EP0149198A2 - Tamper-indicating closure - Google Patents
Tamper-indicating closure Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0149198A2 EP0149198A2 EP84115976A EP84115976A EP0149198A2 EP 0149198 A2 EP0149198 A2 EP 0149198A2 EP 84115976 A EP84115976 A EP 84115976A EP 84115976 A EP84115976 A EP 84115976A EP 0149198 A2 EP0149198 A2 EP 0149198A2
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- closure
- sidewall
- container
- thread
- inside surface
- 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.)
- Granted
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Classifications
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- 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
- B65D41/02—Caps or cap-like covers without lines of weakness, tearing strips, tags, or like opening or removal devices
- B65D41/04—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation
- B65D41/0435—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation with separate sealing elements
- B65D41/045—Discs
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- 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
- B65D41/3461—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers provided with tamper elements formed in, or attached to, the closure skirt the tamper element being retracted by heat or by heat and pressure
- B65D41/3466—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers provided with tamper elements formed in, or attached to, the closure skirt the tamper element being retracted by heat or by heat and pressure and being integrally connected to the closure by means of bridges
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- 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
- B65D51/00—Closures not otherwise provided for
- B65D51/16—Closures not otherwise provided for with means for venting air or gas
- B65D51/1672—Closures not otherwise provided for with means for venting air or gas whereby venting occurs by manual actuation of the closure or other element
- B65D51/1688—Venting occurring during initial closing or opening of the container, by means of a passage for the escape of gas between the closure and the lip of the container mouth, e.g. interrupted threads
Definitions
- This invention relates to a tamper-indicating closure suitable for use in packaging carbonated beverages.
- thermoplastic closures Due to the economy of manufacture and availability of raw material, the utilization of thermoplastic closures in packaging carbonated beverages is becoming more popular. To be commercially acceptable, the closure must have tamperproof qualities. As understood in the closure art, the term "tamperproof” also has the meaning of tamper-indicating qualities.
- a highly successful tamperproof system for use on thermoplastic closures is the one disclosed in U.S. Patent Specification 4,206,851. This system utilizes a fracturable band which can be heat shrunk into an interfering fit with a container flange. The fracturable band is carried by a plurality of non-fracturable ribs attached to the lowermost end of the closure sidewall.
- either the container and/or the closure must be designed to prevent premature release of the closure from the container.
- This premature release phenomenon is most often experienced as the user turns the closure to begin its removal from the container.
- the closure As the closure is turned, it moves axially upward thus breaking the seal between the top of the closure and the top of the container.
- pressurized gas from the container enters between the sidewall of the closure and the container, tending to bulge the closure sidewall outwardly.
- the closure threads are pulled away from engagement with the container threads and the connection between the container and closure is tenuous at best. If the gas is under sufficient pressure, the closure will be released from the container since the container-closure thread engagement is insufficient to contain the pressurized gas. This release is oftentimes with great force thereby presenting danger to the user.
- thermoplastics materials enables the solution of these problems.
- Thermoplastic closures can be designed so that a vent groove is cut on the inside surface of the closure sidewall across the closure threads. See U.S. Patent Specification 3,888,347.
- the width of the vent groove and the number of vent grooves utilized can be varied to provide the necessary venting rate for the conditions expected. Further, with this type of system, there will be no dirt entrapping openings exposed to the outside of the closure. (The use of such a groove on a metal closure is not practical as the metal closures used in packaging carbonated beverages are almost all roll formed on the container from a blank.)
- EP-A-0060218 describes a screw cap for bottles of carbonated beverage.
- the thread of the cap and/or the thread of the bottle have one or more spacers on one or both sides of the flanks of the thread to form a ventilation channel which runs approximately vertically between the flanks of the thread.
- GB-A-2062593 discloses a container cap having heat-shrinkable tamper-indicating means comprising an annular band attached to the sidewall of the cap by a plurality of spaced-apart ribs.
- the band is so structured that when heat is applied after the cap is fitted to the container at least one region of reduced cross-sectional area is produced in the band as it is shrunk around the container neck.
- the degree and incidence of shrinkage is increased when the lower portion of the sidewall is thinned out so that it flares outwardly from the container flange.
- the flare configuration is desirable since it aids in placement of the cap on the container as it goes through the capping line.
- the flaring is also desirable as it provdes a space between the closure sidewall and the container flange.
- this thinned sidewall portion will more likely reach its heat shrinking temperature if it receives stray heat from the source used to apply heat to the tamperproof band.
- thermoplastics material closure having a heat-shrinkable tamperproof band and a pressurized gas venting system which are compatible with each other.
- the invention provides a thermoplastic closure for fitment to a container and comprising a top wall, an annular sidewall downwardly depending from the top wall and with a closure thread about the inside surface thereof, sealing means above the closure thread adapted, in use, to achieve a gas-tight seal with the container, a vent groove extending from a point above the closure thread to a lower portion of the sidewall below the thread for venting gas from the container to the atmosphere subsequent to loss of a gas-tight seal upon loosening of the closure from fitment to the container, at each point of traverse by the vent groove of the closure thread a rigidifying means which has a perpendicular height measured from the sidewall less than the perpendicular height of the closure thread measured from the sidewall, and heat-shrinkable tamper-indicating means attached to the bottom of the closure sidewall.
- the location of the vent groove in the closure presents problems itself.
- the use of the vent groove requires a recessed cut in the closure sidewall across the closure thread, with the result being that the closure sidewall is thinner at the vent slot and unsupported by a continuous thread.
- the weakened sidewall Upon tightening the closure to the container, the weakened sidewall will expand outwardly as, in its weakened configuration, it cannot support the forces applied on it by the engagement of the container and closure threads.
- the pressurized gas can cause the weakened closure sidewall to expand. Both the closure expansion realized upon tightening and the closure expansion caused by the pressurized gas jeopardize the closure-container thread engagement.
- a rigidifying structure is also provided to enhance the hoop strength of the closure sidewall at the vent groove(s).
- the structure is located at each point of traverse by the venting groove with the closure thread. This structure is dimensioned so that its perpendicular height, measured from the sidewall, is less than the perpendicular height of the closure thread, also measured from the inside surface of the sidewall.
- the pressurized gas is able to find sufficient escapement cross sectional area in the venting groove.
- Location of the rigidifying structure at the point(s) of intersection of the vent groove and the closure thread insures that no threading interference will occur between the structure and the cooperation of the closure and container threads.
- the vent groove(s) width and depth will be dependent upon the pressures expected to be encountered as the closure is removed from the container.
- venting can be accomplished bv using a vertical vent groove on the container or closure because with the vent groove the gas is not trapped between the closure sidewall and the container neck, there is still a chance for blow-off if the thread engagement is lessened too quickly as sufficient time will not have passed for the pressurized cas to complete its venting. For some closures, complete unscrewing of the closure from the container can take as little as one-half of a second. Clearly, in this amount of time, venting has only started and pressure in the container is still high.
- the lower portion of the inside surface of the closure sidewall is preferably flared slightly outward.
- tamper-indicating means preferably a fracturable, heat-shrinkable, tamperproof band which is attached to the closure sidewall by means of a plurality of non-fracturable ribs.
- annular bead which operates as a heat sink.
- a plurality of stand-off protuberances are preferably positioned about the inside surface of the closure sidewall.
- these protuberances will take the form of vertical ribs, a rib being located adjacent each side of the lowermost extent of the vent groove(s) 26.
- thermoplastics material closure for fitment to a container and comprising a top wall, an annular sidewall downwardly depending from said top wall and with a closure thread about the inside surface thereof and stand-off protuberances about the lower inside surface of said sidewall adapted, in use, to aid in keeping said sidewall from making contact with the container, sealing means above said closure thread adapted, in use, to achieve a gas-tight seal with the container, gas venting means for venting gas from the container to atmosphere subsequent to loss of a gas-tight seal upon loosening of said closure from fitment to the container, and heat-shrinkable tamper-indicating means attached to the bottom of said sidewall.
- the closure of this invention has a top wall 12 and a downwardly depending annular sidewall 14. Nested against the inside surface of top wall 12 is a liner 22. Liner keepers 24 are utilized to hold liner 22 in a position adjacent the inside surface of top wall 12. Liner 22 is utilized to effect a gas-tight seal with the top lip of the container neck. Other sealing systems may be utilized with the closure of this invention. The systems utilized, whether they be liner systems or liner- less systems, must fulfill the requirement that they be capable of effecting a gas-tight seal under the pressure expected in the package. About the inside surface of sidewall 14 there is provided a helical thread 2Q. Helical thread 20 is dimensioned to cooperate with container helical thread 42, shown in Figure 3, to effect fitment of closure 10 to the container.
- vent grocve 26 Recessed in the inside surface of sidewall 14 is vent grocve 26. As can be seen in Figure 2, vent groove 26 intersects closure thread 20. For the embodiments shown in the drawings, a single vent groove is utilized. However, it is to be understood that more than one vent groove may be used. The width and depth of vent groove 26 should be such that sufficient passageway is provided for the pressurized gas so that it may be vented safely to the atmosphere within a period of time that is shorter than the time necessary for removal of closure 10 from the container by the user.
- rigidifying structure 34 Traversing vent groove 26 at each point of its intersection with closure thread 20 is rigidifying structure 34.
- rigidifying structure 34 has a cross sectional shape resembling a truncated pyramid. Whatever the form of rigidifying structure 34, it cannot have a height, measured from the inside surface of sidewall 14, greater than the height of closure thread 20, also measured from the inside surface of sidewall 14. However, the height of rigidifying structure 34 should not be so small that it is not able to achieve its required enhancement of sidewall hoop strength. Determination of the height of rigidifying structure 34 will be dependent on several factors, i.e.
- a useful closure is one made of polypropylene having a vent groove width of about 1/16 inch (1.6 nm) and depth of .005 to .015 inches (0.13-0.38 nm), a sidewall thickness of .035 to .040 inches (0.89-1.02 mn) , a closure thread traversing approximately 430 degrees having conventional thread engagement and a rigidifying structure height of about 2/3 of thread height.
- the sizing of rigidifying structure 34 is empirically determined by observation and experimentation, both of which are well within the ability of those skilled in the art having the disclosure of this invention before them.
- annular boss 30 serves the function of providing a heat sink for absorption of "stray heat" from the heat shrinking operation of band 16.
- the configuration and size of annular boss 30 is not critical so long as the heat sink function is achieved and thus the lowermost portion of sidewall 14 does not reach a temperature which would cause its shrinkage.
- protuberances 32 are provided. These protuberances prevent any tendency of the lower portion of sidewall 14 to move towards the container.
- these protuberances are vertical ribs grouped in pairs and spaced each pair every ninety degrees. In fact, it has been found desirable to dimension ribs 32 so that when the closure is fitted to the container, sidewall 14 is slightly deformed outwardly from the container. It is to be understood that other forms of protuberances may be utilized such as beads and the like.
- ribs 18 Extending downwardly from the lowermost edge of sidewall 14 are a plurality of non-fracturable ribs 18. These ribs are for carrying heat shrinkable tamper-indicating band 16. Band 16 is provided with at least one weakened portion so that this portion can fracture upon stress applied to the band. This fracture of the band is a clear indication to the user that the closure has been tampered with.
- closure lO is shown fitted to a container.
- container neck 40 has closure 10 fitted thereto by the cooperation of container threads 42 and closure threads 20.
- heat shrinkable band 16 has been heat shrunken so that it has moved to a position of interference with container flange 48.
- unscrewing of closure 10 results in upward axial movement of the closure, which movement forces the fracture of band 16 as it is not able to follow this axial movement without fracturing due to its interference with container flange 48.
- the spacing 50 between the lowermost edge of sidewall 14 and container flange 48 has been maintained since no shrinkage of sidewall 14 at its lowermost portion has occurred.
- ribs 32 will act to accomplish this function.
- a particularly useful closure of this invention is one made of polypropylene. However, it is to be understood that other materials may be utilized such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, high density polyethylene, and the like.
- the closure of this invention may be made by any well known injection molding techniques.
- annular boss 30 Illustrative of the benefits realised when utilizing an annular boss 30 in this invention is the fact that a polypropylene closure with the features of this invention and such a boss can be passed through a 52 inch (132 cm) long slotted forced-air heater utilizing 404°C. air with a passage time of two seconds and a package rotation of 3-1/4 revolutions per pass without shrinkage of the lower portion of sidewall l4.
- annular boss 30 had a thickness measured from the inside wall to the outside wall of 0.037 inches (0.94 mn). Without annular boss 30, the thickness would normally be 0.028 inches (0.71 mn) for this partial of sidewall 14.
Abstract
Description
- This invention relates to a tamper-indicating closure suitable for use in packaging carbonated beverages.
- Due to the economy of manufacture and availability of raw material, the utilization of thermoplastic closures in packaging carbonated beverages is becoming more popular. To be commercially acceptable, the closure must have tamperproof qualities. As understood in the closure art, the term "tamperproof" also has the meaning of tamper-indicating qualities. A highly successful tamperproof system for use on thermoplastic closures is the one disclosed in U.S. Patent Specification 4,206,851. This system utilizes a fracturable band which can be heat shrunk into an interfering fit with a container flange. The fracturable band is carried by a plurality of non-fracturable ribs attached to the lowermost end of the closure sidewall. Attempted removal of the closure from the container results in fracture of the band as it attempts to override the container flange. There are other tamperproof systems, such as the ones shown in U.S. Patent Specification 4,033,472 and British Patent Specification 1,384,370, which also utilizes a tamperproof band which needs to be heated so that it can achieve a position of interfering with a container flange.
- In designing the total package, either the container and/or the closure must be designed to prevent premature release of the closure from the container. This premature release phenomenon is most often experienced as the user turns the closure to begin its removal from the container. As the closure is turned, it moves axially upward thus breaking the seal between the top of the closure and the top of the container. Upon loss of the seal, pressurized gas from the container enters between the sidewall of the closure and the container, tending to bulge the closure sidewall outwardly. As the closure of the sidewall bulges outwardly, the closure threads are pulled away from engagement with the container threads and the connection between the container and closure is tenuous at best. If the gas is under sufficient pressure, the closure will be released from the container since the container-closure thread engagement is insufficient to contain the pressurized gas. This release is oftentimes with great force thereby presenting danger to the user.
- One of the most popular threaded closures used in packaging carbonated products is the nearly ubiquitous metal cap. To aid in preventing premature release of this type of closure, the art has suggested providing a vent slot through the container threads. The slot provides a path for the pressurized gas to vent to the atmosphere, thus preventing closure bulge. Reference is made to U.S. Patent Specification 4,007,848. In U.S. Patent Specification 4,007,851 another venting method for metal closures is shown. The closure is constructed to have, at a point adjacent the intersection of the sidewall and the top wall, at least one vent through which the pressurized gas may pass. Another type of system, one which uses circumferential venting, is shown in U.S. Patent Specification 1,739,659. These systems, while they may work in theory, are not particularly desirable as either they require modification in the design of the container threaded neck portion, they have dirt trapping openings in the closure itself, or they do not provide a sufficient amount of venting.
- The use of thermoplastics materials enables the solution of these problems. Thermoplastic closures can be designed so that a vent groove is cut on the inside surface of the closure sidewall across the closure threads. See U.S. Patent Specification 3,888,347. The width of the vent groove and the number of vent grooves utilized can be varied to provide the necessary venting rate for the conditions expected. Further, with this type of system, there will be no dirt entrapping openings exposed to the outside of the closure. (The use of such a groove on a metal closure is not practical as the metal closures used in packaging carbonated beverages are almost all roll formed on the container from a blank.)
- EP-A-0060218 describes a screw cap for bottles of carbonated beverage. The thread of the cap and/or the thread of the bottle have one or more spacers on one or both sides of the flanks of the thread to form a ventilation channel which runs approximately vertically between the flanks of the thread.
- GB-A-2062593 discloses a container cap having heat-shrinkable tamper-indicating means comprising an annular band attached to the sidewall of the cap by a plurality of spaced-apart ribs. The band is so structured that when heat is applied after the cap is fitted to the container at least one region of reduced cross-sectional area is produced in the band as it is shrunk around the container neck.
- Combining a tamperproof system which utilizes heat application with a venting system, such as the one described above, can present a problem in the fact that application of heat to the tamperproof band cannot be done very precisely and that, oftentimes, heat intended for the band also reaches the lower closure sidewall. Heating of the sidewall can cause it to shrink inwardly and make intimate contact with the container flange or container neck. When this occurs, the function of the venting system is compromised as the shrunken portion of the sidewall which is in contact with the container interferes with gas escapement.
- The degree and incidence of shrinkage is increased when the lower portion of the sidewall is thinned out so that it flares outwardly from the container flange. The flare configuration is desirable since it aids in placement of the cap on the container as it goes through the capping line. The flaring is also desirable as it provdes a space between the closure sidewall and the container flange. Of course, by thinning out the lower portion of the closure sidewall, this thinned sidewall portion will more likely reach its heat shrinking temperature if it receives stray heat from the source used to apply heat to the tamperproof band.
- The problems of the prior art are overcome by providing a thermoplastics material closure having a heat-shrinkable tamperproof band and a pressurized gas venting system which are compatible with each other.
- Thus, the invention provides a thermoplastic closure for fitment to a container and comprising a top wall, an annular sidewall downwardly depending from the top wall and with a closure thread about the inside surface thereof, sealing means above the closure thread adapted, in use, to achieve a gas-tight seal with the container, a vent groove extending from a point above the closure thread to a lower portion of the sidewall below the thread for venting gas from the container to the atmosphere subsequent to loss of a gas-tight seal upon loosening of the closure from fitment to the container, at each point of traverse by the vent groove of the closure thread a rigidifying means which has a perpendicular height measured from the sidewall less than the perpendicular height of the closure thread measured from the sidewall, and heat-shrinkable tamper-indicating means attached to the bottom of the closure sidewall.
- Desirable as it may be, the location of the vent groove in the closure presents problems itself. The use of the vent groove requires a recessed cut in the closure sidewall across the closure thread, with the result being that the closure sidewall is thinner at the vent slot and unsupported by a continuous thread. Upon tightening the closure to the container, the weakened sidewall will expand outwardly as, in its weakened configuration, it cannot support the forces applied on it by the engagement of the container and closure threads. Also, when the closure is loosened from its seal position, the pressurized gas can cause the weakened closure sidewall to expand. Both the closure expansion realized upon tightening and the closure expansion caused by the pressurized gas jeopardize the closure-container thread engagement. When the thread engagement is compromised to the extent that the pressure inside the closure cannot be held by the threads, then premature release of the closure occurs. Using a closure with thickened sidewalls is not an answer as such a closure uses more thermoplastics material per closure and could not compete economically in the marketplace.
- Accordingly, a rigidifying structure is also provided to enhance the hoop strength of the closure sidewall at the vent groove(s). The structure is located at each point of traverse by the venting groove with the closure thread. This structure is dimensioned so that its perpendicular height, measured from the sidewall, is less than the perpendicular height of the closure thread, also measured from the inside surface of the sidewall. By having the rigidifying structure with this smaller dimension, the pressurized gas is able to find sufficient escapement cross sectional area in the venting groove. Location of the rigidifying structure at the point(s) of intersection of the vent groove and the closure thread insures that no threading interference will occur between the structure and the cooperation of the closure and container threads. The vent groove(s) width and depth will be dependent upon the pressures expected to be encountered as the closure is removed from the container.
- In addition, although the venting can be accomplished bv using a vertical vent groove on the container or closure because with the vent groove the gas is not trapped between the closure sidewall and the container neck, there is still a chance for blow-off if the thread engagement is lessened too quickly as sufficient time will not have passed for the pressurized cas to complete its venting. For some closures, complete unscrewing of the closure from the container can take as little as one-half of a second. Clearly, in this amount of time, venting has only started and pressure in the container is still high. Thus, preferably, on the inside surface of the annular sidewall is a helical extended closure thread traversing from 400 to 500 degress and dimensioned for cooperation with a similar container thread for fitment of the closure to the container neck.
- In the present closure, the lower portion of the inside surface of the closure sidewall is preferably flared slightly outward.
- Connected to the lowermost edge or bottom of the closure sidewall is tamper-indicating means, preferably a fracturable, heat-shrinkable, tamperproof band which is attached to the closure sidewall by means of a plurality of non-fracturable ribs. To give the lower portion of the closure sidewall resistance to achieving a temperature conducive to its shrinkage, there is preferably provided on the outside surface of this sidewall portion an annular bead which operates as a heat sink.
- To help prevent contact between the inside surface of the closure sidewall and the container, a plurality of stand-off protuberances are preferably positioned about the inside surface of the closure sidewall. Preferably, these protuberances will take the form of vertical ribs, a rib being located adjacent each side of the lowermost extent of the vent groove(s) 26.
- Our copending application published under No 0067650 from which the present application is divided is also directed towards a tamper-indicating closure and claims a thermoplastics material closure for fitment to a container and comprising a top wall, an annular sidewall downwardly depending from said top wall and with a closure thread about the inside surface thereof and stand-off protuberances about the lower inside surface of said sidewall adapted, in use, to aid in keeping said sidewall from making contact with the container, sealing means above said closure thread adapted, in use, to achieve a gas-tight seal with the container, gas venting means for venting gas from the container to atmosphere subsequent to loss of a gas-tight seal upon loosening of said closure from fitment to the container, and heat-shrinkable tamper-indicating means attached to the bottom of said sidewall.
- The invention will now be further described and illustrated by way of the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which identical numerals refer to identical parts, and in which:
- FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a closure of this invention;
- FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken through section line 2-2 of Figure 1;
- FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view of the closure shown in Figure 1 fitted to a container;
- FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view of a closure not in accordance with this invention;
- FIGURE 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing the path of escapement for the pressurized gas as the closure shown in Figures 1,2 and 3 is removed from a container; and
- FIGURE 6 is a partial sectional view taken through section line 6-6 of Figure 2.
- Referring now to Figures 1-2, the closure of this invention, generally designated by the numeral 10, has a
top wall 12 and a downwardly dependingannular sidewall 14. Nested against the inside surface oftop wall 12 is aliner 22.Liner keepers 24 are utilized to holdliner 22 in a position adjacent the inside surface oftop wall 12.Liner 22 is utilized to effect a gas-tight seal with the top lip of the container neck. Other sealing systems may be utilized with the closure of this invention. The systems utilized, whether they be liner systems or liner- less systems, must fulfill the requirement that they be capable of effecting a gas-tight seal under the pressure expected in the package. About the inside surface ofsidewall 14 there is provided a helical thread 2Q.Helical thread 20 is dimensioned to cooperate with containerhelical thread 42, shown in Figure 3, to effect fitment ofclosure 10 to the container. - Recessed in the inside surface of
sidewall 14 is ventgrocve 26. As can be seen in Figure 2, ventgroove 26 intersectsclosure thread 20. For the embodiments shown in the drawings, a single vent groove is utilized. However, it is to be understood that more than one vent groove may be used. The width and depth ofvent groove 26 should be such that sufficient passageway is provided for the pressurized gas so that it may be vented safely to the atmosphere within a period of time that is shorter than the time necessary for removal ofclosure 10 from the container by the user. - Traversing
vent groove 26 at each point of its intersection withclosure thread 20 is rigidifyingstructure 34. For the embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 6,rigidifying structure 34 has a cross sectional shape resembling a truncated pyramid. Whatever the form ofrigidifying structure 34, it cannot have a height, measured from the inside surface ofsidewall 14, greater than the height ofclosure thread 20, also measured from the inside surface ofsidewall 14. However, the height ofrigidifying structure 34 should not be so small that it is not able to achieve its required enhancement of sidewall hoop strength. Determination of the height ofrigidifying structure 34 will be dependent on several factors, i.e. the pressures expected to be encountered, the material of construction for the closure, the width and depth venting groove(s) 26, the length ofclosure thread 20 and the degree of engagement betweenclosure thread 20 andcontainer thread 42. An example of a useful closure is one made of polypropylene having a vent groove width of about 1/16 inch (1.6 nm) and depth of .005 to .015 inches (0.13-0.38 nm), a sidewall thickness of .035 to .040 inches (0.89-1.02 mn) , a closure thread traversing approximately 430 degrees having conventional thread engagement and a rigidifying structure height of about 2/3 of thread height. For other materials and other venting channel depths and sidewall thicknesses, the sizing ofrigidifying structure 34 is empirically determined by observation and experimentation, both of which are well within the ability of those skilled in the art having the disclosure of this invention before them. - The inside surface of
sidewall 14, at its lowermost end., is preferably provided with a flared profile when viewed in cross section. Such flaring is beneficial for the reasons stated previously. About the lowermost outside surface ofsidewall 14 anannular boss 30 is desirably provided. As mentioned previously,annular boss 30 serves the function of providing a heat sink for absorption of "stray heat" from the heat shrinking operation ofband 16. Thus, the configuration and size ofannular boss 30 is not critical so long as the heat sink function is achieved and thus the lowermost portion ofsidewall 14 does not reach a temperature which would cause its shrinkage. - To further discourage contact of the lower inside
surface 28 ofsidewall 14 with the container, stand-offprotuberances 32 are provided. These protuberances prevent any tendency of the lower portion ofsidewall 14 to move towards the container. For the embodiment shown, these protuberances are vertical ribs grouped in pairs and spaced each pair every ninety degrees. In fact, it has been found desirable todimension ribs 32 so that when the closure is fitted to the container,sidewall 14 is slightly deformed outwardly from the container. It is to be understood that other forms of protuberances may be utilized such as beads and the like. - Extending downwardly from the lowermost edge of
sidewall 14 are a plurality ofnon-fracturable ribs 18. These ribs are for carrying heat shrinkable tamper-indicatingband 16.Band 16 is provided with at least one weakened portion so that this portion can fracture upon stress applied to the band. This fracture of the band is a clear indication to the user that the closure has been tampered with. - In Figure 3, closure lO is shown fitted to a container. As can be seen in this figure,
container neck 40 hasclosure 10 fitted thereto by the cooperation ofcontainer threads 42 andclosure threads 20. Note thatheat shrinkable band 16 has been heat shrunken so that it has moved to a position of interference withcontainer flange 48. As can be appreciated, unscrewing ofclosure 10 results in upward axial movement of the closure, which movement forces the fracture ofband 16 as it is not able to follow this axial movement without fracturing due to its interference withcontainer flange 48. Also, it is to be seen from Figure 3 that the spacing 50 between the lowermost edge ofsidewall 14 andcontainer flange 48 has been maintained since no shrinkage ofsidewall 14 at its lowermost portion has occurred. Also, as pointed out previously,ribs 32 will act to accomplish this function. - In Figure 4, the results of utilizing
closure 10 withoutannular boss 30 andribs 32 is depicted. As can be seen, the lowermost portion ofsidewall 14 has shrunk inwardly and is in intimate contact withcontainer flange 48. As mentioned previously, this contact often results in restriction of the passage of pressurized gas to the atmosphere so that premature release of the closure occurs. - In Figure 5, the venting of pressurized gas from the package is shown. Note that as closure lO is rotated about
container neck 40, closure lO moves axially upward. This axial upward movement results inliner 22 being removed from its nesting position on the top 44 ofcontainer neck 40. Pressurized gas in the interior of the container begins movement throughvent groove 26 as indicated by the arrows. As can be seen, the utilization ofrigidifying structure 34 does not interfere with passage of the pressurized gas while at the same time the aforementioned enhancement in hoop strength provided by rigidifyingstructure 34 is realized. Asclosure 10 continues its removal rotation, pressurized gas is continuously vented until the interior package pressure is equal to ambient pressure. Since there has been no loss of container thread to closure thread cooperation, removal ofclosure 10 is done without fear of premature closure release. - A particularly useful closure of this invention is one made of polypropylene. However, it is to be understood that other materials may be utilized such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, high density polyethylene, and the like. The closure of this invention may be made by any well known injection molding techniques.
- Illustrative of the benefits realised when utilizing an
annular boss 30 in this invention is the fact that a polypropylene closure with the features of this invention and such a boss can be passed through a 52 inch (132 cm) long slotted forced-air heater utilizing 404°C. air with a passage time of two seconds and a package rotation of 3-1/4 revolutions per pass without shrinkage of the lower portion of sidewall l4. To accomplish this passage through this slotted oven,annular boss 30 had a thickness measured from the inside wall to the outside wall of 0.037 inches (0.94 mn). Withoutannular boss 30, the thickness would normally be 0.028 inches (0.71 mn) for this partial ofsidewall 14.
Claims (11)
Applications Claiming Priority (6)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US06/271,775 US4369889A (en) | 1981-06-08 | 1981-06-08 | Tamperproof closure |
US271775 | 1981-06-08 | ||
US271776 | 1981-06-08 | ||
US06/271,776 US4427126A (en) | 1981-06-08 | 1981-06-08 | Vented closure |
US06/284,230 US4382521A (en) | 1981-07-17 | 1981-07-17 | Vented closure |
US284230 | 1981-07-17 |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP82302952.5 Division | 1982-06-08 |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0149198A2 true EP0149198A2 (en) | 1985-07-24 |
EP0149198A3 EP0149198A3 (en) | 1985-10-30 |
EP0149198B1 EP0149198B1 (en) | 1988-07-13 |
Family
ID=27402412
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP19840115976 Expired EP0149198B1 (en) | 1981-06-08 | 1982-06-08 | Tamper-indicating closure |
EP19820302952 Expired EP0067650B1 (en) | 1981-06-08 | 1982-06-08 | Tamper-indicating closure |
Family Applications After (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP19820302952 Expired EP0067650B1 (en) | 1981-06-08 | 1982-06-08 | Tamper-indicating closure |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (2) | EP0149198B1 (en) |
AU (1) | AU8466382A (en) |
CA (1) | CA1195290A (en) |
DE (1) | DE3272712D1 (en) |
NZ (1) | NZ200879A (en) |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0568228A1 (en) * | 1992-04-27 | 1993-11-03 | Owens-Illinois Closure Inc., | Venting closure |
GB2277079A (en) * | 1993-04-17 | 1994-10-19 | Nicholas Low | Safety bottle top |
EP2011741A1 (en) * | 2007-07-05 | 2009-01-07 | Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc. | Food containers adapted for accommodating pressure changes and methods of manufacture |
CN102092517A (en) * | 2009-12-15 | 2011-06-15 | 塔雅威德霍芬塑料技术有限公司 | Sealing cap for sealing container |
CN110615174A (en) * | 2018-06-19 | 2019-12-27 | 义乌市易开盖实业公司 | Packaging container with safety reminding structure |
Families Citing this family (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0147404A1 (en) * | 1983-06-02 | 1985-07-10 | WIEDMER,Ernst | Anti-tamper band for container closure |
CH664131A5 (en) * | 1984-10-09 | 1988-02-15 | Wiedmer Plastikform W | PLASTIC LOCK FOR CONTAINERS WITH GUARANTEE RING. |
US4591062A (en) * | 1984-12-24 | 1986-05-27 | Jeffrey Sandhaus | Tamper-evident closure apparatus |
US4723685A (en) * | 1986-12-19 | 1988-02-09 | Owens-Illinois Closure Inc. | Lined closure made by the unscrewing process |
DE4113428C3 (en) * | 1991-04-25 | 1999-08-05 | Alcoa Gmbh Verpackwerke | Screw cap |
FR2778641B1 (en) * | 1998-05-13 | 2000-06-16 | Crown Cork & Seal Tech Corp | SCREW PLUG HAVING A THROAT FOR RECEIVING A JOINT AND MOLD FOR MAKING SUCH A PLUG |
US7073375B2 (en) | 2004-07-02 | 2006-07-11 | Honeywell International Inc. | Exhaust back pressure sensor using absolute micromachined pressure sense die |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3612325A (en) * | 1968-06-19 | 1971-10-12 | Dover Molded Products Co | Plastic screwcap with rotatable washer |
EP0009854A1 (en) * | 1978-09-15 | 1980-04-16 | Metal Closures Limited | Cap and cap/container combination |
FR2439138A1 (en) * | 1978-10-20 | 1980-05-16 | Leer Koninklijke Emballage | SCREWED CAP WITH LOCKING EDGE |
US4206852A (en) * | 1979-01-26 | 1980-06-10 | Aluminum Company Of America | Linerless closure for pressurized container |
GB2062593A (en) * | 1979-10-22 | 1981-05-28 | Ethyl Prod | Tamperproof closure |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2990079A (en) * | 1958-11-25 | 1961-06-27 | Leo J Garvey | Gas escape closure cap |
US3888347A (en) * | 1973-08-06 | 1975-06-10 | Thomas Rollin Kramer | Inflated containers for fluid pressurized balls |
FR2348114A1 (en) * | 1976-04-12 | 1977-11-10 | Consumers Glass Co Ltd | Resealable wine bottle stopper - has cylindrical portion with male thread fitting inside neck of bottle |
GB2029808B (en) * | 1978-09-15 | 1983-05-25 | Metal Closures Ltd | Closing containers having screw threaded necks |
EP0060218A3 (en) * | 1981-03-10 | 1983-01-26 | Albert Obrist AG | Closure-arrangement secured by rotation for containers with a content producing an internal pressure |
-
1982
- 1982-06-08 NZ NZ20087982A patent/NZ200879A/en unknown
- 1982-06-08 CA CA000404733A patent/CA1195290A/en not_active Expired
- 1982-06-08 AU AU84663/82A patent/AU8466382A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1982-06-08 EP EP19840115976 patent/EP0149198B1/en not_active Expired
- 1982-06-08 EP EP19820302952 patent/EP0067650B1/en not_active Expired
- 1982-06-08 DE DE8282302952T patent/DE3272712D1/en not_active Expired
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3612325A (en) * | 1968-06-19 | 1971-10-12 | Dover Molded Products Co | Plastic screwcap with rotatable washer |
EP0009854A1 (en) * | 1978-09-15 | 1980-04-16 | Metal Closures Limited | Cap and cap/container combination |
FR2439138A1 (en) * | 1978-10-20 | 1980-05-16 | Leer Koninklijke Emballage | SCREWED CAP WITH LOCKING EDGE |
US4206852A (en) * | 1979-01-26 | 1980-06-10 | Aluminum Company Of America | Linerless closure for pressurized container |
GB2062593A (en) * | 1979-10-22 | 1981-05-28 | Ethyl Prod | Tamperproof closure |
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0568228A1 (en) * | 1992-04-27 | 1993-11-03 | Owens-Illinois Closure Inc., | Venting closure |
GB2277079A (en) * | 1993-04-17 | 1994-10-19 | Nicholas Low | Safety bottle top |
EP2011741A1 (en) * | 2007-07-05 | 2009-01-07 | Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc. | Food containers adapted for accommodating pressure changes and methods of manufacture |
US8584876B2 (en) | 2007-07-05 | 2013-11-19 | Kraft Foods Group Brands Llc | Food containers adapted for accommodating pressure changes using skip seals and methods of manufacture |
CN102092517A (en) * | 2009-12-15 | 2011-06-15 | 塔雅威德霍芬塑料技术有限公司 | Sealing cap for sealing container |
CN110615174A (en) * | 2018-06-19 | 2019-12-27 | 义乌市易开盖实业公司 | Packaging container with safety reminding structure |
CN110615174B (en) * | 2018-06-19 | 2022-05-06 | 义乌市易开盖实业公司 | Packaging container with safety reminding structure |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
DE3272712D1 (en) | 1986-09-25 |
CA1195290A (en) | 1985-10-15 |
EP0149198A3 (en) | 1985-10-30 |
NZ200879A (en) | 1985-07-12 |
EP0067650A1 (en) | 1982-12-22 |
EP0067650B1 (en) | 1986-08-20 |
EP0149198B1 (en) | 1988-07-13 |
AU8466382A (en) | 1982-12-16 |
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