Snap Cap with Tamper Evidence

Abstract

A closure with a top panel, a skirt extending downward and away from the top panel, frangible connections that connect the skirt to a tamper band. The frangible connections provide a visual indication, when broken, that the closure has been opened. The closure includes a cap and a base that remain coupled via a hinge after the frangible connections are broken.

Claims

1. A closure comprising: a cap comprising: a top panel centered about a vertical axis and comprising an outer periphery; and a first skirt extending downward and away from the outer periphery of the top panel, the first skirt comprising a first inner surface; a hinge coupled to a rear of the first skirt; a base pivotally coupled to the first skirt via the hinge, wherein the cap pivotally actuates with respect to the base between a closed position and an open position; a line of weakness extending circumferentially around the vertical axis between the first skirt and the base, wherein the line of weakness includes a front portion that extends linearly and circumferentially laterally with respect to the vertical axis, and rear portions extending between the front portion and the hinge, wherein the rear portions extend upward and circumferentially away from the front portion to the hinge; and a plurality of frangible connections extending across the line of weakness, the plurality of frangible connections providing evidence, when broken, that the closure has been opened.

2. The closure of claim 1, wherein the rear portions extend linearly between the front portion and the hinge.

3. The closure of claim 2, wherein the rear portions extend circumferentially around the closure at least 50 degrees with respect to the vertical axis.

4. The closure of claim 2, wherein the rear portions extend circumferentially around the closure between 60 degrees and 150 degrees with respect to the vertical axis.

5. The closure of claim 2, wherein the rear portions extend circumferentially around the closure no more than 130 degrees with respect to the vertical axis.

6. The closure of claim 2, wherein the front portion extends circumferentially at least 180 degrees around the closure with respect to the vertical axis.

7. The closure of claim 1, wherein the front portion extends circumferentially at least 180 degrees around the closure with respect to the vertical axis.

8. The closure of claim 1, wherein the front portion extends circumferentially around the closure between 180 degrees and 270 degrees with respect to the vertical axis.

9. A closure comprising: a cap comprising: a top panel centered about a vertical axis and comprising an outer periphery; and a first skirt extending downward and away from the outer periphery of the top panel, the first skirt comprising a first inner surface; a hinge coupled to a rear of the first skirt; a base pivotally coupled to the first skirt via the hinge, wherein the cap pivotally actuates with respect to the base about a rotation axis between a closed position and an open position, wherein the rotation axis is located a first distance below the top panel; a line of weakness extending circumferentially around the vertical axis between the first skirt and the base, wherein the line of weakness includes a front portion opposite the hinge with respect to the vertical axis, and wherein the line of weakness opposite the hinge with respect to the vertical axis defines a second distance from the top panel, and wherein first distance is no more than 90% of second distance; and a plurality of frangible connections extending across the line of weakness, the plurality of frangible connections providing evidence, when broken, that the closure has been opened.

10. The closure of claim 9, wherein the line of weakness includes rear portions extending between the front portion and the hinge, wherein the rear portions extend upward and circumferentially away from the front portion to the hinge.

11. The closure of claim 10, wherein the rear portions extend linearly between the front portion and the hinge.

12. The closure of claim 11, wherein the rear portions extend circumferentially around the closure at least 50 degrees with respect to the vertical axis.

13. The closure of claim 12, wherein the rear portions extend circumferentially around the closure no more than 150 degrees with respect to the vertical axis.

14. The closure of claim 9, wherein the front portion extends circumferentially at least 180 degrees around the closure with respect to the vertical axis.

15. The closure of claim 9, wherein the first distance is between 50% and 80% of the second distance.

16. A closure comprising: a cap comprising: a top panel centered about a vertical axis and comprising an outer periphery; and a first skirt extending downward and away from the outer periphery of the top panel, the first skirt comprising a first inner surface; a hinge coupled to a rear of the first skirt; a base pivotally coupled to the first skirt via the hinge, wherein the cap pivotally actuates with respect to the base between a closed position and an open position; a line of weakness extending circumferentially around the vertical axis between the first skirt and the base; a plurality of frangible connections extending across the line of weakness, the plurality of frangible connections providing evidence, when broken, that the closure has been opened; and a first plurality of projections extending inwardly towards the vertical axis from one of the first skirt and the hinge, the first plurality of projections interfacing with a container neck the closure is coupled to when the cap is in the closed position, to bias the cap to remain in the closed position.

17. The closure of claim 16, comprising a second plurality of projections extending inwardly towards the vertical axis from the base, the second plurality of projections interfacing with the container neck to bias the base to remain coupled to the container neck, wherein the second plurality of projections are further from the top panel than the first plurality of projections.

18. The closure of claim 16, the first plurality of projections comprising a first projection extending inwardly from the base under the hinge.

19. The closure of claim 16, wherein the line of weakness includes a front portion that extends linearly and circumferentially laterally with respect to the vertical axis, and a rear portion extending between the front portion and the rear portion, wherein the rear portion extends upward and circumferentially away from the front portion to the hinge.

20. The closure of claim 19, the first plurality of projections comprising a first projection extending inwardly from the base under the hinge.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] This application will become more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements in which:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a closure, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a front view of the closure of FIG. 1, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the closure of FIG. 1, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a left-side view of the closure of FIG. 1, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0015] FIG. 5 is a right-side view of the closure of FIG. 1, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0016] FIG. 6 is a side view of the closure of FIG. 1, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0017] FIG. 7 is a detailed side view of the closure of FIG. 6, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0018] FIG. 8 is a top view of the closure of FIG. 1, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0019] FIG. 9 is a cross-section view of the closure of FIG. 1 taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 4, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0020] FIG. 10 is a cross-section view of the closure of FIG. 1 taken along line 10-10 in FIG. 8, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0021] FIG. 11 is a detailed cross-section view of the closure of FIG. 1 taken along line 10-10 in FIG. 8 shown attached to a container, according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] This disclosure provides a description for various embodiments of a closure with a tamper evident band. The closure includes a cap pivotally coupled to a base via a hinge. The cap and base are initially also coupled via frangible connections until the closure is opened for the first time. The closure includes a plurality of projections extending inwardly to couple various components of the closure to the container neck the closure is coupled to. In various embodiments, the closure includes a rear projection extending inwardly from the hinge, the rear projection interfacing with the container neck to bias the base of the closure downward.

[0023] Turning to FIGS. 1-8, a closure 110 is provided. The closure 110 includes a cap 140 pivotally coupled to base 160 via a hinge 120. The cap 140 includes a generally circular top panel 142 centered about vertical axis 112, an outer periphery 144 of top panel 142, and a first skirt 146 extending downwardly and away from outer periphery 144 of top panel 142. First skirt 146 includes an inner surface 148.

[0024] Hinge 120 extends from rear 156 of cap 140, opposite tab 152, and towards base 160. Hinge 120 pivotally couples cap 140 to base 160. Hinge 120 is coupled to a rear 119 of the first skirt 146 of the closure 110. Hinge 120 extends from upper edge 126 at skirt 146 of cap 140 to lower edge 124 at skirt 162 of base 160. Outer surface 122 of hinge 120 faces away from axis 112. In various embodiments, closure 110, cap 140, base 160 are centered on axis 112.

[0025] In various embodiments, upper edge 126 extends circumferentially around closure 110 at a consistent distance below top panel 142. In various embodiments, lower edge 124 extends circumferentially around closure 110 such that the middle portion of lower edge 124 is closer to top panel 142 than both of the outer portions of lower edge 124. In particular, in various embodiments, lower edge 124 defines an arc centered on a point below base 160.

[0026] A plurality of frangible connections 172 extend across line of weakness 170 between cap 140 and base 160. The plurality of frangible connections 172, when broken, provide visual evidence that closure 110 has been opened a first time.

[0027] Closure 110 includes line of weakness extending around vertical axis 112, such as circumferentially, between first skirt 146 and base 160.

[0028] Line of weakness 170 extends from front portion 174 to rear portion 176. In various embodiments, front portion 174 extends linearly and horizontally from front of cap 140 towards rear 156 of cap 140. In various embodiments, rear portion 176 extends diagonally and linearly upward and circumferentially away from front portion 174 towards hinge 120. Applicant has observed that angling rear portion 176 of line of weakness 170 upward facilitates the user being able to close closure 110 because it raises the rotation axis 116 between base 160 and cap 140, thereby allowing the user to more easily slide the cap 140 over the far edge of the container neck.

[0029] In various embodiments, front portion 174 of line of weakness 170 extends circumferential distance 178 with respect to vertical axis 112 along each side of front 171 of line of weakness 170. In various embodiments, front portion 174 extends a total of at least 180 degrees (e.g., two halves of distance front portion 174 each extending distance 178 that is 90 degrees around vertical axis 112, one half for each side of closure 112), and more specifically at least 200 degrees, and even more specifically at least 220 degrees. In various embodiments, front portion 174 extends between 180 and 270 degrees around vertical axis 112, and more specifically between 200 and 250 degrees, and even more specifically between 210 and 240 degrees. In various embodiments, front portion 174 extends no more than 270 degrees around vertical axis 112, and more specifically no more than 250 degrees, and even more specifically no more than 240 degrees.

[0030] In various embodiments, rear portions 176 of line of weakness 170 extend circumferential distance 179 with respect to vertical axis 112. In various embodiments, rear portions 174 extends a total of at least 50 degrees with respect to vertical axis 112 (e.g., two instances that are each of distance 179 being 25 degrees around vertical axis 112, one instance for each side of closure 112), and more specifically at least 60 degrees, and even more specifically at least 70 degrees, and even more specifically at least 80 degrees, and even more specifically at least 90 degrees, and even more specifically at least 100 degrees. In various embodiments, rear portions 176 collectively extend between 50 and 180 degrees around vertical axis 112, and more specifically between 60 and 150 degrees, and even more specifically between 70 and 130 degrees. In various embodiments, rear portions 176 collectively extend no more than 180 degrees around vertical axis 112, and more specifically no more than 150 degrees, and even more specifically no more than 130 degrees.

[0031] In various embodiments, rear portions 176 extend linearly from front portion 174, and more specifically rear portions 176 extend linearly from front portion 174 to hinge 120 and/or rotation axis 116. In various embodiments, rear portions 176 extend both vertically and circumferentially between front portion 174 and hinge 120.

[0032] In various embodiments, at least one frangible connection 172 is in at least one of rear portions 176, and more specifically at least one frangible connection 172 is in each of rear portions 176.

[0033] In various embodiments, distance 117 of rotation axis 116 from top panel 142 is between 40% and 90% of distance 175 of front portion 174 from top panel 142 at front 171 of line of weakness 170, and more specifically between 50% and 80%, and more specifically between 60% and 75%. In various embodiments, distance 117 of rotation axis 116 from top panel 142 is at least 40% of distance 175 of front portion 174 from top panel 142 at front 171 of line of weakness 170, and more specifically at least 50%, and more specifically at least 60%. In various embodiments, distance 117 of rotation axis 116 from top panel 142 is no more than 90% of distance 175 of front portion 174 from top panel 142 at front 171 of line of weakness 170, and more specifically no more than 80%, and more specifically no more than 75%.

[0034] Closure 110 further includes base 160 pivotally coupled to first skirt 146 via hinge 120. The cap 140 pivotally actuates with respect to the base 160 between a closed position and an open position.

[0035] Referring to FIGS. 6-7, depicted therein are one or more beneficial aspects of rotation axis 116 being arranged to be closer to top panel 142, compared to if the entirety of line of weakness 170 extended along the plan of front portion 174. In particular, as top panel 142 is pivoted towards the closed position with respect to base 160, skirt 146 of top panel 142 extends past container neck 192. This is in contrast to if rotation axis 116 was further from top panel 142, in which case skirt 146 of top panel 142 would interface against container neck 192 of container 190, thereby interfering with top panel 142 being closed unless skirt 146 and/or container neck 192 are deformed (e.g., because the diameter of skirt 146 is not sufficiently large to extend from rotation axis 116 past container neck 192 when skirt 146 is being closed and is in the position shown in FIGS. 6-7).

[0036] Referring to FIG. 9, various aspects of closure 110 are shown. In various embodiments, closure 110 includes a first plurality of projections 180 extending inwardly, such as towards axis 112 from one of first skirt 146 and hinge 120. In various embodiments, first plurality of projections 180 includes rear projection 182, which is positioned on and extends inwardly from hinge 120. First plurality of projections 180 interface with the container neck when closure 110 is closed to bias one or more components of closure 110 to remain coupled to the container neck, such as to bias the cap 140 to remain in the closed position.

[0037] In various embodiments, first plurality of projections 180 include a first projection, such as rear projection 152. For example, rear projection 182 interfaces with container neck to bias base 160 downward, and thus biases closure 110 to remain coupled to the container neck even when closure 110 is opened. In various embodiments, rear projection 182 extends inwardly from base 160 under hinge 120, i.e., further from top panel 142 than hinge 120. Applicant has observed that positioning rear projection 182 above line of weakness and that interfaces with container neck 192 facilitates securing the closure 110 from being maliciously opened, e.g., without one or more of frangible connections 172 breaking.

[0038] In various embodiments, the remaining projections 180, i.e., the projections 180 other than rear projection 182, interface with the container neck when the closure 110 is in the closed position to bias cap 140 to remain coupled to the container neck.

[0039] Referring to FIGS. 10-11, various aspects of closure 110 are shown. Plug 150 interfaces with container neck 192 of container 190 to seal the contents of the container 190.

[0040] In various embodiments, there are three sealing points between container neck 192 and closure 110. Inner surface 148 of skirt 146 interfaces with container neck 192 to provide a first sealing location, and container neck 192 interfaces with an upper portion and a lower portion of outer surface 154 of plug 150 to provide second and third sealing locations between container neck 192 and closure 110.

[0041] In various embodiments, closure 110 includes a second plurality of projections 186 extending inwardly towards the vertical axis 112 from base 160. In various embodiments, second plurality of projections 186 extend inwardly from base 160 towards axis 112, thereby biasing base 160 to remain coupled to container neck 192. In various embodiments, second plurality of projections 186 are further from top panel 142 than first plurality of projections 180. In various embodiments, closure 110 includes three projections 186 that circumferentially extend around axis 112.

[0042] Projections 186 are height 187 below top panel 142, and projections 180 are height 181 below top panel 142. In various embodiments, height 187 is more than height 181 and thus projections 186 are further from top panel 142 than projections 180.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 11, in various embodiments projections 186 interface with container neck 192 to prevent closure 110 from being actuated upward, thereby making it more difficult for user to insert an object under skirt 146 to disengage closure 110 from container neck 192.

[0044] Rotation axis 116 is distance 117 below top surface 143 of top panel 142. In various embodiments, distance 117 is less than 75% of distance 187, and more specifically less than 65%, and even more specifically less than 60%, and even more specifically less than 50%.

[0045] It should be understood that the figures illustrate the exemplary embodiments in detail, and it should be understood that the present application is not limited to the details or methodology set forth in the description or illustrated in the figures. It should also be understood that the terminology is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0046] Further modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only. The construction and arrangements, shown in the various exemplary embodiments, are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter described herein. Some elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered or varied. The order or sequence of any process, logical algorithm, or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may also be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the various exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0047] Unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that any method set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps be performed in a specific order. Accordingly, where a method claim does not actually recite an order to be followed by its steps or it is not otherwise specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that the steps are to be limited to a specific order, it is in no way intended that any particular order be inferred. In addition, as used herein, the article a is intended to include one or more component or element, and is not intended to be construed as meaning only one.

[0048] For purposes of this disclosure, the term coupled means the joining of two components directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two members and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two members or the two members and any additional member being attached to one another. Such joining may be permanent in nature or alternatively may be removable or releasable in nature. As used herein, rigidly coupled refers to two components being coupled in a manner such that the components move together in a fixed positional relationship when acted upon by a force.

[0049] While the current application recites particular combinations of features in the claims appended hereto, various embodiments of the invention relate to any combination of any of the features described herein whether or not such combination is currently claimed, and any such combination of features may be claimed in this or future applications. Any of the features, elements, or components of any of the exemplary embodiments discussed above may be used alone or in combination with any of the features, elements, or components of any of the other embodiments discussed above.

[0050] In various exemplary embodiments, the relative dimensions, including angles, lengths and radii, as shown in the Figures are to scale. Actual measurements of the Figures will disclose relative dimensions, angles and proportions of the various exemplary embodiments. Various exemplary embodiments extend to various ranges around the absolute and relative dimensions, angles and proportions that may be determined from the Figures. Various exemplary embodiments include any combination of one or more relative dimensions or angles that may be determined from the Figures. Further, actual dimensions not expressly set out in this description can be determined by using the ratios of dimensions measured in the Figures in combination with the express dimensions set out in this description.