Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D41/00—Caps, e.g. crown caps or crown seals, i.e. members having parts arranged for engagement with the external periphery of a neck or wall defining a pouring opening or discharge aperture; Protective cap-like covers for closure members, e.g. decorative covers of metal foil or paper
  • B65D41/32—Caps or cap-like covers with lines of weakness, tearing-strips, tags, or like opening or removal devices, e.g. to facilitate formation of pouring openings
  • B65D41/34—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers provided with tamper elements formed in, or attached to, the closure skirt
  • B65D41/3404—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers provided with tamper elements formed in, or attached to, the closure skirt with ratchet-and-pawl mechanism between the container and the closure skirt or the tamper element
  • B65D41/3419—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers provided with tamper elements formed in, or attached to, the closure skirt with ratchet-and-pawl mechanism between the container and the closure skirt or the tamper element the tamper element being formed separately but connected to the closure
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D55/00—Accessories for container closures not otherwise provided for
  • B65D55/02—Locking devices; Means for discouraging or indicating unauthorised opening or removal of closure
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D2401/00—Tamper-indicating means
  • B65D2401/15—Tearable part of the closure
  • B65D2401/35—Vertical or axial lines of weakness

Definitions

• This invention relates to container closures, and especially to closures of the so called "pilferproof" type.
• "Pilferproof" closures are well known and widely used, and their object is to provide visual evidence that containers to which they have been applied have or have not been tampered with, for one reason or another.
• "Pilferproof" closures are made from both metal and plastics materials, the metal types being the more widely used.
• One known type comprises an overcapsule or sleeve, e.g. of lead/tin or shrunk plastics.
• Another well known type consists of a cap shell, unthreaded in the case of metal or pre-threaded in the case of plastics, to the bottom of which is attached by spaced frangible bridges a security or pilferproof ring.
• the security ring When the closure is applied to a container the security ring is deformed or shrunk below a retaining bead on the container, to prevent axial movement of the closure off the container. When the closure is rotated to remove it from the container the bridges fracture, thus indicating that the container has been opened.
• Such a fitment comprises a valve body which fits within the neck of a container, an annular shoulder or flange which fits over the container neck rim, and a screw-threaded pouring spout through which the container contents are dispensed and to which is screw threadedly attached a cap.
• the fitment is held on the container by means of a cowl, which is flanged over the annular shoulder and deformed into an annular recess on the container neck beneath the annular, shoulder. It has become popular to cover non-refillable fitments such as that mentioned above with pilferproof closures. These are frequently of the aforementioned capsule type. A disadvantage of these is that they must be applied in a subsequent step to the primary closure application step.
• a closure for a container comprises a cap adapted for screw-threaded connection with the container or with a member affixed thereto, an annular frangible ring rotationally connectable with said cap, and means on said container or said member affixed thereto causing breakage of said frangible ring upon rotation of said cap.
• the screw-threaded cap may comprise a single cap member, or it may be a two-part cap, having an inner screw-threaded cap member, for connection with the container or the member affixed to the container, e.g. the screw-threaded portion of a non-refillable fitment, and an outer cap member captively attached to the inner cap member and rotatable therewith at least in the unscrewing direction.
• the outer cap member may be provided with internal axial ribs or grooves interengaging with external grooves or ribs respectively formed on the inner cap member. Captive attachment of the cap members may be achieved by providing the inner cap member with an outwardly-directed bead or shoulder over which the outer cap member is axially pushed.
• the annular frangible ring which is separate from but connectable with the cap, is suitably provided with two or more weakened portions, which may for example take the form of thin wall sections. Coupling of the frangible ring with the cap may be provided by inter-engaging or intermeshing axially-extending ribs formed on the cap and the frangible ring. The intermeshing ribs are so positioned that when the cap is applied to the
• the ribs interengage such that rotational movement of the cap is transmitted to the frangible ring.
• the ribs on the cap are suitably formed on the outer cap member. Breakage of the frangible ring may be accomplished in several ways.
• the ring may be provided with one or more inwardly-directed lugs or cam-shaped projections. Similar projections, outwardly-directed however, may be provided on the container neck, or on the fitment therein.
• the frangible ring will also rotate in an unscrewing direc tion, until the projection or projections on the frangible ring come into contact with the projection or projections on the container.
• the closure of the invention is applied to a container in the following manner: the frangible ring is first placed on the container neck, or on a fitment therein, and the screw cap is applied thereto. As the screw cap reaches the lowermost part of its travel, the screw cap and frangible ring come into rotational connection. Any attempt thereafter to remove the cap results in the breaking, of the annular ring.
• the inner part is screwed to the container or fitment, and then the outer cap member is pushed axially onto the inner cap member, until the lower edge of the outer cap member snaps over the bead at the lower end of the inner cap member and comes intorotational coupling with the frangible ring.
• Figure 1 is an exploded view of a cap according to the invention and a non-refillable fitment
• Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of a cap covering a non-refillable fitment within the neck of a container;
• Figure 3 is a part-sectional elevation of an outer cap member;
• Figure 4 is a part-sectional elevation of an inner cap member
• Figure 5 is a plan view of a frangible ring.
• the closure of the invention comprises an outer cap 1, an inner cap 2 and a frangible ring 3.
• the closure is used with a non-refillable fitment 4, similar in general construction to that described in U.K. Patent Specification 1,178,237, but modified as will be described hereinafter.
• the outer cap 1 is shown in greater detail in Figure 3. It has a disc top 10 depending from the periphery of which is a cylindrical skirt 11.
• the skirt 11 is provided with knurling 12, for ease of manual grasping, and with a series of internal radially-extending ribs 13.
• the inner wall of the skirt 11 is also provided with an annular ledge 14.
• At the lower end of skirt 11 is a ring 15 of thinner cross section than the remainder of the skirt, ring 15 being provided with a series of equi-spaced ribs 16.
• the inner cap see Figure 4, has a disc top 20 and a depending annular skirt 21 provided with a series of spaced outwardly-extending ribs 22 for engagement with the ribs 13 of the outer cap member 1.
• the inner cap member is internally screw-threaded, at 23, and is provided beneath the ribs 22 with an outwardly-directed flexible arcuate rim 24.
• Figure 5 shows the frangible ring 3 in plan. It comprises a radially-extending substantially annular disc 30 from the periphery of which a cylindrical wall 31 extends upwardly.
• the inside surface of wall 31 is provided with spaced axially-extending ribs 32.
• ribs 32 are provided in two separate series, each serles occupying approximately a quarter of the .internal periphery of wall 31.
• the disc 30 is formed, at diametrically opposed positions, with two generally-triangular shaped inwardly-directed protuberance forming lugs 33. Immediately adjacent each lug 33 the disc 30 is interrupted and the thickness of the wall 31 is reduced to give two diametrically-opposed lines of weakness 34 at which the ring 3 may be caused to break, as hereinafter described.
• the closure of the invention is used in association with a non-refillable fitment 1, which is similar to that illustrated in U.K. Specification 1,178,237, but differs in that it is provided with four outwardly-extending lugs 40, whose purpose is to engage lugs 33 on the ring 3.
• the fitment 4 has a valve body 41 to which is attached a screw-threaded upper portion 42 at the base of which is an annular shoulder 43 which merges with an outwardly- directed flange 44 adapted to overlie the rim of a container mouth into which the fitment is fitted.
• the closure is assembled on the neck of a container 50 in the manner shown in Figure 2.
• a sealing gasket 51 is placed over the mouth of the container neck and the fitment 4 (shown only in outline in Figure 2) is placed with its. valve body within the neck of the container and its flange 44 resting on the seal 51 and overlying the container mouth.
• the fitment 4 is firmly held in place by the application of a cowl, in known manner.
• Two different forms of cowl are shown in Figure 2; that on the left-hand side is a metal cowl 52, and holds the fitment 4 in place by means of a flange 53 and a circumferential portion 54 which is deformed into an annular recess- 55 provided on the container neck.
• a plastics cowl 56 which has an inwardly-directed flange 57 overlying flange 44, and an annular web 58 seated beneath a bead 59 formed on the container neck.
• Ring 3 is then placed over the screw-threaded upper part of the fitment 4, and rests on the flange (53 or 57 of the cowl (52 or 56).
• the ring 3 is preferably rotated until the lugs 33 are in contact with corresponding lugs 40 for reasons to be explained below.
• Inner cap 2, con taining a sealing gasket 60 is screw-threadedly attached to the upper portion 42 of the fitment 4.
• Outer cap 1 is pushed vertically downwards over inner cap 2, the ribs 13 on the inside of the outer cap. passing between adjacent pairs of ribs 22 on the outside of the inner cap. During this movement of the outer cap ledge 14 deforms and passes over rim 24, which then snaps back behind it.
• the outer cap 1 is manually grasped and rotated in a counter-clockwise manner. This has the effect of rotating inner cap 2, by virtue of the meshing interaction between ribs 13 and ribs 22 on the outer and inner caps respectively. Rotation of the outer cap 1 also causes rotation of the ring 3, by virtue of the intermeshing of ribs 16 and 32 on the outer cap and ring 3 respectively. Rotation of ring 3 brings the lugs 33 into contact with the lugs 40 on the fitment 4. As the closure is further unscrewed, reaction between the lugs 33 and 40 causes the ring 3 to break along one or both of the lines of weakness 34.
• Ring 3 can then be removed and the closure unscrewed in the normal manner.
• the fact that the ring 3 is broken or is removed indicates that the closure has been unscrewed from the container.
• the mechanism of fracture of ring 3 may follow, any suitable pattern.
• lugs 33 contact lugs 40 there may be a camming action as lugs 40 "ride up" the ramp faces of lugs 33, the ring 3 thus being deformed and stretched until breakage occurs.
• the shape of the lugs on the fitment 4 and on the ring 3 may be such that continued unscrewing of the closure with the lugs in contact puts the lines of weakness in the ring under such stress that they break without otherwise deforming the ring.
• the ring should be moulded or subsequently biassed in elliptical shape.
• the lugs on the container, or on the associated fitment hold the ring in substantially circular form, but the ring is thus under tension, allowing it to "spring” away from the container on fracture.
• the ring may be moulded with radially inwardly directed fingers which contact the container neck or associat ed fitment and are , again , under tension .
• each series of ribs 32 can consist of a single rib.
• each series of ribs 32 is placed in advance of the adjacent line of weakness, in the unscrewing direction (counterclockwise as viewed in Figure 5) so that the portion of the ring on the trailing side of the line of weakness is not positively driven by the cap during unscrewing.
• the frangible ring is suitably made of a relatively soft material, e.g. high density polyethylene, to enable the ribs of the closure to ride over the ribs formed on the ring during application of the closure.
• a relatively soft material e.g. high density polyethylene
• the ribs of the closure and/or on the ring may have a profile similar to those described in our U.K. Patent Application No:7900354.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=10530150

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (15)

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• 1983
  • 1983-05-03 WO PCT/GB1983/000129 patent/WO1983003810A1/en unknown
  • 1983-05-03 ES ES1983278143U patent/ES278143Y/es not_active Expired
  • 1983-05-03 PT PT76631A patent/PT76631B/pt unknown
  • 1983-05-03 GB GB08400126A patent/GB2131007B/en not_active Expired
  • 1983-05-03 JP JP58501585A patent/JPS59500961A/ja active Pending
  • 1983-05-03 EP EP83901337A patent/EP0108085A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1983-05-03 IE IE1019/83A patent/IE54188B1/en unknown
  • 1983-05-03 IT IT20917/83A patent/IT1194223B/it active

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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