CONTAINER WITH TAMPER-EVIDENT LOCKING MEANS

Abstract

A container for foodstuffs or other products has a tamper-evident locking means which comprises a post and a cooperating opening or recess. A fault zone is formed by a weakened area provided by, for example, a plurality of perforations formed in the post, or around the post, or around the opening or recess, and fault zone is thus which is weaker than the material of the container, and weaker than the locking means mechanism. As a result, the fault zone will fail upon exertion of a force which is less than the disengagement force otherwise required to unlock the locking means, thus providing physical evidence of tampering.

Description

This application claims priority to Canadian Patent App'n Ser. No. “Unknown”, filed 16 Sep. 2011, with the same title and inventors as the present application. The complete contents of this application is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to containers which are primarily used for foodstuffs, but which may also be used for other products such as medications and the like. The containers of the present invention, especially when used with foodstuffs, are primarily of the sort in which various foodstuffs will be placed into the containers at the place of distribution, so that the containers are packed when they are shipped to the retailer, and remain packed or filled when they are purchased by the consumer. The primary purpose of the present invention, however, is to assure the distributor, the shipper, the receiver, the retailer, and/or the purchaser or any other party, that at no time after the container was packed has it been tampered with. This also can include containers which are packaged by the retailer shortly before being purchased by the consumer.

Thus, the present invention provides containers which have special locking means to lock the containers in their closed condition, and which are such that if there has been any tampering with the container in any manner so as to try to disengage the locking means, damage will occur to the locking means, and that damage will be evidence of tampering. As a result, the present invention provides containers with an integral tamper-evident locking means.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is found most often in retail stores, particularly those selling foodstuffs, that many products being sold have been pre-packaged at the source from which they have been distributed, or even packaged by the retailer shortly before placing the goods for sale. This is particularly true when the foodstuffs are materials such as salads, baked goods, fruits and berries, vegetables, cookies or cakes, pre-packaged fast food meals, and any other foodstuffs which lend themselves to being pre-packaged. Typically, such products will be pre-packaged at the farm site where they have been grown, or at a farmers' cooperative, or in the case of baked goods from the factory where they have been made. However, other packaging points are not excluded from the present invention.

Other pre-packaged materials can include materials other than foodstuffs, such as, for example, nuts or bolts provided in containers, or the like, and as such, the present invention is preferably not limited to foodstuffs only.

In any event, one purpose for pre-packaging the goods is to protect them from damage while in transit. Consumers are much more likely to buy items when they are evidently in pristine quality. Even more so, baked items such as cookies or cakes, must be seen to be unbroken or otherwise undamaged in any way. As a result, these types of products are typically pre-packaged prior to being shipped to the retailer.

In general, typically, the materials and foodstuffs of the sort contemplated herein are generally displayed for retail sale in containers which are transparent and/or clear, or at least translucent, so that the purchaser may inspect the product without the necessity for opening the same. Indeed, the purpose of the present invention is to allow the consumer to view the product, while being assured that the package has not been opened, because to do so requires that the package be tampered with. It will be understood, of course, the packages of the sort described herein are otherwise reclosable using conventional bead and recess means, or the like, as are well known in the art. This, of course, means that once the consumer has purchased the product, he or she will purposely damage the locking means so as to gain access to the product in the container; but in this case, such actions are not tampering because they are purposeful on the part of the consumer. Once the package has been opened though, the consumer can preferably re-close it using the conventional bead and recess closure means, or other closure means, without any adverse interference or obstruction of the closure means. As such, the tamper-evident feature of the present invention preferably does not interfere with the normal container closure mechanism.

It will be understood, of course, that containers in keeping with the present invention may vary considerably in size. For example, a container into which a single portion of salad greens has been placed is typically much smaller than one into which an entire head of lettuce has been placed.

Still further, the present invention may lend itself to the care giving industry, such as hospitals and nursing homes. Here, individual medications intended for specific patients may be dispensed into specific containers either by the pharmaceutical company, or by such person as a pharmacist. Very clearly, it is important that there shall be no tampering with specific medications that are intended for specific patients, thereby so as to assure that the intended patient receives the intended medication.

The inventors herein have unexpectedly discovered that typical containers for foodstuffs and the like, with which this invention is particularly concerned, may be configured in such a manner that the material from which the container is manufactured can have a specific fault zone formed therein so as to assure that forces which are less than the disengagement forces which would otherwise be required to unlock a locking means in keeping with the present invention will instead cause a failure of that material in the fault zone. Thus, the locking means per se will remain in its locked condition, but because of the damage which is done in the fault zone in the immediate region of the locking means, evidence of tampering with the container at any time prior to its opening by the ultimate consumer, is observable by the user.

Moreover, a specific fault zone can be formed by the mere act of creating perforations—which may take the form of small holes, slits, or slots—through the thickness of the material in the region where the specific fault zone is to be created. Other mechanism for providing a fault zone can also be including, such as providing a thinner material construction, which provides a weakened area in the fault zone.

As will be seen hereafter, the locking means which are at the heart of this present invention may generally comprise two differing configurations. The usual configuration is for there to be a post which has an outwardly extending bead portion near the convex end thereof, where the material of the post, at least at the bead portion, may be temporarily deformed so as to pass through a cooperating opening. Due to the undercut which is formed beneath the bead portion on the post, a locking engagement zone is formed whereby the bead is precluded from passing back through the opening without the exertion of a sufficient disengagement force by momentarily deforming the bead portion and/or the region immediately surrounding the cooperating opening. An alternative configuration for a locking means is for a post and a cooperating recess into which the post will be engaged and will remain therein due to a friction fit. In that configuration, the post can only be disengaged from the cooperating recess by the exertion of sufficient disengagement force to overcome the friction fit.

However, in all cases, as noted hereafter, the material of the container in the region of the post and/or its cooperating opening or recess, has had perforations created therein, or is otherwise weakened, so as to form a fault zone which will fail upon the exertion of a force which is less than the disengagement force.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

United States Patent Application Publication 2009/0134180 A1, describes a container which has a plurality of locking mechanisms, where each locking mechanism includes an extending latching portion and a corresponding circular opening for engagement thereof. The locking mechanism is configured so as to securely lock the lid to the base of the container, and an appropriate amount of pulling force must be applied in order to disengage the lid from the base. However, the container as it is described in the publication requires that once the locking mechanism has been disengaged, it must be reclosable. In other words, there is no provision whatsoever to indicate whether or not the container has been tampered with by having been opened prior to purchase and consumption of the product contained therein.

While this described container has been shown to be of utility, it would be desirable to modify this type of container to provide tamper evidence. As such, the present invention is described with particular focus on the container described in US 2009/0134180, but it will be clear to the skilled artisan that any other suitable container might also be used in the practise of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided in an exemplary implementation, a packaging container having an upper top member and a lower bottom member, wherein the top and bottom members are adapted to fit to one another with an optional closure means, and also include a locking device which can lock the container in a closed condition, by the use of at least one cooperating locking means.

Moreover, each cooperating locking means preferably comprises an upstanding post formed in an outwardly extending lip on one of the top and bottom members, and a corresponding mated opening which is formed in an outwardly extending lip on the other of the top and bottom members.

The post is preferably configured so as to have a lower stem portion, and an upper engagement portion having an outwardly extending bead portion and a convex end, whereby an engagement zone of the post is formed around the periphery of the stem portion at least in the region immediately below the bead portion.

The shape and size of each the opening is sufficient to accommodate the stem portion of the cooperating post when fitted therein. The outwardly extending bead portion is preferably larger than the opening, and as such, at least the bead portion of the post is preferably temporarily deformable so as to pass through the opening. As a result, the engagement zone and the opening are in cooperating relationship to each other, so as to lock the container in a closed condition.

Normally, the engagement of a post together with its cooperating opening may only be disengaged by applying sufficient disengagement force so as to deform the bead portion to permit it to pass back through the cooperating opening.

However, in the practise of the present invention, a weakened area, preferably provided by a plurality of perforations, is formed in a location chosen from the group consisting of around the periphery of the stem portion of each post, in the immediate region of the outwardly extending lip in which the post is formed and circumscribing the post, and in the immediate region of the outwardly extending lip in which the opening is formed and circumscribing the opening. By forming the plurality of perforations, the region where the plurality of perforations is formed, is thereby weakened. As a result, any attempt to disengage a post from its cooperating opening by exerting the disengagement force thereto will result instead in failure of the material of the package in the region of weakened area, and more specifically, the area of the plurality of perforations.

Accordingly, any such attempt to disengage a post from its cooperating opening will result in a breakage of the locking tab, and this can be seen and construed by the consumer as evidence of tampering.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a packaging container having an upper top member and a lower bottom member, wherein the top and bottom members are adapted to fit to one another so as to lock the container in a closed condition by at least one cooperating locking means; but in this case, each cooperating locking means comprises an upstanding post formed in and outwardly extending lip on one of the top and bottom members, and a cooperating recess formed in an outwardly extending lip on the other of the top and bottom members.

Here, the engagement of a post together with its cooperating recess is by friction fit so as to lock the container in a closed condition, and may only be disengaged by applying sufficient disengagement force so as to overcome the friction fit.

As before, a weakened area, such as an area with a plurality of perforations, is formed in a location chosen from the group consisting of around the periphery of each post, in the immediate region of the outwardly extending lip in which the post is formed and circumscribing the post, and in the immediate region of the outwardly extending lip in which the cooperating recess is formed and circumscribing the cooperating recess; so that the region where the plurality of perforations is formed is weakened thereby, and so that any attempt to disengage a post from its cooperating recess by exerting the disengagement force thereto will result instead in failure of the material of the package in the region of the plurality of perforations.

Accordingly, any such attempt to disengage a post from its cooperating recess may be construed as tampering, and so that the damaged material of the package in the region of the weakened area, is evidence of tampering.

Typically, top and bottom portions may be connected to each other by a flexible hinge means, and wherein there are at least two cooperating locking means.

The openings may be formed in the bottom portion thereof, and the upstanding posts may be formed in the top portion thereof; or alternatively, the openings may be formed in the top portion thereof, and the upstanding posts may be formed in the bottom portion thereof.

In a preferred embodiment, at east two perforations are formed so as to provide the a weakened area, and generally, there are a plurality of perforations that are formed in the perforation location.

In the usual embodiments of the present invention, the perforation location is in the stem portion of each post, whereby failure of the material of the post upon tampering will result in the post being broken near its end, and thereby create a visible lack of integrity of the post.

However, where the perforation location is located in the region of the opening, failure of the material in the region of the opening upon tampering will result in disengagement of the region of the lip surrounding the opening from the rest of the lip, and thereby create a visible lack of integrity of the lip.

Moreover, the perforation location may be in the region of the post, whereby failure of the material in the region of the post upon tampering will result in disengagement of the region of the lip surrounding the post from the rest of the lip, and thereby create a visible lack of integrity of the lip.

In order to improve visibility of the tamper-evident feature of the present invention, the material of each outwardly extending lip may be hatched in the region surrounding the respective post or opening.

Typically, the material of any packaging container in keeping with the present invention chosen from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene, polypropylene, and vinyl. Preferably, the containers are made by typical plastic packaging techniques including injection moulding, blow moulding, vacuum moulding, or the like, as will be known to those skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of this invention will now be described by way of example only in association with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical container of the sort used for produce, in keeping with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view from the top of the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a typical embodiment of the post of a locking means in keeping with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a typical embodiment of a opening adapted to receive a post of a locking means of the type described in the present invention, with FIG. 6A showing an enlarged view of the opening of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-section of the locking means according to another aspect of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present invention, as to its structure, organization, use and method of operation, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following drawings in which a presently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be illustrated by way of example only. In the drawings, like reference numerals depict like elements.

It is expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. Also, unless otherwise specifically noted, all of the features described herein may be combined with any of the above aspects, in any combination.

In each of FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, a typical packaging container in keeping with the present invention is shown generally at 10. The container has an upper or top member 12 and a lower or bottom member 14. As will be discussed hereafter, the top and bottom members 12, 14 are preferably joined together with a flexible hinge 56, and are adapted to fit to one another so as to lock the container in a closed condition by at least one cooperating locking means shown generally at 16 and 18.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and in greater detail in FIGS. 4 to 6, the cooperating locking means generally comprises an upstanding post 16 and a cooperating opening 18. Each upstanding post 16 is formed in an outwardly extending lip 20, and each opening 18 is formed an outwardly extending lip 22. As shown, the posts 16 are formed in outwardly extending lips 20 which are formed on the top member 12, and the openings 18 are formed in the outwardly extending lips 22 which are on the bottom member 14. It will become very evident hereafter that the posts could be formed on outwardly extending lips 22 in the bottom member 14, and the openings could be formed in outwardly extending lips 20 in the top member 12. However, the configuration shown is more general, because it assures that the posts 16 when they are locked in place as described hereafter extend downwardly and are therefore less likely to be damaged in transit.

In any event, as can be determined from each of FIGS. 1 and 3, and as is shown in more detail in each of FIGS. 4 and 5, each post 16 is configured so as to have a lower stem portion 26 and an upper engagement portion 28. However, the upper engagement portion 28 is preferably configured so as to have an outwardly extending bead portion 30 and a convex or conical end 32. By such configuration, it is easily seen that there is an engagement zone 34 formed on each post 16 around the periphery of the stem portion 26 at least in the region immediately below the bead portion 30.

The shape and size of each opening 18 is such as to accommodate the stem portion 26 of each cooperating post 16 when it is fitted therein. However, it will be noted that the outwardly extending bead portion 30 is larger than the opening 18. In order for the cooperating post to be fitted into the respective cooperating opening 18, at least the material of the bead portion 30 (or an angled sidewall of the receiving hole) is temporarily deformable so as to pass through the opening 18. Once the bead portion 30 has passed through the cooperating opening 18, then it will be evident that the engagement zone 34 and the opening 18 are in cooperating relationship to each other. The engagement of each bead portion 30 with the underside of the outwardly extending lip 22 in the region immediately surrounding the respective cooperating opening 18 thereby assures that the container 10 is locked in its closed position.

However, it must be noted that the engagement of a post 16 with its cooperating opening 18 may only be disengaged by applying sufficient disengagement force so as to once again deform the bead portion 30 and so as to permit it to pass back through the cooperating opening 18. Of course, there may also be some temporary deformation of the region of the lip 22 immediately surrounding the opening 18.

Since the purpose of the present invention is to assure that a tamper-evident locking means is provided for any container 10, it follows that there must be other means whereby any attempt to disengage a post 16 from its cooperating opening 18 will result in a physical evidence of such attempt. This is achieved by providing a fault zone in which the material from which the container has been manufactured is weakened in such a manner that the material will fail in the fault zone. By failure of the fault zone it is meant that the material of the container will tear or break.

The weakened area can be provided using any suitable method including providing thinner areas of construction. Preferably, failure in the weakened area is provided by a plurality of perforations, and as such, a plurality of perforations is formed in a chosen fault zone, which may be any one of (A) the periphery of the stem portion 26 of a post 16, in a location below the bead portion 30; (B) in the immediate region of the outwardly extending lip 20 in which a post 16 is formed, and in such a manner so as to circumscribe the post; and (C) in the immediate region of the outwardly extending lip 22 in which an opening 18 is formed, and in such a manner so as to circumscribe the opening.

Referring to FIG. 4, a plurality of perforations 40 is shown surrounding the periphery of the stem portion 26 of the post 16. Here, the perforations are shown to take the form of small holes 42, thereby leaving unperforated regions 44 between the perforations 42. As is well known to any person skilled in the art, the region of the post 16 where the perforations 42 are formed will become a weakened region in the material of the container 10, which may thereby be considered to be a fault zone. Accordingly, any attempt to disengage the post 16 from its cooperating opening 18 will result in failure of the material of the post in the region where the perforations 42 have been formed, if such attempt is less than the disengagement force required, but is sufficient to cause failure of the material of the container 10 in the fault zone. That being the case, the post 16 is broken, and in the embodiment shown where the post is formed in the top member 12, the end of the post will fall away. This, therefore, provides physical evidence of the fact that the container 10 has been subject to an attempt to open the same; and in the circumstances considered by the present invention, the broken post 16 is evidence of tampering.

In other words, the exertion required to cause failure of the post 16 in the region where the perforations 42 are formed is less than the disengagement force that would be required to disengage the post 16 from its cooperating opening 18.

Also, since the post 16 will fall away, this embodiment is not as preferred as the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3, wherein the post is retained. However, the embodiment of FIG. 4 provide clear evidence of tampering if post 16 is already removed.

It will be understood, of course, that the purchaser of the product contained within container 10 will be required to overcome the locking means by which the container has been locked in its closed condition, but in that case the broken locking means is deliberate, and any consideration of tampering will thereby be disregarded. It will also be understood that once the container 10 has been opened, it preferably can still be opened and reclosed multiple times, and will remain in a closed position by the cooperation of an optional upstanding bead 50 and a cooperating recess 52. Such closure means for container of the sort contemplated herein, and variations thereof, are well known to those skilled in the art and form no part of the present invention.

It will also be understood that the configuration of the container 10 as shown in each of FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, is typical of such a container but is not important to the present invention. The container 10, as illustrated, is of the sort generally defined as a clamshell container, having a flexible hinge 56 in the region 58 between the top member 12 and the bottom and 14. However, depending on the size and configuration of the container 10, there may be as few as one tamper-evident locking means 16, 18 (for example, if the container is very small and/or is round), or there may be three or more tamper-evident locking means 16, 18 if the container 10 is exceptionally long as compared to its width. Still further, if the top and bottom members 12, 14 are independent one from the other, and the container 10 is generally rectangular as shown in the drawings, then there will preferably be at least four tamper-evident locking means 16, 18.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a plurality of perforations 60 is shown having been formed in the outwardly extending lip 20 and through the thickness of the same. Between each of the perforations 60 there is therefore an unperforated region 62. In this case, the perforations 60 are shown as slits, and it will be seen that the perforations 60 circumscribe the post 16 around its intersection with the respective outwardly extending lip 20. Nonetheless, the purpose of the perforations 60 and the unperforated region 62 therebetween is the same as described above; that is, upon application of an exertion which is less than the disengagement force to disengage the post 16 from its cooperating opening 18, the fault zone formed by the perforations 60 and regions 62 will fail.

The ring formed by perforations 60 will preferably have a diameter larger than the diameter of opening 18 so that post 16 will be retained in opening 18 after perforations 60 have been broken.

Likewise, as seen in FIG. 6, a plurality of perforations 70 surrounds and circumscribes an opening 18 in its respective outwardly extending lip 22. Here, the perforations are shown as slots, and regions 72 are formed between the slots 70. Once again, it will be clearly understood that a weakened area fault zone has been created by the presence of the perforations 70 and the unperforated regions 72; so that upon application of an exertion which is less than the disengagement force to disengage a post 16 from the cooperating opening 18, the fault zone formed by the perforations 70 and the unperforated region 72 will fail.

The perforations described herein have been defined as being small holes 42, slits 60, and slots 70. In each case, the presence and formation of those perforations results in unperforated areas being between the perforations; and in each case the material of the container 10 in the region of the stem of the post, the post, or the opening, is weakened and will thereby fail. Put in other words, upon failure of the fault zone, there will result a concomitant lack of integrity of the post or the outwardly extending lip in which either the post or the opening has been formed.

It should also be evident that the number of perforations that is formed is immaterial, so long as the region of the respective fault zones is weaker than the disengagement force required to unlock the tamper-evident locking means. Thus, it is possible that as few as a single or two perforations will meet the requirements of the present invention. Otherwise, the number and nature of the perforations may be an artifact of the size of the post, the size of the hole, and the manufacturing equipment on which containers in keeping with the present invention are made.

It will be understood, of course, that the posts 16 and their cooperating openings 18 need not be round, but that is the usual configuration. They may be square or rectangular, or otherwise, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Also, the area around hole 18 can be recessed in recessed area 71, as shown in FIG. 6A, which is a cross-sectional view of an alternative arrangement for opening 18. This arrangement permits the hole to deform slightly when the post is inserted without breaking the area around the perforations 70, and aids in forming a lock onto an inserted post 16.

Turning now to FIG. 7, another form of tamper-evident locking means for containers which are otherwise similar to or identical to those described above, is shown at 80. Here, the locking means comprises an upstanding post 82 formed in an outwardly extending lip 84, and a cooperating recess 86 formed in an outwardly extending lip 88. As will be evident from the above discussion, the post and lip 82, 84, and the recess and lip 86, 88, may be formed in either of the top or bottom members of a container, and vice versa.

Here, the engagement of the post 82 is generally by friction fit, whereby the container may be locked in its closed condition. The friction fit may only be overcome, and the post disengage from its cooperating recess, by applying sufficient disengagement force so as to overcome the friction fit. Of course, in keeping with the spirit and scope of the present invention, it will be understood that the configuration of the post 82 and recess 86 may be round, square or rectangular, or otherwise. Moreover, the friction fit may be an enhanced by the provision of such as a laterally extending bead on one of the post or recess, and a cooperating groove on the other of the post or recess.

Once again, there are typically three options for the formation of a fault zone in the locking means 80. They include (A) forming a plurality of perforations in the region of the post generally indicated at 90, which may be located anywhere along the length of the post; (B) in the region generally indicated at 92, and circumscribing the post 82; and (C) in the region generally indicated at 94, and circumscribing the recess 86.

It will be very clear that failure in the fault zones 90, 92, and 94 will come as a consequence of a force being exerted to the locking means 80 which is less than the necessary disengagement force to disengage the post 82 from its friction fit with the cooperating recess 86. Therefore, the nature of the tamper-evident locking means 80 remains the same as has been described above with reference to any of FIGS. 1 to 6.

Moreover, it follows that the materials and manufacturing techniques required for production of a container having a locking means 80 remain otherwise the same as described above, and are well-known to those skilled in the art.

For purposes of easy and deliberate unlocking of the locking means 16, 18, or 80, the material of the container in the region of the outwardly extending lips 20, 22, 84, or 88, may be hatched in the manner shown at 96 in FIGS. 1 and 2.

There has been described containers having tamper-evident locking means whereby the containers will remain locked in their closed position until such time as they are purchased or otherwise placed into the hands of the ultimate consumer. However, each container in keeping with the present invention is such that if the container has in any way been tampered with by an attempt to unlock the tamper-evident locking means, physical evidence of that attempt will be easily visible. Accordingly, the ultimate consumer may be assured that the contents of the container have not been tampered with or changed in any way since they were placed in the container and the container was closed and locked using the locking means in keeping with the present invention.

Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the present invention, a packaging container which fully satisfies the goals, objects, and advantages set forth hereinbefore. Therefore, having described specific embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that alternatives, modifications and variations thereof may be suggested to those skilled in the art, and that it is intended that the present specification embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Additionally, for clarity and unless otherwise stated, the word “comprise” and variations of the word such as “comprising” and “comprises”, when used in the description and claims of the present specification, is not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps. Further, the invention illustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element which is not specifically disclosed herein.

Moreover, the words “substantially” or “essentially”, when used with an adjective or adverb is intended to enhance the scope of the particular characteristic; e.g., substantially planar is intended to mean planar, nearly planar and/or exhibiting characteristics associated with a planar element.

Further, use of the terms “he”, “him”, or “his”, is not intended to be specifically directed to persons of the masculine gender, and could easily be read as “she”, “her”, or “hers”, respectively.

Also, while this discussion has addressed prior art known to the inventor, it is not an admission that all art discussed is citable against the present application.

Claims

1. A vacuum formed packaging container having an upper top member and a lower bottom member, wherein the top and bottom members are adapted to fit to one another so as to lock the container in a closed condition by at least one cooperating locking means;

wherein each cooperating locking means comprises an upstanding post formed in an outwardly extending lip on one of the top and bottom members, and an opening formed in an outwardly extending lip on the other of said top and bottom members;

wherein the post is configured so as to have a lower stem portion, and an upper engagement portion having an outwardly extending bead portion and a convex end, whereby an engagement zone of said post is formed around the periphery of said stem portion at least in the region immediately below said bead portion;

wherein the shape and size of each said opening is sufficient to accommodate the stem portion of the cooperating post when fitted therein; and wherein the outwardly extending bead portion is larger than said opening, and at least said bead portion of the post is temporarily deformable so as to pass through said opening so that the engagement zone and said opening are in cooperating relationship to each other, so as to lock the container in a closed condition;

wherein the engagement of a post together with its cooperating opening may only be disengaged by applying sufficient disengagement force so as to deform the bead portion to permit it to pass back through said cooperating opening;

wherein a weakened area, and preferably one or a plurality of perforations, are formed in a location which is chosen from the group consisting of the region around the periphery of the stem portion of each post, in the immediate region of the outwardly extending lip in which the post is formed and circumscribing the post, and in the immediate region of the outwardly extending lip in which the opening is formed and circumscribing the opening; so that the region where the plurality of perforations is formed is weakened thereby, and so that any attempt to disengage a post from its cooperating opening by exerting said disengagement force thereto will result instead in failure of the material of the package in the region of the weakened area;

whereby such attempt to disengage a post from its cooperating opening may be construed as tampering, and so that the damaged material of the package in the region of the plurality of perforations is evidence of tampering.

2. The packaging container of claim 1, wherein said top and bottom portions are connected to each other by a flexible hinge means, and wherein there are at least two cooperating locking means.

3. The packaging container of claim 2, wherein the openings are formed in the bottom portion thereof, and the upstanding posts are formed in the top portion thereof.

4. The packaging container of claim 2, wherein the openings are formed in the top portion thereof, and the upstanding posts are formed in the bottom portion thereof.

5. The packaging container of claim 2, wherein there are at least two perforations formed in the perforation location.

6. The packaging container of claim 5, wherein the perforation location is in the stem portion of each post, whereby failure of the material of the post upon tampering will result in the post being broken near its end, and thereby a lack of integrity of the post.

7. The packaging container of claim 5, wherein the perforation location is in the region of the opening, whereby failure of the material in the region of the opening upon tampering will result in disengagement of the region of the lip surrounding the opening from the rest of the lip, and thereby lack of integrity of the lip.

8. The packaging container of claim 5, wherein the perforation location is in the region of the post, whereby failure of the material in the region of the post upon tampering will result in disengagement of the region of the lip surrounding the post from the rest of the lip, and thereby lack of integrity of the lip.

9. The packaging container of claim 1, wherein the material thereof is clear or transparent.

10. The packaging container of claim 1, wherein the material thereof is chosen from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, polypropylene, and vinyl.

11. The packaging container of claim 1, wherein the material of each outwardly extending lip is hatched in the region surrounding the respective post or opening.

12. A vacuum formed packaging container having an upper top member and a lower bottom member, wherein the top and bottom members are adapted to fit to one another so as to lock the container in a closed condition by at least one cooperating locking means;

wherein each cooperating locking means comprises an upstanding post formed in and outwardly extending lip on one of the top and bottom members, and a cooperating recess formed in an outwardly extending lip on the other of said top and bottom members;

wherein the engagement of a post together with its cooperating recess is by friction fit so as to lock the container in a closed condition, and may only be disengaged by applying sufficient disengagement force so as to overcome the friction fit;

wherein a weakened area, and preferably one or a plurality of perforations, are formed in a location which is chosen from the group consisting of the region around the periphery of the stem portion of each post, in the immediate region of the outwardly extending lip in which the post is formed and circumscribing the post, and in the immediate region of the outwardly extending lip in which the opening is formed and circumscribing the opening; so that the region where the plurality of perforations is formed is weakened thereby, and so that any attempt to disengage a post from its cooperating opening by exerting said disengagement force thereto will result instead in failure of the material of the package in the region of the weakened area;

whereby such attempt to disengage a post from its cooperating recess may be construed as tampering, and so that the damaged material of the package in the region of the plurality of perforations is evidence of tampering.

13. The packaging container of claim 12, wherein said top and bottom portions are connected to each other by a flexible hinge means, and wherein there are at least two cooperating locking means.

14. The packaging container of claim 12, wherein there are at least two perforations formed in the perforation location.

15. The packaging container of claim 14, wherein the perforation location is in the stem portion of each post, whereby failure of the material of the post upon tampering will result in the post being broken near its end, and thereby a lack of integrity of the post.

16. The packaging container of claim 14, wherein the perforation location is in the region of the cooperating recess, whereby failure of the material in the region of the cooperating recess upon tampering will result in disengagement of the region of the lip surrounding the cooperating recess from the rest of the lip, and thereby lack of integrity of the lip.

17. The packaging container of claim 14, wherein the perforation location is in the region of the post, whereby failure of the material in the region of the post upon tampering will result in disengagement of the region of the lip surrounding the post from the rest of the lip, and thereby lack of integrity of the lip.

18. The packaging container of claim 12, wherein the material thereof is clear or transparent.

19. The packaging container of claim 12, wherein the material thereof is chosen from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, polypropylene, and vinyl.

20. The packaging container of claim 12, wherein the material of each outwardly extending lip is hatched in the region surrounding the respective post or opening.