CN110382368B

CN110382368B - Tamper-evident closure

Info

Publication number: CN110382368B
Application number: CN201880015361.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 卢卡·维亚莱
Original assignee: Guala Closures International BV
Current assignee: Guala Closures International BV
Priority date: 2017-03-03
Filing date: 2018-03-01
Publication date: 2021-06-01
Anticipated expiration: 2038-03-01
Also published as: ZA201905760B; MX2019010327A; UA128130C2; EP3589557A1; GB201703475D0; WO2018158403A1; PL3589557T3; GB2560198B; CO2019010915A2; CN110382368A; EA036800B1; EA201992072A1; EP3589557B1; BR112019018137A2; AR111324A1; ES2972032T3; GB2560198A

Abstract

A tamper evident closure (100) for a liquid container, the container having a neck (2) with an opening defining an pouring aperture (3), the tamper evident closure extending in an axial direction (X-X) and comprising: a tubular member (101) comprising an upper portion (102) and a lower portion (103), a lower edge (113) of the lower portion surrounding an open bottom end (101 a); and a plug member (123) coupled with the tubular member, configured to selectively close and open the pouring hole of the liquid container. The lower end (103) of said tubular member comprises axial restraint means (110) configured to engage with corresponding axial restraint means of the container (5) so as to restrain said lower portion of the tubular member to the container in the axial direction (X-X), thereby preventing its removal from the container. The lower portion (103) of the tubular member (101) further comprises at least one recess (115) positioned between the lower edge (113) and the axial restraining means (110), the recess comprising at least one portion having a reduced wall thickness (S2), whereby an axial thrust exerted on the lower edge (113) in the direction of the upper portion (102) of the tubular member (101) exceeding a predetermined value will result in a visible deformation of the lower portion (103) at the recess (115).

Description

Tamper-evident closure

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a tamper evident (tap) closure for a liquid container having a neck terminating in a pour opening.

Background

Tamper evident closures of the above-mentioned type are described, for example, in documents EP 1603809, EP 1636110, EP 988237.

These closures include: a tubular member which opens downward; and a plug member to selectively close and open the pouring hole of the liquid container. The tubular member is comprised of a top portion and a bottom portion connected by a frangible portion that breaks at the first opening and provides evidence that the container has been opened. The bottom is longitudinally constrained to the container by members that directly engage the container or by intermediate members (which in turn are longitudinally constrained to the container).

While these closures provide evidence that the container has been opened, they are often subject to tamper-evident (tampering) attempts by fraudsters or counterfeiters, aiming to remove the closure from the container neck without damage (e.g. without destroying the frangible portion), so that valuable liquid in the container can be removed and replaced with lower quality liquid, and then to close the container again by putting back the unbroken closure, so that it appears as if the container had never been opened, and its contents were genuine. This type of fraudulent activity has a significant impact on consumer health and reputation for the bottlers of the original contents.

In the prior art, many solutions have been proposed to prevent such fraudulent removal of the closure. In one example, two or more members interact with each other during closure removal resulting in visible tampering or alteration of the closure, thereby providing evidence of an attempt to tamper with the closure, thus deterring a fraudster or counterfeiter from further attempts at similar closures.

Although very effective, these known solutions are complex and expensive.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tamper-evident closure having a simple and inexpensive construction which is capable of highlighting attempts to tamper with by removing the closure from a container to which it is applied.

This and other objects that will be apparent from the following description are achieved by a tamper evident closure of the type set forth in claim 1.

Drawings

The invention will be further described with reference to preferred embodiments shown in the drawings, given by way of non-limiting example, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a tamper-evident closure according to a first embodiment of the present invention applied to a liquid container, in particular to the neck of a bottle;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the tamper evident closure of FIG. 1 during a tamper attempt;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view showing the tamper evident closure of FIG. 1, illustrating deformation as a result of a tamper attempt;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a tamper-evident closure according to a second embodiment of the present invention for application to a liquid container, particularly to the neck of a bottle, but with the container omitted for clarity;

FIG. 5 corresponds to FIG. 4 but shows a second embodiment tamper-evident closure applied to a liquid container, particularly to the neck of a bottle;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a tamper-evident closure according to a third embodiment of the present invention applied to a liquid container, in particular to the neck of a bottle; and

fig. 7 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a tamper-evident closure according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention applied to a liquid container, in particular to the neck of a bottle.

Detailed Description

Individual features described in relation to particular embodiments are to be understood as optional and/or interchangeable with other features described in relation to other particular embodiments, even if not explicitly stated.

Referring to fig. 1, there is shown a tamper evident closure 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, the tamper evident closure 100 being for application to a liquid container 1. A liquid container 1, such as a bottle for spirit, has a neck 2, the neck 2 terminating in an orifice or mouth defining a pouring aperture 3.

The closure 100 comprises a tubular member 101, the tubular member 101 being open at a bottom end 101a and extending along a longitudinal axial direction X-X between an upper or top end cap 102 and a lower or bottom end sleeve 103. The sleeve-shaped portion 103 has a bottom edge 113, the bottom edge 113 defining a bottom opening of the tubular member 101. The lower edge may be provided with a face forming an angle of between 60 ° and 120 ° with the longitudinal axis X-X.

The frangible portion 107 connects the cap portion 102 with the sleeve portion 103. The frangible portion 107 is formed by a circumferential weakening line constituted, for example, by a cut circumferentially divided by breakable links and configured to break upon first opening, i.e. when the cap portion 102 is separated from the sleeve portion 103, as described below. It should be appreciated that other forms of frangible connection between the cap-shaped portion 102 and the sleeve-shaped portion 103 could alternatively be used.

The closure 100 further comprises a plug member 123 configured to close and open the pouring aperture 3 of the liquid container 1. In particular, the plug member 123 comprises a lip 120, the lip 120 being configured to engage and seal inside the neck 2 of the container 1.

In this embodiment, the plug member 123 forms, together with the cap portion 102 of the tubular member 101, a removable cap 121 of the safety closure, which is detachably connectable to the neck 2 of the liquid container 1 for opening and closing the pouring aperture 3. The plug member 123 also includes a tubular skirt 122 coaxial with the lip 120, both extending longitudinally downward from a top end 123a of the plug member 123. The tubular skirt 122 has an internal thread configured to engage the external thread 6 of the neck 2 to allow opening and closing of the container 1 by screwing. The plug member 123 is coupled to the cap 102 of the tubular member 101 such that gripping and turning the cap 102 by means of the threaded engagement of the internal thread 111 with the corresponding external thread 6 on the neck 2 results in a turning of the plug member 123 and an axial displacement thereof. In particular, the skirt 122 extends inside the cap 102 and is fixed to the cap 102 in a fixed manner (fixedly). The plug member 123 and the cap 102 may be integrally formed as a single member.

The plug member 123 may be formed of a polyolefin family plastic, such as LDPE. The cap-shaped portion 102 and the sleeve-shaped portion 103 may be formed of plastic such as HDPE, PP, ABS or SB. For aesthetic purposes, the cap 121 may be covered by an aluminum shell having frangible portions corresponding to the frangible portions 107.

The sleeve-shaped portion 103 of the tubular member 101 is provided with inwardly directed circumferentially spaced rotation restricting members 109 configured to engage corresponding circumferentially spaced rotation restricting members 4 protruding outwardly from the neck portion 2 of the container 1 so as to rotationally restrict the tubular member 101 with respect to the container 1. In particular, during the first opening of the closure, when the cap 102 is grasped and unscrewed, the applied torque is initially transmitted to the sleeve-like portion 103 through the frangible portion 107, but rotation of the sleeve-like member 103 is prevented by the respective rotation-restricting

members

4, 109. Since the cap-shaped part 121 and the sleeve-shaped part 103 are initially coupled together via the frangible connection 107, rotation of the cap-shaped member 102 and thus of the connected plug member 123 is initially also prevented until the force through the frangible connection 107 is large enough to break the connection. Once the frangible connection 107 has been broken, the cap 121 can be unscrewed from the container 1 to remove the plug member 123 from the pouring aperture 3 and thereby open the pouring aperture 3.

The sleeve-shaped portion 103 of the tubular member 101 is further provided with at least one inwardly radially extending constraining member 110 configured to engage with at least one corresponding radially outwardly extending constraining member 5 provided on the neck of the container 1, so as to constrain the tubular member 101 axially along the longitudinal axis X-X to prevent its removal, in particular before the first opening of the closure. The at least one inwardly radially extending restraining member 110 may comprise a series of radially inwardly projecting members, or may comprise a single continuous inwardly projecting lip. Likewise, the respective at least one respective radially outwardly extending restraining member 5 may comprise a series of radially outwardly projecting members, or may comprise a single continuous outwardly projecting lip.

The

longitudinal restraining member

5, 110 is intended to keep the tubular member 101 permanently fitted on the neck 2 of the container 1, while it is initially closed before the first opening, and also to keep the sleeve-shaped portion 103 in place after the first opening has taken place.

According to the invention, the sleeve-shaped portion 103 comprises a recess or notch 115.

A recess 115 is positioned in the sleeve-like portion 103 between the bottom edge 113 and the longitudinal restraining member 110. Preferably, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the recess 115 is blind at one end and is formed in the inner surface of the tubular wall, and therefore is not visible from the outside.

Due to the provision of the recess 115, the lower tubular portion 103 is configured to: in the event that an attempt is made to remove the tubular member 101 from the neck 2 of the container 1 to which the closure 100 is applied, the lower tubular portion 103 is preferably deformed outwardly.

Referring to fig. 3, the deformation is shown as 115a, and is intended to be permanent, or at least to provide a clear indication of a removal attempt, thus thwarting further attempts at other liquid containers (e.g., containers disposed on the same shelf).

As shown in fig. 3, removal of the tubular member 101 from the neck 2 of the bottle is typically attempted by applying a pushing force to the bottom edge 113 of the sleeve-shaped portion 103. This thrust will have at least an axial component directed towards the cap 102.

During the extraction attempt, the respective constraining

member

5, 110 reacts to this upward thrust with a corresponding downward reaction force directed towards the bottom end 101a, due to the abutment of the respective constraining

member

5, 110 against each other. Thus, the recess 115 arranged between the bottom edge 113 and the restraining member 110 is subjected to a compressive stress which causes it to deform, as indicated by 115 a. In this example, the deformation is an outward buckling of the thinner walled material at the recess 115. This visible deformation may be permanent and/or accompanied by a visible change in the material, such as a change in color.

According to the embodiment of fig. 1 and 2, the recess 115 is formed as an annular groove extending around the entire circumference of the tubular member 101, thus defining an annular weakening 115. It will be appreciated that the recesses may alternatively comprise a series of smaller recesses spaced around the circumference.

To achieve effective weakening of the tubular member 101, the wall thickness S2 of the weakening groove 115 is smaller than the wall thickness S1, and preferably the ratio of S2 to S1 is less than 0.5 or will be between 0.2 and 0.8. According to the embodiment shown in fig. 1, 2 and 3, the weakening groove 115 extends axially 5 mm.

Referring to fig. 4, there is shown a safety closure 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, shown isolated from the neck of a container to which the safety closure 200 is to be applied, while referring to fig. 5, the same safety closure 200 is shown assembled on the neck 244 of a bottle 245.

Elements common to the first embodiment, if present, are indicated by the same reference numerals as in figures 1, 2 and 3, but increased by 100.

In this second embodiment, the closure member 200 generally comprises a tubular member 201, a plug member 220 and a valve member 224. The valve member 224 includes a connecting member 241, the connecting member 241 being fixedly secured within an opening 243 of a neck 244 of a bottle 245 by a downwardly extending annular skirt 242. The connecting member 241 also includes an upwardly extending annular collar 240, and the pourer body 219 is axially secured to the annular collar 240. The collar 242 defines a valve seat 246, a valve body 247 is seated on the valve seat 246, and the valve body 247 is axially movable within a cavity 248 of the pourer body 219 to open and close an aperture 249 defined within the collar 242. The pourer body 219 defines a pouring aperture 218 at its upper end.

The tubular member 201 comprises a cap-shaped portion 202 and a sleeve-shaped portion 203, which are initially connected by a frangible portion 207. The cap member 202 includes a top wall 208.

A plug member 220 is integrally formed with the top wall 208 and extends longitudinally from the top wall 208 within the aperture 218 of the pourer body 219. The plug member 220 forms together with the cap portion 202 of the tubular member 201 a removable cap 221.

When seated on valve body 247, as is the case when cap 221 is in the closed position, rod 227, which extends axially downward from wall 208 of cap 202 of tubular member 201, presses valve body 247 against valve seat 246, thereby preventing liquid from passing through valve member 224.

Cap 202 of tubular member 201 is provided with at least one annular projection 228 on its outer surface to engage with at least one corresponding circumferential groove 229 of skirt member 230, thereby forming a mutually engaging circumferential feature to axially couple cap 202 and skirt member 230 together. Skirt member 230 is also radially connected to upper tubular portion 203 by a plurality of axial notches 231.

On the first opening of the closure, the torque on the cap 221 forces the cap-shaped portion 202 to turn relative to the valve member 224 via the

mutual threads

206, 211, while the sleeve-shaped portion 203 remains rotationally fixed, thereby causing the frangible portion 207 to break.

From this point on, the removable cap 221 is used to selectively further open and close the pour aperture 243 of the container.

In accordance with the present invention, the second embodiment is also provided with means for preventing attempts to remove the closure 200 from the container 245 to which the closure 200 is applied.

To this end, the sleeve-shaped portion 203 of the tubular member 201 is provided with a slot 232, the slot 232 extending axially parallel to the axis X-X of the closure and being open at the bottom edge 213.

The slots 232 may be evenly distributed around the circumference of the lower tubular portion 203, or alternatively they may be grouped into a plurality of slots, for example as shown in fig. 4.

In the event of an attempt to remove the safety closure from the neck 244 of the bottle 245, said slot 232 should produce visible evidence of such an attempt by deformation of the wall of the sleeve-like portion 203, in a manner similar to that described with reference to fig. 1, 2 and 3.

To achieve effective weakening of the tubular member 201, the weakened portion 232 has a wall thickness S200 that is less than the wall thickness S201, and preferably the ratio of S200 to S201 is less than 0.5 or will be between 0.2 and 0.8.

According to the embodiment shown in fig. 4 and 5, the weakened portion 232 extends axially by 2 mm.

Referring to fig. 6, which shows a third embodiment of the invention, elements common to the second embodiment (if present) are identified by the same reference numerals as in fig. 4 and 5, incremented by 100.

Elements common to the first embodiment, if present, are indicated by the same reference numerals as in figures 1, 2 and 3, increased by 200.

In this third embodiment, the tubular member 301 comprises a sleeve-like portion 303, the sleeve-like portion 303 being provided with an annular recess 315, the annular recess 315 extending around the entire circumference of the tubular member 301, thereby defining an annular weakening 315.

In other words, the recess 315 defines a weakened deformable portion extending in the tubular wall of the closure 300.

To achieve effective weakening of the tubular member 301, the weakened portion 315 has a wall thickness S300 that is less than the wall thickness S301, and preferably the ratio of S300 to S301 is less than 0.5 or will be between 0.2 and 0.8.

According to the embodiment shown in fig. 6, the weakened portion 315 extends axially 5 mm.

A fourth embodiment according to the present invention will now be described with reference to fig. 7.

Elements common to the first embodiment, if present, are indicated by the same reference numerals as in figures 1, 2 and 3, incremented by 300.

In this fourth embodiment, the tubular member 401 comprises a lower tubular portion 403, the lower tubular portion 403 being provided with an annular recess 415, the annular recess 415 extending along the entire circumferential extension of the tubular member 401, thereby defining an annular weakening 415.

In other words, the recess 415 defines a weakened deformable portion extending in the tubular wall of the closure 400.

To achieve effective weakening of tubular member 401, wall thickness S400 of weakened portion 415 is less than wall thickness S401, and preferably the ratio of S400 to S401 is less than 0.5 or will be between 0.2 and 0.8.

According to the embodiment shown in fig. 7, the weakened portion 415 extends axially 5 mm.

Also in this fourth embodiment, the plug member 423 is part of the cap 421 of the safety closure 400. The cap 421 can be removably applied to the neck 442 of the liquid container 441 in order to open and close the pouring aperture 443. The cap further comprises a tubular sleeve 422 coaxial with the sleeve 420, both extending longitudinally from the plug member 423.

The tubular sleeve 422 has an internal thread 411, the internal thread 411 being configured to couple with an external thread 406 formed on the outer surface of the sleeve 405, the sleeve 405 being fixed around the neck 442 to allow opening and closing of the container 441.

As in other embodiments of the invention, a frangible portion 407 connects the cap-shaped portion 402 with the sleeve-shaped portion 403.

The sleeve-shaped portion 403 of the tubular member 401 is provided with at least one inwardly radially extending constraining member 410, the constraining member 410 being configured to engage at least one corresponding outwardly radially extending constraining member 405 formed by a collar associated with the neck 442 of the bottle, so as to constrain the tubular member 401 in the longitudinal direction X-X and in particular to axially constrain the sleeve-shaped portion 403 to the container 441 against removal, in particular against removal before the first opening.

The longitudinal restraining member 410 is intended to keep the tubular member 401 permanently fitted on the neck 442 of the container 441, while it is initially closed before the first opening, and also to keep the sleeve-shaped portion 403 in place after the first opening has taken place.

It is therefore evident that all the embodiments of the safety closure according to the present invention achieve the above mentioned aims thanks to the presence of a portion of reduced thickness at the bottom end of the outer tubular member longitudinally constrained to the container.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the described embodiments may be modified in many ways in order to meet specific requirements.

For example, it is clear that any feature described in relation to one embodiment may be directly applied to another embodiment by suitable adaptation, unless in the case of obvious technical incompatibility, in particular there may be many combinations of features relating to the plug member and the recess. Likewise, it is possible to achieve interruption of the continuity of the elements constituting the closure, but obviously without them modifying the function of the elements involved.

Similarly, the portion described as annular or cylindrical may be slightly conical due to technical requirements.

However, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A tamper evident closure for a liquid container having a neck (2, 244, 344, 442) with an opening defining an pouring aperture (3, 243, 343, 443), the tamper evident closure extending in an axial direction along a longitudinal axis (X-X) and comprising:

a tubular member (101, 201, 301, 401) comprising an upper portion (102, 202, 302, 402) and a lower portion (103, 203, 303, 403), a lower edge (113, 213, 313, 413) of the lower portion enclosing an open bottom end (101 a); and

a plug member (123, 208, 308, 423) coupled with the tubular member and configured to close and open the pouring hole of the liquid container,

wherein the lower portion (103, 203, 303, 403) of the tubular member comprises axial restraining means (110, 210, 310, 410) configured to engage with corresponding axial restraining means (5, 205, 305, 405) of the container so as to restrain the lower portion of the tubular member to the container in the axial direction, thereby preventing removal of the lower portion of the tubular member from the container,

characterized in that said lower portion (103, 203, 303, 403) of said tubular member (101, 201, 301, 401) comprises at least one recess (115, 232, 315, 415) positioned between said lower edge (113, 213, 313, 413) and said axial restraining means (110, 210, 310, 410) of said tubular member, said recess comprising at least one portion having a reduced first wall thickness (S2, S200, S300, S400), whereby an upward axial thrust exerted on said lower edge (113, 213, 313, 413) towards said upper portion (102, 202, 302, 402) of said tubular member (101, 201, 301, 401) exceeding a predetermined value will result in a visible deformation of said lower portion (103, 203, 303, 403) at said recess (115, 232, 315, 415).

2. A tamper evident closure according to claim 1, wherein the upper (102) and lower (103) portions of the tubular member are connected by a frangible portion (107, 207, 307, 407) configured to break upon first opening of the closure.

3. A tamper evident closure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recess comprises an annular recess (115, 315, 415) extending completely around the circumferential extent of the lower portion (103) of the tubular member.

4. A tamper evident closure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one recess comprises a plurality of axially extending slots (232, 315) circumferentially spaced from one another on an inner surface of said lower portion of said tubular member (201, 301).

5. A tamper evident closure according to claim 4, wherein said slots (232) are arranged in groups, each group comprising at least two axial slots arranged side by side, the slots of a group being distributed circumferentially.

6. A tamper evident closure according to claim 4, wherein said slot (232) is axially open at said lower edge (213) of said lower portion (203) of said tubular member (201).

7. A tamper evident closure according to claim 4, wherein said slot (315) is axially closed at said lower edge (313) of said lower portion (303) of said tubular member (301).

8. A tamper evident closure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the lower portion of the tubular member comprises a tubular wall having a second wall thickness (S1, S201, S301, S401), and the recess is provided with a weakened portion extending in the tubular wall, the weakened portion having the reduced first wall thickness (S2, S200, S300, S400) which is less than the second wall thickness (S1, S201, S301, S401).

9. A tamper evident closure as claimed in claim 8, wherein the weakened portion is configured to deform outwardly under the pushing force applied to the lower edge.

10. A tamper evident closure according to claim 8, wherein the ratio between the reduced first wall thickness (S2, S200, S300, S400) of the weakened portion and the corresponding second wall thickness (S1, S201, S301, S401) of the tubular wall is below 0.8.

11. A tamper evident closure according to claim 10, wherein the ratio between the reduced first wall thickness (S2, S200, S300, S400) of the weakened portion and the corresponding second wall thickness (S1, S201, S301, S401) of the tubular wall is between 0.2 and 0.8.

12. A tamper evident closure as claimed in claim 8, wherein the weakened portion extends axially for a length of between 2mm and 30 mm.

13. A tamper evident closure as claimed in claim 8, wherein the weakened portion extends to the lower edge.

14. A tamper evident closure as claimed in claim 8, wherein the lower portion of the tubular member is provided with a wall thickness greater than a wall thickness at the lower edge.

15. A tamper evident closure according to claim 1, wherein said lower edge is provided with a face forming an angle of between 60 ° and 120 ° with said longitudinal axis (X-X).