EP0968120B1 - Behälter mit originalitätssicherungsverschluss - Google Patents

Behälter mit originalitätssicherungsverschluss Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0968120B1
EP0968120B1 EP98907046A EP98907046A EP0968120B1 EP 0968120 B1 EP0968120 B1 EP 0968120B1 EP 98907046 A EP98907046 A EP 98907046A EP 98907046 A EP98907046 A EP 98907046A EP 0968120 B1 EP0968120 B1 EP 0968120B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
strap
plug
container
cap portion
body portion
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
EP98907046A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0968120A1 (de
Inventor
David Noble Thompson
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.)
Audus Noble Ltd
Original Assignee
Audus Noble Ltd
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 Audus Noble Ltd filed Critical Audus Noble Ltd
Publication of EP0968120A1 publication Critical patent/EP0968120A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0968120B1 publication Critical patent/EP0968120B1/de
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
    • 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
    • B65D55/024—Closures in which a part has to be ruptured to gain access to the contents

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to containers with tamper evident closures, and more particularly to such closures reacting between the cap and the body of a container to indicate unauthorised opening of the container.
  • Such closures are many and varied, and may comprise, for example a shrink sleeve, a circumferential tear strip or the like.
  • a component of the closure has to be torn or removed to enable removal of the cap from the container and access to the content of the container.
  • authorised personnel on receipt of a container, can determine whether or not unauthorised entry to the container has been effected, and, in the event that all is in order, can remove the closure themselves to enable authorised use.
  • US-A-3604596 discloses a container provided with an upper end wall in which is positioned a nozzle the outlet from which is closed by a cap, a pair of tamper indicating straps each being integrally formed with the cap and having the lower portion thereof trapped between the nozzle and the upper end wall of the container. Removal of the cap from the container requires breakage of one or both of the straps, said straps incorporating weaknesses to control the breaking strengths thereof.
  • the invention is particularly concerned with the provision of a tamper evident closure for wide necked containers of relatively malleable PVC, such as sweet jars, although it also has application to such containers of a more rigid material such as PET.
  • a container having a tamper evident closure thereon, the container including a hollow body portion, a cap portion closing the body portion, and at least one plug carried by one of the body portion and the cap portion and which, with the cap portion in a closed position on the body portion, is located in a corresponding recess formed in the other of the body portion and the cap portion, a region of weakness being provided between the plug and the component on which it is mounted whereby, on movement of the cap portion from its closed position on the body portion, said region of weakness is broken, characterised in that the or each plug is a tight friction fit in the corresponding recess.
  • any disconnection of the plug from the component on which it is mounted, preferably the cap portion, is indicative that the container has been opened.
  • the container has an internally threaded cap portion screwed onto an externally threaded neck on the body portion, the or each plug being integrally moulded with, to depend from the lower edge of, the cap portion to be received within a corresponding recess formed in the neck of the body portion, the or each plug and the corresponding recess being aligned when the cap portion is in its closed position on the body portion.
  • each plug is mounted to the cap portion by means of a strap one end of which is secured to the bottom edge of the cap portion by a region of weakness and on the other end of which is mounted the plug.
  • Said strap may comprise a pair of parallel strap portions one end of each of which is secured to the bottom edge of the cap portion by an associated region of weakness, the plug being mounted on the other ends of said strap portions.
  • the design of the strap may be such that, with the cap portion in its closed position and with the plug located in its corresponding recess in the body portion, the strap is capable of being gripped to facilitate removal by twisting by authorised users.
  • the or each plug may be mounted to its corresponding strap by a further region of weakness whereby, on authorised opening of the container, a strap can be totally removed from the container by appropriate breakage of the regions of weakness between the cap portion and the strap and between the plug and the strap.
  • the strap may be provided with gripper means thereon to facilitate said total removal of the strap from the container.
  • the or each plug is mounted to the cap portion by means of a strap one end of which carries said plug for location in the corresponding recess in the body portion, the other end of said strap carrying a further plug for location in, to be a tight friction fit in, a corresponding recess in the cap portion, a region of weakness being provided between the further plug and the other end of said strap.
  • a further region of weakness is provided between the first mentioned plug and the one end of the strap.
  • the strap is secured to, to extend diametrically across the top of, the cap portion and downwardly from each end of the diameter, each end of the strap carrying a plug for location one in each of two diametrically opposed recesses in the body portion, regions of weakness being provided between each plug and its associated end of the strap.
  • FIGs 1 to 3 there is shown part of a container comprising a body portion 2 with an externally threaded neck 4 closed by an internally-threaded cap 6, the fully closed position of the cap 6 being determined by abutment of the lower edge of the cap 6 with a circumferential shoulder 8 on the body portion 2.
  • the fully closed position of the cap 6, which needs to be accurately defined may be determined by co-operating abutments on the neck 4 of the body portion 2 and internally of the cap.
  • each plug 12 is attached to the cap by a strap indicated generally at 14 which includes a pair of parallel strap portions 16 extending from the plug 12 and, for each strap portion 16, a reduced thickness gate 18, the gates 18 together defining a region of weakness between the plug 12 and the cap 6.
  • the plugs 12 are configured to be a tight, friction fit in the associated recesses 10, and are located on the cap 6 such that, with the cap 6 in its fully closed position, the plugs 12 are exactly circumferentially aligned with the associated recesses 10.
  • the tamper evident closure is effected by tightening the cap 6 onto the neck 4 of the body portion 2 and then forcibly locating the plugs 12 in their associated recesses 10.
  • the outer surfaces of the plugs 12 are substantially flush with the surface of the container as can be seen from Figs 1B and 1C, their friction fitting in the recesses 10 being such that they cannot be removed therefrom.
  • the lengths of the strap portions 16 of the embodiment of Figs 1 to 3 may be slightly greater than as shown in those Figures, whereby said strap portions 16, with the cap 6 in its fully closed position and prior to breakage of the gates 18, project outwardly from the container to provide a loop which can be readily gripped to facilitate authorised breakage of the tamper evident closure.
  • This facility can be further improved by increasing the length of the strap portions 16 as shown in Fig 4 to provide a larger loop for authorised gripping and an even more obvious indication of tampering.
  • Fig 5 shows the embodiment of Fig 4 but in which a further line of weakness in the form of gates 18 1 is provided between the plug 12 and the adjacent end of the strap portions 16.
  • the gates 18 1 are stronger than the gates 18 whereby the latter gates 18 tear on initial turning of the cap 6 to provide evidence of tampering. It will be appreciated that, on authorised use of the container, and subsequent to opening of the cap 6 and tearing of the gates 18, the strap portions 16 can be completely removed from the container by tearing the region of weakness provided by the gates 18 1 .
  • Figs 6 and 7 show a modification of the embodiment of Fig 5, in that the strap 14 comprises a single extent and a tab 20 is integrally formed with the strap 14 to facilitate removal of the strap 14 from the plug 12 and the cap 6, the provision of the tab 18 enabling twisting of the strap 16 relative to the plug 12 and the cap 6 to break the lines of weakness provided by the gates 18,18 1 .
  • the plugs 12 are integrally moulded with the cap 6, and the recesses 10 are formed in the body portion 2 of the container.
  • the plugs could be on the body portion 2 and the recesses in the cap 6, while the number of plugs and recesses can be chosen to suit particular requirements, be it one, two or more.
  • the strap 14 may comprise a single extent instead of a pair of parallel strap portions 16.
  • Fig 8 shows a still further variation of the invention in which the plug 12 is formed on one end of an independent strap 22, gates 18 being provided between the plug 12 and one end of the strap 22 to constitute a region of weakness.
  • a recess corresponding to the plug 24 is formed in the sidewall or in the top of the cap 6, the arrangement being such that, with the cap 6 in its fully closed position, the recesses in the cap 6 and the body portion 2 are vertically aligned, and the corresponding plugs 12, 24, which are both tight friction fits in their associated recesses, are pushed either manually or mechanically into the recesses to effect the tamper evident closure.
  • a strap which is secured to, to extend diametrically across the top of, the cap, the strap including end portions which extend downwardly from the ends of the diametrical extent thereof, each end portion carrying a plug attached thereto by a region of weakness.
  • the plugs on the strap are aligned with recesses in the body portion in which they are a tight friction fit whereby, on rotation of the cap, the regions of weakness are sheared to provide an indication of tampering.
  • the described arrangements are particularly suited to wide necked jars of, for example, malleable PVC, in that the closures cannot be defeated by distortion and/or squeezing of the neck of the container, and are relatively economic to produce without the necessity for significant adaptation of existing jars.
  • the invention also has application to wide necked jars of a more rigid material such as PET, as well as smaller containers for, for example, pills, capsules and the like.
  • Containers are often lifted by their caps, and the provision of the plug/strap arrangement of the invention is such as to strengthen considerably the connection between the cap and the body portion.
  • regions of weakness may be formed by other than gates, for example by mechanically thinning the material to form lines of weakness.
  • Other modifications and variations within the scope of the claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

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

Claims (11)

  1. Behälter mit einem Manipulationen anzeigenden Verschluss darauf, wobei der Behälter einen hohlen Körperabschnitt (2), einen Kappenabschnitt (6), der den Körperabschnitt (2) verschließt, und zumindest einen Stöpsel (12) umfasst, der von dem Körperabschnitt (2) oder dem Kappenabschnitt (6) getragen wird und der, wenn sich der Kappenabschnitt (6) in einer geschlossenen Position auf dem Körperabschnitt (2) befindet, in einer entsprechenden Ausnehmung (10) angeordnet ist, die im anderen aus dem Körperabschnitt (2) und dem Kappenabschnitt (6) ausgebildet ist, wobei ein Schwächungsbereich (18) zwischen dem Stöpsel (12) und der Komponente vorgesehen ist, auf der er montiert ist, wodurch bei Bewegung des Kappenabschnitts (6) aus seiner geschlossenen Position auf dem Körperabschnitt (2) der Schwächungsbereich (18) bricht, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass sich der oder jeder Stöpsel (12) in festem Reibschluss in der entsprechenden Ausnehmung (10) befindet.
  2. Behälter nach Anspruch 1, der einen Kappenabschnitt (6) mit Innengewinde aufweist, der auf einen Hals (4) mit Außengewinde auf dem Körperabschnitt (2) aufgeschraubt ist, wobei der oder jeder Stöpsel (12) so einstückig mit dem Kappenabschnitt (6) geformt ist, dass er von dessen Unterkante herunterhängt, um innerhalb einer entsprechenden Ausnehmung (10) aufgenommen zu werden, die im Hals (4) des Körperabschnitts (2) ausgebildet ist, wobei der oder jeder Stöpsel (12) und die entsprechende Ausnehmung (10) ausgerichtet sind, wenn sich der Kappenabschnitt (6) in seiner geschlossenen Position auf dem Körperabschnitt (2) befindet.
  3. Behälter nach Anspruch 2, bei dem zwei diametral entgegengesetzte Stöpsel (12) auf dem Kappenabschnitt (6) ausgebildet sind und zwei diametral entgegengesetzte Ausnehmungen (10) im Hals (4) des Körperabschnitts (2) des Behälters ausgebildet sind.
  4. Behälter nach Anspruch 2 oder 3, bei dem der oder jeder Stöpsel (12) am Kappenabschnitt (6) mittels eines Bügels (14) montiert ist, dessen eines Ende an der Unterkante des Kappenabschnitts (6) durch einen Schwächungsbereich (18) befestigt ist und an dessen anderem Ende der Stöpsel (12) montiert ist.
  5. Behälter nach Anspruch 4, bei dem der Bügel (14) ein Paar paralleler Bügelabschnitte (16) umfasst, von denen jeweils ein Ende durch einen zugeordneten Schwächungsbereich (18) an der Unterkante des Kappenabschnitts (6) befestigt ist, wobei der Stöpsel (12) an den anderen Enden der Bügelabschnitte (16) montiert ist.
  6. Behälter nach Anspruch 4 oder 5, bei dem der Bügel (14) so beschaffen ist, dass, wenn sich der Kappenabschnitt (6) in seiner geschlossenen Position befindet und der Stöpsel (12) in seiner entsprechenden Ausnehmung im Körperabschnitt (2) angeordnet ist, der Bügel (14) ergriffen werden kann, um das Entfernen durch Verdrehen durch autorisierte Benutzer zu erleichtern.
  7. Behälter nach einem der Ansprüche 4 bis 6, bei dem der oder jeder Stöpsel (12) durch einen weiteren Schwächungsbereich (181) an seinem entsprechenden Bügel (14) montiert ist, wodurch beim autorisierten Öffnen des Behälters ein Bügel (14) durch das entsprechende Brechen der Schwächungsbereiche (18, 181) zwischen dem Kappenabschnitt (6) und dem Bügel (14) sowie zwischen dem Stöpsel (12) und dem Bügel (14) vollständig vom Behälter entfernt werden kann.
  8. Behälter nach Anspruch 7, bei dem der Bügel (14) mit Greifmitteln (20) darauf versehen ist, um das vollständige Entfernen des Bügels (14) vom Behälter zu erleichtern.
  9. Behälter nach Anspruch 1, bei dem der oder jeder Stöpsel (12) am Kappenabschnitt (6) mittels eines Bügels (22) montiert ist, dessen eines Ende den Stöpsel (12) zur Anordnung in der entsprechenden Ausnehmung (10) im Körperabschnitt (6) trägt, wobei das andere Ende des Bügels (22) einen weiteren Stöpsel (24) zur Anordnung in festem Reibschluss in einer entsprechenden Ausnehmung im Kappenabschnitt (6) trägt, wobei ein Schwächungsbereich (26) zwischen dem weiteren Stöpsel (24) und dem anderen Ende des Bügels (22) vorgesehen ist.
  10. Behälter nach Anspruch 9, bei dem ein weiterer Schwächungsbereich (18) zwischen dem erstgenannten Stöpsel (12) und dem einen Ende des Bügels (22) vorgesehen ist.
  11. Behälter nach Anspruch 1, bei dem der Bügel so am Kappenabschnitt befestigt ist, dass er sich diametral über dessen Oberseite und von jedem Ende des Durchmessers nach unten erstreckt, wobei jedes Ende des Bügels einen Stöpsel zur jeweiligen Anordnung in einer von zwei diametral entgegengesetzten Ausnehmungen im Körperabschnitt trägt, wobei zwischen jedem Stöpsel und dem ihm zugeordneten Ende des Bügels Schwächungsbereiche vorgesehen sind.
EP98907046A 1997-03-12 1998-02-25 Behälter mit originalitätssicherungsverschluss Expired - Lifetime EP0968120B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB9705080.1A GB9705080D0 (en) 1997-03-12 1997-03-12 Tamper evident closure for containers
GB9705080 1997-03-12
PCT/GB1998/000583 WO1998040284A1 (en) 1997-03-12 1998-02-25 Container with tamper evident closure

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0968120A1 EP0968120A1 (de) 2000-01-05
EP0968120B1 true EP0968120B1 (de) 2001-11-21

Family

ID=10809093

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP98907046A Expired - Lifetime EP0968120B1 (de) 1997-03-12 1998-02-25 Behälter mit originalitätssicherungsverschluss

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0968120B1 (de)
AU (1) AU6303298A (de)
GB (1) GB9705080D0 (de)
WO (1) WO1998040284A1 (de)

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2785262B1 (fr) * 1998-10-29 2001-01-19 Niob Plastique Boite cylindrique equipee d'un dispositif d'inviolabilite
WO2013139352A1 (en) * 2012-03-22 2013-09-26 Aptar Freyung Gmbh Container with a dispensing closure and dispensing closure for a container

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2077977A (en) * 1934-11-01 1937-04-20 Elmer B Floback Bottle
US3604596A (en) * 1969-01-17 1971-09-14 Continental Can Co Tamper-indicating closures
DE2263763A1 (de) * 1972-12-28 1974-07-04 Union Deutsche Lebensmittelwer Behaelterverschluss mit garantiesicherung
GB2239866B (en) * 1990-01-12 1993-10-06 Lawson Mardon Tamper-evident container
US5303837A (en) * 1991-03-05 1994-04-19 Portola Packaging, Inc. One-piece fitment and plug with tamper-evident band
US5090583A (en) * 1991-03-27 1992-02-25 Magenta Corporation Tamper-evident, tamper-resistant closure

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU6303298A (en) 1998-09-29
EP0968120A1 (de) 2000-01-05
GB9705080D0 (en) 1997-04-30
WO1998040284A1 (en) 1998-09-17

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