TAMPER RESISTANT CONTAINERS FOR FOOD AND OTHER ITEMS

Abstract

A container, comprising a body having a closed lower portion, a middle portion adapted for storing contents, and a closeable open upper portion; and an item, such as a strip of paper, adapted to cooperate with the closeable open upper portion, wherein the item includes identifying indicia regarding the stored contents, and wherein the item cooperates with the closeable upper portion to make the closeable upper portion tamper-resistant after closure thereof.

Claims

1. A container, comprising: (a) a body having a closed lower portion, a middle portion adapted for storing contents, and a closeable open upper portion; and (b) an item adapted to cooperate with the closeable open upper portion, wherein the item includes identifying indicia regarding the stored contents, and wherein the item cooperates with the closeable upper portion to make the closeable upper portion tamper-resistant after closure thereof.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the container is an envelope, sack, or bag, and wherein the closeable upper portion includes an adhesive deposited thereon for sealing the closeable upper portion against or to the middle portion.

3. The container of claim 2, wherein the item adapted to cooperate with the closeable open upper portion is a strip of paper or similar material that is placed partially within the middle portion of the body and then folded at a predetermined angle to extend out of the middle portion of the body through the closeable open upper portion such that the identifying indicia is visible when the closeable upper portion is sealed against middle portion.

4. The container of claim 1, wherein the item adapted to cooperate with the closeable open upper portion is a receipt.

5. The container of claim 1, wherein the container is a paper or plastic bag or similar item, and wherein two opposing slots have been formed in the closeable open upper portion to accommodate the item that includes identifying indicia regarding the stored contents.

6. The container of claim 5, wherein the item adapted to cooperate with the closeable open upper portion is a strip of paper or similar material that includes an outer surface on which the identifying indicia has been printed and an inner surface on which an adhesive has been deposited on opposing ends thereof or adhering the opposing ends to one another.

7. The container of claim 5, wherein the strip of paper has been looped through the opposing slots and the opposing ends thereof adhered to one another to close the closeable upper portion of the container.

8. The container of claim 6, wherein the strip of paper includes a receipt.

9. A container, comprising: (a) a body having a closed lower portion, a middle portion adapted for storing food or other consumable items, and a closeable open upper portion; and (b) strip of paper adapted to cooperate with the closeable open upper portion, wherein the strip of paper includes identifying indicia regarding the food or other consumable items, and wherein the strip of paper cooperates with the closeable upper portion to make the closeable upper portion tamper-resistant after closure thereof.

10. The container of claim 9, wherein the container is an envelope, sack, or bag, and wherein the closeable upper portion includes an adhesive deposited thereon for sealing the closeable upper portion against or to the middle portion.

11. The container of claim 10, wherein the strip of paper is placed partially within the middle portion of the body and then folded at a predetermined angle to extend out of the middle portion of the body through the closeable open upper portion such that the identifying indicia is visible when the closeable upper portion is sealed against middle portion.

12. The container of claim 9, wherein the container is a paper or plastic bag or similar item, and wherein two opposing slots have been formed in the closeable open upper portion to accommodate the item that includes identifying indicia regarding the stored food or other consumable items.

13. The container of claim 12, wherein the strip of paper is adapted to cooperate with the closeable open upper portion and includes an outer surface on which the identifying indicia has been printed and an inner surface on which an adhesive has been deposited on opposing ends thereof for adhering the opposing ends to one another.

14. The container of claim 13, wherein the strip of paper has been looped through the opposing slots and the opposing ends thereof adhered to one another to close the closeable upper portion of the container.

15. The container of claim 13, wherein the strip of paper includes a receipt.

16. A tamper-resistance container, comprising: (a) a body having a closed lower portion, a middle portion adapted for storing food or other consumable items, and a closeable open upper portion; and (b) a pre-printed paper receipt adapted to cooperate with the closeable open upper portion, wherein the strip of paper includes identifying indicia regarding the food or other consumable items, and wherein the strip of paper cooperates with the closeable upper portion to make the closeable upper portion tamper-proof after closure thereof.

17. The tamper-resistance container of claim 16, wherein the tamper-resistance container is an envelope, sack, or bag, and wherein the closeable upper portion includes an adhesive deposited thereon for sealing the closeable upper portion against or to the central portion.

18. The tamper-resistance container of claim 17, wherein the pre-printed paper receipt is placed partially within the middle portion of the body and then folded at a predetermined angle to extend out of the middle portion of the body through the closeable open upper portion such that the identifying indicia is visible when the closeable upper portion is sealed against middle portion.

19. The tamper-resistance container of claim 16, wherein the tamper-resistance container is a paper or plastic bag or similar item, and wherein two opposing slots have been formed in the closeable open upper portion to accommodate the item that includes identifying indicia regarding the stored food or other consumable items.

20. The tamper-resistance container of claim 19, wherein the pre-printed paper receipt is adapted to cooperate with the closeable open upper portion and includes an outer surface on which the identifying indicia has been printed and an inner surface on which an adhesive has been deposited on opposing ends thereof for adhering the opposing ends to one another, and wherein the pre-printed paper receipt has been looped through the opposing slots and the opposing ends thereof adhered to one another to close the closeable upper portion of the tamper-resistance container.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form a part of the specification, schematically illustrate one or more example implementations of the disclosed inventive subject matter and, together with the general description given above and detailed description given below, serve to explain the principles of the disclosed subject matter, and wherein:

[0009] FIG. 1A depicts a first example implementation of the disclosed tamper-resistant containers, wherein the container is an envelope shown in an unsealed configuration;

[0010] FIG. 1B depicts the example implementation of FIG. 1A in a sealed configuration with a portion of the paper receipt component being visible on the exterior of the tamper-resistance container;

[0011] FIG. 2A depicts a second example implementation of the disclosed tamper-resistant containers, wherein the container is a paper bag shown in an open configuration; and

[0012] FIG. 2B depicts the example implementation of FIG. 2A shown in a closed or sealed configuration, wherein the paper receipt component has been used as a closure device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Example implementations are now described with reference to the Figures. Reference numerals are used throughout the detailed description to refer to the various elements and structures. Although the following detailed description contains many specifics for the purposes of illustration, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the disclosed inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the following implementations are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed subject matter.

[0014] FIG. 1A depicts a first example implementation of the disclosed tamper-resistant containers, wherein the container is an envelope shown in an unsealed configuration and FIG. 1B depicts the example implementation of FIG. 1A in a sealed configuration with a portion of the paper receipt component being visible on the exterior of the tamper-resistance container. In FIGS. 1A-1B, tamper-resistance container 100 includes an envelope, sack, or bag component 102 and a receipt component 120. Envelope, sack, or bag component 102 includes closed lower portion 104, middle portion 106, which accommodates various items for storage, and closeable upper portion 110. Adhesive 108 may be deposited on the upper area of middle portion 106 and adhesive 112 may be deposited on closeable upper portion 110. The adhesive allows container 100 to be sealed in a closed configuration simply by folding upper portion 110 onto middle portion 106 and applying pressure. In this implementation, receipt component 120 does not include adhesive, but rather is folded at a predetermined angle and inserted into container 100 prior to the closure and sealing thereof. Exterior portion 122, which includes identifying indicia (e.g., order contents, name of person ordering, delivery address, etc.) remains on the outside of container 100 while interior portion 124 remains within middle portion 106 after closure and sealing. In this manner, receipt component 120 cannot be removed or replaced without damaging the receipt itself or re-opening the sealed container, either of which would provide evidence of tampering to the customer. Various adhesives may be used with this example implementation including latex or rubber based adhesives or any other glue or adhesive material, including self-sealing materials, suitable for use with the disclosed tamper resistant containers.

[0015] FIG. 2A depicts a second example implementation of the disclosed tamper-resistant containers, wherein the container is a paper (or plastic) bag shown in an open configuration; and FIG. 2B depicts the example implementation of FIG. 2A shown in a closed or sealed configuration, wherein the paper receipt component has been used as a closure device. In FIGS. 2A-2B, tamper-resistance container 200 includes bag component 202 and receipt component 220. Bag component 202 includes closed bottom portion 204, middle portion 206, which accommodates various items for storage, front panel 208 in which first slot 210 is formed, rear panel 212, in which second slot 214 is formed, first side panel 216, and second side panel 218. Receipt component 220 includes first adhesive end 222 and second adhesive end 224, which are joined together when receipt component 220 is looped through first slot 210 and second slot 214 to form a closure device. When closed in this manner, container 200 cannot be re-opened without removing the receipt component, and receipt component 120 cannot be removed or replaced without damaging the receipt itself, which would provide evidence of tampering to the customer. Various adhesives may be used with this example implementation including latex or rubber based adhesives or any other glue or adhesive material, including self-sealing materials, suitable for use with the disclosed tamper resistant containers.

[0016] As previously stated and as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” refer to both the singular as well as plural, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term “comprising” as used herein is synonymous with “including,” “containing,” or “characterized by,” and is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. Although many methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used, particular suitable methods and materials are described herein. Unless context indicates otherwise, the recitations of numerical ranges by endpoints include all numbers subsumed within that range. Furthermore, references to “one implementation” are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional implementations that also incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, implementations “comprising” or “having” an element or a plurality of elements having a particular property may include additional elements whether or not they have that property.

[0017] Underlined and/or italicized headings and subheadings are used for convenience only, do not limit the disclosed subject matter, and are not referred to in connection with the interpretation of the description of the disclosed subject matter. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various implementations described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and intended to be encompassed by the disclosed subject matter. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the above description.

[0018] There may be many alternate ways to implement the disclosed inventive subject matter. Various functions and elements described herein may be partitioned differently from those shown without departing from the scope of the disclosed inventive subject matter. Generic principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations. Different numbers of a given module or unit may be employed, a different type or types of a given module or unit may be employed, a given module or unit may be added, or a given module or unit may be omitted.

[0019] It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail herein (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the disclosed inventive subject matter. All combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. While the disclosed inventive subject matter has been illustrated by the description of example implementations, and while the example implementations have been described in certain detail, there is no intention to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the disclosed inventive subject matter in its broader aspects is not limited to any of the specific details, representative devices and methods, and/or illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept.