U.S. patent number 3,827,591 [Application Number 05/189,914] was granted by the patent office on 1974-08-06 for tamper proof secondary closure device.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Viscose Development Company Limited. Invention is credited to David Thomas Jones, Dennis Gerald Spelman.
United States Patent |
3,827,591 |
Spelman , et al. |
August 6, 1974 |
TAMPER PROOF SECONDARY CLOSURE DEVICE
Abstract
A tamper-proof secondary closure device and a method of applying
said device to the neck of a bottle. The method comprises the steps
of applying a layer of sensitive material to the neck of the nottle
and then shrinking a secondary closure thereover, the arrangement
being such that the sensitive material is visibly affected by the
process of applying a solvent or softening agent to the secondary
closure and subsequently attempting to remove it from the neck of
the bottle.
Inventors: |
Spelman; Dennis Gerald (Bromley
Kent, EN), Jones; David Thomas (Ystalyfera, Swansea,
WA) |
Assignee: |
Viscose Development Company
Limited (Croydon, EN)
|
Family
ID: |
10452541 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/189,914 |
Filed: |
October 18, 1971 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Oct 19, 1970 [GB] |
|
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49493/70 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/246; 53/410;
53/488; 215/251; 53/442; 156/86; 428/916 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
41/24 (20130101); B65D 41/62 (20130101); Y10S
428/916 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
41/24 (20060101); B65D 41/62 (20060101); B65D
41/00 (20060101); B65D 41/02 (20060101); B65d
041/24 () |
Field of
Search: |
;156/84,85,86 ;215/38A
;117/1 ;53/14,42 ;229/DIG.12 ;215/DIG.6,7 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Lowrance; George E.
Assistant Examiner: Marcus; Stephen
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Brisebois & Kruger
Claims
What we claim is:
1. A tamper-proof secondary closure device, for application to the
neck of a bottle, comprising a shrinkable secondary closure, which
is expansible by the application of a solvent or a softening agent,
and a layer of sensitive material provided within, and visible
externally of, said secondary closure, said layer being said
solvent or softening agent whereby a visual indication of tampering
is afforded.
2. A device as claimed claim 1, in which said secondary closure is
provided with a transparent panel through which said layer is
visible.
3. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which said layer of sensitive
material is water-sensitive.
4. A device as claimed in claim 3, in which said layer is soluble
in water.
5. A device as claimed in claim 3, in which a strip or disc of
soluble material provides said layer and said secondary closure is
insoluble in water.
6. A device as claimed in claim 5, in which said secondary closure
is made of cellulosic material which shrinks on loss of
moisture.
7. A device as claimed in claim 5, in which said strip or disc is
soluble in hot water but insoluble in cold water.
8. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which said secondary closure
is made of a material which may be shrunk by the evaporation of a
solvent contained in the material.
9. A device as claimed in claim 8, in which said layer is soluble
in said solvent.
10. A device as claimed in claim 8, in which said secondary closure
is fixed to said neck of said bottle by means of an adhesive
unsoftened by, or insoluble in, said solvent.
11. A device as claimed in claim 8, in which said layer is fixed to
said neck of said bottle by means of an adhesive unsoftenable by,
or insoluble in, said solvent.
12. A device as claimed in claim 11, in which said secondary
closure is fixed to said neck of said bottle by means of an
adhesive unsoftenable by, or insoluble in, said solvent.
13. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which said secondary closure
is made of a heat-shrinkable material and said layer is soluble in
a solvent capable of softening and swelling said heat-shrinkable
material.
14. A device as claimed in claim 13, in which said secondary
closure is attachable to said neck of said bottle by means of an
adhesive unsoftenable by, or insoluble in, said solvent.
15. A device as claimed in claim 13, in which said layer is printed
with an ink which is soluble in said solvent and which smudges or
disappears on immersion therein.
16. A device as claimed in claim 13, in which said layer is printed
with an ink insoluble in said solvent but adheres to said layer by
means of an adhesive softenable by, or soluble in, such a
solvent.
17. A tamper-proof secondary closure device for application to the
neck of a bottle, comprising a shrinkable secondary closure which
is expansible by the application of a solvent or softening agent
and a layer of material which is insoluble in water and carries a
transfer print, said layer being provided within and said print
being visible externally of said secondary closure, and said print
being soluble in said solvent or softening agent whereby a visual
indication of tampering is afforded.
18. A device as claimed in claim 17, in which the ink of said
transfer print is insoluble in water and is bonded to said layer by
means of a glue which is softenable by, or soluble in, water.
19. A tamper-proof secondary closure device, for application to the
neck of a bottle, comprising a shrinkable secondary closure, which
is expansible by the application of a solvent or a softening agent
and an insoluble layer, carrying a water-sensitive transfer print,
provided within, and visible externally of, said secondary closure,
said transfer print being reactive with water whereby a visual
indication of tampering is afforded upon a subsequent attempt to
remove said secondary closure from said neck of said bottle.
20. A tamper-proof secondary closure device, for application to the
neck of a bottle, comprising a shrinkable secondary closure, which
is expansible by the application of hot water, and a layer of
sensitive material provided within, and visible externally of, said
secondary closure, said secondary closure being provided internally
with adhesive means for fixing said secondary closure to said neck
of said bottle, said adhesive means being softenable by, or soluble
in, hot water but unsoftenable by, or insoluble in, cold water,
said layer being soluble in hot water whereby a visual indication
of tampering is afforded.
21. A method of applying a tamper-proof secondary closure device to
the neck of a bottle comprising the steps of applying a layer of
sensitive material to the neck of the bottle and then shrinking a
secondary closure thereover, said layer being visible externally of
said secondary closure and being soluble in a solvent or softening
agent which is capable of causing said secondary closure to swell,
whereby a visual indication of tampering is afforded.
22. A method as claimed in claim 21, in which said secondary
closure is fixed to said neck of said bottle by means of an
adhesive, and is provided with a transparent panel through which
said layer is visible.
23. A method as claimed in claim 22, in which said adhesive is
softened by, or soluble in, hot water but unsoftened by, or
insoluble in, cold water.
24. A method as claimed in claim 21, in which said secondary
closure is fixed to said neck of said bottle by an adhesive
unsoftenable by, or insoluble in, water and is provided with a
transparent panel through which said layer is visible.
25. A method of applying a tamper-proof secondary closure device to
the neck of a bottle comprising the steps of applying a layer of
sensitive material to the neck of a bottle, shrinking a secondary
closure thereover and fixing said secondary closure to said neck of
said bottle by means of an adhesive which is softenable by, or
soluble in, hot water but unsoftenable by, or insoluble in, cold
water, said layer being visible externally of said secondary
closure and being soluble in water hot enough to cause said
secondary closure to swell, whereby a visual indication of
tampering is afforded.
Description
This invention relates to a tamper-proof secondary closure device
and to a method of applying such a device to the neck of a
bottle.
It is well known to place a tube of shrinkable material over the
primary closure of a bottle in such a way that, after the tube has
been shrunk into position, it acts as a deterrent to tampering
with, or pilfering of, the contents. These secondary closures can
be made from either celulose, which shrinks when moisture is lost,
or from a heat shrinkable plastics material.
The disadvantage of such known "tamper-proof" secondary closures is
that it is possible, although difficult, to remove them without
detection, in particular by immersing the closures in a solvent or
softening agent such as hot water which causes them to swell
sufficiently to enable them to be subsequently removed from the
necks of the bottles to which they are applied.
According to the present invention there is provided a tamper-proof
secondary closure device, for application to the neck of a bottle,
comprising a layer of sensitive material adapted to be applied to
the neck of a bottle and a secondary closure adapted to be shrunk
thereover, the arrangement being such that the sensitive material
is visibly affected by the process of applying a solvent or
softening agent to the secondary closure and subsequently
attempting to remove it from the neck of the bottle.
Preferably, the secondary closure is provided with a transparent
panel through which, in use, the layer is visible.
In one preferred embodiment, the layer is soluble in water.
In another preferred embodiment the layer is insoluble in water and
carries a water sensitive transfer print.
In yet another preferred embodiment, the secondary closure is made
of a material which may be shrunk by the evaporation of a solvent
contained in the material. In this case the layer is arranged to be
soluble in said solvent.
In still another embodiment, the secondary closure is made of a
heat shrinkable material and the layer is soluble in a solvent
capable of softening and swelling the heat shrinkable material.
Further according to the present invention, a method of applying a
tamper-proof secondary closure to the neck of a bottle is
provided.
The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of
example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a cross-section through a bottle neck showing a first
embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the arrangement of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a cross-section through a bottle neck showing a second
embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the arrangement of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a cross section through a bottle neck showing a third
embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 6 is a side elevation of the arrangement of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a cross-section through a bottle neck showing a fourth
embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the arrangement of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a cross-section through a bottle neck showing a fifth
embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 10 is a side elevation of the arrangement of FIG. 9.
Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a bottle neck 1 closed by a
primary closure such as a cork 2. A water soluble strip of material
3 extends across the top of the bottle neck 1 and cork 2 and down
opposite sides of the bottle neck. A shrinkable secondary closure 4
made of cellulosic material covers the arrangement of bottle neck
1, cork 2 and strip 3. The secondary closure 4 is insoluble and
shrinks on the loss of moisture. FIG. 1 shows the closure 4 in its
unshrunken position and FIG. 2 shows the closure 4 after it has
been shrunk to conform to the contours of the bottle neck 1. The
secondary closure 4 is provided with a transparent panel 5 (see
FIG. 2) which is so positioned that, when the closure 4 is shrunk
into position, the soluble strip 3 is visible therethrough. The
strip 3 is made of hydroxyethyl cellulose which has the property of
resisting ordinary cold water wetting, as would be experienced from
rain, but would dissolve partially or wholly in hot water or due to
long immersion in cold water. Similar substances which could be
utilised are carboxy methyl cellulose and polyvinyl alcohol. Thus,
visual evidence of any tampering with a bottle closed with this
tamper-proof secondary closure is afforded as these are the
conditions which a thief would be expected to use to remove the
secondary closure and get at the contents of the bottle. The strip
3 may, advantageously, form a duty stamp or similar type of seal.
It is also possible to reinforce the adhesion of the secondary
closure 4 to the neck of the bottle means of a proprietory adhesive
such as those containing polyvinyl acetate, such adhesives being
resistant to solution in water.
FIGS. 3 and 4 show an arrangement very similar to that of FIGS. 1
and 2. A bottle neck 11 is closed by a primary closure 12. The
soluble strip 3 of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 is, however,
replaced in this embodiment by a soluble disc 13 which overlies the
mouth of the bottle neck and the primary closure 12. A cellulose
secondary closure 14 provided with a transparent panel 15 covers
the arrangement of bottle neck 11, primary closure 12 and disc 13
and is then shrunk by moisture loss to conform to the contours of
the bottle neck 11. In all other respects this arrangement is
identical with, and has similar advantages to, the arrangement of
FIGS. 1 and 2. Moreover, the same... combinations of insoluble
and/or unsoftenable adhesives can be used to reinforce the adhesion
of the secondary closure 14 as were outlined above with respect to
the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. Furthermore, it is also possible
to utilise a soluble secondary closure 14 in combination with an
insoluble/unsoftenable adhesive of the type mentioned above in
connection with the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2.
A variation of the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2 and FIGS. 3 and 4
is to use a secondary closure material which shrinks by the
evaporation of some other solvent than water which is contained in
the material. Such a material is polyvinyl chloride in combination
with the solvent acetone. In such a case the strip 3 or disc 13
must be made of a substance, for example cellulose acetate, which
is soluble in acetone. If the adhesion between such a secondary
closure and the neck of a bottle is to be reinforced as envisaged
in the alternatives proposed above for the embodiments of FIGS. 1
and 2 and FIGS. 3 and 4, an insoluble adhesive such as polyurethane
adhesive is advisable.
FIGS. 5 and 6 show another variation of the embodiment of FIGS. 1
and 2. In this case the secondary closure 24 is in the form of a
ring of cellulosic material. This ring, when shrunk onto the neck
21 of a bottle and over a primary closure 22, holds a strip 23 in
such a position that the latter is visible through a transparent
panel 25 (see FIG. 6). Here again similar tamper-proof advantages
accrue and also a similar combination of insoluble/insoftenable
adhesives can be utilised with the insoluble ring 24. Again a
soluble/softenable ring could be used with an
insoluble/unsoftenable adhesive as in the previous embodiments.
FIGS. 7 and 8 show an arrangement including a bottle neck 31, a
primary closure 32, a strip 33, which extends across the top of the
bottle neck 31 and primary closure 32 and down the opposite sides
of the bottle neck, and a cellulose secondary closure cap 34. The
strip 33 is insoluble but carries a water-sensitive transfer print
of the type commonly used to produce children's toys known as
transfers. This water-sensitive transfer print comprises an
insoluble ink which adheres to the strip 33 by means of an adhesive
which is soluble or softenable by hot water or long immersion in
cold water. The transfer print is prepared by printing transferable
material onto a strip of paper to produce an identifiable picture
or legend. When the cellulose cap 34 dries, it shrinks and conforms
to the shape of the bottle neck 31 to hold the printed transfer in
a position where it is visible through a transparent panel 35 in
the cap 34.
If the secondary closure cap 34 is immersed in water the adhesive
holding the ink of the transfer print in position dissolves or
softens so that part of the ink transfers to the inside of the
closure 34. When an attempt is made to remove the swollen closure
by sliding it off the bottle neck 31, the transfer print will be
distorted or even destroyed. Thus, it will be impossible to replace
the closure 34 after such tampering without this fact being obvious
as immediate visual evidence will be presented that the bottle has
been tampered with.
Obviously the transfer print carried by the strip 33 could be
replaced by a transfer-printed disc similar to the disc of the
embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4. In this case the transparent panel 35
would be positioned in the top of the closure 34.
FIGS. 9 and 10 show yet another variation of the embodiment of
FIGS. 1 and 2. In this embodiment the secondary closure cap 44 is
made of heat shrinkable material such as polyvinyl chloride. This
cap 44 when shrunk by heat, onto the neck 41 of a bottle and over a
primary closure 42, holds a sensitive strip 43 in such a position
that the latter is visible through a transparent panel 45. The
strip 43 is made of a material such as cellulose acetate, which is
soluble in a solvent such as acetone, which would tend to swell the
closure 44 sufficiently for it to be removed from the neck 41 of
the bottle. Other heat shrinkable materials suitable for this
embodiment are described in British Patent Specification No.
1,045,324.
An alternative to the last described embodiment is to reinforce the
adhesion of the heat shrinkable closure 44 by means of an adhesive,
for example a polyurethane adhesive, which is not soluble in, or
softened by, the type of solvent mentioned above.
Another alternative is to print the strip 43 with an ink for
example Coates Thermaflex, which is soluble in, or softenable by
the type of solvent mentioned above, so that the ink smudges or
disappears on immersion therein. It will be apparent that a
combination can be arrived, by those skilled in the art to combine
a secondary closure and a sensitive layer to meet the conditions
whereby the softening agent can be one that also softens the
ink.
In each of the above described embodiments the secondary closures
may carry printed matter drawing attention to their tamper-proof
properties. Also, of course, each of the described secondary
closures may be provided with perforations or a tear-off strip to
enable legitimate access to the contents of the bottle.
Although each of the above described embodiments has referred
exclusively to the use of tamper-proof secondary closures for
bottles, it will be apparent that such closures could be utilised
for orifices other than necks of bottles.
It will be apparent that the provision of the transparent panels 5,
15, 25, 35 and 45 in the above described embodiments will be
unnecessary if the secondary closures 4, 14, 24, 34 and 44 are made
of a transparent material.
Although most of the embodiments described above refer to the use
of a shrinkable cap as the secondary closure it will be obvious
that a shrinkable ring could also be used.
The above described embodiments have been given by way of example
only, and it will be apparent that other combinations of materials,
solvents etc. could be used.
* * * * *