Tamper-resistant container and methods

Abstract

An improved container designed to provide all of the foregoing attributes (including light weight, low cost, ease of use and carrying, and climatic tolerance) while also presenting a virtually impenetrable barrier to animals. One exemplary embodiment comprises a highly resilient, lightweight, one piece polymer (polycarbonate) body or shell having a large-diameter aperture disposed at one end. A threaded, partially flexible lightweight polymer cap element mates with the body; the cap element comprises a tamper-resistant configuration with locking features which prevent rotation of the cap with respect to the body past a certain point. A ridge is formed on the body along the mating region of the cap, the ridge acting to prevent any animal (or human for that matter) from being able to insert anything (e.g., claws) under the cap when installed to pry it off. The locking features, ridge, body, and cap coordinate to make the container pliable enough to distort without opening, yet resilient and rugged enough to prevent permanent deformation, fracture, or cracking even under the weight (and motive forces) of a fully grown bear.

1 - 25 . (canceled)  
   
   
       26 . Animal excluding container apparatus, comprising: 
 a substantially rigid yet at least partly flexible cylindrical polymer body having a threaded region and an aperture formed therein communicating with an interior volume of said body and further comprising an exclusion ridge formed proximate said aperture and said threaded region; and    a tamper-resistant polymer cap specifically configured to be threaded via said threaded region onto said body to substantially cover said aperture;    wherein said cap, threaded region and exclusion ridge cooperate to frustrate access to said volume by an animal.    
   
   
       27 . The animal excluding container apparatus of  claim 26 , wherein said body further comprises a plurality of retention features.  
   
   
       28 . The animal excluding container apparatus of  claim 27 , wherein said plurality of retention features comprises a plurality of raised bumps running circumferentially along at least a portion of said body.  
   
   
       29 . The animal excluding container apparatus of  claim 27 , wherein said plurality of retention features comprises a punctuated set of ridges running circumferentially along said body.  
   
   
       30 . The animal excluding container apparatus of  claim 27 , wherein said plurality of retention features comprises a plurality of channels running circumferentially along said body.  
   
   
       31 . The animal excluding container apparatus of  claim 26 , wherein said animal comprises a bear, and said body comprises polycarbonate, and said cap comprises a material other than polycarbonate, said polycarbonate and said other material being coordinating to limit distortion of said body and said cap to a sufficient degree that said cap will not be undesirably released from said body when threaded onto said threaded region and under lateral or longitudinal pressure applied to said apparatus by said bear.  
   
   
       32 . The animal excluding container apparatus of  claim 31 , wherein said bear comprises a North American black bear.  
   
   
       33 . The animal excluding container apparatus of  claim 26 , wherein when said cap is threaded onto said body, said exclusion ridge forms a circumferential barrier against said animal placing one or more claws under a bottom surface of said cap, said barrier substantially frustrating removal of said cap by said animal.  
   
   
       34 . The animal excluding container apparatus of  claim 33 , wherein said animal comprises a North American black bear.  
   
   
       35 . The animal excluding container apparatus of  claim 33 , wherein said animal comprises a bear, and body comprises polycarbonate, and said cap comprises a material other than polycarbonate, said polycarbonate and said other material being coordinating to limit distortion of said body and said cap to a sufficient degree that said cap will not be undesirably released from said body when threaded onto said threaded region and under lateral or longitudinal pressure applied to said apparatus by said bear.  
   
   
       36 . Bear-excluding container apparatus, comprising: 
 a molded high-strength polymer body having an interior volume and an aperture formed therein, said body further comprising first threads and being adapted to withstand forces exerted by said bear;    a molded cap having a bottom edge, a locking element, and second threads, said cap being retained on said body through at least cooperation of said first and second threads; and    at least one exclusion feature disposed on said body proximate to said bottom edge of said cap and adapted to frustrate access by said bear to a gap formed by said bottom edge of said cap and said body when said cap is threaded substantially onto said first threads.    
   
   
       37 . The apparatus of  claim 36 , wherein at least said locking element, said cap and said first and second threads cooperate to permit the equalization of pressure in said interior volume with an ambient environment while simultaneously preventing access to said interior volume by said bear.  
   
   
       38 . The apparatus of  claim 36 , wherein at least said locking element, said cap and said first and second threads cooperate to permit the cap not to be fully threaded onto said body while simultaneously preventing access to said interior volume by said bear.  
   
   
       39 . The apparatus of  claim 36 , wherein at least said locking element is configured such that a user of said apparatus must deflect at least a portion of a sidewall of said cap inward toward the aperture in order to unthread said cap from a fully threaded on position.  
   
   
       40 . The apparatus of  claim 36 , wherein said molded high-strength polymer body further comprises one or more anti-rotation features adapted to be set between the feet of a user.  
   
   
       41 . The apparatus of  claim 36 , wherein said molded high-strength polymer body further comprises a plurality of retention features.  
   
   
       42 . The apparatus of  claim 41 , wherein said body is substantially cylindrical in shape, and said plurality of retention features run along at least a portion of the periphery of said body.  
   
   
       43 . The apparatus of  claim 36 , wherein said body comprises polycarbonate, and said cap comprises nylon.  
   
   
       44 . The apparatus of  claim 36 , wherein said body is substantially smooth and featureless so as to at least partly frustrate said bear in applying force thereto or grasping said apparatus.  
   
   
       45 . The apparatus of  claim 44 , wherein said body further comprises a plurality of raised retention features, said features being sized and having a substantially rounded cross-section so as to not significantly detract from said frustration of said bear in applying force thereto or grasping said apparatus.  
   
   
       46 . Animal excluding apparatus, comprising: 
 a body having an interior volume, a first locking element, an exclusion feature, and an aperture formed therein;    a threaded cap having a second locking element; and    a plurality of surface elements disposed on an exterior surface of said body;    wherein said cap threads onto said body and said plurality of surface elements are adapted to provide retention of one or more restraining devices.    
   
   
       47 . The apparatus of  claim 46 , wherein said body further comprises one or more anti-rotation features.  
   
   
       48 . The apparatus of  claim 46 , wherein said plurality of surface elements comprises a plurality of raised bumps running around the periphery of said body.  
   
   
       49 . The apparatus of  claim 46 , wherein said plurality of surface elements comprises a punctuated set of ridges disposed around at least a portion of the periphery of said body.  
   
   
       50 . The apparatus of  claim 46 , wherein said plurality of surface elements comprises a plurality of depressed channels disposed around at least a portion of the periphery of said body.  
   
   
       51 . The apparatus of  claim 46 , wherein said exclusion feature is formed substantially proximate to a gap created between said body and said threaded cap when said cap is threaded onto said body, said exclusion feature substantially preventing access to said gap by said animal when said cap has been threaded onto said body sufficiently that said second locking element engages said first locking element if the cap is attempted to be unthreaded.  
   
   
       52 . The apparatus of  claim 51 , wherein said locking elements, said threaded cap and said exclusion feature cooperate to substantially prevent the ingress of water into said volume while simultaneously preventing access to said interior volume by said bear.  
   
   
       53 . Animal excluding container apparatus, comprising: 
 a polycarbonate and substantially cylindrical body having an outside diameter, and a threaded region having a diameter less than said outside diameter, and an aperture formed in said body interior to said threaded region and communicating with an interior volume of said body, said aperture having a diameter comprising at least three-fourths of said outside diameter of said body; and    a molded cap made of a polymer material other than polycarbonate configured to be threaded via said threaded region onto said body to substantially cover said aperture;    wherein said cap and said body further comprises cooperating respective locking elements adapted to frustrate access to said volume by an animal.    
   
   
       54 . The animal excluding container apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein said animal comprises an adult North American black bear.  
   
   
       55 . The animal excluding container apparatus of  claim 54 , wherein said body is specifically configured to withstand at least the full weight of said bear without rupture or significant degradation.  
   
   
       56 . The animal excluding container apparatus of  claim 55 , wherein said body and cap further cooperate to maintain said cap threaded onto said body under said at least full weight of said bear.  
   
   
       57 . The animal excluding container apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein said cap is configured so that its respective locking element is disposed on a sidewall of said cap, and said sidewall must be deflected by a user in order to allow said respective locking elements of said cap and said body to pass one another so that said cap can be removed from said body.  
   
   
       58 . The animal excluding container apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein said animal comprises a paw, and said cap comprises a low-profile cap having a sidewall height adapted to minimize the surface area that said animal can exert lateral force on said cap using at least said paw.  
   
   
       59 . Container apparatus adapted for excluding an animal having at least one paw having at least one claw, comprising: 
 a substantially cylindrical body of a first material and having an outside diameter, and a threaded region having a diameter less than said outside diameter, and an aperture formed in said body interior to said threaded region and communicating with an interior volume of said body; and    a molded cap made of a second material and configured to be threaded via said threaded region onto said body to substantially cover said aperture;    wherein said cap comprises a sidewall height operative to minimize the surface area that said animal can exert lateral force on said cap using at least said paw.    
   
   
       60 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein said body further comprises an exclusion feature proximate said threaded region and operative to substantially exclude said at least one claw from a bottom surface of said cap when said cap is substantially threaded onto said body.  
   
   
       61 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein said aperture has a diameter comprising at least three-fourths of said outside diameter of said body.  
   
   
       62 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein said animal comprises a North American black bear.  
   
   
       63 . A bear-resistant container comprising: 
 a body with an interior volume; and    a cap threadably received thereon;    said body further comprising a claw exclusion feature operative to substantially exclude one or more claws of said bear from an underside of said cap when said cap is substantially threaded onto said body;    said cap further having a sidewall height sized so that said bear cannot fit a significant fraction of a paw thereof on said cap sidewall.    
   
   
       64 . The container of  claim 63 , wherein said body is further operative to withstand a force equivalent to the full weight of said bear, including additional forces generated by oscillating movements conducted by said bear.