Stay-tab beverage can with protective guard

Abstract

A stay-tab beverage can with protective guard is provided. An example protective guard made integral with beverage cans keeps insects and foreign objects out of the beverage can. Rotating versions of the protective guard can use the existing rivet of a stay-tab to accommodate the protective guard as an add-on to the manufacturing process. Other versions of the protective guard hinge or slide to protect the can's opening. Example designs of the protective guard are attached to the can in various ways, and rotate, flip, or slide to engage the opening of the beverage can. Some example designs of the guard can hold a drinking straw in place, with other versions cap or seal the beverage. A webbed version of the guard provides a grill or grate, while solid flap versions open for fluid flow and close when the flow stops. The protective guards may be made in various commercially desirable shapes and colors.

1 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a beverage can including a stay-tab opening device secured to the beverage can by a rivet;   a protective guard to keep foreign objects out of the beverage can, the protective guard disposed above the stay-tab opening device and rotatably secured to the beverage can by the rivet; and   a strain-relief void in the protective guard to enable flexing of the protective guard near the rivet.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the strain-relief void comprises a crescent shape disposed partially around the rivet to enable a leverage action of the stay-tab opening device. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the protective guard further comprises an opening in a surface of the protective guard, the opening divided by bars spaced to keep a foreign object out of an opening of the beverage can. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the bars are arranged to display at least one symbol, at least one word, at least one abbreviation, at least one acronym, or at least one initialism. 
     
     
         5 . The appratus of  claim 3 , wherein the bars are arranged to represent a sports symbol and the bars are arranged to indicate a sports team or a sports league. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , further comprising a ring connected to at least one of the bars, the ring to secure a drinking straw in the beverage can. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the protective guard further comprises an opening in a surface of the protective guard, the opening divided by a ring to keep a foreign object out of an opening of the beverage can, the ring capable of securing a drinking straw in the beverage can. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the protective guard comprises aluminum or plastic. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the protective guard comprises a solid surface for displaying an advertisement. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the protective guard comprises both a solid surface for displaying an advertisement and an opening in the solid surface, the opening divided by bars, by a ring, or by both bars and a ring, spaced to keep a foreign object out of an opening of the beverage can. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the protective guard further comprises an opening in a surface of the protective guard, the opening divided by a single bar to keep a foreign object out of an opening of the beverage can. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a double-headed rivet comprising a first hub with a first radius for a rotation of the stay-tab opening device and a second hub with a second radius for a rotation of the protective guard. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the double-headed rivet has a curved top; and
 wherein the protective guard is capable of being pressed on or snapped onto the beverage can over the curved top during a manufacture of the beverage can.   
     
     
         14 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a beverage can including a stay-tab opening device secured to the beverage can by a rivet;   a protective guard to keep foreign objects out of the beverage can, the protective guard disposed above the stay-tab opening device and secured to the beverage can by at least one hinge member drawn from a metal of a tab member of the stay-tab opening device.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein a hinge member comprises one or more parts of the tab member, and a second part of the hinge comprises a part of the protective guard; and
 wherein the hinge straddles the stay-tab opening device, the hinge having a first connection point to the tab member on a first side of the stay-tab opening device and a second connection point to the tab member on a second side of the stay-tab opening device.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the first part of the hinge comprises one or more immovable parts of the beverage can and the second part of the hinge comprises a moveable part of the protective guard. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the protective guard comprises a solid flap, wherein the solid flap lifts by a flow of a fluid from the beverage can and closes when the flow stops. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the solid flap has lips to seal the solid flap to edges of an opening of the beverage can. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the protective guard comprises a grid to prevent foreign objects from entering the beverage can while allowing the beverage to leave the beverage can. 
     
     
         20 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a beverage can including a stay-tab opening device secured to the beverage can by a rivet;   a guard capable of sliding over the stay-tab opening device to keep foreign objects out of the beverage can;   the guard having a bracket to slideably fit over a part of the stay-tab opening device; and   the guard capable of advancing over an opening of the beverage can or retracting from the opening of the beverage can by sliding along a part of the stay-tab opening device.   
     
     
         21 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a beverage can including a stay-tab opening device secured to the beverage can by a rivet;   a horseshoe-shaped clip formed from a tab of the aluminum metal of the beverage can;   a protective guard attached to the horseshoe-shaped clip capable of covering an opening in the beverage can to keep foreign objects out of the beverage can.