Closure cap with anti-tamper ring

Details Closure cap with anti-tamper ring Closure cap with anti-tamper ring

1996-05-08

1998-02-10

Moy, Joseph M.

Bottles and jars

Closures

Frangible member or portion

215256, B65D 4134

Patent

active

057159599

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention concerns a plastic closure cap with an anti-tamper ring according to the preamble to claim 1. Such closure caps are preferably formed as screw caps and are used to close container mouths with an outside thread. With the closure cap in position, the anti-tamper ring will engage beneath a mostly annular protrusion on the container mouth, and this will lead to the anti-tamper ring tearing away on initial opening of the container. Anti-tamper closures of this type are, for example, used for the assured closure of beverage bottles. The condition of the anti-tamper ring will permit consumers to recognise if the container has already been opened.
Particularly in the beverage industry, but also in the packaging of pharmaceutical products, for example, great value is placed on the security and reliability of such anti-tamper closures. Through suitable means, any manipulation of the anti-tamper strip that could enable unnoticed opening of the closure must therefore be hindered and if possible prevented.
A closure cap of the aforementioned type and possessing an additional protecting ring is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,268. At its upper end, this protecting ring is firmly connected with the cap wall, and extends downwards from the cap wall to the upper end of the anti-tamper ring, and thus protects the bridge-pieces connecting the anti-tamper ring with the cap wall from manipulation. Nevertheless, the anti-tamper ring, and in particular its lower portion engaging beneath the container mouth, is still directly accessible from outside. Attempts at deliberately and surreptitiously opening the container through manipulating the anti-tamper ring are not hindered by the protecting ring. Attempts at stretching, for example, are conceivable, with the intention of opening the container by prying the anti-tamper ring over the protrusion on the container mouth without subjecting it to damage.
It is therefore a purpose of the invention to avoid the known disadvantages, and create a plastic closure cap, the anti-tamper ring of which is better protected from unnoticed manipulation. According to the invention, this purpose is fulfilled by a closure cap with the features of claim 1.
The closure cap comprises a cap base and a usually cylindrical cap wall abutting said cap base. It is predominantly formed as a screw cap, the cap wall possessing a screw thread on its inside, said screw thread being engaged with a corresponding outside thread on the container mouth on closing the container. Nevertheless, other closure systems such as bayonette or snap closures could be used. On its lower edge oriented away from the cap base, the cap wall is connected with a frangibly connected anti-tamper ring. This anti-tamper ring engages beneath a mostly annular protrusion on the container neck when the container is closed. The frangible connection between the anti-tamper ring and the cap-wall as a rule comprises individual frangible bridge-pieces distributed around the circumference or, for example, a frangible connection with a wall section with a reduced wall thickness, for example thinned to a film, that will tear away on initial opening of the closure. Apart from that, the anti-tamper ring can be firmly connected with the cap wall by means of one or more wide bridge-pieces and at the same time possess a frangible point with reduced anti-tamper ring cross section on its circumference. These types of anti-tamper strips are known in a plurality of embodiments, they remain connected with the cap wall by means of the wider connecting bridge-pieces even after opening of the container, and are therefore preferably used to close returnable containers (for example deposit bottles). These types of anti-tamper ring already offer a certain protection against unauthorised manipulation, but the risk still exists with attempts at stretching that the frangible point of the anti-tamper ring will tear, and the interference will be displayed in this way. Thus, in particular it is anti-tamper rings that are connected with the cap wall only by mea

REFERENCES:
patent: 4664278 (1987-05-01), Barriae
patent: 4805791 (1989-02-01), Begley
patent: 4930647 (1990-06-01), Dutt et al.
patent: 5573128 (1996-11-01), Tsujiguchi et al.

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