Can and an urging member therefor

1 . An urging member for a can, the urging member having a central axis passing through a center of the urging member along a thickness direction thereof, the urging member comprising:

an inner side configured to face toward an interior of the can and an outer side configured to face toward an exterior of the can, when the urging member constitutes a base of the can, the inner side defining an inward direction of the urging member and the outer side defining an outward direction of the urging member;

a peripheral edge, at which the urging member is to be connected to a side wall of a can at one end thereof to form a semi-fabricated can, the peripheral edge having a surface which is an outermost surface in the outward direction, said outermost surface defining a reference plane of the urging member perpendicular to the central axis thereof;

at least one static strengthening bead having a top at the outer side of the urging member and a bottom at the inner side of the urging member, the strengthening bead extending along the peripheral edge, and the top being spaced from the bottom of the strengthening bead in the outward direction of the urging member to a distance not exceeding a distance between the bottom and the reference plane;

at least two dynamic strengthening beads located between the at least one static strengthening bead and the central axis and having a top at the outer side of the urging member and a bottom at the inner side of the urging member, the top of each dynamic strengthening bead being spaced from the respective bottom in the outward direction of the urging member and being located father from the reference plane than the top of the at least one static strengthening bead; the at least two dynamic strengthening beads being equally radially spaced from the central axis and being spaced apart from each other about the central axis by circumferential spacings;

a central portion surrounding the central axis and bounded by said at least two dynamic strengthening beads and the circumferential spacings, the central portion constituting at least a part of an urgeable area having a normal state in which said area is convexly curved toward the central axis in the outward direction and in which a normally-outermost surface of said central portion is disposed closer to the reference plane than the tops of said at least two dynamic strengthening beads, the urgeable area being repeatably elastically displaceable, when the peripheral edge of the urging member is fixed in place, in the following directions:

(a) in the inward direction of the urging member, upon the manual application of an urging force to the urgeable area by at least one finger of a user, thereby changing the state of the urgeable area from said normal state to a deformed state, in which said normally-outmost surface of the central portion is spaced from the reference plane to a greater distance than said tops of said at least two dynamic strengthening beads are spaced from said reference plane; and

(b) in the outward direction upon release of said urging force, thereby changing the state of said urgeable area from the deformed state to said normal state.

2 . The urging member according to claim 1 , wherein said central portion is defined by a circle inscribed between said at least two dynamic strengthening beads.

3 . The urging member according to claim 2 , wherein said at least two dynamic strengthening beads have equal lengths and are equally spaced about said central axis.

4 . The urging member according to claim 1 , wherein each of said at least two dynamic strengthening beads has an arcuate shape.

5 . The urging member according to claim 1 , wherein said at least two dynamic strengthening beads are constituted by two identical beads.

6 . The urging member according to claim 1 , wherein each of said at least two dynamic strengthening beads extends between two ends thereof; each pair of neighbouring ends of the dynamic beads being spaced from each other by the circumferential spacing therebetween.

7 . The urging member according to claim 6 , wherein each of said two dynamic strengthening beads extends along an arc length in the range of 75-100 degrees.

8 . The urging member according to claim 1 , wherein said static strengthening bead has a continuous circular shape about said central axis.

9 . The urging member according to claim 8 , wherein said static strengthening bead is spaced from the peripheral edge of the urging member at least by a static recess having a circular shape about the central axis.

10 . The urging member according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the urging member is constant at least along a majority of an area thereof.

11 . An urging member according to claim 6 , wherein each of said two dynamic strengthening beads extends along an arc length in the range of 80 and 90 degrees.

12 . A semi-fabricated can having a base constituted by the urging member according to claim 1 and a cylindrical can side wall to which the urging member is connected at the peripheral edge thereof.

13 . A method of producing a semi-fabricated can having a can side wall and an urging member and being free of a lid, the method comprising;

providing the urging member of claim 1 , made from a piece of a metal material; providing a cylindrical can side wall having a can wall base end, and

fixedly and sealingly connecting said urging member at the peripheral edge thererof to said can wall base end to constitute a can base in such an orientation that the inner side thereof faces toward a space defined by the can wall and the outer side thereof faces away from said space.

14 . A method of producing a semi-fabricated can free of a lid, the method comprising providing a piece of a metal material and using said piece to form a unitary body comprising the can side wall and a base in the form of the urging member of claim 1 , in such an orientation of the urging member that the inner side thereof faces toward a space defined by the can side wall and the outer side thereof faces away from said space.

15 . A can comprising the semi-fabricated can of claim 13 and an openable lid attached thereto.

16 . A can comprising the semi-fabricated can of claim 14 and an openable lid attached thereto.

17 . A can for containing a product comprising at least one solid component and at least one liquid component, the can with the product at least in a ready-for-sale state comprising a lid hermetically sealing the can and at least partially openable to allow at least partial removal of the product from the can, a base opposite the lid and a side wall extending therebetween;

the base being in the form of an urging member according to claim 1 operable, only when the lid is at least partially opened, to be repeatedly urged inwardly by a user applying thereto the urging force, thereby causing the urging member to function as a membrane in a pump directed to pump out the at least one liquid component from the can via the at least partially opened lid.

18 . A can according to claim 17 , wherein the urging member is elastically deformable between the normal and deformed states by the respective application and release of the urging force a number of times, said number being at least more than twenty.

19 . A can according to claim 17 , wherein in the normal state of the urging member, the urging member is generally convex in shape, and in the deformed state of the urging member, the urging member is generally concave in shape.

20 . A can according to claim 17 , wherein the ready-for-sale state of the can is a state which the can with the product has after having undergone an entire manufacturing process.

21 . A can according to claim 20 , wherein during said process, the can with the product is configured to withstand pressure differential between the inside and outside of the can of 150 KPa without buckling.

22 . A can according to claim 17 , wherein the product is a food product.

23 . A can according to claim 17 , wherein the product is tuna.

24 . A can for containing a product comprising at least one solid component and at least one liquid component, the can with the product at least in a ready-for-sale state, the can comprising:

a lid bermetically sealing the can and at least partially openable to allow at least partial removal of the product from the can;

a base opposite the lid and a side wall extending therebetween;

the base being in the form of an urging member, the urging member having a central axis passing through a center of the urging member along a thickness direction thereof, the urging member comprising:

an inner side configured to face toward an interior of the can and an outer side configured to face toward an exterior of the can, the inner side defining an inward direction of the urging member and the outer side defining an outward direction of the urging member;

a peripheral edge, at which the urging member is connected to the side wall at one end thereof, the peripheral edge having a surface which is an outermost surface in the outward direction, said outermost surface defining a reference plane of the urging member perpendicular to the central axis thereof;

an urgeable area surrounding said axis and having a normal state in which at least a part of said area is outwardly convexly curved toward the central axis at the outer side of the urging member;

a pattern of elements formed in the urging member and located between said peripheral edge and said central axis, the elements comprising at least one strengthening rib having a top at the outer side of the urging member and a bottom at the inner side of the urging member, the strengthening rib extending along the peripheral edge, and the top being spaced from the bottom of the strengthening rib in the outward direction of the urging member to a distance not exceeding that of a distance between the bottom and the reference plane; and a number of urgeability-providing elements located between the central axis and the at least one strengthening rib, said urgeability-providing elements being angularly spaced from each other about the central axis, being radially spaced from the strengthening rib and being configured to provide said urgeable area with the ability to be repeatably elastically displaceable, when the peripheral edge of the urging member is fixed in place, in the following directions:

(a) in the inward direction of the urging member, upon the manual application of an urging force to the urgeable area by at least one finger of a user, thereby changing the state of the urgeable area from a normal state in which the central portion of the area is disposed at a first location with respect to the reference plane, to a deformed state in which said central portion is disposed at a second location spaced from the reference plane to a greater distance than in the normal state; and

(b) in the outward direction upon release of said urging force, thereby changing the state of said urgeable area from the deformed state to said normal state,

wherein, the urging member is operable, only when the lid is at least partially opened, to be repeatedly urged inwardly by a user applying thereto the urging force, thereby causing the urging member to function as a membrane in a pump directed to pump out the at least one liquid component from the can via the at least partially opened lid.