Abstract:
A bottle cap includes a mouthpiece having a dispensing orifice, a collar which extends downward from the mouthpiece to engage the bottle, a cover connected to the collar by a hinge and movable between open position and closed position covering the orifice, and a tamper-evident strap connecting the closed cover to the collar. The strap is hingeably joined to the collar by a lower portion of the strap and connected to the cover by a barbed upper portion. The upper portion cooperates with the cover to retain the strap to prevent manipulation of the strap to open the cover without severing the strap. The strap has a severable mid point which severs when the cover is first opened. When the cover is opened, both portions of the strap remain attached to the bottle and the lower portion swings away from the collar providing visible evidence of prior opening.

Description:
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/791,375, filed Apr. 11, 2006, which application is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to bottle closure devices and in particular to a bottle closure device with a tamper proof feature. 
     Plastic caps are commonly used for closing a container having a neck, for example, a bottle made of plastic material designed to contain water. It is known to use a plastic cap including an upper part having a dispensing orifice for dispensing the contents of the bottle. The cap also includes a substantially cylindrical collar extending downward from the upper part and having features on an inner face of fixing the cap onto the neck of the bottle. In order to be able to ensure closure of the dispensing orifice, the cap also includes a cover. The cover may be detachable or connected to the upper part by at least one hinge in order to be movable between an open position and a closed position over the dispensing orifice. 
     In order to ensure the integrity of the contents of the bottle before its first opening, known caps often include a tamper-evident strap generally situated opposite the hinge and connecting the collar and a capture feature in the cover. The tamper-evident straps are divided at a midpoint by one or more severable strips each having a zone of least resistance for tearing or breaking. The straps generally include a barb for engaging the capture feature in the cover in a manner which may not disengage without damage to the strap. 
     More often than not, such a cap is injection molded of plastic material which produces a one piece cap with an open cover (i.e., the cover is not closed over the dispensing orifice). Thus, before first use of the cap, the cover is placed in the closed position covering the dispensing orifice, with the barb of the tamper-evident strap engaging the capture feature in the cover. Such cap and cover arrangement enables the hermetic closure of a container to be ensured and generally guarantees the integrity of the contents of the container. Moreover, after the first opening of some known covers, the user must deal with a discardable portion separated from the tamper-evident strap, which is no longer of any use. The user does not always have such suitable disposal means available. 
     Other tamper evidence devices provide means for retaining the severed portion of the tamper evidence device to eliminate the trash but provide no clear indication of prior opening. Devices which retain the severed portions of the tamper evidence device typically rely on the noise and feel generated when the severable connectors rupture to notify the user of the integrity of the tamper evidence device, but provide no obvious indications of rupture after opening, thus creating a situation in which the user could purchase or consume beverage from a container unaware of a prior opening. 
     Many variations of tamper evidence devices exist, each typically generating a different feel and sound when ruptured. Additionally, slight variations in each type of tamper evidence device due to manufacturing inconsistencies can result in a slightly different feel and sound when opened for the first time. It is therefore possible for a consumer to open an unfamiliar cap for the first time and not be confident of the container&#39;s contents integrity, defeating the purpose of the tamper evidence device. 
     There is thus a need for a cap whose tamper-proof system, comprising of the tamper-evident strap and the capture feature in which the strap is engaged, can guarantee the integrity of the contents of the container more effectively than known caps by providing obvious evidence of prior opening. A further need exists for a tamper evidence device which may be fabricated without requiring complicated moving parts in the mold or without adding parts or assembly steps to the cap which increase the cost of the cap. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention addresses the above and other needs by providing a bottle cap which includes a mouthpiece having a dispensing orifice, a collar which extends downward from the mouthpiece to engage the bottle, a cover connected to the collar by a hinge, the cover movable between open position and closed position covering the orifice, and a tamper-evident strap connecting the closed cover to the collar. The strap is hingeably joined to the collar at a lower end of a lower portion of the strap and connected to the cap by a notched or barbed upper portion. The strap has a tearable or breakable mid point which severs when the cover is first opened. The upper portion cooperates with the cover to retain the strap in order to prevent manipulation of the strap to open the cover without severing the strap. When the cover is opened, the severed upper portion of the strap remains attached to the cover and the hingeably attached lower portion of the strap swings away from the cap collar providing visible evidence of prior opening. 
     In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a cap for closing the neck of a container. The cap includes a mouthpiece having a dispensing orifice for dispensing the contents of the container, a collar below the mouthpiece and having means for fixing the cap onto the neck of the container, a cover connected to the collar by at least one hinge in order to be movable between open and closed positions over the dispensing orifice, and a tamper-evident strap having a lower end which is hingeably joined to the collar and an upper end which engages a capture feature in the cover to retain the cover in the closed position. The tamper-evident strap is divided proximal to a midpoint by one or more severable strips each having a zone of least resistance for severing and includes a barbed or notched upper portion for engaging a capture mouth in the cover. When severed, the upper portion of the strap remains attached to the cover and the lower portion hinges away from the cap indicating that the cap has been opened at least once. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a bottle cap having a tamper-evident strap. 
     According to the invention, the cover includes means for retaining the tamper-evident strap in order to fixably attach the strap to the cover in the closed position of the cover and to prevent manipulation of the strap to open the cover without severance of the strap. 
     According to a characteristic of the invention, the strap retaining means are adapted to receive the upper portion of the strap in order to hold the severed upper portion on the cover after severance of the strap following a first opening of the cap. The strap retaining means therefore serves a dual purpose. First, to prevent manipulation of the strap aimed at defeating the tamper-evidence. Second, to retain the severed upper portion of the strap on the cover after opening. 
     According to another characteristic of the invention, the strap retaining means comprise at least one mouth in the cover for receiving the barbed or notched upper portion of the tamper-evident strap and to retain the upper portion of the tamper-evident strap on the cover after severing of the strips following a first opening of the cap. 
     According to another characteristic of the invention, the strap retaining means comprises at least one mouth for receiving the strap, the mouth having one or more hooking edges which fit a ledge of the tamper-evident strap. 
     According to another characteristic of the invention, the tamper-evident strap has a notch residing level with the hooking edge of the mouth when the cover is in the closed position. 
     Various other characteristics of the invention are described below with reference to the attached drawings, which show non-limiting embodiments of a cap according to the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
       The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective top view of a cap according to the present invention and a beverage container after first opening and rupture of a tamper-evident strap connecting a cap cover to a cap collar. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective bottom view of the cap with the cover in the fully closed position. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective top view of the cap with the cover in the fully open position, such as the cap appears upon leaving the mold. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the cap with the cover in the fully open position, such as the cap appears upon leaving the mold. 
         FIG. 5  is a partial top detail view of the cap with the strap extending horizontally, such as obtained on leaving the mold. 
         FIG. 5A  is a side view of the tamper-evident strap distorted as might occur after molding such that the severable upper portion is inclined toward the cap centerline. 
         FIG. 5B  is a side view of the tamper-evident strap distorted as might occur after molding such that the severable upper portion is inclined away from the cap centerline. 
         FIG. 6A  is a side section view showing an assembly tool aligning the tamper-evident strap which is distorted after molding such that the severable upper portion is inclined toward the cap centerline. 
         FIG. 6B  is a side section view showing the aligned tamper-evident strap. 
         FIG. 6C  is a side section view showing the assembly tool aligning the tamper-evident strap which is distorted after molding such that the severable upper portion is inclined away from the cap centerline. 
         FIG. 6D  is a side section view showing the aligned tamper-evident strap. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing the cap in the semi-open position of the cover before engaging the tamper-evident strap with the cover. 
         FIG. 8  is a side view cross section showing the cap in a partially open position and showing the assembly tool supporting the tamper-evident strap which is aligned for engagement with the cover. 
         FIG. 9  is a partial side section view showing the cover fully closed and the tamper-evident strap engaged in the cover. 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of the cap of this invention with the cover in the closed position and the ruptured tamper-evident strap showing evidence of prior opening. 
         FIG. 11  is a method for manufacturing a bottle cap according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims. 
     A cap  10  according to the present invention and a top portion of a beverage container  40  suitable for use with the cap  10  are shown in  FIG. 1  and a perspective bottom view of the cap  10  with the cover  20  in the fully closed position is shown in  FIG. 2 . The container  40  which may be any container for containing a fluid, such as a plastic bottle for a single serving of a liquid sport drink or water. The container  40  forms a closed vessel having side walls, a bottom wall, and a top section having an upright annular neck  46  which is hollow and serves as the sole opening for the passage of fluid out of the container. 
     The cap  10  is molded as one piece and includes a top cover  20  which is movably connected by a first hinge  22  (see  FIG. 3 ) to a base collar  24  adapted to mate with the container  40 . The hinge  22  allows the cover  20  to be movable between an open position for dispensing liquid and a closed position for protecting contents of the container  40 . The collar  24  includes interior threads  28  for mating engagement with the beverage container  40 . An exterior annual wall of the collar  24  includes a multiplicity of vertical ribs or splines  30  which are engagable by standard packaging machinery to provide gripping surfaces to assist in threading the interior threads  28  onto the beverage container  40  after the container has been filled during the manufacturing process. The external ribs  30  also assist a user in attaching or detaching the cap  10  from the beverage container  40  for reuse. The upright annular neck  46  includes an annular rib  48  at a base of the neck  46 , and external threads  50  are located above the rib  48  for mating engagement with the internal threads  28  of the base collar  24 . 
     The cap  10  is preferably made of plastic material by molding and is preferably molded in the open configuration (i.e., the cover  20  opposite the base  24 ) illustrated in  FIGS. 3 ,  4 . More preferably, the cover  20  and base collar  24  are injection molded as a single piece connected by the hinge  22  (see  FIGS. 3 ,  4 ), and more preferably, the cover  20  and base collar  24  are formed of a polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PPL), but any suitable material may be used. 
     A perspective top view of the cap  10  with the cover  20  in a fully open position, such as a cap obtained on leaving the mold, is shown in  FIG. 3 , and a side view of the cap  10  with the cover  20  in the fully open position, such as a cap obtained on leaving the mold, is shown in  FIG. 4 . The liquid dispensing orifice  26  is located on a flattened peak of an upright mouthpiece  66 . The mouthpiece  66  extends upwardly to the peak, and forms the dispensing orifice  26  at the center of the peak. After removal from the mold and before use of the cap, the cover  20  is placed in a closed position over the orifice  26  (see  FIGS. 2 and 9 ) wherein an upper portion  76  of a tamper-evident strap  70  is engaged with a capture feature comprising a capture mouth  82  of the cover  20 . 
     The tamper-evident strap  70  is attached by a hinge portion  72  to the collar  24 . The tamper-evident strap  70  is attached to the collar  24  on a side of the collar  24  opposite the hinge  22  and extending approximately horizontally away from the collar  24  along the parting plane of the mold as shown by line A-A in  FIG. 4 . As seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the tamper-evident strap  70  is preferably molded with the length of the tamper-evident strap  70  approximately perpendicular to the vertical axis of the cap as defined by line B-B in  FIG. 4 . Molding the tamper-evident strap  70  in such manner provides a bias to a lower portion  74  (see  FIG. 5 ) of the of the tamper-evident strap  70 , which bias of the lower portion  74  provides an indicator that the cap  10  has been opened after severance of the tamper-evident strap  70 . 
     A partial top view detail of the cap  10  with the tamper-evident strap  70  extending approximately horizontally such as the cap  10  obtained on leaving the mold, is shown in  FIG. 5 . The tamper-evident strap  70  comprises a lower portion  74 , an upper portion  76 , a severable portion comprising two horizontally spaced apart severable strips  78 , and the hinge portion  72  having an axis defined by line C-C. The severable strips  78  are approximately vertically centered on the tamper-evident strap  70  when the tamper-evident strap  70  resides vertically and allow the upper portion  76  to be severed from the lower portion  74  when the cover  20  is first opened. The hinge portion  72  allows the tamper-evident strap  70  to be pushed to a vertical position to engage the cover  20 , and retains a memory to bias the lower portion  74  back towards the approximately horizontal position upon severance of the severable strips  78  as an indicator that the cap  10  has been opened. While a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes the tamper-evident strap  70  molded in an approximately horizontal position, any cap with a tamper-evident strap molded sufficiently away from vertical to provide an indication that the cap has been opened is intended to come within the scope of the present invention. 
     While the tamper-evident strap  70  generally assumes an approximately horizontal position after molding, in some instances, there may be some distortion of the tamper-evident strap  70 . A side view of the tamper-evident strap  70  distorted as might occur after molding such that the severable upper portion  76  is inclined toward the cap centerline B-B is shown in  FIG. 5A , and a side view of the tamper-evident strap  70  distorted as might occur after molding, such that the severable upper portion  76  is inclined away from the cap centerline B-B, is shown in  FIG. 5B . To assemble the cap  10 , the tamper-evident strap  70  must be rotated about the hinge portion  72 , so the length of the tamper-evident strap  70  is approximately parallel to the axis B-B of the cap (see  FIGS. 2 ,  7 , and  8 ) to align the upper portion  76  to engage the capture mouth  82  of the cap  20 . Molding the tamper-evident strap  70  approximately perpendicular to the central axis B-B of the cap (see  FIG. 4 ) and rotating the tamper-evident strap  70  to a position approximately parallel to the central axis B-B of the cap  20  allows a hook slot  80  of the tamper-evident strap  70  and severable strips  78  of the tamper-evident strap  70  to be formed without creating an undercut in the mold which would add complexity and expense. The molding described herein provides a cap which is thus easily manufactured. Additionally, molding a tamper-evident strap  70  perpendicular to the central axis B-B of the cap biases the lower portion  74  of the tamper-evident strap  70  to swing away from collar  24  when the tamper-evident strap  70  severed, clearly indicating prior opening. 
     It is standard manufacturing practice to eject the caps from the mold immediately after molding, while the caps are still hot and relatively soft. Although it is preferred to mold the cap  10  with the tamper-evident strap  70  perpendicular to the vertical axis of the cap as defined by line B-B, the newly molded caps generally free fall into a collecting hopper where the severable upper portion  76  of tamper-evident strap  70  can easily become misaligned often resulting in an unusable cap as shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B . In the case of the cap  10  of the present invention, the lower portion  74  is connected to the upper portion  76  by one or more strips  78  and is shown with two strips  78  which prevent the upper hook part  76  of the strap from bending laterally after molding. However, the strips  78  may undesirably allow the upper portion  76  of the tamper-evident strap  70  to bend inward as shown in  FIG. 5A  or bend outward as shown in  FIG. 5B  which would prevent the upper portion  76  from aligning with the engagement mouth  82  in the cover  20 . It is therefore desirable to provide an alignment means such as recessed area  32  which assists in aligning the tamper-evident strap  70  to assure that upper portion  76  is aligned with the engagement mouth  82  of cover  20  when the cover  20  is closed for the first time. 
     Methods are known to those skilled in the art which will straighten the possible misalignments, but these known methods add extra procedures to the manufacturing process which reduces the speed and increase the cost of producing parts. It is common for some beverage closure manufacturers to require production rates of 1000 parts per minute to be processed. It is therefore desirable that the tamper-evident strap  70  is in the proper orientation without automation complexity and preferably that the misalignments of the tamper-evident strap  70  shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B  be corrected during the process of rotating the tamper-evident strap  70  from the molded position and thereby causing the upper portion  76  of the tamper-evident strap  70  to properly align with mouth  82  to allow initial closure of the cover  20 . 
     The operation of an automated tool  90  for aligning the tamper-evident strap  70  is shown in  FIGS. 6A-6D . The tool  90  travels approximately parallel to the vertical axis of the cap  10 , in the direction indicated by arrow G, and corrects misalignments of the tamper-evident strap  70  as it advanced along the tamper-evident strap  70 . The realignment of the tamper-evident strap  70  when the upper portion  76  is folded inward is shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B . As the tool  90  advances along the lower portion  74 , the lower portion  74  rotates counter-clockwise in the direction of arc E towards a wall  34  of the recess  32 . The counter-clockwise rotation of the lower portion  74 , and an upper edge  38  of an upper wall  36  (also shown in  FIGS. 3 ,  4 ) above the wall  34 , cause the upper portion  76  to rotate clockwise around the severable portion  78  in the direction of an arc D because the severable portion  78  is below the upper edge  38  of the upper wall  36 . As the lower portion  74  comes to rest against the wall  34 , the upper portion  76  also comes to rest against the upper wall  36  and into alignment with the engagement mouth  82  of the cover  20 . Preferably, the severable portion  78  comes to rest at the meeting of the wall  34  and the upper wall  36  when the upper portion  76  comes into alignment with the engagement mouth  82 . 
     The realignment of the tamper-evident strap  70  when the upper portion  76  is folded outward is shown in  FIGS. 6C and 6D . The tool  90  rides over the lower portion  74  pushing the lower portion  74  against the wall  34 . When the tool  90  passed the severable portion  78 , the tool  90  contacts the upper portion  76 , and because the upper wall  36  is above the severable portion  78 , the tool  90  pushed the upper portion  76  in a counter-clockwise direction along arc F against the upper wall  36  and into alignment with the engagement mouth  82  of the cap  20 . It is thus seen that the placement of the upper wall  36  above the severable portion  78  provides for the simple alignment of the tamper-evident strap  70  whether the upper portion  76  is folded inward or folded outward, which provides a substantial manufacturing advantage to the present invention. 
     The fully extended tamper-evident strap  70  is shown aligned with mouth  82  in  FIG. 7 , and the tamper-evident strap  70  is shown entering the mouth in  FIG. 8 . In addition to correcting miss-alignments of the tamper-evident strap  70 , the tool  90  also provides support to the upper portion  76  while the tamper-evident strap  70  is entering the mouth  82 , allowing the cover  20  to distort the upper portion  76  and mouth  82  to snap into place as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     In other embodiments the tool  90  may have another form such as a wedge shape moving perpendicular to the axis of the cap  10  so as to increase in height in the direction of arrow G, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     The cap  10  is preferably made of plastic material by injection molding in the open configuration illustrated in  FIG. 3  using methods common and known in the art. After removal from the mold and before use of the cap  10 , the cover is placed in closed position of the orifice  26  such as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 9  in which the upper portion  76  of the tamper-evident strap  70  is engaged with mouth of the cover  20 . 
     As seen in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , at the time of first closure, an engaging feature comprising a lateral slot  80  of the upper portion  76  non-disengageably engages mouth  82  in cover  20 . In order to facilitate this engagement, a preferred upper portion  76  of the tamper-evident strap  70  preferably includes a tapered upper end  86  which guides and deflects sufficiently to allow the slot  80  in the upper portion  76  to be positioned such that it enters the engagement mouth  82  of the cover  20  and a lip  83  of the mouth  82  snaps into the slot  80  fixably locking the upper portion  76  into the engagement mouth  82  as seen in  FIG. 9 . Other retaining means may be utilized, and a cap with other retaining means for preventing easy release of the upper portion  76  from the mouth  82  are intended to come within the scope of the present invention. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 9 , it can be seen that cover  20  may include a raised section  84  which cooperates with the upper end  86  of the upper portion  76  by occupying a recess formed between the cover  20  and upper end  86  thereby preventing the upper end  86  from being deformed against the cover  20  so as to disengage the hook slot  80  from the engagement mouth  82 . Further, it can be seen that a stop  88  impacts a raised section  84  so as to provide additional resistance to separation of the upper end  86  from the cover  20 . As a result, further prying the upper end  86  away from cover  20  will not disengage hook slot  80  from engagement mouth  82 . 
     After complete closure of the cover  20 , the tamper-evident strap  70  is, on one hand, connected to the base collar  24  by the hinge portion  72  and, on the other hand, immobilized in the slot  80  in such a way that it is not possible to pull the tamper-evident strap  70  free in order to try to open the cover  20  without severing of the tamper-evident strap  70 . The cap  10  therefore restricts the ability to manipulate the tamper-evident strap  70  by preventing the ability to deflect the tamper-evident strap  70  to disengage the slot  80  from the mouth  82 , which cannot be disengaged without exerting sufficient force to sever the tamper-evident strap  70 . With the cover  20  thus retained in a closed position by the tamper-evident strap  70 , a user of the fluid container  40  may be confident that the container  40  has not been previously opened. 
     The tamper-evident strap  70  thus provides obvious evidence of a first opening of the cover  20 . Moreover, after a first opening of cover  20  by severing of the severable strips  78 , the upper portion  76  remains attached to the cover  20  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 10  and upper portion  76  remains fixably attached to the cover  20 . In this way, the severable upper portion  76  of tamper-evident strap  70  remains attached to the cover  20 , so that proper disposal of the upper portion is no longer required, thereby reducing littering. Additionally, as seen in  FIG. 10 , the lower portion  74  of the tamper-evident strap  70  is connected to the base collar  24  by a hinge portion  72 , wherein the hinge portion  72  provides a bias towards the horizontal to the lower portion  74 , and the lower portion  74  thereby swings out of recess  32  providing visible evidence of prior opening of the cover  20  when the strips  78  are severed. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the cover  20  includes a central stopper plug  62  which inserts snugly into and blocks the orifice  26  when the cover is rotated to a closed position. The cover  20  thus covers the dispensing orifice  26  and provides a positive stopper  62  for the fluid dispensing opening, assist in preventing tampering and intentional or accidental contamination of the liquid in the container prior to purchase and individual use by a consumer. 
     The present invention has been described above using terms horizontal and vertical. For the purposes of this description, the bottle  40  is assumed to reside vertically as in  FIG. 1  with the cap  10  above the bottle  40 , and vertical is assumed to refer to aligned with a centerline of the bottle  40 , and horizontal to any plane perpendicular to the vertical. 
     A method for manufacturing the cap  10  is described in  FIG. 11 . The method includes the steps of: molding the cap with a tamper-evident strap residing approximately horizontally to provide a bias of the tamper-evident strap toward the horizontal at step  100 ; positioning the cap in a cap assembly machine with an assembly tool positioned below the tamper-evident strap at step  102 ; advancing the assembly tool approximately parallel to a vertical axis of the cap, with an upper end of the assembly tool advancing along a low portion of the tamper evident strap at step  104 ; pushing the lower portion of the tamper-evident strap against a wall of the cap at step  106 ; if an upper portion of the tamper-evident strap is folded inward, pushing the lower portion in a counter-clockwise direction and pushing a severable portion of the tamper-evident strap towards a wall of the recess causing the upper portion to rotate in a clockwise direction to align the tamper-evident strap with an engagement mouth of a cover of the cap at step  108 ; if an upper portion of the tamper-evident strap is folded outward, pushing the lower portion in a counter-clockwise direction against the wall, and then pushing the upper portion to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction to align the tamper-evident strap with an engagement mouth of a cover of the cap at step  110 ; and closing the cap to undisengageably engage the upper portion with the engagement mouth of the cap at step  112 . 
     While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.