Food tin with vacuum sealed lid

Abstract

A can comprises a metal can body and a metal lid. The can body has an edge defining a top opening into the body, and an inwardly directed bead (22) extending around the body adjacent to the top opening. The bead defines an upwardly facing sealing surface (25) and an inwardly facing surface (26). The lid has a centre panel (30), a wall (32) surrounding the centre panel, and an outwardly directed curl (34) at the top of the wall. The curl defines a peripherally extending channel (35) having an opening therein, and sealing compound (36) is located within the channel and projects through the opening. The can body and the lid are dimensioned to allow the lid to be press-fitted into the can body, so that an outwardly facing surface of the wall opposes the inwardly facing sealing surface of the bead, whilst the sealing compound is in sealing engagement with the upwardly facing sealing surface of the bead.

1 . A can comprising:
 a metal can body having a body edge defining a top opening into the body, the body further comprising an inwardly directed bead extending around the body adjacent to said top opening, the bead defining an upwardly facing sealing surface and an inwardly facing surface; and   a metal lid having a centre panel, a lid wall surrounding said centre panel, an outwardly directed curl at the top of said wall, the curl defining a peripherally extending channel having an opening therein, and sealing compound located within said channel and projecting through said opening,   the can body and the lid being dimensioned to allow the lid to be press-fitted into the can body so that an outwardly facing surface of said lid wall opposes the inwardly facing sealing surface of said bead of the can body, whilst said sealing compound is in sealing engagement with said upwardly facing sealing surface of the bead.   
     
     
         2 . A can according to  claim 1 , wherein the can body is a single piece can body and said inwardly directed bead is pressed into the can body. 
     
     
         3 . A can according to  claim 1 , the can body further comprises an annular can end component fixed to a can body wall, said component defining the inwardly directed bead. 
     
     
         4 . A can according to  claim 1 , further comprising an end closing a bottom of said can body, the lid being engaged with the can body and the can body containing a product, a partial vacuum being present within the can in order to pull the lid onto the can body, thereby compressing said sealing compound between the lid and the can body and effecting a substantially air tight seal between the lid and the can body. 
     
     
         5 . A can according to  claim 4 , wherein said centre panel defines a pop-up button within a central region thereof, such that the button is depressed when the lid is engaged with the can body and a partial vacuum is present within the can and is in a raised position when the partial vacuum is released. 
     
     
         6 . A can according to  claim 1 , wherein the can body and the lid are dimensioned to provide a gap of at least 1 mm between an outermost edge of said curl and an inner surface of said top opening. 
     
     
         7 . A can according to  claim 1 , wherein a gap between the upwardly facing sealing surface of the bead and a top of the body edge is approximately 3 mm. 
     
     
         8 . A can according to  claim 1 , the can body further comprises a sheet of metal rolled into a cylinder with a welded seam joining opposed edges of the sheet. 
     
     
         9 . A can according to  claim 4 , the can body further comprises a sheet of metal rolled into a cylinder with a welded seam joining opposed edges of the sheet and a base secured to the can body to close a bottom opening of the can body. 
     
     
         10 . A can according to  claim 1 , wherein said edge of the can body is a curled edge. 
     
     
         11 . A can according to  claim 1 , wherein a radially outermost region of the inwardly directed bead is collapsed in an axial direction to substantially close the bead to an area surrounding the can body. 
     
     
         12 . A can according to  claim 1 , wherein the inwardly directed bead has a substantially oval axial cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
         13 . A can according to  claim 1 , wherein each one of the upwardly facing sealing surface and the inwardly facing surface defined by the bead is substantially convex. 
     
     
         14 . A can according to  claim 1 , wherein the outwardly facing surface of the lid wall is substantially flat. 
     
     
         15 . A can according to  claim 1 , wherein the can body and the lid are dimensioned such that, when the lid is press-fitted into the opening of the can body, an upper surface of the lid is below the top of the can body. 
     
     
         16 . A can according to  claim 1 , wherein when the lid is engaged with the can body, the outwardly facing surface of the lid wall abuts the inwardly facing sealing surface of the bead, thereby providing a metal to metal seal. 
     
     
         17 . A can according to  claim 1 , wherein, when the lid is engaged with the can body, the sealing compound extends over the outwardly facing surface of the lid wall to seal said outwardly facing surface to the inwardly facing sealing surface of the bead.