Beverage can cover and seal combination

Abstract

A beverage can cover includes a disk-shaped member with an aperture spaced radially from its center and conforming with a standard opening on an aluminum can for forming a seal with the upper portion of the can. The cover includes a plug sized to cooperate with the aperture to form a fluid-tight reusable seal, and the plug is tethered to the disk-shaped member with an integrally formed detachable strip mounted about a circumferential edge of the disk-shaped member. The tether and plug are separated from the cover when needed by tearing thin attachment means such as a web or tabs, releasing the plug from its stored position on the periphery of the cover for engagement with the aperture. In a preferred embodiment, the plug and aperture are tapered and include a cooperating groove and ridge to secure and seal the plug inside the aperture.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A beverage can cover comprising: 
 a disk having an upper and lower surface and a circumferential edge, and a dispensing port disposed between a center of the disk and the circumferential edge;    a plug shaped to fit into said dispensing port to form a leak-proof seal; and    a tether having a length, and said tether connecting said disk and said plug, and said tether integrally formed with said disk as a single unit and detachably connected to said disk for the length of the tether along said circumferential edge of the disk.    
     
     
         2 . The beverage can cover of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a groove spaced from an upper surface of the plug and extending around the plug; and  
 a cooperating ridge on a wall of the disk that defines the aperture, whereupon said ridge engages and mates with said groove when the plug is placed into the dispensing port to secure said plug in said dispensing port.  
 
     
     
         3 . The beverage can cover of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a ridge spaced from an upper surface of the plug and extending around the plug; and  
 a cooperating groove on a wall of the disk that defines the aperture, whereupon said ridge engages and mates with said groove when the plug is placed into the dispensing port to secure said plug in said dispensing port.  
 
     
     
         4 . The beverage can cover of  claim 1  further comprising a frangible membrane joining the circumferential edge of the disk with the tether, the frangible membrane integrally formed with the tether and the disk, and the frangible membrane having a thickness less than a thickness of the tether.  
     
     
         5 . The beverage can cover of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of tabs joining the circumferential edge of the disk with the tether, the tabs integrally formed with the tether and the disk, and the tabs having a thickness less than a thickness of the tether.  
     
     
         6 . The beverage can cover of  claim 1  wherein the tether spans approximately one hundred eighty degrees of arc of the disk at a radial distance where the tether is detachably connected to the disk.  
     
     
         7 . The beverage can cover of  claim 1  wherein the dispensing port of the disk is defined by a continuous wall substantially perpendicular to the upper surface and extending downward below the lower surface of the disk for insertion into an opening in said beverage can, the dispensing port having a generally crescent shape.  
     
     
         8 . The beverage can cover of  claim 1  further comprising an inwardly projecting rib below the upper surface on the circumferential edge of the cover for engaging a recess in a beverage can to secure said cover to the can.  
     
     
         9 . The beverage can cover of  claim 1  further comprising an elevated lip circumscribing the upper surface of the disk at the circumferential edge.  
     
     
         10 . The beverage can cover of  claim 1  further comprising a protective screen across said dispensing port that allows fluid to pass through.  
     
     
         11 . The beverage can cover of  claim 1  wherein said dispensing port is defined by a spout depending from said lower surface of said disk and having an inner and outer surface, and wherein the outer surface of said spout has a beveled projection for engaging an edge of an opening in the can.  
     
     
         12 . The beverage can cover of  claim 1  wherein said tether is permanently connected to said cover at a first end, and permanently connected to said plug at a second end.  
     
     
         13 . A beverage can cover comprising: 
 a disk having an upper and lower surface and a circumferential edge, and an aperture disposed between a center of the disk and the circumferential edge and defined by a continuous wall having an interior surface, the continuous wall projecting substantially perpendicular to the upper surface and extending downward below the lower surface of the disk for insertion into an opening in said beverage can, the aperture having a generally crescent shape, and the disk further comprising an inwardly projecting rib below the upper surface on the circumferential edge of the cover for engaging a recess in a beverage can to secure said cover to the can;    a plug shaped to fit into said aperture to form a leak-proof seal and including a side wall, and a groove on the side wall of the plug and a ridge on the disk along a wall defining the aperture and spaced from the upper surface cooperate to form a press-fit juncture between the plug and disk; and    a tether having a length, and said tether connecting said disk and said plug, and said tether integrally formed with said disk as a single unit and detachably connected to said disk for the length of the tether along said circumferential edge of the disk.    
     
     
         14 . The beverage can cover of  claim 13  further comprising a membrane joining the circumferential edge of the disk with the tether, the membrane integrally formed with the tether and the disk.  
     
     
         15 . The beverage can cover of  claim 13  further comprising a plurality of tabs joining the circumferential edge of the disk with the tether, the tabs integrally formed with the tether and the disk.  
     
     
         16 . The beverage can cover of claim of  claim 13  further comprising an elevated lip circumscribing the upper surface of the disk at the circumferential edge.  
     
     
         17 . The beverage can cover of  claim 13  wherein the plug comprises a flat upper surface and a continuous wall depending therefrom at a position interior to a periphery of the flat upper surface.  
     
     
         18 . A beverage can cover comprising: 
 a disk having an upper and lower surface and a circumferential edge, and an dispensing port disposed between a center of the disk and the circumferential edge defined by an continuous wall, the continuous wall including a ridge projecting radially inward;    a plug shaped to fit into said dispensing port to form a leak-proof seal, the plug comprising a groove sized to receive said radially projecting ridge of the disk's dispensing port; and    a tether having a length, and said tether connecting said disk and said plug, and said tether integrally formed with said disk as a single unit and detachably connected to said disk.    
     
     
         19 . A beverage can cover comprising: 
 a disk having an upper and lower surface and a circumferential edge, and a dispensing port disposed between a center of the disk and the circumferential edge, said disk further comprising a spout depending from said lower surface sized to be received by an opening in said beverage can, said spout including a beveled catch disposed thereon for securing the spout inside said opening of said can;    a plug shaped to fit into said aperture to form a leak-proof seal; and    a tether having a length, and said tether connecting said disk and said plug, and said tether integrally formed with said disk as a single unit and detachably connected to said disk.