Aluminum Company of America

Milton L Stineman

George L Smith, Jr

An improved method of forming and construction for a tabless, digitally openable sheet metal container component including at least two inwardly displaceable, adjacently disposed opening panels. The opening panels are substantially rigid and are located within an integral deflectable portion projecting outwardly from the general plane of the surface wall of the container component and having a common deflectable surface between the opening panels in the form of a raised bridge of metal therebetween designed to respond to digitally applied pressure creating stress sufficient to initiate substantially simultaneous fracture of frangible webs which define the loci of separation of the opening panels. The container component is formed by opposed die sets which, in a single operation, extrude metal from between opposing die surfaces to produce a thin residual of metal in the frangible web around each opening panel and form the deflectable portions around the opening panels.

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Shelocta, PA, United States of America

Milton L Stineman