The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 23, 1999
Filed:
May. 21, 1997
Thomas Daniel Arkins, Ridgefield, CT (US);
Panagiotis Kinigakis, West Windsor, NJ (US);
Kraft Foods, Inc., Northfield, IL (US);
Abstract
An easy-open beverage container and an opening system for the beverage container are provided which include a container barrier wall having a straw hole. An easy-open tamper-evident membrane seal is located inside of the container and sealingly covers the straw hole. This membrane seal includes an outer portion which is sealed to an inside surface of the barrier wall about the straw hole and which terminates at a distance from the straw hole. This outer portion includes fingers which extend toward the straw hole. The membrane seal also includes an inner portion integral with the outer portion which is not sealed to the inside surface and which covers the straw hole so that in use the straw pierces the inner portion after being inserted into the straw hole. Preferably, the fingers form a sinusoidal intersection of the inner and outer portions, and the inner and outer portions as well as the straw hole are concentric. In addition, the membrane seal is formed of a laminate of LLDPE-EVOH-LLDPE suitably laminated together, as by tie layers, with the EVOH less than 40% of the thickness of the laminate and each LLDPE is at least 30% of the thickness of the laminate. The distance is greater than about 1/3 the diameter of the straw and less than about 1 2/3 the diameter of the straw, and the inner portion has a minimum edge to edge spacing of at least three times the diameter of the straw.