MXPA01005394A - Beverage can comprising a protective covering and method and device for placing a protective covering on beverage cans - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a beverage can (1) comprising a protective covering (3), to a blank provided therefor and to a method and device for placing a protective covering (3) in the lid area of a beverage can (1), whereby the protective covering (3) is made of an embossed aluminum foil. An essentially flat blank (3) of the embossed aluminum foil is brought into contact with the beverage can (1) while covering at least the can lid (1a) and, while being deformed in a ductile manner, is splayed out at least on the can lid (1a). A conveying device (5, 8) transports the cans in an upright manner under an application device (10) for applying blanks made of embossed aluminum foil, and the blanks are applied to the top area of the cans and are at least partially pressed against the lid area and/or the edge of the can.

Description

CANS FOR BEVERAGES WITH A PROTECTIVE COVER. A CUT FOR A PROTECTIVE COVER. AS WELL AS PROCEDURE AND DEVICE FOR PLACING A COVER OF PROTECTION IN CANS FOR BEVERAGES DESCRIPTIVE MEMORY The invention relates to a beverage can with a protective cover, a cut for a protective cover, as well as a method and a device for placing a protective cover on beverage cans. To avoid, in cans for full and closed drinks, an accumulation of similar dust, liquids and dirt on the surface and in the cavities of the can lid, and in this way to more hygienically clean the cans after opening, It was proposed to use a plastic or similar pressure-fixable plug in the most diverse constructions. Disadvantages in these solutions are the considerable additional costs, the damage to the appearance image of the beverage cans customary by the consumer, the stackable character and thereby the palletisable character impaired, and the limited possibility to adjust relatively accurately, both in terms of coloration as in terms of typographical presentation, to the remaining appearance image.

The invention is based on the object of specifying a costly protection cover for beverage cans, a cut for these, as well as a method and a device for placing this protective cover on beverage cans. This object is solved by a thin metal foil, in particular tin foil or aluminum foil, which is applied on the head side of a closed beverage can and whose lid surface completely covered. Preferably, the dimensions of the tin sheet are shaped such that the tin sheet envelops and coats the edge between the can lid and the can trunk. In beverage cans with a radially inwardly shaped shoulder surface, this can advantageously also be formed from the tin foil. The tin sheet can be formed adjacent by pressing with sponge pads, brushes or the like, immediately to the lid and shoulder contour. In order to improve the firmness of the tin foil, the tin foil can be fixed to the tin at least in areas, according to a further development of the invention, with an adhesive material harmless to the foodstuffs, for example on the shaped edge in relief and / or in the center of the lid. It is also conceivable to provide bonding only in the edge areas of a tin cutting, for example in the corners of a quadrangular cut. As the adhesive material, a liquid glue can be used which is applied immediately before placing a cut on a can optionally on the back of the cut and / or the can. To apply the adhesive on a cut, adhesive adhesion surfaces can be used whose surface is provided according to the desired image with structures shaped in relief or bas-relief. Similar adhesion surfaces are used for the extraction of individual cuts from a stock warehouse. An alternative is the cuts with an activatable coating of adhesive material (over the entire surface or by areas). Depending on the coating of adhesive material selected, the activation can take place by heating or wetting the cuts and / or the cans. It is also favorable to produce both the sheet used for protection against dust and the can of the same material, for example aluminum, thereby facilitating recovery. An additional advantage is that the removable sheet can be thrown from the can head without problem and after emptying the can crush in the interior space of the can. In this way, a non-polluting waste disposal of the protective cover can be ensured. Other advantageous embodiments of the invention are subject of the subclaims. Next, several examples of embodiment are explained based on the figures. They show: Figure 1, a beverage can with a protective cover;Figure 2, an installation machine for placing the protective cover on beverage cans in a schematic perspective; 3 shows a side view (in the X direction) of the protective cover transfer device of the installation machine according to FIG. 2; Figures 4.1 to 4.3, a side view of a portion of a carousel of the installation machine according to Figure 2 in different working positions; Figure 5, a beverage can with another protection cover; Figure 6, a pallet of the transfer device according to Figure 3 with curved adhesion surface in a side view, a longitudinal section and a plan view, and Figure 7, a cut for a protective cover of a can for drinks. In FIG. 1 there is shown a beverage can 1 for beer, cola drink or the like whose head section, ie the lid surface 1a and the narrow shoulder surface 1b, is completely covered with a thin metal protective cover 3. . Above the beverage can, the protective cover 3 is shown in its original flat form before it is applied and shaped into a beverage can. In the present embodiment, the protective cover 3 has a circular outer contour, whereby the outer diameter is chosen in such a way that it is covered after forming the sheet in the can head, not only the lid surface 1a, but also the edge 1c between the lid 1a and the can trunk 1d and the oblique shoulder surface 1b which is connected thereto until the transition to the cylindrical area of the can trunk 1d of the protective cover 3. The protective cover 3 It consists of an uncoated aluminum sheet with a thickness of 10 micrometers and has a worm print with a depth of 80 micrometers. The front part, pointing upwards, of the aluminum sheet is comparatively printed, for example on the coloration of the tin trunk, and may have other information or advertising impressions. The aforesaid leaflet embossing gives it an outstanding conformability and allows a perfect narrowing to the spatial curvatures in the jar-shaped area of the can lid 1a and the oblique shoulder surface 1b of the beverage can. It is only by careful pressure and shaping of the protective cover 3 to the contour of the can that sufficient drag is generated. Further, however, an adhesive between the protective cover and the can, for example the edge 1c protruding upwardly between the can lid 1a and the can trunk 1d, can be applied at least in some areas, if necessary. For this a harmless adhesive can be applied to the foodstuffs, for example Lesso VN 6349. This adhesive serves only to fix and is applied so thinly that after removal of the protective cover 3 no adhesive residues are detectable or palpable.

In FIG. 2, an installation machine 2 suitable for applying such protective covers 3 is diagrammatically represented in perspective. On a table of the machine, a carousel 5, an input star wheel 6 and a speed wheel are rotatably placed. exit star 7, where both said star wheels are tangent to the circumference of the carousel 5. For the loading and unloading of the cans 1, a conveyor belt 8 is available tangent to both star wheels 6 and 7. In the area In front of the input starwheel there is a sintering screw 9 parallel to the conveyor belt 9. Close to the can unloading point of the endless screw 9 to the star wheel of inlet 6, there is interval on the conveyor belt 8 and the inlet star wheel 6, a transfer mechanism 10 for the delivery of the protective cover 3. The transfer mechanism to 10 is graduated in height, to adjust to various can heights by means of an electromotive actionable device 28. All the conveying elements of the machine and of the transfer mechanism 10 indicated above are driven in circulation with one another by means of a mechanical impulse in a continuously synchronous and fair manner in terms of position. From the side view represented in figure 3 of the transfer mechanism 10, it is to be distinguished that in a housing 11 a first rotor 12 with several vanes 13 distributed in a uniformly distributed manner over a partial circle is placed. Each of these vanes 13 has a curved adhesion surface 13a which is provided with numerous vacuum openings and is eccentrically fixed on an eccentric shaft 13b pivotally positioned in the rotor 12. At the end of the shaft 13b projecting inwardly to the housing 11 , a roller lever is fixed in a manner not shown in detail, which engages with its rolling roller in a closed slotted cam, likewise not reproduced in the housing 11. The course of the curve defines the oscillating rotational movement of the adhesion surfaces 13a and it is configured in such a way that the adhesion surfaces rotate on a circumference of the rotor 12 in the direction of the arrows in the area of a blade cut-out receptacle 14 having pre-stamped protection covers 3 prepared on the periphery of the rotor 12, fixedly arranged, on the cutting of frontmost sheet, thus takes this one from the receptacle with effect of partial vacuum and supply in the subsequent course to a second rotor 15 which is arranged to the conveyor belt 8 pointing to the periphery of the first rotor 15. This second rotor 15 is constructed as a mechanical pressing cylinder with several elastic pressure pads 16 arranged in uniformly distributed in its periphery, where to each of these pads 16 is coordinated a finger of pressing 17, pivoting, operable by means of a lever of roller 18 in combination with a stationary cam not shown. With the presser finger 17, a protective cover 3 of the pallet 13, which is on an adhesion surface 13a, can be taken, holding the label edge, and fastened concentrically to the box lid 1a or the edge 1c of a can 1 which is passed under the pressing cylinder 15. Seen in the direction of the conveyor belt in front of the pressing cylinder 15, a revolving roller 19 can be arranged at the height of the can lid to apply a harmless adhesive to the food, on the edge 1c on the conveyor 18. The height of the transfer mechanism is chosen, so that the distance of the upper part of the conveyor belt 8 to the outer periphery of the rotary elastic pad 16 of the second The rotor is a little smaller than the height of the closed cans 1, so that at least the edge 1c between the edge lid 1a and the can trunk 1d, and preferably also the can lid itself and submerge, when passing the second rotor 15 partially to the elastic pad 16, and thus the protective cover 3 retained concentrically to the can lid is compressed at least a few centimeters in the direction of the can lid. Thereafter, the can 1 with the protective cover 3 fastened to the wheel is supplied by the star 6 having reception bags or holding members, to the carrousel 5 having a table for bottles not shown in more detail with several sites of positioning 20 arranged on a partial circle. To each of these positioning sites 20 there is coordinated a controllable lift and submersible slider 21 whose end pointing to the positioning site 20 has a center bell 21a with a sponge pad 22 inserted. The inner diameter of the conically shaped interior space of the center bell 21a is dimensioned insignificantly larger than the outer diameter of the can lid. The elastic sponge pad 22 inserted in the center bell is configured relatively tightly to the shape and dimensions of the can lid. According to figure 4.1, the centering bell 21a together with the inserted sponge pad 22 is driven up and submergibly to a rotating carrier 24 angularly synchronous with the positioning sites. At its upper end is fixed a guide roller 25 which fits a cam 16. In figure 4.1, it represents the situation at the transition site of the cans 1 of the star wheel of entry 6 to carousel 5. Immediately after of this, the slider 21 moves downwards by rotating the carousel 5 and the support 24 by means of the cam 26 that descends, with which the can 1 with the center bell 21a and the sponge pad 22 comes to fit in the of the lid, so that finally the can 1 is fixed axially between its lower part and its lid, and centered circumferentially by the centering bell. In this operation, a circular articulation, which protrudes in step form, of the sponge pad 22 presses the protective cover 3 into the jar-shaped cavity of the can lid 1a according to the contour, while the edge of the The protective cover or its circumferential cut is placed by completely submerging it in the pad 22 around the edge 1c to the oblique shoulder surface 1c of the can trunk (figure 4.3). In the course of the rotation of the carousel, the centering bell 21a moves along with the slider 21 through the cam 26. Even before reaching the exit star wheel, both the ascending cam slider is lifted. in this area the centering bell 21a is released with its sponge pad 22 together with the can lid 1a and then again moved to the position shown in figure 4.1. In the area of the outlet star wheel 7, an additional pressure procedure of the protective cover 3 can take place by means of brushes, sponge rollers or rotating brushes, not shown, before the perfectly installed can 1 is moved to the output conveyor belt. While in Figures 4.1 to 4.3, the sponge pad 22 is configured in such a way that it also presses elastically from outside against the radially inwardly shaped can shoulder, the sponge pad may be restricted in a manner not shown on the lid itself can with its jar-shaped cavity and the conformation to the can shoulder can take place by center bells 21a consisting of a rigid material, whereby the centering bell of the can shoulder is configured relatively tightly. This modification is possible due to the very remarkable dimensional accuracy of the cans.

Unlike the embodiment described above in relation to FIG. 3, the blades 13 of the sheet transfer mechanism 10 can have adhesion surfaces that can be glued or wetted with water, that is to say work without the aid of a vacuum. In this case, a rotary gusset roller 27 (in a dashed line in FIG. 3) is arranged in the direction of rotation in front of the sheet receptacle 14 to moisten the adhesion surfaces of the pallets. by a rolling movement down. The adhesion surfaces of the vanes can be provided with segments configured in relief, for example a circular segment corresponding to the can edge, for receiving glue. In FIG. 6, there is shown an embodiment of a pallet 13 with a glueable adhesion surface for a square sheet cut corresponding to FIG. 5. The pallet according to FIG. 6 is represented constructively so as to be provided in FIG. three corner areas essentially triangular adhesion zones 13a and in the center a small circular area 13a 'by a conformation radially protruding in relief in front of the pallet base body of said areas. Only these zones 13a and 13a 'receive glue by a bearing on the rubber roller sketched in FIG. 3 or they are moistened with water, ie only the correspondingly coordinated areas of the rear part of a cutting are wetted or wetted with water. sheet.

The exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 5 differs from that of FIG. 1 in that the protective cover 3 'of a square sheet cut is produced, which is particularly cost-effective. The production of the protective cover 3 'takes place in the same way as described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 for a protective cover 3. After complete narrowing, the protective cover 3' forms four tips which terminate at the end. 1b can shoulder or on the 1d tin trunk downwards. This gives rise to the impression of a so-called "tin formation", as is usual in beer bottles with high quality content. In addition, the tips serve as detachable ears. If a transfer mechanism 10 with vanes 13 corresponding to figure 6 is used, an adhesion connection with the can shoulder is maintained in three points, while the fourth unpainted tip is provided as a detachable ear. Furthermore, it is conceivable to reduce the diameter in the protective cover 3 produced from a round cut according to FIG. 3, so that the protective cover essentially covers only the can lid 1 a and possibly the can edge 1 c. In this case, it is convenient to provide at least one detachable ear 23, as it is sketched with a line of points and lines, preferably with a tangential transition to the circular shape. According to a further development of the invention, the sheet cuts can be used with a coating of activatable adhesive, applied by pressure on its reverse side of the can. After each use case, a coating of adhesive or wax may be used on the entire surface or by areas. Adhesives that can be activated by heat or by wetting with water are indicated. For example, heat-sealable lacquers of a PVC / PVAC copolymer mixed with a polyacrylate are suitable. The sealable lacquer coating is preferably in a range of 0.5 to 5 g / m2. Suitable water-activatable adhesives are gum arabic, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate, dextrin or artificial resin dispersions. These adhesives can also be applied in the production of cuts cost-effectively by a reverse printing operation. Figure 7 shows the reverse side of a 3"square blade cut that has at its center a pressure application of heat activatable adhesive 3a, more or less round. In order to activate this application under adhesive pressure, an activation mechanism 28 radiating from above to the top of the transport path of the cans is arranged (in the entrance area of the transfer mechanism 10 in front of the pressing cylinder 15 above the transport path of the cans). can lids, for example pulsed laser, which sufficiently heats the passing lids for a short time, so that when pressing a sheet cut 3"through the pressing cylinder of the pressure application of adhesive 3a, it is activated by transition of heat of the can lid and an adhesion bond originates.Alternatively or additionally, activation may take place in the rotation area of the presser cylinder 15, for example by electrically heatable pads 16 or by heating elements 29 radially oriented from outside to the blade cuts 3 contained by the press cylinder, laser or the like To remove the blade cuts shown in FIG. they can employ the vanes 13 with a vacuum adhesion surface. It can be completely dispensed with, if necessary, gumming equipment, such as the gumming rollers 19, 27.

Claims (29)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - Can for drinks (1) with a protective cover in the lid area, also characterized in that the cover (3) consists of stamped aluminum sheet.

2. Can for drinks according to claim 1, further characterized in that the aluminum sheet is unlined.

3. Can for beverages according to claim 1 or 2, further characterized in that the aluminum sheet is nine to fifteen micrometers thick.

4. Can for beverages according to one of claims 1 to 3, further characterized in that the stamping depth of the aluminum sheet is from sixty to one hundred micrometers.

5. Can for beverages according to one of claims 1 to 4, further characterized in that the aluminum sheet has a worm print.

6. Can for beverages according to one of claims 1 to 5, further characterized in that the protective cover (3) is attached by adhesive to the beverage can (1).

7. - Can for beverages according to claim 6, further characterized in that the adhesive is applied to the central area of the can lid (1a).

8. Can for beverages according to one of claims 6 or 7, further characterized in that the adhesive is applied on the can edge (1c).

9. Can for beverages according to one of claims 6, 7 or 8, further characterized in that the adhesive is activatable, preferably heat activatable and is applied on the protective cover.

10. Can for beverages according to one of claims 1 to 9, further characterized in that the protective cover (3) has a basic form rotationally symmetrical.

11. Beverage can according to one of claims 1 to 9, further characterized in that the protective cover (3) has a basic polygonal shape.

12. beverage can according to claim 11, further characterized in that the protective cover (3) has several tips that deviate in the can (1) downward.

13. Can for beverages according to one of claims 1 to 12, further characterized in that the protective cover (3) is narrowed to the outline of the can lid (1a) and the upper can edge (1c).

14. - Method for placing a protective cover in a beverage can, further characterized by contacting an essentially flat cut (3) of stamped aluminum foil overlaying at least the can lid (1a) with the beverage can ( 1) and narrows plastically conforming at least to the can lid (1a).

15. Method according to claim 14, further characterized in that the cut (3) has a larger surface area than that of the lid (1a) and also narrows to the can edge (1c) and, if necessary, to the can shoulder (1 B).

16. Method according to claim 14 or 15, further characterized in that the adhesion between the beverage can (1) and the protective cover (3) is subsequently carried out by the toothing in the form produced when shaking.

17. Method according to claim 14 or 15, further characterized in that the cut (3) and / or the beverage can (1) is applied before contact with the adhesive.

18. Method according to claim 14 or 15, further characterized in that the cut (3") has a coating (3a) of activatable adhesive, preferably activatable by heat and because the coating (3a) is activated before and / or while the cut (3") is brought into contact with the beverage can (1), preferably by heating the cut (3") and / or the beverage can (1).

19. - Device for placing protection covers (3) in the head area of the beverage cans (1) with a transport device (5, 8) for the cans in vertical position, an overlap mechanism (10) disposed on the transport device for stamped aluminum foil cuts, which superimposes the protective cover from above on the head area of the cans and thus presses at least partially into the lid area and / or the can edge.

20. Device according to claim 19, further characterized in that the overlapping device (10) for the protective cover (3) is connected back to at least one pressure mechanism, which narrows the protective cover to the area lid and / or shoulder area of the cans (1).

21. Device according to claim 19 or 20, further characterized in that an equipment (27) is provided for applying adhesive on the cuts and / or a mechanism (19) for applying adhesive on the beverage cans (1).

22. Device according to claim 19 or 20, further characterized in that a mechanism (29) is provided to heat the cuts by areas and / or a mechanism (28) to heat the beverage can (1) by areas, preferably the can lid (1a).

23.- Cutting for a protective cover for cans for beverages, further characterized because it consists of stamped aluminum sheet.

24. - Cut according to claim 23, further characterized in that the aluminum sheet is unlined.

25. Cut according to claim 23 or 24, further characterized by having a worm print.

26. Cut according to one of claims 23 to 25, further characterized in that it has a circular fundamental shape, if necessary with an ear for rapid opening (23) formed.

27.- Cut according to one of claims 23 to 25, further characterized in that it has a fundamental polygonal shape.

28. Cut according to one of claims 23 to 27, further characterized in that it has on one side a covering (3a) on the entire surface or by areas of activatable adhesive, preferably heat activatable.

29. Cut according to claim 28, further characterized in that the adhesive coating (3a) by areas is arranged in the center of the cut, preferably in a circular shape.