Tamper indicating container-closure package

• US 4,993,570 A
• Filed: 11/13/1989
• Issued: 02/19/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sunbeam Plastics Corporation (Silgan Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Sunbeam Plastics Corporation (Silgan Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Halfacre, J. Wayne, Julian, Randall K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcus, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRONIN, STEPHEN K
• Application Number:
  US07/435,617
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 215/252, 215/253, 215/216, 215/217, 215/218, 215/220, 215/32
• US Class Current: 215/252
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/3495 the tamper element being bonded or adhered to the container wall B65D41/3461 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 215/901 Tamper-resistant structure

Abstract

A tamper indicating container and container-closure package in which the tamper indicating band is integrally molded on the container neck with connecting frangible webs. The tamper indicating band has circumferentially spaced pawls on its top which co-act with a circumferential array of ratchet teeth at the lower end of the closure cap skirt to prevent removal of the cap upon application of opening torque without fracture of the frangible webs indicating tampering or initial opening. The closure of the container-closure package includes a cap skirt having a wall portion which recesses the cap ratchet teeth and overlaps the tamper indicating band of the container so as to keep the ratchet locking mechanism out of the view of a person endeavoring to tamper with the package.

Claims

1. A tamper indicating container-closure package comprising, in combination:

a container having a neck with means for attaching a closure thereto;

an outwardly extending flange on said neck below said closure attachment means;

a tamper indicating band circumposing said neck and attached to said flange by a plurality of circumferentially spaced frangible webs;

a plurality of circumferentially spaced ratchet teeth on the free end of said band;

a closure cap having a top and a skirt depending from said top with attachment means complementary to said container attaching means; and

a circumferential array of ratchet teeth at the lower end of said cap skirt;

whereby when said cap is affixed to said container neck by said attachment means, at least one of said teeth on said band will engage a ratchet tooth on said cap to prevent removal of said cap from said container neck without fracture of said frangible webs thereby indicating tampering or initial opening of said cap on said container neck.

2. The container-closure package according to claim 1 wherein said container and closure attachment means are threads.

3. The closure attachment means according to claim 2 wherein said threads are helical threads extending around said container neck and closure cap more than 360°

.

4. The container-closure package according to claim 2 wherein said threads are a plurality of multi-start threads on said container neck and closure cap.

5. The container-closure package according to claim 4 wherein said threads are of the bayonet type with inwardly extending lugs on the cap engaging recesses in ramps on said container neck.

6. A tamper indicating container-closure package comprising, in combination:

a container having a threaded neck;

an outwardly extending flange on said neck below said threads;

a tamper indicating band circumposing said neck and attached to said flange by a plurality of circumferentially spaced frangible webs;

a plurality of circumferentially spaced ratchet teeth on the free end of said band;

a closure cap having a top and a skirt depending from said top with threads for engagement with said container neck threads; and

a circumferential array of equally spaced ratchet teeth at the lower end of said cap skirt;

whereby when said cap is affixed to said container neck and unthreading torque is applied to said cap, at least one of said teeth on said band will engage a ratchet tooth on said cap to prevent unthreading of said cap from said container neck without fracture of said frangible webs thereby indicating tampering or initial opening of said cap on said container neck.

7. The container-closure package according to claim 6 wherein each of said cap and band ratchet teeth have ramp surfaces permitting the cap ratchet teeth to pass in sliding contact with the band ratchet teeth moving said band ratchet teeth axially away from said cap ratchet teeth as the cap is being threaded onto said container neck, and each of said cap and band ratchet teeth have stop surfaces which engage to prevent unthreading of said cap without fracture of said frangible webs.

8. The container-closure package according to claim 7 wherein the ratchet teeth on said band are fixed and said frangible webs are flexible permitting movement of said band toward said container neck flange.

9. The container-closure package according to claim 7 wherein said band ratchet teeth are in the form of pawls which pivot relative to said band as the cap ratchet teeth make contact when the cap is being threaded onto said container neck.

10. The container-closure package according to claim 9 wherein each of said pawls includes a finger extending at an angle upwardly from the top of said band in a clockwise direction when viewed from above.

11. A tamper indicating container-closure package comprising, in combination:

a container having a threaded neck;

an outwardly extending flange on said neck below the threaded portion of said neck;

a tamper indicating band circumposing said neck and attached to said flange by a plurality of circumferentially spaced frangible webs;

a plurality of pairs of diametrically opposed circumferentially spaced ratchet teeth on the free end of said band;

a closure cap having a top and a skirt depending from said top with threads for engagement with said container neck threads; and

a plurality of equally spaced ratchet teeth at the lower end of said cap skirt;

whereby when said cap is affixed to said container neck, and unthreading torque is applied to said cap, at least one of said pairs of ratchet teeth on said band will engage ratchet teeth on said cap to prevent unthreading from said container neck without fracture of said frangible webs, thereby indicating tampering or initial opening of said cap on said container neck.

12. The container-closure package according to claim 11 wherein said cap has an even number of ratchet teeth and a first pair of diametrically opposed ratchet teeth on said band is circumferentially spaced from a second pair of diametrically opposed ratchet teeth by 90°

plus or minus one-half the pitch of the ratchet teeth on said cap whereby one of said first and second pairs of opposed ratchet teeth on said band will engage ratchet teeth on said cap as unthreading torque is applied to said cap.

13. The container-closure package according to claim 11 wherein said band ratchet teeth are in the form of pawls which pivot relative to said band as said cap ratchet teeth make contact when the cap is being affixed to said container neck.

14. The container-closure package according to claim 13 wherein said cap ratchet teeth are contained within a recess formed by a wall portion of said cap skirt and said wall portion overlaps said tamper indicating band and said pawls so that said cap ratchet teeth and pawls are not visible when said cap has been affixed to said container neck.

15. A tamper indicating container-closure package comprising, in combination:

a container having a threaded neck;

an outwardly extending flange on said neck below the threaded portion of said neck;

a tamper indicating band circumposing said neck and attached to said flange by a plurality of circumferentially spaced frangible webs, said band being discontinuous, presenting spaced ends which are substantially opposed to each other;

a plurality of circumferentially spaced pawls on the free end of said band;

a closure cap having a top and a skirt depending from said top with threads for engagement with said container neck threads;

a plurality of equally spaced teeth at the lower end of said cap skirt; and

a lug extending axially from said container neck flange between said opposed band ends;

whereby when said cap is threaded onto said container neck, the downstream end of the band in the threading direction will be pushed into contact with said lug by the contact of the cap ratchet teeth with said pawls, preventing fracture of said frangible webs, and when unthreading torque is applied to said cap, at least one of said pawls will engage a ratchet tooth on said cap to prevent unthreading from said container neck without fracture of said frangible webs, thereby indicating tampering or initial opening of said cap on said container neck, said lug deflecting outwardly the upstream end of said band in the unthreading direction as said webs are fractured.

16. The container-closure package according to claim 15 wherein the downstream end of the band in the threading on direction and an opposing side of said lug are closely spaced and are substantially on a diametric line of said cap so that when the cap is being threaded onto the container neck, the downstream end of the band will abut the opposing side of said lug.

17. The container-closure package according to claim 16 wherein the upstream end of said band in the unthreading direction and an adjacent side of said lug have faces which are parallel to said diametric line so that when unthreading torque is applied to said cap said faces will contact each other to cam the upstream end of the band outwardly as said frangible webs are fractured.

18. A tamper indicating container-closure package comprising, in combination:

a container having a threaded neck;

an outwardly extending flange on said neck below said threads;

a tamper indicating band circumposing said neck and attached to said flange by a plurality of circumferentially spaced frangible webs;

a plurality of pawls on the free end of said band;

a closure cap having a top and a skirt depending from said top with threads for engagement with said container neck threads; and

a circumferential array of equally spaced ratchet teeth contained within a recess formed by a wall portion of said cap skirt;

whereby when said cap is affixed to said container neck said wall portion of said cap skirt overlaps said tamper indicating band and said pawls so that said cap ratchet teeth and pawls are not visible, and when unthreading torque is applied to said cap, at least one of said teeth on said band will engage a ratchet tooth on said cap to prevent unthreading of said cap from said container neck without fracture of said frangible webs thereby indicating tampering or initial opening of said cap on said container neck.

19. A tamper indicating container for use with a threaded closure cap having a top and a depending skirt with an annular array of spaced ratchet teeth extending away from said top, said container comprising:

a threaded neck;

an outwardly extending flange on said neck below said threads;

a tamper indicating band circumposing said neck and attached to said flange by a plurality of circumferentially spaced frangible webs; and

a plurality of spaced pawls on the free end of said band;

whereby when a cap is affixed to said container neck and unthreading torque is applied to said cap, at least one of said pawls will engage a ratchet tooth on said cap to prevent unthreading of said cap from said container neck without fracture of said frangible webs thereby indicating tampering or initial opening of said cap on said container neck.