CA1264303A - Tamper resistant closure - Google Patents
Tamper resistant closureInfo
- Publication number
- CA1264303A CA1264303A CA000465681A CA465681A CA1264303A CA 1264303 A CA1264303 A CA 1264303A CA 000465681 A CA000465681 A CA 000465681A CA 465681 A CA465681 A CA 465681A CA 1264303 A CA1264303 A CA 1264303A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- container
- disc
- cap
- opening
- adhesive
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
Links
Landscapes
- Closures For Containers (AREA)
Abstract
Tamper Resistant Closure Abstract A tamper-indicating container seal for use with sealed containers comprising a translucent cap, having a rupturable membrane placed in the cap which is adapted to seal to the container and means, such as a deposit of adhesive, are provided to bond a portion of the rupturable membrane to the cap.
Description
126i4303 Description Tamper Resi~tant Clo~ure Technical Field This invention relates to an improvement in caps for bottles or other containers which will provide a visual indication at the point of purchase or before use if the cap has been previously removed, and in one aspect, to an improved cap and liner construction.
sackground Art This invention relates to an improvement in a cap for a container which includes a container seal secured within the cap to afford the consumer the opportunity to readily determine whether or not the cap has been previously opened or tampered with since the container left the manufacturer or packaging company.
The need for seals to seal the container beneath the cap and to seal the cap to the container has become accepted to determine whether or not there was any tampering with the container at the point of purchase. The present invention provides a tamper-indicating inner seal for caps having at least a portion of the top thereof being transparent by which one can readily tell whether or not the cap has been tampered with at the point of purchase.
The need for preventing one from readily removing the seal of a container and replacing the ~ame without detection has been present for some time. One prior patent relating to a rupturable container closure which is used in the seal for a container is ~hown in U.S.A. patent
sackground Art This invention relates to an improvement in a cap for a container which includes a container seal secured within the cap to afford the consumer the opportunity to readily determine whether or not the cap has been previously opened or tampered with since the container left the manufacturer or packaging company.
The need for seals to seal the container beneath the cap and to seal the cap to the container has become accepted to determine whether or not there was any tampering with the container at the point of purchase. The present invention provides a tamper-indicating inner seal for caps having at least a portion of the top thereof being transparent by which one can readily tell whether or not the cap has been tampered with at the point of purchase.
The need for preventing one from readily removing the seal of a container and replacing the ~ame without detection has been present for some time. One prior patent relating to a rupturable container closure which is used in the seal for a container is ~hown in U.S.A. patent
2,131,774, iæsued October 4, 1938 to Waring. This patent discloses a cap which is used to force a plate against a liner or gasket to seal the top of the bottle. Between the plate and the cap is a rupturable disc of fibrous or other suitable rupturable material having impressed thereon a safety design of a type making the duplication or counterfitting of such a di~c as difficult as possible. It lZ6~303 is desirable to bind the disc to the plate by some suitable adhesive or cemen~. The cap however is provided with prongs which, after the cap is in place, are forced downward to penetrate the rupturable disc in areas above a groove formed in the metal plate. When openir,g the container it is merely necessary for the user to impart a reverse turning movement to the closure. During the first portion of this movement the metal shell will turn independently of the packing liner or gasket, the plate and the rupturable disc, and the prongs ~ill move along the groove and tear the material of the disc forming jagged and irregular tears in the disc. After the prongs have once been placed through the disc it would be extremely difficult to remove the cap in a manner which could avoid detection.
The invention of the present application provides for the destruction by rupturing, tearing, or disfiguring of the inner seal upon rotation of the cap in much the same manner, but, adhesives are used to adhere a rupturable liner to the inside of the cap. The liner comprises means to bond the inner seal to the container such that movement between the cap and container causes the destruction of the liner and a very visible indication of tamperin~ with this closure.
The present invention has the advantage of being formed for use with normal cap lining equipment and with induction sealing equipment which seals the existing cap liner materials to the container upon the containers being filled.
Summary of the Invention The present invention provides a closure for a container ~64303 having a surface surroundlng an opening to the container, a removable translucent cover member removably mounted over said opening in the container, a membrane defining a seal for said container which is bonded in fixed relationship to said surface of said container surrounding said opening, and a deposit of adhesive adhered to the inside of said cover member and to said membrane, said deposit of adhesive being spaced from the surface surrounding said opening and being spaced from the center of said cover whereby relative movement between the cover member and said container will cause a tearing of said membrane by said deposit of adhesive within the area of said opening.
The cap lnner seal or membrane material may be punched from a web of material and placed in the cap utilizing standard machinery for inserting cap liners in the caps. The adhesive is applied to the cap and the seal material is placed in the cap, then the seal material is pressed into the cap to contact the adhesive to the cap and disc. After the container is filled the cap and the membrane or inner seal will be placed on the container. Induction heating may be utilized to seal the inner seal to the container about the opening thereof. The adhesive between the cap and the rupturable material, which is adhered to the container, will cause the rupturable disc to tear as the adhesive moves with the cap relative to the container. The same rupturing occurs with a translucent polymeric cap whether threaded on or snapped on over a rib or shoulder formed around the open end of the container when the cap is rotated to the open position.
The rupturable disc is preferably formed of a thin layer ~2643V3 of metal foil such as aluminum which is coated with a heat sealable layer such as polyethylene. The rupturable disc would preferably be prlnted or coated with colored materials to readily expose in the ruptured areas of the rupturable disc indicating that the container has been opened or attempted to be opened.
Other suitable materials include paper, thin films, perforated films or foils or a composite of two foils each coated with a sealing layer.
Brief DescriPtion of Drawinq This invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:
Figure 1 is an exploded view with the cap and liner in vertical section to illustrate interior features;
Figure 2 is a fragmentary top perspective view lZ~3(~;~
aS -showing the cap turned and the liner ruptured;
Figure 3 i4 a diagram~atic sectional view of a second embodiment of a cap and liner constructed in accordance with the present invention; and Figure 4 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a cap, liner and container constructed according to a further embodiment.
Detailed Description The present invention provides an improved 10 tamper-indicating closure for a container which w~.^n se~lcd to a container will provide a readily detectable tamper-indicating closure for the container. As illustrated in the attached drawing, where similar numerals on the various figures illustrate identical parts, a cap 10 formed 15 of a translucent polymeric material, e.g., a transparent polyolefin and having internal threads 11 is adapted to mate with the threads 12 provided on the outer cylindrical surface of the neck of a container 13. The cap 10 may be provided with annular ribs 14 formed in the top of the cap and positioned to be opposite the upper surface of the neck of the container. The ribs 14 terminate in narrow edges for concentrating the sealing heat and pressure in this region.
A cap liner is placed inside of the cap and this is usually done by the cap manufacturer, and the caps are supplied to the packager with the liner placed in the cap.
The cap liner is generally designated by the reference numeral 15 and comprise~ a disc 16 of rupturable material coated with a sealing layer 17. A deposit of adhesive 20 - i8 placed in the cap 10 for adhering the disc 16 to the interior surface 21 of the top of the cap 10. At least a portion of this top must be translucent as will be explained below.
The web from which the cap liner 15 is die cut comprises the layer 16 of aluminum foil which may be 0.025 mm (0.001 inch) in thickness, although foils from 0.05 mm ~0.002 inch) and thinner have been used with success. The lZ64303 layer 16 has a coating 17 of a heat sealable material such as polyethylene. Indicium, ~ormed by a layer ~2, preferably an ink, is printed on the surface of the layer 15 opposite the adhesive coating. The indicium 22 may alternatively be 5 a layer of colored material. The deposit of adhesive 20 may be a spot of adhesive used to join the layer 16 to the surface 21 of the cap. Spots of adhesive may be placed also in a random dot pattern on the web from which the liner 15 is cut. The adhesive is preferably a spot of Jet Melt 3764 10 adhesive available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, MN, U.S.A. This adhesive is a -IOt melt adhesive. Spots or strips of a strong pressure-sensitive adhesive could be substituted.
When sealed to a container 13 the cap 10 is positioned tightly on the neck of the container, the adhe-sive 20 seals the disc 15 to the cover 10 and the layer 17 seals the disc 15 to the surface of the container surrounding the container opening. As illustrated in Figure 2, when the cover is turned in a counterclockwise direction to remove the cover equipped with screw threads, the adhesive 20 tears the disc 15 due to the relative movement between the cover and disc. A similar rupture would occur if the cover were turned to a position matching an arrow on the cover with an arrow on the container to permit the cover to be lifted off the container. The removal of the cap thus also tears out the container seal affording direct imme-diate access to the contents without breaking another seal.
~his package could then be used for the sterile delivery of medical devices or materials in operating rooms, clinics etc. After the package is sealed, sterilization by ethylene oxide ga3 or gamma radiation can sterilize the contents, and they can be delivered ~terile by removing the cap, thus tearing the seal, and emptying the container.
Figure 3 illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention wherein the cap 10 has a disc 15 sealed by adhesive 20 to the cap. A second disc 35 is placed in the cap in contact with the disc 1~. Disc 35 may comprise a ;43V3 layer 36 of metal foil coated with a heat ~ealable material 37. When placed on a container the induction heating process causes the disc 15 to bond about its periphery to the layer 36 which in turn i9 bonded to the edge of the container surroundin~ the opening by layer 37.
The disc 15 may be color coated or printed with suitable ink 22 to bear a desired me~sage or the manufacturer's logo. The disc 35, or layer 36 thereof is printed with indicia of contrasting color or coated with a contrasting color to be clearly visible when the disc lS is torn to indicate the cover has been tampered with or opened.
The present invention provides a cap liner which provides a tamper indication and the use of metal, i.e., aluminum foil, for the rupturable layer 16, and for layer 36 allows the sealing layers 17 and 37 to be a normally nontacky material activated to have adhesive quality when the assembled cap, liner and container are exposed to energy to inductively heat the foil layers to activate the sealing layers. The layer 16 however could be a paper or perforated film material and easily rupturable which is bonded by a pre~sure-sensitiv% adhesive coating 17 to the contrasting layer 36 of the disc 35. Relative rotational movement would result in the paper or film layer being torn 25 and peeled from the layer 36 exposing the layer 36 through the cover 10.
~ n Figure 4 a cap 40 is illustrated wh~ch i~ of the child-resistant type which has a recess 41 formed on the side walls to mate over an interrupted rib 42 on the container 43. The cap 40 and container 43 each have an arrow 44 molded therein or placed thereon to permit the discontinuity in the rib 42 to be aligned with the projection in the cap 40 to permit removal of the cap.
A deposit of adhesive 45 in the form of a spot of curable adhesive or a strip of pressure-sensitive adhesive extending acro~s a surface of a disc 46 adheres the disc 46 to the cover. The disc 46 may ~e 0.0025 mm (0.001 inch) dead ~oft aluminum foil.
12~i4303 In this embodiment an activatable adhesive material is coated on the container 43 on the surface surrounding the opening. This adhesive will bond the disc 46 to the container. One adhesive substance may be an ethylene vinyl acetate which will bond upon the application of heat. Other suitable adhesives may be coated on and activated by presure.
Havin~ disclosed the invention with reference to several embodiments it is understood that modifications can be made without departin~ from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
The invention of the present application provides for the destruction by rupturing, tearing, or disfiguring of the inner seal upon rotation of the cap in much the same manner, but, adhesives are used to adhere a rupturable liner to the inside of the cap. The liner comprises means to bond the inner seal to the container such that movement between the cap and container causes the destruction of the liner and a very visible indication of tamperin~ with this closure.
The present invention has the advantage of being formed for use with normal cap lining equipment and with induction sealing equipment which seals the existing cap liner materials to the container upon the containers being filled.
Summary of the Invention The present invention provides a closure for a container ~64303 having a surface surroundlng an opening to the container, a removable translucent cover member removably mounted over said opening in the container, a membrane defining a seal for said container which is bonded in fixed relationship to said surface of said container surrounding said opening, and a deposit of adhesive adhered to the inside of said cover member and to said membrane, said deposit of adhesive being spaced from the surface surrounding said opening and being spaced from the center of said cover whereby relative movement between the cover member and said container will cause a tearing of said membrane by said deposit of adhesive within the area of said opening.
The cap lnner seal or membrane material may be punched from a web of material and placed in the cap utilizing standard machinery for inserting cap liners in the caps. The adhesive is applied to the cap and the seal material is placed in the cap, then the seal material is pressed into the cap to contact the adhesive to the cap and disc. After the container is filled the cap and the membrane or inner seal will be placed on the container. Induction heating may be utilized to seal the inner seal to the container about the opening thereof. The adhesive between the cap and the rupturable material, which is adhered to the container, will cause the rupturable disc to tear as the adhesive moves with the cap relative to the container. The same rupturing occurs with a translucent polymeric cap whether threaded on or snapped on over a rib or shoulder formed around the open end of the container when the cap is rotated to the open position.
The rupturable disc is preferably formed of a thin layer ~2643V3 of metal foil such as aluminum which is coated with a heat sealable layer such as polyethylene. The rupturable disc would preferably be prlnted or coated with colored materials to readily expose in the ruptured areas of the rupturable disc indicating that the container has been opened or attempted to be opened.
Other suitable materials include paper, thin films, perforated films or foils or a composite of two foils each coated with a sealing layer.
Brief DescriPtion of Drawinq This invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:
Figure 1 is an exploded view with the cap and liner in vertical section to illustrate interior features;
Figure 2 is a fragmentary top perspective view lZ~3(~;~
aS -showing the cap turned and the liner ruptured;
Figure 3 i4 a diagram~atic sectional view of a second embodiment of a cap and liner constructed in accordance with the present invention; and Figure 4 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a cap, liner and container constructed according to a further embodiment.
Detailed Description The present invention provides an improved 10 tamper-indicating closure for a container which w~.^n se~lcd to a container will provide a readily detectable tamper-indicating closure for the container. As illustrated in the attached drawing, where similar numerals on the various figures illustrate identical parts, a cap 10 formed 15 of a translucent polymeric material, e.g., a transparent polyolefin and having internal threads 11 is adapted to mate with the threads 12 provided on the outer cylindrical surface of the neck of a container 13. The cap 10 may be provided with annular ribs 14 formed in the top of the cap and positioned to be opposite the upper surface of the neck of the container. The ribs 14 terminate in narrow edges for concentrating the sealing heat and pressure in this region.
A cap liner is placed inside of the cap and this is usually done by the cap manufacturer, and the caps are supplied to the packager with the liner placed in the cap.
The cap liner is generally designated by the reference numeral 15 and comprise~ a disc 16 of rupturable material coated with a sealing layer 17. A deposit of adhesive 20 - i8 placed in the cap 10 for adhering the disc 16 to the interior surface 21 of the top of the cap 10. At least a portion of this top must be translucent as will be explained below.
The web from which the cap liner 15 is die cut comprises the layer 16 of aluminum foil which may be 0.025 mm (0.001 inch) in thickness, although foils from 0.05 mm ~0.002 inch) and thinner have been used with success. The lZ64303 layer 16 has a coating 17 of a heat sealable material such as polyethylene. Indicium, ~ormed by a layer ~2, preferably an ink, is printed on the surface of the layer 15 opposite the adhesive coating. The indicium 22 may alternatively be 5 a layer of colored material. The deposit of adhesive 20 may be a spot of adhesive used to join the layer 16 to the surface 21 of the cap. Spots of adhesive may be placed also in a random dot pattern on the web from which the liner 15 is cut. The adhesive is preferably a spot of Jet Melt 3764 10 adhesive available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, MN, U.S.A. This adhesive is a -IOt melt adhesive. Spots or strips of a strong pressure-sensitive adhesive could be substituted.
When sealed to a container 13 the cap 10 is positioned tightly on the neck of the container, the adhe-sive 20 seals the disc 15 to the cover 10 and the layer 17 seals the disc 15 to the surface of the container surrounding the container opening. As illustrated in Figure 2, when the cover is turned in a counterclockwise direction to remove the cover equipped with screw threads, the adhesive 20 tears the disc 15 due to the relative movement between the cover and disc. A similar rupture would occur if the cover were turned to a position matching an arrow on the cover with an arrow on the container to permit the cover to be lifted off the container. The removal of the cap thus also tears out the container seal affording direct imme-diate access to the contents without breaking another seal.
~his package could then be used for the sterile delivery of medical devices or materials in operating rooms, clinics etc. After the package is sealed, sterilization by ethylene oxide ga3 or gamma radiation can sterilize the contents, and they can be delivered ~terile by removing the cap, thus tearing the seal, and emptying the container.
Figure 3 illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention wherein the cap 10 has a disc 15 sealed by adhesive 20 to the cap. A second disc 35 is placed in the cap in contact with the disc 1~. Disc 35 may comprise a ;43V3 layer 36 of metal foil coated with a heat ~ealable material 37. When placed on a container the induction heating process causes the disc 15 to bond about its periphery to the layer 36 which in turn i9 bonded to the edge of the container surroundin~ the opening by layer 37.
The disc 15 may be color coated or printed with suitable ink 22 to bear a desired me~sage or the manufacturer's logo. The disc 35, or layer 36 thereof is printed with indicia of contrasting color or coated with a contrasting color to be clearly visible when the disc lS is torn to indicate the cover has been tampered with or opened.
The present invention provides a cap liner which provides a tamper indication and the use of metal, i.e., aluminum foil, for the rupturable layer 16, and for layer 36 allows the sealing layers 17 and 37 to be a normally nontacky material activated to have adhesive quality when the assembled cap, liner and container are exposed to energy to inductively heat the foil layers to activate the sealing layers. The layer 16 however could be a paper or perforated film material and easily rupturable which is bonded by a pre~sure-sensitiv% adhesive coating 17 to the contrasting layer 36 of the disc 35. Relative rotational movement would result in the paper or film layer being torn 25 and peeled from the layer 36 exposing the layer 36 through the cover 10.
~ n Figure 4 a cap 40 is illustrated wh~ch i~ of the child-resistant type which has a recess 41 formed on the side walls to mate over an interrupted rib 42 on the container 43. The cap 40 and container 43 each have an arrow 44 molded therein or placed thereon to permit the discontinuity in the rib 42 to be aligned with the projection in the cap 40 to permit removal of the cap.
A deposit of adhesive 45 in the form of a spot of curable adhesive or a strip of pressure-sensitive adhesive extending acro~s a surface of a disc 46 adheres the disc 46 to the cover. The disc 46 may ~e 0.0025 mm (0.001 inch) dead ~oft aluminum foil.
12~i4303 In this embodiment an activatable adhesive material is coated on the container 43 on the surface surrounding the opening. This adhesive will bond the disc 46 to the container. One adhesive substance may be an ethylene vinyl acetate which will bond upon the application of heat. Other suitable adhesives may be coated on and activated by presure.
Havin~ disclosed the invention with reference to several embodiments it is understood that modifications can be made without departin~ from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims (6)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A closure for a container having a surface surrounding an opening to the container, a removable translucent cover member removably mounted over said opening in the container, a membrane defining a seal for said container which is bonded in fixed relationship to said surface of said container surrounding said opening, and a deposit of adhesive adhered to the inside of said cover member and to said membrane, said deposit of adhesive being spaced from the surface surrounding said opening and being spaced from the center of said cover whereby relative movement between the cover member and said container will cause a tearing of said membrane by said deposit of adhesive within the area of said opening.
2. A closure according to claim 1 wherein said membrane comprises a disc of metallic foil.
3. A closure according to claim 2 wherein said metallic foil has a coating of heat-activatable adhesive material coated on the surface thereof adjacent said surface surrounding said opening to the container to bond said disc to said surface.
4. A closure according to claim 1 wherein said membrane comprises a readily rupturable membrane which will tear easily upon relative movement between said cover member and said container to open said container at said opening permitting access to the contents of said container.
5. A closure according to claim 4 wherein said membrane comprises a perforated film material.
6. A closure according to claim 1 wherein said membrane comprises a readily rupturable disc adhered to said deposit of adhesive and a second disc is adhered to said rupturable membrane adjacent the outer edges thereof, said second disc is bonded to the surface of said container surrounding said opening, and said rupturable disc and said second disc are formed to differ visually such that relative rotational movement of said cover member and said container affords a tearing of said rupturable disc to expose said second disc through said cap and visually indicate the cover member has been tampered with or opened.
SMART & BIGGAR
OTTAWA,CANADA
SMART & BIGGAR
OTTAWA,CANADA
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US55398883A | 1983-11-21 | 1983-11-21 | |
| US553,988 | 1983-11-21 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1264303A true CA1264303A (en) | 1990-01-09 |
Family
ID=24211601
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000465681A Expired - Fee Related CA1264303A (en) | 1983-11-21 | 1984-10-17 | Tamper resistant closure |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1264303A (en) |
-
1984
- 1984-10-17 CA CA000465681A patent/CA1264303A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US4576297A (en) | Tamper resistant closure | |
| US4666052A (en) | Tamper indicating cap assembly | |
| US4579240A (en) | Tamper indicating cap assembly | |
| EP0266924B1 (en) | Innerseal capable of indicating heat tampering | |
| US4747499A (en) | Tamper indicating closure with adhesive-attached gasket | |
| US5197618A (en) | Tamper-evident fusion bonded pull-tab induction foil lining system for container closures | |
| US4747500A (en) | Tamper indicating transparent closure | |
| US4754890A (en) | Tamper evident safety seal | |
| US5092477A (en) | Container closure | |
| RU2136558C1 (en) | Container sealing cap and its vacuum sealing disk | |
| US4588099A (en) | Film seal for container | |
| US5544770A (en) | Tamper evident seal and system | |
| CA2681685C (en) | Container seal with removal tab and holographic security ring seal | |
| CA2681683C (en) | Container seal with removal tab and piercable holographic security seal | |
| US4822326A (en) | Method of forming a tamper evident sealing liner | |
| GB2150539A (en) | Improvements in or relating to packages and closures therefor | |
| US4793504A (en) | Closure with containment of telltale means | |
| KR100206403B1 (en) | Tamper evident closure using microcapsules. | |
| US4719740A (en) | Tamper indicating hermetic seal | |
| US5477972A (en) | Tamper evident closure device for bottles and the like | |
| WO1985002165A1 (en) | Tamper indicating cap | |
| US4778069A (en) | Tamper indicating package | |
| GB2243825A (en) | Sealing member and container sealed therewith | |
| CA1264303A (en) | Tamper resistant closure | |
| GB2134893A (en) | Tamper indicating closure |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKLA | Lapsed |