier means (2) comprises a shrink wrap plastics material

A container (11) according to any preceding claim, wherein the barrier means (20) is provided with an adhesive layer to seal the barrier means (20) to the container (1 1) about the periphery of said barrier means

A container (1 1) according to any preceding claim, wherein the barrier means (20) comprises score-marks or perforations to allow part or substantially all of the barrier means (20) to be removed

A container according to any preceding claim, wherein a vacuum is introduced between the barrier means (20) and the container (1 1)

A container (1 1) according to any preceding claim, wherein the barrier means (20) comprises a disinfectant or antibacterial compound

A container (1 1) according to any preceding claim, wherein the barrier means (20) comprises an indicator to indicate a breach in the integrity of the barrier means

9 A container according to Claim 8, wherein the indicator combines with oxygen to form a coloured compound

10 A container according to any preceding claim, wherein the opening mechanism comprises a ring-pull mechanism having a tab or lid (13) and a ring-pull (14)

11 A container according to any preceding claim, wherein all of the barrier means is removable

12 A method of manufacturing drinks containers (1 1) or food tins including the step of securing a barrier material over the ring-pull mechanism

13 A method of manufacturing drinks containers (11) according to Claim 12, wherein the step comprises shrink wrapping a plastics material barrier over the ring-pull mechanism

14 A container substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings

15. A drinks can or food tin production line including a production station for providing a barrier means to overlie the ring-pull mechanism