Abstract:
A tamper evident fitment assembly for use with a container for flowable material, the closure comprising a cap and a spout secured to the container, the cap having a frangible tamper evident band, the cap having an annular recess for frictionally engaging a top portion of the spout, the cap and spout having cooperating detent and locking elements so that the assembly in a first position where the cap is removably sealed to the spout and the tamper evident band is not broken when the cap is removed for filling may move to a second position when the cap is removably sealed to the spout and the tamper evident band is broken upon removal of the cap. An important feature of the present invention is that the cap frictionally engages a top portion of the spout. No screw threads or similar securing means are required to retain the cap on the spout.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a tamper evident fitment assembly and more particularly a tamper evident fitment assembly for use in aseptic packaging applications. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Many systems are used for filling and dispensing liquids and other flowable products from packages produced under aseptic conditions. Generally these packages are made from a plastic material and have at least one spout through which the liquid or flowable material is filled and dispensed. It is critical that package or seal tampering be readily apparent upon inspection for aseptically packaged food products, and the tampering indicator must be robust enough to withstand the packaging, transporting, filling and sealing conditions. The packaging used in these circumstances is relatively inexpensive and is only meant for single use. Nevertheless it is important that such packaging maintain its aseptic integrity until the packaged goods are consumed and any failure of the aseptic or hermetic seal prior to use of the package contents must be readily apparent. Generally it is preferred that these packages be kept under aseptic conditions throughout the manufacturing and filling process, as well as prior to dispensing of the liquid or flowable product. Such conditions may be required if the flowable product will readily undergo deterioration or degradation when exposed to a non-aseptic environment. 
     Often the systems used for packaging under aseptic conditions involve the production of the bag and fitment at one facility and then transporting them to a second facility for filling during which the bag is then placed in an aseptic environment. It can be difficult to maintain such aseptic conditions throughout this process. 
     It is therefore desirable to provide a tamper evident fitment assembly for use in aseptic applications that addresses the requirements discussed above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a tamper evident closure and dispensing assembly that includes a spout and a cap with a tamper indicating band that may be assembled into a pre-cap position and attached to a container under sterile/aseptic conditions and transported to a filling facility. During transportation the pre-cap position will maintain the container in an aseptic condition. When filling of the container is required, the container is placed in a filling station which is maintained under aseptic conditions and the cap is removed from the spout. The container is then filled and the cap is placed back on the spout in a full cap position. Removal of the cap from the full cap position will separate the tamper indicating band from the cap thereby indicating that the seal on the container has been broken. 
     The present invention provides a tamper evident closure and dispensing assembly for use with a fluid dispensing container for flowable material. The assembly comprises a spout for attachment to a container, the spout having an upper end and a lower end, and having a dispensing passage therethrough. The assembly further comprises a cap having a top with an external depending skirt and a tamper indicating band releasably attached to the skirt. The cap further including an internal skirt depending from the top and spaced inwardly from the external skirt and operable to be received within the fluid passage to provide a seal between the cap and the spout. The assembly has a first position in which the cap is received on the upper end of the spout with the tamper indicating band abutting the external rib and the internal skirt being received within the passage and providing a seal therebetween, and a second position In which the cap is located on the lower end of the spout with the external rib located between the external skirt and the tamper indicating band and the upper end of the spout located adjacent the top of the cap, the internal skirt being received within the passage and providing a seal there between. 
     The present invention further provides a tamper evident closure and dispensing assembly comprising a spout having an upper end and a lower end, the spout defining a dispensing passage therethrough and a cap sized to be received on the spout and having a tamper indicating band releasably attached thereto. The assembly has a first position in which the cap and the tamper indicating band are received on the upper end of the spout and a seal is provided between the cap and the spout and from which when the cap is removed the tamper indicating band remains attached to the cap, and a second position in which the cap and the tamper indicating band are located adjacent the lower end of the spout and a seal is provided between the cap and the spout and from which when the cap is removed the tamper indicating band detaches from the cap and remains on the spout, thereby-providing evidence that the assembly has been tampered with. 
     An important feature of the present invention is that the cap frictionally engages a top portion of the spout. No screw threads or similar securing means are required to retain the cap on the spout. 
     In another aspect of the invention there is provided a tamper evident closure and dispensing assembly for use with a container for flowable material, the closure comprising a cap and a spout secured to the container, the cap having a frangible tamper evident band associated with it, the cap having an annular recess for frictionally engaging and retaining a top portion of the spout, the cap and spout having cooperating detent and locking elements to allow the assembly, when secured to a container to move from a first position where the cap is removably sealed to the spout and the tamper evident band is not broken when the cap is removed for filling, to a second position when the cap is removably sealed to the spout and the tamper evident band is broken upon removal of the cap to dispense flowable material. 
     In another aspect of the invention there is provided a tamper evident closure and dispensing assembly, wherein the cap includes an internal skirt depending from a top portion of the cap and spaced inwardly from the cap sidewall, the frangible tamper evident band depends from the lower edge of the cap sidewall and the area between the sidewall and the internal skirt forms the annular recess in the cap and includes a lower and-an upper detent that determine the pre-cap and full cap positions, respectively for the top portion of the spout that is sealingly engaged within the annular recess of the cap when the assembly is in use. 
     In another aspect of the invention there is provided a tamper evident closure and dispensing assembly, wherein the cap includes a locking ring that cooperatively and removably engages an annular projection located on an inner edge of the tamper evident band in the pre-cap position and in the full cap position, the annular projection located on an inner edge of the tamper evident band is engaged beneath the locking ring, whereby in the pre-cap position the frangible tamper evident band is not broken upon removal of the cap, but in the full cap position, the frangible tamper evident band must be broken to remove the cap. 
     In another aspect of the invention there is provided a tamper evident closure and dispensing assembly, wherein the cap includes a locking ring and at least one tab that cooperatively engage and lock an annular projection located on an inner edge of the tamper evident band in the pre-cap position and in the full cap position the annular projection located on an inner edge of the tamper evident band is engaged and locked between the locking ring and the at least one tab, whereby in the pre-cap position the frangible tamper evident band is not broken upon removal of the cap, but in the full cap position, the frangible tamper evident band must be broken to remove the cap. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention is better understood with reference to the attached description and to the following Figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1A  illustrates a front view of one embodiment of the tamper evident fitment assembly of the present invention in a ready to assemble position. 
         FIG. 1B  illustrates a side partial cross sectional view of the tamper evident fitment assembly of  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 1C  illustrates a side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 2A  illustrates a front view of the tamper evident fitment assembly of  FIG. 1A  in a pre-cap position; 
         FIG. 2B  illustrates a side partial cross sectional view of the tamper evident fitment assembly of  FIG. 2A ; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a side partial cross sectional view of the tamper evident fitment assembly of  FIG. 1A  in the filling position; 
         FIG. 4A  illustrates a front view of the tamper evident fitment assembly of  FIG. 1A  in a full cap position; 
         FIG. 4B  illustrates a side partial cross sectional view of the tamper evident fitment assembly of  FIG. 4A ; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a side partial cross sectional view of the tamper evident fitment assembly of  FIG. 1  in a dispensing position; and 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a front view of an alternative embodiment of the tamper evident fitment assembly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The tamper evident fitment assembly of the present invention will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 1A through 6  in which one embodiment of the tamper evident fitment assembly is indicated generally at numeral  10 . The tamper evident fitment assembly  10  is connected to a container that is filled with flowable material, e.g. liquids. It will be understood by a person skilled in the art that generally a container for such use may be in the form of a pouch. As used herein, the term “flowable material” does not include gaseous materials, but encompasses materials which are flowable under gravity or may be pumped. Such materials include liquids, preferably foods, such as water, fruit juice, milk, oil; emulsions e.g. ice cream mix, soft margarine; pastes e.g. meat pastes, peanut butter; preserves e.g. jams, pie fillings, marmalade; jellies; doughs; ground meat e.g. sausage meat; powders e.g. gelatin powders, detergents; granular solids e.g. nuts, sugar, and like materials. The invention described herein is particularly useful for flowable foods. 
     The tamper evident fitment assembly  10  of the present invention may be used on a container that requires handling and filling in an aseptic environment. The fitment assembly and its use will be described in such an environment. However, it will be understood by a person skilled in the art, that the use of the fitment assembly of the present invention is not limited to such a use and other applications fall within the scope of the invention. 
     The tamper evident fitment assembly  10  includes a cap  12  and a spout  16  having an annular flange  14  at its base that is operable for attachment to a container, not shown. The attachment of the flange  14  to a container can be achieved many ways that will be known to a person skilled in the art. Examples of ways to attach the flange  14  to the fitment include, but are not limited to, heat sealing, welding and chemical bonding, e.g. adhesive. The cap  12  is sized to be received on the spout  16 , and can be located on the spout  16  in several different positions in which hermetic sealing between the cap  12  and the spout  16  is maintained to provide an aseptic environment. The positions include an aseptic pre-cap position and an aseptic full cap position, which will be described further below. 
     As can be seen more clearly in  FIGS. 2 through 6 , the spout  16  has an upper end  18  and a lower end  20  and a central passage  22  through the spout  16  between the upper end  18  and the lower end  20  for passage of flowable material. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the spout  16  also includes a series of different sized valve engagement rings  24  that allow the spout and hence the container to be secured to a variety of fillers or dispensers, not shown. The size and location of each ring  24  may be selected in accordance with the type of filler and/or dispenser the spout  16  is attached to. It will be understood by a person skilled in the art that the positioning and size of the rings  24  may be varied for optimizing the securing of the spout  16  to such apparatus. Spout regions  16   a  are provided between the valve engagement rings  24  to receive and secure the dispensing or filler valves. The spout  16  may include two valve engagement rings  24 ; however it will be understood by a person skilled in the art that the number may vary depending on the end use of the container and fitment assembly  10 . The spout  16  may also include external threads  40  for a threaded connection of the spout  16  to a dispensing connector. 
     As described above, the cap  12  is sized to be received on the spout  16  and includes a top  26  with an external skirt  28  depending from the top  26  and a tamper indicating band  30  releasably attached to the external skirt  28  at the opposite end from the top  26 . The external skirt  28  has an internal ledge  32  located adjacent the top  26  of the cap  12 , distal from the tamper indicating band  30 . The cap  12  further includes a cork  34 , also referred to as an internal skirt, depending from the top and spaced inwardly from the external skirt  28 . The cork  34  is sized to be received within the fluid passage  22  of the spout  16  to provide a seal between the cap  12  and the spout  16  when the cap  12  is received on the spout  16 . 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the internal skirt  34  is spaced from the external skirt  28  providing a space  34   a  that is sized to allow the spout  16  to fit therebetween. The spacing is sufficient to allow the spout  16  to be placed between the internal skirt  34  and the external skirt  28  and to be held in place by a friction fit and thereby providing a seal therebetween that is sufficient to maintain an aseptic seal for the container. Space  34   a  is configured with a lower internal ledge or detent  32  and an upper internal ledge or detent  32   b , against which the top of the spout  16  sealingly engages the cap  16  to provide the aseptic seals in the pre-cap and full cap positions as will be described in more detail below. 
     As discussed above, the cap  12  includes a tamper indicating band  30  releasably attached to the external skirt  28 . The tamper indicating band  30  is attached to the external skirt  28  by a series of frangible bridges  36 . The frangible bridges  36  are integrally formed with the cap  12  and band  30 . Located on the internal surface of the tamper indicating band  30  is a shoulder  38  that extends inwardly and is located at a distance from the external skirt  28 . The shoulder may be continuous around the band perimeter or be interrupted and functions as a tamper evident shoulder as will be described below. The exterior of spout  16  includes a circumferential lip  18 . External screw threads  40  are located just below the lip  18 . An annular locking ring  41  is located just below the screw threading  40 . Locking ring  41  may be continuous or interrupted also. Spaced from and below the locking ring  41  is at least one tab  39 , which cooperates with locking ring  41  to engage and retain tamper evident shoulder  38 , when the cap  12  is positioned on the spout  16 . The at least one tab  39  may be a continuous annular ring or it may comprise a plurality of tabs spaced-about the circumference of the spout  16 . In  FIG. 1C  a side view of the fitment illustrates a shape of the tab  39 . It will be noted that this tab may not be necessary for all applications and  FIG. 6  illustrates an embodiment of the fitment that does not include a tab  39 . Below the at least one tab  39  are the two valve engagement rings  24 . As indicated previously, these rings  24  permit a variety of dispensing or filler valves, not shown to be secured to the spout. Finally, below the rings  24  is the base  20  or bottom of the spout  16  which includes the flange  14  by which the spout  16  may be secured to a container, not shown, by well known means. The distance between the shoulder  38  and the external skirt  28  in the cap  12  is sized to receive at least a portion of the external rib  39  there between. 
     As can be seen in  FIGS. 2 through 6 , the cap  12  and the spout  16  have many possible positions during the use of the fitment  10 . The positions of the cap  12  and the spout  16  will be discussed in order of the operation of the fitment beginning with a ready to assemble position to a dispensing position. In all of the positions discussed the spout  16  is attached to a container, not shown, by means that are known to a person skilled in the art. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the ready to assemble position in which the cap  12  is not yet placed on the spout  16 . In this position the tamper indicating band  30  is connected to the external skirt  28  of the cap  12  by frangible bridges  36 . 
     Turning to  FIG. 2B , the pre-fill position is shown. As can be seen, the cap  12  is received on the spout  16  with the tamper indicating band  30  being located adjacent the locking ring  41 . Shoulder  38  rests against locking ring  41 ; while lip  18  of the spout is frictionally and sealingly engaged by ledge  32  in the area  34   a  of cap  12 . In this pre-fill position the tamper indicating band  30  is connected to the external skirt  28  of the cap  12  by frangible bridges  36 . The positioning of the internal skirt  34  within the passage  22  adjacent the internal ledge  32 , will maintain an aseptic seal between the cap  12  and the spout  16 . 
     In order to fill the container with the required flowable material the cap  12  must be removed from the spout  16  in order to allow for the flowable material to pass through the passage  22 . The cap  12  is removed from the spout  16 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , while maintaining the connection between the tamper indicating band  30  and the external skirt  28  of the cap  12 . The container may then be filled by means known by a person skilled in the art, an example of which is described below. 
     Once the container has been filled, the cap  12  is then placed back onto the spout  16 .  FIG. 4B  illustrates the assembly at this time which may be called the full cap or post fill position. At this stage the cap  12  is generally not removed from the spout  16  until dispensing of the product from the container is required. Since any tampering with the container and fitment assembly  10  at this stage may contaminate the contents of the container it is desirable to show whether the fitment assembly  10  has been tampered with.  FIG. 4B  illustrates the full cap position in which an aseptic environment for the fitment assembly  10  and the contents of the container may be maintained. If the cap  12  is removed from the fitment assembly  10  when in the full cap position the tamper evident band  30  will separate, as described below, indicating that tampering has occurred and providing the required signal upon inspection. 
     When the cap  12  is placed on the spout  16  in the full cap position the cap  12  is moved further onto the spout  16  towards the flange  14  than in the previously described pre-cap position, illustrated in  FIG. 2B . In the full cap position, the cap  12  is positioned with the shoulder  38  of the tamper indicating band  30  located below the rib  41  and the frangible bridges  36  are located adjacent the peripheral edge of the external rib  39 . In this position the upper end or lip  18  of the spout  16  is located above the internal ledge  32  of the external skirt  28  on the cap  12 . Similar to the pre-cap position, in the full cap position, the location of the internal skirt  34  in the passage  22  creates a seal between the cap  12  and the spout  16  and provides an aseptic environment for the container, its contents and fitment assembly  10 . 
     When the flowable material is required to be dispensed from the container the cap  12  must be removed from the spout  16 .  FIG. 5  illustrates the cap  12  and spout  16  once the cap  12  has been removed from the spout  16 . In this dispensing position, the cap  12  has been pulled away from the spout  16  in order to allow for the removal of material from the container. As the cap  12  is pulled away from the spout  16  the shoulder  38  will abut against the external rib  39  which will inhibit the upward movement of the shoulder  38  and thereby inhibit the removal of the tamper indicating band  30  from the spout  16 . The force that is applied on the cap  12  to pull it away from the spout  16  while the shoulder  38  of the tamper indicating band  30  is retained beneath the external rib  39  will apply pressure to the frangible bridges  36 . Once sufficient pressure/force has been applied to the cap  12  the frangible bridges  36  will sever and the tamper indicating band  30  will become detached from the cap  12 . The cap  12  can then be removed and the material in the container dispensed. The tamper indicating band  30  will remain on the spout  16  beneath the external rib  39  and indicate to a user that the fitment assembly  10  has been tampered with. The tamper indicating band  30  may subsequently be removed if required by the user. 
     The assembly and use of the tamper evident fitment assembly  10  will now be briefly discussed. The spout  16  and cap  12  are manufactured separately by suitable means known in the art. After manufacture the spout  16  and cap  12  are shipped to the container manufacturing location. The spout  16  is attached to the container, not shown, at flange  14  by suitable means known in the art. After attachment of the spout  16 , the cap  12  is placed on the spout  16  in the pre-cap position, described above. The container and fitment assembly  10  are irradiated, by suitable means known in the art, in order to create an aseptic environment in the container. The container with the fitment assembly  10  may then be shipped to a filling station. When filling of the container is required, the container is placed in a filling machine, which operates under aseptic conditions. Once in the filling machine a capper apparatus will remove the cap  12  from the pre-cap position with the tamper indicating band  30  still attached to the cap  12 . The filling machine will then fill the container with flowable material through the fluid passage  22  until the container is full. At this time, the cap  12  will be placed back onto the spout  16  and pushed into the full cap position. The container may then be removed from the filling machine and stored or shipped, as required. When the cap  12  is removed from the full cap position the tamper indicating band  30  will separate from the external skirt  28  thereby indicating that the fitment assembly  10  has been tampered with. The types of filling machines and the operation of such machines will be understood by a person of skill in the art. 
     The fitment assembly  10  may be made from any suitable material known by a person skilled in the art. For example, the spout  16  and the cap  12  may be made from any suitable plastic, in particular any plastic suitable for injection molding, which will be known by a person skilled in the art. Examples include, but are not limited to, linear low density polyethylene and polypropylene. Generally the cap may be made of a plastic that has sufficient flexibility to allow the spout  16  to move past the lower indent  32  to achieve the full cap position. 
     It will also be understood by a person skilled in the art that the dimensions of the spout  16  and cap  12  may vary depending on the filling machine with which the container is to be used. When varying the dimensions the relative size of the spout  16  to the cap  12  must be maintained in order to provide the friction fit between the two and thereby maintaining an aseptic environment when required. 
     Although the invention has been described in terms of a particular preferred embodiment thereof, the skilled practitioner will understand that variations may be made within the scope of the appended claims.