Beverage container fitted with supplementary closure means

Abstract

A tab type openable beverage container in the form of a can fitted with a tear opening facility in the form of a tab is generally indicated by reference numeral 10. In addition to being used for gaining access to the contents of the can 10 via the shearing of an integrally formed panel 14, the tab 12 is swivellably mounted to a pin 20. It is thus swivellable along an arc 26 into closing off the contents of the can against undesired ingress of insects, bees and other undesired matter once the integral panel 14 has been broken away. The tab 12 displays an area of perforation 28. The contents of the can 10 thus remain accessible without having to swivel the tab 12 out of registration with the dispensing aperture 16. The tab 12 is formed with an openable flap 30 of which the inward urging provides a straw access opening.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A beverage container of which the contents is accessible via a dispensing aperture of which the closure means is non-re-usable as cover once removed to gain access, the container being fitted with appropriately formed supplementary closure means displaceable from an inactive condition, in which it does not obstruct conventional use of the container in drinking beverage there from, to a dispensing aperture covering condition in which the dispensing aperture is closed off against the ingress of particulate matter that tends to affect the comfort in drinking beverage from the container if not rendering it hazardous.  
     
     
         2 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 1    in which the supplementary closure means is suitably arranged to enable its use in also gaining access to the contents of the container in response opening of the dispensing aperture by appropriately acting upon the closure means.  
     
     
         3 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 2    in which the supplementary closure means is provided by a tab used for gaining access to the contents of a conventional can type container by way of conventionally shearing an integrally formed panel along a line of shear, the tab, as of a size to effectively close off the dispensing aperture of the container, being fitted to the container to enable its displacement from its position in which it is used for serving its panel shearing function in opening the dispensing aperture of the container to a position in which it is used in covering the dispensing aperture against undesired ingress.  
     
     
         4 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 3    in which the tab, in addition to conventionally enabling the shearing of the panel in response to a lifting action against a mounting pin, is also mounted to enable its swivelling about the axis of the mounting pin thereby to swivel the tab into a dispensing aperture closing off condition.  
     
     
         5 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 4    in which the tab is appropriately perforated to enable consumption of liquid there along while in its dispensing aperture closing off condition.  
     
     
         6 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 5    that makes provision for securing the tab to the body of the container once the tab is swivelled into its dispensing aperture closing off covering condition.  
     
     
         7 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 6    in which provision is made for the securing of the tab to the container by the tab being profiled to present a leading end catching lip that is receivable below the corresponding end of the rim of the dispensing aperture while the tab is furthermore profiled to permit the lip to become so caught.  
     
     
         8 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 7    in which the tab is profiled to snugly fit the dispensing aperture while also being formed with opposing shoulders along its periphery that limit the tab from swivelling into the container once in its dispensing aperture closing off condition.  
     
     
         9 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 8    in which the tab provides for a straw locating aperture that is openable in response to the application of a small manually applied force and down which a straw is snugly positionable, if not already being used to open up the straw locating aperture, to gain access to the contents of the container while effectively still rendering the interior of the container inaccessible to particulate matter except along such straw.  
     
     
         10 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 8    in which the discharge aperture closing off part of the tab is formed with a concave indentation that forms a seat on the convex side that promotes closing off of the discharge aperture once the tab is swivelled to its closing off condition.  
     
     
         11 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 3    in which the tab, in addition to conventionally being employable for shearing the panel along a line of shear, is mounted to the body of the container to be displaceable into a closing off condition by being mounted to be flipped over into an dispensing aperture closing off condition.  
     
     
         12 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 11    in which the tab, in addition to conventionally being employable for shearing the panel via a lifting action against a mounting pin, is also mounted thereto in a way that enables an adequate extent of movement on separation between the tab and its position of mounting pin engagement to permit the flip over action while still being retained to the body of the can by means of the pin.  
     
     
         13 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 12    in which the tab presents a zone of perforation along which beverage is consumable despite the tab being located in its dispensing aperture covering condition.  
     
     
         14 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 13    in which the tab makes provision for its being securable to the container body once swivelled to its covering condition in promoting closing off of the dispensing aperture.  
     
     
         15 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 14    in which provision is made for the securing of the tab to the container by the tab being profiled to present a leading end catching lip that is receivable below the corresponding end of the rim of the dispensing aperture while the tab is furthermore profiled to permit the lip to become so caught.  
     
     
         16 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 15    in which the tab is profiled to snugly fit the dispensing aperture while also being formed with opposing shoulders along its periphery that limit the tab from swivelling into the container once in its dispensing aperture closing off condition.  
     
     
         17 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 16    in which the tab provides for a straw locating aperture that is openable in response to the application of a small manually applied force and down which a straw is snugly positionable, if not already being used to open up the straw locating aperture, to gain access to the contents of the container while effectively still rendering the interior of the container inaccessible to particulate matter except along such straw.  
     
     
         18 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 11    in which the tab is hingedly mounted to the body of the container about at least one suitably located hinge pin extending from the body of the container and in a way that enables the swivellable flipping of the tab between an inactive condition and a dispensing aperture covering condition while during performing the flipping action causing the shearing panel to become sheared along its line of shear from the body of the container owing to the tab being formed with an inner section that comes to urge against the panel in sweeping there along in the process of swivelling the tab into its dispensing aperture covering condition.  
     
     
         19 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 18    in which the tab presents a zone of perforation along which beverage is consumable despite the tab being located in its dispensing aperture covering condition.  
     
     
         20 . A beverage container as claimed in    claim 19    in which the tab provides for a straw locating aperture that is openable in response to the application of a small manually applied force and down which a straw is snugly positionable, if not already being used to open up the straw locating aperture, to gain access to the contents of the container while effectively still rendering the interior of the container inaccessible to particulate matter except along such straw.