Tamper evident fitment assembly

• US 20070181578A1
• Filed: 07/30/2004
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liqui-Box Corporation (Liqui-Box Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Liqui-Box Canada Incorporated (Corteva, Inc.)
• Inventors: Johnson, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,882,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 220/258.300
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/0471 with means for positioning the cap on the container, or for limiting the movement of the cap, or for preventing accidental loosening of the cap
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/3442 with rigid bead or projections formed on the tamper element and coacting with bead or projections on the container B65D41/3404 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/3447 the tamper element being integrally connected to the closure by means of bridges
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 55/02 Locking devices; Means for discouraging or indicating unauthorised opening or removal of closure B65D41/32 takes precedence; protective covers for bottles B65D23/08; protective cap-like outer covers for bottle or jar closures B65D41/62; pressure-applying means B65D45/00; closures with means for discouraging unauthorised opening or removal of closures B65D50/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/5877 connected to a planar surface of the package wall

Abstract

A tamper evident fitment assembly for use with a container for flowable material, the closure comprising a cap and a spout secured to the container, the cap having a frangible tamper evident band, the cap having an annular recess for frictionally engaging a top portion of the spout, the cap and spout having cooperating detent and locking elements so that the assembly in a first position where the cap is removably sealed to the spout and the tamper evident band is not broken when the cap is removed for filling may move to a second position when the cap is removably sealed to the spout and the tamper evident band is broken upon removal of the cap. An important feature of the present invention is that the cap frictionally engages a top portion of the spout. No screw threads or similar securing means are required to retain the cap on the spout

Claims

1. A tamper evident assembly for use with a fluid dispensing container for flowable material, the assembly comprising:

an annular flange for attachment to a container,

a spout projecting upwardly from the flange and having an upper end and a lower end, the spout defining a dispensing passage therethrough and having at least one external annular rib; and

a cap having a top with an external depending skirt and a tamper indicating band releasably attached to the skirt, the cap further including an internal skirt depending from the top and spaced inwardly from the external skirt and operable to be received within the fluid passage to provide a seal between the cap and the spout;

the assembly having a first position in which the cap is received on the upper end of the spout with the tamper indicating band abutting the external rib and the internal skirt being received within the passage and providing a seal therebetween, and a second position in which the cap is located on the lower end of the spout with the external rib located between the external skirt and the tamper indicating band and the upper end of the spout located adjacent the top of the cap, the internal skirt being received within the passage and providing a seal therebetween.

2. A tamper evident assembly for use with a fluid dispensing container for flowable material, the assembly comprising:

an annular flange for attachment to a container,

a spout projecting upwardly from the flange and having an upper end and a lower end, the spout defining a dispensing passage therethrough; and

a cap sized to be received on the spout and having a tamper indicating band releasably attached thereto,

the assembly having a first position in which the cap and the tamper indicating band are received on the upper end of the spout and a seal is provided between the cap and the spout and from which when the cap is removed the tamper indicating band remains attached to the cap, and a second position in which the cap and the tamper indicating band are located adjacent the lower end of the spout and a seal is provided between the cap and the spout and from which when the cap is removed the tamper indicating band detaches from the cap and remains on the spout, thereby providing evidence of tampering.

3. A tamper evident closure and dispensing assembly for use with a container for flowable material, the closure comprising a cap and a spout secured to the container, the cap having a frangible tamper evident band associated with it, the cap having an annular recess for frictionally engaging a top portion of the spout, the cap and spout having cooperating detent and locking elements to allow the assembly, when secured to a container to move from a first position where the cap is removably sealed to the spout and the tamper evident band is not broken when the cap is removed for filling, to a second position when the cap is removably sealed to the spout and the tamper evident band is broken upon removal of the cap to dispense flowable material.

4. A tamper evident closure and dispensing assembly according to claim 3, wherein the cap includes an internal skirt depending from a top portion of the cap and spaced inwardly from the cap sidewall, the frangible tamper evident band depends from the lower edge of the cap sidewall and the area between the sidewall and the internal skirt forms the annular recess in the cap and includes a lower and an upper detent that determine the pre-cap and full cap positions, respectively for the top portion of the spout that is sealingly and frictionally engaged within the annular recess of the cap when the assembly is in use.

5. A tamper evident closure and dispensing assembly according to claim 4, wherein the cap includes a locking ring that cooperatively engages an annular projection located on an inner edge of the tamper evident band in the pre-cap position and in the full cap position the annular projection located on an inner edge of the tamper evident band is engaged beneath the locking ring, whereby in the pre-cap position the frangible tamper evident band is not broken upon removal of the cap, but in the full cap position, the frangible tamper evident band must be broken to remove the cap.