CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national stage application under 35 U.S.C. 371 of PCT Application No. PCT/EP2019/065890 having an international filing date of 17 Jun. 2019, which PCT application claimed the benefit of European Patent Application No. 18178561.9 filed 19 Jun. 2018, the entire disclosure of each of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a metallic can end having a reclosable opening, in particular for beverage cans and for containers for storing foodstuffs and other liquid, pasty, powdery and/or solid products.

INTRODUCTION

A can end having a reclosable opening is known from EP 1 607 341 A1 in which an opening is introduced in the metallic can end and the margin of this opening is beaded to create an anchorage possibility for a prefabricated plastic closure part. The plastic closure part includes a base part which is to be connected to the bead margin of the can opening and in which an opening closed by a flat stopper is formed. The flat stopper is connected to the opening margin via a plastic tear seam so that the flat stopper connected to a tear tab can be released from the base plastic part via the tear tab by exertion of a pull and can be pivoted into an opening position. The opening can be temporarily closed again by pressing in the flat stopper which is preferably conical at its lower side.

Reclosable can ends are furthermore described, for example, in DE 10 2010 013 531 A1, DE 10 2015 112 428 A1 and EP 2 354 022 B1.

SUMMARY

It is the object of the invention to provide a reclosable can end that is particularly favorable in manufacture and that, on the one hand, is nevertheless particularly easy to actuate and, on the other hand, has good sealing properties.

This object is satisfied by a metallic can end having the features of claim1.

A microgap ensures a particularly simple opening of the can end, but a weakening line is also generally suitable. An effective closure and reclosing can be achieved via the sealing and latching ribs and via the associated reception grooves. It is particularly advantageous in this respect that the sealing frame is bonded to the fixed end surface and that the closure unit is bonded to the upwardly pivotable metallic end region.

In accordance with the invention, the sealing and latching ribs form at least two, preferably three, sealing edges with the reception grooves, with the sealing edges being configured such that on the opening of the can end, the radially innermost sealing edge still seals when the radially outer sealing edge or both radially outer sealing edges have just been released. A so-called venting of a can closed by the can end can be achieved in this manner, that is a slow pressure drop before the complete opening of the can end.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the radially innermost sealing edge has a larger distance from the end surface than the other sealing edge or than the two other sealing edges. The innermost sealing edge thereby releases after the other sealing edge or after the two other sealing edges so that said venting is achieved.

In accordance with a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, at least the radially innermost sealing edge extends in a plane that is inclined with respect to the plane of the end region disposed within the microgap or the weakening line, with the two planes having the greatest distance from one another on the side remote from the pivot bearing. It can be achieved by this embodiment that the innermost sealing edge seals over its total periphery for so long until the outer sealing edge or the two outer sealing edges have been released.

In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention that is also claimed per se, the sealing and latching ribs, on the one hand, and the reception grooves, on the other hand, are configured such that they increasingly interlock with one another with an upwardly arching can end. It can hereby be ensured that the can end also remains closed on an increasing internal pressure in the can.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this idea of the invention, a latching rib provided at the sealing frame has an outwardly facing hook that cooperates with a correspondingly inwardly facing latch projection of a receiver of the closure unit. An increasing interlocking with upwardly arching can ends is achieved by this embodiment.

In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention that is likewise also claimed per se, the tear-open member has an aperture into which a prolongation of the closure unit engages, with the prolongation being connected to the tear-open members so firmly, in particular bonded, that the prolongation is torn off from the closure unit on the upward pivoting of the tear-open member. An originality closure is created by this embodiment, that is a closure whose opening is recognizably irreversible.

In accordance with a particularly preferred further development of this idea of the invention, the aperture and the prolongation are provided in the region of the pivot bearing of the tear-open part. It is hereby achieved that the tearing off of the prolongation already takes place on the raising of the tear-open part so that every manipulation of the can end can be prevented.

