Tamper Evident Closure With Frangible Peel-Off Cap

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Containers, such as pharmaceutical vials, lack effective mechanisms to indicate if the closure has been tampered with or previously opened, which can compromise the contents and lead to unnecessary costs in designing new containers to ensure product integrity.

Innovation Solution

A tamper evident closure system featuring a closure shell with a frangible portion and a tearable member, where the removable closure cap peels away the frangible portion and tears the tamper evident member when removed, visibly indicating if the container has been accessed.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional closures are used without tamper evident features, then the container structure remains simple and manufacturing costs are low, but the ability to indicate tampering or previous opening is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetamper indication capabilityVSAvoidclosure structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The closure is divided into distinct functional segments: a closure shell providing the basic sealing function, a frangible portion that breaks upon tampering, and a tearable member that tears to indicate opening. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while maintaining overall simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The frangible portion is pre-scored with fracture lines and the tearable member is pre-positioned with tear lines during manufacturing. These preliminary structural preparations ensure that when tampering occurs, the closure automatically provides visual indication without requiring additional mechanisms or user interpretation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If new container designs with tamper evident features are developed, then tamper indication is improved, but manufacturing and design costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduct integrity indicationVSAvoidcontainer manufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The closure system is designed to be universally applicable to various container types. The closure shell can engage with different container openings, while the frangible portion and tearable member provide universal tamper indication functionality. This multi-functionality allows a single design to serve multiple container applications without requiring custom engineering for each.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The frangible portion and tearable member are designed as low-cost, single-use components that are discarded after providing their tamper indication function. These components use simple materials and structures that can be manufactured economically, and their one-time use nature eliminates the need for complex recovery or reuse systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Loss of information

If existing containers are used without tamper evident features, then existing inventory can be utilized, but the ability to determine if contents have been previously exposed is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontainer access status informationVSAvoidcompatibility with existing container designs

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The closure system acts as an intermediary component between the container and the user. It attaches to the container opening and provides tamper indication functionality without requiring modifications to the container itself. This intermediary approach allows existing containers to gain enhanced security features through the addition of the closure system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The closure shell is designed with universal engagement features that can accommodate various container opening types and sizes. This versatility allows the same closure design to be applied across different existing container inventories, enabling tamper indication without requiring container redesign or replacement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10279968B2Tamper evident closure for containers

Publication Date: 2019.05.07 WEST PHARMACEUTICAL SERVICES INC

AI summary

A tamper-evident closure for containers includes a closure shell having a top surface and a depending skirt. The top surface defines a first aperture therethrough and a frangible portion. The skirt defines an open lower end for engaging a container. A tamper-evident tearable member overlies the top surface of the closure shell and defines a second aperture overlying the first aperture. A removable closure cap overlies the top surface of the closure shell and the tearable member. The closure cap has an annular ring projecting downwardly from an underside of the closure cap and extending through the first and second apertures. The annular ring attaches to an underside of the frangible portion. At least partial removal of the closure cap from the top surface of the closure shell peels the frangible portion away from the top surface of the closure shell along the scoring, and tears the tamper-evident member.