Resealable beverage containers and methods of making same

摘要

Resealable beverage containers include caps that are twisted to impart translational motion of the cap to push a tear panel into the container. Cam elements are used to convert rotational movement to translational movement. The caps are preferably made of molded plastic material, and include cam elements formed on the sidewalls of the caps that engage cam followers or projections formed on the inner cylindrical surface of a socket which is formed in the lid of the beverage container. Methods of manufacturing resealable beverage containers avoid the need to form rivets and to attach pull tabs, thus saving costs and making the beverage containers more easily recycled.

主权项

1. A beverage container comprising:
a container body having a sidewall defining a tubular section extending between a top edge and a bottom end, a bottom wall providing a seal across the sidewall bottom end, and an opening defined by the sidewall top edge; and a lid for a beverage container, comprising:
a substantially planar member having a peripheral edge;a socket formed near the peripheral edge of the planar member and having a cylindrical sidewall and a bottom wall;a score line disposed in the bottom wall of the socket and defining a tear panel, wherein the score line is located inward from the cylindrical sidewall, defining an annular surface between the score line and the cylindrical sidewall providing a seating arrangement segment, and whose start and end do not meet to define a hinge for the tear panel;a hinge section defined by ends of the score line, wherein the hinge section extends between the tear panel and the annular surface maintaining attachment of the tear panel to the planar member when the score line is fractured;a cap having a bottom surface extending across a lower edge of a cylindrical sidewall, the cap movably disposed in the socket, locating the cap bottom surface adjacent the bottom wall of the socket, the cap comprising a pointed projection extending downward from the cap bottom surface and disposed offset to a center axis of the cap, wherein when the cap is assembled in the socket, the pointed projection extends downwardly into the socket and is disposed immediately above the score line; andan earn feature for driving the cap between opening, removal and resealing positions relative to the score line, the earn feature comprising at least one earn surface in cooperative engagement with a cam feature, wherein the earn feature translates a rotational motion into a linear motion substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by the rotational motion, wherein the lid is assembled to the container body by joining the peripheral edge of the planar member to the top edge of the sidewall creating a sealed beverage container.