Ball has filed a patent for a metal cup with a tapered profile and thin, straight-walled sections. The cup also features a domed portion at the bottom. The patent also covers the method of forming the cup, which involves cutting a blank from a coil of material, performing various operations, and expanding the cup to form the final container. The cup can be disposable, reusable, or recyclable. GlobalData’s report on Ball gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Ball, Packaging cans with tearing tabs was a key innovation area identified from patents. Ball's grant share as of September 2023 was 63%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
A patent for a method of forming metal cups
A recently filed patent (Publication Number: US20230302517A1) describes a method for forming a metal container. The method involves several steps to create the container from a coil of material.
First, a blank is cut from the coil of material, and then a cup is formed from the blank. A redraw operation is performed on the cup to refine its shape. The cup is then provided to a bodymaker, who carries out additional operations such as doming or finishing steps.
Next, at least a portion of the cup's diameter is expanded, and further doming or decorating steps may be performed to shape the cup into the final container.
The patent also mentions the possibility of performing a curl or edge treatment at the open end of the cup. This curl can be formed after the cup is expanded and may have an inward curl shape, with the distal end of the curl positioned near the interior of the container.
The inward curl can have specific dimensions, with a height between approximately 0.050 inches and 0.200 inches, and a width between approximately 0.050 inches and 0.20 inches.
The method described in the patent can be used for various materials, including aluminum.
Overall, this patent presents a detailed method for forming metal containers, providing a step-by-step process that includes cutting, forming, redrawing, expanding, and potentially adding curls or edge treatments to create the final container shape.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
