WO1999007610A1

WO1999007610A1 - Prize-containing beverage can

Info

Publication number: WO1999007610A1
Application number: PCT/GB1998/002367
Authority: WO
Inventors: Godfrey Stephen Wilsher
Original assignee: Geoff Howe & Associates Ltd
Current assignee: Geoff Howe & Associates Ltd
Priority date: 1997-08-11
Filing date: 1998-08-06
Publication date: 1999-02-18
Anticipated expiration: 2000-02-11
Also published as: GB9716977D0; AU8640198A; ZA987121B; GB2328164A

Abstract

A prize presenting container is formed as a drinks can (1) with a lid (4) and with a folded and wadded football (17) therein which is projected from the container by a compressed spring (12) upon opening of the can. A ring pull (5) is coupled by ties (22a) to a transverse member (20) having its ends secured in a recess (21) of a liner (9) of the can. Upon raising the ring pull (5), the ties (22a) bow the transverse member (20) upwardly releasing the ends from the recess (21) and allowing the spring (12) to eject the entire lid (4) and project the football (17) out of the can (1).

Description

PRIZE-CONTAINING BEVERAGE CAN

The invention relates to a container and a method of forming such a container.

Containers have been previously proposed which included an internal spring-loaded arrangement and a lid, retaining means being provided to keep the lid in a closed position. The retaining means, when released, allowed the internal spring-loaded mechanism to eject an article from within the container. This is a traditional jack-in-a-box. Recent proposals have however included forming the container as a simulated commercially vended container, for example a proprietary brand of soft drink, with the container being carefully designed to be as similar in appearance, weight and feel as a normal container of drink such that it is substantially indistinguishable from the real thing prior to opening. Upon opening, a message is somehow conveyed to the opener that he or she has won a prize of some sort, either a prize delivered directly by the spring-loaded mechanism or a voucher or a ticket which can be exchanged for the prize.

Generally such containers are opened by a ring pull, that is to say a tab which is riveted to a portion of the lid of the container and which when levered upwardly such as by a thumb nail of the opener, causes the lid to fracture around at least pan of the periphery of said portion thereby creating an opening in the lid of the container. The prize can be ejected through said opening to be received by the opener.

According to one aspect of the invention a container has a bottom, at least one side wall and a lid and contains a spring in a compressed condition, the force of the spring bearing against a transverse member with its ends retained behind an abutment in or on the inner face of the at least one side wall, and the lid being separate from the at least one side wall and including a ring pull which when pivoted with respect to the container bows the transverse member to release its ends from the abutment to allow the spring to expand and separate the lid from the at least one side wall to open the container. Preferably the ring pull is coupled to the transverse member by at least one tie which extends through the lid and is joined to the transverse member. Advantageously there are a pair of the ties with a connecting member at the upper end engaged with a transverse member of the ring pull at a position spaced from the pivot of the ring pull. Advantageously the or each tie extends through an aperture or a respective aperture in the transverse member and is secured to the transverse member by adhesive.

According to another aspect of the invention a method of forming a container having a bottom, at least one side wall and a lid and containing a spring in a compressed condition comprises compressing a spring into a compressed condition within the container so that it extends upwardly from the bottom, engaging ends of a transverse member behind an abutment in or on the inner face of the at least one side wall with the spring pressing the end portions of the transverse member against the abutment, providing a tie extending through the lid from a ring pull on the lid, such lid being separate from the at least one side wall, providing a quantity of adhesive on the tie or on the transverse member around an aperture in the transverse member and engaging the tie in the aperture in the transverse member so that the lid is in position on the at least one side wall and the adhesive hardens to secure the tie to the transverse member, the aperture in the transverse member being provided generally at a mid position in the transverse member such that a pull applied to the ring pull causes the tie to raise the mid portion of the transverse member thereby bowing the transverse member and releasing the ends thereof from the abutment to enable the spring member to expand and separate the lid from the at least one side wall to open the container.

A domed member is advantageously provided at the upper end of the spring and a simulated football is advantageously provided with an aperture in one portion thereof, the edge of the aperture being secured to the inner face of the at least one side wall of the container at a position below the abutment, the spring and the domed member passing through the aperture in the football and the football being folded and wadded down on top of the compressed spring. An inverted dome is preferably provided on top of the folded football to bear with its outer edges against the transverse member adjacent the ends thereof to press the transverse member, in the compressed condition of the spring, against the abutment. Information regarding claiming of material prizes can be printed on the football.

Advantageously the container is a can simulating a drinks can and is weighted so that the overall weight is similar to a normally vended can containing liquid. The weighting may be provided by a lining on the side wall of the container provided of resin or lead. The abutment may be formed by the upper wall of a groove cut in a further lining of the side wall.

Thus a container according to the invention can be used in a promotion wherein a small number of "prize" containers are randomly mingled with a very large quantity of drinks containers in a can filling facility, the containers subsequently being packed in packs of multiple can containers whereby the prizes are randomly won by purchasers of packs of multiple drinks container who can apply to the promoters of the promotion to claim their prizes.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which: - Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view through a container according to the invention in a compressed, unopened condition;

Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings show the construction of individual components of the container of Figure 1 ; and

Figure 7 shows the container of Figure 1 after opening and to a smaller scale. Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a standard drinks can generally indicated at 1 having an outer peripheral side wall 2, an integral bottom wall 3, a lid 4 which includes a standard ring pull 5 secured by a rivet 6 which passes through a pivot tab 7 of the ring pull 5. The lid 4 is separated from the side wall 2 at a cut-line indicated at 8. A steel liner 9 shown in Figure 2 is provided within the can and is bonded to the bottom wall by adhesive 10. A space between the outer wall of the liner 9 and the peripheral side wall 2 of the can is filled with a resin infill 11.

A coiled compression spring 12 has a compressed length approximately one third of the height of the can 1 and an expanded length approximately one and three-quarters the height of the can 1. It is mounted by welding it to a spring platform 13 a blank for which is shown in Figure 3, which spring platform 13 is secured to the steel liner 9 by counter-sunk headed screws which pass through apertures 14 in the steel liner 9 and extend into end portions 13a which are bent downwardly from a middle bridge portion 13b of the spring platform 13, the spring 12 being welded to the middle bridge portion 13b by welds 15. A dome member 16 of moulded plastics is provided at the upper end of the compression spring 12. Above the dome member 16 a simulated football 17 of latex is provided having a tail portion 17a with an aperture therein. The edge of the tail portion 17a of the football 17 around the aperture is secured by adhesive at 18 to the inner wall of the steel liner 9. Breathing apertures 17b are provided in the tail portion 17a. As shown in Figure 1 , the football 17 has been turned inside-out and pressed downwardly into the can 1 compressing the spring 12 to the position shown in Figure 1 and a steel dome 19, shaped as part of a hollow sphere, has been engaged in an inverted position over the football 17.

A transverse member 20 shown in Figure 4 and formed of spring steel has its ends engaged in a recess 21 which is shown in Figure 5 and is provided in the inner wall of the steel liner 9 at an upper position. The force of the spring 12 applied through the wadded football 17 to the inverted dome 19 causes the outer edges of the dome 19 to press the spring member 20 upwardly at positions adjacent the ends of the spring member 20 thereby ensuring that the ends of the spring member 20 remain engaged with an abutment formed by the upper side wall 21a of the recess 21. Figure 6 shows a piano wire stirrup 22 formed to an inverted U-shape with downwardly depending side limbs 22a and a cross member 22b. The cross member 22b is secured in a tubular cross member 23 of the ring pull 5 and the limbs 22a extend downwardly through apertures 24 in the lid 4 and through apertures 25 in the transverse member 20. Prior to engaging the lid 4 on the upper end of the side wall 2 and simultaneously engaging the side limbs 22a of the stirrup in the apertures 25 in the transverse member 20, either globules of adhesive 26 are attached to the bottom ends of the limbs 22a or globules of adhesive 26 are placed on the upper face of the transverse meiηber 20 over the apertures 25 therein. Thus as the limbs 22a are engaged in the apertures 25 in the transverse member 20 the limbs 22a are secured by the adhesive 26 to the transverse member 20 when the adhesive 26 hardens by setting or curing. The can 1 has the identical outward appearance to a standard drinks containing can and equivalent weight. When incorporated with other drinks containing cans in a multiple pack container it is therefore indistinguishable from the other cans. However when a user opens the can 1 by raising the outer end of the ring pull 5 as indicated by the arrow 27 in Figure 1 , the ring pull 5 pivots about the connection of the tab 7 to the lid 4, a position to the right of the rivet 6 as viewed in Figure 1 , and the side limbs 22a are pulled upwardly by the cross member 23 of the ring pull 5. Acting as ties the limbs 22a pull upwardly the middle portion of the transverse member 20 and thereby disengage the ends of the transverse member 20 from the abutment formed by the upper wall 21a of the recess 21. The compression spring 12 is then unrestrained and rapidly expands, ejecting the entire lid 4, unfolding the wadded football 17, turning it right- ways out and raising it to the position shown in Figure 7. A ticket or voucher which can be provided in the compressed condition between the wadded football 17 and the inverted dome member 19 can thus be presented to the opener giving details of the means whereby a prize can be claimed or this information can be printed on the outer face of the football 17. A safety tag 28 is preferably attached to the underside of the transverse member 20 to screen the projecting ends of the limbs 22a of the stirrup 22 and has printed information thereon advising the opener to dispose safely of the lid 4 and the attached transverse member 20 so that risk of injury by leaning on the exposed ends 22a is^' avoided.

Claims

1. A container has a bottom, at least one side wall and a lid and contains a spring in a compressed condition, the force of the spring bearing against a transverse member with its ends retained behind an abutment in or on the inner face of the at least one side wall, and the lid being separate from the at least one side wall and including a ring pull which when pivoted with respect to the container bows the transverse member to release its ends from the abutment to allow the spring to expand and separate the lid from the at least one side wall to open the container.

2. A container according to claim 1, in which the ring pull is coupled to the transverse member by at least one tie which extends through the lid and is joined to the transverse member.

3. A container according to claim 2, in which there are a pair of the ties with a connecting member at the upper end engaged with a transverse member of the ring pull at a position spaced from the pivot of the ring pull.

4. A container according to claim 2 or claim 3, in which the or each tie extends through an aperture or a respective aperture in the transverse member and is secured to the transverse member by adhesive.

5. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, formed as a can simulating a drinks can and weighted so that the overall weight is similar to a normally vended can containing liquid.

6. A container according to claim 5, in which the weighting is provided by a heavy lining on the side wall of the container.

7. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in which the abutment is formed by the upper wall of a groove cut in a lining of the side wall.

8. A method of forming a container having a bottom, at least one side wall and a lid and containing a spring in a compressed condition comprising compressing a spring into a compressed condition within the container so that it extends upwardly from the bottom, engaging ends of a transverse member behind an abutment in or on the inner face of the at least one side wall with the spring pressing the end portions of the transverse member against the abutment, providing a tie extending through the lid from a ring pull on the lid, such lid being separate from the at least one side wall, providing a quantity of adhesive on the tie or on the transverse member around an aperture in the transverse member and engaging the tie in the aperture in the transverse member so that the lid is in position on the at least one side wall and the adhesive hardens to secure the tie to the transverse member, the aperture in the transverse member being provided generally at a mid position in the transverse member such that a pull applied to the ring pull causes the tie to raise the mid portion of the transverse member thereby bowing the transverse member and releasing the ends thereof from the abutment to enable the spring member to expand and separate the lid from the at least one side wall to open the container.

9. A method according to claim 8, including providing a domed member at the upper end of the spring and a simulated football with an aperture in one portion thereof, securing the edge of the aperture to the inner face of the at least one side wall of the container at a position below the abutment with the spring and the domed member passing through the aperture in the football compressing the spring and folding and wadding the football down on top of the compressed spring.

10. A method according to claim 9, including providing an inverted dome on top of the folded football to bear with its outer edges against the transverse member adjacent the ends thereof to press the transverse member, in the compressed condition of the spring, against the abutment.

11. A method according to claim 9 or claim 10, including printing of information regarding claiming of material prizes on the football.

12. A container substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. A method of forming a container as claimed in claim 8 and substantially as hereinbefore described.