Truly tamper-evident container

Abstract

One embodiment of a vertical tube (26) for an improved tamper-evident container having no threads which descends from the underside of a cap (12) and is permanently adhered to a receiving cylindrical, threadless body neck (50) on the top of the body (10). A tape (46) is adhered to the underside of the lid (14) and runs towards the front of the cap where the opening is located, extends down to a plateau (22) where it runs back towards the rear, hinged (18) end of the cap. The tape breaks apart when the lid is opened for the first time. The cap and lid are clear and see-through which allows the customer to see if the tape is torn apart and know whether the product has been tampered with or not. Other embodiments are described and shown.

Claims

1. A tamper-evident container comprising: a container body comprising: a screwless neck, spout, brim, or flanged top; at container cap comprising a lid, an opening adjacent a front inner wall, a spout, a rear, hinged end, a crater on the underside of the lid, and a threadless tube that descends vertically from the container cap and which is permanently adhered to the screwless neck, spout, brim, or flanged top of the container body, and a tape adhered to an underside of the lid which extends away from the rear, hinged end of the container cap, towards the front inner wall of the lid, down to a plateau on the top of the container body, and back towards the spout and the rear, hinged end of the container cap; wherein the tape breaks apart when the lid is opened for the first time to provide visual evidence of tampering.

2. The container of claim 1 wherein the container cap and the container body comprise polyethylene.

3. The container of claim 1 wherein the container cap and lid are clear or see-through.

4. The container of claim 1 wherein the spout is sealed with foil, paper, or plastic.

5. The container of claim 1 wherein the spout is ringed by an O-ring, a safety shrink band, a second tape, a plastic item, or a paper item that comes off or breaks apart when the tape being disposed underneath the O-ring, the safety shrink band, the second tape, the plastic item, or the paper item is pulled up when the lid is opened.

6. The container of claim 1 wherein the tape is further adhered to the inner wall of the lid at the opening.

7. The container of claim 1 wherein the tape is made of foil, paper, or plastic.

8. The container of claim 1 wherein the threadless tube on the container cap is permanently adhered to the screwless neck, spout, brim, or flanged top of the container body with a heat-activated adhesive.

9. The container of claim 1 wherein the container body is a collapsible tube.

10. The container of claim 1 wherein the lid is a flip-top lid.

11. The container of claim 1 wherein the tape is masking tape.

12. The container of claim 1 wherein the tape is attached to or is a member of foil, paper, or plastic material further covering the spout.

13. The container of claim 1 wherein the tape is a cylindrical sleeve.

14. The container of claim 13 wherein the cylindrical sleeve is made of foil, paper, or plastic material.

15. The container of claim 13 wherein the cylindrical sleeve descends from the crater down to the spout on the plateau.

16. A method of joining a tape having a first end, an opposite end, and a sticky side to a product packaging container comprising a container body, and a container cap having a lid, a front, an opening, and a plateau, comprising the steps of: placing the first end of the tape with the sticky side onto an underside of the lid, near a rear, hinged end of the container cap, pressing the tape against the lid as the tape runs toward a front end of the container cap guiding a first punch hole in the tape around a crater descending from the underside of the lid, and continuing to press the tape against the lid until the tape reaches the front end of the lid near the opening; lifting an opposite end of the tape back to the rear, hinged end of the container cap while lining up a second punch hole in the tape to be able to go around a spout on the plateau; setting the first end of the tape with the sticky side facing down onto the plateau; closing the lid which lowers the tape, so that the tape settles around the second punch hole and squats in a resting position sticking to the plateau.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number but different alphabetic suffixes.

(2) FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of a tamper-evident container with a tube of one embodiment.

(3) FIG. 1B is a tamper-evident container with a body neck on a flat body top of another embodiment.

(4) FIG. 1C is a tamper-evident container with footing and no spout on the body of another embodiment.

(5) FIG. 1D is a tamper-evident container with sloping sides hidden within the cap that is sealed to the sides of a topless body of another embodiment.

(6) FIG. 1E is a tamper-evident container with a streamlined cap that is sealed to a slightly-sloped spoutless body of another embodiment.

(7) FIG. 2A is a flat, unfolded safety tape with no visible breakaway points and an average distance between the two punch holes of one embodiment.

(8) FIG. 2B is a safety tape with one breakaway point of another embodiment.

(9) FIG. 2C is a safety tape with two breakaway points and a greater distance between the two punch holes of another embodiment.

(10) FIG. 2D is a safety tape with two broken breakaway points and a shorter distance between the two punch holes of another embodiment.

(11) FIG. 3 is a side view of a folded safety tape.

(12) FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C are front views of various folded safety tapes with narrowed breakaway point(s). FIG. 4B has two breakaway points.

(13) FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D are top views of various safety tape shapes and sizes as they sit on the plateau of collapsible tubes.

(14) FIG. 6A is a side view of an ajar cap that shows the safety tape about to spring the taut safety shrink band of one embodiment.

(15) FIG. 6B is a side view of an ajar cap which shows the safety tape has been torn apart. The safety tape is only at the front half of the container as it does not go beyond the crater, nor the spout, of another embodiment.

(16) FIG. 6C is a front exploded view of a cap that shows a centrally-located slack safety tape, which covers the spout, within a cylinder-shaped safety tape sleeve.

(17) FIG. 6D is a front exploded view of a cap that shows safety tape as members on the top and bottom of a safety shrink band.

(18) FIG. 7A is a front view of a tamper-evident container with the safety shrink band around a spout.

(19) FIG. 7B is a front view of a closed tamper-evident container with scaled snap-off studs of one embodiment.

DRAWINGS REFERENCE NUMERALS

(20) 10 Body 12 Cap 14 Lid 16 Body Spout 18 Hinge 20 Crater 22 Plateau 24 Plateau Rim 26 Tube 28 Footing 30 Breakaway Point 32 Punch Hole 34 Thumb Dent 36 Dent Overhang 38 O-ring 40 Safety Shrink Band 42 Body Slope 44 Snap-off Studs 46 Safety Tape 48 Cap Spout 50 Body Neck 52 Safety Tape Fold 54 Sticky Side 56 Non-sticky Side 58 Safety Tape Sleeve 60 Inner Wall (of the lid)

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(21) One embodiment of the Truly Tamper-evident Container is illustrated in FIG. 1A (front view). The container is comprised of a cap (12) and a body (10), and can generally be made from a wide variety of plastics including polyethylene, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), etc., to hermetically seal and store such goods as shampoos, facial soaps, cosmetics, lotions, detergents, bleaches, motor oil, and numerous other products with varying degrees of viscosity. Steel, aluminum, and other metals can be used as well to store other contents such as paints and combustible liquids.

(22) The cap (12) is clear and see-through which allows the customer to know immediately if the product about to be purchased has been tampered with or not. A screwless or threadless tube (26) is shown to descend vertically to an accepting screwless or threadless body neck (50). It could also be connected at a spout (16), brim, sides, or flanged top of the body. On the plateau (22) is a cap spout (48) where the product's contents, housed in the body (10), comes out.

(23) FIG. 2B shows a flat, unfolded, FIG. 8 shape safety tape (46) with one extended breakaway point (30) which, if broken, immediately indicates to in potential customer if the product has been opened or not. A flat, unfolded piece of safety tape (46) can be approximately one or two inches long, depending on the size of the plateau (22). The length can also vary depending on the tackiness of the tape itself, the strength necessary to hid the tape in place while the lid (14) is being opened, etc. Generally speaking, the larger the area covered with safety tape and the stronger the tackiness of tape, the better the tape holds its position while the lid (14) is first opened.

(24) FIG. 3 (side view) shows a folded safety tape (46) as it would appear inside a cap (12). One of the punch holes (32) would go around the cap spout (48) and the other punch hole (32) would go around the crater (20). Punch holes (32) are approximately 0.7 cm to 2 cm depending on the size of the crater (20) and cap spout (48) that they go around. On a flat, unfolded piece of safety tape (46), punch holes (32) are approximately half an inch to an inch and a half away from each other. The farther the punch holes (32) are away from one another, the wider the lid is allowed to open before the safety tape (46) becomes taut, and finally breaks. Therefore, the opposite is true. The shorter the distance between the punch holes means the lid does not open as wide before the safety tape (46) tears, thus, it is that much harder for t saboteur to try to put a foreign substance in through the cap spout (48). The tacky, sticky side (54) of the safety tape (46) is on the outer side, while the non-tacky, non-sticky side (56) is on the inner side of the tape.

(25) FIG. 4A (front view) shows a folded safety tape (46) with a narrow breakaway point (30). The breakaway point can be anywhere from approximately 0.25 cm to 2 cm or more. Generally speaking, the narrower the width at the breakaway point, the faster and easier it is for the safety tape to break apart. FIG. 5A (top view) shows a safety tape (46) completely surrounding the cap spout (48). FIG. 6B (side view) shows a broken safety tape (46) and a slightly ajar lid (14).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(26) The threadless tube (26), which is a member of the cap, is glued to the threadless body neck (50) by means of, perhaps, a heat-activated adhesive. As shown in FIG. 1A, there is not a male section screw-on thread system with an accepting female screw-on portion as is the case with many consumer products. This permanent connection of the cap (12) to the body (10) eliminates one main entry point to the product body for any potential saboteur.

(27) A flat, unfolded safety tape (FIG. 2B) or a pre-folded safety tape (46), as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4A, is adhered to the underside of the lid (14) and to the top of the plateau (22). The sticky side (54) is on the outside and the non-sticky side (56) is on the inner side of the folded safety tape (46) which starts on the underside of the lid (14) near the hinge (18) and inner wall (60) of the lid (FIG. 1E). The tape continues towards the center where a punch hole (32) allows for the safety tape (46) to go over and/or around the crater (20) and continue on towards the front opening of the lid (14). A breakaway point (30), generally located at the midway point on the safety tape (46), is located just inside at the front of the lid (14). It is not mandatory that the tape is adhered to the inner wall (60) of the lid at this point, so it doesn't have to have a sticky substance in this section of the tape. The safety tape (46) drops down to and is adhered to, the plateau as it runs back toward the cap spout (48). Another punch hole allows the safety tape (46) to move over and/or around the cap spout (48) as it moves towards the hinge (18). It comes to a stop at the safety tape fold (52) near the edge of the plateau rim (24) just before the hinge (18). The safety tape (46) never leaves outside of the cap (12), and, is thus, self-contained and free from being sabotaged without being detected. The safety tape (46) is generally compressed with some slack while it is in its resting place. Once the lid (14) is opened for the first time, the safety tape (46) becomes taut until it reaches its breaking point and tears apart. The broken safety tape (46) indicates that someone has opened this container and it should not be purchased. The safety tape (46) is to adhere to the container until the lid has been opened and the safety tape (46) has been broken. Then, it peels off easily without leaving any residue.

(28) As shown in FIG. 5A, only one section of the safety tape (46), the top section adhered to the underside of the lid (14), is visible from above through the clear lid (14). The remaining part of the safety tape (46) is hidden underneath this top section and is adhered to the plateau (22).

(29) As shown in FIG. 6B, the lid (14) is open on the ajar cap (12) and the safety tape (46) has been broken, indicating the lid has been opened and that the customer should not purchase this item.

(30) FIG. 1B (front view) is shown with a body neck (50) and body spout (16) on the plateau (22).

(31) FIG. 1C (front view) is shown with footing (28) at the base of the tube (26) and no spout on the top of the body (10).

(32) FIG. 1D (front view) is shown a hidden body slope (42) within the cap (12) and a topless body (10).

(33) FIG. 1E (front view) is shown with a hinge (18) connected to a streamlined cap (12) and a gradual sloping body slope (42). Also shown is the inner wall (60) of the lid.

(34) FIGS. 5B to 5D (top view) require less safety tape (46) covering a smaller area and accomplish the same goal of adhering to the lid (14) and plateau (22), but they would require a tape with a stronger tackiness due to the fact they would be spread over a smaller area.

(35) FIG. 6A is a side view that shows a taut safety tape (46) which runs underneath a safety shrink band (40) and is about to pull up on the safety shrink band (40), which would tear it apart. An O-ring (38), or similar item, could be used in place of the safety shrink band (40) and would pop off once the tape is pulled up from underneath it. All of these would indicate that the lid (141) has been opened.

(36) FIG. 6C (exploded view) is shown with a safety tape sleeve (58) which will break when stretched too far. Also, a safety tape (46) is shown within the safety tape sleeve (58) which rests over the cap spout (48) to act as an extra layer of safety.

(37) FIG. 6D (exploded view) is shown with a safety shrink band (40) which is connected to safety tape (46) on the top and bottom. The safety shrink band (40) pulls apart when stretched too far.

(38) FIG. 7A (front view) is shown with the safety shrink band (40) around the cap spout (48). Illustrated on the outside of the cap are the thumb dent (34) and thumb overhang (36) which allow the consumer to easily open the lid (14).

(39) FIG. 7B (front view) is shown with snap off studs (44) which break apart to indicate when the lid (14) had been opened.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE

(40) Accordingly, the reader will see that the Truly Tamper-evident Containers of the various embodiments are a much safer packaging system for many everyday consumer products which will have the consumers confident to use, and the manufacturers confident to make without fear of lawsuits. These containers can be produced at a nominal cost to the manufacturers who may or may not, pass on the savings to the customer. In addition, previously used methods of using tape, safety shrink band, etc., outside the cap may still be utilized as an extra layer of confidence for the customer. There will be no more inconsistencies of products where some manufacturers use foil on the cap spouts, safety shrink bands or tamper-evident tape on the outside of their containers, etc., while others do not use any such safety protection at all. There would be no more being able to unscrew the cap from the container body and then putting a foreign substance in through the spout. No more not being able to see through the cap in order to see if the foil is on properly, been tampered with, etc. A reduction in the number of injuries, deaths, and lawsuits can be expected from these new tamper-evident containers.

(41) There is no excuse for not having a universally-accepted product container where all product packaging contains the same or nearly the same, system whereby the customer can feel confident that the product they are purchasing has not been tampered with. By having a clear, see-through container cap permanently sealed to the container body, and a folded safety tape or similar item adhered inside the cap where no saboteur can have access to it without signally to the customer that the product has been tampered with, the public and manufacturers can feel confident that no one with nefarious intent will ever easily succeed.

(42) While the above description contains specificities, they should not be construed as limitations on the scope, but instead, as an exemplification of one or more embodiments thereof. Many more variations are possible. For instance, the container may be in many different forms of packaging, in addition to collapsible tubes. The cap may be slightly tinted, colored, or opaque. The size and shape may be different to accommodate the size of the cap, the tackiness of the tape, the placement of the safety tape attached to the foil cover an the spout, the location of the spout and crater, etc. The breakaway point (s) may be narrower or wider or be made of a different material that may be more difficult or easier to break apart than the safety tape.

(43) There are various possibilities with regard to how the cap is connected to the body, where and how the safety tape is set within the cap, how other items such as safety shrink bands, O-rings, or other items are used to show whether or not a container lid has been opened or tampered with, etc., therefore, the scope should be determined not by the illustrated embodiments, but by the claims and their legal equivalents.