Tamper-Evident Closure Assembly with Segmented Frangible Rods
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closure assemblies with tamper-evident rings lack reliability in breaking upon first removal of the cap, leading to potential premature breakage during storage and handling, and do not provide immediate evidence of cap opening.
Innovation Solution
A closure assembly design featuring a tamper-evident ring with forked prongs and a frangible rod portion, where the rotation preventing boss engages between the prongs to cause reliable breakage upon initial cap rotation, and additional flanges to prevent tool introduction and maintain ring position, ensuring immediate and secure breakage of the rod portions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If the tamper-evident ring is made flexible to reduce plastic material usage, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but the reliability of breakage upon cap removal deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tamper-evident ring is divided into two separate segments that are positioned on opposite sides of the cap. Each segment has a frangible rod portion that can break independently. This segmentation allows the ring to remain flexible and use less material while maintaining reliable breakage evidence, as at least one segment will break to indicate tampering.
Solution Approach 2:
The frangible rod portions are pre-positioned between the segments and the rotation preventing bosses in a controlled location. This preliminary positioning ensures that when the cap is removed, the rods will break at the precise moment needed to provide tamper evidence, rather than requiring the entire ring to be rigid to ensure breakage.
2Loss of time
If the frangible rod portions are positioned to break immediately upon cap rotation, then tamper evidence is provided immediately, but premature breakage during storage and handling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The frangible rod portions are nested or recessed within the structure of the tamper-evident ring segments and positioned relative to the rotation preventing bosses. This nested positioning protects the rods during storage and handling while ensuring they are in the correct position to break immediately when the cap is removed, providing timely tamper evidence without premature failure.
3Reliability
If the rotation preventing boss engages deeply with the segment to ensure reliable breakage, then tamper evidence reliability improves, but the complexity of the closure assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotation preventing bosses are integrated directly into the neck structure, and the frangible rod portions are integrally formed as part of the tamper-evident ring segments. This merging of components reduces the overall complexity of the closure assembly while maintaining the reliable breakage mechanism, as fewer separate parts are needed to achieve the same function.
Data Source
AI summary
A closure assembly comprises an article (1) forming a tubular neck (2) around a product passage (3) in said article. The neck forms a mouth at a top end of said product passage. The assembly further comprises a rotational cap (20) that is injection molded of plastic material and that is secured on or to be secured on said neck of the article. The cap seals the product passage in closed position of the cap on said neck, and the cap—for removal of the cap from the neck of the article by a user to open the product passage—is adapted to be manually rotated from the closed position in an opening direction.