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<!DOCTYPE ep-patent-document PUBLIC "-//EPO//EP PATENT DOCUMENT 1.0//EN" "ep-patent-document-v1-0.dtd">
<ep-patent-document id="EP03012705A1" file="03012705.xml" lang="en" country="EP" doc-number="1484256" kind="A1" date-publ="20041208" status="n" dtd-version="ep-patent-document-v1-0">
<SDOBI lang="en"><B000><eptags><B001EP>ATBECHDEDKESFRGBGRITLILUNLSEMCPTIESILTLVFIROMKCYALTRBGCZEEHU..SK................</B001EP><B005EP>J</B005EP><B007EP>DIM360 (Ver 1.5  21 Nov 2005) -  1100000/0</B007EP></eptags></B000><B100><B110>1484256</B110><B120><B121>EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION</B121></B120><B130>A1</B130><B140><date>20041208</date></B140><B190>EP</B190></B100><B200><B210>03012705.4</B210><B220><date>20030604</date></B220><B250>en</B250><B251EP>en</B251EP><B260>en</B260></B200><B400><B405><date>20041208</date><bnum>200450</bnum></B405><B430><date>20041208</date><bnum>200450</bnum></B430></B400><B500><B510><B516>7</B516><B511> 7B 65D  51/16   A</B511><B512> 7B 65D  81/20   B</B512><B512> 7B 65D  43/10   B</B512><B512> 7B 65D  51/24   B</B512></B510><B540><B541>de</B541><B542>Vakuumdeckel mit Belüftungsvorrichtung</B542><B541>en</B541><B542>Vacuum-closed lid with venting means</B542><B541>fr</B541><B542>Couvercle de conteneur fermé sous vide avec moyens d'event</B542></B540><B590><B598>7</B598></B590></B500><B700><B710><B711><snm>COMPANHIA METALURGICA PRADA</snm><iid>04456910</iid><irf>PTE-38R-009</irf><syn>METALURGICA PRADA, COMPANHIA</syn><syn>PRADA, COMPANHIA METALURGICA</syn><adr><str>Rua Engenheiro Francisco Pita Brito, 138</str><city>04753-080 Sao Paulo</city><ctry>BR</ctry></adr></B711></B710><B720><B721><snm>Girardi, Claudio Mauricio</snm><adr><str>Rua Visconde de Ouro Preto, 51</str><city>04725-000 Sao Paulo-SP</city><ctry>BR</ctry></adr></B721></B720><B740><B741><snm>Pelayo de Sousa Henriques, Rui</snm><iid>00073301</iid><adr><str>Arlindo de Sousa-Marcas e Patentes, LDa,
Rua de Sà da Bandeira, 706-6o.Dto.</str><city>4000-432 Porto</city><ctry>PT</ctry></adr></B741></B740></B700><B800><B840><ctry>AT</ctry><ctry>BE</ctry><ctry>BG</ctry><ctry>CH</ctry><ctry>CY</ctry><ctry>CZ</ctry><ctry>DE</ctry><ctry>DK</ctry><ctry>EE</ctry><ctry>ES</ctry><ctry>FI</ctry><ctry>FR</ctry><ctry>GB</ctry><ctry>GR</ctry><ctry>HU</ctry><ctry>IE</ctry><ctry>IT</ctry><ctry>LI</ctry><ctry>LU</ctry><ctry>MC</ctry><ctry>NL</ctry><ctry>PT</ctry><ctry>RO</ctry><ctry>SE</ctry><ctry>SI</ctry><ctry>SK</ctry><ctry>TR</ctry></B840><B844EP><B845EP><ctry>AL</ctry></B845EP><B845EP><ctry>LT</ctry></B845EP><B845EP><ctry>LV</ctry></B845EP><B845EP><ctry>MK</ctry></B845EP></B844EP></B800></SDOBI><!-- EPO <DP n="8000"> -->
<abstract id="abst" lang="en">
<p id="pa01" num="0001">A vacuum-closed cap provided with a device to open containers completely designed to allow the release of the inner pressure of the container (2) so that it can be opened later on, said cap (1) being fully removed therefrom and being comprised of a gripping ring (3), attached through its front tab to a shoulder (5) on its surface (6), said shoulder (5) being provided with a slit (7) in the junction between same and the surface (6) of the cap (1), in such a way that, when the tab (3) is manually pressed vertically upward, it reveals an orifice (8) caused by the disruption of said slit (9), said cap (1) being provided with shoulders or claws (9) which, during the filling process, are coupled to the packing wire (2) or the lip (10) thereof, thus attaining a perfect coupling between both the container (2) and the cap (1).<img id="iaf01" file="imgaf001.tif" wi="161" he="77" img-content="drawing" img-format="tif"/></p>
</abstract><!-- EPO <DP n="1"> -->
<description id="desc" lang="en">
<heading id="h0001"><b>Technical field</b></heading>
<p id="p0001" num="0001">The present specification is directed to a vacuum-closed cap provided with a device to open containers completely and designed to facilitate the opening of the container itself by releasing the inner pressure therein immediately, said cap being removed by means of the mere manual actuation of its tab.</p>
<heading id="h0002"><b>Background art</b></heading>
<p id="p0002" num="0002">The difficulty found by users when opening containers of food stuff and the like is known, for many times they have to use openers or other opening devices, a procedure that may bring about inconveniences of several kinds, cause wounds, besides the waste of part of the packed product.</p>
<p id="p0003" num="0003">Thus, in systems for vacuum-closing such containers, the cap, as explained above, is partially removed by using several opening instruments or devices, in order to release the inner pressure therein and thus remove the cap completely.</p>
<p id="p0004" num="0004">After it is opened, a certain difficulty to refit the cap is found when the content of the container is used continuously. This is due to the fact that the edge of the cap is generally damaged or warped by openers or other types of devices that may cause attrition or deformation at the time it is opened.<!-- EPO <DP n="2"> --></p>
<heading id="h0003"><b>Description of the invention</b></heading>
<p id="p0005" num="0005">Aiming at improving this system for closing and opening the container, the model of the cap in question was designed, wherein said cap, during the filling process, conforms the coupling of its claws or shoulders to the packing wire, keeping its power to fit into the container even with a constant opening thereof, in the event the packed product is used continuously.</p>
<p id="p0006" num="0006">As a critical feature, said cap is provided with a gripping ring attached adjacent a slit previously cut along its surface, thus creating a breaking point that, after the user manually disrupts said ring, reveals an orifice to release the inner pressure present in the container.</p>
<p id="p0007" num="0007">Thus, two distinct steps for opening the container are seen, which steps do not require the use of any kind of opening devices, since the first step, after the gripping ring is slightly actuated vertically, releases the inner pressure of the container, thus leaving the cap free and ready to be removed through the second step, wherein it is uncoupled from its inner shoulders or the lip claws or container wire, said claws being coupled while the filling process is carried out, as already mentioned.</p>
<p id="p0008" num="0008">Without any sort of attrition for opening same, the cap keeps its fitting power even when the packed product is used continuously at the same time conserving same for a long time.</p>
<heading id="h0004"><b>Brief description of the figures</b></heading>
<p id="p0009" num="0009">For briefing purposes, details of the cap are given in the accompanying drawings, wherein:<!-- EPO <DP n="3"> -->
<dl id="dl0001" compact="compact">
<dt>Figure 1 -</dt><dd>is a perspective view of the container;</dd>
<dt>Figure 2 -</dt><dd>is a plan view of the container;</dd>
<dt>Figure 3 -</dt><dd>is a side view showing the piling up of a few containers;</dd>
<dt>Figure 4 -</dt><dd>is a detail view - of the portion highlighted in figure 3 - showing the piling up of two containers;</dd>
<dt>Figure 5 -</dt><dd>is a detail view, of the closed cap;</dd>
<dt>Figure 6 -</dt><dd>is a detail view, showing the gripping ring on its open position, breaking the slit to release of the inner pressure of the container;</dd>
<dt>Figure 7 -</dt><dd>is a detail view, showing the container cap fully removed.</dd>
</dl></p>
<heading id="h0005"><b>Detailed description of the invention</b></heading>
<p id="p0010" num="0010">According to the accompanying drawings, the vacuum-closed cap provided with a device to open containers completely object of this invention consists of a cap (1) for containers (2) for food stuff and other similar products, said cap (1) being provided with a gripping ring (3) attached through its front tab (4) to a shoulder (5) on its surface (6).</p>
<p id="p0011" num="0011">The shoulder (5), at its junction with the surface (6) of the cap (1), is provided with a slit (7), as shown in Figure 5, in such a way that, when the ring (3) is manually depressed vertically upward, it reveals an orifice (8) at that location that appears when the slit (7) is disrupted.</p>
<p id="p0012" num="0012">Said orifice (8) promotes the release of the inner pressure of the container (2) so that the cap (1) remains then attached to the can (2) only when it is fit regularly.</p>
<p id="p0013" num="0013">The fitting is accomplished by the shoulders (9) or claws of the cap (1), which, during the filling process are coupled to the packing wire (2) or the lip (10) thereof, thus creating a perfect coupling between both the container<!-- EPO <DP n="4"> --> (2) and the cap (1).</p>
<p id="p0014" num="0014">Thus, the container (2) can be opened in two steps: the first one when the ring (3) is manually moved vertically upward thus disrupting the slit (7) and revealing an orifice (11) to release the inner pressure of the container (2). In the second step, when the cap (1) is only fit, the shoulders (9) or the claws of the container wire (2) or the lip (10) thereof are uncoupled therefrom.</p>
<p id="p0015" num="0015">Thus, the user can use continuously the content of the container (2) by closing or opening same constantly, without hampering the fitting power thereof, since there is not any sort of attrition between the cap (1) and the container (2) when it is opened, thus conserving same always easily closed and safe.</p>
</description><!-- EPO <DP n="5"> -->
<claims id="claims01" lang="en">
<claim id="c-en-0001" num="0001">
<claim-text>A vacuum-closed cap provided with a device to open containers completely, <b>characterized by</b> comprising a cap (1) that allows the release of the inner pressure of containers (2) so that they can be opened, through the orifice (8) of said cap (1), what can be done by means of a slit (7) adjacent to a shoulder (5) on the surface (6) thereof, by moving its gripping ring (3) vertically upward, which ring is attached through its front tab (4) to said shoulder (5).</claim-text></claim>
<claim id="c-en-0002" num="0002">
<claim-text>The vacuum-closed cap provided with a device to open containers completely according to claim 1, <b>characterized in that</b> the cap (1) fits the container (2) through claws or shoulders (9) during the filling process, being coupled to the packing wire (2) or the lip (10) thereof.</claim-text></claim>
</claims><!-- EPO <DP n="6"> -->
<drawings id="draw" lang="en">
<figure id="f0001" num=""><img id="if0001" file="imgf0001.tif" wi="147" he="232" img-content="drawing" img-format="tif"/></figure><!-- EPO <DP n="7"> -->
<figure id="f0002" num=""><img id="if0002" file="imgf0002.tif" wi="161" he="232" img-content="drawing" img-format="tif"/></figure><!-- EPO <DP n="8"> -->
<figure id="f0003" num=""><img id="if0003" file="imgf0003.tif" wi="163" he="217" img-content="drawing" img-format="tif"/></figure>
</drawings><!-- EPO <DP n="9000"> -->
<search-report-data id="srep" lang="en" srep-office="EP" date-produced=""><doc-page id="srep0001" file="srep0001.tif" wi="152" he="230" type="tif"/><!-- EPO <DP n="9001"> --><doc-page id="srep0002" file="srep0002.tif" wi="156" he="230" type="tif"/></search-report-data>
</ep-patent-document>
