TAMPER-EVIDENT CLOSURE

Abstract

A tamper-evident closure (100) is described, wherein the tamper-evident closure (100) comprises a body (102), a cap portion (104) coupled to the body (102) by a joint (106), and a tab (124) attached to a closure body skirt (122) of the body (102) to provide a space (126) between the closure body skirt (122) and the tab (124) to accommodate a lip portion (114) of the cap portion (104). Further, an inset (129) is provided below the tab (124) in the body skirt (122), wherein the tab (124) and the closure body skirt (122) are attached to one another by a seal.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present subject matter described herein, in general, relates to closures for containers and, in particular, relates to tamper-evident closures.

BACKGROUND

Closures are provided to cover product-dispensing openings formed in bottles, tubes or other containers. There are various types of closures available in the market including screw-top closures, snap-top closures, and flip-top closures. In conventional tamper-evident closures, a tear-away strip, generally made of plastic and coupled to a skirt portion of a closure, is provided. If the tear-away strip is missing or damaged, it means that someone may have tampered with and/or gained unauthorized access to a product stored in the container. Further, existing tamper-evident closures involve specialized equipment to provide a tamper-evident feature and also involve high manufacturing cost due to the use of extra material. On the other hand, cheaper and simpler tamper-evident closures can easily be tampered with, without anyone noticing that any tampering had taken place, thus putting public health and safety at risk.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to tamper-evident closures. This summary is neither intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for use in determining or limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.

A tamper-evident closure is described, wherein the tamper-evident closure comprises a body, a cap portion coupled to the body by a joint, and a tab attached to a closure body skirt of the body to provide a space between the closure body skirt and the tab to accommodate a lip portion of the cap portion. Further, an inset is provided below the tab in the closure body skirt, wherein the tab and the closure body skirt are attached to one another by a seal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and other features, aspects and advantages of the subject matter will be better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 shows a top perspective view of a tamper-evident closure having a tamper-evident feature, in an open position, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIGS. 2a and 2b show a side view and a cross-sectional side view, respectively, of the tamper-evident closure, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 3 shows a front perspective view of a cap portion of the tamper evident closure, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 4 shows a partial front view of the tamper-evident closure, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This present subject matter relates to tamper-evident closures. Various types of tamper-evident closures, such as flip-top closures, are known in the art and are used for covering openings of various containers including tube containers, bottles, etc., which are used for storing various products, such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food products.

Conventional tamper-evident closures are either high on cost because of the involvement of specialized equipment or machines during manufacturing, or they turn out to be unreliable and easy to tamper, thus putting public health and safety at risk.

The tamper-evident closure as described herein includes a body and a cap portion. The cap portion is adapted for movement from a closed position on the body to an open position, away from the body. The cap portion can be coupled to the body by a joint, such as a butterfly hinge. In an embodiment, the joint may be a bi-stable hinge and the tamper-evident closure is a flip-top closure. In another embodiment, the body is configured to snap-fit on a container.

Further, the cap portion includes a cover surface, a skirt portion encircling the cover surface, and a projection disposed on the cover surface and projecting in a direction towards the body of the tamper-evident closure. The body includes a planar surface, which acts as a cover for a product stored in a container on which the tamper-evident closure is disposed. The planar surface has an opening for dispensing the product stored inside the container. In an embodiment, the opening is provided at a position on the planar surface such that the projection disposed on the cover surface is received, substantially flush, by the opening, in the closed position of the cap portion. Further, the body includes a closure body skirt encircling the cover surface. A tab is attached to the closure body skirt such that a space is provided between the closure body skirt and the tab and an inset is provided below the tab in the body skirt. Further, the skirt portion of the cap portion includes a lip portion, wherein a front surface of the lip portion includes a protruded part. In the closed position of the cap portion, the space between the closure body skirt and the tab receives the lip portion.

In an embodiment, the tab is provided with a cavity, which is configured to receive the protruded part of the lip portion, substantially flush, thereby providing a locking between the cap portion and the body of the tamper-evident closure. In an embodiment, the tab is attached to the body of the tamper-evident closure by a seal, thereby providing a tamper-evident feature to the tamper-evident closure. Further an outer surface of the tab forms a smooth surface with an outer surface of the body skirt. In order to release the cap portion from the body, the seal is broken to detach the tab, at least partially, from the body, or is completely detached, by using optimum force. Once detached, the tab cannot be replaced, thereby providing an evidence of possible tampering that may have taken place with the product stored inside the container bearing the closure.

FIG. 1 shows a side perspective view of a tamper-evident closure 100 in an open position, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. In an embodiment, the tamper-evident closure 100, hereinafter referred to as closure 100, is a one-piece plastic molded, flip-top closure having a body 102 adapted to be mounted on a neck (not shown) of a container (not shown) such as a tube or a bottle. The closure 100 includes a cap portion 104 adapted for movement from a closed position, that is, in contact with the body 102, to an open position, away from the body 102. The body 102 and the cap portion 104 may be coupled to one another by a joint 106, such as a butterfly hinge. In an embodiment, the joint 106 is a bi-stable hinge.

Further, the cap portion 104 includes a cover surface 108, a projection 110 disposed on the cover surface 108, and a skirt portion 112 enclosing the cover surface 108. In an embodiment, the skirt portion 112 is configured such that a press fit is achieved between the cap portion 104 and the body 102. The skirt portion 112 rests on an outer circumferential portion 107 of the body 102 when the cap portion 104 is in the closed position. The skirt portion 112 includes a lip portion 114, opposite to the joint 106. A front surface of the lip portion includes a protruded part 116. On the other hand, the body 102 includes a planar surface 118 having an opening 120 for dispensing a product stored in the container. In an embodiment, the opening 120 is provided at a position on the planar surface 118 such that the projection 110 disposed on the cover surface 108 is received by the opening 120, substantially flush, in the closed position of the cap portion 104.

Apart from the planar surface 118, the body 102 includes a closure body skirt 122 encircling the planar surface 118. Further, a tab 124 is attached to the closure body skirt 122, at a position opposite to the joint 106, in a manner such that the outer surface of the closure body skirt 122 and the outer surface of the tab 124 form a smooth surface, and a space (not shown) exists between the closure body skirt 122 and the tab 124. This space is provided for the purpose of accommodating the lip portion 114 of the cap portion 104, in the closed position of the cap portion 104. In an embodiment, the tab 124 is made of a polymeric material, such as polypropylene (PP). In another embodiment, the closure 100 can be a monolithic piece formed, for example, of a polymeric material such as PP, PP copolymer, and high density polyethylene copolymer. The closure 100 can be formed using any suitable injection-molding or compression-molding technique.

Further, the tab 124 includes a cavity (not shown), which is configured to receive the protruded part 116 of the lip portion 114, substantially flush, thereby providing a locking between the cap portion 104 and the body 102 of the closure 100, in the closed position of the cap portion 104. Further, the tab 124 is attached to the closure body skirt 122 by a seal, so as to provide the tamper-evident feature to the closure 100. In an embodiment, the tab 124 is attached to the closure body skirt 122 by at least one break-away stitch between the tab 124 and the closure body skirt 122. In order to release the cap portion 104 from its closed position, the seal is broken to detach the tab 124, at least partially, from the closure body skirt 122, through the application of force. In an embodiment, the location at which the tab 124 is attached to the closure body skirt 122 is in the form of an inset (not shown), through which a user may apply force using his or her thumb, for example, and pull the tab 124 outwardly, away from the closure 100, to either partially break the tab 124 or completely detach the tab 124 from the closure body skirt 122. In this way, the tab 124, when stitched to the closure body skirt 122, provides the tamper-evident feature. The tamper-evident feature as described above is further elaborated upon in subsequent diagrams.

FIGS. 2a and 2b show a side view and a cross-sectional side view, respectively, of the tamper-evident closure, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. FIG. 2a, in particular, illustrates the tab 124 and a space 126 that exists between the closure body skirt 122 and the tab 124 for the purpose of accommodating the lip portion 114. As already mentioned earlier, the cap portion 104 can be moved along the joint 106 in order to achieve the closed position of the cap portion 104, and can be pressed down further, towards the body 102, so that the lip portion 114 of the cap portion 104 is accommodated into the space 126 provided between the closure body skirt 122 and the tab 124. In such a position, that is, upon pressing the cap portion 104 towards the body 102, the protruded part 116 is received by a cavity (not shown) provided in the tab 124, substantially flush. Further, as mentioned earlier, an outer surface of the tab 124 can then be sealed to the closure body skirt 122 so that the protruded part 116 can only be released from the cavity upon removal of the tab 124, for example, by partially or completely breaking the seal to detach the tab 124 from the closure body skirt 122. In an embodiment, the tab 124 is stitched to the closure body skirt 122 by way of at least one break-away stitch.

In addition, in the closed position of the cap portion 104, the projection 110 (as shown in FIG. 2b) moves inside the opening 120 so as to cover a periphery of the opening 120 and seal the opening 120. This helps prevent any product stored inside the container from spilling through the opening 120. The projection 110 may be sized to create a friction fit with the opening 120, for example, with an internal diameter of the opening 120. Further, in FIG. 2b, a cavity 128 can be seen in which the protruded part 116 is accommodated in the closed position of the cap portion 104. The protruded part 116 may be of a shape that is in correspondence with a shape of the cavity. Furthermore, an inset portion 129 used for breaking the seal of the tab 124, as discussed earlier, is also illustrated. Through the inset portion 129, which, in an embodiment, is in the shape of a depression in the closure body skirt 122, facilitates a user to apply force, for example, using his or her thumb, to pull the tab 124 outwardly, i.e., away from the closure body skirt 122, and break the seal holding the tab. 124. To further facilitate the breaking of the seal, the protruded part 116 may be provided with a downward sloping surface. Once the seal is broken and the tab 124 is detached, at least partially, from the closure body skirt 122, the cap portion 104 can be opened in the same manner as any conventional flip-top closure is opened. Also, an already detached tab 124 is an indication of possible tampering with the product stored inside the container.

FIG. 3 shows a front perspective view of the cap portion 104 of the closure 100, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter. As shown in detail here, the lip portion 114 of the cap portion 104 is shown with the protruded part 116 on its outer surface. In an embodiment, the protruded part 116 has a shape corresponding to the cavity 128 in which the protruded part 116 is received when the cap portion 104 is pressed towards the body 102, i.e., to achieve the closed position. In this closed position, a locking is provided between the body 102 and the cap portion 104, and then an outer periphery of the tab 124 can be sealed to the closure body skirt 122, at least at one location, and preferably at two or more locations, by way of, for example, break away stitch(es).

FIG. 4 shows a partial front view of the closure 100 having the tamper-evident feature, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter. As shown in FIG. 4, the tab 124 is shown having the cavity 128 configured to receive the protruded part 116 of the lip portion 114. In an embodiment, the tab 124 is sealed to the inset portion 129 of the closure body skirt 122, by way of, for example, break-away stitches 130. In an embodiment, the break-away stitches 130 are placed away from the inset 129. The number of stitches 130 may vary depending on the requirement and cost constraints. A user may apply force using, for example, his or her thumb, to break the stitches 130 to detach the tab 124, at least partially, or completely detach the tab 124 from the closure body skirt 122. A user may then open the cap portion 104 to expose the opening 120, by pushing the cap portion 104 upwards. Once detached, the tab 124 cannot be replaced, thereby providing evidence that the closure 100 or the product stored inside the container has been tampered with. In an embodiment, the whole of the closure 100, including the tab 124 along with the stitches 130, is made one piece, for example, via injection molding, using a tough yet flexible polymeric material, such as PP, so that the tab 124 detaches from the closure body skirt 122 upon being subjected to a force.

In an embodiment not shown here, the closure 100 may be disposed on a container by, for example, cooperatively engaging a screw thread arrangement or by pressing the two elements together until an annular groove in one element cooperatively engages with an annular ring or a partial ring-shaped segment on the other element or by snap-fit. In an embodiment, the closure 100 includes a fitting arrangement 125 to enable snap fit of the closure 100 on the container. By providing the fitting arrangement 125 for snap-fit, the closure 100 can be easily aligned and disposed on an oval top container. However, it will be appreciated that for other containers, such as circular top containers, screw thread arrangement may also be used. The cap portion 104 of the closure 100 may be opened and closed by pivoting around the joint 106, once the stitches 130 are broken. The joint 106 may bias the cap portion 104 into the open and closed positions.

Although the subject matter has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. As such, the spirit and scope of the invention should not be limited to the description of the embodiment contained therein.

Claims

1. A tamper-evident closure (100) comprising:

a body (102) having a closure body skirt (122);

a cap portion (104) coupled to the body (102) by a joint (106), wherein the cap portion (104) includes a lip portion (114); and

a tab (124) attached to the closure body skirt (122) of the body (102) by a seal (130), wherein a space (126) is provided between the closure body skirt (122) and the tab (124) to accommodate the lip portion (114) of the cap portion (104), and wherein an inset (129) is provided below the tab (124) in the closure body skirt (122).

2. The tamper-evident closure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inset (129) is a depression in the closure body skirt (122).

3. The tamper-evident closure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the joint (106) is a bi-stable joint.

4. The tamper-evident closure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a protruded part (116) is disposed on a front surface of the lip portion (114).

5. The tamper-evident closure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the protruded part (116) has a downward sloping surface.

6. The tamper-evident closure (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the tab (124) includes a cavity (128) and wherein the protruded part (116) is adapted to flush fit with the cavity (128).

7. The tamper-evident closure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seal (130) comprises at least one break-away stitch between the tab (124) and the closure body skirt (122).

8. The tamper-evident closure (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one break-away stitch (130) is provided away from the inset (129).

9. The tamper-evident closure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tab (124) is attached to the closure body skirt (122) at a position substantially opposite to the joint (106).

10. The tamper-evident closure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein an outer surface of the tab (124) forms a smooth surface with an outer surface of the closure body skirt (122).

11. The tamper-evident closure (100) as. claimed in claim 1, wherein the body (102) further comprises a planar surface (118) having an opening (120), wherein the opening (120) is configured to receive, in a sealing manner, a projection (110) disposed on a cover surface (108) of the cap portion (104).

12. The tamper-evident closure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tamper-evident closure (100) and the tab (124) are made of a polypropylene copolymer.

13. The tamper-evident closure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body (102), the cap portion (104), and the joint (106) are formed as a single-piece.

14. The tamper-evident closure (100) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a fitting arrangement 125 for being snap fit on a container.