JP7831318B2 - metal can - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a metal can in which a mouth component with a mouth portion is molded separately from the can body, and the mouth component with the mouth portion is joined to the opening of the can body.

Conventional metal cans of this type are known, for example, those described in Patent Document 1. Specifically, they consist of a can body and a conical lid (mouth component), where the conical lid has a threaded mouth, and a flange provided on the conical lid is crimped and fixed to the can body. By separating the molding of the can body and the mouth, the processing of the narrow mouth is facilitated, resulting in a resealable metal can.

Patent No. 3754076

However, in the container described in Patent Document 1, the flange of the conical lid is crimped and fixed to the open edge of the container body. Since this crimped conical lid is hollow, it may deform when an external force is applied, and the seal of the crimped part may be destroyed.
Furthermore, crimping generally requires inserting a pressing member into an annular groove, arranging two types of crimping rolls on the outside, and rotating them while pressing the crimping rolls against the flange and deforming it with the pressing member. This results in complex equipment and a large number of steps.

The object of the present invention is to provide a metal can that can maintain the joint strength and rigidity of the joint between the can body and the mouth component, regardless of the shape of the mouth component having a mouth, and that can be easily manufactured.

To achieve the above objective, the present invention
It comprises a metal can body having an opening and a metal mouth component having a mouth,
In a metal can in which the peripheral edge of the mouth component is joined to the open end of the opening of the can body,
An annular bead is provided at the open end of the can body, and the mouth component is provided with a joint that is crimped and fixed to the bead, and a base end to which the joint is connected.
The joint portion of the mouth component has a flange portion that extends linearly radially outward from the base end and engages with the upper end of the bead, and an annular joint piece that engages with the outer circumference of the bead, wherein the annular joint piece is reduced in diameter inward and tightened and fixed to the bead .
The aforementioned joint is characterized by having multiple locally interlocking portions in the circumferential direction that bite into the bead .
According to the present invention, since the joint portion of the mouth component having a mouth is crimped and fixed to an annular bead provided on the container body, even if the mouth component is hollow, the rigidity of the opening is maintained by the annular bead, and a good joint state can be maintained even when external forces are applied.
Furthermore, since the joints of the mouth components are simply crimped and deformed inward or outward relative to the bead, it requires simple equipment and fewer steps.

Furthermore, the present invention can be configured as follows.
1. The opening can be a threaded opening with threads on its outer circumference.
2. The opening can also be a plug-in opening with an annular projection on its outer circumference.
3. A cap is attached to the opening.
4. Furthermore, a discharge mechanism is attached to the opening .
In this way, various dispensing mechanisms, such as trigger-type pump dispensers and one-drop pump dispensers, can be attached to the opening. Furthermore, when disposing of the container, the dispensing mechanism can be separated and disposed of as a recyclable metal container, thus preventing environmental pollution.

The present invention aims to provide a metal can that can maintain the joint strength and rigidity of the joint with the can body, regardless of the shape of the mouth component having a mouth, and that can be easily manufactured.

Figure 1(A) shows the overall configuration of a metal can according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, Figure 1(B) is a cross-sectional view of Figure 1(A), and Figure 1(C) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the joint portion of Figure 1(A). Figure 2(A) is an exploded cross-sectional view of the metal can before joining the mouth components, Figure 2(B) is an explanatory diagram of the crimping process for the mouth components, Figure 2(C) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the planned joining area in (B), and Figure 2(D) is a diagram showing other examples of the cap seal configuration in Figure 2(B). Figures 3(A) to 3(C) show modified versions of the metal can body shown in Figure 1. Figures 4(A) and 4(B) show modified examples of the mouth components of the metal can shown in Figure 1. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figures 6(A) and 6(B) show examples of the use of the present invention, in which a dispensing mechanism is attached to the mouth of a metal can. Figure 7(A) is a cross-sectional view showing the overall structure of a metal can according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and Figure 7(B) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the joint portion of Figure 7(A). Figure 8 is a magnified cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the joining cylinder during the clinching process.

The present invention will be described in detail below based on the illustrated embodiments.
First, the overall configuration of the metal can according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1(A) is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the metal can, Figure 1(B) is a cross-sectional view of Figure 1(A), and Figure 1(C) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the joint portion of Figure 1(A).
As shown in Figures 1(A) and 1(B), the metal can 1 comprises a metal can body 10 having an opening and a metal mouth component 20 having a mouth portion 21, with the peripheral edge of the mouth component 20 being joined to the opening 11, which is the open end of the can body 10. A bead 12 is provided at the opening 11 of the can body 10, and a joint portion 25 is provided on the mouth component 20 that is crimped and fixed to the bead 12. The mouth portion 21 is a so-called screwed mouth with an external thread 22 on its outer circumference, and in the illustrated example, a screw cap 30 that engages with the mouth portion 21 is exemplified.
The screw cap 30 is a so-called resealable cap, and an internal thread 31 is provided on the inner circumference of the cap. This screw cap 30 may be made of metal, or a resin cap may be used.

In the illustrated example, the can body 10 is a bottomed cylindrical shape made of a thin metal plate, comprising a cylindrical body portion 13, a bottom portion 14 that closes the lower end of the body portion 13, and a shoulder portion 15 that is tapered at the upper end of the body portion 13 to reduce its diameter to that of the opening 11. In this embodiment, the body portion 13 and the bottom portion 14 are integrally formed from an aluminum alloy sheet material by drawing and ironing, resulting in a drawn and ironed can (DI can).
The can body 10 does not necessarily have to have a shoulder portion 15. Furthermore, it is not limited to DI cans; it may also be an impact can made of aluminum, or it may be a welded can in which the bottom portion 14 and the body portion 13, or the body portion 13 and the shoulder portion 15, or even the bottom portion 14, body portion 13 and shoulder portion 15 are separate components joined by crimping.
As the material for the can body 10, not only aluminum and aluminum alloys mentioned above, but also various other metal materials such as steel plates can be used.

The bead 12 has a curled shape, formed by wrapping the opening edge of the shoulder portion 15 outwards in a circular motion, and surrounds the opening 11 in an annular shape, with its upper edge located on a plane perpendicular to the central axis N10 of the torso portion 13.
In the illustrated example, the inner diameter (opening diameter) of the bead 12 is approximately 1 inch (25.4 mm), the winding diameter of the bead 12 itself is approximately 2.9 mm, and the outer diameter of the bead 12 is approximately 31.2 mm. 1 inch is the same size as the opening to which the mounting cup of an existing aerosol can is attached. In this way, the can body of an existing aerosol can can be used as the can body 10 of the present invention, and by joining the mouth component 20, it can be used as a metal can with a screw cap.
Of course, the size of the bead 12 is not limited to these dimensions, and it is sufficient as long as the rigidity of the joint 25 between the can body 10 and the mouth component 20 is maintained. Preferably, the inner diameter of the bead 12 is about 20 mm to 45 mm, and the diameter of the bead 12 itself is about 2.5 mm to 6.0 mm.

On the other hand, the mouth component 20 has a cylindrical mouth portion 21, one end of which is joined to the bead 12 of the can body 10 via a joint portion 25. The other end of the mouth portion 21 is open, the open end is reduced in diameter, and a tip curl portion 21a is provided at the tip. The central axis N20 of the mouth portion 21 is located on the same straight line as the central axis N10 of the body portion 13 of the can body 10, and a male thread 22 is provided on the outer circumference of the mouth portion 21.

As shown in Figure 1(C), the joint portion 25 has a flange portion 26 that extends radially outward from the base end portion 24 of the opening portion 21 and engages with the upper edge of the bead 12, and a joint curl portion 27 that acts as an annular joint piece and engages with the outer circumference of the bead 12. A sealing material 28 is interposed between the contact surfaces of the flange portion 26 and the joint curl portion 27 and the bead 12 to fill the gap and seal the contact surfaces.
The jointed curl portion 27 is crimped in a direction that pushes its lower end in a direction that reduces its diameter inward, and the jointed curl portion 27 is tightened and fixed in a shape that conforms to the outer circumference of the highly rigid bead 12. The cross-sectional shape of the mouth portion 21, when cut by a plane passing through the central axis, is curved in a semicircular shape that conforms to the cross-sectional shape of the bead 12, and has a first semicircular arc portion 27a from the upper edge of the bead 12 to the maximum diameter portion, and a second semicircular arc portion 27b beyond the maximum diameter portion of the bead 12 to the base of the smaller diameter portion. This second semicircular arc portion 27b has multiple bite-in portions 29 that locally bite into the bead 12 in the circumferential direction, and functions as an anti-rotation mechanism that prevents relative rotation between the can body 10 and the mouth portion component 20.

As shown in Figure 2(A), the crimping and fixing of the joint portion 25 is performed by crimping the bead 12 onto the joint portion 125 provided on the mouth portion component 20, which has the mouth portion 21 formed.
The mouth component 20, before being joined to the can body 10, comprises a mouth portion 21 and a joining portion 125 provided at the base end of the mouth portion 21. The joining portion 125 has a flange portion 26 that protrudes from the base end 24 of the mouth portion 21 and a skirt portion 127 that hangs downward from the outer diameter end of the flange portion 26. The corners of the flange portion 26 and the skirt portion 127 are rounded.

The crimping process involves fitting the inner circumference of the skirt portion 127 of the planned joining portion 125 of the mouth component 20 onto the outer circumference of the bead 12, placing the flange portion 26 on the bead 12, and then crimping the skirt portion 127 using a crimping machine.
As shown in Figure 2(B), the crimping machine includes a plurality of collets 50 (for example, 8 or 16) arranged to surround the skirt portion 127 in the circumferential direction, a cylindrical collet chuck 51 fitted onto the outer circumference of the collets 50, and a cap seal 55 positioned inside the collets 50 to press the flange portion 26 against the bead 12. Tapered portions 52 are provided on the outer circumference of the collets 50 and the inner circumference of the collet chuck 51, which engage with each other so as to be slidable in the axial direction.
The cap seal 55 has a recess 55c on its lower end surface into which the opening 21 of the opening component 20 is inserted, and a cylindrical retaining cylinder portion 55a is provided so as to surround the recess 55c. This retaining cylinder portion 55a abuts against the flange portion 26 of the opening component 20. The inner surface of the recess 55c is the inner surface of the retaining cylinder portion 55a, and a gap is provided so as not to interfere with the outer surface of the opening 21.
In the example shown in Figure 2(B), when the tip of the retaining cylinder portion 55a is in contact with the flange portion 26, the upper bottom surface of the recess 55c does not come into contact with the top surface of the mouth portion 21, and in this example, it does not come into contact with the tip curl portion 21a, maintaining a predetermined distance.
Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2(D), the cap seal 55 may be divided by an extension of the outer circumferential surface of the retaining cylinder portion 55a, and a cylindrical top surface retaining portion 55b may be provided separately from the retaining cylinder portion 55a. That is, by making the central cylindrical top surface retaining portion 55b and the retaining cylinder portion 55a relatively movable in the axial direction, the flange portion 26 can be pressed with the tip of the retaining cylinder portion 55a, while the top surface retaining portion 55b can press with the tip curl portion 21a of the top surface of the opening portion 21.

In Figure 2(B), the collet 50 is open. As shown in the figure, when the collet chuck 51 is moved downward, the collet 50 moves inward toward the center of the skirt portion 127 via the tapered portion 52, and the outer circumference of the skirt portion 127 is pushed radially inward from multiple points in the circumferential direction by the claw portion 50a provided on the collet 50. As a result, the skirt portion 127 is plastically deformed into an arc shape to conform to the outer circumference shape of the bead 12, forming a joint curl portion 27, and the lower end of the joint curl portion 27 is reduced in diameter to a smaller diameter than the maximum diameter of the bead 12.

The portion pressed into the claw portion 50a of the collet 50 is not pressed uniformly around its entire circumference. Instead, the contact portion of the claw portion 50a of the collet 50 is pressed. Therefore, the second quarter-circular arc portion 27b of the formed joint curl portion 27 is not a perfect circle. Instead, it has an uneven or polygonal shape with multiple localized indentations 29 formed in the circumferential direction, and a rotation-preventing mechanism is formed simultaneously with the crimping. In particular, the bead 12 has an outward curl shape, and the portion pressed into by the claw portion 50a of the collet 50 is located at the tip, which is the free end of the bead 12. This enhances the indentation and increases the rotation-preventing effect.

According to the present invention, the joint portion 25 of the mouth component 20 having a mouth portion 21 is crimped and fixed to the annular bead 12 provided on the can body 10. Therefore, even if the mouth portion 21 is hollow, the rigidity of the opening 11 of the can body 10 is maintained by the annular bead 12, and a good joint state can be maintained even when external forces are applied.
Furthermore, the joint portion 25 of the mouth component 20 is formed simply by crimping (deforming) the skirt portion 127 of the planned joint portion 125 inward against the bead 12, so it can be done with simple equipment and with a small number of steps.
Furthermore, by standardizing the shape and dimensions of the bead 12 on the can body 10 and the joint portion 25, the mouth component 20 can be attached to can bodies of various shapes and structures.

Figure 3 shows a modified example of the can body to which the mouth components are joined.
The can body 10A in Figure 3(A) is a large-capacity type with a larger body diameter d and a greater height h compared to the can body 10 of Embodiment 1. Even with these differences in dimensions, if the outer diameter D of the bead 12 connecting the mouth components 20 is standardized, a common mouth component 20 can be used. Various mouth dimensions can also be selected for the common mouth component 20.
The can body 10B in Figure 3(B) is an example of a deformed can that has a constricted portion 13a in the middle of the body 13. Even for such deformed cans, the same mouth components 20 can be used if the diameter of the bead 12 of the can body 10B is kept standardized.
Figure 3(C) shows an example (for example, a welded can) in which the can body 10C is fixed to the body 13C, bottom 14C, and shoulder 15C with a crimping section 16C. Even with such a can body 10C, if the diameter of the bead 12 is standardized, a common mouth component 20 can be used.

Figure 4 shows a modified example of the tip shape of the mouth component.
This modified version has a shape in which the tip of the mouth section is not folded over or curled. The basic structure is the same as the mouth section components shown in Figure 2(A), and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.
Figure 4(A) shows that the tip of the mouth portion 21 has a cut-off shape without any folding or curling process, and is a cylindrical tip portion 21b centered on the central axis N20.
Figure 4(B) shows that the tip of the mouth portion 21 of the mouth component 20 is flange-shaped, and the tip flange portion 21c protrudes perpendicular to the central axis N20.
In this way, by making the tip of the mouth portion 21 a tip cylindrical portion 21b or a tip flange portion 21c, the processing step for the curled portion is unnecessary, and the number of processing steps is reduced.

Figure 5 shows a modified example of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
In this modified form, instead of providing an external thread on the outer circumference of the cylindrical opening 121, an annular projection 123 is provided, making the opening 121 a so-called plug opening. The joint 25 is the same as in the first embodiment described above.
In this type of plug opening, the cap 130 that closes the opening 121 is provided with an inward-facing projection 133 on its inner circumference, which has a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the annular projection 123 of the opening 121. When the cap 130 is plugged in, the inward-facing projection 133 on the cap 130 overcomes the annular projection 123 and fits into place.
In the case of this plugging port, the tip shape of the port portion 121 can be a shape without a curled portion, such as the tip cylindrical portion 21b or the tip flange portion 21c, as shown in Figure 4.

Examples of Metal Can Use In Embodiment 1 above, an example is shown in which a screw cap 30 for resealing the metal can 1 is attached to the mouth of the metal can of the present invention. However, by utilizing the mouth 21, various dispensing mechanisms that dispense contents from a nozzle, which were not possible with conventional metal cans, can also be attached.
Figure 6(A) shows an example in which a one-drop type pump dispenser 300 is installed as the dispensing mechanism.
In other words, the pump dispenser 300 is provided with a mounting cap 330 that screws into the opening 21, and the pump dispenser 300 can be attached to the metal can 1 by tightening the mounting cap 330. The pump dispenser 300 dispenses the contents pumped into the pump chamber by pushing in the head portion 302 equipped with a nozzle 301.

Figure 6(B) also shows a slightly exaggerated view of the trigger-type pump dispenser 310 as part of the dispensing mechanism.
In this example, the trigger-type pump dispenser 310 is provided with a mounting cap 331 that screws into the opening 21, and the trigger-type pump dispenser 310 can be attached to the metal can 1 by tightening the mounting cap 331. The trigger-type pump dispenser 310 discharges the contents, which have been pumped into the pump chamber (not shown) inside the dispenser body 312, from the nozzle 313 when the trigger 311 is pulled.
In this way, by using metal cans 1 as containers for the various pump dispensers 300 and 310, the pump dispensers 300 and 310 can be separated and disposed of as recyclable metal containers when discarded, thus preventing environmental pollution.

Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. In the following description, components identical to those in Embodiment 1 will be denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions will be omitted.
Figure 7(A) is a cross-sectional view showing the overall structure of the metal can, and Figure 7(B) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the joint in Figure 7(A).
This metal can 201 comprises a metal can body 10 having an opening 11 and a metal mouth component 220 having a mouth portion 21, with the peripheral edge of the mouth component 220 joined to the open end of the opening 11 of the can body 10.

In this embodiment 2, the mouth portion 21 of the mouth component 220 partially enters the opening 11 of the can body 10 from its lower end, and a joint portion 225 is provided via a flange portion 223 that protrudes from the base end of the cylindrical mouth portion 21. The joint portion 225 includes a joint cylindrical portion 2251 as an annular joint piece that rises upward from the outer diameter end of the flange portion 223 parallel to the central axis, and a curl portion 2252 that protrudes radially outward from the upper end of the joint cylindrical portion 2251 and engages with the upper end of the bead 12.
The joining cylindrical portion 2251 has an upper end outer circumference in contact with the inner circumference of the bead 12, and a clinch portion 2253 crimped in a direction that expands radially outward just below the position corresponding to the lower edge of the bead 12. The clinch portion 2253 and the curl portion 2252 grip the outer circumference of the bead 12 from above and below, and fix the mouth component 220. The clinch portion 2253 is joined to the bead 12 of the can body 10 and the open end of the joining cylindrical portion 2251 via a gasket or sealing material 28, sealing the joint surface.
The clinch portion 2253 has multiple bite-in portions 228 that locally bite into the inner circumference of the bead 12 in the circumferential direction, and functions as an anti-rotation mechanism that prevents relative rotation between the can body 10 and the mouth component 220.

As shown in Figure 8, the crimping and fixing of the joint portion 225 is performed by clinching the straight cylindrical joint portion 2251', which does not have a clinch portion 2253.
The clinching process involves fitting the connecting cylindrical portion 2251' of the mouth component 220 onto the inner circumference of the opening 11 of the can body 10, and placing the curled portion 2252 on the bead 12.
In this state, the collet 250 of the clinching machine is inserted into the annular space between the inner circumference of the joining cylinder portion 2251' and the opening portion 21. Multiple collets 250 are arranged in the circumferential direction (for example, 8 or 16), and each collet 250 is provided with a claw portion 250a that protrudes toward the joining cylinder portion 251'.

Then, the claw portion 250a provided on the collet 250 is positioned directly below the position corresponding to the lower end of the bead 12, and the collet 250 is opened in the diameter-expanding direction, causing the joining cylinder portion 2251' to be locally expanded in diameter by the claw portion 250a. The outer diameter of the expanded clinch portion 2253 is expanded to be larger than the inner diameter of the bead 12, and the portion of the joining cylinder portion 2251' located above the clinch portion 2253 is plastically deformed into an arc shape to conform to the inner circumference shape of the bead 12 and is crimped and fixed.
In this second embodiment, as with the modification of the first embodiment, the tip shape of the opening 21 may be a shape without a curled portion, as shown in Figure 4, or an annular protrusion may be formed on the opening 21 instead of a male thread, as shown in Figure 5. Furthermore, various dispensing mechanisms, such as a one-drop type pump dispenser 300 or a trigger type pump dispenser 310, can be attached to the opening 21, as shown in Figure 6.

Furthermore, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in the above embodiments should be appropriately modified depending on the configuration of the container to which the invention is applied and various conditions, and this invention is not intended to limit its scope to the following embodiments. Various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 Metal can 10 Can body 11 Opening, 12 Bead, 13 Body, 14 Bottom, 15 Shoulder 20 Mouth components,
21 mouth portion, 21a tip curl portion, 22 male thread, 24 base end portion,
25 Joint portion, 26 Flange portion,
27 Joint curl portion, 27a First quarter-circle arc portion, 27b Second quarter-circle arc portion 28 Sealing material,
29. Engagement part (anti-rotation)
30 Screw cap, 31 Female thread 50 Collet, 50a Jaw part, 51 Collet chuck, 52 Tapered part 55 Cap seal,
55a Pressing cylinder portion, 55b Cylindrical portion, 55c Recessed portion 121 Mouth portion, 123 Annular protrusion portion,
125 Joining portion, 127 Skirt portion, 130 Cap, 133 Inward protrusion portion, 201 Metal can, 220 Mouth component, 223 Flange portion, 225 Joining portion, 228 Biting portion, 2251 Joining cylinder portion, 2251' Joining cylinder portion

Claims (5)

It comprises a metal can body having an opening and a metal mouth component having a mouth,
In a metal can in which the peripheral edge of the mouth component is joined to the open end of the opening of the can body,
An annular bead is provided at the open end of the can body, and the mouth component is provided with a joint that is crimped and fixed to the bead, and a base end to which the joint is connected.
The joint portion of the mouth component has a flange portion that extends linearly radially outward from the base end and engages with the upper end of the bead, and an annular joint piece that engages with the outer circumference of the bead, wherein the annular joint piece is reduced in diameter inward and tightened and fixed to the bead .
The metal can is characterized in that the joint portion is provided with multiple locally interlocking portions that bite into the bead in the circumferential direction . The metal can according to claim 1, wherein the opening is a screw-type opening with threads on its outer circumference. The metal can according to claim 1, wherein the opening is a capping opening with an annular projection on its outer circumference. A metal can according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a cap is fitted to the opening. A metal can according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a dispensing mechanism is attached to the opening.