Patent Publication Number: US-9834348-B2

Title: Closure

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is the U.S. National Phase of International PCT Application Serial No. PCT/GB2012/000709, entitled “A Closure,” filed Sep. 12, 2012, which claims priority to Great Britain Application No. 1118822.4, filed Oct. 31, 2011, each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. 
     The present invention relates generally to a closure and particularly, although not exclusively, to a dosing closure for a container. 
     Dosing closures are well known and used, for example, in household applications such as mouthwash and detergents. In many cases it is advantageous if a visual distinction between opened and unopened closures is provided. There are known methods for providing tamper-evidence on oral care mouthwash closures, the most common being shrink sleeves, paper tabs and tamper-evident drop bands. Current drop band-based solutions use a band connected at the open end of the closure by frangible bridges; when the closure is opened the bridges break and allow the band to fall. This can lead to sharp edges in the area intended to be placed to the lips during use as a dosing cup. 
     According to the present invention there is provided a closure for a container, the closure comprising tamper-evident means (e.g., a tamper-evident indicator) for indicating if the closure has been removed from the container, in which the means may be provided within the interior of the closure. 
     The tamper-evident means therefore can be adapted to activate upon first opening of the closure to provide, for example, a visually distinct appearance of the closure. 
     Upon first opening at least part of the means may be retained within the interior of the closure. 
     For example, by having a tamper-evident feature up inside a cap body this can be used to provide an open end with a smooth finish even after opening. 
     In some embodiments the closure may include a side wall or skirt and at least part of the tamper-evidencing feature may be carried on or by the interior of the skirt, for example spaced from the free end of the skirt. 
     The tamper-evident means may include two or more separable parts and, for example, may include a frangible connection. 
     The means may comprise or include a tamper evident band, such as a tamper-evident drop band. The means may comprise a band having first and second tamper-evident annuli frangibly connected together and adapted to split apart from each other upon first opening. 
     The closure may include one or more markings to indicate fill levels, such as lines or other indicia. At least part of the tamper-evident means may be aligned with a marking after opening. This could be used, for example, to give part of the means a dual function. 
     The closure may comprise a body which may be generally frustoconical. The body may include a top plate and a side wall. The top plate may be generally circular and the side wall may be generally cylindrical (and may include a degree of conicity). 
     At least part of the body may be non-opaque. This is particularly useful with tamper-evident means provided within the interior of the closure so that part or all of the means is visible, for example before/after opening. At least part of the body may be transparent. At least part of the body may be translucent. 
     The closure may further comprise child-proofing means. The enclosure may therefore comprise a tamper-evident, child-proof dosing closure. In this respect the closure may be formed as a squeeze-and-turn and/or a push-and-turn closure. The child-proofing features may comprise, for example, lugs, fins and the like. The tamper-evident means may be located so that it does not interfere with the child-proofing mechanism. For example, by locating the tamper-evident means away from the free end of a closure the child-proofing means can be located there. 
     At least part of the tamper-evident means may be retained on a container after first opening. For example, part of the tamper-evident means may be released from the closure so that it drops onto the container. 
     The closure may include surface formations, such as screw threads, snap beads and the like, for engaging a container. 
     The closure may be formed as a dosing closure. For example the closure may include one or more markings or other indicia to indicate one or more fill levels. 
     The closure may be formed as a mouthwash closure. Other suitable applications for the closure are possible. 
     The present invention also provides a closure as described herein in combination with a container. 
     Different aspects of the invention may be used separately or together. 
     Further particular and preferred aspects of the present invention are set out in the accompanying independent and dependent claims. Features of the dependent claims may be combined with the features of the independent claims as appropriate, and in combinations other than those explicitly set out in the claims. 
    
    
     
       The present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a closure formed according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a further perspective view of the closure of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a side elevation of the closure of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view of the closure of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an underplan view of the closure of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the closure of  FIG. 1  shown following activation of a tamper-evident drop band; 
         FIG. 7  is an underplan perspective view of the closure of  FIG. 2  following activation of the drop band; 
         FIG. 8  is a side elevation of the closure of  FIG. 3  following activation of the drop band; 
         FIG. 9  is a section of the closure of  FIGS. 1 to 5  prior to activation of the drop band; 
         FIG. 10  is a section of the closure of  FIGS. 6 to 8  following activation of the drop band; 
         FIG. 11  is a side elevation of the closure of  FIGS. 1 to 5 and 9  shown attached to a container; 
         FIG. 12  is a side elevation of the closure of  FIGS. 6 to 8 and 10  after an opening event; 
         FIG. 13  is a magnified perspective view of the closure and container of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of a closure formed according to an alternative embodiment and shown before application to a container neck; 
         FIG. 15  is a section of the closure of  FIG. 14  shown fitted to a container; 
         FIG. 16  is a section of the closure of  FIG. 15  shown during first opening; 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective view of the closure of  FIG. 16  shown removed from the container; 
         FIG. 18  is an underplan perspective view of the closure of  FIG. 17 ; and 
         FIG. 19  is a section of the closure of  FIG. 17  shown re-fitted onto the container. 
     
    
    
     Referring first to  FIGS. 1 to 5 and 9  there is shown a closure generally indicated  10 . The closure  10  comprises a generally frustoconical body  15  comprising a cup-shape top cap  20  at one end and a flared skirt  25  at the other and joined to the cap  20  by a waist  30 . The body is formed from a transparent plastics material. 
     The cap  20  comprises a circular top plate  21  and a cylindrical side wall  22  depending from the periphery of the plate  21 . The interior surface of the side wall  22  is provided with screw thread formations  23 . 
     The waist  30  comprises an interior annular recess  31  including a ledge  32  which merges into the skirt  25 . 
     The skirt  25  extends from the waist  30  and flares slightly outwardly towards its open end  26 . The exterior of the skirt  25  carries a pair of diametrically opposed pressing pads  27 . The skirt  25  also includes two annular projections  28   a ,  28   b  which are labelled and function as fill lines. The interior of the skirt  25  is also provided with a pair of opposed lugs  29  which are positioned diametrically opposite each other and offset by ninety degrees to each of the pressing pads  27 . 
     The closure  10  is provided with a tamper-evident band arrangement  40 . The arrangement  40  comprises an upper annulus  42  and a lower annulus  44  joined together by a plurality of frangible bridges  46 . The upper annulus  42  is generally wedge-shaped and is received in the body recess  31  so that it clips into the recess and is retained by the ledge  32  as shown best in  FIG. 9 . The lower annulus  44  is locked under a neck locking bead  53 . 
     In use the closure  10  is applied to the neck  50  of a container  5  as shown best in  FIGS. 9 and 11 . The screw thread formations  23  engage corresponding formations  52  on the neck and the wedge-like locking lugs  29  engage corresponding locking lugs (not shown) on the neck. The top plate  21  includes an annular ceiling plug  24  which depends from its underside and fits within the bore of the container neck mouth. 
     In order to remove the closure  10  from the container neck  50  the pressing pads  27  are depressed which ovalises the skirt  25  and causes the lugs  29  to be deflected outwardly and clear of the neck lugs. This allows the closure to be unscrewed and in doing so the frangible bridges  46  are caused to break under the lower annulus  44 , such that the lower annulus  44  is released and drops down so that it rests on the container neck transfer bead  54  as shown best in  FIG. 10 . 
     The closure  10  can now be removed with the upper annulus  42  retained in the recess  31  and the lower annulus  44  retained on the container neck. In this position the upper annulus  42  is indicative of a further fill line. After opening the closure for the first time, therefore, the remaining portion of the coloured tamper ring is set at a height that provides a very clear, obvious level line for a consumer to use when dosing the product. 
     When the closure is replaced as shown in  FIGS. 12 and 13  the band arrangement  40  is clearly shown to be separated into the upper and lower annuli. 
     Because the annulus  44  is retained on the bead  54  it does not interfere with subsequent removal of the closure involving depression of the pads  27 . In other words, because the tamper evidence is internal, when the closure is squeezed for the first time to undo the child-resistant feature the band does not get in the way of the functionality of the child resistance. Current child-resistant closures that require squeezing in order to open and that have tamper-bands at the bottom are difficult to use as the TE band restricts the squeeze. Having the band internally and away from the bottom of the closure means that the band does not restrict the squeeze. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 14 and 15  there is shown a closure  110  formed according to an alternative embodiment. The closure  110  is very similar to the closure  10 , with one difference being that the waist  130  is less pronounced. Furthermore, the lower ring annulus  144  is shown to have a radially inclined flap  145  which projects from the inner, upper corner. 
     In use the double ring tamper-evident band  140  is first fitted into the closure body so that the upper band  142  clips over the closure bead  132  at the 10 ml fill line  133 . 
     Thereafter the closure  110  can be screwed down onto the container neck  150 . The lower ring flap  145  can flex and pass over the neck screw threads  152 . When the closure is fully screwed on to the neck the flap locks under the neck transfer bead  154 . In this embodiment the transfer bead on the neck is used, but in other embodiments the band could also be used with a purpose made tamper-evident bead on the neck. 
     As shown in  FIG. 16 , when the closure  110  is unscrewed for the first time the lower ring  144  cannot move up because the flap is locked under the transfer bead. Therefore the bridges  146  are broken and the two rings  142 ,  144  get pulled apart, with the upper ring  142  remaining clipped into the closure. The lower ring  144  falls down and rests on the neck shoulder  151  (there is no ring  54  in this embodiment). 
     The closure  110  is shown removed in  FIGS. 17 and 18 , with just the upper ring  142  retained and visible through the closure body (which in this embodiment is translucent). The ring section  142  is shown to be in register with the 10 ml fill line. 
     As shown in  FIG. 19 , when the closure  110  is replaced it is screwed fully back onto the neck so that the plug  124  engages into the neck mouth and the lugs  129  re-engage over the corresponding formations on the neck finish. The ring  144  remains on the neck shoulder  151  and in this embodiment the lower edge of the ring lies generally in line with the open end  122   a  of the closure body skirt  122 . 
     Although illustrative embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail herein, with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments shown and that various changes and modifications can be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.