US3185340A - Sheet metal can - Google Patents

Description

May 25, 1965 B. w. HAZELTON SHEET METAL CAN Filed Oct. 26, 1962 FIG 4 United States Patent C) 3,185,340 SHEET METAL CAN Burton W. Hazelton, Kirltwood, Mm, assignor to Pet Miik Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 26, 1962, 591'. No. 233,332 1 (Ilaizn. (Cl. 226-67) The invention relates to metal cans as are in general use, particularly for evaporated milk, and are characterized, for the purpose of this invention, in that the can top has a simple down-turned marginal flange overlapping the rim of the can body and soldered to the can side as distinguished from a can top having a marginal portion internested with the rim of the can body and forming the-rewith a double seam, sometimes called a sanitary can.

The main object of the invention is to adapt a can of the first type for elfective application thereto of a lever type opener commonly termed a can tapper, which is anchored or fulcrumed on the edge of downturned flange of the top of the can and swung about its fulcrum to punch a hole in the can top through which the contents may be poured out. This cannot be done with the plain margin can having a straight downturned flange top because the opener fulcrum or anchor part s-l-ips oil the edge of the flange.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention FIG. 1 is a fragmentary section through the corner of a sanitary seam can showing the application of a lever type opener thereto.

FIG. 2 is a similar section through the ordinary plane flange-top can showing the result of the application of a lever type opener thereto.

FIG. 3 is an elevation and section through a can embodying the present invention showing the application of a lever type opener thereto.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged scale section showing in detail the novel structure of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 3 but illustrates another form of the invention.

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 are similar to FIG. 4 but illustrate other forms of the invention.

In FIG. 1 the upper rim of the can side 1 and the marginal portion of the can top 2 are brought together and bent outwardly, downwardly, inwardly and upwardly as indicated to form a plural lap joint or seam. Usually a thin liner or gasket is rolled between the can body and top before the seaming operation to assure a seal and no solder is used between the can side and the top. With this construction there results a downwardly facing shoulder of substantial width and a recess next to the can side into which the end of the prong 4 of a lever type opener, or can tapper, 5 may be inserted and anchor or fulcrum the tapper while its handle is raised as indicated at 5a and the point 6 of the tapper is thrust downwardly to form an aperture in the can top.

With usual cans of the type to which the present invention relates, the rim 11 (FIG. 2) of the can side 12 terminates at the inner face of the can top 13 and the plain straight marginal flange 14 of the latter overlaps the cylindrical rim, the flange of the top and the side of the can are sealed tight by a line of solder 15, which penetrates the crevice between the top and body although some of the solder may remain in the angle between the edge of the flange and the adjacent metal of the body. Accordingly there is absent any substantial downwardly facing ledge or crevice for the tapper prong 17 to engage. As a result when the opener is swung upwardly as indicated at 18 the prong slides off the edge of the top flange and the top is not punctured.

To avoid this result and to adapt a can of thistype for perforation by a tapper as shown, the can side wall 21 of FIGS. 3 and 4 is provided with a bead or indentation 22 readily rolled into the side wall by the can forming machine. This head is so close to the upper edge of the can side wall that the lower edge of flange 24 of top 25 pro jects below the outermost portion of the bead and forms therewith a downwardly facing recess into which the tip of the tapper prong may be inserted and retained and accordingly anchor the tapper While the handle i lifted to the position shown at 27 with its pointed end puncturing the can top. It will be understood that a deposit of solder is used to seal the top and the side of a can of this type and seeps into the crevice between the top and the side but the quantity of the solder is insuflicient to fill up the angle between the lower edge of the top flange and the upper portion of the recess, hence the tapper prong will not slip olf of the flange, as shown in FIG. 2, but will be securedly anchored until the tapper has performed its function as shown in FIG. 3 and is then lowered and removed irom the can.

FIG. 5 illustrates a modified can in which the can side 31, instead of being indented, is oliset outwardly at 32 and the flange 33 of the top 34 overhangs the ofiset, and any solder applied to the crevice between the can side and the top, and provides a recess for the tapper prong as shown in FIG. 3.

Both forms of the invention shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 embody shoulder and recess forming structure at both ends of the can and such arrangement would avoid the necessity of distinguishing between the top and the bottom of the can when a label is applied and avoid a consumer positioning the can right side up when the rapper is applied. Obviously the novel structure is only required at one end of the can.

FIG. 6 shows another form of the invention in which the downwardly facing shoulder on the can side wall is formed by a slight out-turned lip 41 on the upper end of the cylindrical side Wall. The downturned flange 42 on the top projects below lip 41 far enough to accommodate a seal of solder and provide a recess for the tapper tip.

FIG. 7 shows another form of the invention in which the can side wall 51 is straight to its uppermost edge but the downturned flange 52 of the top is otfset at 53 to provide the spacer between the top and side wall for the tapper anchoring prong.

FIG. 8 shows another form of the invention in which the can side wall 61 is straight to the top edge, as shown in FIG. 7, but the downturned flange 62 of the top is flared downwardly and outwardly to provide the crevice for the solder and the recess for the tapper prong.

The head or indentation may be V-shaped or channelshaped and other variations in the provision of a downwardly opening recess by a single overlapping of top and side wall may be utilized without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of those modifications of the details coming within the scope of the appended claim is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

A can for evaporated milk or the like comprising a tubular body having at least one open end portion, the other end being closed, an inwardly extending annular groove adjacent the open end portion, a closure disc closing and permanently sealing the open end portion, the closure disc having a top portion which is adapted to be punctured by a rocking type of puncturing can opener, the closure disc having a relatively short depending flange thereon circumscribing the open end portion and extending thereabout, the flange having an inner wall surface 3 and a marginal end portion, the flange inner wall surface having a relatively close fit with the outer wall surface of the body and providing .a space therebetween, bonding means in the space effecting a permanent hermetic seal between the flange and the open end portion, the bonding means terminating at the upper edge of the groove, the flange marginal end portion extending downwardly over a portion of the groove thus providing anchoring space relative to the groove, the anchoring space being at such a distance from the closure disc and being so dimensioned whereby the anchor prong of the rocking type of can opener will enter into the anchoring space thus providing 7 the fulcrum point of the can opener allowing the rocking of the can opener to puncture the closure disc and to open the can so that the contents of the can maybe poured therefrom.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 8/ 10 Denmark. 8/ 95 Great Britain. 4/24 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

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