Abstract:
A closure structure for a container includes a cap and a surrounding tamper-evident sleeve. The tamper-evident sleeve is initially engageable with a retaining element of the container located below the cap to prevent axial upward displacement of the sleeve with respect to the container. The sleeve includes a retention member overlying the cap to prevent manipulation of the cap to an open condition. The sleeve includes a frangible feature arranged to be torn to facilitate removal of the sleeve to permit manipulation of the cap to an open condition.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/086,234, entitled “Dispensing Closure With Tamper-Evident Sleeve,” filed by inventors Joseph W. Staniszewski, David D. Pozgay, and Cori M. Blomdahl on Feb. 27, 2002, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/696,681, filed Oct. 25, 2000 abandoned . 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
     Not applicable. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The invention relates to closures for containers. More particularly, the invention relates to closures having tamper indicating features which must be broken or torn to initially open the closure. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND TECHNICAL PROBLEMS POSED BY THE PRIOR ART 
     A variety of container closures have been developed or proposed wherein an initial opening of a lid or a dispensing spout structure provides visual evidence of such an occurrence—even after the lid or spout has been subsequently closed. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,487,324; 4,941,592; 5,201,440 and 5,875,907 disclose closures which incorporate a locking band or tab that is attached to either the lid or the body of the closure with a plurality of frangible webs so as to initially retain the closure lid to the body in the closed position. To initially open the closure, the user must break the frangible webs by pushing or pulling on a tab or band. 
     While the above-mentioned closures can function well for the purposes for which they have been designed, it would be desirable to provide an improved tamper-evident closure which could be readily fabricated to associate with certain types of lids or flow control elements and which, prior to initial opening, could enhance the cosmetic appearance of the closure. It would be desirable if such a tamper-evident closure could be easily installed on a container in its tamper-indicating ready condition for eventual delivery to the consumer. 
     It would also be desirable to provide an improved tamper-evident closure comprising at least two separate components wherein the components could be advantageously designed to be frictionally held together prior to assembly of the closure on the container. In particular, it would be beneficial if the improved closure could accommodate a design providing sufficient frictional engagement between two components of the closure to allow the components to be assembled together and maintained in that assembled configuration during subsequent handling, shipping, and installation of the assembled two-closure components together on a container by automatic capping equipment. However, it would also be beneficial if the improved closure could accommodate an alternate design wherein such frictional engagement would not necessarily be required when the installation of the components is to be made directly onto a container without necessarily requiring assembly of the closure components prior to installation on the container. 
     It would also be beneficial if such an improved closure could readily accommodate its manufacture from a variety of different materials. Further, it would be desirable if such an improved closure could be provided with a design that would accommodate efficient, high quality, large volume manufacturing techniques with a minimal product reject rate. Preferably, the improved closure should also accommodate high speed manufacturing techniques that produce products having consistent operating characteristics unit-to-unit with reliability. 
     The present invention provides an improved closure with tamper-evident features which can accommodate other designs having the above-discussed benefits and features. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The closure structure of the invention provides an effective tamper-indicating feature which evidences unauthorized access or tampering with a contained product. 
     One form of the invention comprises a closure structure for a container which has a neck defining a dispensing opening and a radially extending retaining element spaced from the dispensing opening. The closure includes a cap having an end wall for at least partially closing the opening of the container neck and having a peripheral skirt for engaging the container neck to mount the cap on the container. A sleeve is provided for surrounding the cap on the container neck. The sleeve has an annular wall sized to surround and engage the cap skirt with sufficient force to hold the sleeve and cap together as a unit and to accommodate installation of the sleeve and cap as a unit on the container neck so that relative rotation between the cap and sleeve is minimized at least during installation of the cap and sleeve together on the container neck. The sleeve has a top retention member extending inwardly from the annular wall over at least part of the cap. The sleeve has a snap-on engagement member engageable with the container retaining element to prevent axial separation of the sleeve from the container neck and to accommodate rotation of the sleeve and cap together in the screwing on direction without fracturing the sleeve. The sleeve also has a frangible feature configured to be torn by a user for permitting at least partial disengagement of the engagement member from the retaining element and subsequent removal of the surrounding sleeve from the container neck. This provides access to the cap. 
     Another aspect of the invention provides a cap that comprises a closure body and a closure lid accommodating movement relative to the body. The closure body has an annular sidewall for extending from the container neck and has an end wall defining a dispensing orifice in fluid communication with the container dispensing opening. The closure lid has an occluding portion that is movable with the lid to occlude the dispensing orifice in a closed position and that is movable away from the closed position to uncover the dispensing orifice. A tamper-evident sleeve surrounds the closure body and the lid. The sleeve is engageable with the container neck below the closure body to prevent axial upward displacement of the sleeve with respect to the container neck. The sleeve includes a retention member overlying the closure lid to prevent movement of the lid to open the dispensing orifice. The sleeve has a frangible feature that can be torn to permit removal of the retention member from over the lid to allow the lid to be moved to open the dispensing orifice. 
     Another aspect of the invention provides a tamper-evident sleeve that can be separately molded and assembled over a cap prior to mounting the assembly on a container. The sleeve has an engagement member in the form of a bead which is snapped over a retaining element of the container neck. To facilitate installation of the sleeve and cap together on the container, the sleeve is provided with interior knurling or ribs which engage exterior knurling or ribs on the cap. The mutual engagement of the interior and exterior knurling or ribs ensures mutual turning of the sleeve and cap. This operation is advantageously performed in rapid fashion by a capping machine. 
     Another form of the invention provides a closure structure for a container which defines a dispensing opening. The structure includes a cap for closing the opening of the container. The structure also includes a separate sleeve which is molded as a unitary structure from a polymer material. The sleeve has an annular wall that (i) is sized to surround the cap on the container, (ii) has an upper opening, and (iii) engages the container to prohibit axial separation of the surrounding sleeve from the container. The sleeve also has a retention member extending across the sleeve upper opening as a unitary part of the sleeve to connect two portions of the annular wall at a location over the upper opening. The sleeve also includes a top frangible line across the retention member at a location over the upper opening. The sleeve further includes a side frangible line extending throughout the height of the annular wall. The sleeve also has a pull tab defined as a unitary part of the retention member between the top frangible line and the sleeve annular wall. The pull tab can be pulled to tear the top frangible line and side frangible line for facilitating removal of the sleeve from the cap and container. 
     The tamper-evident sleeve of the invention prevents unauthorized and undetected removal or opening of a closure cap from a container, or of a lid and/or a closure body from a container. According to the exemplary embodiment of a closure having a body and lid, the sleeve prevents undetected opening of the closure lid from the closure body, and prevents undetected removal of the closure body from the container neck. 
     Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The accompanying drawings form part of the specification, and like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same. 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a closure structure of the present invention, including a closure assembly surrounded by a tamper-evident sleeve, mounted or installed on a container; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the closure structure of FIG. 1 with a tamper-indicating tear strip of the tamper-evident sleeve removed; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tamper-evident sleeve of FIG. 1, separate from the closure assembly; 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken generally through line  4 — 4  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment tamper-evident sleeve, separate from the closure assembly; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of a tamper-evident sleeve which is one of the components of a closure assembly; 
     FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the sleeve shown in FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the plane  8 — 8  in FIG. 7; and 
     FIG. 9 is a greatly enlarged, cross-sectional view taken generally along the plane  9 — 9  in FIG.  7 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, this specification and the accompanying drawings disclose only some specific forms as examples of the invention. The invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments so described, however. The scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims. 
     For ease of description, figures illustrating the invention show a dispensing system in the typical orientation that it would have at the top of a container when the container is stored upright on its base, and terms such as upper, lower, horizontal, etc., are used with reference to this position. It will be understood, however, that the dispensing system of this invention may be manufactured, stored, transported, used, and sold in an orientation other than the position described. 
     The dispensing system of this invention is suitable for use with a variety of conventional or special containers having various designs, the details of which, although not illustrated or described, would be apparent to those having skill in the art and an understanding of such containers. The container per se described herein forms no part of some aspects of the invention and therefore is not intended to limit the present invention. It will also be understood by those of ordinary skill that novel and non-obvious inventive aspects are embodied in the described exemplary closure systems alone. 
     An exemplary embodiment of a closure structure  30  according to the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1-4. The closure structure  30  is adapted to engage a container neck  32 . The closure structure  30  includes an outer, surrounding tamper-evident sleeve  36  and an inner cap  40 . The sleeve  36  is configured to prevent access to the contents of the container until the sleeve is disengaged from the container neck, preferably by removal of the sleeve from the container neck. 
     The tamper-evident sleeve  36  surrounds the cap  40  and the container neck  32 . The sleeve  36  includes an annular sidewall  48 , a top retention member in the form of a partially annular lip  52  extending radially inwardly from the sidewall  48 , and a bottom engagement member in the form of an internal annular, or partially annular, bead  58  (shown in FIG.  4 ), extending radially inwardly from the sidewall  48 . An external, partially annular flange  53  extends outwardly from a bottom of the annular sidewall  48 . The partially annular flange  53  increases the hoop rigidity of the annular sidewall  48  to prevent prying off of the sleeve after its initial installation on the cap  40 . 
     The annular sidewall  48  includes a frangible feature in the form of a first line of weakness  62 , and a second frangible feature in the form of a second line of weakness  64 . The first and second lines of weakness define a tear strip  72  therebetween. A pull tab  76  extends perpendicularly (radially) from tear strip  72  into a central region  80  of the sleeve. The pull tab  76  can carry molded or other indicia  81  giving opening instructions or other information. 
     The frangible lines  62 ,  64  can be made frangible in a number of ways, including forming the lines with a reduced thickness, forming the lines as a through cut with intermittently arranged bridging webs, forming the lines as a plurality of perforations, etc. 
     The lines need not be linear, but can be curved or inflected. The two lines need not be parallel. In a modified form of this embodiment of the invention, a single frangible line could be used to separate the annular wall. 
     For the cap  40  to be initially opened, the sleeve must be removed. The tab  76  is grasped and the tear-off strip is pulled outwardly and downwardly to tear the sleeve along the lines of weakness  62 ,  64 . After the tear off strip  72  is removed the sleeve can be forcibly opened up or spread open to be removed from the container neck. The external, partially annular flange  53  provides rigidity to stabilize the sleeve during tear-removal of the tear-off strip  72 . 
     FIG. 2 illustrates the tamper-indicating sleeve  36  having been torn to be removed from the container neck  32 . With the tear strip  72  missing, the annular sidewall  48  can be spread sufficiently in the tangential or radial direction to facilitate removal of the sleeve  36  axially, or radially, over a container neck retaining element  86  (described below), from the container neck  32 . 
     FIG. 3 illustrates the tamper-indicating sleeve  36  in isolation. The sleeve can include knurling or ribs  94  on an outside surface for gripping by capping machinery to screw on the closure structure to a container neck. The sleeve can also include internal knurling or ribs  98  on an inside surface thereof. The internal knurling or ribs  98  engage external knurling or ribs  106  on the cap  40  (shown in FIG.  2 ), so that the torque applied by the capping machine to the closure structure  30  is transferred through the sleeve  36  to the cap  40  for screwing the closure structure on the container neck  32 . 
     As can be seen in FIG. 4, the closure structure  30  is engaged to the container neck  32 . The container neck  32  includes an external thread formation  120  and the retaining element  86 , in the form of a flange or a ring. The container neck  32  also includes a top container finish or annular sealing surface  130 . 
     The cap  40  of the closure structure includes a closure body  132  and a lid  138  connected together by a hinge  144 . The closure body  132  includes a deck  146  and a depending, hollow, generally cylindrical skirt  148 . An annular shoulder  154  is defined on the top of the skirt  148 , surrounding the deck  146 . The closure structure also includes a spout  158  extending upwardly from the deck  146 . A compressible seal  162  extends from the bottom surface of the deck. This seal can be a “crab&#39;s claw” seal or any other suitable seal. 
     The interior of the skirt  148  also defines an internal, female thread  166 . The skirt  148  is adapted to receive and threadingly engage the upper end of the container neck  32 . The skirt thread  166  is adapted to matingly engage the thread  120  of the container neck  32 . Full engagement of the threads  120 ,  166  causes the top sealing surface  130  of the container neck to compress the cap body compressible seal  162  to form a seal between the closure structure  30  and the container neck  32 . The top sealing surface  130  may be flat, angled, or curved and is sealingly engaged by the seal  162  as shown in FIG.  4 . 
     As an alternative to threading, the closure skirt  148  could be provided with some other container connecting means, such as a snap-fit bead or groove (not illustrated) in place of the thread  166  for engaging a container groove or bead (not illustrated), respectively, in the container neck. 
     The tamper-evident sleeve of the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1-4 prevents unauthorized, undetected opening of the lid from the body and/or the unauthorized, undetected removal of the body from the container neck. In an alternate embodiment where tamper-evidency of only the lid alone is necessary, the closure body  132  could be permanently attached to the container by means of induction melting, ultrasonic melting, gluing, or the like, depending on materials used for the closure body  132  and container. The closure body  132  could also be formed as a unitary part, or extension, of the container. 
     The closure body skirt  148  may have any suitable configuration. The container could have an upwardly projecting “neck” or other portion for being received within the particular configuration of the closure body  132 , and the main part of the container may have a same or a different cross-sectional shape than the container neck and closure body skirt  148 . In this regard, “neck” only refers to that portion of the container that receives the closure structure, and is not limited to a portion which is more narrow than adjoining portions of the container, or the main body of the container. For example, the term “neck” also encompasses the closure-structure-receiving portion of a tubular container, wherein the neck has the same diameter as the remaining portions of the container. 
     The closure structure  30  is adapted to be used with a container having a mouth or other opening to provide access to the container interior and to a product contained therein. The product may be, for example, a comestible product such as a food paste, jelly or jam. However, the closure structure  30  could also be used with many other materials, including, but not limited to, relatively low or high viscosity liquids, particulates, etc. as constituting a food product, a personal care product, an industrial or household cleaning product, or other chemical compositions (e.g., compositions for use in activities involving manufacturing, commercial or household maintenance, construction, agriculture, etc.). 
     The container with which the closure structure may be used would typically be a squeezable container having a flexible wall or walls which can be grasped by the user and squeezed or compressed to increase the internal pressure within the container so as to force the product out of the container and through the closure structure  30 . The container wall typically has sufficient, inherent resiliency so that when the squeezing forces are removed, the container wall returns to its normal, unstressed shape. Such a squeezable wall container is preferred in many applications but may not be necessary for preferred in other applications. For example, in some applications it may be desirable to employ a generally rigid container and pressurize the container interior at selected times with a piston or other pressurizing system. 
     The lid  138  is preferably hingedly connected to the closure body  132 , with the hinge  144  preferably being a snap-action hinge. Such a hinge is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,824, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference thereto. In an alternate embodiment, the lid  138  need not be connected with a snap-action hinge. A floppy hinge may be used instead. Further, in another embodiment (not illustrated), the hinge  144  may be omitted entirely, and the lid  138  can be completely separate, and completely removable, from the closure body. In some applications, the lid  138  be omitted altogether. 
     The lid  138  includes a sidewall or lid skirt  172  (FIG. 4) from which the hinge  144  extends to the body  132 . The lid skirt  172  has a lid seating surface  176 . When the lid  138  is closed, the lid seating surface  176  engages the annular shoulder  154  defined on the closure body  132  at the top of the closure body sidewall  148 . The lid  138  includes a lifting tab  178  extending radially outwardly on a front side of the lid  138 . A lifting tab is not required, however. The lifting tab  178  is used to facilitate opening the lid after the sleeve is removed. The lifting tab  178  and the sleeve  36  are sized and shaped to resiliently interfere, as schematically indicated in FIG. 4 by the overlapping cross sections of the two parts in their relaxed state. The interference acts to retain the closure body  132  and lid  138  within the sleeve  36  prior to assembly on the container neck  32 . The interference also acts to ensure that the closure body  132  rotates with the sleeve during installation of the closure structure  30  on the container neck  32 . This is especially important if the interior knurling or ribs  98  (shown in FIG. 3) are not used. 
     The lid  138  includes an orifice sealing member or “spud”  180  which extends from a lid end wall  182  and which is adapted to sealingly engage a peripheral surface  186  of the orifice  160  when the lid  138  is pivoted from the open position to a closed position. As will be recognized, the orifice sealing member  180  is of a complementary shape relative to the shape of the dispensing orifice  160 . The lid end wall  182  functions as an occluding portion which is movable to (1) a closed position to cover the dispensing orifice, and (2) an open position away from the closed position to uncover the dispensing orifice. 
     In the tamper-indicating ready position illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, the retention member  52  overlies the end wall  182  of the closure lid  138  and prevents the lifting thereof. The annular or partially annular bead  58  underlies the retaining element  86  of the container neck  32  to prevent removal of the sleeve  36  in an upward direction. In this regard, the bead  58  includes a gradually sloping leading side  58   a  and a steeply sloping retention side  58   b.  The gradually sloping leading side  58   a  allows the bead  58  to resiliently pass over the retaining element  86  during initial installation on the container neck. The steeply sloping retention side  58   b  prevents the unauthorized and undetected removal of the sleeve  36  from the container neck  32 . 
     For the closure lid  138  to be initially opened, the sleeve  36  must be removed. The tab  76  is grasped and the tear-off strip  72  is pulled outwardly and downwardly to tear the sleeve along the lines of weakness  62 ,  64 . After the tear off strip  72  is removed, the sleeve  36  can be opened up to be removed from the container neck  32 . Thereafter, to dispense material from the container, the lid  138  is pivoted about the hinge  144  until the spud  180  is removed from the orifice  160 . 
     The closure structure  30  is advantageously configured to be easily and cost effectively installed onto a container neck  32 . The closure structure  30  as a unit is mounted onto the container neck  32  and turned to advance the closure threads  166  on the container threads  120 . Additionally, as the threads  166  advance, the bead  58  passes over the retaining element  86  to be engaged as shown in FIG.  4 . In this manner, the entire closure structure  30 , including the tamper-evident sleeve  36  and cap  40 , can be installed by the capping machine in a single step. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates an alternate embodiment tamper-evident sleeve  36 ′ which includes a modified tear-off strip  72 ′. The modified tear-off strip  72 ′ is defined between the prior described line of weakness  64  and a modified line of weakness  62 ′. The modified line of weakness  62 ′ stops short of a bottom edge  72   a  of the strip to form an attachment web  62   a  between the edge  72   a  and the line of weakness  62 ′. Thus, by pulling the tab  76  down, the tear-off strip can be completely separated from the sleeve at the line  64  but only partially separated from the sleeve at the line  62 ′. The advantage of this arrangement is that rather than two scrap pieces being formed by the sleeve, only a single scrap piece, including the sleeve with attached strip  72 ′ and tab  76 , is formed. 
     FIGS. 6-9 illustrate another embodiment of a tamper-evident sleeve  36 A which is adapted for being disposed around a cap  40  on a container neck, such as the cap  40  and container neck  32  described above with reference to the first embodiment of the sleeve illustrated in FIGS. 1-4. 
     The sleeve  36 A is molded as a unitary structure, preferably from a polymer material. As can be seen in FIG. 6, the sleeve  36 A has an annular wall or sidewall  48 A which is sized to surround the cap  40  on the container. The annular wall  48 A has an upper opening  49 A (FIG. 8) and a lower opening  51 A (FIG.  8 ). As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the annular wall  48 A has at least one engagement member  58 A. In the preferred form of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6-9, there are two engagement members  58 A, each oriented along an arc on the inner circumference of the annular wall  48 A at the bottom edge of the annular wall  48 A. Each lip  58 A, in the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, extends for less than one half of the interior circumference of the annular wall  48 A. Each engagement member  58 A may be characterized as a bead or upturned lip  58 A which, when the sleeve is installed over a cap on a container neck having a radially extending retaining element or flange  86  (FIG.  4 ), is adapted to temporarily and elastically deform sufficiently to bend past, and spring back below, the retaining element  86  on the container neck. This engagement prohibits axial separation of the surrounding sleeve  36 A from the container neck. 
     As can be seen in FIG. 6, the sleeve  36 A includes a retention member  52 A extending across the sleeve upper opening  49 A (FIG. 8) as a unitary part of the sleeve  36 A to connect two portions of the annular wall  48 A at a location over the upper opening  49 A. 
     Further, as can be seen in FIG. 6, the sleeve  36 A includes a top frangible line  59 A across the retention member  52 A at a location over the upper opening  49 A (FIG.  9 ). 
     As can be seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, a side frangible line  62 A extends throughout the height of the annular wall. As can be seen in FIG. 6, a pull tab  76 A is defined as a unitary part of the retention member  52 A between the top frangible line  59 A and the sleeve annular wall  48 A. The pull tab  76 A can be pulled to tear the top frangible line  59 A and the side frangible line  62 A for, in effect, separating the sleeve  36 A at two locations so that it can be spread apart or pried apart and removed from the cap and container. That is, by spreading the torn sleeve portions outwardly, the bottom engagement member lips  58 A can be moved out from under the container neck retaining element flange  86  (FIG.  4 ). This allows the removal of the torn sleeve  36 A from the cap and container. 
     Each frangible line  59 A and  62 A may be defined as a reduced thickness section of material. As can be seen in FIG. 9, the frangible line  59 A is created by a groove, void, or notch extending downwardly from the upper surface of the retention member  52 A. Similarly, as can be seen in FIG. 7, the side frangible line  62 A is formed by a groove, notch, or void extending inwardly from the exterior surface of the annular wall  48 A. Each frangible line may be characterized as being a generally reduced thickness portion of material that defines a groove, void, or notch. 
     As can be seen in FIG. 7, the pull tab  76 A includes a grip portion  190 A which is laterally wider than the top frangible line  59 A. 
     The annular wall  48 A has a generally cylindrical configuration. The exterior of the annular wall  48 A may be provided with ribs or serrations to facilitate gripping of the sleeve  36 A by automatic installation machinery. 
     In the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6,  7 , and  8 , the top edge of the annular wall  48 A terminates below the top of the cap on the container when the sleeve  48 A is installed on the container over the cap. The retention member  52 A projects upwardly alongside an upper portion of the cap and then extends over the cap. 
     In a preferred form of the sleeve illustrated in FIGS. 6-8, the annular wall  48 A is adapted to surround and engage the closure body or cap with sufficient force to hold the sleeve and cap body together as a unit to accommodate installation of the sleeve and cap together on the container so that relative rotation between the cap and sleeve is minimized, at least during installation of the cap and sleeve on the container. Preferably, such installation is most readily effected by employing automatic cap/sleeve installation machinery. 
     It will be appreciated that modifications of other features of the invention are contemplated. For example, the closure body or unitary cap could be snap-fit onto the container neck with a cooperating annular bead and groove arrangement of conventional or special design. 
     Each embodiment of the sleeve  36 ,  36 ′, or  36 A may be initially assembled on a closure or cap and the assembly then may be installed on the container. However, in other forms of the invention, the closure or cap may be first installed on the container, and then the sleeve  36 ,  36 ′, or  36 A may be subsequently installed over the closure or cap on the container. In such a two-step installation, there would be no need to have frictional engagement between the sleeve and the cap. 
     The closure or cap need not incorporate a separate body and movable lid such as in the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 wherein the closure has a body  132  and a lid  138  hingedly connected to the body  132  with a hinge  144 . Rather, in an alternate embodiment (not illustrated), a single, unitary, removable cap could be employed for being releasably attached to a container—removal of such a cap from the container being possible only after removing the tamper-evident sleeve  36 ,  36 ′, or  36 A. Removal of the cap would expose the opening in the container neck. Such a cap need not be a dispensing type closure having a closure body and associated lid movable relative thereto. Rather, such a cap could be merely a unitary cover adapted to be releasably mounted, connected, or otherwise attached to the container neck. 
     The closure body could also be molded as a unitary part or extension of the container neck if such a container is molded initially with an open bottom end to allow mold core parts to be extended into, and then retracted from, the space within the container and container neck. Such a closure body portion of a container neck could be provided with a unitary molded end wall defining a small dispensing orifice over the larger, main opening defined by the container neck. A separate, or attached, lid could be mounted on the closure body portion for movement between a closed position occluding the dispensing orifice and an open position spaced from the dispensing orifice. After installing and closing the lid, the container could be inverted and filled through the open bottom end. Then the bottom end could be closed with a suitable secondary closure. 
     It is also possible to incorporate a friction fit of the cap and container facilitated by a cap or closure skirt having an inside diameter sized to provide a sliding or telescoping engagement with a smooth, threadless container finish. In such an embodiment, the container neck and closure body could be provided with abutment surfaces, for example, a bayonet type interlock or fastening configuration, which permit installation of the closure assembly on the container, but which may be configured to restrict upward movement of the closure body relative to the container. 
     It will be readily apparent from the foregoing detailed description of the invention and from the illustrations thereof that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts or principles of this invention.