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
  • B65D41/3423—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
  • B65D41/3428—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 the tamper element being integrally connected to the closure by means of bridges

Definitions

• This invention relates to container closures of the type having a frangible tamper indicating band which, when broken, provides a visible indication that the container has been opened.
• Closures having tamper indicating bands typically include some type of band retaining means which engages the underside of a locking bead around the neck of the container.
• the "retainer 11 exerts a downward force on the band which causes the band to sever and separate from the upper part of the closure.
• a visible gap is thereupon opened between the band and the upper part of the closure, which shows that the container and/or closure has been at least partially opened.
• the retainer is often in the form of spaced apart up-turned tabs or "fishhooks" around the inside of the band.
• a closure can be applied to a container with the retainer in the down, as molded position; the retainer is automatically turned up or inverted to the use position as the closure is secured in place.
• the retainer is stiffer so as better to resist inadvertent downfolding on opening, a separate post-forming operation is used to turn it up after the closure has been molded but before the closure is applied to the container.
• the stiffer the retainer is, the more difficult it is to invert from the down, as made, position to the up, bead engaging, use position, but when in that position the more securely it will engage the locking bead when the closure is removed. If the retainer is so stiff that it must be turned up by applying point force progressively around its circumference at its inner edge, the application of the large force required usually slows the operation.
• Figure 10 shows a closure having a tamper indicating band with retaining tabs that are separated by thin webs between them.
• the webs extend inwardly nearly as f r as the tabs. Gaps are presented between spaced apart hinged segments to make the hinge more flexible.
• the tabs are circumferentially flexi ⁇ ble and, when swung through a horizontal center position, the inside dimension of the retainer is reduced by circumferential overlap along its inner edge.
• Kerr U.S. Patent No. 4,506,795 shows a tamper evident closure having a large number of individual tabs, each upwardly bent to engage the underside of a bead on the container. The tabs are separated from one another.
• Hannon No. 4,592,475 shows another closure having circumferentially spaced tabs.
• Gregory et al No. 4,613,052 shows a tamper indicating band which is generally cylindrical, connected to the lower end of a tamper indicating band by frangible bridges. The entire band is folded inwardly to a bead-engaging position by a separate post-forming operation, prior to application of the cap to the container.
• Hayes No. 4,657,153 shows a closure having a plurality of spaced, upturned locking tabs for engag ⁇ ing beneath the bead of a container.
• hinges 13 at the base of tabs 10 are separated by intermediate slots 14. Each window is several times longer than the respective hinge.
• Begley No. 4,796,770 shows a closure having a retaining means in the form of a plurality of hinged flaps which are separated circumferentially by notches to function independently.
• sepa ⁇ rately projecting stops are hinged along the lower edge of the tamper indicating band and are swung upwardly and inwardly to project into and through relief windows above the band which provide clearance for the stops to be cammed outwardly when the cap is applied.
• the retainer is in the form of a continu ⁇ ous, inwardly angulated unapertured conical hoop below the tamper indicating band, so-called “hoop strength" generally makes it difficult to turn the retainer inside out as is required to invert it from the down, as molded position, to the up, bead-engaging position.
• the retainer is in the form of a flap or hoop which is essentially continuous around its distal (inner) edge. It is hinged along its outer edge to the band, and has a series of "relief windows” or internal deformation areas spaced along it.
• the retainer permits the hinged and/or distal edges of the retainer to deform in an advantageous manner, under the compression which arises during inversion.
• the retainer When the retainer is being folded to its up position, it deforms to relieve compression as it moves through a plane perpendicular to the closure center axis.
• the deformation may be in the plane of the retainer and away from the hinge line at the lower edge of the band; or it may appear as an arc which is perpendicular to the plane of the re ⁇ tainer; or the "mullions" between the windows may buckle adjacent the hinge line in a direction trans ⁇ verse to the plane of the retainer.
• the relief windows may be "open" windows, that is, apertures or holes.
• open windows that is, apertures or holes.
• the webs must be thin enough that, like open windows, they also will relieve hoop strength.
• the webs, like open windows are within (bounded by) the hoop and do not extend to the inner edge of the hoop.
• the provision of thin relief webs enables the hoop to be turned inside out much more easily, prior to the time the closure is secured to the container.
• the unmodified term "windows" is intended to mean and include both open windows and windows closed by a web so thin that it acts like an open window during inversion of the retainer.
• the provision of a hoop with internal relief areas is preferable to spaced discontinuous band retaining means joined by webs, as taught by Ostrowsky patent No. 4,478,343. That patent calls for tabs connected by thin webs; the inner edges of the webs are difficult to form consistently on a production basis.
• the retainer of this invention can be con- tinuous around the closure, that is, without “gaps" along its inner edge. It can be relatively stiffer than such separate tabs, and indeed can be thicker at its inner (distal) edge than at its outer (hinge) edge, which is desirable to provide a tighter "grip" on the container.
• the windows afford a number of unexpected advantages. In comparison to a retainer without windows, they enable the retainer to be folded up more easily and quickly, prior to the time the closure is secured to the container. The windows more effectively relieve the compression stress as the retainer is up turned from the down position. The windows also provide a better balance between the force required to secure the closure on the container and the circumferential shearing force required to provide the indication of tampering, by increasing the shearing force.
• the windows have substan- 0 tial "height" in comparison to the height (transverse dimension) of the retainer; optimally, they should extend at least 1/3 of the distance from the lower edge of the band (i.e., the hinge edge) to the distal (inner) edge of the retainer.
• the retainer of this invention can be rela ⁇ tively stiff, and is preferably thicker at its inner (distal) edge than at its outer (hinge) edge.
• the re- l -- tainer (as viewed in plan in the use position) assumes a distinctly polygonal shape in which the portions inward of the hinges press more tightly against that container neck than the portions inward of the win ⁇ dows. This improves the "grip" of the retainer on the *-- container and hence improves the band severing action when the closure is turned to open it.
• a further advantage is that in use the entire inner edge of the retainer engages or lies very close to the container neck; preferably there are no significant gaps between the retainer edge and the container wall.
• the windows are relatively small in area, or are closed by webs, they do not permit the entrance of an insect into the space between the band and the container, above the retainer. Indeed, even the size of open windows as formed can be reduced when the retainer is folded up, because the retainer deforms into the window area. This makes possible compliance with recommendations against any gap larger than .015" in the closure.
• open relief windows act as drain ports for wash water directed downwardly through wash slots above and/or upwardly from a point below the retainer. Wash water so directed can flow over the container threads or lugs to wash them, and then drain through open windows at the bottom of the retainer.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of the top part of a container having a closure in accordance with a preferred form of this invention
• Figure 2 is an enlarged axial cross-section taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1;
• Figure 2A is an enlarged sectional view similar to Figure 2 but shows a closure having relief windows in the form of thin webs, rather than aper ⁇ tures;
• Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspec ⁇ tive view of the tamper-indicating band and retainer of the closure of Figure 2, showing the retainer in its down, as-formed position;
• Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the closure showing the retainer in its as-formed posi ⁇ tion;
• Figure 5 is a bottom plan view similar to
• Figure 4 shows the retainer after it has been folded to its up or use position, for engaging the container locking bead
• Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to Figure 3 but shows the deformation of the retainer after it has been folded to its use position;
• Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary perspec ⁇ tive view similar to Figure 3 but shows a closure having a retainer with more and larger windows, in accordance with a modified form of the invention
• Figure 7A is a view similar to Figure 7, but is of a closure having relief windows in the form of thin webs;
• Figure 8 is a bottom plan view of the closure of Figure 7, with the retainer in its up position;
• Figure 9 is a view similar to Figures 3 and 7 but shows a closure having a retainer with still larger windows, in accordance with another modified form of the invention.
• Figure 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of the closure of Figure 9, with the retainer in its up position;
• Figure 11 is an enlarged fragmentary verti ⁇ cal section diagrammatically illustrating a retainer being inverted from the down to the up position
• Figure 12 is a section similar to Figure 11 but shows the various ways in which the hoop may deform upon inversion. Detailed Description
• a container 10 is shown having a closure 11 applied to its top opening.
• closure 11 is shown as a one-piece plastic molding having an integral top 12 and skirt 14.
• top 12 in reference to the closure includes b * ;th integral tops and separate tops; the shell or skirt 14 may be integral with or separate from the top.
• the container 10 shown for purposes of illustration has closure securing means in the form of external threads 16 around its neck, which engage internal threads 18 on the inside of the closure 11. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is useful not only on threaded containers but also on containers having interrupted canted lugs or a snap bead.
• a frangible or severable tamper- indicating band indicated generally by 22 is in the form of an annulus and is formed in ⁇ tegrally with closure skirt 14, to which it is con ⁇ nected by a series of spaced frangible bridges 25 (see Figure 3) .
• the bridges 25 may be interruptions in a circumferential score line or partial cut 27 around the outside of the closure.
• the score line 27 severs band 22 from the remainder of the closure except at these bridges. Bridges 25 thus act as the "weak link" along which the tamper-indicating band 22 severs or tears from the upper part of the closure.
• band 22 separates entirely from the rest of the closure when the bridges 25 rupture, and remains on the container thereafter. It is alternatively contemplated that band 22 may split along a rupture line as indicated by dotted line in Figure 7 and remain attached to the closure by a flexible connector after the bridges 25 have been broken, so that the band is removed with the closure rather than remaining on the container.
• tamper- indicating band 20 includes a band retaining means or retainer 29 preferably in the form of a continuous hoop or flap connected integrally along the lower edge 30 of band 22.
• the flap may have a "split,” gap, or division as shown at 28 in Figure 4 in its inner or distal edge 32 at one point around its circumference, but this is not preferred.
• Retainer 29 is molded in a first position in which it is angulated downwardly and inwardly from skirt 14 (see Fig. 3), i.e., away from top 12.
• the retainer is preferably tapered so that it is thicker at its inner edge 32 than at its hinge edge 35, to provide greater stiffness.
• Retainer 29 is hingedly connected to tamper- indicating band 22 by a series of spaced flexible integral hinges 34, each of which is preferably of sufficient angular extent to act as an arcuate joint when the retainer is folded about hinge edge 35, and thereby provide an over-center hinging action.
• the hinges 34 are separated or spaced from one another by relief windows or deformation areas 36, as shown in Figure 3.
• the windows 36 are preferably rectangular with outer edges which are colinear with the hinges 34 along edge 35.
• the windows 36 have a substantial height (dimension in the direction toward the distal edge) : they extend at least 1/3 of the distance from the hinge edge to the distal edge, that is, the unapertured portion above the windows is less than 2/3 the height of the flap.
• windows 36 do not extend to distal edge 32, that is, distal edge 32 is continuous and unbroken across both the windows 36 and the hinges, except possibly for a split as at
• the windows 36 may be open apertures or they may be thin webs (as shown at 36A in Figs. 2A and 7A) .
• the retainer 29 may be so weak as to slide past a locking bead 40 and not sever the band at the score line 27.
• webs are provided, they must be membrane- or film-like in thickness, e.g., about 0.010-.020", in comparison to the hoop which may for example be about .025-.060" thick. The webs are preferably coextensive with the upward face of hoop
• the "mullions" 44 and hinges between the windows are wider, in circumferential extent, than the windows; depending on closure size, they may be substantially wider (e.g., about 1.5-6x) than the windows 36.
• the circumferential width of the windows 36 is preferably at least twice their height, depending upon the diameter of the cap 11. As shown in Figure 2, the distal edges of the windows may be angulated downward to facilitate stripping from the mold.
• the closure shell can be molded; webs, if used, are molded thinner than the retainer in which they are presented. As shown in Figures 2 and 2A, the inner edge of the windows 36 or webs 36A may slant downwardly to facilitate removal of the closure from the mold.
• these windows 36 provide a surprising effect when the retainer 29 is inverted from its as-formed position (Fig. 3) to the use position shown in Figures 2 and 6, in which the inner edge 32 is positioned to hold beneath the locking band 40 of container 10.
• the re ⁇ tainer 29 is formed as a truncated cone with a circu- lar distal edge 32, it might be thought that after folding to the use position of Figure 2, it would resume a circular configuration, the two positions being symmetrical about a plane through hinge line 35. However, that does not occur.
• the retainer takes on a generally polygonal shape, as seen in plan in Figure 5. The polygonal shape is most pronounced in closures with relatively few and small windows. More particularly, I have found that the provision of the relief areas 36 permits the retainer to deform and thereby relieve the compression that arises along the distal edge 32 as the retainer is inverted from the down position to the up position.
• the distal edge 32 deforms in the radial direction, forming arcs or peaks 42 extending outwardly (perpendicularly to the plane of the retainer) in the regions across the windows (between the hinges) .
• the retainer 29 has been folded to the up position of Figure 2, it surprisingly assumes the generally polygonal configuration shown in Figure 5, rather than a circular shape; the portions of the retainer between the hinges (i.e., across the windows 36) deform radially outwardly and thereby reduce the distance between the band and the retainer distal edge 32, with the hinge areas or mullions 44 between the windows 36 lying closer to the center axis of the closure.
• This shape enables the retainer 29 better to grip the container sidewall beneath locking band 40, regardless of manufacturing tolerances in the dimensions of the container 10 and the closure 11, and more certainly to shear the bridges 25 and cause the tamper-indicating band to separate.
• the retainer 29 normally conforms relatively tightly to the container around its entire periphery, it acts as a seal against insect infesta ⁇ tion. The fit can be so close that no opening between the distal edge 32 of the retainer and the container wall exceeds the maximum recommended limit of .015".
• the windows 36 themselves, if open areas, are par ⁇ tially closed by the deformation of the retainer 29, and the gap above them may itself be less than .015".
• the distance from the line of contact of retainer distal edge 32 with the container, to the bottom 34 of the closure may be 1/8" or less, in compliance with federal FSIS regulations. This avoids possible intake of dirt or contamination into the container when the vacuum is broken.
• open aper- tures also facilitate water washing of the interthread space between the closure 11 and the container 10.
• a water wash spray directed downwardly through water slots above it in the closure 11, and/or upwardly toward distal edge 32, can flow between the lugs or interrupted threads to wash them, then drain downwardly into the V-shaped pocket 48 carrying any entrained food particles and flow out through the windows 36.
• the windows 36 are relatively few and narrow in relation to the width of the hinge mullions
• the windows 36 are about equal in width (circumferential
• the retainer In the up position, the retainer still forms a polygon but the peaks 42 are much less pronounced (see Fig. 8) . They can for example be felt as non- uniformities by running a finger around the inner edge of the hoop 29 in the up position.
• tne windows 36 are of still greater width and/or height, i.e., wider than the hinges, as in the embodiment of Figures 9 and 10, the retainer 29 still distorts along its inner edge, across the windows, to relieve compression stress, but in a different way.
• the distortion is in a different direction than the transverse distortion shown in Figures 6 and 8, and is in the plane of the original (underformed) band.
• the deformation is away from the hinge edge 35; as indicated by arrow 55 it is parallel to mullions 44, rather than radial, and distal edge 32 assumes a "wavy,” undulating or up and down configuration (see Figure 10) .
• the circumferentially narrow hinges may no longer function as arcuate hinges; they bend along essen ⁇ tially straight short lines, not arcs.
• This con ⁇ figuration is useful for small diameter closures; moreover, the wavy edge may interfit with correspond- ing ribs formed on the container finish to insure quicker band breakage upon turning.
• the windows should be open for this type of deformation to occur; webs would restrict it.
• the distal edge will deform upwardly and inwardly in the plane of retainer 29 as at 54, or perpendicular to its plane, as at 42; or the hinge mullions can buckle from the plane, as at 58 in Figure 12.
• the deformation is transverse to the original (undefor ed) arcs of edges 32 and 35.
• the deformation occurs as the retainer crosses center but tends to remain after the retainer has reached the up position.
• the accommodation of compression stress enables the retainer to be inverted from down to up by apply ⁇ ing direct axial force simultaneously around the entire distal edge.
• the retainer need not be turned up by applying spot force progressively around the edge to "roll up" the retainer. This saves substan ⁇ tial time on a production line.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)
• Window Of Vehicle (AREA)
• Agricultural Chemicals And Associated Chemicals (AREA)
• Bag Frames (AREA)
• Cartons (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

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Publications (1)

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Cited By (7)

Families Citing this family (4)

Citations (8)

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• 1991
  • 1991-07-31 EP EP91915918A patent/EP0544797B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1991-07-31 JP JP3514749A patent/JPH06504750A/ja active Pending
  • 1991-07-31 CA CA002089568A patent/CA2089568C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1991-07-31 WO PCT/US1991/005434 patent/WO1992003348A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1991-07-31 AT AT91915918T patent/ATE127756T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1991-07-31 AU AU84939/91A patent/AU650056B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1991-07-31 DE DE69113051T patent/DE69113051T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1991-08-20 MX MX9100740A patent/MX9100740A/es not_active IP Right Cessation

Patent Citations (8)

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