Patent Publication Number: US-2023150729-A1

Title: Method for sealing a container in a tamper-resistant manner

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/073,969 filed on Oct. 19, 2020 and entitled “Tamper Resistant Containers for Food and Other Items”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and made part of the present U.S. utility patent application for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The disclosed inventive subject matter relates in general to a containers and packages used for food, perishable items, and other items, and more specifically to a tamper-resistant container for use with carry-out, pick-up, and delivery systems and services used for food and other items. 
     Carry-out, pick-up, and delivery systems and services used for food and other items are commonplace in modern society. However, such systems and services necessarily involve multiple individuals handling, packaging, and in some circumstances delivering, the food or other items. Customers and consumers of such systems and services are often understandably concerned about the integrity of the packaging that the food or other items is stored in prior to pick-up or delivery and about the accuracy and contents of an order. A purchase receipt is often attached to or included with food packaging that is picked-up or delivered. However, this receipt may become lost, detached, or otherwise separated from the food packaging. Additionally, the food packaging may be opened, damaged, or otherwise tampered with prior to delivery, resulting in customer concern and/or dissatisfaction. Accordingly, a food packaging system that utilizes or includes tamper-resistant features is highly desirable. 
     SUMMARY 
     The following provides a summary of certain example implementations of the disclosed inventive subject matter. This summary is not an extensive overview and is not intended to identify key or critical aspects or elements of the disclosed inventive subject matter or to delineate its scope. However, it is to be understood that the use of indefinite articles in the language used to describe and claim the disclosed inventive subject matter is not intended in any way to limit the described inventive subject matter. Rather the use of “a” or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”. 
     One implementation provides a first tamper-resistant container. This container comprises a body having a closed lower portion, a middle portion adapted for storing various contents, and a closeable open upper portion; and an item adapted to cooperate with the closeable open upper portion, wherein the item includes identifying indicia regarding the stored contents, and wherein the item cooperates with the closeable upper portion to make the closeable upper portion tamper-resistant after closure thereof. The container may be an envelope, sack, or bag, wherein the closeable upper portion includes an adhesive deposited thereon for sealing the closeable upper portion against the middle portion. The item adapted to cooperate with the closeable open upper portion may be a strip of paper or similar material that is placed partially within the middle portion of the body and then folded at a predetermined angle to extend out of the middle portion of the body through the closeable open upper portion such that the identifying indicia is visible when the closeable upper portion is sealed against or to the middle portion. The item adapted to cooperate with the closeable open upper portion may be a receipt. The container may also be a paper or plastic bag or similar item, wherein two opposing slots have been formed in the closeable open upper portion to accommodate the item that includes identifying indicia regarding the stored contents. The item adapted to cooperate with the closeable open upper portion may be a strip of paper or similar material that includes an outer surface on which the identifying indicia has been printed and an inner surface on which an adhesive has been deposited on opposing ends thereof or adhering the opposing ends to one another. The strip of paper may be looped through the opposing slots and the opposing ends thereof adhered to one another to close the closeable upper portion of the container. The strip of paper may include or may be a receipt. 
     Another implementation provides a second tamper-resistant container. This container comprises a body having a closed lower portion, a middle portion adapted for storing food or other consumable items, and a closeable open upper portion; and strip of paper or similar material adapted to cooperate with the closeable open upper portion, wherein the strip of paper includes identifying indicia regarding the food or other consumable items, and wherein the strip of paper cooperates with the closeable upper portion to make the closeable upper portion tamper-resistant after closure thereof. The container may be an envelope, sack, or bag, wherein the closeable upper portion includes an adhesive deposited thereon for sealing the closeable upper portion against or to the middle portion. The strip of paper may be placed partially within the middle portion of the body and then folded at a predetermined angle to extend out of the middle portion of the body through the closeable open upper portion such that the identifying indicia is visible when the closeable upper portion is sealed against middle portion. The container may also be a paper or plastic bag or similar item, wherein two opposing slots have been formed in the closeable open upper portion to accommodate the item that includes identifying indicia regarding the stored food or other consumable items. The strip of paper strip may be adapted to cooperate with the closeable open upper portion and include an outer surface on which the identifying indicia has been printed and an inner surface on which an adhesive has been deposited on opposing ends thereof for adhering the opposing ends to one another. The strip of paper may be looped through the opposing slots and the opposing ends thereof adhered to one another to close the closeable upper portion of the container. The strip of paper may include or may be a receipt. 
     Another implementation provides a third tamper-resistant container. This container comprises a body having a closed lower portion, a middle portion adapted for storing food or other consumable items, and a closeable open upper portion; and a pre-printed paper receipt adapted to cooperate with the closeable open upper portion, wherein the strip of paper includes identifying indicia regarding the food or other consumable items, and wherein the strip of paper cooperates with the closeable upper portion to make the closeable upper portion tamper-proof after closure thereof. The tamper-resistance container may be an envelope, sack, or bag, wherein the closeable upper portion includes an adhesive deposited thereon for sealing the closeable upper portion against or to the central portion. The pre-printed paper receipt may be placed partially within the middle portion of the body and then folded at a predetermined angle to extend out of the middle portion of the body through the closeable open upper portion such that the identifying indicia is visible when the closeable upper portion is sealed against middle portion. The tamper-resistance container may also a paper bag or similar item, wherein two opposing slots have been formed in the closeable open upper portion to accommodate the item that includes identifying indicia regarding the stored food or other consumable items. The pre-printed paper receipt may be adapted to cooperate with the closeable open upper portion and include an outer surface on which the identifying indicia has been printed and an inner surface on which an adhesive has been deposited on opposing ends thereof for adhering the opposing ends to one another, and he pre-printed paper receipt may be looped through the opposing slots and the opposing ends thereof adhered to one another to close the closeable upper portion of the tamper-resistance container. 
     Another implementation provides a method for sealing a container in a tamper-resistant manner. This method comprises forming two opposing slots in a container, wherein the container includes a closed lower portion, a middle portion adapted for storing contents, and a closeable open upper portion, and wherein the two opposing slots are formed in front and rear panels of the closeable upper portion of the container; printing identifying indicia regarding the stored contents on an outer surface of a strip of paper or strip of material similar to paper; depositing adhesive on opposing ends of an inner surface of the strip; looping the strip through the two opposing slots in the closeable upper portion of the container after the contents have been stored in the middle portion of the container; and closing the upper portion of the bag in a tamper-resistant manner by adhering the opposing ends of the inner surface of the strip to one another using the adhesive, wherein the upper portion of the bag cannot be reopened without removing the strip, wherein removing the strip damages the strip, and wherein the damage to the strip provides evidence of container tampering. The strip may be a pre-printed receipt. The stored contents may include food or other consumable items. The container may be a paper or plastic bag or similar item. The adhesive may be a latex based adhesive or rubber based adhesive. The adhesive may be a self-sealing adhesive. The closeable upper portion of the container includes an adhesive deposited thereon for sealing the closeable upper portion of the container to the middle portion of the container. 
     It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein and may be implemented to achieve the benefits as described herein. Additional features and aspects of the disclosed system, devices, and methods will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description of the example implementations. As will be appreciated by the skilled artisan, further implementations are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of what is disclosed herein. Accordingly, the drawings and associated descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative and not restrictive in nature. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form a part of the specification, schematically illustrate one or more example implementations of the disclosed inventive subject matter and, together with the general description given above and detailed description given below, serve to explain the principles of the disclosed subject matter, and wherein: 
         FIG.  1 A  depicts a first example implementation of the disclosed tamper-resistant containers, wherein the container is an envelope shown in an unsealed configuration; 
         FIG.  1 B  depicts the example implementation of  FIG.  1 A  in a sealed configuration with a portion of the paper receipt component being visible on the exterior of the tamper-resistance container; 
         FIG.  2 A  depicts a second example implementation of the disclosed tamper-resistant containers, wherein the container is a paper bag shown in an open configuration; and 
         FIG.  2 B  depicts the example implementation of  FIG.  2 A  shown in a closed or sealed configuration, wherein the paper receipt component has been used as a closure device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Example implementations are now described with reference to the Figures. Reference numerals are used throughout the detailed description to refer to the various elements and structures. Although the following detailed description contains many specifics for the purposes of illustration, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the disclosed inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the following implementations are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed subject matter. 
       FIG.  1 A  depicts a first example implementation of the disclosed tamper-resistant containers, wherein the container is an envelope shown in an unsealed configuration and  FIG.  1 B  depicts the example implementation of  FIG.  1 A  in a sealed configuration with a portion of the paper receipt component being visible on the exterior of the tamper-resistance container. In  FIGS.  1 A- 1 B , tamper-resistance container  100  includes an envelope, sack, or bag component  102  and a receipt component  120 . Envelope, sack, or bag component  102  includes closed lower portion  104 , middle portion  106 , which accommodates various items for storage, and closeable upper portion  110 . Adhesive  108  may be deposited on the upper area of middle portion  106  and adhesive  112  may be deposited on closeable upper portion  110 . The adhesive allows container  100  to be sealed in a closed configuration simply by folding upper portion  110  onto middle portion  106  and applying pressure. In this implementation, receipt component  120  does not include adhesive, but rather is folded at a predetermined angle and inserted into container  100  prior to the closure and sealing thereof. Exterior portion  122 , which includes identifying indicia (e.g., order contents, name of person ordering, delivery address, etc.) remains on the outside of container  100  while interior portion  124  remains within middle portion  106  after closure and sealing. In this manner, receipt component  120  cannot be removed or replaced without damaging the receipt itself or re-opening the sealed container, either of which would provide evidence of tampering to the customer. Various adhesives may be used with this example implementation including latex or rubber based adhesives or any other glue or adhesive material, including self-sealing materials, suitable for use with the disclosed tamper resistant containers. 
       FIG.  2 A  depicts a second example implementation of the disclosed tamper-resistant containers, wherein the container is a paper (or plastic) bag shown in an open configuration; and  FIG.  2 B  depicts the example implementation of  FIG.  2 A  shown in a closed or sealed configuration, wherein the paper receipt component has been used as a closure device. In  FIGS.  2 A- 2 B , tamper-resistance container  200  includes bag component  202  and receipt component  220 . Bag component  202  includes closed bottom portion  204 , middle portion  206 , which accommodates various items for storage, front panel  208  in which first slot  210  is formed, rear panel  212 , in which second slot  214  is formed, first side panel  216 , and second side panel  218 . Receipt component  220  includes first adhesive end  222  and second adhesive end  224 , which are joined together when receipt component  220  is looped through first slot  210  and second slot  214  to form a closure device. When closed in this manner, container  200  cannot be re-opened without removing the receipt component, and receipt component  120  cannot be removed or replaced without damaging the receipt itself, which would provide evidence of tampering to the customer. Various adhesives may be used with this example implementation including latex or rubber based adhesives or any other glue or adhesive material, including self-sealing materials, suitable for use with the disclosed tamper resistant containers. 
     As previously stated and as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” refer to both the singular as well as plural, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term “comprising” as used herein is synonymous with “including,” “containing,” or “characterized by,” and is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. Although many methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used, particular suitable methods and materials are described herein. Unless context indicates otherwise, the recitations of numerical ranges by endpoints include all numbers subsumed within that range. Furthermore, references to “one implementation” are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional implementations that also incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, implementations “comprising” or “having” an element or a plurality of elements having a particular property may include additional elements whether or not they have that property. 
     Underlined and/or italicized headings and subheadings are used for convenience only, do not limit the disclosed subject matter, and are not referred to in connection with the interpretation of the description of the disclosed subject matter. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various implementations described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and intended to be encompassed by the disclosed subject matter. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the above description. 
     There may be many alternate ways to implement the disclosed inventive subject matter. Various functions and elements described herein may be partitioned differently from those shown without departing from the scope of the disclosed inventive subject matter. Generic principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations. Different numbers of a given module or unit may be employed, a different type or types of a given module or unit may be employed, a given module or unit may be added, or a given module or unit may be omitted. 
     It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail herein (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the disclosed inventive subject matter. All combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. While the disclosed inventive subject matter has been illustrated by the description of example implementations, and while the example implementations have been described in certain detail, there is no intention to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the disclosed inventive subject matter in its broader aspects is not limited to any of the specific details, representative devices and methods, and/or illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept.