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Push-in style drink tab popular today
This is not Mike Debinham’s design which now
has gone the same way as the first ring-pull.
The Push-in Pop-Top can was first seen on The
Inventors TV series which was on air between
1970-1982. It gave backyard inventors with
a golden opportunity to launch their new idea.
Some other well known inventions first seen on
The Inventors include The Swirl on Rotary Brush,
Ferro Cement Building Panel, Split Nut, Orbital
Engine and Digital Heart-Rate Monitor were al
successful innovations that made their
debut on the program.
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The ring-pull pop-top opening drink can was invented in the USA by Ermal Faze, but the throwaway ring-pull design caused a huge litter problem and was also sharp and dangerous.
In 1973 Mike Debenham invented the Presto pop-top can. His push-in drink tab design had two holes, one to let out the pressure inside the can and the other for a straw. The tabs stayed stuck to the can so they do not create litter.
Presto cans were sold all over the world but since then other non-littering can opening designs have been developed that have improved on the original design.
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The first Pop Top Can with the throwaway ring-pull was invented by Ermal Fraze, owner of Dayton Reliable Tool and Manufacturing Company. The legend goes that, in the late 1950s, Fraze was at a family picnic and wanted a beer, but had forgotten the can opener. He was forced to employ the bumper of his car to open the beer. In his frustration, Fraze vowed to develop an easy-opening can. The first shipments of the pop top can went to the Iron City brewery, and the public response was enthusiastic.
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