Abstract:
A recloseable package that has means to show if the package has been previously opened by another, thereby reducing the chance of product tampering. This tamper evident package has a separable lid or tray and bowl, and possess at least two means to securely reattach said lid to said bowl after the consumer has opened the package. Emphasis is placed upon the reduction or elimination of the possible safety hazards involving exposed sharp plastic perforated edges by having the tamper evident means internally located using natural plastic biases to cover as much of the perforation as possible. Container contains a periphery edge on the lid that is submerged to prevent access through any other means other than the tamper evident seal.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention is to be used principally in the consumer retail environment where the consumer requires evidence that the packaging has not been previously opened or tampered with, indicating a potential breach of security. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE RELATED ART 
       [0002]    This invention is to be used principally in the consumer retail environment where the consumer and retailer requires evidence that the packaging has not been previously opened or tampered with, indicating a potential breach of security. A tampered packaged will allow for the consumer to see if the packaging has been breached and the contents compromised, such as screws pilfered from a package. But this breach of safety is especially critical in consumer food departments. As the consumer has demanded foods that can been seen through the packaging to confirm it&#39;s freshness and desirability, the food industry has adapted itself towards transparent plastic containers that are recyclable. Retail purchasers also demand that food is safely handled in the distribution and marketing of their produce and the industry has responded with packaging that shows evidence that the packaging has been opened or tampered with, thereby notifying the consumer that food safety has been compromised. The concept of tamper evident packaging is required for certain classes of OTC (Over The Counter) drugs and medications by the Food and Drug Administration, each manufacturer and packer who packages an OTC drug product for retail sale is required to package the product in a tamper-evident package, if this product is accessible to the public while held for sale. A tamper-evident package is defined as one having one or more indicators or barriers to entry which, if breached or missing, said breach can reasonably be expected to provide visible evidence to consumers that tampering has occurred. To reduce the likelihood of successful tampering and to increase the likelihood that consumers will discover if a product has been tampered with, the package is required to be distinctive by design or by the use of one or more indicators or barriers to entry that employ an identifying characteristic (e.g., a pattern, name, registered trademark, logo, or picture). Effective Jan. 1, 2013, the Food Safety Modernization Act works with a wide range of public and private industries, to build a new system of food safety oversight—one focused on applying, more comprehensively than ever, the best available science and good common sense to prevent the problems that can make people sick. The Act requires that the processors have written plans that identify hazards, specify the steps that will be put in place to minimize or prevent those hazards, identify monitoring procedures and record monitoring results and specify what actions will be taken to correct problems that arise. Proper handling and packaging will protect the consumer, but the industry has seen that additional steps are needed to insure their produce while in the possession of the final seller of the goods. 
         [0003]    The basic design of this tamper evident tray contains a bowl section and a lid section, wherein the bowl section circular or quadrilateral in nature and the lid section matches the bowl in shape and either is subliminal to or externally envelops the open end of said bowl section. The word “bowl” is used in this application to define the portion opposite of the lid. This does not limit the relationship to a lid being on top of a bowl, as there are applications, such as in the bakery department, where the lid is the lowest portion and the bowl or dome is the upper portion. Most of the lid sections are separate entities, but an embodiment of this invention has the lid being attached to the body through a “living hinge”, a term describing a thin flexure bearing made from the same material as the two rigid pieces it connects, creating a single lid and bowl combination. The living hinge concept does prevent the misplacement of the lid during use. 
         [0004]    Tamper resistant and tamper evident can be combined into a single application or can be separate. This application focuses on tamper evident packaging which is where a package when tampered with, meaning that unauthorized access into the contents of the packages has occurred, that the consumer and retailer can observe an easily detectable sign or feature to see that that package has been tampered. Tamper evident seals are nothing new and have existed since the days when the King would fold and seal his communications and orders with wax marked by the King&#39;s signet ring. Today, many products come with shrink bands around the openings to deter and to detect tampering but shrink bands are expensive and their application requires a large investment in machinery and labor. 
         [0005]    The prior art is replete with examples of how manufactures have incorporated instrumentalities in order to warn the consumer that the tray has been opened by another and possibly tampered. There are two basic classes of instrumentalities found; 1) a consumer externally mounted or accessed removable disposable frangible tab or strip and 2) a frangible tear strip or perforated that is actually a part of either the bowl or lid or both. It needs to be disclosed that most of the packaging discussed in this application and prior art involve the style of clear or transparent packaging used in the retail environment where the consumer is able to see into the package and examine its contents prior to purchase. These packages are principally made from PE (polyethylene), PS (Polystyrene), PLA (Polylactic acid), PP (polypropylene), PVC (poly vinyl chloride) or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) which in its amorphous or semi-crystalline state are naturally transparent, or other thermoformed or thermoset plastics. This type of plastic is chosen for its basic chemical compatibility, clarity, stiffness and recyclability, which is a major consideration with the consumer. The thickness of the packaging is directly related to the stiffness or rigidity of the packaging required for the application. 
         [0006]    As for the class of tamper evident package where there is a separable or disposable tab or strip that is externally mounted, U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,003 issued to Sellari et al on Oct. 10, 2006 (continued in U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,680, issued to Boback et al on Jul. 11, 2006) is a prime example. Here the consumer must remove a strip that is delimited by two parallel score lines. The consumer once having removed the strip grasps the lid of the tray along one of the parallel score lines as seen in  FIG. 12  to remove the lid from the tray. The lid is configured so that there are no external edges available for one to remove the lid from the tray except by removing the strip as the flange which the external edge of the lid sits upon, is within a recess on the bowl. This requires a close fit between the exterior edge of the lid and the flange of the bowl. In this manner, the living hinge is destroyed by the removal of the strip and the bowl and lid are essentially two pieces, and as the lid was configured without external edges, the score edges are the only way to unseal or open the package. There are many issues with the use of this style of packaging, including the disposal issues of the “ripped” strip and the fact that the user must use a razor sharp corrugated or escalloped style edge (as shown in  FIGS. 14 and 15 ) as the means for opening the container. This danger is present due to the fact that the area that is being ripped is thicker than the rest of the package as it needs to withstand the forces of separation and the plastic that is exposed is very stiff and sharp. Patent &#39;680 (ibid) attempts to mitigate the users being subjected to this razor sharp edge with the use of “patterned sections on opposing tabs” but the sharp edges still exist and the disposal issues are still prevalent. 
         [0007]    Another style of tamper evident packaging involving a strip is the style where the strip encompasses the entire package, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,948 issued to Blackburn et al on May 3, 1994, where the frangible strip bars access to the lid portion until the strip is removed completely. This style works on smaller circular packaging and creates the similar issues with disposal and the presence of a sharp demarcation or separation line. 
         [0008]    In the style of the removable strip, is the removal tab that performs the same basic function of the strip, as the consumer is required to remove a tab that is usually integrated into the top and bottom or lid and bowl sections of the package, removal of said tab allowing for the user to gain access into the package and to provide a positive indication that once the tab is removed, the package has been tampered. This style is highlighted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,105 issued to Foos on Aug. 4, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 8,123,064 issued to Vovan issued on Feb. 28, 2012 and in U.S. Pat. No. 8,186,531 issued to Parikh et al on May 29, 2012. All patents exhibit a tab which must be broken or removed to open the package. The same issues regarding disposal (Pat &#39;105) and the sharpness of the edges of the plastic opening area are still prevalent. Parikh discloses a tab that can remain attached to package on side as the “blocking member” can be relocated back to the “blocking position”. This presents an issue as to whether the user will be able to observe quickly that the package has evidence of tampering and should the user remove the tab completely, the user is faced with exterior sharp edges where the tab was present previous to its removal and the associated disposal problems as well. Patent &#39;064 combines a tear-open barrier and a tab to signify tampering or previous use of the product after the initial load. One embodiment of the Patent &#39;064 discloses that they uniquely provide a slot through which the lip slips through and locates itself under the tab, providing a semi-hinge and an apparatus that prevents the removal of the lid from the body, but the raw corners from the breakaway tab are still externally located awaiting to pierce the users&#39; fingers. 
         [0009]    The prior art that discloses an internal zone of deformation to signify tampering is typified in U.S. Pat. No. 7,631,776 issued to Vovan et al on Dec. 15, 2009 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,256,636 issued to Huffer on Sep. 4, 2012. Both patents have an external tab or flange that is not destroyed or removed to show tampering thereby eliminating the disposal issues. But neither of the patents have eliminated the issue regarding the exposing of sharp plastic edges ripped from a perforated line. Both of these patents, where the tear line is internal to the package use some form of adhesive in the construction of the packaging. This highlights the detriment of only being a single use application and the need to use and apply a substance to the container increasing manufacturing time and efforts thereby increasing costs and by the introduction of non-plastic components to the container causes contamination that might preclude their recyclability in later processes. 
         [0010]    It is obvious that there is a compelling need to have evidence of tampering on food containers, either through compliance with government regulations or through the demands of the consumer. The consumer demand to be able to see and evaluate the quality of the products inside of the container also extends to being able to see if the packaging has been opened by another, thereby possibly tampering with the product inside of the container. The industry has met this challenge in two basic manners, but both tact&#39;s are fraught with dangers and possible interference with one of the basic premise of the packaging; that it be recyclable. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    Accordingly, it is the goal of this invention to create a device that has the aforementioned characteristics of simplicity, protection, adaptability to current uses and safety. It is an object of this invention to create a device that will protect the consumer from intentionally created hard sharp edges of containers created by the tamper evident means incorporated in prior art designs. 
         [0012]    It is an object of this invention to create a tamper evident container that allows for the consumer to observe the contents of the container while providing a means to determine whether the container has been opened or tampered by another. 
         [0013]    It is an object of this invention to create a tamper evident container that has a tamper evident means that does not expose to the consumer with sharp external edges or other sharp points along the container. 
         [0014]    It is an object of this invention to create a tamper evident container where the means used to warn the consumer of tampering does not separate from the container thereby creating a disposal issue, including the embodiment of the invention, whereby the lid and the bowl are integrally attached to one another. 
         [0015]    It is another object of this invention to create a tamper evident means that can take into consideration the relative strength of the target user of the tray. 
         [0016]    It is another object of this invention to create a tamper evident container that is reusable allowing the consumer to open and reseal the container multiple times. 
         [0017]    It would also be desirous that this container be stackable whereby multiple containers can nest providing a more secure interface between stacking containers and while being stacked, that there is an area where a label can be attached and protected from marring. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]    In  FIG. 1 , the container is shown with the lid attached to the bowl section of the container, from a top elevation. 
           [0019]    In  FIG. 2 , the container is shown with the lid attached to the bowl section of the container from a top oblique view. 
           [0020]    In  FIG. 3 , the container is shown with the lid removed from the bowl section of the container, from a top elevation. 
           [0021]    In  FIG. 4 , the container is shown with the lid removed from the bowl section of the container from a top oblique view. 
           [0022]    In  FIG. 5 , the container is shown from a side elevation with the lid separated from the bowl section of the container. 
           [0023]    In  FIG. 6 , the container is shown from a side elevation in a cross-section view from  FIG. 5  with the lid separated from the bowl section of the container, detailing the interface between the lid and bowl sections. 
           [0024]    In  FIG. 7 , an upper oblique view is shown where the detail of the tamper evident button tab is shown. 
           [0025]    In  FIG. 8 , the tamper evident button tab is shown in a detail view from  FIG. 7 . 
           [0026]    In  FIG. 9 , the tamper evident button tab section is shown in a close-up side elevation view. 
           [0027]    In  FIG. 10 , the tamper evident button tab section from  FIG. 9 , is shown in a cross-section view. 
           [0028]    In  FIG. 11 , an automation of the removal of the tab and breaking of the tamper evident button and perforation strip is detailed. 
           [0029]    In  FIG. 12 , two different embodiments of this invention are shown in one application from a upper oblique elevation—one of the embodiments contains a living hinge concept and the other separate embodiment is a tamper evident button which detaches completely to show the evidence of tampering. 
           [0030]    In  FIG. 13 , the embodiment of the living hinge is shown in greater detail from  FIG. 12 . 
           [0031]    In  FIG. 14 , the embodiment of the tear-away button is shown in greater detail from  FIG. 12 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0032]      FIG. 1  shows container  1 , assembled in a top elevation. Though the container is shown in a rhombus configuration, there is no limitation as to the shape of the bowl and lid sections of the container. The applicant has already confirmed that this invention can be applied onto circular and polygonally related containers that have the same characteristics and advantages of the disclosed design. This application shall focus and provide disclosure on a container defined as a parallelogram with rounded or filleted corners. 
         [0033]    Container  1  consists of two separable parts; lid  100  and bowl  200 . Lid  100  has a principally flat central surface area  104  that is surrounded about its&#39; parameter by the sealing means  110 . Unique to this invention is the incorporation of tamper evident tab  120  which is located at one of the intersections of two adjacent sides of lid  100  and a corresponding tamper projection  231  of bowl  200  is located oppositely related to tab  120  and where tab  120  can be engagably connected to tab to recess  230  of projection  231 . In other configurations, the tab  120  can be located along any particular side regardless of the location of the intersection of the sides or along the circumference of a circular configuration so long as projection  231  capable of being location directly opposite of said tab  120 . In this basic design being disclosed, lid  100  is located superior to bowl  200 . Other configurations of this invention can have bowl  200  superior related to lid  100 , such as in domed bowls used in the bakery department to display cakes. In this disclosure, tab  120  is located at the vertex of the intersection of two adjacent sides and has the outer contour  122  matching the outer contour of container bowl  200 . Tab  120  contains detented tamper button  103 , tamper strip  102  and gripping enhancement means  101 , where said means  101  are shown in this disclosure as a series of protruding ribs coinciding to the exterior shape of tab  120 . Gripping enhancement means  101  increase the surface area and breaks the smoothness of the slick plastic tab, whereby the user is able to obtain a more secure grip or grasp upon said tab  120 . The interior edge of tab  120  coincides with shape of lid  100 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 2  shows the container  1  in an lower oblique view where bowl  200  is seen where external or upper perimeter ridge  203  defines the shape of the bowl which closely follows the shape of lid  100  and provides the barrier upon which outer lid flange  105  is perpendicular to, thereby creating a barrier to prevent anyone from being able to access the lid of the container without using the tab  120  portion. In  FIG. 2 , the external perimeter is associated with the uppermost reaches of the bowl, but should the bowl be used as the upper piece in the tray, said external perimeter edge  203  would be the lowestmost portion of said bowl. For clarity, this disclosure shall be focused on an upwardly facing bowl.  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 6  details the interface between the flange  105  of lid  100  onto engagement flange surface area  205  which is generally perpendicular to inner surface ridge  204 . The fit between the exterior edge of flange  105  and the inner surface ridge  204  is within a close fit tolerance.  FIG. 6  also details another engagement flange surface area  207  of said bowl which interfaces with secondary flange  107 . Exterior flange  201  is perpendicular to upper edge profile ridge  203  and provides a smooth outer surface upon the consumer will grasp upon when grabbing for the container. Exterior flange lip  235  finishes off flange  201  to prevent any sharp edges. It is critical for the safety of the user, that raw sharp plastic edges are not present where the user can be injured. Bowl  200  is defined by a series of stiffening ribs, some with an external bias  221  and some with an internal bias  220 . The purpose of the ribs are to stiffen, or provide support to the lateral sides to, the sides of the bowl by increasing the surface area of the plastic in those areas. External ribs  221  are equally spaced about either side of internal rib  220  about the perimeter of the bowl. External ribs  221  are located along bowl vertical lateral sides  211  of bowl  200  and continue their external bias along the lower horizontal surface  234  creating nest legs or supports  232 . The use of the term vertical to describe side  211  is merely to show direction and not to define the side  211  as vertical as in angle. The draft angle of side  211  is predicated upon the optimal draft angle for the size and depth of bowl  200  along with the thickness of the initial sheet of plastic used to create the bowl. The horizontal surface  234  contains a centralized recessed label surface  213 , which is offset through step  212 , the depth of step  212  being such as to prevent marring of the label that will be set onto surface  213  when the containers are stacked together. Nesting legs  232  also enable the containers to be able to stack one upon another, providing clearance and a perimeter that can be submerged on lid  100  thereby creating a secure engagement between the stacked containers. The drawing figures do not include a submerged portion of the lid but is an embodiment of this invention. 
         [0035]      FIG. 3  details the receiving portion of tamper tab  120 . Button  103  of tab  120  is received by button recess  230  which is part of the tamper projection  231  portion of bowl  200 . Projection  231  contains recess  230  and access slope  210  and is defined by a break in perimeter ridge  203 , said break being defined by inclined wall area  215  as detailed in  FIG. 9 . Access slope  210  is a negatively defined slope sufficient in degree to allow for the user into again access to tab  120  as shown in  FIG. 11 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 5  is a side elevation of the container where lid  100  is slightly above bowl  200  and  FIG. 6  is a quadrant cross-section detail of the cross-sectional lines of  FIG. 5  and cross-sectional lines drawn perpendicular therethrough. The view in  FIG. 6  details the interaction between lid  100  and bowl  200 . As flange  105  interfaces with surface  205  as previously described, reverse lid slant face  106  interfaces with bowl positive angled face  206 , said reverse angle locking the lid down to the bowl. This locking action is one of two means incorporated into this invention which secures or locks the lid onto the bowl, separate from the action of the tamper evidence button  103 . This is an unique quality of this invention whereby the consumer is able to securely reuse this container once the tamper evident marking has been sacrificed. Next to the slant face interface is secondary flange  107  which engages upon bowl flange  107 , said flange  107  providing an area wide enough to allow the consumer to press down upon to engage and secure locking channel  110  to channel  208 . This interference interface between the locking channels of the lid and the bowl provides the second means to secure the lid onto the bowl. Channel walls  108  and  111  with channel bottom  109  are designed so that there is an interference fit into the bowl&#39;s channel components of vertical walls  208  and  216  with bowl channel bottom of  209 . Both the lid and bowl&#39;s channel walls are basically parallel to each other and are basically vertical allowing for a draft angle for molding and the channel bottoms  109 / 209  touch as the relief wall  219  of the bowl  200  comes into contact with lid relief  112  which provides support for the central surface area  104 , defines the start of the bowl contents area and also provides structure for when the containers are stacked upon each other. 
         [0037]      FIG. 8  is a detailed view of the tab corner of  FIG. 7  which highlights the tamper evident tab in it&#39;s location prior to tampering or purposeful destruction. Button  103  is surrounded by the three sided U shaped or parabolically shaped perforation strip  102 . Strip  102  has basically, a parabolic shape which is basically the same shape as tab  120 , where the running sides are basically parallel with a radiused top, said top having a similar shape to the exterior edge  122  of tab  120 . The perforation strip  102  terminates prior to the inner tab edge  123  thereby ensuring that the perforation strip will not disengage from the tab, eliminating the possibly of detachment causing disposal issue as well as prevent the exposure of the edge of the plastic to the user. As the prior art showed, the elimination of the exposed edge is a critical need and this invention not only has the perforation edge interiorally related to the tamper evident feature but due to the hysteresis of the disengaged button and perforation strip, the button  103  wants to stay next to the perforated strip area as that was the set the plastic took during the heating and molding process. This further protects the user from sharp edges as the button actually protects against sharp edges from being exposed.  FIGS. 12 and 14  detail an embodiment of this invention, whereby perforation strip  102  completely encompasses button  103 . In this embodiment, the consumer has the evidence of tampering shown by a disengaged perforation strip, yet button  103  remains firmly seated in button recess  230 , thereby eliminating disposal issues.  FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional divide of the tab and button areas with the tab  120  and button  103  engaged into the recess  230  of tray  200 . Button has positively sloped sides  113  that surround the lower engagable part of button  103 . The button disclosed in this application is elliptical in shape as it affords the greatest amount of surface area to engage in the potentially small tab area. Bowl button recess  230  has negatively sloped walls to receive the positively sloped sides  113  of button  103 . The farthest depths of button  103  has defined chamfers  114  leading to a blunt button bottom  115  which matches the contours of the recess  230  whereby beveled landings  214  provide a flush landing for button bottom  115 .  FIG. 10  also highlights the affect of the access slope  210  on tab  120 , allowing the user access to the tab. 
         [0038]      FIG. 11  shows an automated view of the consumer removing the tab  120  and exposing the tamper evident button  103  through the tearing of the perforation strip  102 . As the consumer lifts tab  120 , the perforations will break prior to the button disengaging from the recess. The perforations will tear but stop prior to an interior edge, thereby preventing separation of the perforated area completely, eliminating disposal issues and eliminating any exterior edges where the consumer will be harmed. 
         [0039]    Though in this disclosure, only a single button tab is disclosed, this does not preclude having more than one tab especially where the container is larger than the one disclosed. It is also evident that with a larger the button, there is a greater surface area to overcome in disengaging the button  103  from button pocket  230  due to it&#39;s geometry and interferences. There are cases, especially with the elderly, where there is need to diminish the amount of strength required to disengage the tamper evident button but still show that the buttons have been previously disengaged. The use of a 2 button tamper evident package, where the buttons are shallower and have less of an interference fit, can be created using this same disclosure which accomplishes the objects of this invention, while creating a package that is more consumer friendly to those with less strength. The inverse of this concept is also available in a 2 button style, where larger packaging would require 2 full sized buttons with normal depths and interferences as disclosed would be appropriate for the size and use of the larger container. 
         [0040]    An embodiment of this invention is detailed in  FIG. 12  and  FIG. 13  where bowl  200  and lid  100  are attached via living hinge  250 . Lid  100  is attached to living hinge  250  along the upper hinge attachment  255  to flange  105 , while bowl lip  235  provides the surface upon which lower hinge  254  attaches upon. The design of living hinge  250  include an upper strain relief  251  and a lower strain relief  252  which prevents hinge flat  253  from absorbing all of the stresses of repeated usage by itself and provides a rotational moment about which the hinge can flexibly operate through. 
         [0041]      FIG. 14  details another embodiment of the invention. Here the button  103  located on tab  120  has a perforation strip  102  which encompasses the entire button  103  rather than allowing for a partial tear, the user completely tears the perforation about button  103  in opening the package. In contrast to the prior art, the button does not disengage from the package and thus the disposal of the button is not an issue, but the consumer has a positive visual evidence as to whether the package has been previously opened or tampered with. 
         [0042]    This invention herein disclosed and detailed has its application for packaging where the lid is the top piece that interfaces with a lower bowl section. This disclosure is not limited to only those applications, as some packaging has a lid that is actually the lower section and the bowl section is the top piece. This style of packaging is referred to as “Dome” packaging and has many applications in the bakery or cake departments in retail stores amongst other applications. This invention can used in the reverse of the disclosure herein, where the recessed portion used to receive the detented button can be location on the tab portion of the lid and inversely the detented button portion can be located on the bowl section of the package. 
         [0043]    It can be appreciated by those appropriately skilled in the art that changes, modifications or embodiments can be made to this invention without departing from the spirit, principles, theories, ideas or conceptions that have been disclosed in the foregoing. It is herein recognized that the embodiments disclosed by this description are included as part the best mode of practicing this invention, which will be hereafter described in their full breadth in the claims and equivalents thereof.