LIQUID CONTAINER CLOSURE ASSEMBLY

Abstract: There is disclosed an improved closure assembly for application to a mouth of a container for liquid, for example, a neck of a bottle. It is an objection of the improvement to provide a closure assembly which cannot be removed without an extreme level of effort, or breakage being caused to the bottle. A closure assembly adapted to be applied to a mouth and neck portion of a container for liquid, comprises tubular means (2, 2') adapted to lie substantially concentrically with respect to said mouth and provided with projection means (6, 6') projecting inwardly of the tubular means (2, 2'), said projection means (6, 6') being moveable radially of the tubular means (2, 2') in a stiffly resilient manner, the closure assembly being further provided with a supporting sleeve means (10, 10') adapted to surround at least the projection means (6, 6') of said tubular means (2, 2'). A screw-cap with tamper-evident means is provided on top of the assembly.

Description: LIQUID CONTAINER CLOSURE ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a closure assembly adapted to be applied to a mouth of a container for liquid, for example, a neck of a bottle. The invention further relates to a tamper-evident device for a closure assembly adapted to be applied to a mouth of a container for liquid, for example, a neck of a bottle. For various reasons, it may be desirable to ensure that a used container, such as a bottle intended to contain spirits, is not re- filled with a replacement quantity of liquid, the characteristics and quality of which may differ from the original contents. Attempts to provide closures which make such re-filling difficult are not always proof against determined tampering or pilfering. While it is considered advantageous to provide a tamper-indicating means which provides evidence that the bottle and its original contents are intact, if the bottle is resealed with a substitute cap or closure, there may be little to indicate to the purchaser that the bottle has been tampered with and that the contents may be inferior to the original contents . It is, therefore, very important that an original closure cannot be removed without an extreme level of effort, or breakage being caused to the bottle. It has, therefore, been found desirable to provide a closure means adapted to fit over and enclose a bottle neck porcion, in which there is provided an arrangement of projections on the closure means that are caused to engage below a shoulder formed on a bottle neck. Such an arrangement is shown for example in GB Patent No. 2 274 837 also by the present Applicant, selected merely by way of illustration of a closure means including a tubular means provided with projections of the type referred to. Because of the practical constraints of moulding techniques hitherto used to produce tubular means having inwardly and upwardly projection provided on inwardly facing surfaces thereof, there have been many attempts to facilitate both manufacture of tubular means and their application to bottle necks. For example, the projections have been moulded of resilient plastics material to facilitate their engagement with the shoulder. Alternatively, the projections may be hinged so as to enable efficient mould release. However, it will be appreciated that such resilient characteristics may be inconsistent with irremovable engagement with the shoulder. Further, while it is very important that an original closure cannot be removed without visible damage or breakage being caused either to the closure or to the bottle, it has been found that a closure that cannot readily be removed will become the target of attempts to re- fill the container by overcoming any features provided in the closure intended to hinder or prevent this. Therefore in addition to providing devices to prevent refilling of bottles, it has been found preferable to provide such devices with further tamper-indicating features which, while not acting in any preventative role, give a clear indication that a bottle has been opened since being originally filled with the genuine contents. It is an object of at least one aspect of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one of the aforementioned problems/disadvantages in the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a closure assembly adapted to be applied to a mouth and neck portion of a container for liquid, said assembly comprising a tubular means adapted to lie substantially concentrically with respect to said mouth and provided with projection means projecting inwardly of the tubular means, said projection means being moveable radially of the tubular means in a stiffly resilient manner, the closure assembly being further provided with a supporting sleeve means adapted to surround at least the projection means of said tubular means. Although the tubular means and the sleeve means may be separable prior to application of the closure assembly to the mouth and neck portion of the container, application of the closure assembly to the container advantageously may cause the tubular means and sleeve means to be locked firmly one to the other. Advantageously said projection means are provided on axially arranged lugs extending longitudinally and circumferentially from the tubular means. Preferably the supporting sleeve means is adapted to surround at least the lugs of the tubular means . Conveniently each said lug comprises a pair of axially extending struts supporting at free ends thereof a plate having a projection formed thereon. Preferably said projection is formed at an oblique angle to a central axis of the tubular means. Conveniently, said tubular means comprises a pouring outlet portion of the closure assembly. In an example of the closure means of the invention, the sleeve means is provided with an inwardly facing annular flange forming a partial end wall thereto, said flange being provided with a plurality of slits each adapted to receive a lug of the tubular means, so that said lugs lie within the sleeve at spaced apart locations about its inner circumferential surface. Preferably, the lugs are received in a firm fit or snap-fit in said slits. It will be apparent to the reader that, in use, when the closure assembly is secured to a bottle mouth portion, the lugs are received in a "sandwiched" arrangement between the sleeve means and an outer surface of the bottle mouth portion. In such an example, the closure assembly may comprise a pouring lip on an annular pouring member which comprises said tubular member. Advantageously said pouring lip, tubular member and the lugs are moulded from a substantially rigid plastics material, the required amount of resilience being imparted to the lugs by means of selection of cross-sectional area and dimension. It may also be considered advantageous to avoid the use of thermoplastics materials, since the application of heat to these by unauthorised persons would adversely affect the desirable rigidity. The closure assembly may conveniently be provided with a one-way or non-return valve device. Conveniently the annular flange or end wall of the sleeve member may support a smaller substantially co- axially arranged sleeve member, a free end portion of which provides a valve seating surface adapted to be contacted in a sealing manner by a valve member captive in said smaller sleeve member. It will be understood that the smaller of the two sleeve members will be adapted to be received within the mouth portion of the container. An inner surface of the sleeve member may be provided with ridges which, in use, may co-act with raised pips on the container to seek to prevent undesired rotational movement of the closure assembly on the container. Tamper-evident means may be provided, if desired, comprising for example, shearable links connecting a cap, having an internal screw-thread engageable with a thread on the tubular member, to a tamper- indicating ring portion provided with a ratchet means in a known conventional manner to permit assembly of the cap onto the closure assembly but prevent removal thereof without tell-tale shearing of the links. In one embodiment the closure assembly may provide a tamper-evident device, the closure assembly comprising a pouring outlet device adapted to be secured to said mouth, a cap adapted to close the outlet device and the sleeve member adapted to surround the pouring outlet at a zone spaced from the pouring lip thereof, wherein an annular edge portion of the sleeve member adjacent the cap is provided with at least one first projection extending axially in the direction of the cap and an annular edge portion of the cap is provided with at least one second projection extending axially in the direction of the sleeve member, the second projection (s) being joined to the cap edge portion by shearable links and/or the first projection (s) being joined to the sleeve edge portion by shearable links, and wherein said first and second projections are formed so as to lie adjacent one another in a radial plane, the construction and arrangement being such that relative rotational movement between the cap and the sleeve during a container-opening movement causes the second projection (s) to impinge upon the first projection (s) so as to fracture the shearable links. Preferably the only shearable links are provided between the annular edge portion of the cap and the at least one second projection. Preferably, there may be provided a plurality of first projections and second projections, the said projections being so formed that said first projections interdigitate the second projections so as to lie adjacent to one another in said radial plane. Advantageously said first and/or second projections are provided with tapered pilot edges adapted to act as leading edges in a container-opening movement so as to force said second and/or first projections in a direction having a radial component of movement to assist in the fracture of the shearable links. It will be understood that the removal of the first/second projections produces a permanent visual indication that the container, for example a bottle of fine spirits, has been opened. This is evident from the spaces or gaps visible in the radial plane of the second/first projection (s) . Advantageously, the removal of said first/second projections may be arranged to reveal portions of the surface of said pouring outlet member. If desired, said surface portions may differ in colour from the closure cap and/or sleeve member, so as to make the fact that the bottle has been opened more conspicuous. Said surface portions may, if suitable, be overprinted with promotional or other information so as to be visible only after the container has been opened. According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a container for liquid, the container having a closure assembly applied to a mouth and neck portion thereof, said assembly comprising a tubular means adapted to lie substantially concentrically with respect to said mouth and provided with projection means projecting inwardly of the tubular means, said projection means being moveable radially of the tubular means in a stiffly resilient manner, the closure assembly being further provided with a supporting sleeve means adapted to surround at least the projections means of said tubular means. According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a process for filling a liquid container comprising the steps of: providing a container for liquid; providing a liquid; providing a closure assembly adapted to be applied to a mouth and neck portion of the container, said assembly comprising a tubular means adapted to lie substantially concentrically with respect to said mouth and provided with projection means projecting inwardly of the tubular means, said projection means being moveable radially of the tubular means in a stiffly resilient manner, the closure assembly being further provided with a supporting sleeve means adapted to surround at least the projection means of said tubular means; at least partially filling the container with the liquid; and applying the closure assembly to the container in a single movement . According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a tamper evident device comprising a closure assembly to be applied to a mouth and neck of a container for liquid, comprising a pouring outlet device adapted to be secured to said mouth, a cap adapted to close the outlet device and a sleeve member adapted to surround the pouring outlet at a zone spaced from a pouring lip thereof, wherein an annular edge portion of the sleeve member adjacent the cap is provided with at least one first projection extending axially in the direction of the cap and an annular edge portion of the cap is provided with at least one second projection extending axially in the direction of the sleeve member, the second projection (s) being joined to the cap edge portion by shearable links and/or the first projection (s) being joined to the sleeve edge portion by shearable links, and wherein said first and second projections are formed so as to lie adjacent one another in a radial plane, the construction and arrangement being such that relative rotational movement between the cap and the sleeve during a container-opening movement causes the second projection (s) to impinge upon the first projection (s) so as to fracture the shearable links. Preferably the only shearable links are provided between the annular edge portion of the cap and the at least one second projection. Preferably, there may be provided a plurality of first projections and second projections, the said projections being so formed that said first projections interdigitate the second projections so as to lie adjacent to one another in said radial plane. Advantageously said first and/or second projections are provided with tapered pilot edges adapted to act as leading edges in a container-opening movement so as to force said second/first projections in a direction having a radial component of movement to assist in the fracture of the shearable links. It will be understood that the removal of the first/second projections produces a permanent visual indication that the container, for example a bottle of fine spirits, has been opened. This is evident from the spaces or gaps visible in the radial plane of the second/first projection (s) . Advantageously, the removal of said first/second projections may be arranged to reveal portions of the surface of said pouring outlet member, If desired, said surface portions may differ in colour from the closure cap and/or sleeve member, so as to make the fact that the bottle has been opened more conspicuous. Said surface portions may, if suitable, be overprinted with promotional or other information so as to be visible only after the container has been opened. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a closure assembly adapted to be applied to a mouth and neck portion of a container for liquid, the closure assembly including a tamper-evident device, the closure assembly comprising a pouring outlet device adapted to be secured to said mouth, a cap adapted to close the outlet device and a sleeve member adapted to surround the pouring outlet at a zone spaced from a pouring lip thereof, wherein the tamper evident device comprises an annular edge portion of the sleeve member adjacent the cap provided with at least one first projection extending axially in the direction of the cap and an annular edge portion of the cap provided with at least one second projection extending axially in the direction of the sleeve member, the second projection (s) being joined to the cap edge portion by shearable links and/or the first projection (s) being joined to the sleeve edge portion by shearable links, and wherein said first and second projections are formed so as to lie adjacent one another in a radial plane, the construction and arrangement being such that relative rotational movement between the cap and the sleeve during a container- opening movement causes the second projection (s) to impinge upon the first projection (s) so as to fracture the shearable links. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention there is provided a container for liquid, the container having a closure assembly applied to a mouth and neck portion thereof, the closure assembly including a tamper- evident device, the closure assembly comprising a pouring outlet device adapted to be secured to said mouth, a cap adapted to close the outlet device and a sleeve member adapted to surround the pouring outlet at a zone spaced from a pouring lip thereof, wherein the tamper evident device comprises an annular edge portion of the sleeve member adjacent the cap provided with at least one first projection extending axially in the direction of the cap and an annular edge portion of the cap provided with at least one second projection extending axially in the direction of the sleeve member, the second projection (s) being joined to the cap edge portion by shearable links and/or the first projection (s) being joined to the sleeve edge portion by shearable links, and wherein said first and second projections are formed so as to lie adjacent one another in a radial plane, the construction and arrangement being such that relative rotational movement between the cap and the sleeve during a container-opening movement causes the second projection (s) to impinge upon the first projectio (s) so as to fracture the shearable links. According to a seventh aspect of the present invention there is provided a closure assembly adapted to be applied to a mouth and neck portion of a container for liquid, said assembly having a one-way or non-return valve device providing a valve member including a recess capable of retaining liquid formed on an upperside thereof. According to an eighth aspect of the present invention there is provided a closure assembly adapted to be applied to a mouth and neck portion of a container for liquid, said assembly comprising a tubular means adapted to lie substantially concentrically with respect to said mouth, the closure assembly being further provided with a supporting sleeve means adapted to surround at least a portion of said tubular means, wherein, in use, application of the closure assembly to the container causes the tubular means and sleeve means to be locked firmly one to the other. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS There will now be described with reference to the drawings examples of closure assemblies according to the invention. It will be understood that these examples are given by way of example only and not by way of limitation. In the drawings : Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a composite insert means comprising a first embodiment of a closure assembly according to the present invention. Figure 2 is a partial view corresponding to the right hand portion of the closure assembly of Figure 1, indicating the position of a bottle mouth with respect to the assembly; Figure 3 is a side view of a tubular means of the closure assembly of Figure 1 having lugs each of which have inward projections; Figure 4 is an end view of the tubular means of Figure 3; Figures 5 and 6 are sectional views taken on lines V-V and VI-VI, respectively, of the tubular means of Figure 4; Figure 7 is a side view of a sleeve means of the closure assembly of Figure 1; Figure 8 is an end view of the sleeve means of Figure 7; Figure 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the sleeve means of Figure 7; Figure 10 is an opposite end view of the sleeve means of Figure 7; Figure 11 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the sleeve means of Figure 9 to an enlarged scale; Figure 12 shows perspective views of the components of Figures 3 and 8 immediately prior to interengagement thereof; Figure 13 is a similar view to Figure 12 taken from a different viewing angle; Figure 14 is a perspective view of a cap member of the closure assembly of Figure 1; Figure 15 is an underneath plan view of the cap of Figure 14 ; Figure 16 is a longitudinal sectional view of a second embodiment of a closure assembly of the present invention incorporating a tamper-evident device; Figure 17 is a partial view corresponding to the right hand portion of Figure 16, indicating the position of a bottle mouth with respect to the closure assembly; Figures 18 and 19 are sectional views of a pouring outlet means of the closure assembly of Fig. 16 having lugs each of which have inward projections; Figure 20 is a side view of a sleeve means of the closure assembly of Fig. 16; Figure 21 is an end view of a sleeve means of Figure 20; Figure 22 is a longitudinal sectional view of the sleeve means of Fig. 20; Figure 23 is an opposite end view of the sleeve means of Fig. 20; Figure 24 is a fragmentary view of a portion of Figure 22 to an enlarged scale; Figure 25 is a perspective view of a cap of the closure assembly of Fig. 16; Figure 26 is an underneath plan view of the cap of Figure 25; Figures 27 to 29 show the changes in the visual appearance of the cap of Fig. 25 in relation to the closure assembly of Fig. 16; Figure 30 shows perspective views of the components of Figures 18 and 21 immediately prior to interengagement thereof ; and Figure 31 is a similar view to Figure 30 taken from a different viewing angle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Referring firstly to Figure 1, there is illustrated a first embodiment of a closure assembly according to the present invention in which there is provided a tubular means 2 having lugs 4 extending longitudinally with respect to the axis of the tubular means 2 and is provided with inwardly projecting means 6. The assembly also comprises a first sleeve member 8 surrounding the lugs 4. A second, concentrically arranged sleeve member 10 of smaller diameter is also provided which provides a valve seating surface 12 for a valve member 14. The assembly also includes a closure/cap 16 (Figure 2) and is adapted to be fitted to a neck and mouth portion of a container, for example a bottle 18 as shown in broken lines in Figure 2. The tubular means 2 comprises an annular portion 20 as shown in Figure 2, the upper edge portion of which comprises a pouring lip 22 of the assembly. On the external surface of the annular portion 20 is provided a multi -start thread 24, adapted to be engaged by the cap 16. Arranged so as to span the interior surface of annular portion 20 is a baffle member 26 supported by links 28 so as to hinder the unauthorised entry of liquid filling means, such as a tube, into the container mouth. The baffle member is, however, arranged not to hinder the outflow of liquid when poured. The underside of the baffle member 26 is provided with vanes 30, the purpose of which will be explained below. Three lugs 4 are arranged around the lower edge of the annular portion 20. Each lug 4 comprises two strut members 32 which are bridged by a plate 34 having an aperture 35, a lower edge of which is provided by the respective projection 6, which is inclined inwardly and upwardly at an angle, in the present example, of approximately 30° from the axis of the portion 20. The sleeve member 8 is provided with an inwardly facing annular flange 36 forming a partial upper end wall in which are provided three slits 38, adapted to receive the lugs 4 of the portion 20 as will be described. The inner surface of the sleeve member 8 is provided with shallow recesses 40 which assist in the location of the lugs 4 received therein. An upstanding annular flange 42, provided with gripping ridges 44 is provided to assist engagement with the inner surface of the portion 20, further assisted by the provision of three upstanding arcuate flanges 46 provided on the margins of the sleeve member 8 to engage the outer surface of the annular portion 20. On the outer surfaces of each flange 46 are angled ratchet teeth 48 (Figure 8) . The underside of the annular flange 36 is provided with annular ridges 50 and the inner surface of the sleeve member 8 is provided with lengthwise extending ridges 52. As will be explained below, these ridges 50, 52 assist in the sealing and securement of the closure assembly to the bottle neck 18. The valve member 14 comprises a body member having four fins 54 which assist in maintaining a correct axial alignment of a conical valve surface 56 with the seating surface 12 of the inner sleeve member 10. The valve member 14 illustrated includes a recess 100 formed on an upperside thereof facing the cap 16. The recess 100 is capable of retaining liquid when the bottle is in an upright position. It should be appreciated that in a modification of the present embodiment, the valve member 14 may be a ball, as described hereinafter in the second embodiment disclosed herein. The cap 16 comprises an end wall and a cylindrical side wall 58 provided on its internal surface with a complementary thread formation 60 to the threads 24. Secured by flangible links 62 to the free edge of the wall 58 is a tamper-evident means in the form of an annular band 64 provided with angled ratchet teeth 66 adapted to engage with the teeth 48. In the present example, the band 64 comprises two semi-circular portions 64a, 64b, so as to assist its removal from the bottle when it has been opened. The assembly of the component parts will now be described with reference to Figures 12, 13, 1 and 2. With the valve member 14 received within the inner sleeve member 10 of the sleeve member 8, the three lugs 4 of the tubular means 2 are introduced into the three slits 38 of the member 8 (Figure 12 and 13) and slide into the recesses 40 as shown in Figure 1. The vanes 30 are spaced from the upper surface of the valve member 14 so as to permit axial movement of the member 14 into and out of contact with the valve seating surface 12 in the normal usage of the bottle for containing and pouring liquid such as whisky, brandy or liqueurs. The cap 16 is then applied to the tubular means 2 to enclose the pouring lip 22 and to engage the screw threads 24 and 60. The ratchet teeth 48 and 66 slide over each other as the cap engages. The assembly may then be applied to the bottle 18 in a single movement in a bottling production line, with the bottle neck being positioned as shown in Figure 2. It will be observed that an upper end surface 68 of the bottle is sealingly received in contact with the ridges 50 which are slightly deformed to form the desired seal. The projections 6 are firmly engaged beneath a shoulder 70 on the bottle to prevent removal of the assembly, and the ridges 52 are received in an interleaved manner with a row of raised pips 72 provided on the bottle to prevent undesired rotational movement of the assembly on the bottle neck. When the bottle is opened in order to gain access to the contents, the user will unscrew the cap 16. However, this anti-clockwise movement causes the sets of ratchet teeth 48 and 66 to engage firmly. Continued anticlockwise movement causes the links 62 to shear and the tamper-evident band 64 becomes detached. Its absence then indicates to the next user that the bottle has already been opened. Turning now to Figures 16 to 31, there is illustrated a second embodiment of a tamper-evident device according to the present invention. It should be noted that the example to be described below is illustrated as forming part of a container closure assembly which incorporates a non-return valve arrangement to prevent ease of re- filling the container. It will be understood, however, that the tamper-evident device may be used in conjunction with any suitable type of container closure, whether or not provided with a non-return valve arrangement. In the drawings, Figure 16 shows components of a closure assembly in which there is provided a pouring outlet member 2' having lugs 4' extending longitudinally with respect to the axis of the member 2' and provided with inwardly projecting means 6' . The assembly also comprises a first sleeve member 8' surrounding the lugs 4'. A second, substantially concentrically arranged sleeve member 20' of smaller diameter is also provided which provides a valve seating surface 12' for a valve member in the form of a ball member 14' . The assembly also includes a closure cap 16' (Figure 17) and is adapted to be fitted to a neck and mouth portion of a container, for example a bottle 18' as shown in broken lines in Figure 17. The pouring outlet means 2' comprises an annular portion 20' as shown in Figure 17, the upper edge portion of which comprises a pouring lip 22' of the assembly. On the external surface of the annular portion 20' is provided a multi-start thread 24', adapted to be engaged by the cap 16'. Arranged so as to span the interior surface of annular portion 20' is a baffle member 26' supported by links 28' so as to hinder the unauthorised entry of liquid filling means, such as a tube, into the container mouth. The baffle member 26' is, however, arranged not to hinder the outflow of liquid when poured. The underside of the baffle member 26' is provided with vanes 30', the purpose of which will be explained below. Three lugs 4 ' are arranged around the lower edge of the annular portion 20' . Each lug 4' comprises two strut members 32 which are bridged by a plate 34' having an aperture 35', a lower edge of which is provided by the respective projection 6', which is inclined inwardly and upwardly at an angle, in the present example, of approximately 30° from the axis of the portion 20'. The sleeve member 8' is provided with an inwardly facing annular flange 36' (Figure 22) forming a partial upper end wall in which are provided three slots 38', adapted to receive the lugs 4' of the portion 20' as will be described. The inner surface of the sleeve member 8' is provided with shallow recesses 40' which assist in the location of the lugs 4' received therein. An upstanding annular flange 42', is provided to assist engagement with the inner surface of the portion 20'. Surrounding the annular flange 42' and projecting axially from an annular edge portion of the sleeve member 8' are a plurality of projections 44', in the present example, being three in number. The underside of the annular flange 36' is provided with annular ridges 50' and the inner surface of the sleeve member 8' is provided with lengthwise extending ridges 52' . As will be explained below, these ridges 50', 52' assist in the sealing and securement of the closure assembly to the bottle neck 18'. The cap 16' comprises an end wall and a cylindrical side wall 58' (Figures 25-29) provided on its internal surface with a complementary thread formation 60' to the threads 24'. Secured by flangible links 62' to the free edge of the wall 58' is a tamper-evident means in the form of three arcuate projections 64' comprising said second projections. Each of said projections 64' is provided at one end thereof with a taper pilot or leading edge portion 66', the purpose of which will be explained below. Each of said second projections 64' is received between the projections 44' of the sleeve member 8', as shown in Figure 27. When the cap 16' is unscrewed, the leading edge portions 66' impinge against the projections 44' to assist in the fracture of the links 62'. The projections 64' break off and the cap 16' takes on the appearance shown in Figure 28. When replaced upon the container, the cap 16' now reveals the presence of the pouring member 2'. The assembly of the component parts will now be described with reference to Figures 30, 31, 16 and 17. With the valve ball member 14' received within the inner sleeve member 10' of the sleeve member 8' , the three lugs 4' of the tubular means 2' are introduced into the three slots 38' of the member 8' and slide into the recesses 40' as shown in Figure 16. The vanes 30' are spaced from the upper surface of the valve member 114' so as to permit axial movement of the member 14' into an out of contact with the valve seating surface 12' in the normal usage of the bottle for containing and pouring liquid such as whisky, brandy or liqueurs. The cap 16' is then applied to the tubular means 2' to enclose the pouring lip 22' and to engage the screw threads 24' and 60' . The assembly may then be applied to the bottle 18' in a single movement in a bottling production line, with the bottle neck being position as shown in Figure 17. It will be observed that an upper end surface of the bottle is sealingly received in contact with the ridges 50' which are slightly deformed to form the desired seal. The projections 6' are firmly engaged beneath a shoulder 70' on the bottle to prevent removal of the assembly, and the ridges 52 are received in an interleaved manner with a row of raised pips 72' provided on the bottle to prevent undesired rotational movement of the assembly on the bottle neck. When the bottle is opened in order to gain access to the contents, the user will unscrew the cap 16' . However, this anti-clockwise movement causes the projections 64' to break away from the cap 16' . The absence of the projections 64' then indicates to the next user that the bottle has already been opened. Moreover, as the links 62' are sheared a clicking sound is heard, being an additional, audible, indication that the bottle is being opened for the first time. Even if the appearance of the closure is restored by a tamperer by using adhesive to hold the sheared projections back in place, the customer or other legitimate user will realise that tampering has taken place, because no clicking sound will be heard as the bottle is opened. It should be appreciated that the embodiments of the invention hereinbefore described are given by way of example only, and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Particularly, it should be understood that various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A closure assembly adapted to be applied to a mouth and neck portion of a container for liquid, said assembly comprising a tubular means adapted to lie substantially concentrically with respect to said mouth and provided with projection means projecting inwardly of the tubular means, said projection means being moveable radially of the tubular means in a stiffly resilient manner, the closure assembly being further provided with a supporting sleeve means adapted to surround at least the projection means of said tubular means . 2. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in use, the tubular means and the sleeve means are separable prior to application of the closure assembly to the mouth and neck portion of the container, application of the closure assembly to the container causing the tubular means and sleeve means to be locked firmly one to the other. 3. A closure assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said projection means are provided on axially arranged lugs extending longitudinally and circumferentially from the tubular means. 4. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the supporting sleeve means is adapted to surround at least the lugs of the tubular means. A closure assembly as claimed in either of claims 3 or 4, wherein each said lug comprises a pair of axially extending struts supporting at free ends thereof a plate having a projection formed thereon. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein said projection is formed at an oblique angle to a central axis of the tubular means . 7. A closure assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said tubular means comprises a pouring outlet portion of the closure assembly. 8. A closure assembly as claimed in any of claims 3 to 6 or claim 7 when dependent upon any of claims 3 to 6, wherein the sleeve means is provided with an inwardly facing annular flange forming a partial end wall thereto, said flange being provided with a plurality of slits each adapted to receive a lug of the tubular means, so that said lugs lie within the sleeve at spaced apart locations about its inner circumferential surface. 9. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein the lugs are received in a firm fit or snap-fit in said slits . 10. A closure assembly as claimed in any of claims 3 to 9, wherein in use, .when the closure assembly is secured to a bottle mouth portion, the lugs are received in a sandwiched arrangement between the sleeve means and an outer surface of the bottle mouth portion. 11. A closure assembly as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the closure assembly comprises a pouring lip on an annular pouring member which comprises said tubular member. 12. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 11 when dependent upon any of claims 3 to 10, wherein said pouring lip, tubular member and the lugs are moulded from a substantially rigid plastics material, the required amount of resilience being imparted to the lugs by means of selection of cross-sectional area and dimension. 13. A closure assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the closure assembly is provided with a oneway or non-return valve device. 14. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 8 or any of claims 9 to 13 when dependent upon claim 8, wherein the annular flange or end wall of the sleeve member supports a smaller substantially co-axially arranged sleeve member, a free end portion of which provides a valve seating surface adapted to be contacted in a sealing manner by a valve member captive in said smaller sleeve member. 15. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 14, wherein the substantially co-axially arranged sleeve member is adapted to be received within the mouth portion of the container. 16. A closure assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein an inner surface of the sleeve member is provided with ridges which, in use, co-act with raised pips on the container to seek to prevent undesired rotational movement of the closure assembly on the container. 17. A closure assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein tamper-evident means are provided comprising shearable links connecting a cap, having an internal screw-thread engageable with a thread on the tubular member, to a tamper-indicating ring portion provided with a ratchet means to permit assembly of the cap onto the closure assembly but prevent removal thereof without tell-tale shearing of the links. 18. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closure assembly provides a tamper-evident device, the closure assembly comprising a pouring outlet device adapted to be secured to said mouth, a cap adapted to close the outlet device and the sleeve member adapted to surround the pouring outlet at a zone spaced from the pouring lip thereof, wherein an annular edge portion of the sleeve member adjacent the cap is provided with at least one first projection extending axially in the direction of the cap and an annular edge portion of the cap is provided with at least one second projection extending axially in the direction of the sleeve member, the second projection (s) being joined to the cap edge portion by shearable links and/or the first projection (s) being joined to the sleeve edge portion by shearable links, and wherein said first and second projections are formed so as to lie adjacent one another in a radial plane, the construction and arrangement being such that relative rotational movement between the cap and the sleeve during a container-opening movement causes the second projection (s) to impinge upon the first projection (s) so as to fracture the shearable links. 19. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 18, wherein the only shearable links are provided between the annular edge portion of the cap and the at least one second projection. 20. A closure assembly as claimed in either of claims 18 or 19, wherein there are provided a plurality of first projections and second projections, the said projections being so formed that said first projections interdigitate the second projections so as to lie adjacent to one another in said radial plane . 21. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 20, wherein said first and/or second projections are provided with tapered pilot edges adapted to act as leading edges in a container-opening movement so as to force said second and/or first projections in a direction having a radial component of movement to assist in the fracture of the shearable links. 22. A closure assembly as claimed in any of claims 18 to 21, wherein removal of said first/second projections is arranged to reveal portions of the surface of said pouring outlet member. 23. A closure assembly as claimed in claim 22, wherein said surface portions differ in colour from the closure cap and/or sleeve member. 24. A closure assembly as claimed in either of claims 22 or 23, said surface portions are over-printed with promotional or other information so as to be visible only after the container has been opened. 25. A container for liquid, the container having a closure assembly applied to a mouth and neck portion thereof, said assembly comprising a tubular means adapted to lie substantially concentrically with respect to said mouth and provided with projection means projecting inwardly of the tubular means, said projection means being moveable radially of the tubular means in a stiffly resilient manner, the closure assembly being further provided with a supporting sleeve means adapted to surround at least the projections means of said tubular means. 26. A process for filling a container for liquid comprising the steps of: providing a container for liquid; providing a liquid; providing a closure assembly adapted to be applied to a mouth and neck portion of the container, said assembly comprising a tubular means adapted to lie substantially concentrically with respect to said mouth and provided with projection means projecting inwardly of the tubular means, said projection means being moveable radially of the tubular means in a stiffly resilient manner, the closure assembly being further provided with a supporting sleeve means adapted to surround at least the projection means of said tubular means; at least partially filling the container with the liquid; and applying the closure assembly to the container in a single movement . 27. A tamper evident device comprising a closure assembly to be applied to a mouth and neck of a container for liquid, comprising a pouring outlet device adapted to be secured to said mouth, a cap adapted to close the outlet device and a sleeve member adapted to surround the pouring outlet at a zone spaced from a pouring lip thereof, wherein an annular edge portion of the sleeve member adjacent the cap is provided with at least one first projection extending axially in the direction of the cap and an annular edge portion of the cap is provided with at least one second projection extending axially in the direction of the sleeve member, the second projection (s) being joined to the cap edge portion by shearably links and/or the first projection (s) being joined to the sleeve edge portion by shearable links, and wherein said first and second projections are formed so as to lie adjacent one another in a radial plane, the construction and arrangement being such that relative rotational movement between the cap and the sleeve during a container-opening movement causes the second projection (s) to impinge upon the first projection (s) so as to fracture the shearable links . 28. A tamper-evident device as claimed in claim 27, wherein the only shearable links are provided between the annular edge portion of the cap and the at least one second projection. 29. A tamper-evident device as claimed in either of claims 27 or 28, wherein there are provided a plurality of first projections and second projections, the said projections being so formed that said first projections interdigitate the second projections so as to lie adjacent to one another in said radial plane. 30. A tamper-evident device as claimed in claim 29, wherein said first and/or second projections are provided with tapered pilot edges adapted to act as leading edges in a container-opening movement so as to force said second/first projections in a direction having a radial component of movement to assist in the fracture of the shearable links. 31. A tamper-evident device as claimed in any of claims 27 to 30, wherein removal of said first/second projections is arranged to reveal portions of the surface of said pouring outlet member. 32. A tamper-evident device as claimed in claim 31, wherein said surface portions differ in colour from the closure cap and/or sleeve member. 33. A tamper-evident device as claimed in either of claims 31 or 32, wherein said surface portions are over-printed with promotional or other information so as to be visible only after the container has been opened. 34. A closure assembly adapted to be applied to a mouth and neck portion of a container for liquid, the closure assembly including a tamper-evident device, the closure assembly comprising a pouring outlet device adapted to be secured to said mouth, a cap adapted to close the outlet device and a sleeve member adapted to surround the pouring outlet at a zone spaced from a pouring lip thereof, wherein the tamper-evident device comprises an annular edge portion of the sleeve member adjacent the cap provided with at least one first projection extending axially in the direction of the cap and an annular edge portion of the cap provided with at least one second projection extending axially in the direction of the sleeve member, the second projection (s) being joined to the cap edge portion by shearable links and/or the first projection (s) being joined to the sleeve edge portion by shearable links, and wherein said first and second projections are formed so as to lie adjacent one another in a radial plane, the construction and arrangement being such that relative rotational movement between the cap and the sleeve during a container-opening movement causes the second projection (s) to impinge upon the first projection (s) so as to fracture the shearable links . 35. A container for liquid, the container having a closure assembly applied to a mouth and neck portion thereof, the closure assembly including a tamper- evident device, the closure assembly comprising a pouring outlet device adapted to be secured to said mouth, a cap adapted to close the outlet device and a sleeve member adapted to surround the pouring outlet at a zone spaced from a pouring lip thereof, wherein the tamper evident device comprises an annular edge portion of the sleeve member adjacent the cap provided with at least one first projection extending axially in the direction of the cap and an annular edge portion of the cap provided with at leat one second projection extending axially in the direction of the sleeve member, the second projection (s) being joined to the cap edge portion by shearable links and/or the first projection (s) being joined to the sleeve edge portion by shearable links, and wherein said first and second projections are formed so as to lie adjacent one another in a radial plane, the construction and arrangement being such that relative rotational movement between the cap and the sleeve during a container-opening movement causes the second projection (s) to impinge upon the first projection (s) so as to fracture the shearable links. 36. A closure assembly adapted to be applied to a mouth and neck portion of a container for liquid, said assembly having a one-way or non-return valve device providing a valve member including a recess capable of retaining liquid formed on an upperside thereof. 37. A closure assembly adapted to be applied to a mouth and neck portion of a container for liquid, said assembly comprising a tubular means adapted to lie substantially concentrically with respect to said mouth, the closure assembly being further provided with a supporting sleeve means adapted to surround at least a portion of said tubular means, wherein, in use, application of the closure assembly to the container causes the tubular means and sleeve means to be locked firmly one to the other. 38. A closure assembly as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 15 or Figs. 16 to 31. 39. A container for liquid having a closure assembly as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs . 1 to 16 or Figs. 16 to 31. 40. A process for filling a container for liquid as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs 1 to 15 or Figs. 16 to 31. 41. A tamper-evident device as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 15 or Figs. 16 to 31.

Inventors: FAULKNER ALAN, SLOANE CRAIG MARTIN, THOMSON DAVID WILLIAM, FAULKNER, ALAN, SLOANE, CRAIG, MARTIN, THOMSON, DAVID, WILLIAM
Applicants: FAULKNER ALAN, MONTGOMERY DANIEL & SON LTD, SLOANE CRAIG MARTIN, THOMSON DAVID WILLIAM, DANIEL MONTGOMERY & SON LIMITED, FAULKNER, ALAN, SLOANE, CRAIG, MARTIN, THOMSON, DAVID, WILLIAM
Application year: 1997
Main classification: B65D49
IPC codes: B65D41, B65D45, B65D49