Patent Application
20080068179
The disclosure, together with additional objects, features, advantages and aspects thereof, will best be understood from the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawing, which is a fragmentary sectional view of a package in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
The drawing illustrates a package 20 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Package 20 includes a closure 22 applied to the neck finish 24 of a container 26. Container 26 may be of glass or plastic construction. Closure 22 preferably is of molded plastic construction and includes a shell having a base wall 28 and a skirt 30 with one or more internal thread segments 32 for engagement with one or more external thread segments 34 on neck finish 24 to secure closure 22 to container 26. (The term “thread segments” is employed in its usual broad sense to include both continuous and discontinuous threads, and both single and multiple threads on the container neck finish.) Skirt 30 includes a tamper band 36 frangibly connected by one or more frangible bridges or webs 38. Tamper band 36 may be of any suitable geometry, with the geometry illustrated in the drawing being exemplary. In this exemplary geometry, a stop flange 40 preferably extends upwardly and inwardly from tamper band 36 for engagement with an external bead 42 on container neck finish 24. Stop flange 40 typically is molded in an orientation extending axially and angularly away from base wall 28, and is “inverted” in a post-molding operation to an orientation extending axially and radially toward base wall 28. When closure 22 is first removed from neck finish 24, abutment of stop flange 40 with bead 42 limits movement of band 36 so that band 36 becomes separated from skirt 30 by fracture of bridges or webs 38 to provide an indication that the package has been opened. Closure 22 may include additional elements, such as one or more sealing elements, either integral with or separate from the closure shell, for sealing engagement with the container neck finish.
An RFID circuit 44 is provided on package 20. Circuit 44 in the exemplary embodiment includes an RFID tag 46 and an antenna 48 coupled to tag 46 so that tag 46 can be interrogated through antenna 48 by external interrogation circuitry. RFID circuit 44 preferably is carried by stop flange 40 between stop flange 40 and tamper band 36. RFID circuit 44 preferably is mounted on or encapsulated in a suitable substrate 50 that is molded into or mounted on the surface of stop flange 40, such as by a suitable adhesive prior to inversion of stop flange 40 to the orientation illustrated in the drawing. RFID circuit 44 thus is protected between stop flange 40 and tamper band 36. Stop flange 40 preferably includes an end lip 52 that extends toward tamper band 36 in assembly for additional enclosing protection of RFID circuit 44.
When closure 22 is initially applied to neck finish 24 (after placement of product within container 26), stop flange 40 and tamper band 36 expand outwardly during travel over bead 42 on neck finish 24. RFID circuit 44 can be interrogated for identification or other purposes, such as for pricing purposes when purchasing package 20. When closure 22 is first removed from container neck finish 24, abutment of stop flange 40 with bead 42 applies forces to bridges or webs 38 that fracture the bridges or webs so that tamper band 36 remains on container neck finish 24 after the closure has been removed. RFID circuit 44 remains operational after removal of closure 22, and remains operational even if closure 22 is reapplied to the container neck finish. Thus, RFID circuit 44 provides for identification of the package, but does not indicate that the package has been opened.
There thus have been disclosed a package and a closure that fully satisfy all of the objects and aims previously set forth. The disclosure has been presented in connection with an exemplary embodiment, and additional modifications and variations have been discussed. Other modifications and variations readily will suggest themselves to persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the foregoing discussion. The disclosure is intended to embrace all such modifications and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
