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Title:
NON-METAL AND HYBRID BOTTLE CROWNS WITH OPENER ASSEMBLY
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2016/122770
Kind Code:
A4
Abstract:
A crown for a bottle or other container has a top portion and an annular skirt that descends contiguously from the top portion. An opener assembly and an arrangement of frangible scoring lines on the crown allow for ease of opening the bottle or container. Corrugated embodiments provide material strengthening for a reduced gauge crown. Embodiments include entire crowns formed of non-metal materials, metal crowns having non-metal opener assemblies, and metal crowns having opener assemblies that are partially metal and partially non-metal. Unique techniques for attachment of such various opener assemblies are also disclosed.

Inventors:
FRISHMAN ABE (US)
Application Number:
PCT/US2015/063384
Publication Date:
December 22, 2016
Filing Date:
December 02, 2015
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
WORLD BOTTLING CAP LLC (US)
International Classes:
B21D51/44; B21D51/48; B23P11/00; B65D17/00; B65D17/28; B65D17/34
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
ORTEGA, James H. (LLPP.O. Box 80233, Dallas TX, US)
Download PDF:
Claims:
58

AMENDED CLAIMS

received by the International Bureau on 25 October 2016 (25.10.2016)

CLAIMS

What is claimed is:

1. A frangible crown for a container opening, the crown comprising:

a crown body comprising:

a top portion;

an annular skirt having an annular side wall descending from the top portion and terminating at a bottom annular edge;

a frangible scoring arrangement comprising:

a curvilinear first score line extending in a first continuous radial direction from the top portion to the bottom edge of the skirt; and a curvilinear second score line comprising:

an upper radial segment extending in the first continuous radial direction from the top portion to the annular sidewall of the skirt, and a lower annular segment extending circumferentially along the annular side wall of the skirt from the upper radial segment to an endpoint substantially spaced from the bottom annular edge of the skirt;

an opener assembly attached to an attachment portion of the top portion and

configured to break the top portion at one or more of the first and second score lines, the opener assembly comprising a non-metal ring pull and non-metal pull tab connected to the non-metal ring pull; and

an attachment device coupling the non-metal pull tab to the attachment portion, the attachment device comprising engaging features downwardly protruding from the bottom engaging surface of the attachment device towards the non-metal pull tab such that the engaging features increase the engagement of the attachment device to the non-metal pull tab to attach the opener assembly to the attachment portion. 59

2. The frangible crown of claim 1, wherein the attachment device is a rivet that is non- integral with the crown body or opener assembly, the non-integral rivet comprising the engaging features positioned on at least one bottom engaging surface of the rivet such that the engaging features downwardly protrude from the bottom surface of the engaging surface to increase the frictional force used to engage the pull tab of the opener assembly when the rivet is compressed to attached the opener assembly to the attachment portion.

3. The frangible crown of claim 1, wherein the attachment device is a rivet formed integral with the attachment portion of the crown body, the integral rivet comprising the engaging features positioned along at least a portion of an elongated sidewall of the rivet such that the engaging features downwardly protrude towards the non-metal pull tab to increase the frictional force used to engage the pull tab of the opener assembly when the rivet is compressed to attached the opener assembly to the attachment portion.

4. The frangible crown of claim 1, wherein the rivet is a non-metal rivet formed integral with the non-metal pull tab, and the attachment portion of the crown body comprises a hole configured to receive the non-metal rivet when the non-metal rivet is used to attached the opener assembly to the attachment portion.

5. The frangible crown of claim 1, wherein the attachment portion is off-center with respect to a diameter of the top portion.

6. The frangible crown of claim 1, further comprising a recessed portion downwardly formed in the top portion and configured to receive at least a portion of the opener assembly therein. 60

7. The frangible crown of claim 1, wherein the crown body further comprises an underside opposite the top portion, and one or more of the score lines of the frangible scoring arrangement is formed on the underside of the crown body.

8. The frangible crown of claim 1, wherein the frangible scoring arrangement further comprises an arcuate third score line extending around the attachment portion and connecting beginning ends of the first and second score lines.

9. The frangible crown of claim 8, wherein the frangible scoring arrangement further comprises a linear fourth score radially extend from the arcuate third score line in a second continuous radial direction substantially opposite to the first radial direction.

10. The frangible crown of claim 1, wherein the non-metal pull tab comprises a metal grommet for use with the attachment device coupling the non-metal pull tab to the attachment portion.

1 1. A frangible crown for a container opening, the crown comprising:

a crown body comprising:

a top portion;

an annular skirt having an annular side wall descending from the top portion and terminating at a bottom annular edge;

a frangible scoring arrangement comprising:

a curvilinear first score line extending in a first continuous radial direction from the top portion to the bottom edge of the skirt; and a curvilinear second score line comprising:

an upper radial segment extending in the first continuous radial direction from the top portion to the annular sidewall of the skirt, and a lower annular segment extending circumferentially along the annular side wall of the skirt from the upper radial segment to an endpoint substantially spaced from the bottom annular edge of the skirt;

an opener assembly attached to an attachment portion of the top portion and

configured to break the top portion at one or more of the first and second score lines, the opener assembly comprising a non-metal ring pull and metal pull tab, wherein a connecting portion of the non-metal ring pull is configured to receive a connecting end of the metal pull tab, the connecting end having engaging features extending within and configured to engage the connecting portion of the non- metal ring pull; and

an attachment device coupling the metal pull tab to the attachment portion.

12. The frangible crown of claim 1 1, wherein the engaging features on the metal pull tab is selected from the group consisting of:

one or more vertically extending barbs on each of upper and lower surfaces of the connecting end of the metal pull tab to secure the end within the non-metal ring pull;

one or more horizontally extending barbs on each of upper and lower surfaces of the connecting end of the metal pull tab to secure the end within the non-metal ring pull; and one or more vertically extending steps on each of upper and lower surfaces of the connecting end of the metal pull tab to secure the end within the non-metal ring pull.

13. The frangible crown of claim 1 1, wherein the attachment device is a rivet formed integral with the attachment portion of the crown body, the integral rivet comprising engaging the metal pull tab of the opener assembly when the rivet is compressed to attached the opener assembly to the attachment portion.

14. The frangible crown of claim 1 1, wherein the attachment portion is off-center with respect to a diameter of the top portion.

15. The frangible crown of claim 11, wherein the frangible scoring arrangement further comprises an arcuate third score line extending around the attachment portion and connecting beginning ends of the first and second score lines.

16. The frangible score line arrangement of claim 15, wherein the frangible scoring arrangement further comprises a linear fourth score radially extend from the arcuate third score line in a second continuous radial direction substantially opposite to the first radial direction.

17. A frangible crown for a container opening, the crown comprising:

a top portion;

an annular skirt having an annular side wall descending from the top portion and terminating at a bottom annular edge;

an opener assembly comprising a non-metal ring pull and a metal pull tab connected to the non-metal ring pull using engaging features formed on the metal pull tab, the pull tab integrally formed with an attachment portion of the annular sidewall; 63 a recessed portion inwardly formed in the top portion and configured to receive the non-metal ring pull therein

a frangible scoring arrangement comprising:

a curvilinear first score line extending in a first continuous radial direction from the recessed portion along the annular sidewall to the bottom edge of the skirt; and

a curvilinear second score line comprising:

an upper radial segment extending in the first continuous radial direction from the annular sidewall to an intermediate portion of the skirt, and a lower annular segment extending circumferentially along the intermediate portion of the skirt from the upper radial segment to an endpoint substantially spaced from the bottom annular edge of the skirt.

18. The frangible crown of claim 17, further comprising a boss upwardly formed from the top portion and configured to be received within the ring pull of the opener assembly.

19. The frangible crown of claim 18, wherein the boss is circular and concentrically formed within the recessed portion.

20. The frangible crown of claim 18, wherein a top of the boss is substantially level with the top portion of the crown.

21. The frangible crown of claim 17, wherein the engaging features on the metal pull tab is selected from the group consisting of: 64 one or more vertically extending barbs on each of upper and lower surfaces of an end of the metal pull tab to secure the end within the non-metal ring pull;

one or more horizontally extending barbs on each of upper and lower surfaces of an end of the metal pull tab to secure the end within the non-metal ring pull;

one or more vertically extending steps on each of upper and lower surfaces of an end of the metal pull tab to secure the end within the non-metal ring pull; and

one or more holes formed through an end of the metal pull tab and configured to receive corresponding one or more rivets from at a receiving area of the non-metal ring pull to secure the end of the metal pull tab to the receiving area of the non-metal ring pull.

22. The frangible crown of claim 17, wherein the crown body further comprises an underside opposite the top portion, and one or more of the score lines of the frangible scoring arrangement is formed on the underside of the crown body.