Tamper-indicating capped container.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

0001This invention relates generally to containers and closures therefor and pertains more particularly to a container providing indication to a user that the container has been tampered with.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

0002Recent domestic events have heightened the need for an effective manner in which to assure the uncontaminated delivery of contained products to a consumer, particularly medicinal products taken internally. Specifically needed is the provision of a container for such products which bears assuring indication to the consumer that the contents have not been tampered with from their point of manufacture to the point of consumer sale.

0003In one prior art approach toward meeting this need, use is made of of so-called "teltale" indication, i.e., a readily discernible characteristic indicative of tampering, such as a visible sign that some person has previously attempted to gain access to the container contents. ⁵Broadly speaking, these efforts may be generalized as placing a tamper-indicating member, e.g., an ambient-sensitive element, in the path of access to a container to indicate tampering by discernible change, e.g., change of color of the member. A quite early example of this practice is seen in U.S. Patent No. 1,095,313 wherein a light-sensitive label is applied to a bottle and the releasably capped bottle with such label is wrapped in a light-impermeable paper. When the wrapper is removed in ambient light, the label changes color and indication is thus provided to a subsequent purchaser that the wrapper has previously been removed. In a practice within the last decade, seen in U.S. Patent No. 3,899,295, this technique is modernized by including the teltale substance as an interiorly disposed protected component of the wrapper. In the '295 patent, a heat-shrinkable member straddles both the cap and container vessel after capping and has a pH-sensitive integrity indicia imprinted on the interior of the member, the indicia being packaged with a basic gaseous material which maintains the indicia of a given first color. When the heat-shrinkable member is first removed from the cap and vessel, ambient pH causes the indicia to change color.

0004Another teltale approach is seen in situations in- which containers are not releasably capped, i.e., the teltale is a component of a strippable closure member. Examples of this effort are seen in U.S. Patent No. 3,826,221 and 3,923,198. In the '198 patent, a multilayer member serves to close the access avenue to a container and includes a layer which becomes opaque when subjected to stress. A color backing or printed legend normally visible through the stress-sensitive layer is not seen on tampering, thus providing a color change which is descernible to the user to indicate that tampering has occurred. In the '221 patent, an outer seal is adhesively secured to a container as a closure member and includes an ink which smudges if the closure member is tampered with.

0005In applicants' view, the latter approach is more desirable in one aspect than the former, since the latter provides indication of tampering directly at the access port rather than at a preceding wrapper removal stage. Thus, the heat-shrinkable member discussed above is a stage removed from the removal of the cap of the container and may not be present at the cap removal. However, such advantage in the latter techniques is obtained at the expense of exposing the teltale to inadvertent activating stress in the course of handling and shipping. It is applicant's further view that tamper indication should be effectively provided without need for such ambient-sensitive teltales or that more effective such ambient-sensitive teltale containers should be afforded to manufacturers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

0006This invention has as its primary object the provision of improved tamper indication for containers of the capped type.

0007A secondary object of the invention is to provide improved tamper-indicating containers of the ambient-sensitive teltale type.

0008In attaining these-and other objects, applicants provide a container having a jar with a mouth for access to its contents, a teltale element, preferably in the form of a simple paper seal closing the mouth, and a cap releasably securable to the jar and circumscribing its mouth and the teltale element when secured to the jar. The cap includes means depending interiorly from the cap top undersurface and orientated so as to travel in first sense upon the teltale element without rupturing same and to rupture the teltale element upon travel in opposite sense.

0009Such cap depending means may take the form of one or more knife-like tines or other rupturing elements cantilever-supported by the cap for flexure selectively in such first sense travel thereof, which is the clockwise closing rotation of the cap at the point of initial closure of the container and its contents at the point of manufacture. The cap is desirably made of transparent material such that the condition of the teltale element may be viewed constantly after the initial assembly juncture and to the point of consumer sale.

0010Where the teltale is of the ambient-sensitive variety, it may be in the form of an assembly including a first layer adhered to the mouth, an ambient-sensitive teltale second layer atop the first layer and a third layer protectively overlying the teltale layer and adhesively secured to the first layer. The third layer is rupturable selectively in the course of such cap second sense movement, thereby activating the teltale second layer.

0011The foregoing and other features of the invention will be further evident from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and practices and from the drawings thereof wherein like reference numerals identify like parts throughout.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

0012<ul id="ul0001" list-style="none"><li>Fig. 1 is an exploded-front elevation of the jar and cap of one embodiment of a container in accordance with the invention, the cap being broken away in part to show interior detail.</li><li>Fig. 2 is a bottom plan elevation of the cap of Fig. 1.</li><li>Fig. 3 is an enlarged central sectional view of the Fig. 1 container upon initial assembly of the cap with the sealed jar thereof.</li><li>Fig. 4 is a plan view of the assembly of Fig. 3 upon counterclockwise rotation of the cap relative to the jar.</li><li>Fig. 5 is an exploded front elevation of the jar and cap of another embodiment of a container in accordance with the invention, the cap being broken away in part to show interior detail.</li><li>Fig. 6 is a bottom plan elevation of the cap of Fig. 5.</li><li>Fig. 7 is an enlarged central sectional view of the Fig. 5 container upon initial assembly of the cap with the sealed jar thereof.</li><li>Fig. 8 is a bottom plan elevation of another embodiment of a cap usable in practicing the invention.</li></ul>

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS AND PRACTICES

0013Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, container 10'includes a vessel 12 of plastic or glass for such use as containing medicinal capsules or liquid, neck 14 of the jar being provided with closure threads 16 and terminating in open circular access opening or mouth 14a. Closure member or cap 18 is of rigid plastic material and is interiorly threaded at 20 for releasable securement to neck 14. In selecting plastic materials for jar 12, one looks to such thermoplastics as will provide a barrier to penetration, such as by use of a hypodermic needle. High impact styrene is suitable. As for cap 18, optically clear plastics of butyrate, acetate, nylon, lucite and plexiglass and the like are suitable.

0014Tine 22, which may be one or more in number, is formed integrally with cap 18, e.g., is molded therewith, and is cantilever-supported from cap undersurface 18a. As is seen in the underview of cap 18 in Fig. 2, the tine is elongate and is so disposed that its longitudinal axis is generally tangential to the radius of the cap. The tine extends from cap undersurface 18a such that the free tine end 22a trails the tine end 22b, which is in undersurface 18a, in the container closing direction of rotation of cap 18, such direction being indicated by arrow CD in Fig. 2.

0015Teltale seal 24 is secured to mouth 14a of jar 14 after the jar is loaded at the point of manufacture with its contents. Seal 24 is preferably comprised of paper sheet, e.g., wax paper, heat bondable or otherwise strongly securable to jar 14.

0016In Fig. 3, cap 18 is shown following its initial securement to jar 12, i.e., the cap having been rotated clockwise (first sense movement) fully into closely nested relation with seal 24. Based upon the foregoing orientation of tine 22 relative to the direction CD (Fig. 2) of closure rotation, the free end 22a of the tine rides upon seal 24 and the tine flexes into continually decreasing acute angular relation in the cap undersurface in the course of closure rotation. Thus, initial tine angle 26 of Fig. 1 decreases to final tine angle 28 of Fig. 3, as permitted by the cantilever disposition of tine 22. To this juncture, no component of force is presented to seal 24 which would rupture same. Conversely, opening rotation of cap 14, i.e., counterclockwise rotation thereof (second opposite sense movement) through angle A as seen in Fig. 4, gives rise to rupture of seal 24 in area 24a thereof as free end 22a of tine 22, and more particularly )chamfered surface 22c (Fig. 4), bites directly into the seal. There results a tearing of seal 24, which is directly visible through transparent cap 18. Reverse bending of the tine is resisted by stop 22c (Fig. 2), which also functions to abuttingly sustain the seal tearing or rupturing action.

0017Referring now.to the container 110 embodiment shown in Figs. 5-7, teltale assembly 124 is sealably secured to mouth 114c of jar 112 after the jar is loaded at the point of manufacture with its contents. In Fig. 6, tines 122 are again elongate with their longitudinal axes tangential to the cap radius and have free ends 122a leading ends 122b thereof, such free ends 122a tapering to a point. As is seen in Fig. 7, teltale assembly 124, which may be a multilayer laminated unit, includes a first or lowermost layer 124a, comprised of plastic sheet material, e.g., polyethylene, heat bondable or otherwise strongly securable to jar 112. A teltale layer 124b is disposed atop layer 124a as a second or intermediate layer of the assembly. This layer includes therein ambient-sensitive matter, such as the color-changing pH-sensitive substances set forth in the aforementioned '295 patent and like known materials, i.e., any substance which will be of first sensible character when protected from the ambient environment and of second different sensible character when exposed to the ambient environment. A third or uppermost layer 124c, e.g., optically clear Mylar, is in overlying relation to layer 124b and is lightly adhesively secured to first layer 124a as indicated, peripherally outwardly of layer 124b.

0018In Fig. 7, cap 118 is shown following its initial securement to jar 112, i.e., the cap having been rotated clockwise (first sense movement) fully into closely nested relation with assembly 124, the tine angles being reduced acute angles (128) again as contrasted with their measure (126) in Fig. 5. As in the container of Figs. 1-4, to this juncture, no component of force is presented to layer 124c which would rupture same. Conversely, opening rotation of cap 118, i.e., counterclockwise rotation thereof (second opposite sense movement) gives rise to rupture of layer 124c as free ends 122a of tines 122 bite directly into the layer. There results an activation of layer 124b by its exposure to the ambient environment and-a discernible indication, such as color change or the visualization of an integrity indicia disposed in or below layer 124b on the surface of layer 124a. In order to indicate that tampering has not occurred prior to the consumer's own activation of layer 124b, cap 118 and its integrally molded tines, and layer 124c are of transparent material to permit direct viewing of the condition of the teltale.

0019The invention contemplates, in the Figs. 5-7 embodiment, a substantially stronger adhesive force as between layer 124a and jar mouth 114a than the adhesive force existing between layer 124c and the surface to which it is secured, e.g., the perimeter of layer 124a. With this relation among the adhesive forces, the would-be tamperer will find it quite difficult to remove the entire laminate assembly 124 without activating layer 124b. Layer 124c may fully circumscribe layer 124a and engage jar mouth 114 at a location below assembly 124 to further defeat tampering. Also, layer 124b may be stress-opacifying in character. Further, a code number or like reference indicium may be imprinted on layer 124 for control purposes.

0020A further alternative tine configuration is shown in Fig. 8, wherein tine 30 of cap 32 is shaped as a putty knife, outwardly tapering to a straight edge at tine free end 30a. As will be also noted, the tines may be employed in redundant fashion, i.e., in plural number as in Fig. 6, or singly as in Figs. 2 and 8.

0021Various changes in structure and modifications in practice may evidently be introduced in the foregoing particularly disclosed and described embodiments and practices without departing from the invention. Thus, such matters as container and cap configuration, tine structure, teltale selection, and the like will be seen to be readily varied. The preferred embodiments and practices are thus intended in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense. The true spirit and scope of the invention is set forth in the following claims.