GB2134893A

GB2134893A - Tamper indicating closure

Info

Publication number: GB2134893A
Application number: GB08403499A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Paul Gach; Randall Keith Julian
Original assignee: Sunbeam Plastics Corp
Current assignee: Silgan Plastic Food Containers Corp
Priority date: 1983-02-14
Filing date: 1984-02-10
Publication date: 1984-08-22
Also published as: GB8403499D0; AU1972983A; JPS59152165A; DE3343717A1; CA1254858A; FR2540835B1; GB2134893B; FR2540835A1

Abstract

A package 10 incorporates a container 14 and a tamper-indicating closure comprising a closure member 12, at least a portion of which is transparent, and a seal 30 which is bonded to the container 14 so that the seal 30 is visible through the closure member 12. In some embodiments the closure member is also fastened to the seal so that any movement between the closure member and the container results in fracture of the seal indicating tampering. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Tamper-indicating closure This invention relates to closures for containers and more particularly to closures of the type which indicate tampering.

There are a large variety of closures for containers which attempt to give evidence that the container has been opened or at least been placed in a condition for opening once it has been filled. The purpose of such closures is to ensure that consumers can be confident that a closure has remained in a closed position once it has been filled and that it has not been opened prior to its purchase. However, many of such closures can be overcome by careful manipulation.

One such form of closure utilizes a destructible seal which.covers the opening to the container and is bonded to the perimeter of the opening. The seal is protected from premature damage by a cap screwed or snapped onto the container. Access to the contents of the container requires removal of the cap and puncturing of the seal. Consequently, removal of the cap gives visual evidence of whether or not the container has remained sealed since it was originally filled. However, with such containers and closures, the seal can be punctured and the customer is not made aware of the condition of his purchase until the cap is removed.

Also, the seal can be completely removed and unless the consumer is familiar with the packaging or has another container with which the open container can be compared, the consumer can be unaware that there has been a prior opening.

According to the present invention a tamperindicating closure assembly for use with a container having an opening comprises a closure member having a generally disc-shaped top and a generally cylindrical skirt extending therefrom, the disc-shaped top having at least a portion that is substantially transparent, sealing means for closing the opening in the container, the sealing means being positioned in contacting relationship with the underside of the disc-shaped top and within the cylindrical skirt, and means on the underside of the sealing means for securing the sealing means to the container, the sealing means being movable with the closure member into sealing engagement with the container and having at least a portion continuously visible through the closure member to indicate the condition of the sealing means.

As the sealing means is visible through the closure member its integrity can be determined especially when the container is compared with like containers in the same display.

The closure assembly may further comprise means co-operative with the sealing means to fracture the sealing means upon movement of the closure member in an opening direction relative to the container to which the sealing means is attached. As such movement fractures the sealing means, there is visual evidence that an effort has been made to open the container by removing the closure member. Again, this is particularly evident when the container is on the shelf of a retail outlet where comparison can be made with like containers on display. However, even a single container gives evidence that there has been an effort at prior opening by the fracture of the sealing means.

The means co-operative with the sealing means may comprise projections formed integrally with the disc-shaped top and passing through the sealing means. Suitably, these projections are distorted to form a head at the underside of the sealing means to fasten the sealing means to the closure member.

On the other hand, the means co-operative with the sealing means may comprise a plurality of teeth formed at the underside of the disc-shaped top for engagement with the sealing means.

Preferably, the teeth have a configuration permitting movement of the closure member relative to the sealing means upon movement of the closure member in a closing direction relative to the container and to engage and tear the sealing means upon movement of the closure member in an opening direction relative to the container to which the sealing means is fastened.

The top of the closure member may comprise a generally annular portion having an opening and a substantially transparent disc-shaped liner element engageable with the annular portion to close the opening in the annular portion, the sealing means being in engagement with the liner element and being continuously visible through the opening in the annular portion, the liner element being engageable with the container to close the container opening upon removal of the seal. The annular portion may be opaque and made of a relatively hard material while the liner element is preferably of a relatively soft material, suitably a low density polyethylene material, so that it has sealing characteristics.

The sealing means may comprise a first layer fastened to the closure member, a second layer adapted to be sealed to the container, the first and second layers being bonded to each other, and the second layer being stronger than the first layer whereby the first layer breaks leaving the second layer intact upon movement of the closure member to an opening position.

The invention will now be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a closure according to the invention in closed position on the neck of a container which is shown in elevation; Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of one version of the closure also shown in crosssection; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the closure shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention Figure 5 is a top view of the closure and container shown in Figures 2 and 3 showing the condition of the package after it has first been closed after filling; Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the condition of the package after an effort has been made to open it by movement of the closure relative to the container;; Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 of the container with the closure removed and with a portion of a seal remaining attached to the container; Figure 8 is a view of the package after it has been opened and the seal has been completely removed and the closure has been reattached to the container; Figure 9 is a partial view similar to Figure 1 showing another arrangement for holding the closure on the container; Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the invention; Figure 11 is a top view of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 10; Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 10 showing another embodiment of the invention; Figure 13 is a top view of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 12; Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 12 showing yet another embodiment of the invention;; Figure 15 is a top view of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 14; and Figures 16, 17 and 18 are cross-sectional views showing variations of seal elements used with the closures.

A portion of a package 10 having a closure 12 according to the invention, shown in closed position on a container 14 is illustrated in Figure 1. The container 14 has a neck 16 provided with conventional screw threads 1 8 formed on the exterior of the neck 1 6 which are complementary to threads 20 formed on the closure 12.

The closure 12 has a flat disc-shaped top 22 with a depending cylindrical skirt 24, the interior wall of which is formed with the threads 20. In the closed condition of the package 10, a seal 30 is disposed between the closure 12 and the container 14. The seal 30 is a thin membrane of treated paper such as glassine or plastics coated metal foil such as aluminium. The seal 30 is disposed within the closure 1 2 and has its perimeter portion 32 provided with a pressuresensitive adhesive such that when the closure 12 is applied to the container 14, the seal 30 is bonded to the sealing lip of the container 14 to seal the contents within the container 14.In the case of a seal 30 made of metal foil, the underside of the seal can be treated with a coating of plastics material so that after the closure 12 is placed on the container 14 for the first time, the package 10 can be passed through an electric induction field causing the heat to bond the foil to the perimeter of the neck 1 6.

The closure is made of transparent material and in the closed condition of the package 1 0 the seal 30 on the container 14 is clearly visible through the closure 12. For this purpose the closure is preferably made of a plastics material such as polypropylene which has the property of giving contact clarity. By contact clarity is meant that objects in contact such as the seal 30 are clearly visible whereas objects spaced slightly from the material are less definite. With the seal in contact with the underside of the closure 12 the condition of the seal 30 is readily apparent. Also the position of the seal relative to the closure is less apparent in the event that the seal is slightly spaced from the closure 12 as would occur if a screw type closure has been loosened.Other plastics materials such as polyethylene can also be used to form the closure 12 but are apt to give a less clear or milky appearance to objects.

After the container 14 has been filled with the product to be packaged and the transparent closure 12 together with the seal 30 is brought into closing contact with the container 14 the seal 30 will be bonded to the perimeter of the neck 16 either by way of the pressure-sensitive adhesive or by the subsequent induction heating of the plastics coating of the metallic seal 30. Under these conditions the contents of the container 14 are sealed and the seal is visible through the transparent closure 12. When such packages 10 are displayed in side by side relationship at retail outlets, the consumer can readily view the condition of the seal through the transparent closure 12. If the seal 30 has been fractured or is absent, this indicates the possibility of tampering so that the package can be removed from the display to prevent distribution to a consumer.

In a second embodiment of the invention, a closure 42 can be identical in all respects to the closure 12 except that a top portion of the seal 30 is bonded by means indicated at 44 to an underside of the flat top 22. This bond is a permanent bond created either by adhesive in the case where the seal 30 is of glassine or by fusion during induction heating in the case of plastics coated metal foil.

If desired the transparent closure 42 may have portions such as that indicated at 46 stippled to make those portions of the closure opaque or only partially transparent. This makes it possible to provide contrasting areas concealing adhesive or screw threads and can be used to give a decorative appearance. However, a major portion of the top 22 is preferably transparent.

The seal 30 can be held in position within the closure 42 during application of the closure assembly to the container 14 during the packaging operation. The resultant package 10 is one in which the seal 30 has its perimeter bonded to the container 14 and a portion of the top of the seal is bonded to the closure 42. The appearance of the package 10 is as viewed in Figure 5 in which the contents of the container are concealed by the seal 30 which in turn is clearly visible through the closure 42. The nature of the bonding is such that the attachments to the container 14 and to the closure 42 are permanent. As a consequence any relative movement between the closure 42 and the container 14 will result in distortion and fracture of the seal 30.

Once an effort has been made to open the package 10 by removing the closure 42 the fractured seal 30 becomes visible through the top of the closure 42 and such fracture is readily apparent particularly when compared with like containers in which the seal 30 is intact as shown in Figure 5.

Upon fracture of the seal 30 it may have an appearance as viewed in Figure 6 in which a portion of the seal 30 is torn away to make the contents 47 of the container 14 partially visible.

Fragments such as that indicated at 48 may remain attached to the closure 42 and portions indicated at 50 may remain attached to the container 14. Various indicia such as contrasting printing or contrasting colours can be used to make the fracture more readily apparent. For example, with directionally disposed indicia such as lines 52 the fragments 48 and 50 become more apparent because of the misalignment of the lines 52. Also portions of the seal 30 may be folded over as indicated at 54 in which event contrasting indicia such as printing or colours on the top and bottom side of the seal 30 will make the fracture of the seal more apparent.

After the closure 42 is completely removed from the container 14 portions of the seal 30 will remain attached to the container 14 as viewed in Figure 7. These fragments as well as those attached to the closure 42 can then be removed with the fingers. Upon replacement of the closure 42 on the container 14 the unsealed contents of the container are visible through the transparent portions of the closure 42 and the absence of the seal 30 will be readily noticeable particularly when compared with like packages 10 which remained fully sealed.

Although the embodiments of the invention have been described in connection with a screw type closure 12 or 42, either form of closure could be of the snap type which as viewed in Figure 9 has a lock flange 62 formed on the neck of the container 14 and a complementary locking flange 60 formed on the inside of the closure. Removal of the closure 12 or 42 requires axial movement which in the case of the closure 42 results in rupture of the seal 30 upon relative axial movement and removal. The closures 12 and 42 can also be of various child-proof types having locking features and requiring predetermined orientation or squeezing before opening can occur.

In all such packages the closures are made wholly or partially transparent to make the membrane seal 30 visible and relative movement between the container and the closure can be used to rupture the seal.

After the primary seal 30 has been removed from the container 14 the closure 1 2 can be reapplied to the container 14 in which case a bead 69 coacts with the interior surface of the skirt 24 as shown in Figure 1 to form a seal to protect the remaining contents of the container 14.

Referring to Figures 10 and 11, another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in which a closure 70 has a disc-shaped top 72 with a depending cylindrical skirt 74, the interior walls of which are formed with the threads 20. The disc shaped top 72 is made up of an annular flange 76 which is formed integrally with the skirt 74 and can be made of an opaque material. The annular flange 76 forms a port or opening 78 which is closed by a disc-shaped liner 80 seated against the underside of the flange 76 and within the closure 70. The liner 80 is fastened in position by any means including adhesion or snapped into position by an interference fit with the interior of the skirt 74. The liner 80 is transparent and is made of relatively resilient and soft plastics material, for example, a low density polyethylene with an ethylene acetate additive.This makes the liner 80 relatively soft and pliable to give it sealing characteristics and at the same time allows it to be transparent.

In the closed condition of the package, a destructible seal 82 similar to the seal 30 is disposed between the closure 70 and the container 14. As in the prior embodiments of the invention, the seal 82 can be bonded by adhesive or induction heating to the sealing lip of the container 14 to seal the contents within the container 14. After the package has been filled and sealed for the first time, the seal element 82 is clearly visible through the transparent liner 80 to indicate its condition. if the seal element 82 has been fractured or is absent, tampering or prior opening is apparent and the package can be removed from the display to prevent distribution to consumers.

In normal use, the presence or absence of the seal can be noted through the transparent liner 80 and when the closure 70 is removed, the seal element can be broken and removed in its entirety to use the contents of the container 14. When only a portion of the contents are used, the closure can be replaced on the container 14 which will bring the underside of the liner 80 into sealing engagement with the lip on the neck of the container 14. In this manner, the liner 80 not only provides a means by which the primary seal 82 can be observed, but after it has been removed, the liner 80 thereafter acts as the seal for the remaining contents of the container 14.

The destructible seal 82 can be applied to the container 14 separately from the underside of the closure 70 or can be temporarily assembled to the inside of the closure by an interference fit afforded by the circumferential lip 84 of the seal 82 so that the closure 70 and the seal 82 can be applied to the container simultaneously.

Referring to Figures 12 and 13, another embodiment is illustrated in the form of a closure 90 which is made of transparent plastics material and includes a disc-shaped top 92 and a cylindrical skirt 94. The closure 90 is adapted for use with a seal element 96 similar to the seal element 82 which is secured in sealed engagement with the lip of the opening of the container 14. The underside of the disc-shaped top 92 is provided with a plurality of annularly spaced teeth 98 having a sharp leading edge 99 and a tapered trailing surface 100 as considered in the direction of turning the closure 90 in an opening direction. This configuration of teeth 98 is such that with the seal element 96 seated within the closure 90, the assembly can be applied to the container 14.When the closure 90 is rotated in a closing direction, the seal element 96 can rotate therewith until it comes into contact with the sealing lip of the container 1 4. During such closing movement, if rotation of the seal is prevented by the container 1 4, the tapered edges 100 of the teeth 98 will permit relative movement between the seal 96 and the closure 90. However, once the container 14 is closed and the seal 96 becomes bonded to the sealing lip of the container 14, any effort to rotate the closure in an opening direction will cause the sharp edges 99 of the teeth 98 to tear the sealing element 96. The torn condition of the seal element 96 becomes visible through the transparent closure 90 thereby giving an indication of tampering with the package.

Similarly, prior to any effort at opening movement the transparent closure 90 makes it apparent that the package with its seal element 96 is intact and unopened.

Figures 14 and 1 5 show another embodiment of the invention in which a closure member 110 has a generally disc-shaped top 112 and a depending cylindrical skirt 114. The closure member 110 is made of transparent plastics material and the underside of the disc-shaped top 112 is provided with integral spikes 11 6 which receive openings 118 in a seal element 120 similar to the seal elements 30, 82 and 96 used with the prior embodiments of the invention. After the seal 120 is positioned within the closure 110 with the spikes 11 6 passing through the openings 11 8, the spikes 11 6 are distorted by heat to form rivet heads 122.The rivet heads 122 not only serve to hold the seal element 120 in position relative to the closure member 110 but also seal the openings 11 8 preventing any leakage from the container 14 through the openings 11 8. After the closure member 110 is applied to the container 14 and the seal element 1 20 becomes bonded to the lip of the opening in the container 14, any subsequent movement of the closure member 110 will damage and tear the seal element 120.

The condition of the seal can be continuously observed through the transparent closure member 110 with a ruptured condition of the seal 1 20 indicating tampering. Spikes such as those shown in Figure 14 can be formed on the transparent disc-shaped liner 80 shown in Figure 10 to hold the seal element 82 relative to the liner 80 in the same manner that the seal 1 20 is secured to the closure 110 shown in Figure 1 4. With such an arrangement any effort at opening will tear the seal 82 to make tampering evident.

Variations of the seal elements 30, 82 and 120 used with the various closure members shown in Figures 1, 10 and 14, can take the form of seal assemblies 130 illustrated in Figure 1 6 or 131 in Figure 17.

Referring first to Figure 16, the seal element 130 is made up of an upper layer formed by a disc 132 and a lower layer formed by a disc 1 34. The upper disc 132 may be made of paper having indicia such as the lines 52 shown in Figures 6 and 7 ora repeated worded message as indicated at 136 in Figures 11, 13 and 1 5. The upper surface of the disc 1 32 is covered with a layer 1 37 of either pressure-sensitive adhesive or a plastics coating weldable by induction heating such that upon filling and closing the container for the first time a narrow band 1 37a of adhesive or coating is activated to fasten the seal assembly to the closure 12. The lower disc 134 is made of foil or glassine material such as used in the seals 30, 82 and 120.When made of foil a layer 138 of either adhesive or coating is applied to the disc 134 which upon filling and closing the container will result in a band 1 38a of pressure-sensitive adhesive which will adhere in sealing contact with the upper lip 1 39 at the perimeter of the opening in the container. In the case of glassine, adhesive is usually applied to the lip 139 of the closure.

The upper and lower discs 132 and 134 are permanently fastened together by a glue bond indicated at 140 which can be formed at one or more locations between the discs 1 32 and 1 34.

The paper indicator disc 1 32 is preferably made of an opaque material which is weaker than the lower sealing disc 1 34. As a result, when the transparent closure member 12 is rotated in an opening direction relative to the associated container, on which the sealing disc 134 is attached by adhesive or coating, the upper discs 1 32 and the lower sealing disc 1 34 move relative to each other but the glue bond 140 resists such relative rotation causing the weaker indicator disc 1 32 to tear. Such tearing is apparent through the transparent closure member 1 2 indicating that an effort has been made to open the container with which the closure assembly is being used.Upon removal of the closure member 12, the lower sealing disc 134 remains in sealing engagement with the container and can be easily broken and removed to provide access to the contents of the container.

The seal element assembly 131 which is shown in Figure 1 7 includes a lower disc assembly 144 that is substituted for the lower disc 134 shown in Figure 1 6. The lower disc assembly 144 has a sealing disc 146 similar to the lower disc 134 made of foil or glassine material and is fastened to the container 14 by a band 1 47a of adhesive or coating around the perimeter of the disc 146. The lower disc assembly 144 also includes a pulp backing disc 148 which is releasably attached to the sealing disc 146 by a wax-like material indicated at 149. The pulp disc 148 is fastened to the upper disc 1 32 which is fastened to the closure 12 by the adhesive band 1 37a by a glue bond indicated at 1 50 which permanently fastens the pulp disc 148 to the upper disc 132.

As with the closure assembly shown in Figure 16, removal of the closure 12 shown in Figure 17 from the container 14 requires rotation of the closure member during which time the upper disc 132 is rotated relative to the lower disc assembly 144 causing the weaker upper disc 132 to fracture. The fracture is visible through the transparent closure 12 thereby indicating that an effort has been made to open the container.

The inner surface of the skirt 24 above the threads 20 is provided with an annular bead 1 52 which engages the pulp disc 148 during upward movement of the closure member 12 relative to the container 14 causing the pulp disc 148 to separate from the lower sealing disc 146 which remains attached to the container by the adhesive band 147a. The sealing disc 146 can be broken and completely removed to make the contents of the container available.

With both of the tamper-indicating closure assemblies 130 and 131 shown in Figures 16 and 17, the upper indicator disc 1 32 can be permanently fastened to the closure member 12 without the use of the band 1 37a of adhesive by employing a mechanical bond as illustrated at 1 56 in Figure 1 8. This mechanical bond 1 56 is formed by portions integral with the closure member 12 passing through openings in the upper disc 1 32 to form rivets 1 56 in the same manner as the rivets 122 shown in Figure 14.When such mechanical bonds are formed, the opposed upper disc 132 and the lower disc 1 34 or the pulp disc 148 avoid any potential leakage that might possibly occur around the rivets 1 56 due to the material passing through the upper disc 1 32.

The layered seal assemblies of Figures 1 6, 1 7 and 1 8 conceal the glue portion 140,1 50 which has an irregular contour and might be regarded as unsightly if not concealed by opaque portions of the closure such as those indicated at 46 in Figure 3.

Both of the seal element assemblies 130 and 131 can be used with the tamper-indicating closure 70 shown in Figures 10 and 11 using either the upper adhesive band 1 37a of adhesivecoating or the mechanical bond 1 56 afforded by rivets shown in Figures 1 6 to 1 8 to fasten the seal element assemblies to the liner 80.

A tamper-indicating closure has been provided in which a partially or fully transparent closure has a breakable seal that becomes bonded to a container so that the seal and its condition is readily visible through the closure. In some embodiments, means are provided to coact between the seal and the closure so that any movement of the closure relative to the seal once it has been affixed to the container becomes apparent through the transparent closure. Also, embodiments are provided with secondary seals or liners which become operative when the primary seal has been removed so that the closure can be resealed to protect its remaining contents.

Claims

1. A tamper-indicating closure assembly for use with a container having an opening, comprising a closure member having a generally disc-shaped top and a generally cylindrical skirt extending therefrom, the disc-shaped top having at least a portion that is substantially transparent, sealing means for closing the opening in the container, the sealing means being positioned in contacting relationship with the underside of the disc-shaped top and within the cylindrical skirt, and means on the underside of the sealing means for securing the sealing means to the container, the sealing means being movable with the closure member into sealing engagement with the container and having at least a portion continuously visible through the closure member to indicate the condition of the sealing means.

2. A tamper-indicating closure assembly as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising means co-operative with the sealing means to fracture the sealing means upon movement of the closure member in an opening direction relative to the container to which the sealing means is attached.

3. A tamper-indicating closure assembly as claimed in claim 2, in which the means cooperative with the sealing means comprises projections formed integrally with the disc-shaped top and passing through the sealing means.

4. A tamper-indicating closure assembly as claimed in claim 3, in which the projections passing through the sealing means are distorted to form a head at the underside of the sealing means to fasten the sealing means to the closure member.

5. A tamper-indicating closure assembly as claimed in claim 2, in which the means cooperative with the sealing means comprises a plurality of teeth formed at the underside of the disc-shaped top for engagement with the sealing means.

6. A tamper-indicating closure assembly as claimed in claim 5, in which the teeth have a configuration permitting movement of the closure member relative to the sealing means upon movement of the closure member in a closing direction relative to the container and to engage and tear the sealing means upon movement of the closure member in an opening direction relative to the container to which the sealing means is fastened.

7. A tamper-indicating closure assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the disc-shaped top comprises a generally annular portion having an opening and a substantially transparent discshaped liner element engageable with the annular portion to close the opening in the annular portion, the sealing means being in engagement with the liner element and being continuously visible through the opening in the annular portion, the liner element being engageable with the container to close the container opening upon removal of the seal.

8. A tamper-indicating closure assembly as claimed in claim 7, in which the annular portion of the closure member is opaque and is made of a relatively hard material and the liner element is made of a relatively soft material.

9. A tamper-indicating closure assembly as claimed in claim 7 or 8 and further comprising fastening means formed integrally with the liner element and passing through openings in the sealing means to facture the sealing means upon movement of the closure member in an opening direction.

10. A tamper-indicating closure assembly as claimed in claim 9, in which the means passing through the sealing means are distorted to form a head at the underside of the sealing means to fasten the sealing means to the liner element and to close the openings in the sealing means.

11. A tamper-indicating closure assembly as claimed in any of claims 7 to 10, in which the liner element is made of a low density polyethylene material.

12. A tamper-indicating closure assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the sealing means comprises a first layer fastened to the closure member, a second layer adapted to be sealed to the container, the first and second layers being bonded to each other, and the second layer being stronger than the first layer whereby the first layer breaks leaving the second layer intact upon movement of the closure member to an opening position.

1 3. A tamper-indicating closure assembly as claimed in claim 12, in which the first and second layers are disc-shaped and opposing faces of the first and second layers are provided with adhesive to adhere to the closure member and the container, respectively.

14. A tamper-indicating closure assembly as claimed in claim 12, in which the sealing means is fastened to the closure member by fastening means formed integrally with the closure member and passing through the first layer of the sealing means to break the first layer upon movement of the closure member in an opening direction.

1 5. A tamper-indicating closure assembly as claimed in claim 14, in which the disc-shaped top of the closure member has a generally annular portion having an opening, and a substantially transparent disc-shaped liner element engageable with the annular portion to close the opening in the annular portion, the fastening means being formed integrally with the liner element.

1 6. A tamper-indicating closure assembly as claimed in any of claims 12 to 1 5, in which the second layer is formed by a lower sealing disc and an upper backing disc releasably bonded to the sealing disc for separation after opening movement of the closure member fracturing the first layer.

1 7. A tamper-indicating closure assembly as claimed in claim 16, in which means are formed on the inside of the skirt to engage the upper backing disc upon opening movement of the closure member to separate the backing disc from the sealing disc and retain it within the closure member.

18. A tamper-indicating package comprising a container having an opening, a closure member for the container closing the opening and being movable between closed and open positions, destructible sealing means closing the opening and being disposed between the container and the closure member when the closure member is in its initial closed position, the sealing means having one side bonded to the perimeter of the opening to seal the container, at least a portion of the closure member being substantially transparent to make the sealing means continuously visible to indicate its integrity or tampering.

1 9. A tamper-indicating package as claimed in claim 18, in which the sealing means has a portion of the other side fastened to the closure member whereby the sealing means is fractured upon movement of the closure member from its initial closed position to an open position thereafter to indicate prior opening.

20. A tamper-indicating package as claimed in claim 19, in which the portion of the other side of the sealing means is fastened to the underside of the closure member.

21. A tamper-indicating package as claimed in claim 20, in which the other side of the sealing means is bonded by an adhesive to a portion of the closure member which is opaque.

22. A tamper-indicating package as claimed in any of claims 18 to 21, in which the container and the closure member have secondary sealing portions complementary to each other for resealing the package upon movement of the closure member to a closed position after initial opening.

23. A tamper-indicating package as claimed in any of claims 18 to 22, in which the sealing means is in contact with the entire underside of the closure member to make the sealing means visible.

24. A seal assembly for use with a closure member, comprising a first layer adapted to be fastened to the closure member, a second layer adapted to be sealed to a container, the first and second layers being fastened to each other at a localized area, the second layer being stronger than the first layer whereby the first layer breaks leaving the second layer intact upon movement of the closure member to an opening position.

25. A seal assembly as claimed in claim 24, in which the second layer comprises a backing disc releasably bonded to a sealing disc for separation from the sealing disc upon opening movement of the closure member fracturing the first layer.

26. A tamper-indicating closure assembly substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

27. A tamper-indicating closure assembly substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 2, 3 and 5 to 8 of the accompanying drawings.

28. A tamper-indicating closure assembly substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 9 of the accompanying drawings.

29. A tamper-indicating closure assembly substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 10 and 11 of the accompanying drawings.

30. A tamper-indicating closure assembly substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 12 and 1 3 of the accompanying drawings.

31. A tamper-indicating closure assembly substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 14 and 1 5 of the accompanying drawings.

32. A tamper-indicating closure assembly substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 1 6 of the accompanying drawings.

33. A tamper-indicating closure assembly substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 1 7 of the accompanying drawings.

34. A tamper-indicating closure assembly substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 1 8 of the accompanying drawings.

35. A tamper-indicating package comprising a container having an opening and a closure assembly as claimed in any of claims 1 to 1 7 or 26 to 34.

36. A seal assembly substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 1 6 of the accompanying drawings.

37. A seal assembly substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 17 of the accompanying drawings.

38. A seal assembly substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 18 of the accompanying drawings.