Tamper indicating closure

• US 4,682,702 A
• Filed: 06/27/1986
• Issued: 07/28/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sunbeam Plastics Corporation (Silgan Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Sunbeam Plastics Corporation (Silgan Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gach, Peter P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Norton, Donald F.
• Application Number:
  US06/879,487
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• Field of Search: 220/258, 220/254, 220/270, 222/541, 215/235, 215/256, 215/254, 215/232
• US Class Current: 222/541.9
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0025 of the 47-type
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0087 of the 47-type
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/103 Membranes with a tearing element
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/20 Caps, lids, or covers co-operating with an inner closure arranged to be opened by piercing, cutting, or tearing B65D51/185 takes precedence; co-operating with an auxiliary container for additional articles or materials B65D51/28

Abstract

A dispensing closure having a base cap with a top containing a dispensing orifice and a skirt adapted to be attached to a container so that dispensing of the container contents can take place only through the cap orifice. The orifice is sealed with an integrally molded removable disc having a spiral weakening groove which defines a tear strip. Lifting a pull ring attached to the tear strip removes the sealing disc as a spiral strip so that any attempt to hide a previous partial opening by pushing the lifted portion of the strip back in the plane of the disc will be easily detected. A lid attached to the base cap provides easy access to the seal for detecting tampering and removal for use as well as acting to close the orifice after removal of the sealing disc.

Claims

1. A tamper indicating dispensing closure for use with a container having a neck with means for attachment to said closure comprising, in combination:

a base cap having a top with a dispensing orifice therein and a depending cylindrical skirt having complementary means for attachment to said container;

a lid for closing said dispensing orifice;

a hinge joining said base cap and lid for swinging said lid from a closed position covering said orifice to an open position for dispensing the contents of said container through said orifice; and

a removable sealing disc extending across said orifice below said lid in its closed position, said disc including;

a spiral weakening groove in the face of said disc extending from the periphery inwardly towards the center of said orifice to define between adjacent turns of the spiral groove a tear strip; and

a pull tab attached to said tear strip adjacent one end thereof;

whereby said sealing disc can be removed as a spiral tear strip by gripping said pull tab and lifting it away from said container, and the initial packaged integrity of the container can be checked by swinging said lid open and observing the condition or absence of said sealing disc.

2. The dispensing closure of claim 1 wherein said pull tab is formed as a post means one end of which is attached to said tear strip and the other of which is attached to a finger grip.

3. The dispensing closure of claim 2 wherein said pull tab is formed integrally with said tear strip.

4. The dispensing closure of claim 3 wherein said sealing disc is formed integrally with said base cap.

5. The dispensing closure of claim 4 wherein said post means includes a pair of closely spaced posts attached at one of their ends to said tear strip and said finger grip is in the form of a pull ring attached to the other end of said posts.

6. The dispensing closure of claim 5 wherein said posts are attached to said tear strip adjacent its outer end.

7. The dispensing closure of claim 2 wherein said post means is attached adjacent the inner end of said tear strip.

8. The dispensing closure of claim 1 wherein said container neck is threaded and said cap skirt is formed with complementary threads for attachment of said closure to said container.

9. The dispensing closure of claim 8 wherein said container is further formed with stop means and said closure is formed with complementary stop means, said stop means cooperating to retain said closure on said container in its fully threaded-on position.

10. The dispensing closure of claim 9 wherein said container stop means includes an outwardly projecting flange on said container neck below said threads and said closure stop means includes an inwardly projecting bead at the bottom of said skirt which snaps over said container flange when said closure is threaded onto said container to retain said closure thereon.

11. The dispensing closure of claim 9 wherein said stop means include ratchet means formed on the top of said base cap and the top of said container neck which allows threading of the closure onto said container but prevents unthreading of the closure from said container.

12. The dispensing closure of claim 1 wherein said container neck is formed with an outwardly projecting flange and said cap skirt is formed with an inwardly projecting bead which snaps over said container flange for attachment of said closure to said container.

13. The dispensing closure of claim 1 wherein said attachment means include a flat lip on said container neck and a complementary annular surface on said closure with an adhesive being applied therebetween.

14. The dispensing closure of claim 1 wherein the container neck has a flat lip, and further comprising an annular metallic seal member disposed within said cap skirt and engaging said lip and said closure when said closure has been initially applied to said container by engagement of said attachment means, said seal member having a coating on one side of a material fusable with said container and a coating on the other side of a material fusable with said closure when said seal members are subjected to heat, whereby said seal member may be fused to said closure and said container to form a permanent connection therebetween.

15. A tamper indicating dispensing closure for use with a container having a neck with means for attachment to said closure comprising, in combination:

a base cap having a top with a dispensing orifice therein and a depending cylindrical skirt having complementary means for attachment to said container;

a lid for closing said dispensing orifice;

a hinge joining said base cap and lid for swinging said lid from a closed position covering said orifice to an open position for dispensing the contents of said container through said orifice;

said base cap being formed with a nozzle collar surrounding said orifice and projecting outwardly from said top and a removable sealing disc molded integrally with said collar closing the lower end thereof to completely seal said orifice;

said disc having a spiral weakening groove in the face thereof extending from the inner periphery of said collar inwardly toward the center of said orifice to define, between adjacent turns of the spiral groove, a tear strip; and

a pull tab including post means attached at one end to said tear strip adjacent one end thereof and a finger grip attached to the other end of said post means;

whereby said sealing disc can be removed as a spiral tear strip by gripping said finger grip and lifting it away from said container, and the initial package integrity of the container can be checked by swinging said lid open and observing the condition or absence of said sealing disc.

16. The dispensing closure of claim 15 further including an annular flange on said lid which coacts with said collar to hold said lid in its closed position.