Receptacles – Closures – Superposed closures for common opening
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-04
2001-10-16
Pollard, Steven (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Closures
Superposed closures for common opening
C220S345100, C215S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06302289
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a safety device in an opening arrangement for packaging containers, the opening arrangement comprising two mutually moving parts, viz. one part fixedly connected to a packaging container wall and a part movably connected to this fixed part and located on the opposite side of the fixed part in relation to the wall and disposed, in conjunction with the opening of the packaging container, to be displaced between a first, closed position and a second, open position in which a pouring aperture provided in the fixed part is exposed.
BACKGROUND ART
Packaging containers of the single-use disposable type for beverages such as milk and juice are often manufactured from a flexible, laminated packaging material which consists of a central core, or carrier layer of fibrous material, e.g. paper, which is coated on either side with homogeneous layers of thermoplastic material, for example polyethylene. The packaging material may also include additional layers in order, for example, to improve the light or bacteria tightness properties of the material, e.g. aluminium foil (Alifoil). The thus formed packaging laminate is reformed using per se known packing and filling machines by folding and sealing into individual packaging containers filled with liquid contents. The packaging containers are provided with different types of opening arrangements which, in their simplest form, may consist of a printed opening indication, and which, in more sophisticated packaging containers, may consist of a prefabricated, e.g. thermoformed opening and re-closure arrangement which is placed over a prepared opening region in the packaging container.
In prior art packaging containers which are provided with separately manufactured opening arrangements, for example produced by injection moulding, these are placed over a prepared opening region in the wall of the packaging container. The opening region normally consists of a hole punched through the wall and covered with a separate, tear-off covering strip which is thermosealed to the container wall around the hole. The separately-manufactured opening and re-closure arrangement comprises a fixed part with a frame sealed around the hole and a moving part pivotally connected to the fixed part. The moving part is in the form of a lid which, by snap action, may be connected to the fixed part so that it will be possible to re-close the packaging container in liquid-tight fashion once it has been opened for the first time. An opening arrangement of this type is described in greater detail in, for example, European Patent Application 97919839.7, to which reference is made for further information.
From the consumer point of view, it may be seen as a disadvantage that, in the above-described prior art type of opening arrangement, the outer lid must first be opened and thereafter, in a separate operation, the tear-off strip located within the frame of the fixed part is to be torn off so that the contents of the packaging container will be accessible for pouring. A second, prior art type of opening arrangement (European Patent Specification 280.023) offers a solution according to which the packaging laminate is automatically penetrated on the opening of the opening and re-closure arrangement. This opening arrangement similarly includes a fixed part which is applied on the outside of a packaging container and includes an aperture which coincides with a prepared opening region in the wall of the packaging container. The prepared opening region comprises a thinner material layer, which, for example, has been realised in that one or more of the layers included in the original laminate has been removed in the opening region, or in that an aperture punched through the wall is covered with an additional layer of, for example, thin plastic. The opening arrangement further includes a moving part which is displaceably connected to the fixed part and capable of being moved between a forward position closing the packaging container and a rear position in which the packaging container is open. On displacement of the moving part from the forward to the rear position, the weakened portion of the packaging laminate is simultaneously torn off in that a projecting tearing device or plough penetrates through the packaging container wall and tears off the weakened portion thereof. It will thus hereby be possible for the consumer, employing but a single opening operation, to open the packaging container so that its contents may be poured out via the opening and re-closure arrangement. This may thereafter be re-closed in that the moving part is displaced from its rear to its forward position, i.e. the position which the moving part had assumed from the outset when the packaging container was still unopened. One drawback inherent in this type of opening arrangement is that the consumer has no visual, reliable indication as to whether the packaging container had previously been tampered with or opened. As the wish that the packaging container be simple to open in a single operation has been satisfied, the separate tear-off strip (which had previously been rendered visible and torn off manually when the packaging container was opened for the first time) is now dispensed with. No arrangement or method for making it visually apparent to the consumer that a re-closed packaging container of this type had previously been opened has hitherto been realised.
There is, thus, a general need within the packaging industry to realise an opening arrangement of the above-mentioned type which is simple to operate for the consumer and which requires no separate tearing off of a covering strip or the like, but which nevertheless affords a clear and reliable indication when the packaging container had previously been opened.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to realise a safety device in an opening arrangement for packaging containers, the safety device making it possible, in an opening and re-closure arrangement of simple, easily operated type, to realise a construction which reliably indicates whether the opening arrangement had previously been manoeuvred between the closed and open positions, i.e. whether the packaging container had previously been opened.
A further object of the present invention is to realise a safety device of the above-mentioned type which, without complicating the operation of the opening and re-closure arrangement, automatically gives a clear indication as soon as the moving part of the opening arrangement has left its original, closed position.
Still a further object of the present invention is to realise a safety device of the above-mentioned type which is suitable to employ in opening and re-closure arrangements of prior art type and which may readily be integrated therewith, without, to that end, complicating or impeding the function of the opening arrangements.
Yet a further object of the present invention is finally to realise a safety device of the above-mentioned type which, despite a simple and reliable design and construction, is difficult or impossible to manipulate without this fact being visually revealed by the consumer.
SOLUTION
These and other objects have been attained according to the present invention in that a safety device of the type described by way of introduction has been given the characterizing feature that both parts each include mutually cooperating means which, in the closed position of the opening arrangement, have a first mutual positional relationship and, in the open position of the opening arrangement, have a second, visually different and irreversible positional relationship.
Preferred embodiments of the safety device according to the present invention have further been given the characterizing features as set forth in the appended subclaims.
ADVANTAGES
In that the safety device according to the present invention includes mutually cooperating means which, when the moving part of the opening arrangement is displaced from the closed to the open position, change appearance in an irr
Andersson Ingvar
Helldin Goran
Ohman Peter
Pettersson Thomas
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Pollard Steven
Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A.
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