Tamper-Evident Container With Breakable Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing containers lack effective tamper-evident features that can reliably indicate if the container has been breached, making it difficult to detect unauthorized access to the contents.
Innovation Solution
A tamper-evident container design featuring a base with a recessed tab and a lid with a tamper-evident tab flanked by breakable joints, where the joints are designed to sever when the lid is opened, leaving visible evidence of tampering, and an interlocking interface that secures the lid without breaching the joints when closed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional security packaging is used, then tamper protection is attempted, but the tamper-evident condition is not fully evident to consumers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs visual indicators that change appearance or become visible when tampering occurs. The tamper-evident tab system uses color-coded indicators and visual contrasts to clearly show when the breakable joints have been severed, making tampering detection as simple as a visual inspection without requiring complex measurement or inspection procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is divided into separable components with distinct tamper-evident tabs and breakable joints. The lid and base are segmented with intermediate tamper-evident tabs that can be visually inspected independently, allowing consumers to detect tampering by observing the status of these segmented components rather than examining the entire container structure.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If tamper-evident features are added to containers, then tamper detection capability is improved, but the container structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The tamper-evident functionality is merged with the existing lid and base structure of the container. The tamper-evident tabs are integrated into the sealing flange and rim structures, combining the sealing function with the tamper-evident indication function in a single unified structure rather than adding separate independent components.
Solution Approach 2:
The tamper-evident tab system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides tamper evidence, maintains structural integrity during normal use, and enables easy opening when needed. The breakable joints serve both as structural connectors and as tamper-evident indicators, eliminating the need for separate dedicated tamper-evident components.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If breakable joints are designed into the container, then tamper evidence is provided, but the interlocking interface may be compromised when opened
Solution Approach 1:
The interlocking interface is segmented into multiple independent engagement points around the container periphery. The snap-fit engagement is distributed across multiple locations, so that severing breakable joints at specific tabs does not compromise the overall structural integrity or interlocking strength of the container assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The breakable joints are pre-positioned and pre-configured in the container structure during manufacturing. These joints are designed to be the first elements to fail in a controlled manner during opening, providing tamper evidence before any compromise to the main interlocking interface occurs. The snap-fit engagement is designed to remain intact while the breakable joints sever.
Data Source
AI summary
A tamper-evident container and method is disclosed. The tamper-evident container includes a base portion and a lid (or cover). In an untampered with state, one edge of the lid is removably connected to one edge of the base portion. Namely, the lid includes a tamper-evident tab, wherein the tamper-evident tab includes a grasping overhanging portion that is flanked by at least one breakable joint and wherein the lid is removably connected to the base portion via the breakable joint of the tamper-evident tab. Further, the tamper-evident container comprises an interlocking interface between the base portion and the lid. A method of using the tamper-evident container is provided.