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(11) | EP 1 105 319 B1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
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| (54) |
DUAL TAMPER EVIDENT CLOSURE DOPPELGARANTIEVERSCHLUSS BOUCHON DE BAGUE D'INVIOLABILITE DUAL |
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| Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention). |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
a) Field of the invention
[0001] The present invention relates to a dual tamper evident closure according to the preamble of claim 1 for use on a container, bottle or any similar article (hereinafter called "container" only) provided with a neck portion that defines an outlet.
[0002] More specifically, the invention relates to a dual tamper evident closure which, thanks to its improved structure, warrants the consumer that the container has never been opened at all by either removal of the whole closure or opening of the cap of the closure.
b) Brief description of the prior art
[0003] Tamper evident closure for containers of the type comprising a tamper evident band in the form of a ring connected by means of frangible bridges to the lower edge of the skirt of the body of the closure, are well known and commonly used in the trade. In this connection, reference can be made, by way of non-restrictive examples, to U.S. patent Nos. 4,658,976 (POHLENZ) and 4,915,244 (CELASCHI).
[0004] Tamper evident closures comprising a foldable cap which is connected to the closure body by means of a security band or a frangible bridge that must be torn out before the cap is opened for the first time, are also known. Examples of such closures are disclosed in U.S. patent Nos. 4,487,324 (OSTROWSKY); 5,147,054 (PEHR) and 5,392,938 (DUBACH).
[0005] Document JP 9-58716 A discloses a dual tamper evident closure corresponding to the preamble of claim 1.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The object of the invention is to provide a dual tamper evident closure which, in addition to comprising a tamper evident band of conventional structure, also comprises an "integral" tear tab that warrants the consumer who buys the container that the cap of the closure has never been opened.
[0007] More particularly, the invention provides a dual tamper evident closure as defined in claim 1 for sealing a container comprising a neck portion that defines an outlet and has an external surface provided with upper and lower connection means.
[0008] This closure comprises:
a closure body comprising :
a skirt sized and shaped to fit onto the neck portion, the skirt having a lower edge and comprising an internal surface provided with skirt connection means designed and positioned to cooperate with the upper connection means of the neck portion in order to detachably connect the closure body to the neck portion; and
a top surface comprising an opening that is in registry with the outlet of the neck portion when the closure body is connected to the neck portion,
[0009] The closure also comprises a top wall and a peripheral edge. The closure cap is connected to the closure body by means of a hinge and is sized and shaped to cover the opening of the closure body and thus to close the outlet of the neck portion when folded down in a closed position.
[0010] The closure further comprises a tamper-evident band comprising a ring connected by means of frangible bridges to the lower edge of the skirt of the closure body. The band is provided with hooking means designed to cooperate with the lower connection means of the neck portion in order to rigidly retain the closure body onto this neck portion.
[0011] In accordance with the characterising portion of claim 1, the closure comprises also a tear tab integrally projecting from the peripheral edge of the closure cap in a position that is opposite to the hinge. This tear tab has an upper end that is connected by a frangible bridge to the peripheral edge of the closure cap and a lower end that is rigidly connected to the tamper-evident band, such that in use, the tear tab, as long as it remains connected to the closure cap, warrants that the closure cap has not been lifted up and thus that the container has not been opened.
[0012] Preferably, the closure is made of one single piece of plastic material, preferably polypropylene.
[0013] Preferably also, the lower end of the tear tab is connected to the tamper evident band by ultrasonic welding.
[0014] In practice, after molding of the closure, the cap is folded down onto the body to close the opening in the top surface of the same. The tear tab that is integral to the cap, is then rigidly connected preferably by ultrasonic welding to the tamper evident band which thus assumes two separate functions:
- it warrants, as long as it remains attached to the lower edge of the body skirt, that the closure has not been removed from the neck portion; and
- it warrants, as long as the tear tab remains attached to the cap and to it, that the cap has not been opened.
[0015] In order to open the container, one has to break the tear tab first, and then to tear out the tamper evident band to which the tear tab is welded. Thereafter, the closure can be removed from the neck portion of the container to give access to the same and to allow removal of a liner that is usually applied on top of the outlet of the container.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The invention and its advantages will be better understood upon reading the following non-restrictive description of a preferred embodiment thereof made with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the neck portion of a container and of a dual tamper evident closure according to the invention for use with this container;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the closure shown in Figure 1, during its assembly;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the closure shown in Figures 1 and 2, once assembled;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the closure shown in the preceding Figures during its opening on top of the container;
Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the closure shown in the preceding Figures, after the tamper evident band has been tom away and the closure cap has been lifted up;
Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of Figure 3; and
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the neck portion of the container and the closure shown in Figure 1, after opening of the closure and reinstallation of it on the container.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The dual tamper evident closure 1 according to the preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in the accompanying drawings, is intended to be used for sealing a container 3 comprising a neck portion 5 that defines an outlet 7. The neck portion 5 has an external surface 9 provided with upper and lower connection means 11, 13. In the preferred embodiment that is illustrated, the upper connection means 11 consists of one or more threads made on the external surface 9 of the neck portion 5. However, any other connection means commonly used in the trade for detachably connecting a closure to the neck of a container could alternatively be used. Similarly, in the illustrated embodiment, the lower connection means 13 of the neck portion 5 consists of an annular bead projecting out from the external surface of the neck portion. However, other connection means used in the trade for the same purpose could alternatively be used.
[0018] Preferably, as shown in Figure 1, the outlet 7 of the neck portion 5 of the container is closed by a liner 8 that can be glued or welded to the upper edge of the neck portion, and must be pulled out to give access to the container. The use of such a liner 8 is rather conventional, especially for containers in medical field, and needs not be further discussed.
[0019] Like all existing closures, the closure 1 comprises a closure body 15 which comprises a skirt 17 sized and shaped to fit onto the neck portion 5. The skirt has a lower edge 19 and comprises an internal surface 21 provided with skirt connection means 23 designed and positioned to cooperate with the upper connection means 11 of the neck portion 5 in order to detachably connect the closure body 15 to the neck portion. In the illustrated embodiment, the skirt connection means 23 consists of one or more threads that are opposite to and cooperatively mounted relative to the thread(s) 11 to allow the closure body to be screwed onto the neck. The closure body 15 also comprises a top surface 25 comprising an opening 27 that is in registry with the outlet 7 of the neck portion 5 when the closure body is connected to this neck portion. The shape and configuration of the top surface 25 and the size of the opening 27 may of course vary depending on the kind of product stored in the container 3.
[0020] The closure 1 also comprises a closure cap 29 which comprises a top wall 31 and a peripheral edge 33. The closure cap 29 is connected to the closure body 15 by means of a hinge 35 and is sized and shaped to cover the opening 27 of the closure body and thus to close the outlet 7 of the neck portion 5 when folded down in a closed position.
[0021] The closure 1 further comprises a tamper evident band 37 consisting of a ring connected by means of frangible bridges 39 to the lower edge 19 of the skirt 17 of the closure body 15. As better shown in Figures 5 and 6, the band 37 is provided with hooking means 41 designed to cooperate with the lower connection means 13 of the neck portion 5 in order to rigidly retain the closure body 15 onto the neck portion. This basic structure and the advantage of using such a tamper evident band 37 are well known (see the "Brief description of the prior art" hereinabove) and need not be further discussed.
[0022] In accordance with the invention, the closure 1, the structure of which has just been disclosed, is characterized in that it further comprises a tear tab 43 integrally projecting from the peripheral edge of the closure cap in a position that is opposite to the hinge 35. As is shown, the tab 43 has an upper end that is connected by a frangible bridge 45 to the peripheral edge 33 of the closure cap 29. It also has a lower end 47 that is devised to be rigidly connected to the tamper evident band 37. As is also shown, the tab 43 is sized so that its lower end 49 be connectable to the external surface of the tamper evident band 37.
[0023] In use, after the cap 29 has been closed onto the body 15 of the closure 1, the tear tab can be folded down as shown in Figure 2 and then attached to the tamper-evident band 37 as shown in Figure 3. With the tear tab in such an attached position, the tamper evident band 37 assumes two separate functions:
- it warrants, as long as it remains attached to the lower edge 19 of the skirt 17, that the closure 1 has not been removed from the neck portion 5; and
- it warrants, as long as the tear tab 43 remains attached to it, that the cap has not been opened.
[0024] In order to open the container, one has first to break the tear tab 43. Such can be done thanks to the frangible bridge 45. Secondly, one has to break the tamper evident band 37. Then, the closure 1 may be removed from the container 3 in order to facilitate removal of the liner 8 closing the outlet of the same. In other words, the liner 8 may be fully removed only after the tear tab 43 and the tamper evident band 37 have been pulled out and the closure body 15 and the closure cap 29 have been unscrewed from the neck portion 5.
[0025] To facilitate breaking of the tamper evident band 37, the ring forming said band 37 is preferably provided with a frangible portion 51 (see Figures 1 and 5) that allows the ring 37 to be easily cut and then tom away for the skirt 17 when one pulls on the tear tab 49 after the upper end of the tear tab has been torn away from the closure cap 29 (see the arrow in Figures 4 and 5).
[0026] Thus, in use, the tear tab 43, as long as it remains connected to the closure cap 29, warrants that the closure cap 29 has not been lifted up and thus the container 3 has not been opened.
[0027] Preferably, the closure 1 is made of one single piece of plastic material by molding. The plastic material is preferably polypropylene or other suitable material. In such a case, the lower end 49 of the tear tab 43 is connected to the tamper evident band 39 by ultrasonic welding. However, it should be understood that other means for connecting the lower end 49 of the tear tab 43 to the tamper evident band 39 could be used.
[0028] Of course, numerous modifications could be made to the above-described embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. By way of example, instead of being integral to the cap, the tear tab 43 could be integral to the tamper evident band 37 and welded to the cap 29. This would probably be less efficient than the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings since additional frangible lines or bridges would be required, but such would work in the same way. Similarly, the basic structure of the skirt and cap could be modified depending on the kind of container the closure would fit, and the kind of product contained in the container.
a) a closure body (15)comprising:
a skirt (17) sized and shaped to fit onto the neck portion (5), said skirt having a lower edge (19) and comprising an internal surface (21) provided with skirt connection means (23) designed and positioned to cooperate with the upper connection means (11) of the neck portion in order to detachably connect the closure body (15) to the neck portion (5); and
a top surface (25) comprising an opening (27) that is in registry with the outlet of the neck portion when the closure body is connected to said neck portion,
b) a closure cap (29) comprising a top wall (31) and a peripheral edge (33), said closure cap being connected to the closure body (15) by means of a hinge (35) and being sized and shaped to cover the opening (27) of said dosure body and thus to close the outlet (7) of the neck portion (5) when folded down in a closed position; and
c) a tamper-evident band (37) comprising a ring connected by means of frangible bridges
(39) to the lower edge (19) of the skirt (17) of the closure body, said band (37)
being provided with hooking means (41) designed to cooperate with the lower connection
means (13) of the neck portion (5) in order to rigidly retain the closure body onto
said neck portion;
characterized in that said closure further comprises:
d) either a tear tab (43) integrally projecting from the peripheral edge of the closure cap in a position that is opposite to the hinge (35), said tear tab having an upper end that is connected by a frangible bridge (45) to the peripheral edge (33) of the closure cap (29) and a lower end (47) that is rigidly connected to the tamper-evident band (37), or a tear tab (43) integrally formed with the tamper evident band (37) and welded to the cap (29),
whereby, in use, the tear tab (43), as long as it remains connected to the closure cap (29), warrants that the closure cap has not been lifted up and thus the container (3) has not been opened.the lower connection means (13) of the neck portion (5) consists of an annular bead projecting out from the external surface of the neck portion; and
the ring of the tamper evident band (37) comprises a frangible portion (51) that allows the ring (37) to be easily cut and then to be torn away from the skirt (17) when one pulls on the tear tab (49) after the upper end of said tear tab has been torn away from the closure cap (29).
a) einen Verschlusskörper (15) mit:
einer Schürze (17), die so bemessen und geformt ist, dass sie auf den Halsabschnitt (5) passt, wobei die Schürze eine untere Kante (19) hat und eine innere Oberfläche (21) umfasst, die mit Schürzenverbindungseinrichtungen (23) versehen ist, welche so ausgestaltet und positioniert sind, dass sie mit den oberen Verbindungseinrichtungen (11) des Halsabschnittes zusammenwirken, um den Verschlusskörper (15) abnehmbar mit dem Halsabschnitt (5) zu verbinden; und
einer oberen Oberfläche (25), die eine Öffnung (27) umfasst, welche in Lageübereinstimmung mit dem Auslass des Halsabschnittes steht, wenn der Verschlusskörper mit dem Halsabschnitt verbunden ist,
b) einer Verschlusskappe (29), die eine obere Wand (31) und eine Umfangskante (33) umfasst, wobei die Verschlusskappe mit dem Verschlusskörper (15) mittels eines Scharniers (35) verbunden ist und so bemessen und geformt ist, dass sie die Öffnung (27) des Verschlusskörpers abdeckt und damit den Auslass (7) des Halsabschnittes (5) verschließt, wenn sie in eine geschlossene Position heruntergeklappt ist; und
c) einem Garantieband (37) bzw. einem Band (37), das Eingriffe sichtbar macht, welches
einen Ring umfasst, der mittels zerbrechlicher Brücken (39) mit der unteren Kante
(19) der Schürze (17) des Verschlusskörpers verbunden ist, wobei das Band (37) mit
Hakeneinrichtungen (41) versehen ist, die so ausgestaltet sind, dass sie mit der unteren
Verbindungseinrichtung (13) des Halsabschnittes (15) zusammenwirken, um den Verschlusskörper
starr auf dem Halsabschnitt zu halten;
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Verschluss ferner umfasst:
d) entweder eine Reißlasche (43), die integral von der Umfangskante der Verschlusskappe in einer Position abragt, welche dem Gelenk (35) gegenüber liegt, wobei die Reißlasche ein oberes Ende hat, das durch eine zerbrechliche Brücke (45) mit der Umfangskante (33) der Verschlusskappe (29) verbunden ist, und ein unteres Ende (47), das starr mit dem Garantieband (37) verbunden ist, oder eine Reißlasche (43), die integral mit dem Garantieband (37) ausgebildet und mit der Kappe (29) verschweißt ist,
wobei, bei der Verwendung, die Reißlasche (43), solange sie in Verbindung mit der Verschlusskappe (29) bleibt, garantiert, dass die Verschlusskappe nicht angehoben worden und somit der Behälter (3) nicht geöffnet worden ist.die untere Verbindungseinrichtung (13) des Halsabschnittes (5) aus einem ringförmigen Wulst besteht, der von der äußeren Oberfläche des Halsabschnittes nach außen vorsteht; und
der Ring des Garantiebandes (37) einen zerbrechlichen Abschnitt (51) umfasst, welcher es dem Ring (37) gestattet, leicht durchtrennt und dann von der Schürze (17) weggerissen zu werden, wenn man an der Reißlasche (49) zieht, nachdem das obere Ende der Reißlasche von der Verschlusskappe (29) weggerissen worden ist.
a) un corps de bouchon (15), comprenant :
• une jupe (17) dimensionnée et formée pour être adaptée sur la partie de col (5), ladite jupe ayant un bord inférieur (19) et comprenant une surface interne (21), munie d'un moyen de raccordement de jupe (23), conçu et positionné pour coopérer avec le moyen de raccordement supérieur (11) de la partie de col, afin de relier de manière détachable le corps de bouchon (15) à la partie de col (5) et
• une surface supérieure (25), comprenant une ouverture (27), qui coïncide avec l'orifice de la partie de col, quand le corps de bouchon est relié à ladite partie de col,
b) un couvercle de bouchon (29), comprenant une paroi supérieure (31) et un bord périphérique (33), ledit couvercle de bouchon étant relié au corps de bouchon (15) au moyen d'une charnière (35) et étant dimensionné et formé pour couvrir l'ouverture (27) dudit corps de bouchon et pour fermer, ainsi, l'orifice (7) de la partie de col (5), quand il est rabattu vers le bas dans une position fermée et
c) une bande de garantie d'inviolabilité (37), comprenant une bague reliée au moyen
de ponts déchirables (39) au bord inférieur (19) de la jupe (17) du corps de bouchon,
ladite bande (37) étant munie de moyens d'accrochage (41) conçus pour coopérer avec
le moyen de raccordement inférieur (13) de la partie de col (5), afin de maintenir
de manière rigide le corps de bouchon sur ladite partie de col ;
caractérisé en ce que ledit bouchon comprend en outre :
d) soit une patte de déchirage (43), faisant saillie d'un seul tenant depuis le bord périphérique du couvercle de bouchon, en une position qui est opposée à la charnière (35), ladite patte de déchirage ayant une extrémité supérieure, qui est reliée par un pont déchirable (45) au bord périphérique (33) du couvercle de bouchon (29) et une extrémité inférieure (47) qui est reliée de manière rigide à la bande d'inviolabilité (37), soit une patte de déchirage (43), formée d'un seul tenant avec la bande d'inviolabilité (37) et soudée au couvercle (29),
ce par quoi, en cours d'utilisation, la patte de déchirage (43), tant qu'elle demeure reliée au couvercle de bouchon (29), garantit que le couvercle de bouchon n'a pas été soulevé et qu'ainsi, le récipient (3) n'a pas été ouvert.• le moyen de raccordement inférieur (13) de la partie de col (5) se compose d'une nervure annulaire, qui fait saillie de la surface externe de la partie de col et
• la bague de la bande de garantie d'inviolabilité (37) comprend une partie déchirable (51), qui permet à la bague (37) d'être aisément découpée puis d'être arrachée de la jupe (17), quand on tire sur la patte de déchirage (49), une fois que l'extrémité supérieure de ladite patte de déchirage a été arrachée du couvercle de bouchon (29).