EP3589557A1

EP3589557A1 - Tamper evident closure

Info

Publication number: EP3589557A1
Application number: EP18709983.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Luca Viale
Original assignee: Guala Closures International BV
Current assignee: Guala Closures International BV
Priority date: 2017-03-03
Filing date: 2018-03-01
Publication date: 2020-01-08
Anticipated expiration: 2038-03-01
Also published as: BR112019018137A2; WO2018158403A1; EP3589557B1; ZA201905760B; CN110382368A; CO2019010915A2; EA036800B1; EA201992072A1; AR111324A1; GB2560198B; ES2972032T3; GB201703475D0; GB2560198A; MX2019010327A; UA128130C2; PL3589557T3; CN110382368B

Abstract

Tamper evident closure (100) for a liquid container having a neck (2) with an opening defining a pourer orifice (3), said tamper evident closure extending in an axial direction (X-X) and comprising: a tubular member (101) comprising an upper portion (102) and a lower portion (103) with a lower edge (113) surrounding an open bottom end (101a); and a plug member (123) coupled with said tubular member, configured to selectively close and open the pourer orifice of the liquid container. The lower end portion (103) of said tubular member comprises axial constraining means (110) configured to engage with corresponding axial constraining means of the container (5) in order to constrain said lower portion of the tubular member to the container in the axial direction (X-X) and thereby prevent its removal therefrom. Said lower portion (103) of said tubular member (101) also comprises at least one recess (115) positioned between said lower edge (113) and said axial constraining means (110), the recess including at least a portion with a reduced wall thickness (S2) whereby an axial thrust exceeding a predetermined value applied against said lower edge (113) in the direction of the upper portion (102) of said tubular member (101) will result in a visible deformation of the lower portion (103) at the recess (115).

Description

TAMPER EVIDENT CLOSURE

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a tamper evident closure for a liquid container having a neck that ends with a pourer orifice. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tamper evident closures of the aforementioned kind are described for example in documents EP 1603809, EP 16361 10, EP 988237.

These closures comprise a tubular member, which is open downwardly, and a plug member in order to selectively close and open the pourer orifice of the liquid container. The tubular member consists of a top portion and a bottom portion, connected by a frangible portion which breaks at the first opening and provides evidence of the container having been opened. The bottom portion is longitudinally constrained to the container by members that directly engage the container or by intermediate members which are in turn longitudinally constrained to the container. Although such closures provide evidence that an opening of the container has taken place, they are often subject to tampering attempts by fraudsters or counterfeiters, aiming to extract the closure from the container neck without damage (e.g. not breaking the frangible portion), so that the valuable liquid in the container can be removed and substituted with a lower quality liquid, thereafter closing the container again by replacing the unbroken closure, to appear as though the container has never been opened and that the contents are genuine. This type of fraudulent activity has clear implications for consumer health and for the reputation of the bottler of the original content.

In the state of the art, many solutions have been proposed in order to prevent such fraudulent extraction of closures. In one example, two or more members interact with one another during extraction of a closure, resulting in a visible breaking or alteration of closure elements, providing evidence of an attempt at tampering with the closure and thus deterring fraudsters or counterfeiters from further attempts on similar closures.

Although very effective, such known solutions are complex and expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a tamper evident closure, having a simple and inexpensive structure, which is able to highlight an attempt at tampering by way of extraction of the closure from the container on which it is applied.

This and other objects, which will be apparent from the following description, are achieved by a tamper evident closure of the type according to claim 1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be further described with reference to preferred embodiments, given as non-limiting examples, which are shown in the accompanying figures, wherein:

- figure 1 shows a schematic sectional view of a tamper evident closure applied to a liquid container, particularly to the neck of a bottle, according to a first embodiment of the present invention; - figure 2 shows a schematic sectional view of the tamper evident closure of figure 1 during a tampering attempt;

- figure 3 shows a schematic sectional view of the tamper evident closure of figure 1 showing deformations as a consequence of a tampering attempt; - figure 4 shows a schematic sectional view of a tamper evident closure according to a second embodiment of the present invention, for application to a liquid container, particularly to the neck of a bottle, although shown with the container omitted for clarity;

- figure 5 corresponds to fig. 4, although showing the tamper evident closure of the second embodiment applied to a liquid container, particularly to the neck of a bottle;

- figure 6 shows a schematic sectional view of a tamper evident closure applied to a liquid container, particularly to the neck of a bottle, according to a third embodiment of the present invention; and

- figure 7 shows a schematic sectional view of a tamper evident closure, applied to a liquid container, particularly to a neck of a bottle, according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Even when not explicit, single features, described in relation to specific embodiment, should be read as optional and/or interchangeable with other features, described in reference to other specific embodiments.

With reference to figure 1, a tamper evident closure 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, for application to a liquid container 1 is shown. The liquid container 1, for example a bottle for spirits, has a neck 2 ending with an aperture or a mouth defining a pourer orifice 3.

The closure 100 comprises a tubular member 101, which is open at a bottom end 101a and extends along a longitudinal axial direction X-X between an upper or top end cap- like portion 102 and a lower or bottom end sleeve-like portion 103. The sleeve-like portion 103 has a bottom edge 113 defining the bottom opening of the tubular member 101. The lower edge may be provided with a face forming an angle of between 60° and 120° with the longitudinal axis X-X. A frangible portion 107, connects the cap-like portion 102 with the sleeve-like portion 103. The frangible portion 107 is formed by a circumferential weakened line consisting, for example, of cuts separated circumferentially by breakable links and is configured to break at the first opening, when the cap-like portion 102 is separated from the sleeve-like portion 103, as described below. It will be appreciated that other forms of frangible connection between the cap-like portion 102 and the sleeve-like portion 103 could be used instead.

The closure 100 further comprises a plug member 123 configured to close and open the pourer orifice 3 of the liquid container 1. In particular, the plug member 123 comprises a lip 120 configured to engage inside the neck 2 of the container 1 and seal it.

In this embodiment, the plug member 123, together with the cap-like portion 102 of the tubular member 101, form a removable cap 121 of the safety closure, which is removably connectable to the neck 2 of the liquid container 1 in order to open and close the pourer orifice 3. The plug member 123 further comprises a tubular skirt 122 coaxial with the lip 120, both extending longitudinally downwardly from a top end 123a of the plug member 123. The tubular skirt 122 has an internal thread 111 configured to engage with an outer thread 6 of the neck 2 in order to allow opening and closing the container 1 by screwing. The plug member 123 is coupled to the caplike portion 102 of the tubular member 101 such that gripping and turning the cap-like portion 102 results in turning of the plug member 123 and an axial displacement thereof by virtue of the threaded engagement of the internal thread 111 with the corresponding outer thread 6 on the neck 2. In particular, the skirt 122 extends inside and is fixedly secured to the cap-like portion 102. The plug member 123 and the caplike portion 102 may be integrally formed as a unitary member.

The plug member 123 may be formed of plastics of the polyolefin family, such as LDPE. The cap-like portion 102 and the sleeve-like portion 103 may be formed from plastics such as HDPE, PP, ABS, or SB. For aesthetic purposes, the cap 121 may be covered by an aluminium shell having a frangible portion in correspondence with the frangible portion 107.

The sleeve-like portion 103 of the tubular member 101 is provided with inwardly- directed, circumferentially spaced rotational constraint members 109, configured to engage corresponding circumferentially spaced rotational constraint members 4 projecting outwardly from the neck 2 of the container 1 in order to constrain the tubular member 101 rotationally with respect to the container 1. In particular, during a first opening of the closure, when the cap-like portion 102 is gripped and unscrewed, the torque applied is initially transmitted to the sleeve-like portion 103 through the frangible connection 107, but rotation of the sleeve-like member 103 is prevented by the respective rotational constraint members 4,109. Since the cap-like portion 121 and the sleeve-like portion 103 are initially coupled together via the frangible connection 107, rotation of the cap-like member 102, and therefore the connected plug member 123 is also initially prevented, until the force through the frangible connection 107 is large enough to break that connection. Once the frangible connection 107 has been broken, the cap 121 may be unscrewed from the container 1 to remove the plug member 123 from the pourer orifice 3 and thus to open the pourer orifice 3.

The sleeve-like portion 103 of the tubular member 101 is further provided with at least one inwardly radially extending constraint member 110, configured to engage at least one corresponding radially outwardly extending constraint member 5, disposed on the neck of the container 1, in order to constrain the tubular member 101 axially along the longitudinal direction X-X to prevent its removal, especially before the first opening of the closure. The at least one inwardly radially extending constraint member 110 may comprise a series of radially inwardly-projecting members, or may comprise a single, continuous inwardly-projecting lip. Likewise, the corresponding at least one corresponding radially outwardly extending constraint member 5 may comprise a series of radially outwardly-projecting members, or may comprise a single, continuous outwardly-projecting lip.

The longitudinal constraint members 5,110 are intended to keep the tubular member 101 permanently fitted on the neck 2 of the container 1, while it is originally closed, before the first opening, and also to retain the sleeve-like portion 103 in position after an initial opening has taken place.

According to the invention, the sleeve-like portion 103 includes a recess or indent 115. The recess 115 is positioned in the sleeve-like portion 103 between the bottom edge 113 and the longitudinal constraint members 110. Preferably, as shown in figures 1 and 2, the recess 115 is blind and is formed in the inner surface of the tubular wall, therefore being invisible from the outside. Thanks to the provision of the recess 115, the lower tubular portion 103 is configured to deform, preferably outwardly, in case of an attempt to extract the tubular member 101 from the neck 2 of the container 1 on which the closure 100 is applied.

With reference to figure 3, the deformation is shown in 115a and it is intended to be permanent or, at least, to provide a clear indication of the extraction attempt, therefore deterring further attempts on other liquid containers, for example containers arranged on the same shelf.

As shown in figure 3, an attempt to extract the tubular member 101 from the neck 2 of the bottle usually takes place by applying a thrust to the bottom edge 113 of the sleevelike portion 103. That thrust would have at least an axial component pointing toward the cap-like portion 102.

During an extraction attempt, the respective constraint members 5,110 react to that upward thrust with a corresponding downward reaction force pointing toward the bottom end 101 a, by virtue of the respective constraint members 5,110 abutting against one another. Thus the recess 115, being placed between the bottom edge 113 and the constraint members 110, undergoes a compression stress that causes its deformation as shown in 115a. In this example, the deformation is an outward buckle of thinner- walled material at the recess 115. This visible deformation may be permanent and /or be accompanied by a visible change in the material, such as a change in colour. According to the embodiment of figures 1 and 2, the recess 115 is formed as an annular groove which extends around the entire circumference of the tubular member 101, therefore defining an annular weakened portion 115. It will be understood that the recess may instead comprise a series of smaller recesses spaced around the circumference.

In order to achieve an effective weakening of the tubular member 101, the weakened groove 115 has wall thickness S2 less than the wall thickness SI, and preferably the ratio of S2 to SI is less than 0.5 or it will be between 0.2 and 0.8. According to the embodiment shown in figures 1, 2 and 3, the weakened groove 115 extends 5 mm axially.

With reference to figure 4 a safety closure 200, according to a second embodiment of the present invention, is shown in isolation of the neck of a container on which it is to be applied, whereas with reference to figure 5, the same safety closure 200 is shown assembled on a neck 244 of a bottle 245. The elements in common with the first embodiment, should such elements be present, are identified with the same reference numerals as figures 1 , 2 and 3 but increased by 100.

In this second embodiment, the closure 200 generally comprises a tubular member 201, a plug member 220 and a valve member 224. The valve member 224 comprises a connecting member 241 that is fixedly secured inside the opening 243 of the neck 244 of the bottle 245 by means of a downwardly-extending annular skirt 242. The connecting member 241 also includes an upwardly-extending annular collar 240 onto which a pourer body 219 is axially secured. The collar 242 defines a valve seat 246 on which rests a valve body 247 that can move axially inside a cavity 248 of the pourer body 219 for opening and closing an aperture 249 defined within the collar 242. The pourer body 219 defines a pourer orifice 218 at its upper end.

The tubular member 201 comprises, a cap-like portion 202 and a sleeve-like portion 203, initially connected by a frangible portion 207. The cap-like member 202 includes a top wall 208.

The plug member 220 is formed in one piece with the top wall 208 and extends longitudinally from the top wall 208 inside the orifice 218 of the pourer body 219. The plug member 220, together with the cap-like portion 202 of the tubular member 201, form a removable cap 221.

A stem 227 axially extending downwardly from the wall 208 of the cap-like portion 202 of the tubular member 201, when resting against the valve body 247 - as is the case when the cap 221 is in a closed position - urges the valve body 247 against the valve seat 246, thereby preventing liquid from passing through the valve member 224. The cap-like portion 202 of the tubular member 201 is provided with at least one annular projection 228 on its outer surface for engagement with at least one corresponding circumferential groove 229 of a skirt member 230, thereby forming mutually interengaging circumferential features to couple the cap-like portion 202 and the skirt member 230 together axially. The skirt member 230 is also radially connected to the upper tubular portion 203 by means of a plurality of axial indentations 231.

Upon first opening the closure, torque on the cap 221 urges the cap-like portion 202 to turn relative to the valve member 224 via mutual threads 206, 211, whilst the sleeve- like portion 203 remains rotationally fixed, thereby causing the frangible portion 207 to break.

From this moment on, the removable cap 221 is used to selectively further open and close the pourer orifice 243 of the container. According to the invention, also the second embodiment is provided with means for preventing an attempt of extraction of the closure 200 from the container 245 on which it is applied.

To this end, the sleeve-like portion 203 of the tubular member 201 is provided with slots 232 axially extending parallel to the axis X-X of the closure and open at the bottom edge 213.

Said slots 232 may be uniformly distributed around the circumference of the lower tubular portion 203 or, as an alternative, they may be grouped in a plurality of slots as shown, for instance, in figure 4.

Said slots 232, in case of an attempt of extracting the safety closure from the neck 244 of the bottle 245, shall give rise to visible evidence of such an attempt through the deformation of the wall of the sleeve-like portion 203 in an analogous manner to that described with reference to the first embodiment of figures 1, 2 and 3.

In order to achieve an effective weakening of the tubular member 201, the weakened portion 232 has wall thickness S200 less than the wall thickness S201, and preferably the ratio of S200 to S201 is less than 0.5 or it will be between 0.2 and 0.8.

According to the embodiment shown in figures 4 and 5, the weakened portion 232 extends axially in by 2 mm.

With reference to figure 6, that shows a third embodiment of the invention, the elements in common with the second embodiment, should such elements be present, are identified with the same numeral references of figures 4 and 5, increased by 100. The elements in common with the first embodiment, should such elements be present, are identified with the same reference numerals of figures 1, 2 and 3 increased by 200.

In this third embodiment, the tubular member 301 comprises a sleeve-like portion 303 provided with an annular recess 315, which extends around the entire circumference of the tubular member 301, therefore defining an annular weakened portion 315. In other words, the recess 315 defines a weakened, deformable portion extending in the tubular wall of the closure 300.

In order to achieve an effective weakening of the tubular member 301, the weakened portion 315 has wall thickness S300 less than the wall thickness S301, and preferably the ratio of S300 to S301 is lower than 0.5 or it will be between 0.2 and 0.8. According to the embodiment shown in figure 6, the weakened portion 315 extends axially in by 5 mm.

A fourth embodiment according to the invention is now described with reference to figure 7

The elements in common with the first embodiment, should such elements be present, are identified in figure 7 with the same reference numerals of figures 1, 2 and 3 increased by 300. In this fourth embodiment, the tubular member 401 comprises a lower tubular portion 403 provided with an annular recess 415, which extends along the entire circumferential extension of the tubular member 401, therefore defining an annular weakened portion 415. In other words, the recess 415 defines a weakened, deformable portion extending in the tubular wall of the closure 400.

In order to achieve an effective weakening of the tubular member 401, the weakened portion 415 has wall thickness S400 less than the wall thickness S401, and preferably the ratio of S400 to S401 is less than 0.5 or it will be between 0.2 and 0.8. According to the embodiment shown in figure 7, the weakened portion 415 extends axially by 5 mm.

Also in this fourth embodiment, a plug member 423 is part of a cap 421 of the safety closure 400. The cap 421 is removably applicable to the neck 442 of the liquid container 441 in order to open and close the pourer orifice 443. The cap further comprises a tubular sleeve 422 coaxial with the sleeve 420, both extending longitudinally from plug member 423.

A tubular sleeve 422 has an internal thread 411 configured to couple with an outer thread 406 formed on the outer surface of a sleeve 405, fixed around the neck 442, in order to allow opening and closing the container 441. As in the other embodiments of the present invention, a frangible portion 407, connects the cap-like portion 402 with the sleeve-like portion 403. The sleeve-like portion 403 of the tubular member 401 is provided with at least one inwardly radially extending constraint member 410 configured to engage at least one corresponding outwardly radially extending constraint member 405 formed by a collar associated with the neck 442 of the bottle in order to constrain the tubular member 401 along the longitudinal direction X-X and particularly to axially constrain the sleevelike portion 403 to the container 441 to prevent its removal, especially before the first opening.

The longitudinal constraint members 410 are intended to keep the tubular member 401 permanently fitted on the neck 442 of the container 441 , while it is originally closed, before the first opening, and also to retain the sleeve-like portion 403 in position after an initial opening has taken place.

It is therefore evident that all of the embodiments of the safety closure according to the present invention, realize the aforementioned objects thanks to the presence of a portion with a reduced thickness at the bottom end portion of the outer tubular member longitudinally constrained to the container.

Obviously a person skilled in the art, in order to meet specific requirements, will be able to modify the described embodiments in many ways.

For example, it is clear that, unless in case of an evident technical incompatibility, any feature described in relation to one embodiment may be directly applied to another embodiment, with proper adjustment and, particularly, many combinations of features relating to the plug member and to the recess are possible. Likewise, interruptions in the continuity of the elements which compose the closure, may be realized, clearly under condition that they do not alter the functionality of the involved elements. Similarly, the portions described as annular or cylindrical may be slightly conical due to technological needs.

However, all the modifications are included in the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A tamper evident closure for a liquid container having a neck (2,244,344,442) with an opening defining a pourer orifice (3,243,343,443), said tamper evident closure extending in an axial direction (X-X) and comprising:

a tubular member (101,201,301,401) comprising an upper portion

(102,202,302,402) and a lower portion (103,203,303,403) with a lower edge (113,213,313,413) surrounding an open bottom end (101a); and a plug member (123,208,308,423) coupled with said tubular member, configured to selectively close and open the pourer orifice of the liquid container, wherein the lower portion (103,203,303,403) of said tubular member comprises axial constraining means (110,210,310,410) configured to engage with corresponding axial constraining means of the container (5,205,305,405) in order to constrain said lower portion of the tubular member to the container in the axial direction (X-X) and thereby prevent its removal therefrom, characterized in that said lower portion (103,203,303,403) of said tubular member (101,201,301,401) comprises at least one recess (115,232,315,415) positioned between said lower edge (113,213,313,413) and said axial constraining means (110,210,310,410), the recess including at least a portion with a reduced wall thickness (S2,S200,S300,S400) whereby an axial thrust exceeding a predetermined value applied against said lower edge (113,213,313,413) in the direction of the upper portion (102,202,302,402) of said tubular member (101,201,301,401) will result in a visible deformation of the lower portion (103,203,303,403) at the recess (115,232,315,415).

2. The tamper evident closure according to claim 1, wherein the upper portion (102) and the lower portion (103) of said tubular member are connected by a frangible portion (107,207,307,407) which is configured to break when the first opening of the closure occurs.

3. The tamper evident closure according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said recess comprises an annular recess (115,315,415) that extends completely around the circumferential extent of the lower portion (103) of said tubular member.

4. The tamper evident closure according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said at least one recess comprises a plurality of axially extending slots (232,315) circumferentially spaced from one another on an inner surface of the lower portion of said tubular member (201,301).

5. The tamper evident closure according to claim 4 wherein said slots (232) are arranged in groups, each group comprising at least two axial slots placed side by side, said groups of slots being circumferentially distributed.

6. The tamper evident closure according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein said slots (232) are axially open at the lower edge (213) of said lower portion (203) of the tubular member (201).

7. The tamper evident closure according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein said slots (315) are axially closed at the lower edge (313) of said lower portion (303) of said tubular member (301).

8. The tamper evident closure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said lower portion of said tubular member comprises a tubular wall having a wall thickness (S1,S201,S301,S401) and said recess is provided with a weakened portion that extends in said tubular wall, said weakened portion having a wall thickness (S2,S200,S300,S400) that is less than (S1,S201,S301,S401).

9. The tamper evident closure according to claim 8, wherein said weakened portion is configured to deform outwardly upon the action of said thrust applied onto said lower edge.

10. The tamper evident closure according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the ratio between the wall thickness of the weakened portion (S2,S200,S300,S400) and the respective tubular wall thickness (S1,S201,S301,S401) is lower than 0.8, and preferably between 0.2 and 0.8.

11. The tamper evident closure according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein said weakened portion extends axially over a length of between 2 and 30 mm.

12. The tamper evident closure according to any one of claims 8 to 10 wherein said weakened portion extends up to said lower edge.

13. The tamper evident closure according to any one of claims from 8 to 10 wherein said lower portion of said tubular member is provided with a wall thickness greater than the wall thickness at the lower edge.

14. The tamper evident closure according to any preceding claim wherein said lower edge is provided with a face forming an angle of between 60° and 120° with the longitudinal axis (X-X).