AU6598898A - A tamper-evident, pull-push closure - Google Patents

Description

S F Ref: 421852

AUSTRALIA

PATENTSACT1990 i I a-

S*-

i COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name and Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Glenn Robert Molloy 28 Southern Cross Drive Cronin Islands Queensland 4217

AUSTRALIA

Glenn Robert Molloy Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Hales, 2000, Australia A Tamper-Evident, Pull-Push Closure ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION DETAILS [313 Application No(s) [33] Country P07721

AU

[32] Application Date 3 July 1997 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:i. :i A TAMPER-EVIDENT. PULL-PUSH CLOSURE The present invention relates to thermoplastic closures for containers, and in particular to tamper-evident closures.

BACKGROUND

A number of cap closures for different types of containers have been developed. One form of such conventional closures is a pull-push closure 10 shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Such pull-push closures 10 have become increasingly popular for use as S to closures for bottles or containers of foodstuffs and beverages. Such closures are also used with containers for detergents, for example, where the pull-push closure allows liquid substances to be squirted from the bottle.

The pull-push closure 10 comprises a moulded thermoplastic cap 16, an upper stem body 18, and intervening shoulder 20. Located internally within the skirt of the cap body 16 are internal threads (not shown) for interengagement with external threads on a neck of a container or bottle. Disposed over the stem 18 is a slidable closure member 14 that is caplike in shape, but has an aperture formed in the upper surface thereof. The stem member 18 has a disc-like member 22 supported by bridging members within the upper opening of the stem 18. The disc-like member 22 projects into the aperture of the slidable stem member 14 to close the cap when the slidable closure member 14 is in a lowered position. This is indicated in Fig. 1 where the disclike member 22 is shown protruding upwardly from the slidable closure member 14 and thereby occludes the aperture formed therein. In an upper or opened position of the slidable closure member 14, the aperture of the slidable closure member 14 is displaced vertically above the disc-like member 22, thereby permitting liquid to flow out of the cap 10 via the aperture in the slidable closure member 14. The upper and lower limits of moving the slidable closure member 14 are fixed by internal structures limiting vertical movement about the step member 18.

-2- This type of closure has often been used in applications for non-edible materials such as liquid detergents, where no specific concern has been raised for the safety of users in relation to the contents of the container to which the closure is connected. However, with the increasing use of pull-push closures as closures for containers of human consumable products and the threat of intentional tampering of prepackaged products, there is a serious disadvantage in the use of such conventional pull-push closures. In particular, they are capable of being readily and easily accessed to allow contamination of their contents, and thereby present a serious risk to users of such containers.

A need clearly exists for an improved pull-pushed closure capable of overcoming the disadvantages of such conventional closures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION There is disclosed herein a pull-push closure for use on a container having an 15 externally threaded neck, comprising; Sa first cap member, comprising: an upper stem member, a neck engaging skirt connected with said stem member and being internally threaded for connection with said neck of said container, and an annular flange formed between said stem member and said neck engaging skirt; a slidable closure member disposed on and interengaged with said stem; a second cap member, connectable with said first cap member, having a cap with a top portion and a cylindrical skirt depending from said top portion for enclosing said slidable closure member and said stem, said second cap member further having a annular band, below said cylindrical- skirt, with a internal protrusion for interengagement with said annular flange of said first cap member, and a plurality of frangible members connecting said cylindrical skirt and said annular band, whereby said annular band is separable from said cap.

-3- Preferably, the annular band provides a tear-off tamper-evident band.

BRIEFDESCRPTION-OF T DHED -WINGS The embodiments of the invention are described hereinafter with reference to the drawings, in which: Figs. 1 and 2 are side elevation views of a conventional pull-push closure in the closed and open states, respectively; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the pull-push closure according to the preferred embodiment of the invention; Figs. 4 and 5 are top plan and bottom plan views, respectively, of the closure of Fig. 3: Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the closure of Fig. 3; Figs. 7 and 8 are front and rear elevation views of the closure of Fig. 3: Figs. 9 and 10 are right and left side elevation views of the closure of Fig. 3; 15 Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the closure of Fig. 3 in which the righthand portion of the view illustrates the external surface of the lower portion of the cap and a sectional view of the upper cap and slidable member, and the lefthand view is a S sectional view of the entire closure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION A tamper-evident, pull-push closure according to the preferred embodiment is shown in Figs. 3 to 11. The pull-push closure 30 has a separate, upper cap 32 and a lower closure body 36. which are both preferably made of thermoplastics although other pliable materials may be practiced without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The lower closure body 36 has an externally ribbed skirt connected to an upper region via a shoulder 46. The upper region comprises a slidable closure member 34 and a stem 48 connected by two lower flanges 38, 40 to the shoulder 46. In Sparticular, the upper annular flange 38 is spaced-apart from the lower annular flange

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thereby forming an intervening notch or groove. The slidable closure member 34 is slidably engaged with the stem 48. As shown in Fig. 11, the slidable closure member 34 has an internal rib that protrudes into a groove formed in the upper portion of the stem member 48 for limiting upper and lower movement of the slidable closure member 34. The slidable closure member 34 itself has a cylindrical body that is open at one end and has a dome-shaped wall at the other end that forms an upper protruding flange capable of being grasped.

Further, the uppermost surface of the slidable closure member 34 has an aperture formed therein for receiving a disc-like closure member 22 disposed within the upper S. 10 opening of the stem 48 and connected therewith by bridging members 24. As shown in Figs. 6 and 11, when the slidable member 34 is in a lowered position, the disc-like member 22 occludes the aperture in the upper end of the slidable member 34.

A first annular, tamper-evident ring or band 42 is connected to the lower edge *'of the skirt of the cap body 36 by a number of frangible members or rupturable bridges 44. The frangible members 44 are located around the upper edge of the ring 42. When Sthe cap body 36 is connected with the neck of a container or bottle, the first annular, tamper-evident ring 42 having an internal protrusion(s) is slid over a corresponding, external protrusion or flange of the bottle neck (not shown). Thus, the cap body 36 cannot be removed from the bottle neck without rupturing the frangible members 44.

This is particularly advantageous in that tampering of a container is made readily detectable.

Further, the upper cap 32 provides second (tear-off) annular ring or band connected to the lower edge of the separate cap 32 by a number of frangible members or rupturable bridges 54. When the cap 32 is connected with the upper portion of the cap body 36, an internal protrusion 56 in the lower edge of the cap 32 interengages between the upper and lower annular flanges 38 and 40 formed in the lower cap body 36. Further, as shown in Fig. 11, the second annular ring 50 also has a protrusion formed internally in the lower edge of the ring member 50. This lower protrusion interengages with the lower shoulder of the annular flange 40. Thus, when the cap 32 is connected to the upper portion of the lower cap 36, a tamper-evident closure is formed. The lower annular ring 50 is removed by grasping the tab or tearable flap member52 and then breaking the frangible members 54 by tearing the tab member in a counterclockwise manner. This is clearly illustrated in Fig. 6. The cap 32 when removed can be "snap-engaged" back on the shoulder 46 by engagement of the protrusion over the flange 38.

Thus, this embodiment of the present invention is particularly advantageous in that it provides a double tamper-evident closure for use with a pull-push closure to prevent undetected tampering of the contents of a container to which the pull-push closure is attached. This provides tamper-evident sealing of both the closure 30 itself to a neck of a container or bottle and the upper cap 32 to the upper portion of the closure 30 containing the stem 48/slidable closure member 34. A further advantage is being able to again secure the cap 32 to the shoulder 46. While only a single embodiment of the invention has been described, changes and/or modifications obvious to those skilled in the art can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the claimed invention.

Claims (5)

1. A pull-push closure for use on a container having an externally threaded neck, comprising; a first cap member, comprising: an upper stem member, a neck engaging skirt connected with said stem member and being internally threaded for connection with said neck of said container, and an annular flange formed between said stem member and said neck engaging skirt; a slidable closure member disposed on and interengaged with said stem; a second cap member, connectable with said first cap member, having a cap with a top portion and a cylindrical skirt depending from said top portion for enclosing said slidable closure member and said stem, said second cap member further having a annular band, below said cylindrical skirt, with a internal protrusion for 15 interengagement with said annular flange of said first cap member, and a plurality of frangible members connecting said cylindrical skirt and said annular band, whereby said annular band is separable from said cap.

2. The pull-push closure of claim 1, further comprises means for grasping said annular band to separate said annular band from said cylindrical skirt.

3. The pull-push closure of claim 2, wherein said grasping means comprises a tab member connected with said annular band.

4. The pull-push closure of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said annular band is a first annular band, said frangible members are first frangible members, said annular band is a first annular band, said closure further comprising: a second annular band located beneath said neck engaging skirt to engage an annular flange of the neck of the container; and a second plurality of frangible members connected between said neck engaging Sskirt and said second annular band. The pull-push closure of claim 4. further including:

56. The pull-push closure of claim 5, wherein said first and second annular bands are a tear-off tamper-evident bands. t-7- a second annular flange on said first cap member between said stem member 7. A container havin an eternal p rotrusion on saided ca p to engage over said scondsure according to ange to removably sthe precure said claims mounteo said first cap member so as to I ~cover said stem member and closure member. The pull-push closure for use on a contain5, wherein said first and secondall threaded neck substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 3 to 11 of annular baccompanyingds are a tear-off twings.per-evident bds. 7. A container having an externally threaded neck and a pull-push closure according to any one of the preceding claims mounted on the neck. 8. A pull-push closure for use on a container having an externally closure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 3 to 11 of the accompanying drawings. Dated 11 May, 1998 Glenn Robert Molloy Patent Attorneys for the ApplicantlNominated Person SSPRUSON FERGUSON