FERMETURE A SCEAU INVIOLABLE DOUBLE

DUAL TAMPER EVIDENT CLOSURE

Abrégé français

Cette fermeture à sceau inviolable double permet de sceller le goulot d'un récipient. La fermeture, qui est de préférence faite d'une seule pièce de plastique, comprend un corps muni d'une jupe dont la taille et la forme sont conçues pour visser, ou fixer de manière amovible, la jupe au goulot. Le corps comprend également une surface supérieure munie d'une ouverture alignée sur l'orifice du goulot. La fermeture possède également un bouchon relié à son corps par une charnière et sa taille et sa forme lui permettent de couvrir l'ouverture du corps et donc de fermer l'orifice du goulot lorsqu'il est fermé. Une bande inviolable de la forme d'un anneau est fixée par des ponts frangibles au bord inférieur de la jupe du corps. Cette bande comprend des crochets conçus pour fonctionner avec un bourrelet annulaire ressortant du goulot afin de maintenir solidement le corps au goulot. Une languette à arracher ressort du bord périphérique du bouchon, à l'opposé de la charnière. Cette languette a une extrémité supérieure reliée par un pont frangible au bord périphérique du bouchon et une extrémité inférieure reliée solidement à la bande inviolable. En pratique, si la languette reste fixée au bouchon, cela signifie que le bouchon n'a pas été soulevé et donc que le récipient n'a pas été ouvert.

Abrégé anglais

A dual tamper evident closure for sealing the neck portion of a container. The closure which is preferably made of one single piece of plastic material, has a body with a skirt sized and shaped to fit onto and be screwed or otherwise detachably fixed to the neck portion. The body also has a top surface with an opening in registry with the outlet of the neck portion. The closure also has a cap that is connected to the closure body by a hinge and is sized and shaped to cover the opening of the body and thus to close the outlet of the neck portion when folded down in a closed position. A tamper evident band in the form of a ring is connected by frangible bridges to the lower edge of the skirt of the body. This band is provided with hooks designed to cooperate with an annular bead projecting from the neck portion in order to rigidly retain the body onto the neck portion. A tear tab integrally projects 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. 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 the container has not been opened.

Revendications

7
CLAIMS
1. A dual tamper evident closure for sealing a container comprising a
neck portion that defines an outlet and has an external surface provided with
upper
and lower connection means, said closure comprising
a) a closure body comprising:
a skirt sized and shaped to fit onto the neck portion, said
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 said neck portion,
b) a closure cap comprising a top wall and a peripheral edge, said
closure cap being connected to the closure body by means of a hinge and being
sized and shaped to cover the opening of said closure body and thus to close
the
outlet of the neck portion when folded down in a closed position;
c) a tamper-evident band comprising a ring connected by means of
frangible bridges to the lower edge of the skirt of the closure body, said
band being
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
said neck
portion; and
d) a tear tab integrally projecting from the peripheral edge of the closure
cap in a position that is opposite to the hinge, said tear tab having 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,
whereby, 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 the
container
has not been opened.
2. A dual tamper evident closure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
closure is made of one single piece of plastic material.

8
3. A dual tamper evident closure as claimed in claim 2, wherein the
lower end of the tear tab is connected to the tamper evident band by
ultrasonic
welding.
4. A dual tamper evident closure as claimed in claim 3, wherein:
the lower connection means of the neck portion consists of an annular bead
projecting out from the external surface of the neck portion; and
the ring of the tamper evident band comprises a frangible portion that
allows the ring to be easily cut and then to be torn away from the skirt when
one
pulls on the tear tab after the upper end of said tear tab has been torn away
from
the closure cap.
5. A dual tamper evident closure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the
upper connection means of the neck portion and the skirt connection means of
the
closure body consist of opposite threads made in the external surface of the
neck
portion and in the internal surface of the skirt, respectively.
6. A dual tamper evident closure as claimed in claim 5, wherein the
outlet of the neck portion of the container is closed by a liner that is
pulled out to
give access to the container after the tear tab and the tamper evident band
have
been pulled out and the closure body and the closure cap have been unscrewed
from the neck portion.
7. A dual tamper evident closure as claimed in claim 6 , wherein said
plastic material is polypropylene.
8. A dual tamper evident closure as claimed in claim 2, wherein:
said plastic material is polypropylene; and
the lower end of the tear tab is connected to the tamper evident band by
ultrasonic welding.

Description

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1
DUAL TAMPER EVIDENT CLOSURE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
a) Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a tamper evident closure for use on a
container, bottle or any similar article (hereinafter called "container" only)
provided
with a neck portion that defines an outlet.
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
Tamper evident closure for containers of the type comprising a tamper
evident band in the form of wring 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).
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).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
3 0 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.
More particularly, the invention provides a dual tamper evident closure for

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sealing a container comprising a neck portion that defines an outlet and has
an
external surface provided with upper and lower connection means.
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,
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.
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.
In accordance with a very important aspect of the invention, 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.
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.
Preferably, the closure is made of one single piece of plastic material,
preferably polypropylene.
Preferably also, the lower end of the tear tab is connected to the tamper
evident band by ultrasonic welding.

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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.
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
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
3 0 preceding Figures, after the tamper evident band has been torn 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

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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
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 1 1, 13. In the preferred embodiment that is illustrated, the upper
connection
means 1 1 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.
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.
Like all existing closures, the closure 1 comprises a closure body 15 which
2 S 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 1 1 of the neck portion 5 in order to detachably connect the
closure body 15 to the neck portion. In the illustrated embodiment, the skirt
3 0 connection means 23 consists of one or more threads that are opposite to
and
cooperatively mounted relative to the threads) 1 1 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

CA 02275012 1999-06-15
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.
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
5 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.
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.
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
2 0 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.
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.
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

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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 is 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.
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 torn 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 51.
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.
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.
Of course, numerous modifications could be made to the above-described
2 0 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.

Dessin représentatif