U.S. patent application number 11/645425 was filed with the patent office on 2008-06-26 for container closure assembly.
Invention is credited to Thomas D. Loughrin, Kristi L. Rogers, Elwood L. Stokesbury.
Application Number | 20080149586 11/645425 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39541356 |
Filed Date | 2008-06-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080149586 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Loughrin; Thomas D. ; et
al. |
June 26, 2008 |
Container closure assembly
Abstract
An assembly comprising a container and a closure. The container
has a neck, the neck having an interior surface and an exterior
surface, the exterior surface having (a) a thread(s), (b) at least
two sets of sloping teeth. The closure has (a) a top wall; (b) a
side wall having an interior surface, an exterior surface, an upper
portion, and a lower portion; (c) a thread(s) on the interior
surface of the side wall; (d) a tamper-indicating band having an
interior surface, an exterior surface, an upper edge, and a lower
edge, the upper edge of said tamper indicating band attached to the
lower portion of the side wall by a plurality of rupturable
bridges; and (e) a plurality of tabs attached to the lower edge of
the tamper-indicating band, each of the tabs having an interior
surface and an exterior surface, the exterior surface of each of
the tabs bearing at least one sloping tooth, each of the tabs being
foldable to contact the interior surface of the tamper-indicating
band, whereby, when folded, the at least one sloping tooth on each
tab faces toward the axis of the side wall. When the tabs are
folded, the sloping teeth on the tabs of the closure, partially
engage with the sloping teeth on the exterior surface of the neck
of the container.
Inventors: |
Loughrin; Thomas D.;
(Columbus, OH) ; Rogers; Kristi L.; (Sunbury,
OH) ; Stokesbury; Elwood L.; (Galena, OH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PAUL D. YASGER;ABBOTT LABORATORIES
100 ABBOTT PARK ROAD, DEPT. 377/AP6A
ABBOTT PARK
IL
60064-6008
US
|
Family ID: |
39541356 |
Appl. No.: |
11/645425 |
Filed: |
December 26, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/252 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 41/3409 20130101;
B65D 41/3428 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/252 |
International
Class: |
B65D 41/02 20060101
B65D041/02 |
Claims
1. An assembly comprising a container and a closure, said container
having a neck, said neck having an interior surface and an exterior
surface, said exterior surface having (a) a thread(s), (b) at least
two sets of sloping teeth, said closure having (a) a top wall; (b)
a side wall having an interior surface, an exterior surface, an
upper portion, and a lower portion; (c) a thread(s) on the interior
surface of said side wall; (d) a tamper-indicating band having an
interior surface, an exterior surface, an upper edge, and a lower
edge, the upper edge of said tamper indicating band attached to the
lower portion of said side wall by a plurality of rupturable
bridges; and (e) a plurality of tabs attached to the lower edge of
the tamper-indicating band, each of the tabs having an interior
surface and an exterior surface, the exterior surface of each of
the tabs bearing at least one sloping tooth, each of the tabs being
foldable to contact the interior surface of the tamper-indicating
band, whereby, when folded, the at least one sloping tooth on each
tab faces toward the axis of the side wall, wherein the sloping
teeth on the tabs of the closure, when the tabs are folded,
partially engage with sloping teeth on the exterior surface of the
neck of the container.
2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the sloping teeth on the
exterior surface of the neck of the container are offset from the
sloping teeth on the tabs of the closure to a sufficient degree
that the sloping teeth on the tabs of the closure do not lock with
the sloping teeth on the exterior surface of the neck of the
container, thereby enabling the closure to be rotated about the
neck of the container.
3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said thread(s) are inclined
sufficiently to enable rotation of the closure to bring about
serial rupture of the rupturable bridges of the closure.
4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said neck of said container
contains two sets of sloping teeth.
5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each set of sloping teeth
comprises at least two teeth.
6. The assembly of claim 1, further including a connecting bridge
between two adjacent tabs.
7. The closure of claim 1, wherein each tab bears a plurality of
sloping teeth on the exterior surface thereof.
8. The closure of claim 1, further having a groove formed in the
interior surface of said side wall.
9. The closure of claim 4, wherein a disk is included in said
groove.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention provides an easy to open container/closure
assembly, more particularly, an easy to open closure/container
assembly having a tamper-indicating feature.
[0003] 2. Discussion of the Art
[0004] Two main types of bottle/closure systems that utilize
breakaway bands for indicating tampering are currently commercially
available. Both types have certain drawbacks. The first type locks
the tamper-indicating band in place. The locking mechanism requires
the force to remove the cap and to break the band to be applied
simultaneously, thereby resulting in high removal torques and high
standard deviations of removal torque. The lowest removal torque
that can be achieved with this system is approximately 18 inch
pounds on average. This force is too high for elderly users and
users suffering from arthritis. The second type involves the
separation of the opening force from the force required to remove
the tamper-indicating band, by allowing approximately 180.degree.
of free rotation of the cap before breakage of the band is
initiated. Accordingly, the closure is subject to back-off and
possible leakage during distribution. This type of closure also
does not provide any audible feedback in the area between cap
opening and band breakage to reassure the consumer of safety.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,731 describes problems encountered when
packaging consumable products in sealed containers. These problems
are described below.
[0006] Due to concerns about material cost, container weight, and
breakage, suppliers of consumable products desire to manufacture
the container from a plastic substance, such as polypropylene,
which is relatively inexpensive and may be colored or translucent.
A problem arises when attempting to provide a cap for a plastic
container, wherein the cap maintains a hermetic seal. Because it is
difficult to maintain a hermetic seal in a plastic container, and
conventional metal caps and plastic containers expand by a
dissimilar amount, metal caps, by themselves, do not maintain a
hermetic seals consistently on plastic containers when subjected to
retort conditions.
[0007] During retort conditions, heat causes polymer relaxation or
shrinkage, especially in the upper neck portion of the container.
Injection or extrusion molded plastic bottles are formed by melting
and pressure forming, which create stress and memory in the
molecules of the polymer. The introduction of heat during the
retort process causes those molecules to relax, so as to actually
shrink the diameter of the neck portion of the container. This
shrinkage causes severe problems in maintaining a conventional
metal cap on a plastic bottle. This shrinkage may also prevent the
use of a conventional plastic cap with a plastic bottle.
[0008] The problems mentioned above can be overcome by applying a
substantial amount of torque when initially capping the bottle.
However, the amount of torque necessary to maintain a conventional
cap on a plastic bottle is so high that a person would not be able
to easily twist the cap off the bottle following retort. Other
alternatives would be to use an extremely expensive plastic to
fabricate the bottle so that the plastic would not shrink at retort
temperatures and could maintain an internal vacuum without
distortion.
[0009] Screw on bottle caps have a tendency to loosen from a
tightened condition on a threaded bottle neck finish. This tendency
to loosen is often referred to as "back off". This tendency to
loosen has a number of causes, including, for example, temperature
change, creep in the bottle and cap materials, relaxation of a
liner or sealant material, and vibration during handling and
shipping. This problem is more frequently encountered when the
screw threads have a high pitch to enable the cap to be quickly
removed and reinstalled with limited twisting action. Loose caps
create problems for the manufacturer and retailer of packaged goods
and even for the ultimate user. Loose caps can falsely indicate
tampering, and, of course, allow spillage or leakage of the
contents as well as entrance of contaminants into the container. A
good moisture seal is especially important, for example, when
pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements can be adversely affected
by excess increases of or by excess decreases of moisture content.
While "anti-back off" features are known in the industry, these
features have not generally been available for bottles intended for
use by elderly persons having limited strength and by sufferers
from arthritis.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 6,296130, EP 0 864 504 A1, WO 01/15988 A1,
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0160020 A1, and U.S. Pat.
No. 4,349,116 disclose closure/container assemblies having
"anti-back off" features. It is apparent that there is a need for
an improved container/closure assembly that provides system seal
integrity during retort, as well as permitting the sanitary opening
of the container in a single action motion with a very low removal
torque.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] This invention provides a closure that addresses the
aforedescribed disadvantages of container/closure systems that are
currently commercially available. In one embodiment, the closure
comprises:
[0012] (a) a top wall;
[0013] (b) a side wall having an interior surface, an exterior
surface, an upper portion, and a lower portion;
[0014] (c) a thread(s) on the interior surface of the side
wall;
[0015] (d) a tamper-indicating band having an interior surface, an
exterior surface, an upper edge, and a lower edge, the upper edge
of the tamper-indicating band attached to the lower portion of the
side wall by a plurality of rupturable bridges; and
[0016] (e) a plurality of tabs attached to the lower edge of the
tamper-indicating band, each of the tabs having an interior surface
and an exterior surface, the exterior surface of each of the tabs
bearing at least one sloping tooth, each of the tabs being foldable
to contact the interior surface of the tamper-indicating band,
whereby, when folded, the at least one sloping tooth on each tab
faces toward the axis of the side wall.
[0017] The sloping teeth of the closure partially engage at least
one set of sloping teeth on the neck of a container. In order to
reduce removal torque to the degree desired, it is preferred that
all of the teeth in all of the sets of teeth on the neck of the
container be offset from the teeth of the closure with which they
are partially engaged. However, if all of the teeth in all of the
sets of teeth on the neck of the container are offset from the
teeth of the closure with which they are partially engaged, the
risk of back off increases. Accordingly, it is preferred that at
least one, but not all, of the teeth in each set of teeth on the
neck of the container be completely engaged with a tooth on the
closure, so that removal torque is reduced from the situation in
which all of the teeth in each set of teeth on the neck of the
container are engaged, while anti-back off features are still
retained. The partially engaged sloping teeth on the closure and
the partially engaged sloping teeth of the at least one set of
sloping teeth on the neck of the container provide a slight drag,
i.e., resistance to rotation of the cap, and audible feedback to
the user when the closure is rotated to open the container. The
partially engaged sloping teeth on the closure and the partially
engaged sloping teeth of the at least one set of sloping teeth on
the neck of the container also function as an anti-back off feature
during manufacturing and distribution of the product contained
within the container.
[0018] A continuous retaining bead on the container located
slightly above the sloping teeth of the closure is also included.
As removal torque is applied to the closure, the closure rides
upward on the thread(s) on the neck of the container while the
sloping teeth on the closure are grabbed under this bead, thereby
bringing about a gradual stretching of the rupturable bridges and
subsequent breakage of the rupturable bridges to separate the
tamper-indicating band from the side wall of the closure. The
closure/container assembly described herein can provide removal
torques between approximately 3 and 16 inch pounds on average,
thereby enabling elderly users and arthritic users to open the
container with ease.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a side view in elevation of an embodiment of the
closure described herein.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the closure of FIG. 1. In this
figure, the tabs are not folded so as to be encircled by the
tamper-indicating band.
[0021] FIG. 3A is a bottom plan view of the closure of FIG. 1. In
this figure, the tabs are not folded so as to be encircled by the
tamper-indicating band.
[0022] FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of area 3B of FIG. 3A. In this
figure, the tabs are not folded so as to be encircled by the
tamper-indicating band.
[0023] FIG. 3C is an enlarged view of area 3B of FIG. 3A. In this
figure, the tabs are folded so as to be encircled by the
tamper-indicating band.
[0024] FIG. 4 is an exploded side view in elevation of the closure
of FIG. 1 and a container that receives the closure.
[0025] FIG. 5 is a side view in elevation of the assembly of the
closure and the container of FIG. 4.
[0026] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view, greatly enlarged, taken
along line 6-6 of FIG. 5.
[0027] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view, greatly enlarged, taken
along line 7-7 of FIG. 5.
[0028] FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the neck of the container shown
in FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] As used herein term "side wall" means that portion of a
closure depending from the top wall of the closure. The term "side
wall" is synonymous with the term "skirt." As used herein, the
expression "top wall" means a panel that covers the opening of the
closure that is positioned distally from the neck of the container.
The expression "top wall" is synonymous with the expressions "end
wall", "cover", "end panel", "upper portion". As used herein, the
term "tooth" means a projecting part resembling a tooth, as on a
saw. The expression "sloping tooth" is synonymous with the term
"ratchet." As used herein, the expression "closure/container
assembly" means a combination of the closure and the container to
make a completed product. As used herein, the term "closure" means
an object that closes the mouth of a container. As used herein, the
term "container" means a receptacle for holding or carrying a
material. As used herein, the term "etc." is indicative of a
situation in which components similar to components previously
listed may be present. For example, if three like components are
listed, the term "etc." indicates that there may be four or more
similar components actually being referred to. The expressions
"removal force" and "removal torque" are used interchangeably. As
used herein, the expression "axis of the side wall" means a
straight line about which the side wall is designed to rotate. The
term "thread(s)" is intended to mean one or more threads.
[0030] Referring now to FIGS. 1-7, inclusive, a closure 10
comprises a top wall 12, a side wall 14, preferably cylindrical in
shape, having an upper end 16 and a lower end 18. Attached to the
lower end 18 is a tamper-indicating band 20, preferably cylindrical
in shape, having an exterior major surface 22, preferably
cylindrical in shape, an interior major surface 24, preferably
cylindrical in shape, an upper edge 26, and a lower edge 28.
Projecting from the upper edge 26 of the tamper-indicating band 20
is a series of rupturable bridges 30a, 30b, 30c, etc. These
rupturable bridges 30a, 30b, 30c, etc., connect the
tamper-indicating band 20 to the lower end 18 of the side wall 14
of the closure 10. The rupturable bridges 30a, 30b, 30c, etc., must
be broken or ruptured to cause the tamper-indicating band 20 to
separate from the side wall 14 to provide an indication of the
opening of the container. Rupturable bridges 30a, 30b, 30c, etc.,
are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,230,
incorporated herein by reference. Between the rupturable bridges
30a, 30b, 30c, etc., are openings 32a, 32b, 32c, etc. The purpose
of the rupturable bridges 30a, 30b, 30c, etc., is to attach the
tamper-indicating band 20 to the lower end 18 of the side wall 14.
The purpose of the openings 32a, 32b, 32c, etc., is to provide
sufficient separation between the rupturable bridges 30a, 30b, 30c,
etc., to enable the rupturable bridges 30a, 30b, 30c, etc., to be
broken by a removal torque that can be generated by an elderly or
arthritic user. The number of rupturable bridges 30a, 30b, 30c,
etc., formed around the circumference of the closure typically
ranges from about five (5) to about fifteen (15). If the rupturable
bridges 30a, 30b, 30c, etc., are too narrow, they will be broken
during production. If the rupturable bridges 30a, 30b, 30c, etc.,
are too wide, the closure cannot be removed from the neck of the
container without application of a significant amount of torque.
For example, the rupturable bridges can range from about 0.003 inch
to about 0.050 inch in thickness.
[0031] Projecting from the lower edge 28 of the tamper-indicating
band 20 is a series of tabs 34a, 34b, 34c, etc. These tabs 34a,
34b, 34c, etc. are substantially rectangular in shape. For the sake
of simplification, tab 34a will be described in detail. However, it
should be noted that tabs 34b, 34c, etc., are substantially
identical to tab 34a. Tab 34a has an interior major surface 36a and
an exterior major surface 38a. On the exterior major surface 38a of
tab 34a is formed at least one sloping tooth 40a. Typically, the
aforementioned exterior major surface 38a of tab 34a contains two
or more sloping teeth 40a and 40b. Tab 34a is attached to the lower
edge 28 of the tamper-indicating band 20 by a living hinge 42a. The
living hinge 42a is designed so as to enable the tab 34a to be
folded, whereby the interior major surface 36a of the tab 34a,
i.e., the major surface not bearing the sloping tooth 40a or teeth
40a and 40b is flush against the interior major surface 24 of the
tamper-indicating band 20, and the exterior major surface 38a of
the tab 34a, i.e., the major surface bearing the sloping teeth 40a
and 40b faces away from the tamper-indicating band 20 and toward
the axis of the side wall 14. Between each set of adjacent tabs,
e.g., 34a and 34b, or 34b and 34c, etc., is a connecting bridge 44.
The purpose of the connecting bridges 44 is to enable all of the
tabs 34a, 34b, 34c, etc., to be simultaneously folded up so as to
contact the interior major surface 24 of the tamper-indicating band
20. In addition, the connecting bridges 44 maintain proper
alignment between adjacent tabs 34a, 34b, 34c, etc., so that
consistent performance and consistent opening force is provided
during the operation of removing the closure 10 from the neck of
the container. There is a gap between each connecting bridge 44 and
the lower edge 28 of the tamper-indicating band 20 to enable to
living hinges 42a to function with a low level of resistance to
folding. The width of the connecting bridges 44 should be
sufficiently low in order to reduce the force required to open the
container. For example, the width of the connecting bridge 44 can
be as low as 0.003 inch. However, the width of the connecting
bridges 44 must be sufficient in order to maintain adequate
strength during the operations of filling the container and
applying the closure 10 to the container. For example, the width of
the connecting bridge 44 can be as high as 0.10 inch. Tabs 34a,
34b, 34c, etc., and connecting bridges 44 are described, for
example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,230, previously incorporated herein
by reference.
[0032] The side wall 14 has an interior major surface 46 and an
exterior major surface 48. In the interior major surface 46 of the
side wall 14 positioned near the upper end 16 of the side wall 14
is a groove (not shown). This groove (not shown) receives a disk 52
having an interior major surface 54 and an exterior major surface
56, which disk 52 forms the top of the closure 10. The groove (not
shown) is sufficiently wide so that the disk 52 can be rotated
therein. At the peripheral edge of the inner major surface 54 of
the disk is a layer 58 of oxygen-impervious, moisture-impervious
polymeric material, which functions as a gasket or seal. The
interior major surface 46 of the side wall 14 contains thread(s)
60, which mate with thread(s) on the neck of the container, which
will be described in detail later.
[0033] Referring now to FIGS. 4-8, inclusive, a container 100
suitable for use with the closure 10 described herein typically
comprises a body 102 and a neck 104. The neck 104 of the container
100 surrounds the mouth 106 of the container 100. The neck 104 of
the container 100 comprises thread(s) 108, which mate with the
thread(s) 60 on the interior major surface 46 of the side wall 14
of the closure 10. The start of the thread(s) 108 is designated by
the reference numeral 110. Also on the neck 104 of the container
100 are a set 112a of sloping teeth 114a, 114b, 114c, 114d and a
set 112b of sloping teeth 116a, 116b, 116c, 116d. As shown in FIG.
8, only two sets 112a, 112b of sloping teeth are shown. However,
more sets of sloping teeth can be formed on the neck 104 of the
container 100. Sloping teeth 114a, 114b, 114c, 116a, 116b, 116c,
40a, 40b are described,.for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,561,
incorporated herein by reference. The neck 104 of the container 100
further comprises a continuous retaining bead 120. The continuous
retaining bead 120 is positioned in such a manner as to prevent
removal of the tamper-indicating band 20 when the closure 10 is
removed from the neck 104 of the container.
[0034] Although the sloping teeth 114a, 114b, 114c, 114d and the
sloping teeth 116a, 116b, 116c, and 116d (and optionally other sets
of sloping teeth similar to 114a, 114b, 114c, 114d, 116a, 116b,
116c, and 116d on the neck 104 of the container 100) engage the
sloping teeth 40a and 40b (and optionally other sets of sloping
teeth similar to 40a and 40b on the closure 10), the sloping teeth
on the neck 104 of the container 100 are offset slightly from the
sloping teeth on the tabs 34a, 34b, 34c, etc. For example, if each
the sloping teeth 114a, 114b, 114c, and 114d and each of the
sloping teeth 116a, 116b, 116c, and 116d are positioned so that a
given tooth is occupies 100 of the circumference of the neck 104 of
the container 100, the sloping teeth 40a and 40b on the tab 34a are
positioned so that a given tooth 40a does not occupy 10.degree. or
an integral multiple of 10.degree. of the circumference formed by
the tabs 34a, 34b, 34c, etc., of the closure 10. In one embodiment,
if each of the sloping teeth 114a, 114b, 114c, and 114d and each of
the sloping teeth 116a, 116b, 116c, and 116d are positioned so that
a given tooth occupies 10.degree. of the circumference of the neck
104 of the container 100, a given tooth 40a on a tab 34a can
occupy, for example, 12.5.degree. of the circumference formed by
the tabs 34a, 34b, 34c, etc., of the closure 10. The offset
produced by angular spacings is not limited to 10.degree. for
sloping teeth 114a, 114b, 114c, and 114d and sloping teeth 116a,
116b, 116c, and 116d on the neck 104 of the container 100 and
12.5.degree. for sloping teeth 40a, 40b on the circumference formed
by the tabs 34a, 34b, 34c, etc., of the closure 10, i.e.,
2.5.degree. . The offset can be, for example, any angle between,
for example, 1.degree. and 9.degree.. However, the offset cannot
be, for example, 0.degree., 10.degree., 20.degree., or 10n.degree.,
where n is an integer. Offsetting the sloping teeth 40a and 40b on
the tabs 34a, 34b, 34c, etc., of the closure 10 from the sloping
teeth 114a, 114b, 114c, and 114d and sloping teeth 116a, 116b,
116c, and 116d on the neck 104 of the of the container 100 provides
at least two advantages:
[0035] (a) lower removal torque
[0036] (b) greater strength to with stand the forces encountered
during production
It should also be noted that any two adjacent sloping teeth, e.g.,
114a, 114b, on the neck 104 of the container 100 or any two
adjacent sloping teeth, e.g., 40a and 40b, on a tab 34a need not
abut one another. Adjacent sloping teeth e.g., 114a, 114b, on the
neck 104 of the container 100 or adjacent sloping teeth on a tab
34a can be separated by a small angular distance, such as, for
example 1.degree. of arc. However, the requirement specified
previously for the offset must be adhered to in order to obtain the
benefits of the closure described herein. [0037] L=length of arc on
the circumference of the closure in degrees and length of arc on
the circumference of the neck 104 of the container 100 in degrees
[0038] n.sub.tc=number of teeth in the at least one set of sloping
teeth in the arc L on the closure 10 [0039] n.sub.tb=number of
teeth in the at least one set of sloping teeth in the arc L on the
container 100 In order to ensure that the at least one set of teeth
on the closure only partially engages the at least one set of teeth
on the neck 104 of the container 100, it is preferred that n.sub.tc
not be equal to equal to n.sub.tb and that L/n.sub.tc not be equal
to L/n.sub.tb As a representative example, if L=50.degree., then
n.sub.tc=5 and n.sub.tb=4. As can be seen in FIG. 6, the arc L
contains five teeth 40a, 40b, 40a, 40b, and 40a of the closure and
four teeth 116a, 116b, 116c, and 116d of the container 100.
[0040] In order to reduce removal torque to the degree desired, it
is preferred that all of the teeth in all of the sets of teeth on
the neck 104 of the container 100 be offset from the teeth of the
closure 10 with which they are partially engaged. However, if all
of the teeth in all of the sets of teeth on the neck 104 of the
container 100 are offset from the teeth of the closure 10 with
which they are partially engaged, the risk of "back off" increases.
Accordingly, it is preferred that at least one, but not all, of the
teeth in each set of teeth on the neck 104 of the container 100 be
completely engaged with a tooth on the closure 10, so that removal
torque is reduced from the situation in which all of the teeth in
each set of teeth on the neck 104 of the container 100 are engaged,
while "anti-back off" features are still retained. For example, if
the neck 104 of the container 100 contains two sets of teeth
positioned 180.degree. apart, and each set of teeth contains four
teeth, it is preferred that one of the four teeth in each set of
teeth be completely engaged with a tooth on the closure 10 and that
the remaining teeth be only partially engaged with the teeth on the
closure 10. However, two or three teeth of each set of four teeth
on the neck 104 of the container 100 can be completely engaged with
teeth on the closure 10. It should be noted that as more teeth of
each set of teeth on the neck 104 of the container 100 are engaged
with teeth of the closure 10, the amount of force required to
remove the closure 10 increases.
[0041] The material of the closure 10 can be any polymeric material
capable of being molded, cut, folded, and assembled to form the
closure 10 described herein. Representative examples of polymeric
material suitable for preparing the closure 10 include, but are not
limited to, polyolefins, such as, for example, polypropylene and
polyethylene. Other polymeric materials, such as, for example,
polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polylactic acid,
synthetic elastomers, natural latex rubbers, polyesters, such as,
for example, polyethylene terephthalate, nylon, and similar
materials.
[0042] Materials that are suitable for preparing the disk 52 that
is inserted in the groove (not shown) in the closure 10 are capable
of being formed, stamped, cast, or molded into shapes having
specified surface dimensions and thickness dimensions and that
exhibit specified flexibility or rigidity. Representative examples
of materials suitable for preparing the disk 52 include, but are
not limited to, metals, composite materials comprising metal, other
composite materials not comprising metal, or polymeric materials
comprising a single layer or a plurality of layers laminated
together. Representative examples of metals suitable for preparing
the disk 52 include, but are not limited to, stainless steel,
tin-free steel, aluminum, metal composites containing carbon, and
other composite materials. Representative examples of polymeric
materials suitable for preparing the disk 52 include, but are not
limited to, polyolefins, such as, for example, polypropylene and
polyethylene. Other polymeric materials, such as, for example,
polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polylactic acid,
synthetic elastomers, natural latex rubbers, polyesters, such as,
for example, polyethylene terephthalate, nylon, and similar
materials.
[0043] Properties of metal disks that can be used in the closure of
this invention are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No.
4,991,731, incorporated herein by reference. See column 4, line 53
through column 5, line 24 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,731. The disk
described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,731 further contains a fusible
coating on the major surface thereof facing the contents of the
container 100. Disks suitable for use herein can also have such a
fusible coating on the major surface thereof facing the contents of
the container 100 or on both major surfaces thereof. Such fusible
coatings for metallic disks include, but are not limited to, epoxy
coatings, enamel coatings. Another coating material suitable for
composite disks or polymeric disks is ethylene vinyl acetate. It is
not required that the disk have a fusible coating on one or both
major surfaces thereof.
[0044] The gasket 58 that is placed around the peripheral edge of
the disk is a polymeric material that is capable of creating a
hermetic seal by means of terminal sterilization at a temperature
of up to 275.degree. F. Representative examples of polymeric
materials suitable for preparing the gasket 58 include, but are not
limited to, polymeric materials comprising a single layer or a
plurality of layers laminated together, which materials can be
formed, stamped, cast, or molded into shapes having specified
surface dimensions and thickness dimensions. Representative
materials suitable for preparing the gasket 58 include, but are not
limited to, polyolefins, such as, for example, polypropylene and
polyethylene, polystyrene, polylactic acid, synthetic elastomers,
natural latex rubbers, polyesters, such as, for example,
polyethylene terephthalate, nylons and other soft to rigid
materials modified for a specified value of durometer. U.S. Pat.
No. 4,981,230, previously incorporated herein by reference,
discloses plastisols for preparing the gasket 58. A typical
plastisol is a polyvinyl chloride resin that is applied from a
solvent.
[0045] The container 100 is preferably made of a polymeric material
that is a single layer material or a multiple layer material that
can be formed, stamped, cast, or molded into a shape having
specified dimensions and specified wall thicknesses. The polymeric
material can be either flexible or rigid. Representative example of
polymeric material suitable for preparing the container 100
include, but are not limited to, polyolefins, such as, for example,
polypropylene and polyethylene, which polyolefins can optionally be
blended with ethyl vinyl alcohol, ethylene vinyl acetate,
polyvinylidene chloride (saran), Surlyn.RTM. resin, Admer.RTM.
resin, or similar barrier and adhesive layers. Other polymeric
materials, such as, for example, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride,
polystyrene, polylactic acid, synthetic elastomers, natural latex
rubbers, polyesters, such as, for example, polyethylene
terephthalate, nylon, and similar materials can also be used.
[0046] In place of a series of rupturable bridges between the
tamper-indicating band and the lower portion of the side wall, a
line of weakness can be formed between the tamper-indicating band
and the lower portion of the side wall. Upon removal of the closure
from the container 100, the tamper-indicating band will separate
from the lower portion of the side wall along the line of weakness.
The line of weakness and method for forming a line of weakness is
described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,561, incorporated herein by
reference.
[0047] A tamper-indicating band 20 can be provided to the lower end
18 of the side wall 14 by means of a mold that has been designed
for that purpose. Then, an appropriate blade can be used to form
the openings 32a, 32b, 32c, etc., adjacent to the rupturable
bridges 30a, 30b, 30c, etc. The blade can be a component of the
mold or can be provided separately from the mold. In lieu of the
use of rupturable bridges 30a, 30b, 30c, etc., it is suitable, but
not preferred, to employ a score line (not shown) to form a
weakened region between the tamper-indicating band 20 and the lower
end 18 of the side wall 14.
[0048] Containers and methods for making thereof are described in
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,349,116; 4,991,731; 5,004,110; and 5,217,737, all
of which are incorporated herein by reference.
[0049] Conventional closure application machinery can be used to
apply the closure 10 to the container 100. Specifically, capping
machinery would have grasping elements commonly known as capping
chucks to grasp and hold the closure 10 in a position above the
neck 104 of the container 100 for placement of the closure 10 onto
the neck 104 of the container 100. Prior to applying the closure 10
to the container 100, the tabs 343a, 34b, and 34c, etc., are folded
so that the teeth 40a, 40b, face the axis of the side wall 14. The
capping chucks are driven by a suitable source of energy, and
suitable mechanical linkages are utilized to spin the chuck at the
appropriate speed to apply the closure 10 to the neck 104 of the
container 100. The capping chuck must also have the means for
limiting the rotational force and terminating the capping operation
once the closure 10 has sealed the container 100 but not advanced
so far as to rotate beyond the available thread(s) 108 on the neck
104 of the container 100 or the available thread(s) 60 on the
interior major surface 46 of the side wall 14 of the closure
10.
Operation
[0050] To open the container 100 described herein, an individual
grasps the closure 10 and twists so as to apply sufficient removal
torque to the closure 10. On account of the offset of all but at
least one of the sloping teeth in the sets of sloping teeth on the
neck 104 of the container 100 relative to the sloping teeth on the
closure 10, the removal torque can be as low as 3 inch pounds on
average, and is typically less than 18 inch pounds on average, more
likely less than 16 inch pounds on average. This low level of
removal torque renders the assembly of the closure and the
container 100 described herein suitable for use by arthritic users
and elderly users. The tamper-indicating band 20 assures the user
that the assembly of the closure 10 and the container 100 has not
been subject to tampering. The rupturable bridges 30a, 30, 30c,
etc., break in a serial manner, i.e., one after another in order,
thereby separating the tamper-indicating band 20 from the lower end
18 of the side wall 14 of the closure 10. As removal torque is
applied to the closure 10, the closure 10 rides upward on the
threads on the neck 104 of the container 100 while the sloping
teeth on the closure are grabbed under the retaining bead 120,
thereby bringing about a gradual stretching of the rupturable
bridges 30a, 30b, 30c, etc., and subsequent breakage of the
rupturable bridges 30a, 30b, 30c, etc., to separate the
tamper-indicating band 20 from the lower end 18 of the side wall 14
of the closure 10. The retaining bead 120 enables the container 100
to retain the tamper-indicating band 20 on the neck 104 of the
container 100.
[0051] The threads on the container 100 and the threads on the
closure 10 can have the shape shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, in which the
bottom of the thread(s) 108 of the neck 104 of the container 100
and the top of the thread(s) 60 of the closure 10 are made
relatively flat and horizontal. The result is that any relative
movement between the thread(s) 60 and the thread(s) 108 during a
retorting operation caused by the unequal expansion of the closure
10 and the container 100 causes an insignificant relative vertical
movement between the thread(s) 60 and the thread(s) 108 so that the
threads retain their vertical tension for both heated and cooled
packages. Threads for closures and containers are described in
further detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,561, incorporated herein by
reference.
[0052] This invention allows the removal torque of a closure to be
controlled at a low level, such as, for example less than 16 inch
pounds on average. The invention also allows an audible feature as
the closure is being rotated. This closure is particularly useful
for both elderly and arthritic patients.
[0053] The closure/container assembly described herein can be
utilized in any closure/container assembly intended to be used by
either elderly or arthritic patients.
[0054] Various modifications and alterations of this invention will
become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from
the scope and spirit of this invention, and it should be understood
that this invention is not to be unduly limited to the illustrative
embodiments set forth herein.
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