This application claims the benefit of priority to Iran Application Serial Number 139650140003002055, filed on May 15, 2017, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present application relates generally to a beverage can lid, and more particularly to an a sealable, open and closable multi-positional can lid providing various modes of operation.
Currently available beverage can lids generally provide a sealed environment inside the can as long the can is kept closed. Once opened, however, the can cannot be resealed or even closed, thus exposing the liquid inside to germs in the environment and increasing the possibility of spilling the liquid. Furthermore, because the can cannot be closed once opened, carbonated drinks are exposed to the environment, causing the drinks to become flat after a short period of time. As a result, the consumer cannot enjoy the drink over an extended period of time. This may result in wasting any amount of the drink in the can that is not consumed within a short period of time after opening the can.
Moreover, to open a can, a tab on the can lid needs to be lifted to create a gap between the lid and the tab. This is sometimes difficult to do. For example, a person having small fingers or long fingernails, may find it hard to lift the tab properly. Furthermore, sometimes that tab breaks before the can is opened, thus rendering the can unusable. In other cases, the tab may break off after the can has been opened, which sometimes leaves sharp edges around the opening through which liquid flows out, thus exposing the consumer to potential injuries.
Therefore, a need exists for providing a can having an improved lid that is open and closable, provides a sanitary option for consuming a drink and easy to open and use.
A multi-positional lid for a beverage is provided. In one implementation, the multi-positional lid for the beverage can include an outer layer immovably attached to a wall of the beverage can, where the outer layer includes a first large opening and a first small opening, and an inner layer movably connected to the outer layer, where the inner layer includes a second large opening, a second small opening, and a protrusion and an insulated area positioned in a top surface of the inner layer. The protrusion may fit inside the first small opening to movably connect the inner layer to the outer layer, and the inner layer may be rotatable around the protrusion to change a mode of the multi-positional lid by aligning one of the second large opening, the second small opening or the insulated area with the first large opening of the outer layer.
In another implementation, the multi-positional lid for a beverage can include a rotatable outer layer including a first large opening, a small opening, and an insulated area and an indentation on a bottom surface of the rotatable outer layer, and an inner layer permanently attached to a wall of the can, the inner layer including a second large opening, and a protrusion, wherein the protrusion fits inside the indentation to connect the rotatable outer layer to the inner layer, and the rotatable outer layer is rotatable around the protrusion to change a mode of the multi-positional lid by aligning one of the first large opening, the first small opening or the insulated area with the second large opening of the inner layer.
In yet another implementation, multi-positional lid for a beverage can include an outer layer permanently attached to a wall of the can, where the outer layer includes a first large opening, a first small opening. The multi-positional lid for a beverage can also include a rotatable inner layer which may include a third small opening, and a first protrusion, a second protrusion, and an insulated area on a top surface of the rotatable inner layer, and a tab positioned on top of the outer layer and movably connected to the outer layer and the rotatable inner layer, where the tab has an indentation on a bottom surface. The first protrusion may fit inside the first small opening, while the second protrusion passes through the second opening and fits inside the indentation. The rotatable inner layer may also be rotatable around the second protrusion to change a mode of the multi-positional lid by aligning the first large opening with the third small opening or the insulated area or leaving the first large opening unobstructed.
Features of the subject technology are set forth in the appended claims. However, for purpose of explanation, several implementations of the subject technology are set forth in the following figures.
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth by way of examples in order to provide a thorough understanding of the relevant teachings. However, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present teachings may be practiced without such details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and/or circuitry have been described at a relatively high-level, without detail, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the present teachings. As part of the description, some of this disclosure's drawings represent structures and devices in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the invention. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. Moreover, the language used in this disclosure has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter, resort to the claims being necessary to determine such inventive subject matter. Reference in this disclosure to “one embodiment” or to “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention, and multiple references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” should not be understood as necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
Most currently used can lids consist of two types. One is a completely sealed lid which can be removed by a can opener, and once removed cannot be resealed. This type of lid is normally used for cans that contain edible contents. A second type of can lid is one which includes a tab that can be lifted to create a partial opening in the lid through which the contents of the can may flow out. This type of lid is normally used for beverages to allow a consumer to drink the beverage through the partial opening. Neither one of these designs provides a resealable lid that can be closed to keep the remaining content of the can safe and sanitary. Moreover, both of these lids are hard to open and require effort on the part of the consumer.
A solution is proposed here to solve these issues and more by providing an improved multi-positional lid that is easy to open and close and provides openings through which a user can consume the contents in multiple ways. The multi-positional lid includes two layers which provide three changeable modes. One mode enables the user to drink the beverage either through an opening designed for a straw. Another mode allows the consumer to drink the beverage through an opening designed for direct consumption. A third mode is for closing the lid to protect the contents inside. The multi-positional lid also provides a removable tamper resistant sealing layer for keeping the top of the can clean and sealing the beverage.
In one implementation, the multi-positional lid includes two layers, a fixed-position outer layer which is directly connected to the wall of the can, and a rotatable inner layer which can be rotated around an axis to provide multiple modes for the can.
In addition to the inner and outer layers, the multi-positional lid 100 may include a removable sealing layer 11, as shown in
In an alternative implementation of the multi-positional lid, the lid includes two layers, where the outer layer is rotatable around an axis and the inner layer is stationary and attached to the wall of the can.
The indentation 56 provides a space through which the protrusion 46 of the inner layer 40 can fit, thus enabling the inner layer 46 to fit tightly against the outer layer 50 while providing a central point around which the outer layer can rotate. In one implementation, the outer layer 50 also includes a raised edge 55 that helps the lid sit on top of the can. The raised edge 55 may be cone-shaped and circular to provide a good fit against the top of the can. The raised edge 55 can help control the movement of the outer layer 50 and prevent it from being separated from the can.
In addition to the inner and outer layers 40 and 50, the multi-positional lid may also include a removable sealing layer 60, as shown in
In another alternative implementation of the multi-positional lid, the lid includes two layers, where the outer layer is stationary, the inner layer is rotatable around a central point, and both layers are attached to a tab positioned on the top surface of the outer layer for rotating the inner layer. This is illustrated in
The protrusions 716 and 714 are designed such that they are comparable in size and thus fit inside the small openings 710 and 715. In this manner, the protrusion 716 can be connected to the tab 713 such that the inner layer 701 can be rotated around the central point 702 by moving the tab in the horizontal direction. The central point 702 may be connected to the protrusion 716 to enable this rotation. By moving the inner layer 701, a consumer can change the mode of the lid 700 from direct consumption to use of a straw through the opening 703 (when opening 703 is aligned with the opening 706) to closing the lid by aligning the insulated area 704 with the opening 706, as desired.
In one implementation, the tab 713 may also be lifted and moved in the vertical direction to apply pressure via the protrusion 714 to the insulated area 704. By applying pressure, the insulated area 704 may be pushed down, such that the opening 706 can be opened to provide access to the contents of the can.
The multi-positional lid 1000 may also include a sealing layer and a handle for removing the sealing layer, similar to the sealing layer 11 and handle 12 of
In one implementation, either the inner layer of the multi-positional lid may include a cone-shaped insertion for enabling easy consumption and/or pouring of the beverage. One implementation of such a design is illustrated in
An alternative implementation is depicted in
Accordingly, the multi-positional lid for a can provides a versatile, easy to use lid that includes a tamper resistant sealing cover for ensuring safety and preventing tampering with the product, but can also be closed after initial use, thus keeping the contents sanitary for future consumption and preventing decarbonation. The multi-positional lid provides different modes for directly drinking from the can and using a straw. Moreover, the multi-positional lid is easy to open and operate, thus avoiding some of the disadvantages of currently used can lids. Thus, this description is related to a multi-positional lid which is open and closable multiple times via either postural movement (e.g.,
The various layers and parts discussed herein may be made from materials such as metal, for example, alloys of aluminum or aluminum, or non-metallic materials which include plastics, compounds or derivatives of plastics, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), any combinations of these materials, paper of various types or similar materials, or any other material that can be used.
The separation of various components in the examples described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all examples, and it should be understood that the described components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single packaged into multiple systems.
While the foregoing has described what are considered to be the best mode and/or other examples, it is understood that various modifications may be made therein and that the subject matter disclosed herein may be implemented in various forms and examples, and that the teachings may be applied in numerous applications, only some of which have been described herein. It is intended by the following claims to claim any and all applications, modifications and variations that fall within the true scope of the present teachings.
Unless otherwise stated, all measurements, values, ratings, positions, magnitudes, sizes, and other specifications that are set forth in this specification, including in the claims that follow, are approximate, not exact. They are intended to have a reasonable range that is consistent with the functions to which they relate and with what is customary in the art to which they pertain.
The scope of protection is limited solely by the claims that now follow. That scope is intended and should be interpreted to be as broad as is consistent with the ordinary meaning of the language that is used in the claims when interpreted in light of this specification and the prosecution history that follows and to encompass all structural and functional equivalents. Notwithstanding, none of the claims are intended to embrace subject matter that fails to satisfy the requirement of Sections 101, 102, or 103 of the Patent Act, nor should they be interpreted in such a way. Any unintended embracement of such subject matter is hereby disclaimed.
Except as stated immediately above, nothing that has been stated or illustrated is intended or should be interpreted to cause a dedication of any component, step, feature, object, benefit, advantage, or equivalent to the public, regardless of whether it is or is not recited in the claims.
It will be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions with respect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study except where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein. Relational terms such as first and second and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by “a” or “an” does not, without further constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.
The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various implementations for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed implementations require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed implementation. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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13965014000300205 | May 2017 | IR | national |