MX2014002368A

MX2014002368A - Tamper-evident closure.

Info

Publication number: MX2014002368A
Application number: MX2014002368A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Mrinal Kanti Banerjee; Chandrashekhar Ramchandra Abhyankar; Avinash Velandy Mukkolath
Original assignee: Essel Propack Ltd
Priority date: 2011-09-02
Filing date: 2012-08-30
Publication date: 2014-09-15
Also published as: EP2750987A4; US20140346172A1; CN103958363B; WO2013030656A1; CN103958363A; RU2014108726A; MX344251B; EP2750987A1; EP2750987B1; BR112014005031A2

Abstract

A tamper-evident closure (100) is described, wherein the tamper-evident closure (100) comprises a body (102), a cap portion (104) coupled to the body (102) by a joint (106), and a tab (124) attached to a closure body skirt (122) of the body (102) to provide a space (126) between the closure body skirt (122) and the tab (124) to accommodate a lip portion (114) of the cap portion (104). Further, an inset (129) is provided below the tab (124) in the body skirt (122), wherein the tab (124) and the closure body skirt (122) are attached to one another by a seal.

Description

CLOSE THAT EVIDENCE MANIPULATION TECHNICAL FIELD The present content described in this document, in general, refers to closures for containers and, in particular, refers to closures with security seals.

BACKGROUND The closures are provided to cover product dispensing openings that are formed into bottles, tube-shaped containers or other containers. There are several types of closures available in the market that include screw-cap closures, snap-on lid closures and flip-top closures. In closures with conventional security seals, a separable strip is provided, usually made of plastic and coupled to the edge of a closure. If the separable strip is absent or damaged it means that someone may have altered and / or obtained unauthorized access to a product stored in the container. In addition, the existing security seal closures carry specialized equipment to provide a security seal feature and also entail a high manufacturing cost due to the use of extra material. On the other hand, zippers with seal Cheaper and simpler security can be easily altered without anyone noticing that the alteration has taken place, so that security and public health are put at risk.

COMPENDIUM This compendium is provided to introduce the concepts related to closures with security seals. This compendium is not intended to identify the essential characteristics of the claimed content, nor is it intended to determine or limit the scope of the claimed content.

A closure with a security seal is described, wherein the closure with security seal comprises a body, a cover, coupled to the body by a hinge, and a flange, fastened to the edge of the body of the closure, to provide a gap between the edge of the closure. body of the closure and the flange, to accommodate the flange of the lid. In addition, a clearance is provided below the flange at the edge of the closure body, where the flange and the edge of the closure body are held together by a seal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other features, aspects, and advantages of the content will be better understood with respect to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, where: Figure 1 shows a top perspective of a closure with a security seal having a security seal feature in an open position according to an embodiment of the present content.

Figures 2a and 2b show a lateral view and a lateral cross section, respectively, of the closure with security seal, according to an embodiment of the present content.

Figure 3 shows a front perspective view of a closure lid with a security seal according to an embodiment of the present content.

Figure 4 shows a partial front view of a closure with security seal according to an embodiment of the present content.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present content refers to closures with security seal. Various types of fasteners with security seal are known in the art, such as closures with a hinged lid, and are used to cover apertures of various containers including containers in the form of tubes, bottles, etc., which are used to store various products, such as drugs, cosmetics and food products.

Closures with conventional security seals are expensive, due to the use of specialized equipment or machines during manufacturing, or they are unreliable and easy to alter, which endangers public safety and health.

The closure with security seal described herein includes a body and a lid. The cover is adapted for movement from a closed position in the body to an open position remote from the body. The lid can be coupled to the body by a hinge, such as a butterfly hinge. In one embodiment, the hinge can be a bistable hinge and the closure with a security seal is a closure with a hinged lid. In another embodiment, the body is configured to fit under pressure in a container.

In addition, the cap includes a cover surface, an edge surrounding the cover surface and a projection disposed on the cover surface and projecting in a direction toward the closure body with a security seal. The body includes a flat surface, which It acts as a cover for a product stored in a container, in which the closure is provided with a security seal. The flat surface has an opening for dispensing the product stored inside the container. In one embodiment, the opening is provided in a position on the flat surface, such that the projection disposed on the cover surface is received, substantially aligned, by the opening in the closed position of the lid. In addition, the body includes an edge of the closure body that surrounds the cover surface. A flange is fastened to the edge of the closure body in such a way that a gap is provided between the edge of the closure body and the flange, and a clearance is provided below the flange at the edge of the body. In addition, the edge of the cap includes a flange, where a front surface of the flange includes a protruding part. In the closed position of the lid, the gap between the edge of the closure body and the flange receives the flange.

In one embodiment, the flange is provided with a cavity, which is configured to receive, substantially aligned, the protruding part of the flange, thereby providing a securement between the cap and the body of the closure. In one embodiment, the flange is secured to the body of the closure with a security seal by means of a seal, in this way it provides a security seal feature to the closure with security seal. In addition, an outer surface of the flange forms a smooth surface with an outer surface of the body edge. In order to release the body cap, the seal breaks to separate the flange, at least partially, from the body or is completely separated when using the optimum force. Once separated, the tab can not be replaced, thus providing evidence of possible alteration that may have occurred in the product stored inside the container having the closure.

Figure 1 shows a side perspective of a closure with security seal 100 in an open position, according to an embodiment of the present content. In one embodiment, the closure with security seal 100, hereinafter referred to as closure 100, is a hinged closure molded with a one-piece plastic having a body 102 adapted to be mounted on a neck (not shown) of a container (not shown) such as a container in the form of a tube or a bottle. The closure 100 includes a cover 104 adapted for displacement from a closed position, i.e. in contact with the body 102, to an open position remote from the body 102. The body 102 and the cap 104 can be coupled to each other by a link 106, such as a butterfly hinge. In one embodiment, the hinge 106 is a bistable hinge.

In addition, the lid 104 includes a cover surface 108, a protrusion 110 disposed on the cover surface 108 and an edge 112 surrounding the cover surface 108. In one embodiment, the edge 112 is configured in such a way that an snap fit between cap 104 and body 102. Rim 112 rests on a perimeter outside portion 107 of body 102 when cap 104 is in the closed position. The rim 112 includes a rim 114, opposite the hinge 106. A front surface of the rim includes a projecting part 116. On the other hand, the body 102 includes a flat surface 118 having an opening 120 for dispensing a product stored in the container . In one embodiment, the opening 120 is provided in a position on the flat surface 118 such that the projection 110, disposed on the cover surface 108, is received, substantially aligned, by the opening 120, in the closed position of the cover 104. .

In addition, the body 102 of the flat surface 118 includes an edge of the body of the closure 122 that surrounds the flat surface 118. In addition, a flange 124 is fastened to the edge of the body of the closure 122, in a position opposite to the articulation 106, so that the outer surface of the body edge of the closure 122 and the outer surface of the flange 124 form a smooth surface, and there is a gap (not shown) between the edge of the closure body 122 and the flange 124 This gap is provided for the purpose of housing the rim 114 of the lid 104 in the closed position of the lid 104. In one embodiment, the flange 124 is made of a polymeric material such as polypropylene (PP). In another embodiment, the closure 100 can be a monolithic piece formed, for example, of a polymeric material such as PP, a PP copolymer and a high density polyethylene copolymer. The closure 100 can be formed using any suitable injection molding or compression molding technique.

In addition, the flange 124 includes a cavity (not shown), which is configured to receive, substantially aligned, the projecting piece 116 of the flange 114, thereby providing a fixation between the cover 104 and the body 102 of the closure 100 in the closed position of the cover 104. In addition, the flange 124 is fastened to the edge of the closure body 122 by a seal, so as to provide the security seal feature to the closure 100. In one embodiment, the flange 124 is secured to the closure. edge of the closure body 122 by at least one detachment point between the flange 124 and the edge of the closure body 122. In order to release the cover 104 from its closed position, the seal is broken to separate, at least partially, the flange 124 from the body edge of the closure 122 by the application of a force. In one embodiment, the position in which the flange 124 is fastened to the edge of the closure body 122 is in the form of a clearance (not shown), through which a user can apply a force using, for example, your thumb and pull the tab 124 outward, away from the closure 100, to partially break the flange 124 or completely separate the flange 124 from the edge of the body of the closure 122. In this way, the flange 124, when joined by dots to edge of the body of the closure 122, provides the characteristic of security seal. The security seal feature as described above is further elaborated in the following diagrams.

Figures 2a and 2b show a side view and a lateral cross section, respectively, of the closure with security seal according to an embodiment of the present content. Figure 2a, in particular, illustrates the flange 124 and the recess 125 that exists between the edge of the closure body 122 and the flange 124, for the purpose of housing the flange 114. As already mentioned above, the lid 104 can be moved along the articulation 106 to reach the closed position of the lid 104, and can be pressed down further, towards the body 102, so that the rim 114 of the lid 104 is accommodated in the recess 126 provided between the edge of the body of the closure 122 and the flange 124. In said position, that is, by pressing the lid 104 towards the body 102, the protruding part 116 is received in a cavity (not shown) that is provided in the tab 124, substantially aligned. Furthermore, as mentioned above, an outer surface of the flange 124 can then be sealed to the edge of the body of the closure 122, so that the protruding part 116 can only be released from the cavity with the removal of the flange 124, by example, by partially or completely breaking the seal to separate the flange 124 from the body edge of the closure 122. In one embodiment, the flange 124 is joined by stitches to the edge of the closure body 122 by means of at least one release point.

Further, in the closed position of the lid 104, the projection 110 (as shown in Figure 2b) is moved within the opening 120 so as to cover a periphery of the opening 120 and seal the opening 120. This helps prevent that any product stored inside the container spills through the opening 120. The projection 110 can be dimensioned to create a frictional fit in opening 120, for example, with an internal diameter of opening 120. Furthermore, in Figure 2b, a cavity 128 is shown in which protruding part 116 is received in the closed position of the lid 104. The projecting part 116 can have a contour that corresponds to the contour of the cavity. In addition, a clearance 129 is also illustrated which is used to break the seal of the flange 124, as discussed above. Through the clearance 129, which in one embodiment takes the form of a depression at the edge of the body of the closure 122, it is facilitated for a user to apply a force, for example, using his thumb to pull the tab 124 outwardly. , ie, away from the edge of the body of the closure 122, and break the seal that holds the flange 124. To facilitate, further, the detachment of the seal, the projecting piece 116 can be provided with a descending slope surface. Once the seal is broken and the flange 124 separates, at least partially, from the edge of the closure body 122, the lid 104 can be opened in the same manner as any conventional hinged closure is opened. In addition, a tab 124 already separated is an indication of a possible alteration of the product stored inside the container.

Figure 3 shows a front perspective view of the lid 104 of the closure 100 according to an embodiment of the present content. As shown in detail herein, the rim 114 of the lid 104 is shown with the protruding part 116 on its outer surface. In one embodiment, the projecting piece 116 has a contour corresponding to the cavity 128, in which the projecting piece 116 is received when the cover 104 is pressed towards the body 102, that is, to obtain the closed position. In this closed position a fixation is provided between the body 102 and the lid 104, and subsequently an outer periphery of the flange 124 can be sealed to the edge of the closure body 122, at least in one position, and preferably in two or more positions , by means of, for example, detachment point (s).

Figure 4 shows a partial front view of the closure 100, which has the characteristic of security seal, according to an embodiment of the present content. As shown in Figure 4, the flange 124 is shown as having the cavity 128 configured to receive the projecting piece 116 of the rim 114. In one embodiment, the flange 124 is sealed to the clearance 129 of the body edge of the closure 122 by means of of, for example, detachment points 130. In one embodiment, the stitches of detachment 130 are placed separate from the clearance 129 The number of points 130 may vary depending on the requirements and the limitations of the costs. A user can apply a force using, for example, his thumb to break the points 130 and separate, at least partially, the flange 124 or completely separate the flange 124 from the edge of the closure body 122. A user can then open the lid 104. to expose the opening 120 by pressing the lid 104 upwards. Once separated, the tab 124 can not be replaced, thereby providing evidence that the closure 100 or the product stored within the container has been altered. In one embodiment, the entire closure 100, which includes the tab 124 with the points 130, is made in one piece, for example, by injection molding, using a strong yet flexible polymeric material, such as PP, of so that the tab 124 separates from the edge of the closure body 122 when subjected to a force.

In an embodiment not shown herein, the closure 100 may be arranged in a container, for example, by joining it together to a screwed-in screw arrangement or by pressing the two elements in unison until an annular groove in an element is formed. one together with an annular projection or a segment, partially shaped like ring, on the other element, or by a snap fit. In one embodiment, the closure 100 includes an adjustment arrangement 125 to allow a snap fit of the closure 100 in the container. By providing the adjustment arrangement 125 for a press fit, the closure 100 can be easily aligned and disposed in a container with the oval top. However, it will be understood that for other containers, such as containers with the circular upper part, a screw-threaded arrangement can also be used. The lid 104 of the closure 100 can be opened and closed, once the points 130 are broken, by pivoting about the link 106. The link 106 can tend to have the lid 104 in the open and closed positions.

Although the content has been described in great detail, with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. In this regard, the scope and nature of the invention should not be limited to the description of the embodiment contained herein.

It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on February 12, 2013 (02/12/2013) A closure with security seal (100) comprising: a body (102) having an edge of the closure body (122); a cover (104) coupled to the body (102) by a hinge (106), wherein the cover (104) includes a flange (114); Y a flange (124) attached to the body edge of the closure (122) of the body (102) by a seal (130), wherein a gap (126) is provided between the edge of the closure body (122) and the flange (124). ) to receive the rim (114) of the lid (104), where the seal 130 comprises at least one detachment point between the flange (124) and the edge of the closure body (122), where the flange (124) it separates from the edge of the closure body (122) as soon as the seal (130) is subjected to a force, and where a clearance (129) is provided under the flange (124) at the edge of the closure body (122). 2. The closure with security seal (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clearance (129) is a depression at the edge of the closure body (122). 3. The closure with security seal (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hinge (106) is a bistable hinge. 4. The closure with security seal as claimed in claim 1, wherein a projecting piece (116) is disposed on a front surface of the flange (114). 5. The closure with security seal as claimed in claim 4, wherein the projecting part (116) has a sloping surface. 6. The closure with security seal (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the flange (124) includes a cavity (128) located substantially in the center of the flange (124), and wherein the protruding part (116) is adapts to fit in line with the cavity (128). 7. The closure with security seal (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detachment point (s) (130) is provided away from the clearance (129). 8. The closure with security seal (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flange (124) is fastened to the edge of the closure body (122) in a position substantially opposite to the articulation (106). 9. The closure with security seal (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein an outer surface of the flange (124) forms a smooth surface with an outer surface of the edge of the closure body (122). 10. The closure with security seal (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body (102) further comprises a flat surface (118) having an opening (120), wherein the opening (120) is configured to receive, so as to close, a projection (110) disposed on a cover surface (108) of the lid (104). 11. The closure with security seal (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closure with security seal (100) and the flange (124) are made of a polypropylene copolymer. 12. The closure with security seal (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body (102), the cover (104) and the hinge (106) are formed as a single piece. 13. The closure with security seal (100) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a adjustment arrangement (125) to have a snap fit in a container. 14. The closure with security seal (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body (102), the cover (104), the flange (124), the seal (130) and the articulation (106) are co-molded as a single piece. DECLARATION UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF ARTICLE 19 In response to the objections mentioned in the International Search Report (IBI), the Applicant has modified the original independent claim 1, modified the original dependent claim 6, deleted the original dependent claim 7 and has added a new dependent claim 14. The original independent claim 1 and the original dependent claim 6 are modified as independent claim 1 and as dependent claim 6, respectively. The basis for the modifications in the modified independent claim and in the modified dependent claim is as follows:

1. For modified claim 1: In modified claim 1, the expression and flange (124) for housing the rim (114) of the cap (104), and wherein a clearance (129) is provided under the flange (124) at the body edge of the cap (124). closure (122) 'is modified to and the flange (124) to receive the flange (114) of the lid (104), wherein the seal 130 comprises at least one detachment point between the flange (124) and the edge of the closure body (122), where the flange (124) separates from the edge of the closure body (122) in how much the stamp (130) is subjecting a force, and where a clearance (129) is provided under the flange (124) at the edge of the closure body (122) '. The modification of claim 1, by means of the addition of the underlined part, is based on claim 7 and on the description of Fig. 4 in paragraph [0022] of the disclosed specification. As can be inferred from the description of Figs. 1-4, the flange is directly attached to the edge of the body. In addition, the flange is secured to the edge of the body by a seal comprising detachment points and can be separated from the edge of the body with the application of a force to open the lid.

2. For modified claim 6: In modified claim 6, the expression where the flange (124) includes a cavity (128) and where the protruding part 'is modified to ^ where the flange (124) includes a cavity (128) located substantially in the center of the flange (124), and where the protruding piece '. The modification of claim 6, by means of the addition of the underlined part, is based on Fig. 2b and Fig. 4 illustrated and on the description of Fig. 2b in paragraph [0020] of the specification presented. As can be inferred from the illustration and description of Figs. 2b-4, the cavity is located substantially in the center of the flange.

3. For the newly added claim 14: A new claim 14 has been added. The basis for the addition of this claim can be found in paragraph [0022]. It can be inferred that the closure, which includes the tab together with the seal, is manufactured as a single piece. The Applicant believes that the scope of the modified claims is within the scope of the original claims and that no new content is added to the modified claims. The Applicant further believes that the modified claims are innovative and involve an inventive step with respect to the IBI documents D1-D2 cited from the prior art.