Tamper-evident container

• US 6,877,631 B1
• Filed: 04/26/2000
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Audus Noble Ltd. (Audus Noble Ltd. /Stephenson & Earl/)
• Original Assignee: Audus Noble Ltd. (Audus Noble Ltd. /Stephenson & Earl/)
• Inventors: Bushby, Stephen William, Stephenson, Keith, Thompson, David Noble
• Primary Examiner(s): NGO, LIEN M
• Application Number:
  US09/959,507
• Time in Patent Office: 1,812 Days
• Field of Search: 220/266, 220/265, 220/324, 220/258.5, 220/276, 220/284, 215/243, 215/250, 215/253, 215/254, 215/269
• US Class Current: 220/266
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2401/20 Frangible elements completely enclosed in closure skirt tear-off strips B65D2401/25
• 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 tamper-evident container comprises a body portion (2), a lid portion (4) adapted to engage and close said body portion (2), and at least one tamper-evident element (14) releasably attached to one of said portions (4) by a weakened connection (16), and having an operative position co-operating with means on the other of said portions (2) to prevent removal of the lid portion (4) from the body portion (2), the lid portion (4) only being removable from the body portion (2) subsequent to breakage of the weakened connection (16) between the or each tamper-evident element (14) and the one portion (4) of the container, the or each tamper evident element (14), on breakage, having a displaced position on the other portion (2) of the container providing a visual indication that tampering may have occurred, and the container incorporating means to retain the or each tamper-evident element (14) in its displaced position on the other portion (2) of the container such that removal of the or each tamper-evident element (14) from its displaced position cannot be effected without damage to the element (14).

Claims

1. A tamper-evident container comprising

a body portion having a top, a bottom, a longitudinal axis extending between the top and bottom, and a side wall or walls extending longitudinally between the top and bottom and located laterally around the longitudinal axis,

a lid portion adapted to engage said body portion in order to close the top,

at least one tamper-evident element which is located laterally outward of the longitudinal axis from the adjacent side wall or walls,

a weakened connection which releasably attaches said tamper-evident element to a part of said lid portion and which is located laterally outward of the longitudinal axis from the adjacent side wall or walls,

a removal prevention means, which is provided on a part of said body portion and which is located laterally outward of the longitudinal axis from the adjacent side wall or walls, for preventing removal of the lid portion from the body portion when said tamper-evident element is in an operative position, such that the lid portion can only be removed from the body portion subsequent to breakage of the weakened connection between the tamper-evident element and the lid portion, and

a retaining means to retain the tamper-evident element on the body portion, said retaining means being located laterally outward of the longitudinal axis from an adjacent side wall or walls such that the tamper evident element, after breakage of the weakened connection, has a displaced position on the part of the body portion which provides an easy view thereof and hence a ready visual indication that tampering may have occurred, and such that removal of the tamper-evident element from the displaced position thereof on the body portion cannot be effected without evident damage;

and

wherein the body and lid portions have co-operating rims on part or a whole of co-operating peripheries thereof;

wherein the rim of the body portion is of substantially inverted U-shape in transverse section and includes, for the tamper-evident element, an aperture in an upper wall thereof, said tamper-evident element, in its operative position, projecting from said aperture above the upper wall of the rim of the body portion, breakage of the weakened connection being achieved by forcible depression of the tamper-evident element into the displaced position; and

wherein the tamper-evident element in the displaced position is housed within the rim of the body portion with an upper wall of the tamper-evident element being substantially co-planar with the upper wall of the rim of the body portion such that the upper wall of the tamper-evident element is visible through the aperture in said rim of the body portion.

2. A tamper evident container as claimed in claim 1, in which the tamper-evident element is incorporated in the cooperating rims.

3. A tamper-evident container as claimed in claim 1, in which the retaining means comprises an abutment projecting outwardly from the body portion within the rim thereof.

4. A tamper-evident container as claimed in claim 1, in which the rim of the body portion is provided with a locking means to prevent upward movement of the tamper-evident element from the displaced position thereof.

5. A tamper-evident container as claimed in claim 1, in which the retaining means comprises a rib within the rim of the body portion adapted to receive thereon, and locate, the temper-evident element in the displaced position thereof.

6. A tamper-evident container as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said body portion includes a reduced diameter neck,

wherein said lid portion is an axial push snap-fit onto the neck of the body portion,

wherein the tamper-evident element is connected by the weakened connection to a lower edge of the lid portion to depend therefrom,

wherein the neck of the body portion has formed thereon, for the tamper-evident element, a hollow receiving member into which the tamper-evident element extends to be contained thereby in the operative position of said tamper-evident element,

wherein the tamper-evident element and the receiving member have respective surfaces thereon co-operating to prevent relative axial movement between the lid portion and the body portion, such that, on forcible removal of the lid portion from the body portion, the weakened connection is broken and the tamper-evident element falls to the displaced position where a portion of the tamper-evident element projects beyond the receiving member to provide a visual indication of said removal.

7. A tamper-evident container as claimed in claim 6, in which the displaced position of said tamper-evident element within the receiving member is determined by abutment of a lower end of the tamper-evident element with a shoulder on the body portion below the neck.

8. A tamper-evident container as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the tamper-evident element is integrally molded with the lid portion and

wherein the weakened connection is at least one strip member extending between said tamper-evident element and said lid portion, such that a strength of connection between the strip member and the lid portion is weaker than a strength of connection between the strip member and the tamper-evident element.

9. A tamper evident container as claimed in claim 2, in which the tamper-evident element is incorporated in the lid portion.

10. A tamper-evident container comprising

a body portion,

a lid portion adapted to engage and close said body portion,

at least one tamper-evident element,

a weakened connection which releasably attaches said tamper-evident element to said lid portion,

a removal prevention means provided on said body portion for preventing removal of the lid portion from the body portion when said tamper-evident element is in an operative position, such that the lid portion can only be removed from the body portion subsequent to breakage of the weakened connection between the tamper-evident element and the lid portion, and

a retaining means to retain the tamper-evident element on the body portion such that the tamper evident element, on breakage, has a displaced position on the body portion providing a visual indication that tampering may have occurred, and such that removal of the tamper-evident element from the displaced position thereof on the body portion cannot be effected without evident damage;

wherein the body and lid portions have co-operating rims on part or a whole of co-operating peripheries thereof;

wherein the rim of the body portion is of substantially inverted U-shape in transverse section and includes, for the tamper-evident element, an aperture in an upper wall thereof, said tamper-evident element, in its operative position, projecting from said aperture above the upper wall of the rim of the body portion, breakage of the weakened connection being achieved by forcible depression of the tamper-evident element into the displaced position; and

wherein the tamper-evident element in the displaced position is housed within the rim of the body portion with an upper wall of the tamper-evident element being substantially co-planar with the upper wall of the rim of the body portion such that the upper wall of the tamper-evident element is visible through the aperture in said rim of the body portion.

11. A tamper-evident container as claimed in claim 10, wherein the retaining means comprises an abutment projecting outwardly from the body portion within the rim thereof.

12. A tamper-evident container as claimed in claim 10, wherein the rim of the body portion is provided with a locking means to prevent upward movement of the tamper-evident element from the displaced position thereof.

13. A tamper-evident container as claimed in claim 10, wherein the retaining means comprises a rib within the rim of the body portion adapted to receive thereon, and locate, the tamper-evident element in the displaced position thereof.