Tamper evidencing plastic can top

• US 4,658,980 A
• Filed: 10/25/1985
• Issued: 04/21/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Durkee-French Foods Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SCM Corporation (Heidelberg Materials AG)
• Inventors: Lindstrom, Robert O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pollard, Steven M.
• Application Number:
  US06/792,627
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 220/214, 220/254, 220/339, 220/307, 220/266, 220/254, 220/258, 222/591, 222/153, 222/531, 222/545, 222/480, 222/541, 222/151, 222/481, 222/482, 222/483, 222/485, 222/486, 222/487, 206/538
• US Class Current: 220/214
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/0842 consisting of a strap of flexible material
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 55/024 Closures in which a part has to be ruptured to gain access to the contents B65D41/32, B65D43/0235, B65D55/022, B65D55/06 take precedence

Abstract

A container cap comprising a cover member, at least one opening in the cover member, lid means including at least one lid to close said opening, flexible hinge means connecting the lid means to the cover member, and defining a free edge opposite said hinge means, and tamper evidencing means in the form of arrowhead locks positioned at opposite corners of said free edge secured to the cover member, including breakable webbing connecting said locks to said lid means.

Claims

1. A tamper evidencing container cap comprising

(a) a rectangular shaped cover member;

(b) means defining a plurality of openings in said cover member for pouring, spooning, or sifting container contents confined by said cover member;

(c) at least two side-by-side lids;

(d) hinge means side connecting each of said lids to said cover member;

(e) said lids being adapted to close said cover member openings when the lids are folded on the hinge means into a superimposed relationship with the cover member;

(f) arrow shaped locking means adapted to penetrate holes in said cover member and to engage said cover member in a locking relationship through said holes, including first breakable tamper evidencing means directly connecting said locking means to said lids;

(g) said locking means having enlarged base means to prevent the locking means from falling through said openings into the container contents, said tamper evidencing means in the unbroken state holding the top of said base means in essentially the same plane as that of said lids, in the broken state the top of the base means lying below the plane of said lids; and

(h) second breakable tamper evidencing means connecting said lids together.

2. The cap of claim 1 wherein said lids are in the shape of tetrahedrons with the locking means at corners of the lids at about 120°

from the hinged means.

3. The cap of claims 1 or 2 including three lids side by side, the locking means being at opposed corners of the first and third lids, furthermost removed from the hinge means and each other, the second breakable tamper evidencing means comprising at least two webs connecting the centermost lid to each of the first and third lids.

4. A container cap comprising

(a) a cover member;

(b) at least one opening in the cover member;

(c) lid means including at least one lid to close said opening;

(d) flexible hinge means connecting the lid means to the cover member and defining free edge means opposite said hinge means; and

(e) tamper evidencing means in the form of arrowhead locks, positioned adjacent said free edge means, securing the lid means to the cover member, said tamper evidencing means inluding breakable webbing directly connecting said locks to the lid means wherein in the unbroken state the top of the arrowhead locks lies in a first plane and in the broken state in a plane below that of the unbroken state.

5. The cap of claim 4 including at least two lids, said lids having aligned free edges, further including breakable webbing between the two lids.

6. The cap of claim 5 including three lids, said locks being at the furthermost spaced-apart corners of said lid means.

11. The cap of claim 4 wherein the top of the arrowhead lock in the unbroken state lies in essentially the same plane as the lid means.

7. A tamper evidencing container cap constructed of a flexible molded plastic material comprising

(a) a cover member;

(b) at least one opening in the cover member;

(c) lid means including at least one lid to close said opening;

(d) flexible hinge means connecting said lid to the cover member, by which said lid is foldable over onto the cover member into a superimposed relationship with the cover member to close said opening;

said lid having a free edge opposite said hinge means; and

(e) tamper evidencing means in said free edge in the form of at least one arrowhead lock including a head portion and a shank portion, said lock directly engaging both said free edge and said cover member, said arrowhead lock comprising weakened means in the shank portion adapted to rupture and exhibit an exposed ruptured surface on first raising said lid from said superimposed relationship.

8. A tamper evidencing container cap constructed of a flexible molded plastic material comprising

(a) a cover member;

(b) at least one opening in the cover member;

(c) lid means including at least one lid to close said opening;

(d) flexible hinge means connecting said lid to the cover member, by which said lid is foldable over onto the cover member into a superimposed relationship with the cover member to close said opening, said lid having a free edge opposite said hinge means; and

(e) tamper evidencing means in said free edge in the form of at least one arrowhead lock directly engaging both said free edge and said cover member, said arrowhead lock comprising weakened means adapted to rupture and exhibit an exposed ruptured surface on first raising said lid from said superimposed relationship;

(1) said arrowhead lock comprising a shank portion affixed to the cover member and an exposed head portion engaging said lid, the weakened means being in the arrowhead shank portion.

9. The cap of claim 8 wherein said lid comprises a recessed area in the lid free edge such that said exposed head portion is generally flush with the lid exposed surface when the lid is in a folded superimposed relationship with the cover member.

10. The cap of claim 8 wherein said lid comprises a recessed aperture means aligned with the arrowhead lock when the lid and cover are in said superimposed relationship, said lock comprising an arrow configuration at its exposed end adapted to non-releasably penetrate said aperture means.