Pt1-3 pull-tab

Abstract

The invention covers a number of alternative improvements to the prior art pull tab opener used to open container such as soda cans. One improvement is by forming the nose of the pull tab at a certain angle to the body of the tab or to the lifter tip or the nose tip, thus allowing the user to tilt the tab thus lifting the pull tip higher and providing more room for the user to insert the finger tip under the pull tip thus making it easier to open the container. Another improvement is by providing a deeper finger well under the lifter tip, again providing more room to insert the finger tip and making it easier to open the container.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener,
 said container lid applied to a container body,   said container lid comprising   a panel having a generally flat horizontal surface, and a scored area in said panel for defining a push-in seal, which is frangibly secured to said panel for enabling said push-in seal to be at least partially severed from said panel and   said pull tab opener, comprising   a rigid non-articulated elongated tab body, having a tab longitudinal axis and a tab transverse axis, said pull tab opener comprising   a nose portion, ending with a nose end and a nose tip, at one end of said tab body, along said tab longitudinal axis,   a lifter portion, ending with a lifter end and a lifter tip, at the opposite end of said tab body, along same said tab longitudinal axis, and   a controlled flex donut plate, being disposed between said nose portion and said lifter portion, proximate the intersection of said tab longitudinal and transverse axes,   two rigid side rails, connecting said nose portion and said lifter portion to each other and to said donut plate and running at a certain distance and a certain angle to said longitudinal axis of the pull tab opener, and   a cross-bridge, connecting said two side rails together, running transverse to the tab longitudinal axis, at a certain distance from said donut plate, and   said combination also comprising a rivet for pivotally securing said pull tab opener to said panel, said rivet being disposed proximate the intersection of said tab longitudinal and transverse axes, said rivet attaching said donut plate to said panel,   said donut plate being flexible enough to allow said tab body to have a vertical seesaw rotation or movement, i.e. to seesaw and to rotate in a vertical clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, about the tab transverse axis, when viewed from a cross-sectional side view direction, if and when a force is applied to any part of the tab body, e.g. a downward force on the nose portion or an upward force on the lifter portion, wherein an upward movement of said lifter portion creates a downward movement of said nose portion,   said nose end being disposed proximate said push-in seal and said lifter end being disposed remote therefrom, and wherein   the pull tab opener and container lid are shaped such that the nose end is overlying a portion of the push-in seal, but with a certain predetermined nose initial vertical clearance angle between the bottom surface of the nose end and top surface of the push-in seal, requiring that the tab body be rotated through a certain vertical angle, say by raising the lifter end of the pull tab opener a certain initial vertical clearance angle or distance, before the nose end touches the push-in seal, and wherein   the process sequence of opening the container lid and breaking open said push-in seal comprises at least two distinguishably individual and separate incremental process steps, which occur consecutively or sequentially, wherein   the first incremental process step or movement comprises the step of vertically rotating and pivoting or seesaw-ing the pull tab opener, so as to close the nose initial vertical clearance angle,   by moving the nose portion of the pull tab opener downwards towards the push-in seal, traversing said nose initial vertical clearance angle or distance, until the bottom surface of the nose portion reaches and touches the top surface of the underlying push-in seal, but just before engaging the push-in seal, and   the subsequent second incremental process step comprises the step of urging the nose portion of the pull tab opener to break open the push-in seal,   in other words,   said nose initial vertical clearance between the nose end and the push-in seal creates and introduces a delay in the onset of the larger second incremental force which is required to break open the push-in seal, thus making it easy to go through both the first incremental step, by applying only the smaller first incremental force to the pull tab opener, before encountering the need to apply the larger second incremental force which is required to break open the push-in seal, and wherein   while during the first incremental step, the rotating action does not totally eliminate all the nose initial vertical clearance angle, so that the nose end still remains above a certain minimum clearance elevation away and above the push-in seal, in other words, even at the end of the first rotation action, neither the nose end nor the nose tip will engage the push-in seal, so that neither the nose end nor the nose tip will apply any force on the push-in seal, which makes it that the first rotation of the pull tab opener takes place without the need of any force related to breaking or to opening the push-in seal.   
     
     
         2 . A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in  claim 1 , wherein
 a deep finger recess is provided underneath the lifter tip of the pull tab opener, to enable a user to more easily insert the tip of his/her finger tip under the lifter tip, to facilitate the process of lifting the lifter tip   
     
     
         3 . A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in  claim 1 , wherein
 the lifter tip of the pull tab opener is raised or rather tilted at an angle to the general direction of the main body of the pull tab opener, to enable a user to more easily insert the tip of his/her finger tip under the lifter tip, to facilitate the process of lifting the lifter tip   
     
     
         4 . A combination of a container lid and a pull tab opener, as in  claim 1 , wherein
 the nose tip of the pull tab opener is raised or rather tilted at an angle to the general direction of the main body of the pull tab opener, to enable a user to more easily vertically rotate the pull tab opener, to increase the initial vertical clearance angle or distance, to facilitate the process of lifting the lifter tip