NZ541132A - Containers and closures for containers - Google Patents

Abstract

A container comprises a container body 1 having a mouth and a lip. A collar 5 made from pliable material can be permanently attached to the body 1 by means of the lip. A closure 7 is also attachable to the container.

Description

So- P3Z Patent Form No 5 New Zealand Patents Act 1953 Complete Specification Australian Provisional Patent Application No 2004903707: Date: 6 July 2004 Title: 'Containers and closures for containers' We, NCI Packaging Pty Ltd, of 90-92 Chifley Drive, Preston, Victoria, 3072, Australia, hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: intellectual property office! of l\/.z - 8 JUL 2005 BE CE!VPn Containers and Closures for Containers Field of the Invention The-present invention is directed to improvements in or relating to containers. In some of its embodiments the invention concerns improvements to closures for containers. In other of its embodiments the invention concerns tamper-evident closures for containers.

Background of the Invention In this specification, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date: (i) part of common general knowledge; or (ii) known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.

For reasons of public safety it is important that containers for a wide variety of consumable products, such as food, vitamins or drugs, have tamper-evident closures incorporated therein. The use of a tamper-evident closure provides consumers with some confidence that the container has not been tampered with or otherwise compromised, and that the enclosed consumable product has not been contaminated or spoiled. It is important that a tamper-evident closure be sturdy enough to maintain its integrity during transport of the container, capable of showing at a glance whether there has been tampering, and that it can also be easily removed by the consumer.

Containers for consumable products come in a multitude of shapes and sizes and are made from differing materials, such as plastic, metal or glass and consequently it is necessary for a tamper-evident closure to be particularly adapted to the container to which it is applied. In many cases it is simply not technically feasible or commercially sensible to materially change the consumable product's container when it is desired to incorporate a tamper-evident closure. At the same time, it can be difficult to incorporate the addition of a tamper-evident closure into the existing manufacturing process for some containers.

Accordingly, it is an object of one aspect of the present invention to provide a tamper-evident closure that can be more easily integrated into the manufacturing process for containers of consumable products. arsm M0111722602v1 305527349 Page 2 Containers for consumable products may also be re-used, such as for storage of other items after the initial product is consumed. A difficulty that arises in respect of re-useability is that certain aspects of the container that may be useful when initially packaging the product, may make the container less effective in a re-use context. For example, large containers of instant coffee, such as those of the one litre size, are often packaged in a metallic, cylindrically shaped container having a circular metallic lid that fits onto the top of the container by way of an interference fit to make an air-tight seal. Whilst this kind of container is eminendy suitable for the initial packaging of instant coffee, the difficulty in opening and closing the lid, and perhaps retaining an effective seal, may discourage its use as a re-useable container.

However, as with the introduction of tamper-evidency referred to above, it is not always practical to change manufacturing processes for containers in order to incorporate re-useability features.

Accordingly, it is an object of a second aspect of the present invention to provide a container that is capable of re-use, that preserves, at least to some extent, some of the beneficial features of containers for initially packaged product, and is easily incorporated into the manufacturing process for existing containers.

Summary of the invention According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a tamper-evident closure for use with a container having a lid and a clip attaching the lid to the container, said tamper evident closure comprising a tab having a frangible element which may be locked over the clip, so that the frangible element must be broken before the clip can open.

The present invention a container which includes a tamper-evident closure as described.

The tamper-evident closure of the present invention addresses the problem referred to above in that unlike closures found in the prior art, it does not need to be moulded in a closed position into the container. Accordingly, the tamper-evident closure can be incorporated into the manufacturing process for the container by simply locking the frangible element over the clip at a later stage during the packaging process.

A person skilled in the art will understand that the tab may take any shape. Typically, the tab will be formed from a plastics material. For example, in one embodiment the tab may have two posts and is hingedly attached to a collar which is attached to the container. In use, the posts on the tab lockingly engage with arsm M0111722602v1 305527349 Page 3 complementary holes on or adjacent the clip. Alternatively, the tab could be attached to a collar which is attached to the lid.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a tamper-evident closure for use with a container having a lid and a clip attaching the lid to the container, said tamper evident closure comprising a loop having a frangible element wherein in use, the clip lockingly engages through the loop and cannot be opened without breaking the frangible element.

The loop may be attached to a collar adapted to fit either the container or the lid, depending on whether the clip is attached to the lid or the container.

Both aspects of the invention provide a tamper evident closure which does not need to be moulded in the closed position. The tamper evident closure can be applied to the clip attaching the container to the lid at a later stage during the packaging process.

Suitable forms of the collar for use with either tamper-evident aspect of the invention will be known to those skilled in the art. The design of the collar will depend on the material from which the container is made and the shape of the container. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the collar is formed from plastic and adapted to be fitted to a container made from metal. In order to securely fit the container, the collar has a cross-section smaller than that of the opening of the container. Therefore, the collar is shaped with an angled internal surface and has a plurality of splits which allow the collar to expand to fit over the opening of the container but then contract again so that it cannot be removed.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the tamper evident closure is integrally formed with a hinge which connects the container and lid so that the lid remains attached to the container when opened. Typically, the hinge will be formed from plastic. Preferably, the hinge will comprise a single crease which can rotate at least 90°.

The present invention provides in another embodiment a container capable of reuse, the container comprising: a container body having a mouth; a collar capable of being mounted on the container body for permanent attachment to the container body, and a closure attachable to the container.

In the context of the present invention, the term "permanent attachment" is intended to indicate the capacity of the closure to be mounted on the container body for arsm M0111722602v1 305527349 Page 4 an extended period and to be capable of being prevented from being removed from the container body under normal conditions of use.

The mouth of the container body will typically include a lip. The lip may comprise a rim curl. In these embodiments, the collar can engage with the lip of the container body to facilitate mounting of the collar on the container body. If the collar is formed from a pliable material, the rim curl can cut into the pliable material when the collar is mounted on the container body to facilitate permanent attachment of the collar to the container body.

Preferably the material from which the container body and the collar are formed will have different hardnesses relative to one another.

Typically the container body of these embodiments will be formed from metallic material, whilst the collar will be formed from a plastics or polymeric material.

Description of the drawings Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be further explained and illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an exploded, perspective view of a re-useable container in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a detailed perspective view, party in cross section through the line A-A of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a container having a tamper evident closure according to an embodiment of the of the invention; Figure 4 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the tamper evident closure in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the tamper evident closure in Figure 1 with a different configuration for the lid.

Figure 6 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the tamper evident closure in Figure 1 with a different configuration for the lid.

Figure 7 is a detailed cross-sectional view of a container having a tamper evident closure according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention.

Figure 8 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the tamper evident closure in Figure . arsm M0111722602v1 305527349 Page 5 Figure 9 is a series of detailed views of a lid having a tamper evident closure according to another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention.

Detailed description of the drawings Turning to Figure 1, a re-useable container 100 is illustrated. The container is comprised of a metallic container body 1, and an assembly 102 that is in turn comprised of a cap 2, lid 6 and collar 5. The components of the assembly 102 are made of plastic and are manufactured separately from the metallic container body 1.

The rim of the container 1 body defines a substantially circular container mouth 11, with an inverted u-shaped rim curl 13 (Figure 2) extending upwardly and outwardly from the container rim. The collar 5 may be mounted onto the container body 1 by forcing the collar downwardly over the container rim. Because the collar is made of plastic and is consequently reasonably pliable, it is able to be stretched over the metallic container body until it is prevented from further downwards movement by an internal, circumferentially disposed flange 17. After coming to rest against flange 17, the metallic rim-curl 13 cuts into the interior wall 15 of the collar 5 to thereby effect a permanent attachment of the collar 5 to the container body 1. The cutting of the interior wall 15 of the collar 5 also serves to prevent rotation of the collar 5 about the container rim.

The lid 6 is pivotally attachable to the collar 5 via a pair of connecting members 31, that are slidably received by a recess 33 provided in the collar 5. Once connected, the lid functions in the customary manner to move the container between an open and a closed position. Additionally, the collar is provided with a seal, in the form of a removable membrane 35. The seal 35 is placed at the top of the collar at a higher position to the flange 17 so that the seal is not broken during mounting of the collar 5 to the container body 1. The seal 35 is removed from the container 100 by a consumer upon purchase of the product by operation of a tear ring 39 provided on the seal.

The cap 2, is used for decorative purposes, such as for affixation of a label to the assembly 102.

The benefits of such a container will be immediately realised by those skilled in the art. Firsdy, the assembly 102, comprising the collar 5, lid 6 and cap 2 are separately manufactured from the container body and may be mounted onto the container body 1 via simple downward pressure. Accordingly, the assembly 102 can be applied to the container body 1 to form a completed container 100 without any substantial alteration in the manufacturing process for the container body 1. The assemblies 102 may also be conveniently stacked until they are to be mounted onto the container bodies 101. arsm M0111722602v1 305527349 Page 6 Moreover, pivotal attachment of the lid 6 to an interposed plastic collar 5, rather than via a direct connection to the container body 1, makes for a lid that can be easily opened and closed, thereby increasing the likelihood that the container will be re-used. At the same time, permanent attachment of the collar 5 to the container body 1 and the incorporation of the seal 35 preserve the suitability of the container 100 to initially package the product.

Other embodiments of the invention will now be" described by reference to Figures 3 to 9- Turning to Figure 3, the container 100 is a tin canister with a hard plastic rim 3. Plastic rim 3 is attached to loop 4 having a frangible element (not shown). The lid 2 comprises a sealing plug 5 made of a soft plastic such as LDPE, a plastic rim 6 and a metal body 7. The plastic rim 6 is attached to clip 8. The lid 2 is connected to the container 1 via hinge 9 which is integrally formed with plastic rims 3 and 6. Hinge 9 comprises a single crease folding back on itself so that plastic rims 3 and 6 engage.

When in use, the clip 8 lockingly engages loop 4 as shown. Clip 8 is shaped so that it can fit through loop 4 but cannot be removed unless the frangible element on loop 4 is broken. Figures 5 and 6 illustrate different ways in which plastic rims 3 and 6 and sealing plug 5 can interact.

Figure 7 illustrates a container 10 and lid 11 which are connected by two opposing closures 12 and 13. Closures 12 and 13 are identical and shown in more detail in Figure 8. Lid 11 has a tin body and a plastic rim 14. Plastic rim 14 is attached to clip 15 whose oudine is shown in dotted lines. Container 10 is a tin canister with plastic rim 16. Plastic rim 16 engages with plastic collar 17 which is attached to tab 18. Tab 18 has posts 19 which engage with holes in clip 15.

Figure 9 illustrates another embodiment of the invention. View A is a top view showing two collars 20 and 21 connected by hinge 22. An enlarged image of hinge 22 is shown in Detail C. Section B-B illustrates that collar 20 is attached to lid 23 having a sealing plug 24. Collar 20 is also attached to clip 25. An enlarged image of clip 25 is shown in Detail E. Collar 21 is designed to be attached to a container (not shown).

Collar 21 is also attached to tab 26 which is the tamper evident closure. Tab 26 is further illustrated in Details D and F. In particular, tab 26 has posts 27 and 28 which will lockingly engage holes 29 and 30. Between posts 27 and 28 , tab 26 has a frangible element (not shown) which is large enough to release clip 25.

In use when lid 23 is closed on the container, collars 20 and 21 will engage. Clip 25 will then be closed in the area defined between holes 29 and 30. Tab 26 will then be arsm M0111722602v1 305527349 Page 7 8 closed over clip 25 and posts 27 and 28 will engage holes 29 and 30. Clip 25 will then not be openable unless the frangible element of tab 26 is broken.

The word 'comprising' and forms of the word 'comprising' as used in this description do not limit the invention claimed to exclude any variants or additions.

Modifications and improvements to the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and improvements are intended to be within the scope of this invention. arsm M0111722602v1 305527349 Page 8

Claims (11)

f The Claims Defining the Invention are as follows:

1. A container capable of re-use, the container comprising: a container body having a mouth, said mouth including a lip; a collar which is formed from pliable material and capable of being mounted on 5 the container body for permanent attachment to the container body by way of the lip engaging with said pliable material when the collar is mounted on the container body, and a closure attachable to the container.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein said lip comprises a rim curl. 10

3. A container according to claim 2, wherein said rim curl cuts into said pliable material when said collar is mounted on said container body to facilitate said permanent attachment.

4. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said collar has a seal to protect the contents of the container when filled. 15

5. A container according to claim 4, wherein said seal comprises a removable membrane.

6. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said closure is integral with said collar.

7. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said closure is 20 releasably attachable to said collar.

8. A container according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein said closure is pivotably attachable to said collar.

9. A container according to any one of the preceding claims, and further comprising tamper-evident means for said closure. 25

10. A container according to claim 9, wherein said tamper-evident means comprises a tab having a frangible element which may be locked over a clip on said container, so that the frangible element must be broken before said clip can be released.

11. A container capable of re-use, the container comprising: a container body having a mouth, said mouth including a lip having a rim curl; 30 a collar capable of being mounted on the container body for permanent attachment to the container body; said closure being formed from a pliable material and said container body being formed from a material having a hardness which differs from that of said pliable material to enable said rim curl to cut into said pliable material when said closure is stretched over 35 said lip of said container body, whereby to facilitate said permanent attachment; arsm M0111722602V2 305527349 10 a closure releasably attachable to said container and tamper-evident means for said closure. 12 A container capable of re-use, substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings. NCI Packaging Pty Ltd 4 January 200" arsm M0111722602v2 305527349