Patent Application
20250229962
The present disclosure generally relates to the manufacture and sealing of metallic and glass containers, and more specifically to an apparatus and methods used to seal metallic and glass containers with Roll-on Pilfer Proof (ROPP) closures and pre-threaded metallic closures.
Metallic containers offer distributors and consumers many benefits. The metallic body of a metallic container provides optimal protection properties for products. For example, the metallic body prevents CO2 migration and transmission of UV radiation, which may damage the contents of the metallic container and negatively influence the effectiveness of the ingredients, as well as the flavor, appearance, or color of the product. Metallic containers also offer an impermeable barrier to light, water vapor, oils and fats, oxygen, and micro-organisms and keep the contents of the metallic container fresh and protected from external influences, thereby guaranteeing a long shelf-life.
The increased durability of metallic containers compared to glass containers reduces the number of containers damaged during processing and shipping, resulting in further savings. Additionally, metallic containers are lighter than glass containers of comparable size, resulting in energy savings during shipment. Further, metallic containers can be manufactured with high burst pressures which make them ideal and safe for use as containers holding products under pressure, such as carbonated beverage containers. Glass containers are often not allowed in certain locations, e.g., parks, beaches, pools, etc., thus making metal or plastic containers preferred.
Additionally, many consumers prefer metallic containers over glass or plastic containers. Metallic containers are particularly attractive to consumers because of the convenience they offer. The light weight of metallic containers makes them easier to carry than glass containers. Metallic containers are particularly suitable for use in public places and outdoors because they are more durable than glass containers. Further, some consumers avoid plastic containers due to concerns that the plastic may leach chemicals into consumable products.
Many consumers avoid plastic containers due to environmental concerns because few plastic containers can be and are recycled. Therefore, environmentally conscious consumers prefer metal containers because they are easier to recycle than glass or plastic containers. Moreover, environmentally conscious consumers prefer to not use plastic containers because they often end up in landfills and chemicals in the plastic containers can leach into the ground and drinking water.
The most important factors for today's consumer include convenience and recyclability. The Alumi-Tek® metal bottle is an aluminum bottle crafted for the eco-conscious consumer who appreciates the circularity of aluminum as well as the portability and convenience of a 28 mm silhouette, 12-oz., 16-oz., or another sized bottle. Today's on-the-go consumers prefer the rich designs supported by Alumi-Tek® bottles for their favorite coffee brands, protein shakes, or bottled water.
The exterior surfaces of metallic containers are also ideal for decorating with brand names, logos, designs, product information, and/or other preferred indicia for identifying, marketing, and distinguishing the metallic container and its contents from other products and competitors. Thus, metallic containers offer bottlers, distributors, and retailers the ability to stand out at the point of sale.
To meet the high demand for metallic containers, metallic container manufacturing facilities operate some of the fastest, if not the fastest, production lines in the container industry. Because of the high speeds of the production lines, techniques or processes that may work in other industries or with containers formed of other materials do not necessarily work at the high speeds required for metallic container production lines. Accordingly, specialized equipment and techniques are often required for many of the operations used to form and seal metallic containers.
Metallic beverage containers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some metallic beverage containers have a bottle shape. Metallic bottles typically include a closed bottom portion, a generally cylindrical body portion, a neck portion with a reduced diameter extending upwardly from the body portion, and an opening positioned on an uppermost portion of the neck portion. After being filled with a beverage or other product, metallic bottles are typically sealed with a roll-on-pilfer proof closure (“ROPP”), although other closures, such as twist-off crown caps and roll-on closures without a pilfer proof feature, may be used. Methods and apparatuses of forming a threaded neck on a metallic bottle to receive a ROPP closure are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0263150 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0298641, which are each incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Methods and apparatuses for capping and sealing metallic bottles, specifically apparatuses and methods used to seal metallic bottles with ROPP closures, are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0044155 and U.S. Pat. No. 11,459,223, which are each incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
The Alumi-Tek metallic bottle currently uses a metallic screw top cap, which can be a ROPP closure. As discussed herein, using a metallic cap on a metallic bottle can present challenges when sealing a pressurized beverage in the metallic bottle.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Once sealed, closure threads 16 are formed on the ROPP closure 10 to maintain the seal after the pressure block ejector 24 and the pressure block 25 are removed. The closure threads 16 are formed by a thread roller 26 that applies a “sideload” to the closure body 12. Typically, two thread rollers 26 are used. The thread rollers 26 use the underlying bottle threads 8 as a mandrel. The closure threads 16 are formed as the thread rollers 26 press against and wind down the closure body portion 12 along the bottle threads 8.
Two pilfer rollers 28 tuck the bottom edge of the ROPP closure 10 against a protrusion, known as the skirt 30, of the metallic bottle 2. In this manner, if the ROPP closure 10 is rotated in an opening direction, the pilfer band 18 is severed to provide visual evidence of tampering. The pilfer rollers 28 also apply a sideload to the metallic bottle 2 to tuck the pilfer band 18 against the bottle skirt 30. In some cases, a metallic bottle 2 may be sealed by a Roll On (RO) closure that does not include a “pilfer proof” feature. An example of a neck portion 5 of a metallic bottle 2 sealed by a ROPP closure 10 is illustrated in
The metal ROPP closure 10 includes an aluminum shell that is custom formed to the pre-threaded bottle 2 to generate closure threads 16. This metal is substantially thick to enable the closure threads 16 to resist closure blowoff at high pressure (e.g., greater than 100 psi). All currently known ROPP closures that could be used for capping Alumi-Tek metal bottles utilize a low durometer flat or shaped polymer material 14 to generate a seal between the ROPP closure 10 and the metallic bottle 2. Unfortunately, the thick metal of the ROPP closure 10 and the seal material 14 require a substantial topload (e.g., about 220 lbs) to “reform” tightly against a mating geometry of the bottle curl 6 to make the seal. The combination of the required topload applied by the pressure block ejector 24 and the pressure block 25 and the forming loads applied by the thread roller 26 and the pilfer roller 28 prevents reductions in the thickness and/or weight of the metallic bottle 2 and the ROPP closure 10 from being reduced in thickness and/or weight because a thinner and/or lighter metallic bottle 2 will collapse when the topload is applied to the metallic bottle and the ROPP closure during the sealing and thread forming process.
The method of sealing metallic bottles 2 already deviates from the method of sealing a classic glass bottle with a ROPP closure in that the method of sealing metallic bottles uses a two-pass threading/capping process versus the single pass threading/capping process used with glass bottles. Two passes are needed for the metallic bottles 2 in order to use less load and prevent the metallic bottle from buckling or collapsing and prevent the neck from buckling or being crushed. Reducing the thickness and/or weight of the container (including the metallic bottle and/or closure) is achieved by lightweighting the container, which reduces the material used to make the container, reduces the cost to make the container, and increases the sustainability of the container. Additionally, reducing the number of passes during the sealing process required to form the threads on the metallic closure from two or three passes down to one single pass reduces the manufacturing time and cost.
Further, capping apparatus 22 designed to seal a metallic bottle 2 with a ROPP closure 10 using two or more passes of the thread roller 26 are expensive. Reducing the top load required to seal a metallic bottle with a ROPP closure would beneficially permit the reduction in the thickness of the metal of the metallic bottle, and would save bottlers the cost of purchasing specialized capping apparatus 22 configured to seal the metallic bottle with multiple passes of the thread rollers. Accordingly, reducing the top load required to seal a metallic bottle would have many benefits, including reductions in the thickness of metallic bottles, reduced manufacturing costs of metallic bottles, and reduced equipment costs for bottlers. Further, reducing the top load may also permit the use of increased side loads to generate deep threads in a single pass, permitting the use of single pass capping apparatus.
Due to the limitations associated with the prior art described above, an aspect of the following disclosure is an improved metallic ROPP closure or an improved pre-threaded or pre-lugged metallic closure that employs a floating liner with at least one engagement element, such as a plug seal, alignment support, bumper, or the like. The improved metallic ROPP closure or improved pre-threaded or pre-lugged metallic closure is used with metallic bottles, metallic containers, glass bottles, and/or glass containers. Another aspect of the disclosure is an improved metallic bottle.
Typically the metallic closures discussed herein are unthreaded shells that are threaded after the containers are filled with their predetermined contents; however, the present floating liner, with at least one engagement element such as a plug seal, can be used on pre-threaded metallic closures, metallic closures with partial threads or lugs (e.g., thread components that do not extend around the entire circumference, for example as seen on caps for glass baby food jars), and metallic closures for glass or metal bottles/containers.
The new metallic bottle and/or metallic closure with a floating liner significantly reduces the need to reform the metallic closure and liner material to achieve the desired seal, which greatly reduces the amount of topload or force needed to form a seal between the metallic closure and the metallic bottle, and provides several benefits including: (i) a reduction in the total weight of the container (the metallic bottle and metallic closure); (ii) a reduction in the cost of the container; and (iii) improved package material efficiency, i.e., sustainability. Furthermore, the reduction in topload or force needed to form the seal may allow factories and plants to utilize the same capping apparatus for both metallic containers and glass containers as opposed to the separate equipment currently required to seal containers of different materials.
The significant reduction of topload or force needed to be applied to the top of the metallic closure when using a closure with a floating liner of the present disclosure was an unexpected result with significant benefits. The metallic closure with the floating also addresses concentricity limitations of other liners used in prior art ROPP closures.
One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a metallic bottle and metallic closure with a floating liner that allows for alignment with the bore of the metallic bottle (i.e., a surface of the inner diameter of the bottle curl), while allowing the metallic closure to freely align to the bottle threads of the metallic bottle without creating stress on the liner or elements thereof. This is a major improvement over the prior art liners and seals secured to the metallic closure shell.
In some embodiments, the floating liner is formed of only one material. The material of the floating liner may be an elastic material such as a polymer or a hard, low-friction material, for example HDPE, LDPE, aluminum, or other material. With the floating liner formed of a hard, low-friction material, the torque required by the user to open the container (e.g., twisting off the metallic closure) would be lower than closures with softer elastomeric seals and/or liners.
In other embodiments, the floating liner comprises more than one material. For example, a first portion of the floating liner may comprise a first material and a second portion of the floating liner may comprise a second material. In at least one embodiment, the first and second materials may have different coefficients of friction and/or hardness to increase the seal strength and not require too much force from the user to open the container.
In at least one embodiment, the floating liner comprises a first material with a first durometer, and a second material with a second durometer that is less than the first durometer.
In one or more embodiments, the floating liner comprises an inner plug seal that comprises the second material.
In some embodiments, the inner plug seal is formed of the first material and the second material coats or covers at least an outer surface of the inner plug seal, the outer surface configured to contact an inner diameter surface of a curl of a metallic bottle.
In other embodiments, the inner plug seal consists of the second material.
In other embodiments, each of the engagement elements comprise at least a second material.
One advantage of the metallic closure with the floating liner is that the outer surface of the inner plug seal can have a diameter that is a large percentage of the diameter of the closure body. This is beneficial because the curl of the metallic bottle of the present disclosure may be formed such that the inner surface of the curl has a greater inner surface diameter than a prior art metallic bottle with a body portion of the same diameter. In this manner, one or more extra necking stages required to reduce the diameter of the conic between the upper bottle thread and the opening of the metallic bottle can be avoided. Forming the bottle curl with a greater inner surface diameter also saves metal material as less metal material is required to form the metallic bottle, reducing the cost of the metallic bottle and increasing sustainability.
It is another aspect of the disclosure to provide a threaded closure with at least one channel formed through the closure threads formed on the closure body. The channel is adapted to provide fluidic communication from an interior of the metallic bottle to ambient air when the threaded closure is rotated to remove the threaded closure from the opening of the metallic bottle. The pressure is released before the closure threads lose thread engagement with the container threads to prevent unintended expulsion of the threaded closure from the opening of the metallic bottle.
Another aspect of the disclosure is to provide a metallic ROPP closure with one or more fluid flow-through elements, such as vents, to perform the functionality of the above-mentioned channel.
One aspect includes providing a metallic bottle sealed with a metallic closure that has a liner configured to form the seal, the liner positioned between a curl of the metallic bottle and the metallic closure. In some embodiments, the liner may be formed from a wad of material that is at least partially impervious to gas and liquids (hereinafter “wad”). Optionally, the material of the wad may be similar to a compressible crown sealing material. Alternatively, the material of the wad may be a high durometer and/or flexible material that is not compressible. In some embodiments, the wad may allow an amount of oxygen into the metallic bottle. The wad may be positioned on the interior and/or lower surface of the metallic closure before the metallic closure is inserted onto the curl and neck of the metallic bottle.
In some embodiments, after positioning the wad in the closure shell, a mold is placed into the closure shell to form the shape of the liner. For example, the mold may form one or more engagement elements (or features) on the liner, such as one or more of an inner plug seal, an upper bumper, and an outer alignment support. Thereafter, the metallic closure with the liner is positioned on the top of the metallic bottle.
In at least some embodiments, no adhesives are used to attach the liner (including the liner formed from the wad) to the metallic closure. In this manner, the liner may move laterally relative to the metallic closure to adjust the position of the liner to account for a curl that is not concentrically formed on a metallic bottle.
In some embodiments, the seal between the metallic bottle and the metallic closure is formed by a combination of both the wad and one or more engagement elements comprising, an inner plug seal, an outer seal (or outer alignment support), and/or an upper bumper of the metallic closure that contact one or more surfaces of the metallic bottle, typically the curl.
In various embodiments, the liner comprises a bead of a liquid sealant that is at least partially impervious to gas and liquids. Optionally, the liquid sealant is applied to contact surfaces of the metallic bottle (such as its curl) or the metallic closure before the metallic closure is positioned on the curl and neck of the metallic bottle. After the metallic closure is positioned onto the metallic bottle, the liquid sealant flows between the contact surfaces of the metallic bottle and the metallic closure, substantially filling the spaces. The liquid sealant may then harden to create a seal or the liquid sealant may set as an elastic material.
An advantage of the floating liner with a plug seal in the metallic closure is that the metallic closure does not have to be reformed on the outer perimeter as required in prior art closures to tightly compress the prior art liner against an outer diameter of the curl of the prior art metallic bottle and the interior of the prior art closure. Specifically, no pressure block is needed to apply a predetermined topload force to a portion of the top portion (specifically the perimeter) of the metallic closure of the present disclosure to form the reform or closure channel required by prior art ROPP closures.
Some force, for example a plug insertion force, will be needed to press the metallic closure downwardly such that the inner plug seal will be pressed downwardly relative to the inner diameter surface of the curl, but a closure channel does not need to be formed around the perimeter of the metallic closure once it is positioned in a sealing position on the metallic bottle. The plug insertion force is the force required to push the flexible inner plug seal of the floating liner of the metallic closure into an interference fit with the inflexible inner diameter surface of the curl of the metallic bottle.
In some prior art threaded metallic closures, a significant topload was required to bend the metal and liner materials during the reforming step. However, the current industry standard topload is not required with the floating liner with the plug seal of the present disclosure.
The floating liner with a plug seal may be used in a pre-threaded metallic closure, which similarly would not require topload to seal a metallic bottle. With a pre-threaded metallic closure, torque would be used to secure the metallic closure onto the metallic bottle to form a sealed container. Thus, the downward force created by torquing the pre-threaded metallic closure onto the metallic bottle would create the plug insertion force.
Prior art, industry standard, ROPP closures need about 220 lbs of topload to securely close the metallic closure onto the metallic bottle. Embodiments of the present disclosure significantly reduce the amount of topload needed. For example, less than 150 lbs of topload is needed to securely close the metallic closure of embodiments of the present disclosure onto the metallic bottle. In some embodiments, less than 100 lbs of topload is needed to securely close the metallic closure onto the metallic bottle. In various embodiments, less than 50 lbs of topload (or plug insertion force) is needed to securely close the metallic closure onto the metallic bottle. In some embodiments, less than 25 lbs of topload (or plug insertion force) is needed to securely close the metallic closure onto the metallic bottle. In various embodiments, less than 10 lbs of topload (or plug insertion force) is needed to securely close the metallic closure onto the metallic bottle.
In various embodiments described herein, a metallic closure which is threaded is provided with a fluid flow-through feature, such as transverse channels formed through the closure threads. These fluid flow-through features enable controlled venting of the metallic container when the threaded metallic closure is removed from the metallic bottle. When the seal between the metallic closure and the metallic bottle is broken, these elements allow compressed gas to escape from the interior of the metallic container to ambient air pressure before the closure threads lose thread engagement with the bottle threads of the metallic bottle. Thus, these fluid flow-through features may prevent the metallic closure from being forcefully ejected from the metallic bottle during removal of the metallic closure by compressed gas within the metallic bottle and also allow for easy removal of the metallic closure. In alternative or additional embodiments, functionally equivalent features may provide this capability, such as vents at the top of the metallic closure.
Another aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a metallic bottle and a metallic closure with a floating liner having an inner plug seal. In some embodiments, a liner with an inner plug seal is formed in a plastic molding machine. The metallic (preferably aluminum, or alloy thereof) closure shell is formed concurrently and/or separately. Next the closure shell is held while the floating liner is placed in the closure shell.
In some embodiments, vent features are formed in the closure shell by forming an aperture in (or through) a body portion of the closure shell. The vent features may be formed with a portion of closure shell bent inwardly to form a retaining element to selectively engage and retain the liner in the closure shell.
Additionally, or alternatively, a plurality of retaining elements may be formed in the closure shell. The retaining elements comprise a portion of the closure shell that is pressed or bent inwardly. In this manner, an inner diameter formed by innermost portions of the plurality of retaining elements is less than the inner diameter of the closure body. Further, the inner diameter formed by the plurality of retaining elements is less than an outer diameter of the floating liner such that the floating liner is retained within the closure body and prevented from unintended or inadvertent separation from the metallic closure.
In some embodiments, one or more of the retaining elements comprise a piece of metal of the closure shell bent inwardly when a vent feature is formed. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more of the retaining elements may comprise a convex portion of the closure shell pressed inwardly without piercing the closure shell.
In at least one embodiment, the vent features and/or the retaining elements are formed in the closure shell and then the floating liner is pressed into the closure shell past the retaining elements.
Alternatively, in other embodiments, the floating liner is positioned within the closure shell before one or more of the vent features and/or the retaining elements are formed.
Another aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a metallic bottle and a metallic closure with a floating liner having a plug seal. In some embodiments, a metallic closure shell is formed of a metallic material, preferably aluminum or an alloy thereof. Then the formed closure shell is held while a wad of molten polymer is placed into the closure shell. A mold tool is then lowered into the closure shell to compress the wad into a desired shape, e.g., to form a floating liner with one or more engagement element, such as an outer alignment support, an inner plug seal, or an upper bumper positioned between the inner plug seal and the outer alignment support. The closure shell and mold are cooled to solidify the polymer. The mold tool is then removed leaving a floating liner having at least one engagement element in the closure shell.
In some embodiments, after the floating liner is formed, fluid flow-through features (such as vents) are formed in the closure shell by forming an aperture in (or through) a body portion of the closure shell. The vents may be formed with a portion of closure shell bent inwardly to form a retaining element to selectively engage and retain the floating liner in the closure shell.
Additionally, or alternatively, a plurality of retaining elements are formed in the closure shell. The retaining elements comprise a portion of the closure shell that is pressed or bent inwardly. In this manner, an inner diameter formed by innermost portions of the plurality of retaining elements is less than the inner diameter of the closure body. Further, the inner diameter formed by the plurality of retaining elements is less than an outer diameter of the floating liner such that the floating liner is retained within the closure body and prevented from unintended or inadvertent separation from the metallic closure.
In some embodiments, one or more of the retaining elements comprise a piece of metal of the closure shell bent inwardly when a vent feature is formed. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more of the retaining elements may comprise a convex portion of the closure shell pressed inwardly without piercing the closure shell.
In some embodiments, the vent features cannot be formed in the closure shell before forming the floating liner in the closure shell because forming the vent features and retaining elements before molding the floating liner would cause an interference with the molding components that form the outer alignment element of the floating liner. This in-shell liner molding method requires that the liner/seal material and the metallic shell lacquer material do not form a permanent bond such that the liner is floating and the non-concentric benefits can be realized, specifically lateral movement of the liner relative to the closure shell such that the floating liner can move to adjust for a curl of the metallic bottle that is not concentric with a body portion of the metallic bottle. Specifically, the opposite of the prior art must be true: if heat is applied to the metal, care must be taken such that a heat seal adhesive is not formed and/or does not cause a bond between the closure shell lacquer and floating liner.
Another advantage of the present disclosure over the prior art is that an unthreaded metallic shell closure can support more thread/pilfer roller sideload since the metallic bottle is no longer supporting a high topload during the sealing process. In other words, without the high topload previously required to seal metallic bottles with prior art metallic closures, a higher/larger sideload can be applied to the metallic bottle and metallic closure by the thread rollers and the pilfer rollers without causing the metallic bottle to collapse. Accordingly, the required thread depth of the closure threads and the tucking of the pilfer band against the bottle skirt can be achieved with a single pass capper (i.e., a capper with one or more thread rollers that form the closure threads in a single pass and with one or more pilfer rollers that tuck the pilfer band in one pass). Therefore, the higher thread/pilfer roller sideload allows the complete thread depth/pilfer form to be formed in a single pass (as is done for metallic closures on glass containers) instead of the standard two or three passes (as is done for metallic closures on metallic bottles). Moreover, by reducing the topload applied by the capping apparatus to a metallic bottle, the sideload applied by the thread rollers may optionally be increased to form deep threads in a single pass without risk of damage to the metallic bottle.
A single pass capper also permits the metallic bottles and/or metallic closures of the present disclosure to be threaded and sealed on customers' existing single pass cappers. The majority of ROPP cappers in the world are for glass containers (permitting high sideload) and these cappers are single pass cappers. The single pass cappers are much more common than the two-pass (or three-pass) cappers typically used to seal a prior art metallic bottle with a prior art ROPP closure. Customers must purchase a two-pass (or three-pass) capper instead of using an existing single-pass capper if the customer wants to fill a prior art metallic bottle and seal it with a prior art ROPP closure because the two-pass (or three-pass) capper separates the timing of the application of side-loads to avoid damaging the metallic bottle and/or the ROPP closure.
Further example aspects of the present disclosure include: a closure for sealing a metallic bottle, comprising: (1) a closure shell, comprising: (a) a top portion with an upper surface that is generally circular and a lower surface opposite the upper surface; (b) a closure body extending from the top portion; and (c) a plurality of retaining elements formed around a circumference of the closure body, each retaining element projecting inwardly toward a longitudinal axis extending through a center of the top portion; and (2) a floating liner positioned within the closure body proximate to the lower surface, the floating liner comprising: (i) a top surface that is generally circular, the top surface positioned proximate to the lower surface of the closure shell; and (ii) an inner plug seal extending away from the top surface, the top surface being movable relative to the lower surface such that the inner plug seal can move laterally relative to the longitudinal axis.
The closure may further comprise the plurality of retaining elements being configured to retain the floating liner within the closure body.
In one or more embodiment, the retaining elements are configured to retain the floating liner within the closure body without preventing or constraining lateral movement of the top surface of the floating liner relative to the lowers surface of the closure shell to facilitate movement of the inner plug seal.
The closure may include one or more of the previous embodiments, and in some embodiments the floating liner comprises a polymer material.
Optionally, the closure may include one or more of the previous embodiments, and in at least one embodiment the floating liner is formed of a first material and a second material coats at least a portion of the inner plug seal.
In some embodiments, the second material coats at least an outer surface of the inner plug seal.
The closure may include one or more of the previous embodiments, and in one or more embodiment the floating liner is formed of a first material and the inner plug seal is formed of a second material.
In at least one embodiment, the second material is a polymer material or an elastomeric material that is different from the first material.
The closure may include one or more of the previous embodiments, and optionally the first material has a first hardness of a first durometer and the second material has a second hardness of a second durometer that is less than the first durometer.
The closure optionally includes one or more of the previous embodiments, and in some embodiments the closure shell is unthreaded.
Optionally, at least a portion of the unthreaded closure body is configured to be threaded when the closure is used to seal the metallic bottle.
The closure may include one or more of the previous embodiments, and in one or more embodiment the closure shell comprises closure threads formed before the closure is used to seal the metallic bottle.
The closure may optionally include one or more of the previous embodiments, and in some embodiments the closure shell comprises a plurality of lugs configured to retain the closure on the metallic bottle when the closure is used to seal the metallic bottle.
The closure may include one or more of the previous embodiments, and in at least one embodiment the top surface of the floating liner is not attached or affixed to the lower surface of the closure shell.
The closure may include one or more of the previous embodiments, and optionally the floating liner further comprises an outer alignment support extending away from the top surface.
In at least some embodiments, the outer alignment support is positioned outward of the inner plug seal (or further from the longitudinal axis than the inner plug seal) such that a curl of the metallic bottle is positioned between the inner plug seal and the outer alignment support when the closure is used to seal the metallic bottle.
Additionally, or alternatively, the closure may include one or more of the previous embodiments, and may further comprise an upper bumper positioned outward of the inner plug seal (or further from the longitudinal axis than the inner plug seal). The upper bumper is configured to selectively contact an upper surface of the curl of the metallic bottle when the closure is used to seal the metallic bottle.
In some embodiments, when the floating liner includes the outer alignment support, the upper bumper is positioned between the inner plug seal and the outer alignment support.
The closure may optionally include one or more of the previous embodiments, and in some embodiments the closure shell is formed of a metallic material.
In at least one embodiment, the metallic material is an aluminum alloy.
The closure may include one or more of the previous embodiments, and in at least one embodiment, a maximum outer diameter of the floating liner is greater than a minimum interior diameter of the closure body defined by the plurality of retaining elements.
The closure may include one or more of the previous embodiments, and in at least one embodiment, the upper surface of the closure shell has an outer diameter that is greater than the maximum outer diameter of the floating liner.
The closure optionally includes one or more of the previous embodiments, and an outer edge of the floating liner that defines the maximum outer diameter is spaced from an interior surface of the closure body.
In one or more embodiments, the maximum outer diameter of the floating liner is less than an interior diameter of the closure body measured proximate to the top portion of the closure shell.
Another aspect of the disclosure is a threaded metallic bottle, comprising: (1) a body portion having a sidewall extending upwardly from a closed bottom; (2) a neck portion extending upwardly from the sidewall; (3) container threads formed on at least a portion of the neck portion, the container threads having a thread root diameter; and (4) a curl at an uppermost portion of the neck portion, the curl defining an open end opposite the closed bottom, the curl having a maximum outer curl diameter that is at least about 90% of the thread root diameter.
Optionally, an inner surface of the curl is substantially linear when viewed in cross-section
In at least one embodiment, the inner surface of the curl is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the threaded metallic bottle.
The threaded metallic bottle may optionally include one or more of the previous embodiments, and in at least one embodiment the curl has an outer surface that is substantially linear when viewed in cross-section.
In some embodiments, the outer surface is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis.
The threaded metallic bottle may optionally include one or more of the previous embodiments, and in at least one embodiment, the maximum outer curl diameter is at least about 95% of the thread root diameter.
In some embodiments, the maximum outer curl diameter is at least about 97% of the thread root diameter.
In at least one embodiment, the maximum outer curl diameter is at least about 98% of the thread root diameter.
The threaded metallic bottle may optionally include one or more of the previous embodiments, and in one or more embodiment, the maximum outer curl diameter is between about 1.2 inch and 1.4 inch.
Alternatively, in other embodiments, the maximum outer curl diameter is between about 1.3 inch and 1.38 inch.
In one or more embodiments, the maximum outer curl diameter is about 1.351 inch.
The threaded metallic bottle may optionally include one or more of the previous embodiments, and in at least one embodiment, a difference between the maximum outer curl diameter and the thread root diameter is less than about 0.035 inch.
Alternatively, in other embodiments, the difference between the maximum outer curl diameter and the thread root diameter is less than about 0.031 inch.
In some embodiments, the difference between the maximum outer curl diameter and the thread root diameter is less than about 0.029 inch.
In one or more embodiments, the difference between the maximum outer curl diameter and the thread root diameter is about 0.026 inch.
Optionally, the threaded metallic bottle includes one or more of the previous embodiments, and in some embodiments, the curl has an inner surface with an interior diameter of between about 0.9 inch and 1.5 inch.
In other embodiments, the interior diameter of the inner surface of the curl is between about 1.15 inch and 1.35 inch.
In at least one embodiment, the interior diameter of the inner surface of the curl is about 1.245 inch.
Yet another aspect of the disclosure is a metallic bottle with a selectively removable closure, comprising: (1) the closure, comprising: (a) a top portion with an upper surface and a lower surface opposite the upper surface; (b) a closure body extending from the top portion; and (c) a plurality of retaining elements formed around a circumference of the closure body, each retaining element projecting inwardly toward a longitudinal axis extending through a center of the top portion; (2) a floating liner positioned within the closure body proximate to the lower surface, the floating liner comprising: (i) a top surface that is generally circular, the top surface facing the lower surface of the closure, and the top surface of the floating liner not attached to the lower surface to permit movement of the floating liner relative to the lower surface; and (3) an inner plug seal extending away from the top surface, the inner plug seal being movable laterally relative to the longitudinal axis, and the plurality of retaining elements configured to retain the floating liner within the closure body; and (3) the metallic bottle, comprising: (a) a body portion having a sidewall extending upwardly from a closed bottom; (b) a neck portion extending upwardly from the sidewall; (c) container threads formed on at least a portion of the neck portion; and (d) a curl at an uppermost portion of the neck portion, the curl defining an open end opposite the closed bottom, the inner plug seal of the floating liner configured to contact an inner surface of the curl to seal the metallic bottle.
In some embodiments, the inner surface of the curl is substantially linear when viewed in cross-section.
In at least one embodiment, and the inner surface is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis extending through the center of the closure.
The metallic bottle may optionally include one or more of the previous embodiments, and in some further embodiments the curl has an outer surface that is substantially linear when viewed in cross-section.
The metallic bottle optionally includes one or more of the previous embodiments, and in some embodiments the container threads have a thread root diameter and the curl has an outer surface with a maximum outer curl diameter, and the maximum outer curl diameter is at least about 95% of the thread root diameter.
The metallic bottle may optionally include any one or more of the previous embodiments, and in some embodiments the floating liner further comprises an outer alignment support extending away from the top surface,
In at least one embodiment, the outer alignment support is positioned outward of the inner plug seal such that the curl is positioned between the inner plug seal and the outer alignment support.
Example aspects of the present disclosure include: a metallic end closure for sealing a container comprising: a metallic closure shell having a substantially flat upper surface, a substantially flat lower surface opposite the upper surface, a perimeter edge extending from the upper surface to the lower surface, and an outer perimeter wall connected to the perimeter edge and extending substantially perpendicular to the substantially flat upper surface; a free floating liner positioned proximate to the substantially flat lower surface and within the perimeter edge, wherein the free-floating liner is not attached to the substantially flat lower surface, the free-floating liner comprising: a substantially flat circular portion; and an inner plug seal extending substantially perpendicular from the substantially flat circular portion; and a plurality of retaining elements configured to hold the free floating liner in the metallic closure shell.
Any of the aspects herein, wherein the free-floating liner further comprises an outer alignment support extending outwardly from the substantially flat circular portion and positioned radially outward from the inner plug seal.
Any of the aspects herein, wherein the free-floating liner further comprises an upper bumper positioned between the inner plug seal and the outer alignment support.
Still another aspect of the disclosure is a method of applying a closure to a metallic bottle, comprising: (1) providing the metallic bottle, comprising: (a) a body portion having a sidewall extending upwardly from a closed bottom; (b) a neck portion extending upwardly from the sidewall; (c) container threads formed on at least a portion of the neck portion; and (d) a curl at an uppermost portion of the neck portion, the curl defining an open end opposite the closed bottom; (2) providing the closure, comprising: (i) a top portion with an upper surface and a lower surface opposite the upper surface; (ii) a closure body extending from the top portion; (iii) a plurality of retaining elements formed around a circumference of the closure body, each retaining element projecting inwardly; and (iv) a floating liner positioned within the closure body proximate to the lower surface, the floating liner comprising: (a) a top surface that is generally circular, the top surface facing the lower surface of the closure shell, wherein the top surface of the floating liner is movable relative to the lower surface; and (b) an inner plug seal extending away from the top surface, and wherein the plurality of retaining elements retain the floating liner within the closure body; (3) positioning the metallic closure on the metallic bottle such that the inner plug seal of the floating liner is positioned adjacent to and touching an inner surface of the curl, wherein the floating liner slides within the closure body to align concentrically with the curl of the metallic bottle; and (4) applying a topload to the upper surface of the metallic closure, wherein the topload is less than 100 lbs.
In at least one embodiment, the topload is less than 25 lbs.
In one or more embodiment, the topload is less than 10 lbs.
Various methods of forming a container and a metallic closure with a floating liner are provided. Example aspects of the various methods include a method of
Any of the aspects herein, wherein the topload is less than 220 lbs.
Any of the aspects herein, wherein the topload is less than 150 lbs.
Any of the aspects herein, wherein the topload is less than 100 lbs.
Any of the aspects herein, wherein the topload is less than 50 lbs.
Any of the aspects herein, wherein the topload is less than 25 lbs.
Any of the aspects herein, wherein the topload is less than 10 lbs.
Any of the aspects herein, wherein the threaded neck portion of the metallic bottle comprises one or more continuous threads or a plurality of non-continuous threads/lugs.
For purposes of further disclosure, the following references generally related to ROPP closures, inverse ROPP closures, and seals for metallic containers are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties:
U.S. Pat. No. 11,130,606 issued to Ross on Sep. 28, 2021; and
U.S. Pat. No. 10,040,593 issued to Ross on Aug. 7, 2018.
Although generally referred to herein as “metallic container,” “metal container,” “metallic bottle,” “metal bottle,” “beverage container,” “container,” and/or “bottle,” it should be appreciated that the current disclosure and embodiments herein may be used with containers of any size or shape including, without limitation, beverage cans and beverage bottles. Accordingly, the term “container” is intended to cover containers of any type.
Similarly, the term “closure” is intended to cover closures of any type for closing a food or beverage container and includes closures of any size or shape including, without limitation, closures for beverage cans and beverage bottles. The term closure includes metallic closures, Roll on Pilfer Proof (ROPP) closures, pre-threaded closures, and closures with or without pilfer bands.
“Threaded closures” specifically refer to closures with threads that threadingly engage threads on a bottle, can, or other container.
Further, as will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, although the methods and apparatus of the present disclosure are generally related to metallic containers, metallic closures, and metallic bottles, the methods and apparatus of the present invention are not limited to metallic containers and closures and may be used to form containers and closures of any material, including without limitation aluminum (or alloys thereof), steel, tin (or alloys thereof), plastic, glass, paper, or any combination thereof.
The term “threads” as used herein refers to any type of helical structure used to convert a rotational force to linear motion. Threads may be symmetric or asymmetric, of any predetermined size, shape, or pitch, and may have a clockwise or counterclockwise wrap. Threads may be formed on straight or tapered portions of a metallic container or a threaded closure and the threads may comprise one or more leads. Additionally, it will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, that both helical threads and lug threads may be used with metallic or glass containers and threaded closures of the present disclosure. Any type of threads known to those of skill in the art may be formed on a metallic closure or a metallic bottle of the present disclosure. Accordingly, a metallic closure or a metallic bottle of embodiments of the disclosure may comprise helical threads, partial threads, lug threads, threads with fluid flow-through features, and the like.
The terms “floating liner” and “free-floating liner” can be used interchangeably and refer to a liner that can move laterally within a closure to form a seal between the closure and a container.
The phrases “at least one,” “one or more,” “or,” and “and/or,” as used herein, are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C,” “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, dimensions, conditions, ratios, ranges, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about” or “approximately”. Accordingly, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, dimensions, conditions, ratios, ranges, and so forth used in the specification and claims can be increased or decreased by approximately 5% to achieve satisfactory results. In addition, all ranges described herein may be reduced to any sub-range or portion of the range, or to any value within the range without deviating from the invention.
As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the terms “about,” “approximately,” etc., when used in relation to numerical limitations or ranges, mean that the recited limitation or range may vary by up to 10%. By way of non-limiting example, “about 750” can mean as little as 675 or as much as 825, or any value therebetween. When used in relation to ratios or relationships between two or more numerical limitations or ranges, the terms “about,” “approximately,” etc. mean that each of the limitations or ranges may vary by up to 10%; by way of non-limiting example, a statement that two quantities are “approximately equal” can mean that a ratio between the two quantities is as little as 0.9:1.1 or as much as 1.1:0.9 (or any value therebetween), and a statement that a four-way ratio is “about 5:3:1:1” can mean that the first number in the ratio can be any value of at least 4.5 and no more than 5.5, the second number in the ratio can be any value of at least 2.7 and no more than 3.3, and so on.
The use of “substantially” in the present disclosure, when referring to a measurable quantity (e.g., a diameter or other distance) and used for purposes of comparison, is intended to mean within 5% of the comparative quantity. The terms “substantially similar to,” “substantially the same as,” and “substantially equal to,” as used herein, should be interpreted as if explicitly reciting and encompassing the special case in which the items of comparison are “similar to,” “the same as,” and “equal to,” respectively.
The term “a” or “an” entity, as used herein, refers to one or more of that entity. As such, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein.
The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Accordingly, the terms “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof can be used interchangeably herein. The use of “engaged with” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass any direct or indirect connections between components.
It shall be understood that the term “means” as used herein shall be given its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C. § 112(f). Accordingly, a claim incorporating the term “means” shall cover all structures, materials, or acts set forth herein, and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, the structures, materials, or acts and the equivalents thereof shall include all those described in the Summary, Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description, Abstract, and Claims themselves.
These and other advantages will be apparent from this disclosure. The above-described embodiments, objectives, and configurations are neither complete nor exhaustive. The present disclosure is set forth in various levels of detail in the Summary as well as in the attached drawings and the Detailed Description and no limitation as to the scope of the present disclosure is intended by either the inclusion or non-inclusion of elements, components, etc. in this Summary. Additional aspects of the present disclosure will become clearer from the Detailed Description, particularly when taken together with the drawings.
As will be appreciated, other embodiments are possible using, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described below. Further, the Summary is neither intended nor should it be construed as representing the full extent and scope of the present disclosure. As will be appreciated, other embodiments are possible using, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described below. For example, it is contemplated that various features and elements shown and/or described with respect to one aspect, embodiment or figure may be combined with or substituted for features or elements of other aspects, embodiments or figures regardless of whether or not such a combination or substitution is specifically shown or described herein.
Any one or more aspects described herein can be combined with any other one or more aspects described herein. Any one or more features described herein can be combined with any other one or more features described herein. Any one or more embodiments described herein can be combined with any other one or more embodiments described herein.
Those having skill in the art will recognize that the following description is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention, which may be applied in various ways to provide many different alternative embodiments. This description is made for illustrating the general principles of the teachings of this invention and is not meant to limit the inventive concepts disclosed herein.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the general description of the invention given above and the detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, and various dimensions may be altered. In certain instances, details that are not necessary for an understanding of the invention or that render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.
The following is a listing of components according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, and as shown in the drawings:
To acquaint persons skilled in the pertinent arts most closely related to the present disclosure, a preferred embodiment that illustrates the best mode now contemplated for putting the invention into practice is described herein by, and with reference to, the annexed drawings that form a part of the specification. Exemplary embodiments are described in detail without attempting to describe all of the various forms and modifications in which the invention might be embodied. As such, the embodiments described herein are illustrative, and as will become apparent to those skilled in the arts, may be modified in numerous ways within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.
Although the following text sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legal scope of the description is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this disclosure. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims.
Before any embodiments of the disclosure are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the use or listing of one or more examples (which may be denoted by “for example,” “by way of example,” “e.g.,” “such as,” or similar language) is not intended to and does not limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The capping apparatus 22 may be used to seal a metallic bottle 2 with a ROPP closure 10 that starts as a ROPP shell 9. The metallic bottle 2 can be the same as, or similar to, the prior art metallic bottle 2 illustrated in
In some embodiments, the 16 oz light-weight metallic bottle 2 has a mass of less than about 23.25 g (about 0.820 ounce). Because metallic bottles of different sizes have different masses, larger metallic bottles (i.e., metallic bottles designed to hold more than 16 oz of contents) will have a maximum mass of more than 23.25 g (about 0.820 ounce). Similarly, smaller metallic bottles (i.e., metallic bottles designed to hold less than 16 oz of contents) will have a maximum mass of less than 23.25 g (about 0.820 ounce). However, if the metallic bottle is manufactured via impact extrusion, the bottle may be heavier than the aforementioned maximum masses.
The metallic bottle 2 is illustrated in
In operation, the capping apparatus 22, ROPP closure 10, and metallic bottle 2 are brought into a predetermined alignment. In one embodiment, at least one of the pressure block ejector 24 and the pressure block 25 apply a predetermined topload force to at least a portion of an exterior surface of the closure top portion 20. The topload force at least partially compresses the ROPP liner 14 against the curl 6 to form and maintain a seal between the ROPP closure 10 and the metallic bottle 2. Said another way, the bottle curl 6 is at least partially embedded in the ROPP liner 14 by the topload force applied by the capping apparatus 22. However, it should be noted that no portion of the liner enters the interior of the metallic bottle 2 nor makes anything more than minimal incidental contact with the interior surface of the bottle curl 6.
The contact surface 29 of the pressure block 25 applies a predetermined topload force to a portion of the closure top portion 20 to form the closure channel 32. Generally, a depth 39 (illustrated in
This discussion is of the prior art method and some portions may be used in the new method. For example, the capping apparatus 22 may not have a separate pressure block ejector 24 in the new method. Instead, the pressure block 25 would be a solid piece with a flat interior and contact surface 29 would not exist in at least one embodiment of the new method because the metallic closure 43 of embodiments of the current disclosure does not require a channel 32 to form a seal with the metallic bottle 40 of the current disclosure. Additionally, the force, e.g., the plug insertion force in the new method, on the metallic closure 43 would be placed along its top surface 44 in its entirety.
In
In one or more embodiments, the capping apparatus 22 includes two thread rollers 26. Optionally, each of the two thread rollers 26 may be configured to apply less of a sideload force than other prior art thread rollers 26 illustrated in
In contrast, in embodiments of the new method disclosed herein, closure threads may be formed on the closure 43 by any means known to those of skill in the art. In some embodiments of the current disclosure, closure threads 82 (illustrated in
Optionally, the sideload force applied by the two thread rollers 26 may be different for one or more of the at least two passes. For example, in one embodiment, the two thread rollers 26 each apply a first predetermined sideload force on one of the passes and a second predetermined sideload force on a different pass. In one embodiment, a first thread roller 26 may optionally apply a different sideload force than a second thread roller 26.
Optionally, the prior art capping apparatus 22 includes three or more thread rollers 26. In an embodiment, each of the three or more thread rollers 26 may be configured to apply less sideload force than prior art thread rollers 26 illustrated in
The pilfer rollers 28 apply a sideload force to the metallic bottle 2 to tuck the pilfer band 18 against the bottle skirt 30. In one embodiment, the pilfer rollers 28 tuck the pilfer band 18 against the bottle skirt 30 either before or after the thread rollers 26 form the closure threads 16. In this manner, the cumulative load applied to the metallic bottle 2 by the capping apparatus 22 is reduced compared to the cumulative load applied by the prior art capping apparatuses 22 in which the prior art thread rollers 26 and prior art pilfer rollers 28 apply sideloads simultaneously.
In one embodiment, the thread rollers 26 and the pilfer rollers 28 independently and consecutively form the closure threads 16 and tuck the pilfer band 18. In this embodiment the cumulative load applied to the metallic bottle 2 and the ROPP closure 10 is reduced without decreasing the individual sideloads applied by the thread and pilfer rollers 26, 28 from the current sideloads applied by prior art thread and pilfer rollers 26, 28 illustrated in
Similar to the thread rollers 26, the capping apparatus 22 may have two or more pilfer rollers 28. Each of the pilfer rollers 28 may be configured to apply less sideload force than prior art pilfer rollers 28 illustrated in
As one who is skilled in the art will appreciate, all metal forming operations involve some amount of spring back after a forming load is removed from a metallic workpiece. In metallic bottle sealing operations, after the topload applied by the pressure block ejector 24 and the pressure block 25 are removed, spring back of the metal of the metallic bottle 2 and or the ROPP closure 10 generally result in movement of the ROPP liner 14 axially along the longitudinal axis 21 and away from the bottle curl 6. In order to maintain the seal between the metallic bottle 2 and the ROPP closure 10, a predetermined amount of contact between the curl 6 and ROPP liner 14 must be maintained despite this spring back.
To decrease the axial travel of the ROPP closure 10 during spring back, one or more of the metallic bottle 2 and the ROPP closure 10 may be rotated in a closing direction to drive the bottle curl 6 into the ROPP liner 14. Rotating either the metallic bottle 2 or the ROPP closure in the closing direction during the sealing of the metallic bottle 2 generally improves the seal between the closure liner 14 and the bottle curl 6 when this type of prior art liner is used.
It will be appreciated by one of skill in the art that the curl 6 may be driven further into the liner 14 by rotating either the ROPP closure 10 or the metallic bottle 2. Accordingly, the metallic bottle 2 can be rotated axially in the closing direction instead of, or in addition to, each rotation of the ROPP closure 10 in the closing direction. For example, the capping apparatus 22 (
Each rotation of the ROPP closure 10 and/or the metallic bottle 2 may be less than a complete revolution around the longitudinal axis 21. Accordingly, one or more of the metallic bottle 2 and the ROPP closure 10 can be rotated at least a portion of one revolution around the longitudinal axis 21 in the closing direction.
Although only the upper portion and neck 41 of the metallic bottle 40 are illustrated, the metallic bottle 40 generally includes a closed end portion, a body portion extending upwardly from the closed end portion, a neck portion 41 with bottle threads 42 and a skirt 30, and an opening opposite to the closed bottom portion. The closed end portion, body portion, bottle threads 42, and skirt of metallic bottle 40 are the same as (or similar to) the body portion 3, closed end portion 4, bottle threads 8 and skirt 30 of the prior art metallic bottle 2 described herein.
The metallic bottle 40 may include any number of bottle threads 42 that each have a predetermined size, shape, and pitch. In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the bottle threads 42 have a pitch of between about 0.10 inches and about 0.15 inches. In other embodiments, the bottle threads 42 have an exterior (or outer) diameter 60 of between approximately 1.0 inches and approximately 1.6 inches.
The bottle threads 42 may be integrally formed on the neck portion 41. Alternatively, the bottle threads 42 may be formed on an outsert that is interconnected to the neck portion 41 as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0263150 which is incorporated herein in its entirety. Other methods and apparatus used to form threads on metallic containers are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0269602, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0065528, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0326946, U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,132,439, 8,091,402, 8,037,734, 8,037,728, 7,798,357, 7,555,927, 7,824,750, 7,171,840, 7,147,123, 6,959,830, and International Application No. PCT/JP2010/072688 (publication number WO/2011/078057), which are all incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
The body portion of the metallic bottle 40 may have any desired size or shape. For example, in one embodiment, the body portion has a generally cylindrical shape. The body portion may include a waist portion with a reduced diameter. In one embodiment, the waist portion includes an inwardly tapered cross-sectional profile. The closed end portion (i.e., bottom portion) may include an inward dome.
The metallic bottle 40 of the current disclosure has a curl 50 that is significantly different than the prior art curl 6. For comparison, the metallic bottle 40 is also shown in
The prior art metallic bottle 2 requires its curl 6 to have inner curl diameter 6A that is substantially less than the thread root diameter 53 to permit the prior art liner material 14 to extend beyond a seal surface on the outer diameter of the curl 6 so that the liner material 14 can then be reformed downward along the curl outer diameter surface (i.e., along the vertical contact region 38 illustrated in
In addition, the prior art curl 6 extends upward further above the uppermost portion 42A of the bottle threads 42 than the curl 50 of the current disclosure. Accordingly, the inwardly tapered (or conical portion 64) between the uppermost portion 42A of the bottle threads and the beginning of the curl 50 is shorted for the current curl 50, and longer in the prior art curl 6.
The shorter conic portion 64 of the new metallic bottle 40 is beneficial because fewer necking stages (or operations) are required to produce the conic portion 64 and less metal material is required to form the metallic bottle 40 compared to a prior art metallic bottle 2 with a body portion of the same diameter and adapted to store a similar volume of product. In contrast, the conic portion 5A of the prior art metallic bottle 2 (illustrated in
Another benefit of forming the new curl 50 on a shorter conic portion 64 such that it has a larger inner diameter 52A compared to the prior art curl 6 is that the operation required to form the prior art curl 6 on a prior art metallic bottle 2 creates a load spike during the manufacturing process. The load spike can damage the metallic bottles, causing them to fail quality inspections resulting in waste.
Another benefit of the new curl 50 is that the new, shortened conic portion 64 is less overhung (cantilevered) compared to the prior art curl 6. Accordingly, the new conic portion 64 is oriented more vertically relative to the longitudinal axis 21 (as generally illustrated in
In contrast, the prior art curl 6 has a smaller diameter with a longer conic portion 5A (such as illustrated in
In at least some embodiments, at least a portion of the inner diameter surface 61 of the container curl 50 is substantially flat in cross-section (or substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 21 of the metallic bottle 40).
Alternatively, as generally illustrated in
The closure 43 is generally illustrated in
The body portion 66 has a generally cylindrical shape and is illustrated in
In some embodiments, the closure 43 is a screw-on closure. Alternatively, the closure 43 is a roll on pilfer proof closure.
In still other embodiments, the closure 43 is a twist on closure. Optionally, the twist on closure comprises lug threads or partial threads of any type known to those of skill in the art.
The top portion 44 includes an upper surface 68 and a lower surface 70. In some embodiments, one or more of the upper surface 68 and the lower surface 70 is substantially planar or flat.
The closure 43 can also optionally include fluid flow-through features, such as vents 55 to allow ingress and egress of fluids (such as air to offset pressure) to and from metallic bottle 40. The vents 55 may be formed by cutting or punching an aperture through the closure body 66. In some embodiments, the vents 55 are formed by cutting a portion of the closure body 66, while leaving the cut material attached to the closure body. The cut material may then optionally be bent inwardly (toward the longitudinal axis 21). In this manner, the bent material can form a retaining element 49 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. A plurality of retaining elements 49 formed in this manner around the circumference of the closure body 66 beneficially work together to retain the floating liner 51 in the closure 43.
The closure 43 may include only retaining elements 49 associated with corresponding vents 55. Alternatively, the closure 43 may include retaining elements 49 that are separate from the vents 55.
In other embodiments, retaining elements are formed without puncturing and/or cutting the closure body 66. For example, the closure 43 may include a plurality of protrusions around the circumference of the closure body 66, with the protrusions extending inwardly (toward the longitudinal axis 21) to decrease the interior diameter of the closure body. The protrusions define retaining elements 49 which are separate from the vents 55.
The closure 43 has a floating liner 51 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The floating liner 51 comprises a top surface 72 adapted to be positioned proximate to the lower surface 70 of the closure 43 when the floating liner 51 is positioned in the closure 43. In at least some embodiments, the top surface 72 is substantially planar or flat.
Notably, the floating liner 51 of the present disclosure is not attached to the closure 43 and, thus, it can “float” or move laterally (or radially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 21 of the metallic bottle 40) relative to the lower surface 70 of the closure 43.
In one or more embodiments of the disclosure, the top surface 72 of the floating liner 51 is not attached, fixed, glued or interconnected to the lower surface 70 of the closure 43.
The floating liner 51 further comprises engagement elements that extend away from the top surface 72 of the floating liner 51. The engagement elements are configured to contact one or more surfaces of the curl 50 when the closure 43 is positioned to seal the metallic bottle 40. The engagement elements may comprise one or more of an inner plug seal 45 (also called a “plug seal” herein), an outer alignment support 46, and an upper bumper 47 disposed therebetween.
In at least one embodiment, the floating liner 51 has only the inner plug seal 45.
In other embodiments, the floating liner 51 has both the inner plug seal 45 and the outer alignment support 46, but does not include the upper bumper.
In some embodiments, the floating liner 51 includes each of the inner plug seal 45, the upper bumper 47, and the outer alignment support 46.
In still other embodiments, the floating liner 51 includes at least one engagement element that is structurally capable of achieving the same function as at least one aforementioned example of an engagement element.
A circular portion 74 of the floating liner 51 is positioned radially inward of the inner plug seal 45. The inner plug seal 45 is positioned between the circular portion 74 and the optional upper bumper 47 and/or the optional outer alignment support 46 when present. Accordingly, the optional upper bumper 47 may be described as being positioned between the inner plug seal 45 and outer alignment support 46.
The inner plug seal 45 extends downward from the liner 51 (i.e., toward the closed bottom end portion of the metallic bottle 40) a distance sufficient to contact the inner diameter surface 61 of the curl 50. Contact between an outer surface 86 of the inner plug seal 45 (best seen in
The floating liner 51 and its inner plug seal 45 provide many benefits and advantages over the prior art liner 14. One advantage of the inner plug seal 45 is that it engages the inner diameter surface 61 of the curl 50. In contrast, as described above and in conjunction with
The purpose of the outer alignment support 46 portion of the floating liner 51 is to help align the floating liner 51 in the proper position on the container curl 50. Specifically, when present, the outer alignment support helps position the inner plug seal 45 correctly on the inner diameter surface 61 of the curl 50 to form a seal.
In some embodiments, the outer alignment support 46 portion of the floating liner 51 is thicker than the inner plug seal 45. More specifically, in at least one embodiment, the inner plug seal 45 has a first maximum thickness measured in a radial direction parallel to the top surface 72 of the floating liner 51 (or measured perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 21 of the metallic bottle). The outer alignment support 46 has a second maximum thickness measured in the radial direction. In at least some embodiments, the second maximum thickness is greater than the first maximum thickness. Forming the outer alignment support 46 with a second maximum thickness greater than the first maximum thickness is beneficial because the outer alignment support 46 can be retained and held in the closure 43 by retaining elements 49 associated with the vent features 55 as discussed with
In some embodiments, the outer alignment support 46 optionally comprises a notch 80 on its outer diameter surface (as generally illustrated in
The outer alignment support 46 is not required and embodiments of the present disclosure include a floating liner 51 with an inner plug seal 45 and no outer alignment support 46. In embodiments with and without the outer alignment support 46, the floating liner 51 may self-align to the container bore (the inner diameter surface 61 of the curl 50) solely via the outer surface 86 of the inner plug seal 45 engaging the inner diameter surface 61.
In some embodiments, between the outer alignment support 46 and the inner plug seal 45 is an upper bumper 47. The upper bumper 47 is configured to contact a top portion of the curl 50. The upper bumper 47 may assist with sealing the closure 43 on the metallic bottle 40. Moreover, the upper bumper 47 may protect the closure 43 from damage if the container receives an impact or other force on the closure, for example, if the metallic bottle 40 is dropped and the closure 43 hits the ground or if something is dropped on top of the closed metallic bottle 40 when in transit.
Additional embodiments are contemplated wherein additional or combination engagement elements may be utilized, such as an upper bumper that resembles a U-shape capable of engaging around the container curl 50 in lieu of one, or more, aforementioned engagement elements.
In some embodiments, the outer diameter 52B of the curl 50 is between about 1.0 inch and 1.6 inch. In other embodiments, the outer diameter 52B of the curl 50 is between about 1.25 inch and 1.45 inch.
In some embodiments, the outer diameter 52B of the curl 50 is about 1.35 inch with a tolerance of +/−0.008 inch.
There are manufacturing tolerances for bottle threads 42 and curl 50 concentricity. Therefore, the curl 50 will be undersized from the thread root diameter 53 such that the tolerance stack up does not allow the thread root of closure threads formed on the closure 43 (not shown in
In some embodiments, the outer curl diameter 52B is between about 1.2 inches and 1.4 inches. In other embodiments, the outer curl diameter 52B is between about 1.3 inches and 1.38 inches. In at least one embodiment, the outer curl diameter 52B is about 1.351 inches.
In some embodiments, the thread root diameter 53 is between about 1.25 inches and 1.45 inches. In other embodiments, the thread root diameter 53 is between about 1.35 inches and 1.39 inches. In at least one embodiment, the thread root diameter 53 is about 1.377 inches.
In some embodiments, the difference between the outer curl diameter 52B and the thread root diameter 53 is less than about 0.035 inches. In other embodiments, the difference between the outer curl diameter 52B and the thread root diameter 53 is less than about 0.031 inches. In at least one embodiment, the difference between the outer curl diameter 52B and the thread root diameter 53 is less than about 0.029 inches. In one or more embodiment, the difference between the outer curl diameter 52B and the thread root diameter 53 is about 0.026 inches.
In some embodiments, the outer curl diameter 52B is at least about 90% of the thread root diameter 53.
In other embodiments, the outer curl diameter 52B is at least about 95% of the thread root diameter 53.
In one or more embodiment, the outer curl diameter 52B is at least about 97% of the thread root diameter 53.
In other embodiments, the outer curl diameter 52B is about 98% of the thread root diameter 53.
In some embodiments, the inner surface 61 of the curl 50 has a diameter 52A of between about 0.9 inch and 1.5 inch. In other embodiments, the diameter 52A of the curl inner surface 61 is between about 1.15 inch and 1.35 inch. In at least one embodiment, the diameter 52A is about 1.245 inch with a tolerance of +/−0.002 inch.
Referring now to
The retaining elements 49 are configured to prevent unintended or inadvertent movement of the floating liner 51 away from the lower surface 70 of the closure (such as by moving toward the closed end of the metallic container 40). However, the retaining elements 49 permit the floating liner 51 to move laterally (or approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 21) relative to the lower surface 70 of the closure 43.
In some embodiments, the plug seal 45 has a length 84 of between about 0.1 inch and 0.35 inch measured from a bottom surface 73 of the floating liner. In other embodiments, the length 84 is between about 0.15 inch and 0.27 inch. In at least one embodiment, the length 84 of the plug seal 45 is between about 0.17 inch and 0.23 inch. In still other embodiments, the length 84 is about 0.177 inch. In one or more embodiments, the length 84 is about 0.22 inch.
In some embodiments, the outer surface 86 of the inner plug seal 45 has an outer diameter 63. In some embodiments, the outer surface 86 is substantially constant from its root (proximate to the bottom surface 73) to its free or distal end.
In other embodiments, the outer surface 86 of the inner plug seal 45 changes from root to tip. For example, in some embodiments, the maximum outer diameter 63 of the inner plug seal 45 is spaced from the bottom surface. In this manner, the maximum outer diameter 63 of the inner plug seal 45 is toward the bottom of the inner surface 61, 61A of the curl 50. Forming the maximum outer diameter 63 of the plug seal to align with the inner diameter surface 61 is beneficial to allow for lifting (i.e., doming) of the closure top 44 upward due to internal pressure while continuing to ride up the inner diameter surface 61 of the bottle curl 50 as described herein in conjunction with
In some embodiments, the outer diameter 63 of the inner plug seal 45 is between about 0.9 inch and 1.5 inch. In other embodiments, the outer diameter 63 is between about 1.15 inch and 1.35 inch. In at least one embodiment, the outer diameter 63 is about 1.245 inch with a tolerance of +/−0.002 inch.
In one or more embodiment, the outer surface 86 of the inner plug seal 45 is linear when viewed in cross section (such as generally illustrated in
In some embodiments, a length 88 of the straight (or linear) portion of the outer surface 86 of the inner plug seal 45 is between about 0.02 inch and 0.06 inch. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the length 88 is between about 0.02 inch and 0.2 inch. In some embodiments, the length 88 is between about 0.09 inch and 0.19 inch. In still other embodiments, the length 88 is between about 0.14 inch and about 0.18 inch. In at least one embodiment, the length 88 is approximately 0.16 inch.
When present, the optional outer alignment support 46 is spaced from the outer surface 86 of the inner plug seal 45 to define a receiving space 90 to receive the curl 50. The curl receiving space 90 has a width 92 measure perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 21. In some embodiments, the width 92 is between about 0.3 inches and about 0.09 inches. In other embodiments, the width 92 is between about 0.05 inches and about 0.07 inches. In still other embodiments, the width 92 is about 0.057 inches.
Referring now to
In at least some embodiments, the curl 50 has a straight or flat portion on one or both of the inner diameter surface 61 and the outer diameter surface 62. More specifically, in at least one embodiment, at least a portion of an inner surface 61 of the curl 50 is linear (or straight) in a vertical cross-section of the curl 50. The linear inner surface 61 is optionally oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 21. In some embodiments, the straight portion of the linear inner surface 61 extends from a vertical tangent of the curl top radius to a vertical tangent at the bottom of the straight portion.
Alternatively, in other embodiments, the curl inner surface 61A is arcuate or curved.
In some embodiments, a length 54 of the straight portion of the inner diameter surface 61 is between about 0.02 inch and 0.06 inch. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the length 54 of the straight portion of the inner diameter surface 61 is between about 0.02 inch and 0.2 inch. In some embodiments, the length 54 is between about 0.09 inch and 0.19 inch. In still other embodiments, the length 54 is between about 0.14 inch and about 0.18 inch. In at least one embodiment, the length 54 is approximately 0.16 inch.
In some embodiments, the length of the curved surface of the inner diameter surface 61A is between 0.02 inch and 0.2 inch.
Additionally, or alternatively, in at least one embodiment, at least a portion of an outer surface 62 of the curl 50 is linear (or straight) in a vertical cross-section of the curl 50. Optionally, the linear outer surface 62 is optionally oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 21.
The internal container pressure from the beverage will also cause the closure top 44 to move or dome upward. The outer surface 86 of the inner plug seal 45 can move upward with the closure top 44 and floating liner 51 without losing contact with the inner surface 61 of the curl 50. In this manner, the seal between the inner surface 61 of the curl 50 and the outer surface 86 of the inner plug seal 45 is maintained even when the closure top 44 domes upwardly under pressure. For example, the inner plug seal 45 may move up a distance 57, as shown in
The shape and location of the curl 50 of the new metallic bottle 40 further assists with reducing the vertical movement of the inner plug seal 45 on the inner surface 61 of the bottle curl 50 and results in less seal venting. Specifically, the curl 50 of the present disclosure has a larger outer diameter 52B than the outer diameter of the prior art bottle curl 6 (in
Distance 58 in
Regarding
For a plug seal that is fixed to a closure (such as used to close a PET bottle) to work properly, the closure threads and the inner diameter of the bottle opening should be concentric. As mentioned, this is generally not a problem for glass and plastic containers, so a closure with a fixed plug seal will adequately seal the container.
However, for a metallic bottle 40, if an inner plug seal 45 is fixed relative to the closure 43 (which means the inner plug seal 45 will be fixed relative to the bottle threads 42), and the closure threads 82 (shown in
In contrast, as shown in
The floating aspect of the floating liner 51 and its inner plug seal 45 is critical to allow the inner plug seal 45 to align with the bore (i.e., the inner diameter surface 61 of the bottle curl 50), while allowing the metallic closure 43 to freely align to the bottle threads 42 without creating stress on the inner plug seal 45. This is a major improvement over the prior art liners 14 and seals secured to the metallic closure shell 10.
One prior art system described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,821,931, is a metallic can with a recloseable metallic cap with a liner adhered to the cap. In this prior art system, topload is used with torque to finish off the closing process such that the system self-tightens. Specifically, this patent discloses pre-torquing the cap and can during the closing process because torque gives the system extra compression. However, ROPP closures cannot use torque without a special custom capper that could reform the seal, form the threads and pilfer, and then have an additional machine element to allow applying torque to the bottle. Accordingly, applying the torque may require two separate capping turrets where the first turret performs a typical ROPP application and the second capper turret performs a typical torque application. This would mean twice the number of cappers and double the equipment cost, plus it would increase the time required to close/cap the container. Moreover, a ROPP capper must tightly form the tamper band to the metallic bottle. If the tamper band is formed loosely, not all of the tamper band bridges will be broken when the closure is completely unthreaded. By first forming the pilfer band tightly in a ROPP application and then torquing the closure on in a closing direction, the pilfer band will move downward from the bottle mating surface and will become loose.
In some embodiments, the bottle curl 50B may have a round outer curl geometry (as shown in
There are some benefits of the configuration of the curl 50C of
In addition, the inner surface 61 of curl 50C is further from the longitudinal axis 21 than for the inner surface 61 of curl 50B (where the longitudinal axes 21 are positioned concentrically with the metallic bottles 40B, 40C). As described herein in conjunctions with
Another benefit of the curl 40C is that the because the inner surface 61 is generally linear, the vertical distance between the top of the curl 50C and the top of the straight portion of the inner surface 61 is shortened. Therefore, the mating geometry of the inner plug seal 45 can be shorter, which means less material is used and there is a shorter cantilevered stable sealing feature. Finally, the length of the straight portion of the inner surface 61 of curl 50C is obtained with less metal than would be required to obtain a straight portion of an inner diameter surface of curl 50B that has the same length.
In the curl 50C shown in
Table 1 includes the data from measuring three metallic bottles to collect data for concentricity of the curl diameter versus the thread diameter. The average non-concentricity was 0.007 inch. Some plastic bottles and their associated plastic closures have a diameter interference of 0.010 inch (e.g., the plug diameter is 1.205 inch and the container bore is 1.195 inch). In some current aluminum bottles, non-concentricity combined with a rigidly attached plug seal liner concentricity would exceed the 0.010 inch interference, and, therefore, would force the closure plug seal to one side of the bottle curl, which would allow for venting on the uncompressed side of the plug seal.
Any of the embodiments described herein can include a metallic closure 43 made of any metal, but preferably an aluminum alloy. For example, AA3105, AA5017, and AA5050 aluminum alloys may be used or other aluminum alloys can be used, such as the aluminum alloys described in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2014/0298641 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Any of the embodiments described herein can include a floating liner 51 that is polymer or plastic. For example, the floating liner 51 could be HDPE, LDPE, or another plastic or polymer. Polymer liners having an engagement element such as an inner plug seal 45 may need a method of reducing oxygen ingress or CO2 loss, for example via an oxygen barrier. The oxygen barrier may be one or more of a separate co-injected layer within the closure 43, blended into the material of the floating liner 51, and/or as a layer or coating of the inner plug seal 45.
Additionally, or alternatively, the floating liner 51 and/or the closure 43 may comprise oxygen scavenger materials. For example, oxygen scavenger materials may be a layer in the floating liner or mixed in the resin of the floating liner. Alternatively, the oxygen scavenger materials may comprise an external coating of portions of the closure 43 and/or the floating liner 51. The oxygen scavenger materials may be a silicon dioxide or other coating. The oxygen scavengers may be positioned on or in the floating liner 51 and/or the closure 43 to capture oxygen as it transmits into the package (the metallic bottle 40 sealed by the closure 43). Any of the above-mentioned oxygen scavengers or other methods of reducing oxygen ingress can be used with any of the embodiments of the present disclosure.
In some of the embodiments described herein, the floating liner 51 may comprise an aluminum the same as (or similar to) the closure shell 43. In these embodiments, the floating liner 51 may have a coating, e.g., a rubberized coating on the inner plug seal 45 or an O-ring type element at the inner plug seal 45. One advantage of the metallic (e.g., aluminum or alloy thereof) floating liner 51 with the inner plug seal 45 is that it would have zero oxygen ingress through the metal, or alloy thereof, but some small amount may ingress through the polymer material.
In some embodiments, the floating liner 51 is formed of only one material. The material of the floating liner may be an elastic material such as a polymer or a hard, low-friction material, for example HDPE, LDPE, aluminum, or other material. With the floating liner 51 formed of a hard, low-friction material, the torque required by the user to open the container (e.g., twisting off the closure 43) would be lower than closures with elastic/rubbery seals and/or liners.
In other embodiments, the floating liner 51 comprises more than one material. For example, a first portion of the floating liner 51 may comprise a first material and a second portion of the floating liner may comprise a second material. In at least one embodiment, the first and second materials may have different coefficients of friction and/or hardness to increase the seal strength and not require too much force from the user to open the container.
In at least one embodiment, the floating liner 51 comprises a first material with a first durometer, and a second material with a second durometer that is less than the first durometer.
In one or more embodiments, the floating liner 51 comprises an inner plug seal 45 that comprises the second material.
In some embodiments, the inner plug seal 45 is formed of the first material and the second material coats or covers at least an outer surface of the inner plug seal 45, the outer surface configured to contact an inner surface 61 of a curl 50 of a metallic bottle 40.
In other embodiments, the inner plug seal 45 consists of the second material.
The concepts illustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element which is not specifically disclosed herein. It is apparent to those skilled in the art, however, that many changes, variations, modifications, other uses, and applications of the disclosure are possible, and changes, variations, modifications, other uses, and applications that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure are deemed to be covered by the disclosure.
The foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the disclosure to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description, for example, various features are grouped together in one or more embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The features of the embodiments may be combined in alternate embodiments other than those discussed above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claims require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.
Moreover, though the present disclosure has included description of one or more embodiments and certain variations and modifications, other variations, combinations, and modifications are within the scope of the disclosure, e.g., as may be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art, after understanding the present disclosure. It is intended to obtain rights that include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted, including alternate, interchangeable, and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges, or steps to those claimed, regardless of whether such alternate, interchangeable, and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges, or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publicly dedicate any patentable subject matter.
The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations, includes components, methods, processes, systems and/or apparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, including various aspects, embodiments, configurations embodiments, subcombinations, and/or subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art will understand how to make and use the disclosed aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations after understanding the present disclosure. The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations, includes providing devices and processes in the absence of items not depicted and/or described herein or in various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations hereof, including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g., for improving performance, achieving ease and/or reducing cost of implementation.
It is to be appreciated that any feature described herein can be claimed in combination with any other feature(s) as described herein, regardless of whether the features come from the same described embodiment.
This application claims priority and benefits under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/620,545 filed on Jan. 12, 2024, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63620545 | Jan 2024 | US |
