Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to pilfer-evident closures
and, more specifically, to closures having a removable
portion, which remains on a container when the closure
is removed from the container.
Various closure caps with a pilfer-evident
feature have been previously used on containers.
However, previous caps having that feature can be
either too expensive or too complex to manufacture: or
they do not provide sufficient visual evidence of
fracture; or they are difficult to install on a
container. A pilfer-evident closure is described in
United States patent ~4,343,408, issued August 10,
1982, naming Ernest J. Csaszar as inventor and
entitled "Tamper-Evident Plastic Closure". The
closure described in the Csaszar patent has an end
wall and a cylindrical side wall, the cylindrical side
wall including an upper portion and a lower skirt
portion as well as an intermediate portion. The lower
portion has an inwardly projecting bead adapted to
engage the lower end of an annular collar on a
container when the closure is in a closed position on
said container. A circumferential groove is formed in
the outer surface of the closure to reduce the
thickness of the intermediate portion. In one
embodiment, the circumferential groove includes a slot
where at least part of the groove passes entirely
through the closure. The closure is designed so that
when the upper portion and part of the intermediate
portion of the closure are removed from the container,
the lower skirt portion and the remaining part of the
intermediate portion remain on the container as
evidence of tampering. Unfortunately, the closure
described in the Csaszar patent can be disadvantageous
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for a number of reasons. Firstly, since the
circumferential groove is formed into the closure from
the outer surface, when the closure is produced from a
mold, removable plates must be used in the mold,
thereby making productlon of the closure more
expensive and complex. The plates are inserted, and
then removed, and the mold is opened very carefully so
that the groove is not damaged. Secondly, since the
groove of the csaszar patent is cut into the outer
surface of the closure, before the closure is removed
from a container, the intermediate portion remains
connected to the upper portion along an inner surface
of the cylindrical side wall. If the closure, as
described in the Csaszar patent, is removed from the
container and then replaced, it can be very difficult
to determine, by visual inspection alone, that the
lower skirt portion and part of the intermediate
portion has been severed from the remaining part of
the closure because the line of fracture is at or near
an inner surface of the closure. As most containers
on store shelves are not tampered with, when a
consumer is purchasing a product in a container having
a pilfer-evident closure, it is very unlikely that the
consumer will attempt to remove the closure in order
to determine whether the closure has been removed from
the container previously. A consumer is much more
likely to simply glance at the container and if there
is no readily apparent visual evidence that the
closure has been previously removed, the consumer will
purchase the product and will not try to remove the
closure until the time of actual use of the product.
A discovery that the closure has been previously
removed from the container at the time of actual use
of the product can be frustrating, inconvenient and
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expensive as the purchase has already been completed
and any proof of purchase may have already been
destroyed or lost. Further, a consumer may find it to
be too inconvenient to return the product to the
vendor and might discard the product or risk
contamination by using it anyway. Still further, a
consumer may have difficulty proving to the vendor
that the closure had been previously removed prior to
the consumer purchasing the product. Thirdly, the
groove described in the Csaszar patent is located some
distance away from an inwardly projecting bead on the
lower skirt portion that engages the annular collar on
the container. When a consumer ultimately removes the
closure, this can result in a relatively large part of .
the closure remaining on the container which can
interfere with the enjoyment of the product,
particularly when the product is consumed directly
from the container by mouth.
It is an object of the present invention to
provide a pilfer-evident closure cap for use with a
container that produces readily apparent visual
evidence whenever the cap has been removed and
subse~uently replaced on the container. It is a
further object of the present invention to provide a
closure cap where a circumferential groove is formed
into the cap from the inner surface, that said groove
become a line of fracture, when the cap is removed
from a container, and that said groove is the same
groove in which a circumferential ridge of the
container is located when the cap and container are in
a closed position.
In accordance with the present invention, a
closure cap is designed for use with a container
having a neck with an opening therein, said neck
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having a circumferential ridge located on an outer
surface thereof with a screw thread located between
said ridge and said opening. The closure cap
comprises a hollow cylinder with a circular cover
closing an upper end thereof. The cylinder has an
inner surface and an outer surface as well as an upper
portion and a lower portion. A screw thread is
located on the inner surface of the upper portion of
said cylinder, said screw thread corresponding to the
screw thread on said container. The upper portion is
separated from the lower portion by a circumferential
channel formed into said inner surface. The channel
extends 360 and intermittently extends completely
through a wall of said cylinder over most of its
length, leaving a plurality of connecting bands
extending between said two portions. The bands have
an outer surface that is flush with an outer surface
of both the upper portion and the lower portion of
said cylinder. The cap is designed to fit onto said
container so that when the cap is in a closed position
relative to said container the screw threads of the
cap and container engaging one another, the
circumferential ridge on the container is located in
said channel. The bands are designed to fracture when
the cap is subsequently turned off said container, the
lower portion being retained on said container by said
circumferential ridge.
In drawings, which illustrate a preferred
embodiment of the invention:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a closure cap
and a partial perspective view of a container;
Figure 2 is a sectional side view of a cap in a
closed position on a container;
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Figure 3 is a sectional side view of another
embodiment of a cap shown in a closed position
relative to a container;
Figure 4 is a sectional side view of one-half of
a cap having a groove located in a lower portion;
Figure 5 is a sectional side view of another
embodiment of one-half of a cap with a wide channel.
Referring to the drawings in greater detail, in
Figure 1, there is shown a closure cap 2 having a
hollow cylinder 4 and a circular cover 6 closing an
upper end thereof. The cylinder has an inner surface
8 and an outer surface 10 as well as an upper portion
12 and a lower portion 14. A screw thread 16 is
located on the inner surface 8 of the upper portion 12
of said cylinder 4.
The upper portion 12 is separated from the lower
portion 14 by a circumferential channel 18, which is
formed into the inner surface 8 and extends 360 along
said inner surface. Intermittently, the channel 18
extends completely through a wall 20 of said cylinder
4 over most of the length of said channel 18, thereby
leaving a plurality of narrow connecting bands 22
extending between the two portions 12, 14. The bands
22 have an outer surface that is flush with an outer
surface 10 of both the upper and lower portions 12, 14
of said cylinder 4.
Preferably, the two portions 12, 14 have
substantially the same outside diameter. Further, as
shown in Figure 1, the connecting bands 22 are
preferably equidistant from one another. While any
reasonable number of connecting bands can be used, it
has been found that six connecting bands is
satisfactory.
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The cap 2 shown in Figure 1 has an inner surface
8 of the lower portion 14 of the cylinder 4 that is
tapered to a leading edge 24. This feature can best
be seen in Figures 2, 4 and 5. Further, the cap 2
shown in Figure 1 has a circumferential groove 26
extending partially into the inner surface 8 of the
lower portion 14, said groove 26 being located
immediately adjacent to the channel 18. On an inner
surface 28 of the cover 6, there is located a seal 30.
A container 32 has a neck 34 with a top 35 and a
circumferential ridge 38 located on an outer surface
40. A screw thread 42 is lcoated between said ridge
38 and said top 35.
Referring to Figure 2 in greater detail, the cap
2 is shown in a closed position on part of the
container 32. The neck 34 of the container 32 has an
opening 36. The screw thread 42 is located between
said ridge 38 and said opening 36. The screw thread
16 of the cap 2 corresponds to the screw thread 42 of
the container 32. As can readily be seen, part of the
inner surface 8 of the lower portion 14 of the
cylinder 4 is tapered to a leading edge 24 so that the
lower portion 14 will slide over the ridge 38 more
readily when the cap 2 and container 32 are placed in
a closed position relative to one another with the
ridge 38 located in the channel 18 and also in the
groove 26.
Referring to Figure 3 in greater detail, a cap 44
is shown in a closed position relative to a container
32. The same reference numerals are used in Figure 3
for those elements of the cap and container that are
similar to the cap and container of Figures 1 and 2.
The cap 44 is different from the cap 2 in that the cap
44 has a leading edge 45 but an inner surface of the
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lower portion 14 is not tapered. Also, while it
cannot be readily seen from Figure 3, the cap 44 does
not have a groove 26 but only a channel 18. The
channel 18 has a width substantially equal to the
width of the ridge 38 of the container 32. The lower
portion 14 is separated from the upper portion 12 by
connecting bands 22 extending across the channel 18.
The ridge 38 is tapered so that the cap can be easily
placed onto the container 32. Once the cap 44 is in
place, it will function in the same manner as the cap
2 described in Figure 2. For ease of illustration,
the cap 2 and container 32 of Figures 2 and 3 are
shown as being located slightly apart from one
another. In actual use, the cap and container and,
particularly, the screw threads thereof will be
located in tight contact with one another when the cap
and container are in a closed position.
Referring to Figure 4 in greater detail, an
interior view of the cap 2 is shown, as well as the
walls of the cylinder and of the cover in section. It
can readily be seen that the lower portion 14 is
tapered to a leading edge 24. Also, it can readily be
seen that the circumferential groove 26 extends
partially into the inner surface 8 of the lower
portion 14. The groove 26 is located immediately
adjacent to the channel 18 and a ledge 46 is formed
along a side of the groove 26 opposite to the channel
18. When the cap 2 is in a closed position relative
to the container 32 with the screw threads 16, 42
engaged with one another as shown in Figure 2, the
ridge 38 is located in the channel 18 and the groove
26. A lower edge of the ridge 38 abuts against the
ledge 46 of the groove 26. An upper edge of the ridge
38 abuts an upper side of the channel 18.
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Referring to Figure 5 in greater detail, there is
shown an interior view of a cap 48, as well as the
walls of the cylinder and of the cover in section.
The difference between the cap 48 and the cap 2 is
that the cap 48 has a wider channel 18 and longer
connecting bands 22 but does not have a groove 26
located immediately adjacent to the channel 18. When
the cap 48 is placed in a closed position relative to
a container 32, the upper and lower sides of the ridge
38 will abut the upper and lower sides of the channel
18.
In use, the cap is placed onto a suitable
container having a ridge 38, the cap and container
having corresponding screw threads. When the cap and
container are in a closed position, the ridge 38 will
be located in the channel 18 as shown in both Figures
2 and 3. When it is desired to remove the cap from
the container, the upper portion 12 is turned in an
appropriate direction, the lower portion 14 is
prevented from moving off the container 32 by the
ridge 38. As the upper portion 12 is turned off of
the container 32, the connecting bands pull the lower
portion 14 into tighter contact with the ridge 38.
Ultimately, sufficient force is exerted between the
upper portion 12 and the lower portion 14 that the
connecting bands 22 fracture, thereby allowing the
upper portion 12 of the cap to be removed from the
contalner while the lower portion 14 is retained on
the container by the circumferential ridge. Since the
outer surface of connecting bands 22 is flush with the
outer surface 10 of the two portions 12, 14 of the
cylinder 4, if the upper portion 12 of the closure cap
is removed from the container, the bands 22 are
fractured and, subsequently, the upper portion 12 of
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the cap is replaced on the container, it will be
readily apparent to anyone viewing the cap and
container that the cap has been previously removed
because the fractured bands 22 are easily seen.
Preferably, the outer surface of the connecting
bands as well as the outer surface of the upper and
lower portions in the vicinity of the connecting bands
is smooth so that any fracture in the connecting bands
will be readily apparent upon visual inspection.
The cap of the present invention is preferably
made of a suitable plastic, for example, polypropylene
or polyethylene and is preferably one piece. The cap
as described herein can be manufactured using a mold
having a suitable collapsible core. Since the outer
surface of the cap is relatively smooth and since the
channel is placed in the cap from the inside rather
than from the outside, the mold can be opened much
easier than a cap having a channel cut into it from
the outside. Variations within the scope of the
attached claims will be readily apparent to those
skilled in the art.
