Patent Publication Number: US-11383904-B2

Title: Plastic bottle equipped with a tamperproof device after its opening

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention concerns a plastic bottle provided with a tamperproof device after its opening. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     When a bottle, for instance of mineral water or other drink, is left unsealed and unattended, for instance in a working or leisure environment, and taken again after a certain time, the only way to find out if it was used by someone other than the user, is to compare the level of liquid contained in the bottle with the level present when it was first left. It should be understood that the problem is not only to detect if someone drank your water, perhaps laying the lips on the neck of the bottle, but also to verify that the cap has not been unscrewed, e.g. to pour inside some extraneous substances, and then re-screwed. 
     Presently, in the Applicant&#39;s opinion, in order not to incur in the risks above listed, it is necessary that everyone always carries the bottle with him/her. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,475 discloses a tamperproof container having a main body with an opening and a closure. One or more tamperproof indicators have leg portions engageable within respective of apertures around the peripheral ledge of the closure. Rotation of the closure will result in the legs engaging with a respective abutment provided on the main body of the container, with consequent breaking thereof. This shows an attempt to remove the closure. However, since the leg portions simply abut against the abutment of the main body of the container, it is probable on the one hand that the leg portions are not severed and, therefore, an evidence of the violation attempt does not remain. On the other hand, if the leg portions were sheared, all the tamperproof indicator would be expelled from the closure, and then the evidence of violation would fail. 
     U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,989,739 and 4,512,484 describe safety containers with screw caps provided with locking means to prevent their opening by children. They both describe a cap with a non-fracturing through pin which is difficult to remove from the children. 
     FR 1,562,178 describes a device similar to that of U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,475, but the tamperproof indicator is difficult to replace. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The closest prior art is considered U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,475, and the present invention aims to overcome the drawbacks above cited. 
     The main purpose of the present invention is to permit to check that a sealed bottle, opened for its first use, and later re-closed by the user, has not been subsequently opened by other persons to drink or to corrupt its content. 
     Strictly connected to this is the purpose of verifying as a clear evidence that a device, functioning as a bolt, has been severed and is still on the bottle. 
     Another purpose of the invention is to allow several times the re-closure of the bottle in use, guaranteeing each time that it has not been re-opened by others to drink or to corrupt its content. 
     In order to reach the purpose above mentioned, the present invention supplies a bottle with a screw cap equipped, alone or in combination with the bottle itself, with a device functioning as bolt, as defined in the claim  1  here attached and in the claims depending from it. Since, in evidencing the tampering, the device functioning as bolt breaks and thence is no more re-usable, advantageously, several devices can be contemplated in compliance with the invention on the same screw cap. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       Further features and advantages of the invention will result more evident by the description of embodiments of a plastic bottle equipped with a tamperproof device after its opening, illustrated, as an indicative and not limiting example, in the drawings here attached, where: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view of a portion of neck and screw cap of a first embodiment of a plastic bottle no more unsealed, where the tamperproof device in compliance with the invention is not activated; 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged partial schematic cross section of  FIG. 1  according to a diametrical plan passing through the tamperproof device not activated; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged partial schematic cross section of  FIG. 1  according to a diametrical plan passing through the activated tamperproof device; and 
         FIGS. 4 and 5  are cross sections, similar to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , of a second embodiment of a plastic bottle where a tamperproof device is different from that in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Initially, reference is made to  FIGS. 1 to 3  which are a schematic perspective view and relevant fragmentary enlarged radial cross-section views of a portion of neck and screw cap of a first embodiment of a plastic bottle in which a tamper-proof device according to the invention is not activated and activated, respectively. In these figures a bottle neck is indicated as  1  and a cap as  2 . Conventionally, the bottle neck  1  and the cap  2  have correspondingly an external screw thread  3  and an internal screw thread  4 , the one in proximity of the bottle mouth  5 , the other on the facing skirt  6  of the cap. The cap  2 , which is in plastic like the bottle, has, like the bottle, a symmetry axis y. The bottle is no more sealed, since the cap skirt  6  is no more attached at the bottom to a retaining ring by means of pins whose breakage during unscrewing the cap  2 , permits the opening of the bottle. The retaining ring is positioned between the lowest thread, indicated as  100 , of the external screw thread  3  of the bottle and a circumferential projection  101 , traditionally present in the neck  1  of plastic bottles. 
     According to the invention, rigidly connected to the cap  2  is at least one tamperproof device. Such a tamperproof device is housed in a convex band  7 , joined to the skirt  6  to which it is tangentially linked. The convex band  7  has at the centre, in its concave part pointing towards the skirt  6 , a cylindrical configuration that acts as a slide  22  for a pin  8  manually sliding along a direction y 1  parallel to the central symmetry axis y of the cap  2  and, thence, of the bottle. One understands that the pin  8  behaves as a sliding bolt, since the traditional retaining ring above mentioned is made, in accordance with the invention, in the shape of ring nut  9  provided with a plurality of holes  10 . The holes  10 , that can be blind, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , but also through holes, have a hole axis y 2  parallel to the sliding direction y 1 , so that the pin  8  can enter a hole  10  when a hole axis y 2  coincides with the axis y 1  of the pin. 
     Tamperproof devices of the kind being described can be applied on the cap  6  in the number desired. The convex band  7  is applied to the cap  6  according to the jointing lines  11  by ultrasound sticking, for instance, fusion, or any other known method. The convex band  7  has a cutout  12  for the manual sliding of the pin  8  during use, by an elongated projection  13  in the shape of a button to be activated, for example, with the thumb finger. The elongated projection  13  can be knurled externally to facilitate grip. The stroke downwards of the pin  8 , defined by the vertical extension of the cutout  12  is determined by the ring nut  9 . The lower end of the cutout  12  which acts as a stop for the elongated projection  13  of the pin  8  is indicated as  14 . 
     In addition, the convex band  7  can have a retaining ring  15  in the form of an O-ring interacting with an enlarged tract  16  of the pin  8  to retain the pin during the assembly of the convex band  7  to the skirt  6  of the cap, as well as in a resting position, i.e. before activating the pin after the assembly of the tamperproof device. 
     The pin  8  has a weakened tract  17  along its length and an arrow-tip or umbrella shaped end  18 . The weakened tract  17  can be obtained by a simple cross-section reduction, preferably constant, as compared to the rest of the pin  8 . As seen later on, the weakened tract  17  allows a preset breakage of the pin  8 . 
     Preferably, each hole  10  of the ring nut  9  is provided with an inlet  19  that is tapered downwards and intended to receive and retain the arrow-tip end  18  of the pin  8 . In order to facilitate the insertion and retention of the arrow-tip end  18 , the inlet  19  presents carvings  20  as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     During use, after the first opening of the bottle, by unscrewing the cap  2  and separating the same from the ring nut  9 , the user can drink directly from the bottle or pour its content into a glass. If the user shall go away and leave the bottle carefree, once the bottle is reclosed, the user can move the pin  8  in its slide  22  inside the convex band  7  by operating with the thumb on the elongated projection  13  until inserting the arrow-tip end  18  of the pin  8  in a hole  10  of the ring nut  9 . The tapered inlet  19  of the hole  10  prevents the pin  8  from sliding upwards, blocking by such manner the unscrewing of the cap  2  from the bottle neck  1 . If a person different from the user wants to unscrew the cap anyway in order to open the bottle, he/she would break the pin  8  in its weakened tract  17  located between the skirt  6  of the cap  2  and the ring nut  9 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . A similar breakage of the pin  8  may occur if that person manually pulled up the pin  8  to return it in its original resting position. 
     Subsequently, the user becomes aware that the tampering occurred and, having evidence of it, the user would decide what to do with the bottle and its content. 
     If the user wants to keep using it, another tamperproof device, provided on the cap  2 , can be employed in the same way as above described. 
     Now reference is made to  FIGS. 4 and 5  that are cross-section views similar to those in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , of a second embodiment of a plastic bottle in which a tamperproof device differs from the one in  FIG. 1  in the locking method of the arrow-tip end  18  of the pin  8 . Same numbers are assigned to same parts or similar to those in the first embodiment. The same parts will not be described anew, either with regards to their structure, or to their operation. The cap  2  has a regular retaining ring indicated as  21 . In  FIG. 4  the skirt  6  of the cap  2  is already separated from the retaining ring  21 , because of the occurred opening of the  10  bottle and breakage of its sealing that is provided by regular connecting pins (not shown) between the skirt  6  and the retaining ring  21  of the cap  2 . 
     In accordance with the second embodiment of the invention, through holes  102  are made in the circumferential projection  101  of the bottle neck  1 . 
     One of the through holes  102  is intended to receive and hold the arrow-tip end  18  of the pin  8 . When the pin  8  is inserted in the through hole  102 , the upward sliding of the pin  8  is made impossible. Therefore, the cap  2  cannot be unscrewed unless through the breakage of the weakened tract  17  of the pin  8 . 
     It should be understood that the present invention can find application also in other screw-capped food containers, like plastic or paper jars. 
     It should be evident that both the pin  8  and its slide  22  and seat  7  can be made in a manner different from the one represented. The scope of protection of the invention is the one in the claims here attached.