EP3381831A1 - Ensemble à couvercle et col filetés pour indiquer une effraction sur des récipients - Google Patents

Ensemble à couvercle et col filetés pour indiquer une effraction sur des récipients Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3381831A1
EP3381831A1 EP16867466.1A EP16867466A EP3381831A1 EP 3381831 A1 EP3381831 A1 EP 3381831A1 EP 16867466 A EP16867466 A EP 16867466A EP 3381831 A1 EP3381831 A1 EP 3381831A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
cap
neck
tamper
evident ring
bottle
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.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP16867466.1A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP3381831A4 (fr
Inventor
José Neves Costa PINHEIRO
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.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
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 Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority claimed from PCT/BR2016/050076 external-priority patent/WO2017088036A1/fr
Publication of EP3381831A1 publication Critical patent/EP3381831A1/fr
Publication of EP3381831A4 publication Critical patent/EP3381831A4/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current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
    • 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
    • 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
    • B65D41/3423—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers provided with tamper elements formed in, or attached to, the closure skirt with flexible tabs, or elements rotated from a non-engaging to an engaging position, formed on the tamper element or in the closure skirt

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a threaded cap and neck set for indicating tampering of containers, more particularly, a threaded cap and neck set of a container to indicate, by breaking its tamper-evident mechanism, that the contents of a container has been accessed.
  • the type and format of packaging depends mainly on the type of product to be stored and the way in which the consumer can use its content. In the case of liquid products, flasks and bottles are generally used, while for solid, pasty and/or creamy products containers or pots with caps are used.
  • bottles In the case of bottles, these usually consist of two parts, a container and a cap.
  • the cap is threaded to the bottle to prevent its contents from being accessed, and is moved from the bottle to open it, allowing the contents of the bottle to be accessed.
  • Push caps are installed by aligning the cap with the opening of a bottle and simply by applying an axial force at the top of the cap.
  • Threaded caps usually require that the cap and the bottle be aligned and that a rotational force be applied to the cap.
  • the threaded cap is characterized by having the closing and opening operations by opposing rotational (angular) movements, such that, with the opening being clockwise, the closure will be in the opposite direction, thus counterclockwise and vice- versa.
  • the thread is, in fact, a levering system of the axial movement which makes this closure particularly suitable for promoting high closing pressure and, thus, the impermeability essential for the packing of liquids and gases.
  • threaded caps are best suited for sealing containers or bottles where it is necessary to prevent any leakage of liquids and/or gases.
  • one of the problems associated with injection-molded caps relates to the ability of the cap to indicate that the contents of the container have been tampered with. To this end, a mechanism enabling the user to effortlessly recognize that the container has already been opened must be created between the cap and the neck of the bottle.
  • a method for forming a mechanism for evidencing that a cap has already been opened is the use of a tamper-evident ring attached to the cap body.
  • the tamper-evident ring should comprise a means for locking the cap on the neck of the bottle and having a fragile attachment to the cap body such that, upon application of a particular force to open the cap, the ring ruptures and allows cap opening, wherein the ruptured ring features evidence of cap tampering.
  • a tamper-evident ring usually locks the cap on the bottle neck through teeth within the ring, which interact with external teeth on the outside of the bottle neck, the cap and neck teeth being shaped as a ramp for sliding one over the other only in the cap closing movement.
  • the ramp portion of the teeth of the bottle cap slide over the ramp portion of the corresponding teeth in the bottle neck, thus allowing the bottle cap to be fully tightened in the neck of he bottle.
  • the stepped portion of the teeth of the bottle cap engages the step portion of the corresponding teeth of the bottle neck, thereby preventing unscrewing and cap opening.
  • the ring ruptures and separates from the bottle cap.
  • the bottle cap may be unscrewed from the bottle neck and the tamper-evident ring usually remains locked in the bottle neck. In this sense, the presence of the tamper-evident ring ruptured in the bottle neck serves as visual evidence that the bottle has already been opened.
  • the bottle cap includes a circular cap, a skirt 'pending from the periphery of the cap, and a tamper-evident ring with teeth meshing with a corresponding set of teeth on the neck of a bottle.
  • the skirt of the bottle cap includes an inner surface having threads for retaining the cap in a bottle neck and a lower end having a circumferential flange with outwardly extending semicircular tabs.
  • the tamper-evident ring is attached to the flange by frangible connections between the guides extending outward from the flange and the ratchet teeth of the tamper-evident ring.
  • Document US 5115932 discloses a container and its tamper-proof sealing cap having a cap body and a security strip that can be broken manually.
  • the container comprises a hollow body extended by a shoulder and terminated by an axially symmetrical neck having a hole and on its outer surface of a threaded portion, allowing screwing of said cap body and a portion equipped with teeth is intended to prevent the unscrewing, except in the case of the rupture of the security strip.
  • Said cap has a threaded portion on the inner surface of the cap body and a non-threaded portion having a security strip, integral with the remainder of the cap due to bridges and internally provided with grooves enabling engagement of the teeth.
  • WO2012018994 discloses a tamper-evident cap having a circular closure member, a cylindrical annular wall generally depending on the periphery of the closure member which encloses with a base and having a plurality of toothed cutouts, and a tamper-evident ring circumferentially positioned around the toothed base connected to a portion of the base.
  • the tamper-evident ring may be mounted to the base by at least one of the teeth or connected by at least one of the toothed cutouts extending below the base.
  • the interior and/or exterior of the cylindrical wall can be intensified.
  • the tamper-evident ring may have a groove between the teeth for retaining the tamper-evident ring over a neck nozzle.
  • the document further discloses a neck nozzle having at least one set of teeth and optional protusion portions to secure the breach tamper ring in place.
  • Document US20020096485 discloses a construction of locking guides for tamper-evident rings on the screw closures for containers used for refrigerants and the like.
  • the guides are hinged to a lower edge of the tamper ring, and are held in the axial orientation by resilient engagement within corresponding recesses on an inner surface of the underside of the tamper-evident ring.
  • the closure flaps hingedly mounted on the inner surface have portions that project and engage rectangular recesses, and top surfaces positioned to replace a string during the installation of a closure device.
  • a relatively thin upper portion defines an arcuate cavity, and a relatively thick lower portion has an inner surface defining the rectangular recesses.
  • Document PI 0102255-5 discloses a cap comprising a one-piece body injected in plastic material having a cylindrical shape.
  • the body has a first part in the form of a cylindrical, vertical, externally skirt with non-slip surface, while internally it includes a suitable thread interrupted by sections, suitable for pressure relief when the bottle to be closed with the present cap is of the type containing any gasified liquid.
  • the upper end of the cylindrical skirt is completely closed by a circular wall, where it includes an internal seal, while its lower end has an equally circular extension incorporating the tamper-evident ring, which is detachably integrated in said skirt and, so that said ring is separated from the skirt by means of a circular cut line interrupted by stretches that configure bridges or breakable bonds.
  • a set of locking elements are molded directly on the vertical wall portion of the body of the tamper-evident ring and, to this end, said vertical or circular wall portion distributes several quadrangular windows, wherein each lock is flexibly integrated and is inclined inwardly or invading the inner diameter of the ring according to a cooperating angle so that the free end of said lock is positioned under the corresponding lower corner of the usual collar of any flask.
  • plastic injection systems cannot configure mechanisms inside the cap, such as grippers, jaws or any other features ensuring the tamper-resistance of the container when sealed by the cap. Therefore, it is impossible to guarantee to the consumer that the content of the container corresponds to the content packed at the origin
  • the configurations of the tamper-evident ring, where the ring is sensitive to the axial movement of the cap relative to the bottle have relatively low accuracy and, thus, they are unable to distinguish and order the events namely: tearing and opening.
  • the tamper-evident ring is sensitive to the rotational movement of the cap and still, the locking mechanism being visible and accessible, a user can access the bottle contents without breaking the tamper-evident ring, by means of fraudulent techniques.
  • a user familiar with the configuration of the tamper-evident ring, could take advantage of the deformation ability of the ring to press the surroundings of the ring so that the applied pressure allows a tooth to pass from the ring through the tooth of the bottle neck, even in a position contrary to the sealing position. In this way, a user can repeat this process several times until the ring has been completely unscrewed from the cap without any sign of rupture. This would allow this user to access the contents of the container without any evidence of tampering with the container, compromising the security of the device as a whole.
  • a malicious person may access the inside of a supposedly sealed bottle or container to extract the liquid from the inside of the container, and to insert any new liquid, without leaving any indication that the container or bottle has been tampered with.
  • the cap has a tamper-evident ring and mechanisms capable of preventing any access to the contents of the bottle through the cap without tampering with the tamper-evident ring of the cap, thereby ensuring the integrity of the container contents.
  • the object of the present invention is to provide a threaded cap and neck set of a container, wherein the cap has a seal to prevent any access to the contents of the bottle through the cap without rupturing the cap seal, thereby ensuring the integrity of the container content.
  • the present invention provides a threaded cap and neck set for evidencing tampering with containers, comprising a container neck having a cylindrical shape, said neck having threads on its outer surface and a sealing collar, said sealing collar comprising a plurality of teeth and a cap having a cylindrical-shaped threaded portion and having threads on its inner surface, the cap including a tamper-evident ring attached to the lower rim of the cap, said tamper-evident ring having a diameter longer than the cap diameter.
  • the tamper-evident ring comprises a plurality of reversible grippers projecting longitudinally from the tamper-evident ring, wherein the reversible grippers are coupled to the lower rim of the tamper-evident ring by means of a hingeable membrane.
  • At least one of the reversible grippers comprises a hingeable locking mechanism with respect to the gripper, in which, when the cap undergoes rotational movement towards the cap closure direction in the bottle, the locking mechanism swings to a position that allows the passage thereof on the teeth of the bottle neck, and when the cap undergoes rotational movement towards the cap opening direction on the bottle, the locking mechanism swings to a locking position which does not allow the passage thereof on the teeth of the bottle neck.
  • a threaded cap and neck set for evidence tampering of containers.
  • Said set comprises a container neck having a cylindrical shape and an aperture at its upper end, the neck having threads on its outer surface and a sealing collar, wherein the sealing collar comprises a plurality of teeth.
  • the set further comprises a cap having a cylindrical shape and having threads on its inner surface, said cap including a tamper-evident ring coupled to the lower rim of the cap, wherein said tamper-evident ring has a diameter greater than the cap diameter.
  • Figure 2 shows a set of threaded cap 11 and neck 13 of the container, where the properties of the tamper-evident ring 16 are studied based on an example with numerical values.
  • the closure of the cap 11 on the neck 12 of the container 13 is completed upon reaching a sealing point, which is the minimum threading point of the cap 11 on the neck 12 of the container 13 necessary to prevent exchange or leakage of fluids from the interior of the container 13.
  • a sealing point which is the minimum threading point of the cap 11 on the neck 12 of the container 13 necessary to prevent exchange or leakage of fluids from the interior of the container 13.
  • an additional rotation angle is usually added to the sealing point which, together with an additional axial displacement, reaches a saturation point, where it is no longer possible to move the cap 11 in the closing direction without causing deformities.
  • the additional angle of rotation refers to that "final tightening" that promotes greater torque than the one necessary to reach the sealing point, thus ensuring a safety margin.
  • the cap 11 As the cap 11 is turned in the direction of the aperture, it starts from the saturation point and there is initially a strong voltage which decreases until, approximately in the following 20° gradually, the transit of liquids and gases begins. The moment at which the exchange of liquids and gases begins is defined as the opening point, which is approximately the initial of these 20°.
  • the distance between the turns of the neck 12 of the container 13 is 1.8 mm. Accordingly, each 360° rotation of the cap 11 in the neck 12 corresponds to a turn and a consequent axial displacement of 1.8 mm or one tenth of a millimeter every 20°.
  • a breaking point should be defined, which is the limit point of the rotation of the cap 11 towards the aperture where the tamper-evident ring 16 is broken.
  • the rupturing point may be sensitive to the axial displacement of the cap 11 or to the angular displacement of the cap 11.
  • Figure 3 shows in more detail the situation of Figure 2 , where the threaded cap 11 has a radius of 15.0 mm and a perimeter of 94.25 mm. Based on these data, it was possible to observe that there is a ratio of 52.36 to 1 between the perimeter of the cap 11, which is traveled through the rotational movement of the cap 11, and the axial displacement of the cap 11 in the neck 12.
  • the present invention proposes that the sealing mechanism of tamper-evident ring 16 and its rupture point be inaccessible by the user in order to provide security against attempted fraud.
  • Figure 4 shows a preferred embodiment of the threaded cap 11 of the present invention, where it is possible to observe the cylindrical-shaped body of the cap 11 and its lower rim coupled to a tamper-evident ring 16 with a diameter larger than the diameter of the cap 11.
  • the tamper-evident ring 16 is attached to the body of the cap 11 through a fragile bond, enabling rupture and consequent separation of the ring and the cap 11. There is no gap between the cap 11 and the ring and any radial pressure in any sense and/or direction will cause rupture and consequent separation.
  • the tamper-evident ring 16 comprises a plurality of reversible grippers 18 projecting longitudinally from the tamper-evident ring 16, wherein the reversible grippers 18 are coupled to the tamper-evident ring by means of a hingeable membrane 10.
  • the grippers will be reversed into the tamper-evident ring 16. This reversal of the grippers is accomplished by a tool capable of applying a force on the upper part of the grippers.
  • each of the reversible grippers 18 consists of a set of a fin 19 and a jaw 20, which are single-piece molded, wherein the fin 19 is coupled to the hingeable membrane 10 of the tamper-evident ring 16, and the jaw 20 protrudes from the fin 19 downwards.
  • Figure 5 shows a bottom perspective view of the cap 11 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • the fins 19 are triangular in shape with the rounded base, and the jaws 20 are parallelepiped-shaped with a sloping lower surface, forming a tip of the gripper. Coupling of the fin 19 with the jaw 20 defines a substantially "T" shaped gripper.
  • tamper-evident ring 16 comprises notches 26 of correspondingly shaped shape to accommodate the reversible grippers 18 in their reversed position, which in the rotational movements imparts additional resistance to the membrane versus gripper attachment and, as a consequence, to the system. Additionally, the lower rim of tamper-evident ring 16 is inclined to better accommodate the fins 19 when the gripper 18 is in the reverse position.
  • Said membrane 10 has a broad, flat cross-section which guides and constrains the joint at the transversely-grooved point to a path perpendicular to the groove.
  • the trajectory of the gripper 18 is in a plane containing the axis of the cap 11. Tangent to the body of the cap 11, coincident/congruent with the transverse groove, the gripper attachment membrane to the body of the cap 11, construction which constrains the rotation path of the gripper to the plane perpendicular to the tangent and directs it precisely to the seat.
  • the fins have a parallelepiped shape with a rounded upper surface, while the fingers have a parallelepiped shape, with or without an inclined lower surface.
  • the jaws are triangular in shape.
  • the reversible gripper 18 consists of a triangular jaw, which is directly connected to the rim of the tamper-evident ring 16 through the hingeable membrane 10.
  • the threaded cap 11 of the present invention is still advantageous since it is adapted for large-scale manufacturing.
  • Figure 6 illustrates a plurality of caps 11 stacked one on top of the other.
  • the caps 11 fit one on top of the other, preserving their fragile parts free and thus avoiding deformations during storage and transport.
  • the stacked caps 11 behave as vertebrae and can make smooth turns as spirals to increase the capacity of a dispenser in reduced space. This facilitates all transport logistics and storage of caps 11.
  • Figure 7 further shows an alternative embodiment where the tubes are transported with the aid of guide tubes.
  • the use of tubes prevents deformation during storage and transport, facilitates the supply of a dispenser of caps 11 with simple tube engagement.
  • Figures 8 and 9 illustrate the cap 11 in the form that it is manufactured by molding, referred to as the mounting or resting position. From the resting position, the cap 11 should be prepared for coupling with the bottle neck 12. According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cap 11 is prepared to engage the container neck 12 by partially reversing the grippers 18 toward the interior of the tamper-evident ring 16, which is carried out through a suitable tool.
  • FIGs 10-12 illustrate in a simple manner the process of reversing the grippers 18 of the cap 11, which is not the object of the present invention.
  • the grippers are reversed out of the cap 11, forming a rest or mounting position, as shown in Figure 10 .
  • the lower tool ring contacts the upper part of the grippers 18.
  • the hingeable membrane 10 of the fins 19 allows the grippers to pivot towards the inside of the tamper-evident ring 16, as shown in Figure 11 .
  • the gripper 18 moves towards the inside of the ring, the arcuate end of the tool slides along the upper surface of the gripper 18 until the grippers are reversed into the inside of the cap 11, forming an arched position as shown in Figure 12 .
  • Figure 13 shows the cap 11 with the reversible grippers 18 fully reversed and accommodated within the tamper-evident ring 16, configuring the locked position of the cap 11. It is possible to note that there is a depression 29 at the end of the gripper 18 opposite the cap prior to reversal caused by the configuration of the fin 19 and jaw 20 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. This depression 29 configures an outer ring on the cap 11 in its locked configuration which provides additional security to the system since it prevents the display and access to the lock mechanism of the tamper-evident ring 16.
  • the cap 11 is ready to be engaged in the neck 12 of the container 13, in which the axial movement of the cap 11 towards the container 13 causes the upper ring of the neck 12, that is, the mouthpiece of the container 13, to contact the grippers 18 in the armed position and to push them further into the interior of the cap 11. From a certain point, the axial displacement of the cap 11 against the neck 12 should be accomplished by the rotational movement of the cap 11 in the neck 12 of the container 13, since there will occur the contact of the turns of the neck 12 and the cap 11 of the container 13. Upon completion of rotational movement of the cap 11 in the bottle neck 12, the grippers will be completely reversed into the tamper-evident ring 16.
  • Figure 14 shows the set of the threaded cap 11 and neck 12 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. It will be appreciated that, after the cap 11 is coupled to the bottle neck 12, the reversible grippers 18 are trapped between the cap 11 and the bottle neck 12, being concealed and inaccessible to an external user.
  • neck 12 of the container 13 comprises an annular seal 27 at the bottom of its locking ring.
  • the diameter of the annular seal 27 is long enough to accommodate the rim formed by the tamper-evident ring 16 in its locked position, so that the contact of the rim of the tamper-evident ring 16 with the annular seal 27 of the neck of the container 12 prevents visualization and, much less, access to the inside of the tamper-evident ring 16.
  • cap 11 Since cap 11 is coupled to the neck 12 of the container 13, a locking position is configured, in which there should be a mechanism for locking the cap 11 on the container neck 12, which should be able to prevent the reverse process to the process described above from being performed, that is, detachment of cap 11 from the neck 12 of the container. Cap 11 may only be disengaged by rupturing the tamper-evident ring 16. Still, the mechanism will continue to lock the tamper-evident ring 16 on the container neck 12, not preventing the opening and closing of the cap 11, but its presence will indicate that the container 13 has been opened and will prevent any type of fraud.
  • Figure 1 illustrates a limitation of the state of the art with respect to this type of fraud, where, in the event the proposed solution only use ramp-shaped teeth 15, it would also be vulnerable to this type of fraud. Although the reversible grippers 18 make this process difficult, a user would still be able to apply the described procedure if he or she is aware of the mechanism, or even through trial and error.
  • the present invention proposes an innovative locking mechanism 22 capable of solving the shortcomings of known solutions.
  • the mechanism 22 for locking the tamper-evident ring 16 proposed by the present invention can be seen in Figures 15-17 , wherein each of the reversible grippers 18 comprises a pivotal locking mechanism 22 relative to a lateral end of its jaws 20. Said locking mechanism is further detailed in Figure 15 .
  • FIG. 15 shows a loading means according to a preferred embodiment of the instant invention
  • the locking mechanism 22 consists of a flap coupled to the jaw 20 of the gripper 18 by means of a flexible membrane 24, wherein the length of the fin is slightly shorter than the length of the jaw 20 and has a diamond-shaped cross-section.
  • the jaw 20 further comprises an extended portion 25 at its lateral end, and wherein the locking mechanism 22 consists of a fin coupled to the extended portion 25 of the jaw 20 by means of a flexible membrane 24.
  • the locking mechanism is used to prevent the cap 11 from being unscrewed from the container 13 without rupturing the tamper-evident ring 16. Coupling by means of a flexible membrane 24 allows the locking mechanism 22 to be able to pivot with respect to the jaw 20, having as its pivoting ends a releasing position and a locking position.
  • Figure 16 shows a cross-sectional view of the cap 11 coupled to the neck 12 of the container 13, where it is possible to observe the action of the locking mechanisms 22 of each of the reversed grippers 18.
  • the internal red arrow indicates that the container neck 12 does not undergo any rotational movement.
  • the outer red arrow indicates the direction of rotation for closing the cover 11, counterclockwise.
  • the contact of the locking mechanism 22 with the neck 12 of the container 13 causes the locking mechanism 22 to pivot to a releasing position, which allows the passage thereof on the teeth 15 of the neck 12 of the container 13.
  • the contact of the locking mechanism 22 with the neck 12 of the container 13 causes the locking mechanism 22 to pivot to a locking position , which does not allow the passage thereof on the ratchet teeth 15 of the neck 12 of the container 13.
  • the locking mechanism 22 consists of a flap coupled to the jaw 20 of the cap 11 by means of a flexible membrane 24, wherein the length of the fin is slightly shorter than the length of the jaw 20 and has a triangular-shaped cross-section.
  • the number of teeth 15 in the sealing collar 14 of the neck 12 can be varied to decrease the movement tolerance prior to rupture of the tamper-evident ring 16.
  • the number of teeth 15 of the sealing collar 14 of the container 13 will define the tolerance angle between the saturation point and the rupture point of the tamper-evident ring 16.
  • tamper-evident ring 16 has eighteen reversible grippers 18 with locking mechanisms 22 and the collar 14 of the neck 12 has eighteen teeth 15.
  • the cap 11 when the cap 11 is turned in the direction of the aperture, it starts from the saturation point and there is initially a strong tension which decreases until, approximately in the following 20° gradually, the transit of liquids and gases begins.
  • the aperture point is approximately the initial of these 20°.
  • the 20° tolerance is defined precisely by the number of teeth 15 of the sealing collar 14 of the neck 12 of the container 13.
  • Figure 17 illustrates an optional embodiment where the tamper-evident ring 16 has eighteen reversible grippers 18 with locking mechanisms 22 and the sealing collar 14 of the neck 12 has thirty-six teeth 15.
  • the tolerance of tamper-evident ring 16 will be 10°, defined by 360° divided by thirty-six teeth 15. In this sense, as eighteen is a submultiple of thirty-six, all the oscillating knives coincide with teeth 15.
  • any number of locking mechanisms 22 and teeth 15 on the collar 14 may be used to exert the unidirectional locking required by the present invention, and it would be obvious to one skilled in the art to substantially modify the number of teeth 15 to obtain a desired tolerance.
  • a number of teeth 15 on the collar 14 and the number of locking mechanisms 22 having submultiples that are prime to each other. For instance, for a number of teeth 15 of the sealing collar 14 equal to ninety-nine and a number of locking mechanisms 22 equal to 18, as these numbers are not prime to each other, 3 2 is the common maximum divisor of 18 and 99, which means that a locking mechanism 22 and a tooth 15 of the sealing collar 14 of the neck 12 will always coincide at 9 points.
  • the tolerance found in the above example is micrometric and there is no practical need for such a low value.
  • the purpose of the example is to show that there are features for obtaining the most diverse tolerance values and hence accuracy by varying the number of locking mechanisms 22 and teeth 15 of the sealing collar 14 of the collar 12.
  • the present invention solves the technical problem of fraud of the tamper-evident mechanism of a set of cap 11 and neck 12 of a container 13.
  • the proposed invention provides a set of threaded cap 11 and neck 12 having a security mechanism in the form of a tamper-evident ring 16, which will be ruptured to indicate tampering before any fluid exchange is possible between the container 13 and the external environment.
  • locking means which modify its configuration according to the direction of the rotational movement allows the configuration of the present invention to reach a level of inviolability not yet achieved by the state of the art.
  • tamper-evident ring 16 should have a tear-off mechanism sensitive to axial or rotational movement of the cap 11 relative to the neck 12 of the container 13. It has been shown that the tear-off mechanism sensitive to rotational movement allows greater precision in the definition of the sealing, rupture and saturation points, ensuring greater safety that during the opening of the cap 11, there is no exchange of fluids from the interior of the container 13 before rupture of the tamper-evident ring 16.
  • the tamper-evident ring configuration 16 is sensitive to tampering by a malicious user , who may apply stresses to deform the ring so as to create a gap between the ring threads and closure turns 11, until it is possible to move the cap 11 axially upwards, it being possible to remove the cap 11 without tearing off the tamper-evident ring 16.
  • the present invention features a tamper-evident ring 16 with hinged locking mechanism 22, which assumes different configurations in the opening and closing movements of the cap 11 in the neck 12 of the container 13.
  • the locking mechanism is configured to provide a clearance capable of allowing the passage of the mechanism over the teeth 15 of the neck 12 of the container 13.
  • the locking mechanism 22 is configured so that there is no clearance between it and the tooth 15 of the neck 12, so that there is no possibility of passing the locking mechanism 22 by the teeth 15 the neck 12 of the container 13, even by applying small deformations on the cap 11.
  • the present invention is advantageous in that its shape allows it to be molded into a simple single-piece mold having a low production cost, and is favorable to large scale production.
  • the set of the threaded cap11 and neck 12 proposed by the present invention becomes economically feasible and appealing for large-scale production in a variety of industrial facilities for the production of sealed containers 13.
  • the set of the threaded cap 11 and neck 12 of the present invention has an application of particular interest in containers 13 for storing liquids, such as beverage bottles and cleaning products.
  • cap assembly 11 and threaded neck 12 of the present invention may be used to perform the sealing of any container 13 where it is necessary to ensure the integrity of its contents. Therefore, it is to be emphasized that this invention is not limited to the specific configurations/embodiments described above.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Closures For Containers (AREA)
EP16867466.1A 2015-11-27 2016-04-06 Ensemble à couvercle et col filetés pour indiquer une effraction sur des récipients Withdrawn EP3381831A4 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
BR102015298730 2015-11-27
PCT/BR2016/050076 WO2017088036A1 (fr) 2015-11-27 2016-04-06 Ensemble à couvercle et col filetés pour indiquer une effraction sur des récipients

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP3381831A1 true EP3381831A1 (fr) 2018-10-03
EP3381831A4 EP3381831A4 (fr) 2019-09-18

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EP16867466.1A Withdrawn EP3381831A4 (fr) 2015-11-27 2016-04-06 Ensemble à couvercle et col filetés pour indiquer une effraction sur des récipients

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11850210B2 (en) 2021-05-06 2023-12-26 Kaisha Packaging Private Limited Tamper evident plastic closure for vials for storing substances for medical or pharmaceutical applications and use thereof

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US5346082A (en) * 1992-06-12 1994-09-13 Anchor Hocking Packaging Co. Composite closure with sealing force indicating means and ratchet operated tamper indicating band
US5609262A (en) * 1995-09-22 1997-03-11 Rieke Corporation Tamper evident, child-resistant closure
US6766916B2 (en) * 1997-08-01 2004-07-27 Portola Packaging, Inc. Tamper evidencing closure
US20020096485A1 (en) * 2000-12-04 2002-07-25 Bruno Zumbuhl Tamper ring locking tab construction
US20080149586A1 (en) * 2006-12-26 2008-06-26 Loughrin Thomas D Container closure assembly
EP1953091A1 (fr) * 2007-01-31 2008-08-06 Obrist Closures Switzerland GmbH Capuchon de fermeture anti-sabotage, conteneur et combinaison correspondante
US20120031871A1 (en) * 2010-08-04 2012-02-09 Omega Cap Soultions LLC Step twist zipped visual tamper-evident cap and neck finish

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11850210B2 (en) 2021-05-06 2023-12-26 Kaisha Packaging Private Limited Tamper evident plastic closure for vials for storing substances for medical or pharmaceutical applications and use thereof

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