US3850338A

US3850338A - Can capable of being folded into a definite form by hand

Info

Publication number: US3850338A
Application number: US00402740A
Authority: US
Inventors: M Hatada
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-10-05
Filing date: 1973-10-02
Publication date: 1974-11-26
Anticipated expiration: 1991-11-26
Also published as: JPS4957992A; JPS54709B2

Abstract

A can capable of being folded into a definite form by hand, in which the outer or inner surface of a cylindrical can is provided, with a first groove, in the axial direction thereof, second and third grooves respectively positioned to be right and left of said first groove at a distance approximately equal to the diameter of said can, and a fourth groove between said second and third groove. The outer and inner surface of the top and bottom are provided with parallel stripping grooves, connected to a small pull ring. The stripping grooves form a plum blossom, and the periphery of the inner surface of said top and bottom is provided with radial grooves. If necesary, the joint portions at the ends of each groove formed on the outer or inner surface of said can are provided with notches.

Description

United States Patent 1 Hatada 1451 Nov. 26, 1974 1 CAN CAPABLE OF BEING FOLDED INTO A DEFINITE FORM BY HAND [21] App]. No.: 402,740

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Oct. 5, 1972 Japan 47-99410 [52] US. Cl 220/6, 220/1 2 2Q/ 2Z0,

220/83, 229/41 R [51] Int. Cl 865d 17/20 [58] Field of Search 220/1 R, 1 BC, 54, 60,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Pierce 206/517 Pierce 206/517 Carmichael 220/1 BC 3,773,209 11/1973 Schane ..220/54 Primary Examiner-William 1. Price Assistant ExaminerR. E. Hart Attorney, Agent, or FirmArmstrong, Nikaido & Wegner [57] ABSTRACT A can capable of being folded into a definite form by hand, in which the outer or inner surface of a cylindrical can is provided, with a first groove, in the axial direction thereof, second and third grooves respectively positioned to be right and left of said first groove at a distance approximately equal to the diameter of said can, and a fourth groove between said second and third groove. The outer and inner surface of the top and bottom are provided with parallel stripping grooves, connected to a small pull ring. The stripping grooves form a plum blossom, and the periphery of the inner surface of said top and bottom is provided with radial grooves. If neces s a ry, the joint portions at the end s ofeach grooveforrned on the outer or inner surface of said can are provided with notches.

10 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTE; uuvzsmq 3,850, 338

sum

1 or 2 CAN CAPABLE OF BEING FOLDED INTO A DEFINITE FORM BY HAND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an empty can capable of being folded by hand and more particularly, a can in which the outer or inner surface as well as the surface of the top and bottom of the cylindrical can are provided with grooves which enable the can to be folded by hand when it is empty.

Canned food and drink which are used to a large extent in mountains, fields, beaches, stations and streets are often left as empty cans after having been used be-' cause of the difficulty in treating the used cans. Because of this, holiday resorts and mountains may be easily littered thus requiring cleaning with the attendent difficulties and expense. Empty cans left in streets not only spoil the beauty but may cause traffic accidents.

Further, empty cans cause a bottleneck in transportation because of their very bulky volumes. A large number of these empty cans are deformed by force thus illustrating the users desire for disposing of them. However, cans are manufactured so strongly that they may be not bent without using special tools, resulting in the leaving of them as empty cans. If empty cans are folded by hand without using a special tool, not only will users voluntarily dispose of the cans but social pressure will force them to fold the cans prior to disposing of them.

Accordingly, the object of the present invention to provide a can which can easily be treated after use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a can which can be folded easily into a definite form by hand when it is empty.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a can, the volume of which can be minimized greatly when it is empty.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a can, whereby the cleaning of the surroundings and the improved recovery of material are attained with a reduced cost for transporting waste materials.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the can according to the present invention, which can be folded into a definite form by hand, the outer or inner surface of the cylindrical can is provided, in the axial direction thereof, with a first groove, second and third groove, one to the left and one to the right of the first groove a distance approximately equal to the diameter of said can, and a fourth groove in the middle of the second and third grooves. The outer and inner surface of the top and bottom are provided with parallel stripping beads, in the form of plum blossom which is connected to a pull ring and the periphery of the inner surface of the top and bottom is provided with radial grooves. Further, if notches are provided at the joint portions at both ends of each groove formed on the outer or inner surface of cylindrical can, the folding of the can is made even easier.

The can according to the present invention, when it is empty after use, can be folded advantageously into a definite predetermined form by hand by providing grooves which are narrow, shallow and concave on the outer or inner surface of cylindrical can and providing a stripping zone through grooves on the top and bottom of the can. Therefore, the can according to the present invention, which is used for canned beer, soft drinks and foods, can be folded easily into a definite form when empty without using any special tool, so that persons can carry it back easily from mountains, beaches or streets. Further, in the recovery of used cans for recycling, the present invention provides a great advantage in transporting them because the transporting volume of folded cans is less than one tenth that of bulky unfolded cans.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG. 5 is a back view of said bottom before joining;

FIG. 6 is a section view which shows the relationship between the side wall and the bottom of said can at the joint portion; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a folded can.

DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION The present invention will be illustrated in detail with reference to the drawings. The example for illustration is a 350 ml beer can ofgeneral commercial steel plate.

In the can as shown in FIG. 1, the diameter D is 65 mm and the length L mm. According to the present invention, grooves b and c are provided along the cylindrical surface of can 1 parallel to a groove a at a distance of diameter D to the right and left of groove a, and a groove d is provided parallel to'said groove a in the middle of said grooves b and 0.

FIG. 2 is a developed view of cylindrical can 1 as shown in FIG. 1 and shows the relationship between said grooves a, b, c and d. The line e is a welding line, along which the can is welded in the form of the cylindrical surface of the can. The grooves b and c are located at a distance of about D (65 mm) right and left from a groove a, and the distance between the groove b and c 2X is as follows:

X D('IT 2)/2 and the groove d is provided in the middle of groove b and c, so that X D(1r 2)/2 37 mm. Thus, preferably, the grooves a, b, c and d which are provided on can 1 are in the relationship as mentioned above. However, the relationship between groove distances is not necessarily restricted to the above one and the distance between the groove a and b as well as the groove a and 0 may be larger or smaller than D. If the distance is less than one fourth of circumference, it is impossible to fold the can. On the other hand, if the distance is much larger than the diameter D of can, not only is the can difficult to fold but the folded can is bulky.

The portion between the groove b and c in FIG. 2 corresponds to the folded-in-portion and the center line d is pressed by fingers.

The strength of the can is given by the tensile strength resulting from the pressure welding of the top and

bottom

2 and 3 to the cylinder portion 1. To bend a can by hand, it is necessary to overcome the strength of the can. Therefore, we provide two means for overcoming the strength of the can. The one consists of grooves a, b, c and d, which areprovided on the outer or inner surface of can 1, and

notches

4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, 9, 10, 11 formed at the end joint portions of each groove. While these notches are not necessary for the present invention depending on thestrength of the can, the provision of notches however assists in the bending of the can. Without notches, grooves a, b, c and d should be provided between the top and bottom of cylinder l. The width of the notch is in general about 0.5-2 mm, preferably about 1 mm and the height thereof is necessarily of such value that the base of the notch is within the curved joined portion of cylinder 1.

The other consists of grooves formed on the top and

bottom

2 and 3. As shown in FIG. 3,

parallel curves

12 and 13 in the form of a plum blossom for stripping are cut, the distance between said two curves being 1.5-3 mm. A small pull ring 14 is pulled for removing the top or

bottom

2 or 3 of the can by stripping said

grooves

12 and 13 provided on the inner and outer surface of the top and bottom. Nails 16 provided on large pullring are utilized for pulling the small pull-ring. The portion of grooves for stripping should avoid the one half of the extension of press pressure line applied in the sealing of the can. Therefore, the provision of said stripping grooves does not disturb the press procedure in the manufacture and sealing of the can and does not cause a break in the metal plate. Half of stripping strip is provided on the raised joined portion of the top and bottom without hindering the pulling of the strip. The

groove

12 or 13 is provided on the inner and outer surface of the top and

bottom

2 and 3 of the can in a known method used in the formation of the large pullring. The top and

bottom

2 and 3 may be joined to the cylinder 1 at random. While the joining of top and bottom cylinder in a certain arrangement may provide convenience (e.g., the top having the stripping strip in the form of plum blossom can be so arranged that the top may be folded into the cylinder portion of the can by hand without any trouble), this is not advantageous from the view-point of manufacturing cost. To avoid such disadvantage, some grooves may be provided to the top or bottom for the convenience of folding (not shown) in order to bend the top or bottom before it is folded into the cylinder 1.

The strength of the can is provided by the formation of upper and lower ring portions, which are formed by joining the top and

bottom

2 and 3 and cylinder 1,

using the tensile strength of the top and bottom. Both ring portions have a four-ply structure, which resulted from combining the top or bottom 2 or 3 and the doubly folded metal plate of can 1. The strength of the can is principally based on this structure. Therefore, in folding the can by finger pressure, the provision of grooves and notches to said ring portion provides a better result.

FIG. 4 is a section view of top or bottom 2 or 3 before combining with the cylinder portion I and FIG. 5 is the rear view thereof. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, grooves are provided radially at intervals of about l2 mm along the back periphery of flange 17 of the top or bottom 2 or 3. The strength of the ring portion is reduced by half through notches or grooves on the cylinder 1 and grooves on the top and bottom resulting in the removal of resistance to finger pressure. Though it might appear that such reduction of strength is apparently dangerous when the can is filled, there is no danger in practice due to the presence of tensile strength of the top and bottom. And there is no fear of breaking the can because the radial grooves provided on the back periphery of the top and bottom are pressed to the inner surface in sealing. Any one of the periphery grooves is registered approximately with the grooves formed on the can cylinder without exact placement because said periphery grooves are at intervals of l-2 mm. The top and bottom of the can are joined as shown in FIG. 6.

Compared with the conventional cans, the can according to the present invention is provided with various kinds of grooves and two small pull-rings on the top and bottom.' Preferably, both top and bottom are made of aluminum plate.

An empty can is folded by hand as follows: The small pull-ring 14 is pulled by means of the nail 16 on large pull-ring 15, which is connected to the groove 18. The stripping strip is not separated at the end from the top and is folded in the inside of the can using as lock metal the remaining nail-like portions around the ring portion. The stripping strip on the bottom 3 is then treated in the same manner. Preferably, the large pull-ring strip is hung at the end of the stripping strip and inserted in the interior of cylinder 1. The remaining top and bottom portion in the form of a plum blossom are connected to the can and folded into the inside of the can. Thereafter, the groove a on the can 1 is pushed to fold the can. Finally, the can is placed on the ground and pressed by the body weight to complete the folding of the can into a definite form as shown in FIG. 7.

The above description treats a beer can as an embodiment but the can according to the present inven tion is not only limited to the beer can but used for various kinds of cans. The form of the cylindrical portion may be elliptical or another shape.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A can capable of being folded into a predetermined form by hand said can comprising:

a. a cylindrical portion,

b. a first groove on at least one surface of said cylinder said groove running parallel to the axis of said cylinder;

0. second and third grooves on said at least one surface parallel to said axis of said cylinder, said second and third grooves being respectively equally spaced on each side of said first groove;

d. a fourth groove on said at least one surface parallel to the axis of said cylinder; said fourth groove positioned between said second and third groove;

e. a top and bottom on the ends of said cylinder said top and bottom having parallel stripping grooves therein; and

f. pull ring means coupled to said stripping grooves for separating a portion of said top and bottom along said stripping grooves by applying a pulling force to said pull ring means;

g. wherein said can is folded into said predetermined shape by the application of force to said cylinder after said portion of said top and bottom have been separated whereby said can collapses along said first, second, third and fourth grooves.

2. A can according to claim 1, wherein the joint portions of the top and bottom and cylinder at the ends of each said groove includes a notch.

3. A can according to claim 2 wherein said notch is within the curved joint portion of said cylinder.

4. A can according to claim 2, wherein the width of said notch is about 0.5-2 mm.

5. A can according to claim 1, wherein about half of the extensionof parallel grooves forming the stripping strip is provided on a raised joined portion of said top and bottom and said cylinder.

6. A can according to claim 1 wherein the periphery of the inner surface of said top and bottom includes a plurality of radial grooves.

7. A can according to claim 6, wherein the interval of radial grooves is about 1-2 mm.

8. A can according to claim 1, wherein the top and bottom of said can are aluminum plate.

9. A can according to claim 7, wherein said top includes an opening for drinking said opening having therein a large removable pull-ring having nails thereon.

10. The can of claim 1 wherein said second and third grooves are each spaced from said first groove by a distance approximately equal to the diameter of said cylinder.

Claims

1. A can capable of being folded into a predetermined form by hand said can comprising: a. a cylindrical portion, b. a first groove on at least one surface of said cylinder said groove running parallel to the axis of said cylinder; c. second and third grooves on said at least one surface parallel to said axis of said cylinder, said second and third grooves being respectively equally spaced on each side of said first groove; d. a fourth groove on said at least one surface parallel to the axis of said cylinder; said fourth groove positioned between said second and third groove; e. a top and bottom on the ends of said cylinder said top and bottom having parallel stripping grooves therein; and f. pull ring means coupled to said stripping grooves for separating a portion of said top and bottom along said stripping grooves by applying a pulling force to said pull ring means; g. wherein said can is folded into said predetermined shape by the application of force to said cylinder after said portion of said top and bottom have been separated whereby said can collapses along said first, second, third and fourth grooves.

5. A can according to claim 1, wherein about half of the extension of parallel grooves forming the stripping strip is provided on a raised joined portion of said top and bottom and said cylinder.