EP0699161B1 - Tamper-evident lid for plastic containers - Google Patents

Tamper-evident lid for plastic containers Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0699161B1
EP0699161B1 EP94916193A EP94916193A EP0699161B1 EP 0699161 B1 EP0699161 B1 EP 0699161B1 EP 94916193 A EP94916193 A EP 94916193A EP 94916193 A EP94916193 A EP 94916193A EP 0699161 B1 EP0699161 B1 EP 0699161B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
seal
wings
lid
protrusions
tray
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 - Lifetime
Application number
EP94916193A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0699161A1 (en
Inventor
Vanda Casartelli
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Febus SRL
Original Assignee
RIGLIETTI Antonio
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by RIGLIETTI Antonio filed Critical RIGLIETTI Antonio
Publication of EP0699161A1 publication Critical patent/EP0699161A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0699161B1 publication Critical patent/EP0699161B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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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
    • B65D43/00—Lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
    • B65D43/02—Removable lids or covers
    • B65D43/0235—Removable lids or covers with integral tamper element
    • B65D43/0237—Removable lids or covers with integral tamper element secured by snapping over beads or projections before removal of the tamper element
    • B65D43/0256—Removable lids or covers with integral tamper element secured by snapping over beads or projections before removal of the tamper element only on the outside, or a part turned to the outside, of the mouth of the container
    • B65D43/0258—Removable lids or covers with integral tamper element secured by snapping over beads or projections before removal of the tamper element only on the outside, or a part turned to the outside, of the mouth of the container leaving friction on both the inside and the outside after removal of the tamper element
    • 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
    • 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
    • B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
    • B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
    • B65D2543/00018—Overall construction of the lid
    • B65D2543/00259—Materials used
    • B65D2543/00296—Plastic
    • 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
    • B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
    • B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
    • B65D2543/00444—Contact between the container and the lid
    • B65D2543/00481—Contact between the container and the lid on the inside or the outside of the container
    • B65D2543/0049—Contact between the container and the lid on the inside or the outside of the container on the inside, or a part turned to the inside of the mouth of the container
    • B65D2543/00509—Cup
    • 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
    • B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
    • B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
    • B65D2543/00444—Contact between the container and the lid
    • B65D2543/00481—Contact between the container and the lid on the inside or the outside of the container
    • B65D2543/00537—Contact between the container and the lid on the inside or the outside of the container on the outside, or a part turned to the outside of the mouth of the container
    • 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
    • B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
    • B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
    • B65D2543/00444—Contact between the container and the lid
    • B65D2543/00481—Contact between the container and the lid on the inside or the outside of the container
    • B65D2543/00555—Contact between the container and the lid on the inside or the outside of the container on both the inside and the outside
    • 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
    • B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
    • B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
    • B65D2543/00444—Contact between the container and the lid
    • B65D2543/00592—Snapping means
    • B65D2543/00601—Snapping means on the container
    • B65D2543/00611—Profiles
    • B65D2543/00648—Flange or lip
    • 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
    • B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
    • B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
    • B65D2543/00444—Contact between the container and the lid
    • B65D2543/00592—Snapping means
    • B65D2543/00601—Snapping means on the container
    • B65D2543/00675—Periphery concerned
    • B65D2543/00694—Segments
    • 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
    • B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
    • B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
    • B65D2543/00444—Contact between the container and the lid
    • B65D2543/00592—Snapping means
    • B65D2543/00712—Snapping means on the lid
    • B65D2543/00722—Profiles
    • B65D2543/00777—Hole
    • 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
    • B65D2543/00—Lids or covers essentially for box-like containers
    • B65D2543/00009—Details of lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers
    • B65D2543/00444—Contact between the container and the lid
    • B65D2543/00592—Snapping means
    • B65D2543/00712—Snapping means on the lid
    • B65D2543/00787—Periphery concerned
    • B65D2543/00805—Segments

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a tamper-evident seal for plastic containers according to the pre-characterizing portion of Claim 1.
  • Tamper-evident seals of the type described above are known which are particularly suitable for containers that have a generally rectangular or polygonal plan shape.
  • These known seals include one or more pairs of engagement parts, for example shaped like pins with arrow-shaped tips that engage in complementarily shaped elastic cavities, arranged along the edges of the tray and of the container respectively at the corners of the container.
  • These engagement parts are adapted to cooperate unidirectionally when closing the container, so that in order to release the lid it is necessary to break them, i.e. separate them from the corresponding portion of the tray or lid by levering between them or by acting on adapted grip wings.
  • one of the engagement parts after opening, can remain loosely attached to the corresponding edge, and may accidentally fall inside the container.
  • the aim of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks described above by providing a tamper-evident seal that can be broken in a reliable and evident way and can be applied on containers of any shape without altering the outer profile of the tray or of the lid.
  • An object is to provide a tamper-evident seal that can be produced indifferently with a process for the molding of thermolastic sheets or for the injection-molding of melted plastic material, so as to achieve savings in production.
  • Another object is to provide a tamper-evident seal that extends along the entire circumference of the lid and must be removed completely to allow to open the container.
  • the seal can be applied to containers having any shape, for example a circular one, without altering the outer profile of the tray or of the lid since it is not necessary to have a corner or a protrusion of the edges in order to place the engagement parts, thereby achieving the main aim of the invention.
  • the engagement means is distributed along the entire circumference of the closing edges, with greater assurance of a hermetic seal.
  • the first engagement means can be constituted by a series of protrusions which are substantially radial with respect to the outer peripheral portion of the edge on which they are formed.
  • the protrusions consist of a plurality of teeth which are slightly inclined outward and are approximately shaped like a trapezium, with the longer parallel side directed inward, and are formed monolithically with the corresponding outer peripheral portion in angularly equidistant positions along its extension.
  • the second engagement means is constituted by a series of openings which can be substantially parallel to the outer peripheral portion of the edge on which they are formed.
  • the openings are formed by a strip of material which is joined to the corresponding edge by a series of transverse wings that are at least equal in height to the maximum thickness of the protrusions, in angularly equidistant positions that match those of the protrusions.
  • the wings taper upward at the region where they are connected to the outer peripheral portion of the corresponding edge, and the connection region has a smaller tear-resistant cross-section than the region for connection to the strip.
  • the strip can have a substantially radial grip tab with a transverse cross-section that is at least equal to the maximum cross-section of the wings, and has a transverse notch in a position which is adjacent to a lateral corner of the grip tab so as to form a region for the prefracture and initial breaking of the strip and for the subsequent separation of the wings from the peripheral portion of the edge to which it is connected.
  • both the tray and the lid can be obtained indifferently with an injection-molding process or with a process for the forming of plastic sheets, ensuring the same mechanical strength as conventional seals at distinctly lower costs, thus achieving one specified object of the invention-
  • a container for food or other commercial products is generally designated by the reference numeral 1.
  • the container includes a lid 2 with a substantially flat central wall 4 and a tray 3 with a side wall 5 and a bottom wall 6.
  • Both the lid and the tray can be made of plastic, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC or other equivalent materials, using injection-molding processes or by forming sheets of preheated material.
  • the lid 2 has a folded edge 7 with an external peripheral portion 8 which is approximately vertical or, better still, is slightly inclined by approximately 10° to facilitate extraction, and is joined to an internal peripheral portion 9 by an annular region 10 which is approximately flat and horizontal.
  • the tray 3 has a folded edge 11 with an outer peripheral portion 12 which is also inclined by approximately 10° and is joined to the side wall 5 by means of an annular region 13 which is approximately flat and slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal.
  • edges 7 and 11 are substantially complementarily shaped in order to sealingly couple mainly along their respective internal and external peripheral regions even after the first opening action.
  • a respective engagement means is distributed along the outer peripheral portions 8 and 12 of the edges 7 and 11 and is suitable to be elastically and unidirectionally coupled by pressing in order to hermetically close and seal the container.
  • protrusions or teeth 14 that extend radially and are inclined outward at approximately 40° with respect to the peripheral portion 12.
  • the protrusions can be shaped approximately like a trapezium in which the longer parallel side is joined to the peripheral portion 12, with a predetermined height S and a width L.
  • the openings 15 result from the coupling between a strip 16 that runs uninterruptedly along the circumference and transverse wings 17 which join the strip 16 to the peripheral portion 8.
  • the wings 17 have an approximately pyramid-like shape which tapers upward and have upper and lower connecting regions 18 and 19.
  • the resulting openings 15 are elongate in a substantially parallel direction to the peripheral portion 8 and have a maximum width in the upper connecting region 18 of the wings to the peripheral portion 8 and a minimum width W in the lower region 19 of the wings to the strip 16.
  • the resisting cross-section of the connecting regions 18 is relatively smaller than that of the regions 19.
  • the minimum width W of the openings 15 between the bases of the wings 17 is greater than the width L of the protrusions 14.
  • the packager After filling the tray, the packager moves the lid closer and compresses it toward the tray so as to align the protrusions 14 with the openings 15, causing the engagement of the protrusions in the openings.
  • the lid cannot lift due to the negative-allowance fit of the upper edge 16' of the strip 16 against the base of the teeth 14.
  • a tab 20 for grip on the part of a user is joined to the strip 16.
  • the strip has, at one of the corners of the tab 20, a wedge-shaped notch or prefracture 21 that forms a stress raiser of the strip.
  • a consumer can see that the container is sealed by the presence of the strip 16.
  • the consumer wishes to open the container, he/she can grip the tab 20 and pull it outward and upward, breaking the strip at the notch 21.
  • the consumer separates the strip from the outer peripheral portion 8 at the connecting regions 8 that have the smallest resisting cross-section. In this manner the lid is released and can be lifted.
  • the seal according to the invention achieves the intended aim and all the objects, and in particular it is noted that it can be applied to containers having any shape, even without corners. Furthermore, it can be obtained by means of processes for the forming of thermoplastic sheets or indifferently by injection.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Closures For Containers (AREA)
EP94916193A 1993-05-10 1994-05-04 Tamper-evident lid for plastic containers Expired - Lifetime EP0699161B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITVI930074 1993-05-10
ITVI930074A IT1270773B (it) 1993-05-10 1993-05-10 Sigillo di garanzia per contenitori in materiale plastico
PCT/EP1994/001420 WO1994026609A1 (en) 1993-05-10 1994-05-04 Tamper-evident lid for plastic containers

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0699161A1 EP0699161A1 (en) 1996-03-06
EP0699161B1 true EP0699161B1 (en) 1996-12-27

Family

ID=11425214

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP94916193A Expired - Lifetime EP0699161B1 (en) 1993-05-10 1994-05-04 Tamper-evident lid for plastic containers

Country Status (7)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0699161B1 (it)
AU (1) AU6795494A (it)
DE (1) DE69401275T2 (it)
DK (1) DK0699161T3 (it)
ES (1) ES2098945T3 (it)
IT (1) IT1270773B (it)
WO (1) WO1994026609A1 (it)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AU2011204806A1 (en) 2010-07-23 2012-02-09 Christopher Campbell Win Tamper Evident closure

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3464582A (en) * 1968-10-09 1969-09-02 Morris Greitzer Releasable container lid lock
FR2437987A1 (fr) * 1978-10-06 1980-04-30 Gantzer Jean Louis Bac a fermeture inviolable
EP0052172B1 (de) * 1980-11-19 1984-05-16 Metallurgie Et Plastic Sa Verschluss an einem Kunststoffbehälter
NL8301135A (nl) * 1983-03-31 1984-10-16 Unilever Nv Deksel voor een houder.
EP0142870A2 (en) * 1983-11-21 1985-05-29 N.V. Thovadec Plastics S.A. Lid and box associated therewith

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
IT1270773B (it) 1997-05-07
DE69401275T2 (de) 1997-07-17
DE69401275D1 (de) 1997-02-06
DK0699161T3 (da) 1997-06-23
EP0699161A1 (en) 1996-03-06
ES2098945T3 (es) 1997-05-01
WO1994026609A1 (en) 1994-11-24
ITVI930074A0 (it) 1993-05-10
AU6795494A (en) 1994-12-12
ITVI930074A1 (it) 1994-11-10

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