Closure with frangible tamper-evident band

Abstract

This invention relates to closures for containers, and more particularly to tamper-evident closures for containers. One aspect of the invention provides a container and a closure for connection to said container, said closure including: an upper wall ( 102 ), a skirt ( 104 ) formed integrally with and extending downwardly from said upper wall, said skirt adapted to engage with a neck portion of the container to secure the closure to the container; a tamper-evident band ( 110 ) frangibly connected to said skirt; the neck ( 10 ) of the container including a plurality of discretely spaced projections ( 18 ) extending outwardly from said neck and adapted to engage with tabs ( 122 ) on said tamper-evident band to facilitate breaking of the band ( 110 ) from the skirt of the closure.

1 . A container and a closure for connection to said container, said closure including: 
 an upper wall;    a skirt formed integrally with and extending downwardly from said upper wall, said skirt including a helically threaded section on an internal face;    a tamper-evident band frangibly connected to said skirt, said tamper-evident band including an annular wall from which extends a series of discretely spaced tabs adapted such that when said closure is fully applied to said container said tabs face inwardly and upwardly;    said container including:    a neck with a helically threaded section formed on an external surface and adapted to engage with said helically threaded section on the internal face of the skirt of the closure so as to secure the closure to the container;    a tamper-evident band engagement formation located on said neck beneath said helically threaded section, said engagement formation including a downwardly and outwardly extending upper face to facilitate passage of said tabs over the engagement formation and reduce force on the tamper-evident band during application of the closure to the container, and three or more discretely located engagement surfaces in at least one quadrant of said neck for engagement with said tabs on said tamper-evident band;    such that upon rotation of said closure to remove, said closure from said container said tabs engage with said engagement surfaces to resist rotation of said tamper evident band and facilitate breaking of the band from the skirt of the closure.    
   
   
       2 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said engagement surfaces are adapted upon removal rotation of the closure to simultaneously engage with said tabs.  
   
   
       3 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said tabs cooperate with projections on said container neck such that when said closure is fully applied said tabs are located between the neck projections and lie against the neck of the container.  
   
   
       4 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said helically threaded sections on the neck and/or closure are segmented.  
   
   
       5 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said closure further includes an annular sealing member depending from said upper wall, said sealing member adapted to seal against the neck of the container.  
   
   
       6 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein said annular sealing member seals against an inner wall of the neck of the container.  
   
   
       7 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said annular sealing member includes a circumferentially extending apex adapted to seat against said inner wall of the neck portion of the container.  
   
   
       8 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the said closure includes a sealing member adapted to seal against an outer surface of the neck.  
   
   
       9 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said tamper-evident band is connected to a lower surface of said skirt by a frangible section formed by a series of circumferentially spaced ribs separated by slots.  
   
   
       10 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein said ribs are of a cross-section which provides sufficient strength to withstand typical forces which may be imparted during handling and/or application of the closure to the container neck.  
   
   
       11 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said tabs are connected to the lower surface of the annular wall by means of a hinged section.  
   
   
       12 . A container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein said tamper-evident band includes a thickened section at the hinge point such that when the closure is fully applied to the container the angle between the tab and the neck of the container is approximately five degrees or less.  
   
   
       13 . A container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said closure further includes a dispensing means for dispensing one or more additives into the container.  
   
   
       14 . A container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein said dispensing means depends from said upper wall of said closure.  
   
   
       15 . A container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein dispensing means includes a sealed housing within which said one or more additives are contained.  
   
   
       16 . A container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein dispensing means includes a plunger located within said housing for ejection of said one or more additives from said sealed housing into the container.  
   
   
       17 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said neck of the container further includes an annular bead located below said threaded section and extending radially outwardly from said external surface of the neck.  
   
   
       18 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein said ramped projections extend downwardly from said bead.  
   
   
       19 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said projections on the neck of the container form at least part of a tamper bead.  
   
   
       20 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said closure is moulded such that the angle between the tabs and the tamper evident band is in the range of 0 to 50 degrees.  
   
   
       21 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein said closure is moulded such that the angle between the tabs and the tamper evident band is in the range of 0 to 45 degrees.  
   
   
       22 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 22 , wherein said closure is moulded such that the angle between the tabs and the tamper evident band is approximately 30 degrees.  
   
   
       23 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said closure includes a receptacle depending from said upper wall, said receptacle including an open end.  
   
   
       24 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein said receptacle is cylindrical in shape.  
   
   
       25 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein said receptacle is integrally formed in the closure.  
   
   
       26 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein walls of the receptacle are tapered such that the walls are thicker at the point where the receptacle joins the upper wall of the closure and are thinner at the open end of the receptacle.  
   
   
       27 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said closure includes a retention means depending from an inner surface of said upper wall for engaging and retaining an article on said inner surface of said upper wall.  
   
   
       28 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 27 , wherein said retention means takes the form of one or more clips or projections.  
   
   
       29 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 27 , wherein said retention means takes the form of an annular flange depending from said inner surface of said upper wall.  
   
   
       30 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 27 , wherein said retention means takes the form of an one or more recesses formed in said inner surface of said upper wall.  
   
   
       31 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 27 , wherein said retention means is integrally formed in said inner surface of said upper wall.  
   
   
       32 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 27 , wherein said article takes the form of a receptacle, cup, or disc.  
   
   
       33 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said upper wall of said closure includes a dispensing orifice.  
   
   
       34 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 33 , wherein said dispensing orifice is sealed with a sealing cover.  
   
   
       35 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 34 , wherein said sealing cover is removable and replaceable on said closure.  
   
   
       36 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 34 , wherein said sealing cover includes an annular sealing formation which engages and seals said dispensing orifice.  
   
   
       37 . The container and closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 36 , wherein said annular sealing formation depends from an inner surface of an upper wall of said sealing cover.  
   
   
       38 . A container and a closure for connection to said container as claimed in  claim 1 , said closure including a sealing member for sealing against the neck of the container, wherein the closure is designed according to the following formula:  
     
       

       G≧H+I+J+K+L  

     
     where: 
 (i) G is the distance over which the sealing member is effectively in contact with the neck of the container, expressed in degrees of rotational movement of the closure during removal;  
 (ii) H is the distance between the an engagement surface of a container neck and an engagement surface of the tabs when the closure is fully applied to the container, expressed in degrees of rotational movement;  
 (iii) I is the amount of compression that occurs in the tamper-evident band during the process of removal of the closure, expressed in degrees of rotational movement;  
 (iv) J is the amount of stretch that occurs under stress during closure removal in the skirt and the frangible ribs connecting the tamper-evident band to the closure skirt, expressed in degrees of rotational movement;  
 (v) K is the distance equal to the tolerance allowed in the measurement specifications of the container neck and the closure, expressed in degrees of rotational movement; and  
 (vi) L is the distance required for a margin of safety for the closure and neck combination so as to promote the operation of the tamper-evident means prior to loss of the seal between closure and container neck, expressed in degrees of rotational movement.