Tamper proof lid

A tamper proof lid which includes an end panel and a depending annular body having means for interlocking with a container neck finish. The annular body has a lower skirt which incorporates a frangible portion. A handle is secured to the frangible skirt portion and a rupturable webbing extends between the handle and the skirt thereby limiting movement of the handle.

This invention relates in general to new and useful improvements in tamper 
proof lids or closure caps, and more particularly to lids which tightly 
fit an associated container but are readily removable therefrom. 
Tamper proof lids for containers are well known. Certain of these lids or 
closure caps have proven to be rather difficult to manipulate in order to 
open and gain access to the contents of the container. Further, the 
production of these prior tamper proof lids or closure caps has proven to 
be rather costly leading to higher expenses in the production of the 
overall container as well as the cost of goods packaged therein at the 
retail level. 
In accordance with this invention, it is proposed to provide a simple and 
inexpensive tamper proof lid or closure cap which may be readily actuated 
to provide access to the contents of an associated container. Also, the 
lid or closure cap in accordance with this invention provides an 
inexpensive means of indicating that the container has been tampered with. 
Another feature of the invention is the relationship of the lid or closure 
cap with respect to the container neck finish wherein the closure cap may 
be easily applied. Further, the relative diameters of the closure cap 
crown and the neck finish crown bead is made such that when the closure 
cap is applied to the container neck finish, the closure cap bead is 
radially outwardly expanded which results in an associated locking bead 
being drawn axially towards the end panel of the closure cap so as to 
compressively engage the locking bead with the underside of a locking 
shoulder on the container neck finish. 
A still further feature of the invention is the formation of the lid or 
closure cap with a generally cylindrical skirt which is of a diameter less 
than the adjacent portion of the neck finish wherein when the lid is 
applied to the container neck finish, the skirt of the lid is radially 
outwardly expanded and has an interference fit with the adjacent neck 
finish portion. 
If desired, the neck finish portion disposed axially coextensive with the 
lid skirt may be provided with a bottom bead which results in radial 
outward deformation of the skirt in addition to the aforementioned 
stretching of the skirt. 
Notwithstanding the foregoing features, the tamper proof lid is simple and 
inexpensive and may be easily removed from an associated container without 
causing any inconvenience to the individual opening the container.

Illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings is a preferred embodiment of the 
tamper proof lid or closure cap, generally designated by the reference 
numeral 10. The tamper proof lid 10 includes an end panel 11 and a crown 
portion 12 carrying a locking bead, or if desired spaced lugs 13 for 
interlocking with an intended neck finish of a container in a manner to be 
described hereinafter. A lower skirt portion 14, of a larger diameter than 
the crown 12, depends from the crown below the locking bead 13 and has 
incorporated therein a frangible portion 15. 
A handle or actuating lever 16 is secured to the frangible skirt portion 
15. The handle 16 is used as a lever to cause rupture of the frangible 
skirt portion relative to the remainder of the skirt. Rupture of the 
frangible skirt portion will be described in greater detail hereinafter. 
The frangible skirt portion 15 is defined by an axial score or weakening 
line 17 which intersects with one end of a circumferential score or 
weakening line 18. The opposite end of the circumferential score or 
weakening line 18 terminates at an axial hinge line 19. 
Initial movement of the handle 16 causes the frangible skirt portion 15 to 
be separated from the remainder of the skirt 14 by first rupture of the 
skirt along the axial score or weakening line 17 followed by rupture of 
the skirt along the circumferential score or weakening line 18 as the 
handle 16 is moved through generally a 90.degree. arc. Finally, the handle 
16 is used as a lever to effect the frangible skirt portion 15 to 
hingeably swing along the axial hinge line 19 and allow the user to pull 
the tamper proof lid 10 from an associated container. It is to be noted 
that the handle 16 is provided with vertical ribs 20 at spaced intervals 
to facilitate gripping of the handle. 
In accordance with the invention, there is a frangible or rupturable 
webbing 21 which extends between the handle 16 and the lower part of the 
skirt 14. The frangible or rupturable webbing 21 will be caused to be 
separated from the handle 16 in the lower portion of the skirt 14 when a 
user exerts a lever-like action on the handle 16. Thus, it would be 
readily apparent that the frangible or rupturable webbing 21 will display 
a severed condition so as to clearly indicate that the tamper proof lid 10 
has been tampered with. 
Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 5-8 and 
is generally designated by the reference numeral 30. The lid or closure 
cap 30 includes an end panel 31 and an annular crown 32 having an internal 
lug arrangement or locking bead 33 for interlocking with a container neck 
finish in the same manner as the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4. The lid 30 also 
includes a skirt 34 which depends below the crown 32 and is of a larger 
diameter than the crown. The skirt 34 incorporates a frangible or radially 
deflectible portion 35. 
The skirt portion 35 is defined by a pair of circumferentially spaced axial 
score or weakening lines 36 and 37 each of which intersects with a 
circumferential hinge line 38. 
A generally U-shaped handle or actuating lever 39 is secured to the skirt 
portion 35 in areas closely adjacent to the respective axial score or 
weakening lines 36 and 37. The handle 39 is used as a lever to effect the 
rupture or fracture of the skirt along the score weakening lines 36 and 
37. 
Exertion of a radially outwardly force pulling the handle 39 from the skirt 
34 initially causes rupture of the respective axial score or weakening 
lines 36 and 37 and then a further radially outwardly directed pulling 
force on the handle 39 results in a hinging of the skirt portion 35 
relative to the remainder of the skirt along the circumferential hinge 
line 38. This increases the diameter of the skirt 34 and permits removal 
of the lid 30 from an associated container. 
It is to be noted that the handle 39 is initially retained in a folded 
position closely adjacent the skirt by two straps of frangible or 
rupturable webbing 40, 41. Each of the frangible webbing 40, 41 is also 
secured to a lower part of the skirt 34 in an area adjacent the respective 
axial score or weakening line 36 or 37 and extends therefrom to the handle 
39, as well as between portions of the handle 39 as is clearly shown in 
FIGS. 7 and 8. 
It can be clearly seen that the manipulation of the handle 39 in a radially 
outwardly direction from the skirt 34 will cause rupture of the frangible 
webbings 40 and 41 both between the handle 39 and the skirt 34 and between 
the folded portions of the handle 39 permitting the handle 39 to protrude 
radially outwardly to indicate that the container has been tampered with. 
Further, the outward protrusion of the handle 39 facilitates the gripping 
thereof necessary to effect rupture of the skirt along the score or 
weakening lines 36 and 37. 
Reference is now made to FIG. 9 wherein a typical lid or closure cap, for 
example the lid 10 is illustrated applied to a neck finish of a container, 
the container being generally identified by the numeral 45. The neck 
finish is generally identified by the numeral 46 and includes a 
cylindrical base portion 47 which is provided at the upper end thereof 
with a lower bead 48 and then has a tapered generally frustro conical 
portion 49. The portion 49 terminates in another cylindrical portion 50 
which is of a smaller diameter than the base portion 47. The upper part of 
the neck finish 46 is in the form of a crown bead 51 which defines at the 
underside thereof a locking shoulder 52 and at the upper end thereof in an 
end wall 53. 
The original shape of the lid or cap 10 is illustrated in FIG. 9 in dotted 
lines and in solid lines in its expanded, as applied configuration. First 
of all, it is to be noted that the crown bead 51 has an outer surface of a 
radius R.sub.1 which is greater than a radius R.sub.2 of the inner surface 
of the crown 21 when the lid or closure cap 10 is initially formed. 
Secondly, while the skirt 14 does flare radially outwardly slightly, it 
initially is primarily cylindrical. 
It will be readily apparent that the skirt 14 readily slips over the crown 
bead 51 with the lower end of the skirt resting loosely on the lower bead 
48. Then a downward force simultaneously pushes the locking bead 13 under 
the crown bead 51 and below the locking shoulder 52 distorting the whole 
crown area 12 and at the same time pushing the skirt 14 over the bottom 
bead 48 completely distorting the skirt 14. 
Inasmuch as the crown bead radius is greater than the radius of the 
internal surface of the crown 12, it will be seen that the crown 12 is 
radially outwardly deformed and is tensioned, thereby drawing the bead 13 
radially upwardly so as to compressively engage the shoulder 52. In this 
manner the lid or closure cap 10 is assured a tight seal with the lid 
finish 46. At the same time, due to the outward expansion of the skirt 14, 
there is an interference fit between the skirt and the neck finish tightly 
holding the bottom part of the skirt onto the neck finish and forming a 
secondary seal against the entrance of foreign matter between the closure 
cap and the neck finish. 
The closure cap or lid 10 as set forth in FIGS. 1-4 is so structured in 
order to accommodate wide mouth containers of approximately 100 
millimeters size. On the other hand, the lid or closure cap 30 as shown in 
FIGS. 5-8 is structured to accommodate containers of narrow mouth sizes on 
the order of 38 millimeters. 
The conventional type screw caps and snap-on caps which are currently 
employed to seal wide mouth packages, preferably plastic one gallon 
volumes and even containers of the five gallon volume, are subject to 
certain problems which the current lid or closure cap 10 overcomes. The 
basic problem is the fact that the conventional caps are rigid while the 
container itself is flexible. The result is that during standard reuse 
test one will find that the cap will displace and/or rupture around the 
contents of the container to leak out, or due to the rigidity of the 
conventional caps, they will pop off from the neck finish of the plastic 
container. 
The new caps overcome these difficulties by instead of popping off during a 
drop test or cracking when failing to properly distort with the neck 
finish of the plastic container, tends to stay on and distort with the 
deflecting neck finish of an associated plastic container due to the 
interference fit between the neck finish and the cap and the flexibility 
of the cap. 
Notwithstanding these advantageous features, the lids or closure caps of 
this invention are readily removable by rupturing the skirt and permitting 
the skirt to expand, thereby relieving the interference fit. On the other 
hand, the fracturing of the skirt is such that no portion of the lid or 
cap has to be completely removed and thus all portions of the cap remain 
integral with one another. 
It should be understood that the present invention is not necessarily 
limited to these two particular size containers. Further, it should be 
understood that the present invention may be made in a number of different 
ways without substantially departing from the novelty of the invention as 
set forth in the description above and the appended claims hereinbelow.