This application is a national stage of International Application No. PCT/GB2008/001668, filed May 14, 2008, which claims priority to Great Britain Application No. 0709261.2, filed May 14, 2007, the disclosure of each application is hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
This invention is directed to closure caps or overseals and is principally, but not exclusively, directed towards closure caps or overseals for closure plugs for shipping containers; such as drums.
In today's global political climate the security of drummed products is coming under ever closer scrutiny. It has long been the practice to apply overseals of one kind or another with special hand and power tools which were able to crimp a metal portion of the overseal tightly around an upstanding opening neck designed to receive the seal. Moreover, the application step itself is quite labour intensive and relatively inefficient. Consequently a number of hand applied overseals or caps have come forth which to a certain degree obviate the above-mentioned application tools. These hand-applied overseals are for the most part easily snapped onto the container opening neck and usually almost as easily snapped off While these plastic snap-on caps or overseals serve to dress up a container such as a 55gallon (275liter) drum, giving the closure area a finished appearance and some added degree of cleanliness, there is still much to be desired in terms of drum security. To be effective such drum closure caps or overseals need to meet a number of rather demanding criteria. Obviously the hand application has to be simple and relatively effortless to satisfy normal filling line speeds. Once the drum is shipped, of paramount importance is the ability of the cap or overseal to guard against unauthorized access to the drum contents. This means that the cap or overseal cannot be physically removed without destroying same or making such unauthorized access clearly noticeable and such that the cap or overseal cannot be reapplied in unaltered form to the drum closure. In this regard, plastic, manually-applied caps or overseals currently in general use for both steel and plastic drums are, for the most part, easily pried off in an undetected manner particularly when in a warmed state. In other words “easy-on easy-off”.
A performance criterion also of major importance is the ease with which the cap or overseal can be removed from the underlying drum closure in an authorised manner such that subsequent replacement of the overseal is not possible. Normally this requires destruction of the cap or overseal in some fashion to prevent reuse. In this regard the use of sharp cutting or puncturing implements is undesirable due to the likelihood of injury or of accidental damage to the underlying closure. Thus, in addition to the overseal's robust construction, hand removeability is yet another advantageous attribute.
A known closure plug and overseal closure combination is illustrated
A cup shaped closure plug 6, having a bottom wall 7 and an externally threaded sidewall 8, is screwed into the neck 2. The plug has a circumferentially enlarged head 9 with a gasket retaining groove 10 and resilient sealing gasket 11 on the undersurface thereof. Looking at the top surface of the plug in
Cap 18 covers the plug 6, so that access to the plug, particularly to wrench engaging lugs 12, is prevented. The cap 18 also protects the closure plug 6 and the container neck 2 against ingress of liquid, dust or dirt. The cap 18 consists of an imperforate cap moulded of synthetic plastic resin having a disc-top wall 19 surrounded by a peripheral depending skirt 20. A segmented collet depends from the central portion of the cap made up of a series of axially elongated leg segments 21. A tear strip 22 is formed in the cap and is defined by a pair of score grooves extending diametrically across the top wall 19 and down the skirt 20.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 3,838,785 (LANCESSEUR) discloses a tamper-proof cap for containers having a bead or screw-threads, the cap comprising a flat-bottom having a skirt formed with an inner bead for engagement on the neck of the container, and a capsule covering completely said cap with its bottom and outer skirt, said capsule being formed with a central disk connected by easily breakable means to the periphery of the bottom of said capsule, said disk being adapted to be resiliently retained in a central cavity of the cavity of said cap.
Document WO-A-2005/056411 (AMERICAN FLANGE & MFG. CO INC) discloses a closure combination of a closure plug for shipping containers and a tamper evident, closure overseal, the closure plug (6, 45) and the overseal (20, 52) having hidden, complementary, interlocking, snap-fit features (17, 49, 23, 56, 24, 57) and a frangible, tear-strip portion (26, 53a), to permit removal of the overseal from the plug, that is visible when the closure plug and the overseal are interlocked; the interlocking, snap-fit features may be internal or external of the closure plug but are hidden by the overseal skirt (22, 54) and the overseal is destroyed on removal from the closure cap.
Document EP-A-0725013 (LAWSON MARDON SUTTON LTD) discloses a cap for a keg spear having internal teeth (13), which snap-engage over an annular projection on the spear. A tamper-evident ring (40) is provided on the cap skirt (12) and connected to the skirt by frangible radial tags (41) having point-to-point attachment to the skirt. The ring obstruct access to the skirt for levering off the cap, so that any such attempt loosens the ring by breaking the tags to provide tamper evidence. The ring (40) is securely fixed to a tear strip (30,31), defined by a pair of grooves of weakness extending axially in the skirt (12) and radially across the top (11) of the cap. The ring (40) can be used as a handle to split the cap for removal in one piece and is securely attached to the skirt (12) by a bridge (30).
Document GB-A-1386369 (WASSILIEFF) discloses a tamperproof container closure has an element A with an internal annular projection 5 which forms a skirt for sealing with a container neck. An element B is axially movable so that when it is pressed down the bevelled face 12 slides over the annular projection 4 thus compressing the sealing lip 5. At the same time the washer 17 which is integrally moulded with the top 10 rides over a central peg 6 so that the flange 7 engages on the top of edge 23 thus imprisoning the washer 17 under the flange 7. To open the container element R is pulsed upwards thus freeing the projection 4 for unsealing the container top and at the same time the washer 17 breaks along the rupture points (20), and falls on the top 1. When the element B is lowered to reseal the container, a difference in level exists between the top 10 and the washer 17, thus indicating that unsealing has taken place.
Document EP-A-1342671 (TOMASELLA) discloses a closure device (1) particularly usable for temporarily closing a container for liquids, comprising a first cap (4), which is provided with first elastically deformable elements (6) for connection to the outer neck of the container; a second coaxial and external cap (5) being slidingly and selectively associated with the first cap and comprising second elements for the temporary activation of the first elements and third elements suitable to remove the closure device from the neck of the container.
In closures of the type disclosed in AMERICAN FLANGE & MFG. CO INC or LAWSON MARDON SUTTON LTD the cap is removed from the closure by means of a tear strip extending essentially diametrically across the whole of the cap top so that, on tearing the strip, the cap is divided in, or nearly in, two.
The problem with the closures of the type described in LANCESSEUR, WASSILIEFF or TOMASELLA is that the frangible attachment means (disk 12, washer 17, disc 30 or plate 24) are centred in the cap top and break away, i.e. fall loose entirely, upon removal of the cap from the closure. Additionally, these frangible attachment means are located beneath the cap top leaving a permanent central aperture in the cap and the cap unsealed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cap having frangible attachment means that retains the attachment means upon removal of the cap from a container closure or plug.
According to the present invention, a cap for a container comprises:
A cap in accordance with the present invention differs from known prior art caps, covers or overseals by having frangible attachment means with a permanent connection that prevents the attachment means from being lost, discarded or falling into the container.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cap is a cap for a container closure and the attachment means has a snap-fit engagement with a feature of the container closure or a closure plug.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the attachment means is a ring depending axially from and frangibly connected to the cap top. The attachment ring may be axially separated from the cap top by a series of frangible links and the permanent connection may bridge the axial separation between the cap top and the attachment ring.
According to a still further embodiment of the present invention, the permanent connection includes a tear-strip defined by membranous grooves of weakness in the upper surface of the cap top to leave the upper surface of the cap unbroken and essentially flat. A cap in accordance with this embodiment can seal a container closure or closure plug.
The above and further features of the present invention are illustrated, by way of example, the following description and drawings; wherein:
and,
a,b,c are perspective views showing the removal of the cap of
A tamper-evident cap in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated by
The cap 23 and the attachment ring 26 are formed as a single moulding with the ring axially separated from the cap top 24 by a series of frangible links 30 and an essentially non-frangible or permanent connection 31. As shown more clearly in
A tear-strip 34 extends diametrically of the central region 35 and part way across cap top 24, above and within the circle of frangible links 30, and is formed by a pair of parallel frangible membranous side grooves 36 in the cap top 24 with a further frangible membranous cross groove 37 linking grooves 36 at one end of tear strip 34. As can be seen in
The upper surface of the cap 23 is unbroken and essentially flat, save for the membranous grooves 36, 37 and 38. This enables the cap 24 both to seal a container closure or closure plug, functioning as a capseal, and enables text such as advertising matter, logos, etc. to be applied to or printed on the upper surface of the cap with little or no distortion.
The cap 23 can be fitted to the closure plug 6 simply by pressing the cap down onto the closure plug; this can be achieved manually or by use of a specially shaped tool (not shown). There is no need to align the cap attachment ring with the closure plug lugs.
In use and as illustrated by
Continued removal of the cap top from the closure plug will tear the attachment ring grooves 39, leaving an aperture in the ring wall that permits of deflection/distortion of the attachment ring 26, to enable the ring flange 28 to disengage from the closure plug locking groove 17. Cap top 24 and attachment ring 26 will remain connected together after removal from the closure plug.
Cap skirt 25 is attached, as illustrated in Document EP-A-0725013, to the cap top 24 by a series of frangible ties 43 and includes an integral strap 40 between the skirt and the cap top; an integral tab 45 extends radially outwardly from the skirt. In use and as shown by
The present invention has been illustrated with reference to caps snap-fitted to closure plugs, but it can provide a permanent connection for any cap having frangible means of attachment to a container, wherein a frangible connection can extend between the attachment means and the cap top.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
0709261.2 | May 2007 | GB | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/GB2008/001668 | 5/14/2008 | WO | 00 | 7/21/2010 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2008/139196 | 11/20/2008 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1996674 | Cross | Apr 1935 | A |
1996682 | O'Brien | Apr 1935 | A |
3838785 | Lancesseur | Oct 1974 | A |
4520942 | Dwinell | Jun 1985 | A |
5996833 | Lencioni et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
6726048 | Dwinell et al. | Apr 2004 | B2 |
20040232100 | Reidenbach | Nov 2004 | A1 |
20050121451 | Van Bruggen | Jun 2005 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
2621117 | Nov 1976 | DE |
3637644 | May 1988 | DE |
9109185 | Nov 1992 | DE |
4221589 | Jan 1993 | DE |
0324196 | Jul 1989 | EP |
0 725 013 | Aug 1996 | EP |
1 342 671 | Sep 2003 | EP |
1 514 806 | Mar 2005 | EP |
1642843 | Apr 2006 | EP |
1 657 175 | May 2006 | EP |
2.202.015 | May 1974 | FR |
1 386 369 | Mar 1975 | GB |
1503407 | Mar 1978 | GB |
2222399 | Mar 1990 | GB |
9117090 | Nov 1991 | WO |
WO 9426615 | Nov 1994 | WO |
9429186 | Dec 1994 | WO |
9930977 | Jun 1999 | WO |
WO 2005056411 | Jun 2005 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20100282705 A1 | Nov 2010 | US |