Tamperproof Package

The present invention relates to tamperproof packages and more particularly to such packages wherein the container is sealed by means of a turn-off type cap with structure to visually indicate the breaking of the seal.

In the field of packaging, many products are in sealed containers which are sealed by means of turn-off type closure caps. In order to assure a purchaser that the package has not been priorly opened, tamperproof closures have been developed wherein portions of the closure cap are connected to a skirt or the like thereof by means of weakened or frangible portions or bridges and such locking portions engaged with locking shoulders of the container in the manner that when the cap is turned for opening the bridges break or rupture, separating the locking portions from the remainder of the cap and permitting the remainder of the cap to be removed from the container. While such separable portions or rings provide a visual indication of prior opening of the container they also remain on the container and are difficult to remove for recycling and the use of the container in repackaging of goods therein. In packages having locking tabs or the like that are separable the recovery of the separable portions for proper disposal may be time consuming and difficult.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide a tamperproof package with a container sealed by means of a turn-off type cap that overcome the aforementioned difficulties; to provide such a tamperproof package in which the container has a circumferential finish with inclined cam surfaces and a locking shoulder and the closure cap has a top wall and depending skirt with inclined camming surfaces for mating with cam surfaces on the circumferential finish with locking lugs flexibly connected to the skirt and engaged with the locking shoulder with the interlocking means between the lugs and the skirt to secure said locking lugs which locking lugs are forced radially outwardly when the cap is turned for removal, the lugs remaining connected to the cap and providing visual indication of the breaking of the seal; to provide such a structure wherein the closure cap is for use with a container having an externally threaded neck and locking shoulder and the closure cap comprises a top and peripheral skirt depending therefrom with internal threads on the skirt for mating engagement with the threaded neck of the container and the locking lugs are flexibly connected to the skirt to flex in radial planes toward and away from an axis concentric with and perpendicular to the top wall; to provide such a structure wherein the closure cap is molded of plastic material and the top wall skirt and locking lugs are all integrally connected parts of the unitary structure; to provide such a structure wherein the cap skirt has one or more circumferentially spaced slots with the locking lugs being located therein and the side edges of the locking lug and sides of the slot having cooperating fastener means for interlocking engagement with each other instant to radial inward movement of the locking lugs to secure said locking lugs; to provide such a structure wherein turning movement of the closure cap causes the inclined camming surfaces or threads to urge the cap upwardly and the locking shoulder cams the locking lugs radially outwardly to provide a visual indication of the breaking of the seal; to provide such a structure wherein the locking lugs remain connected to the skirt of the closure cap during removal and permitting the closure cap to be replaced on the container to reseal same if the contents are not completely used; to provide such a tamperproof package wherein all of the closure cap remains as a unitary structure when removed, leaving no portion thereof on the container; to provide such a tamperproof package that is economical to manufacture, convenient to use and well adapted for the purposes intended.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth by way of illustration and example certain embodiments of this invention.

The drawings constitute part of the specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features of the tamperproof package.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partially in cross-section of the closure cap in position on a container finish with the locking feature in position to prevent removal of the closure cap.

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view through the closure cap and container taken on the line 2--2, FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, partially in cross-section of the closure cap and container finish showing the locking feature disengaged and the closure cap partially removed from the container finish.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial transverse sectional view through the closure cap taken on the line 4--4, FIG. 3 and showing a top view of a locking lug.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged end view of a free end of a locking lug showing weakened portions of fastening tongues thereon.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial sectional view through the closure cap and locking feature showing a locking tongue engaged in a socket in the closure cap skirt.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herewith, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting but merely as a basis for the claims and a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.

The reference numeral 1 generally designates a tamperproof package which includes a container 2 with a closure or cap 3. The cap is preferably formed of synthetic resin suitable for use in packaging of foods. In the structure illustrated the closure or cap is a one-piece integral structure with a top wall 4, depending skirt 5 and one or more detents 6 connected to skirt portions by integral hinges 7. The closure or cap fits on a container portion and the closure has cam surfaces 8 cooperating with cam surfaces 9 on the container to mount the closure thereon. The detents 6 are moved to engage under a shoulder 10 on the container with interengaging portions 11 and 12 on the detents and closure skirt respectively to retain the engagement until the cap 3 is rotated for removal with such removal urging the cap upwardly and forcing the detents 6 radially outwardly, breaking and damaging the interconnecting portions with the outwardly extending detents giving a visual indication that the cap has been at least partially removed.

In the illustrated form of the invention the container 2 is illustrated as having a necked in portion 13 defining a neck of the container located directly below the container sealing finish portion 14. The sealing finish portion 14 is provided with one or more inclined threads or camming surfaces 9. The lower end of the sealing finish portion is in the form of a circumferential bead 15 having the shoulder 10. The sealing finish portion 14 has a sealing rim 16 at the upper end thereof, said container including a wall 17 defining the container mouth 18. The wall 17 has an inner surface 19 which merges with the sealing rim 16 at an edge 20.

In the structure illustrated, the closure cap top wall 4 has an inner surface 21 which may engage the sealing rim 16 to form the seal. If desired, a suitable gasket 21' may be positioned at the juncture of the top wall and skirt 5 to engage the sealing rim. The skirt 5 depends from the periphery of the top wall 4 and has internal camming surfaces 8 formed thereon for mating engagement with the camming surfaces 9 on the container seating finish portion. While the camming surfaces 8 and 9 may be a plurality of interrupted, inclined portions the structure illustrated shows them as mating threads whereby the closure cap is threaded onto the container to close same. There are a plurality of the detent means 6 flexibly connected to the peripheral skirt 5 by the integral hinges 7 for relative flexing of the detents in radial planes toward and away from the axis that is concentric with and perpendicular to the top wall of the closure 3. In the structure illustrated, both the peripheral skirt 5 and detent means 6 have portions extending below the locking shoulder 10. The skirt has a lower edge 22 and circumferentially spaced slots 23 extending upwardly therefrom with each slot having facing surfaces 24 that are substantially parallel. The detents 6 are located in the respective slots with the hinges 7 connecting the upper ends of the detents with the skirt 5 at the upper end of the slots whereby the detents are movable in radial planes toward and away from the container. The detents have opposed side surfaces 25 that engage the facing surfaces 24 of the slots. The lower portions of the detents have inwardly extending locking lugs 26 positioned to engage under the shoulder 10 when in container closing position.

When the closure is locked on the container the detents and skirt have snap fastener elements or means which in the illustrated structure are interlocking portions to prevent the outward movement of the detents. The interlocking portions are a tongue on one and a recess on the other of the slot surfaces and detent surfaces with mating shoulders to prevent the outward movement of the detents. In the structure illustrated the interlocking portion 11 on the detent is in the form of tongues extending circumferentially outwardly of the opposed side surfaces 25 of the detents, said tongues 27 having outwardly facing surfaces or shoulders 28 terminating in outer edges 29. The tongues 27 have surfaces 30 extending from the outer edges 29 inwardly toward the respective side surface 25 to form inclined portions that facilitate movement of the detents into the locking position as later described. Mating with the tongues 27 are cavities 31 in the facing surfaces 24 on the skirt, said cavities 31 each having abutment surfaces or shoulders 32 that faces inwardly toward the container and are adapted to be engaged by the abutment surfaces 28 of the tongues of the fastener means. It is preferred that each of the tongues have weakened portions 33 provided by reduced thickness adjacent to the side surfaces 25 so that when the detents are forced radially outwardly the tongues will partially tear sufficiently that while the tongues will remain on the detents they will no longer serve as locking members to hold the detents in closure locked position.

The sealing of the closure on the container is also provided by an additional flexible seal member 34 which engages the edge of the container at the sealing rim and inner surface of the mouth. In the structure illustrated there are spaced concentric walls 35 and 36 extending downwardly from the top wall 4 and having their lower ends connected as at 37 to form a generally V-shaped seal member that is integral with the top wall of the closure. It is preferred that at least one of the walls 35 and 36 be thin and positioned to flexibly and resiliently engage the container wall 17 to form a resilient seal engagement between said closure and the container wall 17 adjacent the mouth of the container.

In the structure illustrated the depending skirt 5 has an outer surface portion 38 above the detents formed with longitudinally extending ribs 39 to facilitate rotation of the closure in applying the closure to a container and removing the closure therefrom. Also the skirt 5 is preferably thicker as at 40 on each side of the detents to accommodate the sockets 31 to receive the locking tongues 27.

The closure illustrated and described is particularly adapted to be molded of a suitable plastic and it is molded with the detents extending radially outwardly as illustrated at 41 in FIG. 3. The detents remain extending outwardly until applied to a container.

In using the container and closure constructed as described, the container is filled with material it is to hold and the closure cap 3 is applied to the sealing finish portion 14 and rotated thereon whereby the mating camming surfaces 8 and 9 on the closure cap 3 and container 2 respectively causes the cap to move downwardly on the container finish until the top wall 4 engages the sealing rim 16 or the seal member 34 engages the container to form the seal. When in that position the detents 6 are then forced to swing downwardly and inwardly with the inward force causing the tongues 27 to be compressed, allowing the detents 6 to move inwardly to position the lugs 26 in engagement under the locking shoulder 10 of the container. When moved sufficiently to the locked position the tongues 27 register with the cavities 31 and expand therein as a snap fastening whereby the abutment surfaces 28 of the tongues 27 engage the abutment surfaces 32 of the cavities. This engagement will retain the detents 6 in the locked position. The removal of the closure is effected by rotating the closure cap 3 in a direction to cause the camming surfaces 8 and 9 to urge the closure cap upwardly on the container 2. The upward movement results in the camming action or application of force between the detents 6 and the shoulder 10 whereby the upwardly movement causes the lugs 26 to be forced outwardly until the tongues 27 are disengaged from the abutment surfaces 32 in the cavities 31. Due to the weakened portions 33 the tongues will be torn sufficiently to prevent their further functioning as fastener means or locking tongues. The release of the tongues 27 allows the detents 6 to swing outwardly and upwardly to an extended position whereby the closure cap 3 can then be further turned and removed from the container 2. All portions of the closure remain connected in a one piece structure, the closure can be reapplied to the container but the detents can no longer be locked and therefore will always extend outwardly sufficiently to be a visual indication that the container has been opened. For disposal the closure can be disposed as a unit, there are no separable pieces and when removed from the container there is no portion of the closure left on the container so that the container can be easily recycled and reused and without special handling as no portion of the closure will remain thereon.

It is to be understood that while I have illustrated and described certain forms of the invention, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts herein described and shown.