WO2005009855A1

WO2005009855A1 - Tamper-evident cover for a dispensing valve on a container

Info

Publication number: WO2005009855A1
Application number: PCT/IB2004/000498
Authority: WO
Inventors: Allan Charles Watts; Graham Stuart Watts
Original assignee: Ferall Tools (Pty) Ltd
Priority date: 2003-07-30
Filing date: 2004-02-26
Publication date: 2005-02-03

Abstract

The invention provides a tamper-evident cover (18) for a dispensing valve (12) on a container closure (10). The tamper-evident cover (18) includes a cap (20) for covering the dispensing valve (12), a retainer ring (22) connected to the cap (20) along a tear line (24), and cam formations (32) for driving the retainer ring (22) axially away from the cap (20) when the cap is rotated and torn away from the retainer ring along the tear line, thereby to from a tamper-evident gap between the cap (20) and the retainer ring (22). The retainer ring (22) may include restraining formations in the form of ribs (35) which are locatable between corresponding ribs (16) on the container closure (10) for restraining rotation of the retainer ring (22) relative to the container closure (10).

Description

TAMPER-EVIDENT COVER FOR A DISPENSING VALVE ON A CONTAINER

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

THIS invention relates to tamper-evident closures for containers. More specifically, the invention relates to a tamper-evident cover for a dispensing valve on a container such as a beverage container. The invention also relates to a container including such a cover, and to a container closure which includes the cover.

Tamper-evident closures for beverage containers are known. Generally, these closures include a body portion, and a retainer ring which detaches from the body portion when the closure is removed from the container to indicate tampering. Closures for certain types of beverage containers, such as containers for energy drinks or the like, include a dispensing valve and a cover for the dispensing valve. Usually, the cover comprises a cap which is arranged to clip onto the container closure to cover the dispensing valve. These caps may be removed by an unauthorised user and subsequently replaced without indicating tampering with the closure. Although the dispensing valve itself generally includes a tamper-evident feature, this feature is at least partially concealed by the cover, making it difficult to assess whether or not there has been unauthorised tampering with the closure simply by looking at the container. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tamper-evident cover for a container dispensing valve which indicates clearly whether or not the cover has been removed previously to access the dispensing valve.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention there is provided a tamper-evident cover for a dispensing valve on a container, the tamper-evident cover including: a cap for covering the dispensing valve; a retainer ring connected to the cap along a tear line; a restraining formation on the retainer ring which is engageable with a corresponding formation on the container, or a closure for the container, for restraining rotation of the retainer ring relative to the container and/or the container closure; and at least one cam formation for driving the retainer ring axially away from the cap when the cap is rotated and torn away from the retainer ring along the tear line, thereby to from a tamper-evident gap. between the cap and the retainer ring.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the restraining formation on the retainer ring comprises a plurality of inwardly projecting ribs which are arranged to locate between corresponding, outwardly projecting ribs on the container closure so as to prevent rotation of the retainer ring relative to the container closure while permitting axial displacement of the retainer ring relative to the container closure.

In a particularly preferred arrangement, the at least one cam formation includes a plurality of upwardly projecting, inclined surfaces on the retainer ring, and a plurality of projections on the cap which engage and ride along the inclined surfaces, driving the retainer ring away from the cap, when the cap is rotated and torn away from the retainer ring.

The projections on the cap preferably form connecting lugs for connecting the retainer ring to the cap along the tear line. In this case, the joints between the connecting lugs and the retainer ring are weaker than the joints between the connecting lugs and the cap to ensure that, when the cap is rotated and torn away from the retainer ring, the connecting lugs are retained on the cap and engage the upwardly projecting, inclined surfaces on the retainer ring to drive this ring axially away from the cap.

The retainer ring may have a larger diameter than the cap, in which case the connecting lugs extend outwardly from the cap. Alternatively, the retainer ring may have a similar diameter to the cap and the connecting lugs may extend downwardly from the cap.

Preferably, the cap includes gripping formations for facilitating the tearing away of the cap from the retainer ring and the subsequent handling of the cap.

Typically, the tamper-evident cover includes clipping formations for clipping the cap to the dispensing valve, or to a portion of the container or the container closure adjacent the dispensing valve.

In a preferred application, the tamper-evident cover is connectable to a beverage container to provide a cover for a dispensing valve on the beverage container. The invention extends to a container including a dispensing valve and a tamper-evident cover for the dispensing valve, the tamper evident cover including: a cap for covering the dispensing valve; a retainer ring connected to the cap along a tear line; a restraining formation on the retainer ring which is engageable with a corresponding formation on the container, or a closure for the container, for restraining rotation of the retainer ring relative to the container and/or the container closure; and at least one cam formation for driving the retainer ring axially away from the cap when the cap is rotated and torn away from the retainer ring along the tear line, thereby to from a tamper-evident gap between the cap and the retainer ring.

The invention extends further to a container closure having a dispensing valve and a tamper-evident cover including: a cap for covering the dispensing valve; a retainer ring connected to the cap along a tear line; a restraining formation on the retainer ring which is engageable with a corresponding formation on the container closure for restraining rotation of the retainer ring relative to the container closure; and at least one cam formation for driving the retainer ring axially away from the cap when the cap is rotated and torn away from the retainer ring along the tear line, thereby to from a tamper-evident gap between the cap and the retainer ring. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a container closure and a tamper-evident cover according to the present invention prior to assembly;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the container closure and the tamper-evident cover in an assembled condition;

Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view along the line 3-3 in Figure 2; and

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a cap portion of the tamper- evident cover of the invention detached from a retaining ring portion of the cover.

DETAII ED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings illustrate a container closure 10 which is connectable to a container (not shown), typically a container for a beverage such as an energy drink or the like. The closure 10 includes an internal thread 11 (see Figure 3) which is connectable to a corresponding external thread on the neck of the beverage container, and a conventional tamper- evident seal (not illustrated) for indicating whether or not the closure has been removed previously from the container. A dispensing valve 12 is provided for controlling the dispensing of liquid through the container closure, in use. Adjacent the valve 12, the closure 10 includes a clipping ring or lip 14, which is illustrated most clearly in Figure 3, and two sets (only one of which is visible in Figure 1) of vertically orientated, spaced-apart ribs 16 project outwardly along a portion of the circumference of the closure 10, as shown. The purpose of the clipping ring 14 and the ribs 16 will be described in detail below.

A tamper-evident cover 18 according to the present invention is arranged to cover the dispensing valve 12 on the container closure 10. The cover 18 is moulded from a plastics material and includes a cap 20 which is sized to fit over the dispensing valve 12, and a retainer ring 22. The cap 20 is connected to the retainer ring 22 along a tear line 24 by a plurality of connecting lugs 26. In the illustrated embodiment, the retainer ring 22 has a larger diameter than the cap 20, and the connecting lugs 26 project outwardly from the cap, as shown. However, it will be appreciated that the retainer ring and the cap could have similar diameters, and the connecting lugs could project downwardly from the cap. The connecting lugs 26 are seen in Figure 1 to be connected along side edges 28 to the cap 20 and along lower edges 30 to the retainer ring 22. The joints between the lugs 26 and the retainer ring 22, i.e. along the lower edges 30 of the lugs, are smaller, and hence weaker, than the joints between the lugs 26 and the cap 20, i.e. along the side edges 28 of the lugs, so that, when the cap 20 is rotated relative to the retainer ring 22, the lugs 26 tear away from the retainer ring and are retained on the cap 20.

As shown most clearly in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, the retainer ring 22 defines cam formations 32 along an upper surface thereof. In this embodiment of the invention, the cam formations 32 include a plurality of upwardly extending, inclined surfaces 34. The retainer ring 22 also includes internal ribs 35 (see Figure 3) which are locatable between the ribs 16 on the container closure 10.

The cap 20 has gripping formations 36 which facilitate the rotation of the cap relative to the retainer ring 22 to break the cap away from the retainer ring. The gripping formations also facilitate subsequent handling of the cap 20 when it is used to cover the dispensing valve 12, in use. Clipping projections 38 (see Figure 3) are provided on the inner surface of the cap 20 for releasably attaching the cover to the dispensing valve 12.

In practice, the cover 18 is connected to the container closure 10 by aligning the ribs 35 on the retainer ring 22 with the gaps between the ribs 16 on the container closure 10, and pressing the cover 18 onto the container closure. Typically, the attachment of the cover 18 to the container closure 10 is effected by a purpose made tool (not illustrated) in an automated process for filling and sealing beverage containers. As the ribs 35 engage the clipping ring 14, they ride along the upper sloping surface 40 of this ring, and then clip into position below the ring 14, as shown in Figure 3. The retaining ring 22 is resilient in nature so as to allow the ribs 35 to pass over the clipping ring 14 and subsequently to recoil into the Figure 3 condition in which the retainer ring is captured on the container closure by the clipping ring 14. In this condition of the cover 18, the ribs 35 are located in the gaps between the ribs 16 and restrain rotation of the retainer ring 22 relative to the container closure 10.

To expose the valve 12, the cap 20 is rotated relative to the retainer ring 22 in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 2 so as to tear the cap away from the retainer ring along the tear line 24, and the cap is then lifted away from the container closure 10 as shown in Figure 4. As the cap 20 tears away from the retainer ring 22, the connecting lugs 26 break away from the retainer ring and, retained on the cap, engage and then ride along the inclined surfaces 34 to drive the retainer ring 22 axially away from the cap in the direction of the arrow B in Figure 3.

The cap is reattached to the container closure 10 to cover the dispensing valve 12 by simply locating it over the dispensing valve and depressing the cap so that the clipping projections 38 on the cap engage the dispensing valve in the manner illustrated in Figure 3. When the cover 18 is replaced on the container closure 10, a tamper-evident gap is formed between the cap 20 and the retainer ring 22 due to the axial displacement of the retainer ring on the container closure. This gap serves to indicate that the cap 20 has been removed previously from the closure 10, and hence can be used to indicate unauthorised tampering in instances where the container has not yet been sold.

Although the invention has been described with reference to restraining formations 35 on the retainer ring 22 and corresponding restraining formations 16 on the container closure 10, it will be appreciated that the retainer ring could be designed to form a friction fit or an interference fit with the container closure so as to resist rotation relative to the container closure.

One advantage of the tamper-evident cover according to the invention is that the tamper-evident feature, i.e. the gap between the cap 20 and the retainer ring 22, is clearly visible on the cover 18. Accordingly, tampering with the closure is determinable by merely looking at the container, and it is not necessary first to remove the cover 18 in order to determine whether or not the dispensing valve 12 has been opened previously. This makes it relatively easy and quick to determine whether or not there has been unauthorised tampering.

Claims

1. A tamper-evident cover for a dispensing valve on a container, the tamper-evident cover including: a cap for covering the dispensing valve; a retainer ring connected to the cap along a tear line; a restraining formation on the retainer ring which is engageable with a corresponding formation on the container, or a closure for the container, for restraining rotation of the retainer ring relative to the container and/or the container closure; and at least one cam formation for driving the retainer ring axially away from the cap when the cap is rotated and torn away from the retainer ring along the tear line, thereby to from a tamper-evident gap between the cap and the retainer ring.

2. A tamper-evident cover according to claim 1 , wherein the restraining formation on the retainer ring comprises a plurality of inwardly projecting ribs which are arranged to locate between corresponding, outwardly projecting ribs on the container closure so as to prevent rotation of the retainer ring relative to the container closure while permitting axial displacement of the retainer ring relative to the container closure.

3. A tamper-evident cover according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the at least one cam formation includes a plurality of upwardly projecting, inclined surfaces on the retainer ring, and a plurality of projections on the cap which engage and ride along the inclined surfaces, driving the retainer ring away from the cap, when the cap is rotated and torn away from the retainer ring.

4. A tamper-evident cover according to claim 3, wherein the projections on the cap form connecting lugs for connecting the retainer ring to the cap along the tear line.

5. A tamper-evident cover according to claim 4, wherein the joints between the connecting lugs and the retainer ring are weaker than the joints between the connecting lugs and the cap to ensure that, when the cap is rotated and torn away from the retainer ring, the connecting lugs are retained on the cap and engage the upwardly projecting, inclined surfaces on the retainer ring to drive this ring axially away from the cap.

6. A tamper-evident cover according to either claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the retainer ring has a larger diameter than that of the cap and the connecting lugs extend outwardly from the cap.

7. A tamper-evident cover according to either claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the retainer ring has a similar diameter to that of the cap and the connecting lugs extend downwardly from the cap.

8. A tamper-evident cover according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cap includes gripping formations for facilitating the tearing away of the cap from the retainer ring and the subsequent handling of the cap.

9. A tamper-evident cover according to any one of the preceding claims, including clipping formations for clipping the cap to the dispensing valve, or to a portion of the container or the container closure adjacent the dispensing valve.

10. A tamper-evident cover according to any one of the preceding claims, which is connectable to a beverage container to provide a cover for a dispensing valve on the beverage container.

11. A container including a dispensing valve and a tamper-evident cover for the dispensing valve, the tamper evident cover including: a cap for covering the dispensing valve; a retainer ring connected to the cap along a tear line; a restraining formation on the retainer ring which is engageable with a corresponding formation on the container, or a closure for the container, for restraining rotation of the retainer ring relative to the container and/or the container closure; and at least one cam formation for driving the retainer ring axially away from the cap when the cap is rotated and torn away from the retainer ring along the tear line, thereby to from a tamper-evident gap between the cap and the retainer ring.

12. A container closure having a dispensing valve and a tamper-evident cover, including: a cap for covering the dispensing valve; a retainer ring connected to the cap along a tear line; a restraining formation on the retainer ring which is engageable with a corresponding formation on the container closure for restraining rotation of the retainer ring relative to the container closure; and at least one cam formation for driving the retainer ring axially away from the cap when the cap is rotated and torn away from the retainer ring along the tear line, thereby to from a tamper-evident gap between the cap and the retainer ring.

13. A tamper-evident cover for a dispensing valve on a container, the tamper-evident cover including: a cap for covering the dispensing valve; a retainer ring connected to the cap along a tear line; and at least one cam formation for driving the retainer ring axially away from the cap when the cap is rotated relative to and torn away from the retainer ring along the tear line, thereby to from a tamper- evident gap between the cap and the retainer ring.

14. A container including a dispensing valve and a tamper-evident cover for the dispensing valve, the tamper evident cover including: a cap for covering the dispensing valve; a retainer ring connected to the cap along a tear line; and at least one cam formation for driving the retainer ring axially away from the cap when the cap is rotated relative to and torn away from the retainer ring along the tear line, thereby to from a tamper- evident gap between the cap and the retainer ring.

15. A container closure having a dispensing valve and a tamper-evident cover including: a cap for covering the dispensing valve; a retainer ring connected to the cap along a tear line; and at least one cam formation for driving the retainer ring axially away from the cap when the cap is rotated relative to and torn away from the retainer ring along the tear line, thereby to from a tamper- evident gap between the cap and the retainer ring.