Description:DESCRIPTION
Technical field
[0001] The present invention is directed towards a tamper-evident closure for a receptacle, typically a glass bottle, having a cylindrical beck with a mouth and a pourer attached to, or formed on, the cylindrical neck.
[0002] The proposed tamper-evident closure includes a cap and at least a capsule ring and is a closure that can only be opened producing a partial destruction thereof, which cannot be later reconstructed, providing observable evidence that the closure has been never open, ensuring the quality of the content of the receptacle.
[0003] In the present case the proposed closure includes a tamper-evident seal with an improved visual indication of the breakage of the seal to further evidence the manipulation of the closure.
Background of the Invention
[0004] Tamper-evident closures are known in the art. These closures generally include a cap, which is removably associated with the rest of the closure, and a tamper-evident element, which is used to provide first opening evidence.
[0005] GB2285623 discloses a tamper-evident closure that comprises a pouring device defining a pouring orifice, a skirt for fixing the pouring device to the container neck, a cap for engaging and disengaging the pouring device to close the pouring orifice and a hood that internally surrounds the skirt and the cap and has an annular portion permanently engaging a lower portion of the skirt. The hood comprises a tear strip which is configured to leave the annular portion engaged with the skirt when the tear strip is torn, thereby providing evidence of first opening of the closure.
[0006] EP1818272 discloses a tamper-evident closure comprising a cap for engaging and disengaging the pouring orifice of a pouring device fixed to the mouth of a container and a hood that surrounds the cap and has an annular portion permanently engaging the container neck. The hood comprises a tear strip which is configured to leave the annular portion engaged with the container neck when the tear strip is torn, thereby providing evidence of first opening of the closure.
[0007] The above closures have the drawback of not being immune from fraudulent attempts to restore the closure into the configuration it had prior to the first opening by counterfeiters. A counterfeiter may remove not only the part joined to the strip but also, rather easily, the part that remains on the container. Then, the counterfeiter may open the cap, replace the content of the container with some other low-quality content, close the cap and apply a new hood with a seal strip, thereby exactly restoring the closure and container to the configuration they had prior to the first opening.
[0008] DE102014011539A1 describes a closure including a capsule with a tamper-evident closure and also a cap with an additional tamper-evident closure. The capsule can be completely removed by tearing off the tear-off seal, and the cap can be opened by rotating the cap, producing the breakage of a weakened line between the cap and lower portion of the cap, which remains attached to the cylindrical neck of the receptacle.
[0009] The broken weakened line is hardly noticeable and can be re-attached with adhesives to provide the breaking feeling.
[0010] WO2013132384A1 also describes a similar solution but including a tear-off seal band to release the cap, but the gripping tab of this band is not easy to be grasped, because it has to be small enough to be contained under the capsule before it is detached.
[0011] Therefore, a need arises in the art as described above for a tamper- evident closure with a tear-off seal, whereby restoration of the closure to the configuration it had prior to the first opening is prevented or at least becomes highly complicated and expensive, and which is easily openable by the user.
Description of the Invention
[0012] The present invention is directed towards a tamper-evident closure, as defined in claim 1, for a receptacle having a cylindrical neck with a mouth and a pourer attached to, or formed on, the cylindrical neck.
[0013] The pourer includes several configurations therearound intended for the coupling of the different elements constitutive of the proposed tamper-evident closure. Said configurations can be formed directly on the exterior surface of the cylindrical neck of the receptacle or can be formed on the exterior surface of an element independent from the receptacle, constitutive of the pourer, attached around the cylindrical neck typically though coupling configurations projecting inwardly from the pourer connected to complementary configurations of the cylindrical neck.
[0014] The proposed tamper-evident closure includes, in a manner already known in the state of the art:
a cap, made of a single molded part, including an upper cap portion for closing the mouth with threaded configurations projecting inwardly adapted to be attached to complementary threaded configurations of the pourer, the complementary threaded configurations typically projecting outwardly from the outer perimeter of the pourer, and adapted to urge the cap in an extraction direction when the cap is rotated, and a lower cap portion, connected to the upper cap portion through a weakened line, the lower cap portion defining a cap twist-off seal including retaining configurations projecting inwardly adapted to be attached to complementary retaining configurations of the pourer, typically a flange or a groove defined around the pourer, preventing a movement of the cap twist-off seal in the extraction direction, inducing a complete break of the weakened line when the cap is rotated, and adapted to permit, after the complete break of the weakened line, the movement of the cap twist-off seal in a direction opposed to the extraction direction.
[0015] It will be understood that the extraction direction is an axial direction towards the mouth of the receptacle, and that other the orientation definitions, such axial, radial, annular, upwards, downwards, etc., are referenced to a central vertical axis, concentric with the cap and the capsule ring which preferably have a generally cylindrical shape. Said central vertical axis is intended to be coincident with the central axis of the cylindrical neck once the closing is coupled thereto.
[0016] According to the above, the rotation of the cap, or of the upper cap portion, in regard to the receptacle produces the movement of the upper cap portion in the extraction direction, urged by the threaded configurations in collaboration with complementary threaded configuration of the cylindrical neck of the receptacle, while the cap twist-off seal is retained by the retaining configurations, in collaboration with a flange of the cylindrical neck of the receptacle, producing the breakage of the weakened line.
[0017] Once broken, the cap twist-off seal cannot be extracted from the cylindrical neck, because the retaining configurations prevent such extraction in the extraction direction, but it can be instead moved in a direction opposed to the extraction direction, i.e., away from the mouth.
[0018] The tamper-evident closure further comprises the following features, which are not known from the available state of the art:
a capsule ring with an upper edge, the capsule ring being adapted to be attached to the pourer, typically attached to complementary configurations protruding outwardly or intruding inwardly the outer perimeter of the cylindrical neck leaving at least a portion of the cap twist-off seal visible above the upper edge before the breakage of the weakened line of the cap twist-off seal;
the capsule ring including an annular housing surrounded by said upper edge, adapted for surrounding the pourer once coupled to the receptacle and adapted to house mostly or completely the cap twist-off seal therein after the breakage of the weakened line and the movement of the cap twist-off seal in a direction opposed to the extraction direction.
[0019] The capsule ring is placed around the cylindrical neck of the receptacle, the weakened line of the cap remaining above the upper edge of the capsule ring, closer to the mouth of the receptacle, at least a portion of the cap twist-off seal also remaining above the upper edge of the capsule ring, closer to the mouth of the receptacle than said upper edge before the breakage of the weakened line and being therefore clearly visible by the user.
[0020] Once the weakened line has been broken, the cap twist-off seal falls down, typically by gravity, into the annular housing defined in the capsule ring, the cap twist-off seal becoming partially or completely hidden to the user, making evident the breakage of the cap twist-off seal.
[0021] In the annular housing, the inner diameter of the capsule ring is bigger than the outer diameter of the cap twist-off seal, permitting the insertion of the cap twist-off seal therein in an easy manner by its falling.
Brief description of the Figures
[0022] The foregoing and other advantages and features will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, to be taken in an illustrative and non-limitative manner, in which:
[0023] Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the proposed invention before the breakage of the weakened line of the cap twist-off seal according to a first embodiment devoid of upper capsule portion;
[0024] Fig. 2A shows a lateral view of the same embodiment shown in Fig. 1;
[0025] Fig. 2B shows a lateral view of the same embodiment shown in Fig. 2A, after the release of the upper cap portion and the breakage of the cap twist-off seal;
[0026] Fig. 2C shows a lateral view of the same embodiment shown in Fig. 2B, after screwing back the upper cap portion, with the cap twist-off seal partially hidden;
[0027] Fig. 3A and 3B shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention where the capsule ring is connected through a weakened line to an upper capsule portion constituting a capsule tear-off seal with a gripping tab, shown before tearing in Fig. 3A and partially teared in Fig. 3B;
[0028] Fig. 4 shows an exploded and partially sectioned perspective view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3A;
[0029] Fig. 5 shows an assembled and partially sectioned perspective view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3A.
Detailed Description of the Invention and of particular embodiments
[0030] The tamper-evident closure of the present invention is intended to be coupled to a receptacle having a pourer 30. The pourer 30 is attached to, or formed on, a cylindrical neck 1 of the receptacle and includes several configurations therearound intended for the coupling of the different parts of the tamper-evident closure.
[0031] The cylindrical neck of the receptacle surrounds a pouring channel, and one end of the cylindrical neck 1 includes a mouth 2 connected to the pouring channel.
[0032] The proposed tamper-evident closure includes, according to a preferred embodiment shown in the Figures, a cap 10 made of a single molded part adapted to be attached to a pourer 30, and a capsule ring 21 also and made of a single molded part and adapted to be attached to the pourer 30.
[0033] In this embodiment, the pourer 30 is an element attached to the external surface of the cylindrical neck of the receptacle through complementary coupling configurations. The pourer 30 includes different configurations therearound for the attachment of the cap 10 and the capsule ring 21 thereto. Alternatively, the pourer 30 can be directly formed on the external surface of the cylindrical neck of the receptacle, said configurations being defined directly on said cylindrical neck.
[0034] The cap 10 comprises an upper cap portion 13 for closing the mouth 2 and a lower cap portion, connected to the upper cap portion 13 through a weakened line 12, the lower cap portion defining a cap twist-off seal 11.
[0035] The upper cap portion, typically an open-bottom shape including a cylindrical portion for surrounding a portion of the cylindrical neck adjacent to the mouth and a closing portion for covering the mouth 2, includes threaded configurations 15 projecting inwardly adapted to be attached to complementary threaded configurations of the cylindrical neck 1 of the receptacle. The threaded configurations 15 urge the cap 10 in an extraction direction towards the mouth 2 when the cap 10 is rotated.
[0036] The cap twist-off seal 11 is typically also a cylindrical portion of the cap 10 shaped as an extension of the cylindrical portion of the upper cap portion. The cap twist-off seal 11 includes retaining configurations 16 projecting inwardly adapted to be attached to complementary configurations of the pourer preventing a movement of the cap twist-off seal 11 in the extraction direction towards the mouth 2.
[0037] So, when the cap 10 is rotated, the upper cap portion is moved in the extraction direction while the lower cap portion constitutive of the cap twist-off seal 11 remains in place, increasing the stress on the weakened line and eventually producing its complete breakage.
[0038] The retaining configurations 16 of the cap twist-off seal 11 are also adapted to allow for a movement of the cap twist-off seal 11 in a direction opposed to the extraction direction, away from the mouth 2, once the weakened line has been broken.
[0039] The capsule ring 21, typically with a cylindrical shape, has an upper edge 22 on its end closer to the mouth 2. The capsule ring 21 is adapted to be attached to the pourer, in a fixed position, leaving at least a portion of the cap twist-off seal 11 visible above the upper edge 22 before the breakage of the weakened line of the cap twist-off seal.
[0040] The capsule ring 21 further includes an annular housing surrounded by said upper edge 22, adapted for surrounding the pourer once the capsule ring 21 has been attached therearound, and adapted to house mostly or completely the cap twist-off seal 11 therein after the breakage of the weakened line and the movement of the cap twist-off seal 11 in a direction opposed to the extraction direction.
[0041] According to that, after the breakage of the weakened line of the cap twist-off seal 11, the cap twist-off seal falls within the annular housing, the cap twist-off seal being then partially or completely hidden to a user of the receptacle, increasing the user’s awareness of the breakage of the tamper-evident seal.
[0042] Preferably, the upper edge 22 of the capsule ring 21 constitutes a weakened line connected to an upper capsule portion 23 which surrounds the cap 10 preventing the opening thereof.
[0043] The upper capsule portion 23 is, or includes, a capsule tear-off seal detachable from the capsule ring 21 by breakage, capsule tear-off seal preferably including a gripping tab 24, allowing a user to grip an initial end of the tear-off seal and to tear the tear-off seal completely detaching the upper capsule portion 23 from the capsule ring 21 through the interposed weakened line. Once the upper portion of the capsule has been removed, the cap is exposed and accessible to the user.
[0044] Typically, the capsule ring 21 and the upper capsule portion 23 constitute a capsule 20 made of a single molded part.
[0045] Preferably, the cap twist-off seal 11 and the capsule ring 21 have different color, providing a visual distinction.
[0046] In an embodiment, the upper edge 22 of the capsule ring 21 surrounds the cap twist-off seal 11 before the breakage of the weakened line, a portion of the cap twist-off seal 11 being partially housed in the annular housing, the rest being above the upper edge 22 and therefore visible for the user.
[0047] According to an embodiment, the cap twist-off seal can further include elastic configurations urging the cap twist-off seal in the direction opposed to the extraction direction.
[0048] The pourer can be an element independent from the receptacle but attached to the cylindrical neck through retaining configurations 31 projecting inwards from the pourer and coupled to complementary configurations of the external surface of the cylindrical neck.
[0049] In this case, the pourer is preferably made of a single molded part.
[0050] The pourer can further include an anti-return valve attached to the mouth 2 of the receptacle.
, Claims:CLAIMS
We claim:
1. A tamper-evident closure for a receptacle having a cylindrical neck (1) with a mouth (2) and a pourer (30) attached to, or formed on, the cylindrical neck (1), the tamper-evident closure including:
a cap (10), made of a single molded part, including an upper cap portion (13) for closing the mouth (2) with threaded configurations (15) projecting inwardly adapted to be attached to complementary threaded configurations of the pourer (30) and to urge the cap (10) in an extraction direction when the cap (10) is rotated, and a lower cap portion, connected to the upper cap portion (13) through a weakened line (12), the lower cap portion defining a cap twist-off seal (11) including retaining configurations (16) projecting inwardly adapted to be attached to complementary retaining configurations of the pourer (30) preventing a movement of the cap twist-off seal (11) in the extraction direction, inducing a complete break of the weakened line when the cap is rotated, and adapted to permit, after the complete break of the weakened line, the movement of the cap twist-off seal (11) in a direction opposed to the extraction direction
characterized in that the tamper-evident closure further comprises
a capsule ring (21) with an upper edge (22), the capsule ring (21) being adapted to be attached to the pourer (30) leaving at least a portion of the cap twist-off seal (11) visible above the upper edge (22) before the breakage of the weakened line of the cap twist-off seal;
the capsule ring (21) including an annular housing surrounded by said upper edge, adapted for surrounding the pourer (30) and adapted to house mostly or completely the cap twist-off seal (11) therein after the breakage of the weakened line and the movement of the cap twist-off seal (11) in a direction opposed to the extraction direction.
2. The tamper-evident closure according to claim 1 wherein the upper edge of the capsule ring (21) constitutes a weakened line connected to an upper capsule portion (23) which surrounds the cap (10) preventing the opening thereof, the upper capsule portion (23) being or including a capsule tear-off seal detachable from the capsule ring (21) by breakage.
3. The tamper-evident closure according to claim 2 wherein the capsule ring (21) and the upper capsule portion (23) constitute a capsule (20) made of a single molded part.
4. The tamper-evident closure according to claim 2 or 3 wherein the capsule tear-off seal includes a gripping tab (24).
5. The tamper-evident closure according to any preceding claim wherein the cap twist-off seal (11) and the capsule ring (21) have different color, providing a visual distinction.
6. The tamper-evident closure according to any preceding claim wherein the upper edge of the capsule ring (21) surrounds the cap twist-off seal (11) before the breakage of the weakened line, a portion of the cap twist-off seal (11) being partially housed in the annular housing.
7. The tamper-evident closure according to any preceding claim wherein the cap twist-off seal includes elastic configurations urging the cap twist-off seal in the direction opposed to the extraction direction.
8. The tamper-evident closure according to any preceding claim wherein the pourer is attached to the cylindrical neck through retaining configurations.
9. The tamper-evident closure according to any preceding claim wherein the pourer is made of a single molded part.
10. The tamper-evident closure according to any preceding claim wherein the pourer includes an anti-return valve attached to the mouth (2) of the receptacle.
Dated this 10th day of October 2022
(Digitally signed)
Kartik PUTTAIAH
Patent Agent-IN/PA-1809