FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention concerns a lid for containers, particularly beverage containers. The lid is suitable for containers of any structure, in particular containers made of plastic, metal cans, and carton containers.

BACKGROUND

Known from patent document WO 2010/094793 A2 is a container lid, particularly of a beverage can, incorporating a reclosing mechanism of elastic material, fixed entirely to the bottom side of the cover and partially integrated therewith in a way which prevents its twisting, featuring an actuating mechanism fitted on the top side of the lid via an adapter. When the actuating mechanism is moved, the part of the reclosing mechanism which covers the opening swivels in the plane perpendicular to the surface of the lid. The opening can be reclosed by moving the actuating mechanism.

Known from patent document WO 2014/003586 A2 is a reclosing mechanism for containers, particularly beverage containers, incorporating means for opening and reclosing the beverage outflow opening in the form of a latch fitted slidingly on the guides, where the latch touches on the bottom surface of the lid around the opening. On the top, the lid is fitted with a sliding pull tab on one side connected to the latch via a hinge and on the other connected to the latch via a connector which serves as the seal before the first opening, where on the side of the hinge and the pull tab front the lid features respective resistance surfaces which determine the initial position of the latch before the first opening.

SUMMARY

The purpose of the invention is to develop a mechanism to open and reclose the opening for emptying a container, particularly a container for beverages, including carbonated beverages saturated with CO2, which would ensure tight reclosing of the opening. In particular, the purpose of the invention is to develop the geometry of the opening in the container lid, and the geometry of the slide piece fitted in the opening and intended to open and close the opening, which would enable reduction of the friction between the slide piece and the lid surface when uncovering the opening, and achieving an optimal flow of the liquid through the opening.

A lid of a container, particularly beverage container, having an opening for emptying the container, fitted with guides formed on two opposite walls and with a slide piece for opening and reclosing the said opening, where there are two catches formed on the top surface of the slide piece, the catches fitted slidingly in the opening on the said guides, and where the slide piece is fitted with technical means adapted for shifting the slide piece from the closed position to the open position and backwards, according to the invention is characterised in that the surfaces of the slide piece catches which cooperate with the guides are inclined at an acute angle with respect to the top surface of the slide piece positioned under the said catch surfaces, with the slope in the direction in which the slide piece shifts to the open position, and where formed on the bottom side of the lid around the opening is a socket for the slide piece with profiled surfaces to seal the slide piece when in the socket in the closed position formed around its circumference, the socket touching on the profile of the surfaces around the slide piece, and where in the process of uncovering the opening the slide piece is moved downwards with respect to the socket.

Preferably, the width of the slide piece increases in the direction in which the slide piece moves to the open position.

Preferably, the angle of inclination of the surfaces of the slide piece catches with respect to the top surface of the slide piece positioned under the said surfaces of the catches ranges from 5° to 30°, preferably from 10° to 20°.

Preferably, formed on the top surface of the slide piece is at least one longitudinal distancing element and a transverse distancing profile element, and formed on the bottom side of the lid behind the slide piece socket is at least one longitudinal distancing element and a transverse distancing element formed along the transverse back wall of the opening.

Preferably, the profile surfaces which seal the slide piece in its socket are positioned on opposite sides along the socket, and the surfaces matching them, positioned on opposite sides along the slide piece open out towards the bottom.

In the first embodiment of the invention the technical means adapted for shifting the slide piece from the closed position to the open position and backwards take the form of a slider fitted on the top side of the lid over the opening, the slider having the top surface with a profile element to actuate the slider formed thereon, and further having the bottom surface and longitudinal side surfaces, where formed on the top surface of the slide piece and correspondingly on the bottom surface of the slider is at least one pair of mutually coupling elements, and where the lid is fitted with a cap featuring an opening positioned over the opening in the lid.

Preferably, a transverse groove and transverse projection placed in the said groove constitute the pair of mutually coupling elements formed on the top surface of the slide piece and correspondingly on the bottom surface of the slider.

Preferably, formed on the longitudinal side surfaces of the slider is a pair of resilient resistance elements, where on the top surface of the lid and/or bottom surface of the cap there are resistance elements which cooperate with the said resilient resistance elements of the slider.

In the second embodiment of the invention the technical means adapted for shifting the slide piece from the closed position to the open position and backwards take the form of a swivel tab with vertical axis of rotation, fitted on the top surface of the lid over the opening, where the slide piece has the top surface with a profile element for actuating the swivel tab formed thereon, the bottom surface, and the circumferential side surface, and where the shape of the circumferential side surface of the swivel tab on one side of the profile element is designed to close the opening, while the shape of the circumferential side surface of the swivel tab on the other side of the profile element is designed to uncover the opening, whereas formed on the top surface of the slide piece and correspondingly on the bottom surface of the swivel tab is a pair of mutually cooperating elements, with one of them taking the form of a driving pin and the other of a guiding groove in which the said driving pin moves during the swivel of the swivel tab, thus actuating the movement of the slide piece, where in the closed position the swivel tab touches on the opening in the lid with the element having the side circumferential surface which closes the opening, while in the open position the swivel tab touches on the opening with the element having the side circumferential surface which uncovers the opening, and where the lid is fitted with a cap featuring an opening positioned over the opening in the lid.

Preferably, the vertical axis of rotation of the swivel tab is placed on one of the sides of the plane of symmetry delimited in between the guides formed on two opposite walls of the opening.

Preferably, formed on the side circumferential surface of the swivel tab is a resistance element which cooperates with the resistance element formed on the top surface of the lid or on the bottom surface of the cap, where at least one of those elements is resilient.

In the third embodiment of the invention the technical means adapted to shift the slide piece from the closed position to the open position and backwards take the form of a pull tab having the bottom surface with a resistance projection formed thereon, two longitudinal side surfaces, formed on which is a pair of opposite side projections with arched edges, and a side transverse front surface on one end of the pull tab, where formed on the top surface of the slide piece and correspondingly on the bottom surface of the pull tab is at least one pair of mutually coupling elements, and formed on the side longitudinal walls of the opening in the lid are two sockets with the said side projections of the pull tab rotatingly fitted therein, and where in the closed position the side transverse front surface on the one end of the pull tab touches on the transverse front wall of the opening, and the other end of the pull tab rests on the lid, with the said resistance projection in the pull tab resting on the opposite transverse back wall of the opening.

Preferably, a transverse groove and transverse projection placed in the said groove constitute the pair of mutually coupling elements formed on the top surface of the slide piece and correspondingly on the bottom surface of the pull tab.

The lid is fitted with a cap featuring an opening positioned over the opening in the lid, and a resistance element positioned on the transverse back wall of the opening.

In the fourth embodiment of the invention the technical means adapted for shifting the slide piece take the form of a pull tab having the top surface with a top transverse edge, and the bottom surface with a projection and a bottom transverse edge, where in the closed position the top transverse edge of the pull tab touches on the transverse front wall of the opening and the said projection of the pull tab rests on the opposite transverse back wall of the opening, and where the pull tab is rotatingly connected to the slide piece with its bottom surface, on the side of the said bottom edge.

Preferably, formed on the top surface of the slide piece is a protruding element, connected to which via a membrane hinge is the bottom edge of the pull tab surface, and preferably there are niches formed between the catches and the protruding element to which the pull tab is connected, where the lid is fitted with a cap with the opening positioned over the opening in the lid, and formed on the bottom side of the cap there are projections placed in the said niches, or preferably there is at least one transverse rod formed on the top surface of the slide piece in between the catches, and formed on the bottom surface of the pull tab there is at least one arm ending with a socket, the arm rotatingly fitted on the said rod.

Preferably, the circumferential profiled surfaces of the socket, touching on which are the circumferential profiled surfaces of the slide piece and/or the said circumferential profiled surfaces of the slide piece, are fitted with a sealing element.

Preferably, the lid is made of plastic.

The mechanism for closing and uncovering the opening in the lid according to the invention attains the assumed goals. Thanks to the inclination of the surfaces of the slide piece catches which cooperate with the guides in the opening at an acute angle with respect to the top surface of the slide piece positioned under the said surfaces of the catches, with the slope in the direction in which the slide piece shifts to the open position, the slide piece gets immediately moved away from the socket in the lid once the movement of the slide piece in the opening uncovering direction is initiated, which eliminates the friction between the slide piece and the socket. The tight fitting of the slide piece in the socket achieved by the mutually matching profile elements formed on the circumferences of the slide piece and the socket ensures the required tightness, resistance to high pressure inside the container up to 7 bar, and airtightness of the closing device before the first opening, thanks to which the solution can be used for pressurised and highly carbonated beverages. In addition, the solution according to the invention proves highly intuitive and ergonomic when uncovering and closing the opening.

All elements of the lid can be made of the same material as the container, which is important from the perspective of recycling the used packaging.

The lid according to the invention is suitable for containers of various shapes, including cartons, and can be made using the existing methods of moulding and assembling.

