Tamper indicating resealable closure for a container

0001This device relates to tamper indicating closures for containers and the like requiring a push-pull, resealable tamper indicating spout.

0002Prior art closures of this type may be seen in U.S. Patents 5,104,008, 5,105,967, 4,940,003, 4,801,032, 4,589,561, 4,561,553, 4,500,016, 4,469,253, 3,902,621, 4,084,716, 4,053,007, 4,034,882, 3,980,195, 3,963,139, 3,902,921, 3,682,345 and 3,504,818.

0003According to the present invention there is provided a tamper indicating resealable closure for a container, the closure having a dual tamper indicating means, including a first tamper indicating ring on the closure which lies, in use, adjacent a neck portion of the bottle and a second tamper indicating ring on a push-pull, resealable pour spout means including a pour spout with an opening therein which is partially closed by a top cap having an opening therein, and there being a plug, supported by means, the plug being in spaced relationship from said pour spout opening to close said top cap opening when said pour spout is pushed to its closed position.

0004The invention also extends to a container incorporating a closure essentially as just defined.

0005For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:- <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none"><li>Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section through part of a resealable bottle cap with a push-pull pour spout in an opened position;</li><li>Figure 2 is a vertical cross-section through part of the cap with the push-pull top in a closed position;</li><li>Figure 3 is a perspective view of the resealable bottle cap;</li><li>Figure 4 is a perspective view of part of the cap;</li><li>Figure 5 is a plan view of the cap;</li><li>Figure 6 is a side view of the cap; and</li><li>Figure 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part of the cap showing the bottle neck configuration.</li></ul>

0006Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, a flexible, plastics closure includes a resealable bottle cap 10 with a push-pull secondary closure 11 thereon. The cap 10 includes a top portion 12 with an integral depending annular flange 13 extending therefrom. A plurality of circumferentially-spaced, frangible elements 14 extend from a lower edge of the depending flange 13 to a tamper indicating ring 15 integrally moulded with the closure. The ring 15 is of the same diameter as that of the annular flange 13 of the closure and has a plurality of circumferentially-spaced, inwardly facing arcuate projections 16 thereon.

0007Figures 1 and 7 show that the arcuate projections 16 are circumferentially-spaced about the inner surface of the tamper indicating ring 15 and are positioned so that they are engageable under an annular locking flange 17 on a bottle neck 18 (Figure 7).

0008An opening 19 is formed in the centre of the top portion 12 of the cap 10 with an upstanding, cylindrical pour spout 20 positioned in registry with the opening 19. The upper end of the pour spout 20 has a secondary top portion 21 thereon which is apertured at 22. A plug 23 is positioned on the secondary top portion 21 in spaced relation to the aperture 22 by a plurality of circumferentially-spaced, angularly arranged, upwardly extending legs 24.

0009A push-pull top cap 25 is positioned on the upstanding cylindrical pour spout 20 and has an upper portion 26 with a central opening 27 therein which registers with the plug 23 to form a secondary closure when the top cap 25 is in its closed position (Figure 2) and resting on the secondary top portion 21 of the upstanding cylindrical pour spout 20. The top cap 25 has a depending cylindrical body member 28 with a plurality of angularly-spaced, frangible elements 29 connected on its lower perimeter edge to a secondary tamper indicating ring 30. A plurality of upstanding stops 29A are positioned in spaced circumferential arrangement about the tamper indicating ring 30 between the frangible elements 29.

0010The cylindrical body member 28 has a pair of vertically-spaced, inturned annular flanges 31 having tapered upper and lower surfaces 31A which slideably engage the outer surface of the pour spout 20. The secondary tamper indicating ring 30 also has a tapered internal annular flange 32, which is slideably engaged on the exterior of the pour spout 20. The pour spout 20 has two outwardly extending annular flanges 33 and 34, the flange 34 having a tapered upper portion 34A and lying between the flanges 31 and 32 on the cylindrical body member 28 and secondary tamper indicating band 30, respectively.

0011In assembled form as illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 6, the secondary tamper indicating ring 30 is joined by the frangible elements 29 to the cylindrical body member 28 of the top cap 25 and is incapable of moving upwardly due to the interengagement of the inturned flange 32 with the outwardly extending flange 34 on the pour spout 20. Thus, the body member 28 is incapable of movement such as is required to move the top 26 above the plug 23 until sufficient force is applied to the top cap 25 to break away the frangible elements 29 so that the top cap 25 can move to the position illustrated in Figure 1. The flanges 31 on the body member 28 cannot move above the flange 33 on the pour spout 20 so that the top cap 25 cannot be removed therefrom. The upstanding stops 29A prevent compression and premature breakage of the frangible elements 29 prior to intended use.

0012Referring to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 6, the tamper indicating ring 15 has a plurality of circumferentially-spaced, elevated areas 35 each positioned between the respective frangible elements 14. The elevated areas 35 extend from the tamper indicating ring 15 in spaced relation to the lower edge of the flange 13 of the bottle cap 10 and provide selective support of the tamper indicating ring 15 to resist vertical movement imparted by the deflection of the tamper indicating ring 15 during insertion on the bottle neck 18 protecting the frangible elements 14 during assembly.

0013The elevated areas 35 also serve to protect the frangible elements 14 during the moulding process.

0014The flange 13 has an inwardly extending helical thread 36 extending about a portion of the interior annular surface 13A and terminating adjacent the top perimeter edge of the annular depending flange 13 at 13B. The thread 36 is registerable with a helical thread 37 extending outwardly from the neck portion 18 (Figure 7). The relative positioning of the thread 36 and the projections 16 on the ring 15 can be seen to be in a circumferentially-spaced overlapping relationship imparting offsetting points of engagement with the respective registering counterparts of the locking annular flange 17 on the bottle neck 18.

0015A first annular depending sealing flange 38 extends downwardly from the closure top portion 12 in spaced relation to the depending annular skirt 13. A second sealing flange extends angularly inwardly from said top portion 12 adjacent said first sealing flange 38 to define a multiple sealing configuration against the neck portion 18 of the bottle during use.

0016Figure 6 shows the push-pull closure 10 in assembled condition and illustrates an outside rib surface 40 on the depending annular flange 13.

0017To remove the push-pull closure cap 10 from the bottle neck 18, a counter-clockwise rotation of the cap 10 is required, which will accordingly engage the respective registering threads 36 and 37 moving the push-pull closure 10 upwardly, breaking the frangible elements 14 connecting the tamper indicating ring 16 to the cap's depending annular flange 13, leaving the tamper indicating ring 16 on the neck portion 18 below the locking flange 17.