Tamper indicating closure

Abstract

A tamper indicating closure for a container wherein the closure has a skirt with tamper indicating tabs positioned in windows and the tabs have lips for abutting a bead on the container so as to break the tabs from the closure when the closure is removed from the container. Each tab being joined to a skirt of the closure by one or more side connectors and not being connected or joined in anyway to the skirt by an upper surface of the tab so as to resist reseating of the tab in its original position when the closure is replaced on the container.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is as follows:  
     
         1 . A tamper indicating cap for use with a container wherein said cap is adapted to close a mouth to an interior of the container and wherein the container has container threads in close proximity to the mouth thereof; said cap comprising: 
 a) a top wall with a skirt extending substantially perpendicularly from said top wall and having mating threads thereon adapted to threadedly mate with said container threads;    b) said cap being adapted for sealing engagement with said container mouth; and    c) at least one tamper indicating tab initially integrally joined with said skirt by at least one frangible side connector that operably breaks and allows said tab move away from the original position of such tab relative to the skirt, when said cap is removed from the container; each of said tabs having an upper edge and being free of connection with said skirt entirely along said upper edge.    
     
     
         2 . The cap according to  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a) each of said tabs is positioned at the base of said skirt.    
     
     
         3 . The cap according to  claim 2 , wherein: 
 a) each of said tabs includes a lower lip that projects radially inward and is sized and shaped for substantially non-flexible engagement with a portion of the container so as to bias such a tab away from said skirt when said cap is removed from the closure.    
     
     
         4 . The cap according in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 a) said tabs are originally joined to said skirt by first and second breakable connectors located on opposite sides of such a tab.    
     
     
         5 . The cap according to  claim 4  wherein for each said tab: 
 a) said first connector is comparatively stronger than said second connector, such that said second connector preferentially breaks first upon said cap being removed from the container and such that an associated tab first rotates outward about a generally vertical hinge formed by said first connector, when said cap is removed from the container.  
 
     
     
         6 . The cap according to  claim 1  in combination with the container and wherein: 
 a) said container includes a seating bead positioned to engage each tab lip when said cap is positioned fully on said container in a mouth closing orientation.  
 
     
     
         7 . A tamper indicating apparatus including: 
 a) a container having an internal cavity that is closed except at a mouth thereof; said container including an external container thread in close proximity to said mouth and a seating bead;    b) a cap having a top wall with an under surface sized and shaped to seal said mouth when said cap is fully received on said container and a skirt depending from said top wall; said skirt having an internal mating thread that is sized, shaped and positioned to mate with said container thread and operably advance said cap onto said container and secure the cap relative to said container;    c) said skirt having at least one lower window located therein; and    d) said skirt also having at least one tamper indicating tab that is sized and shaped to initially fit into a respective window; each of said tabs having first and second opposed and frangible side connectors; each as said first and second side connectors breakably joining a respective tab to said skirt; each of said tabs having an upper surface that is free of connection to said skirt along an entire length thereof; each of said tabs also having a radially inward projecting lip that is sized and shaped to engage said seating bead when said cap is fully received on said container, such that when said cap is thereafter removed from said container, said lip hooks on said bead and biases an associated tab away from said skirt so as to break at least one of said first and second connectors and urge said tab out of a respective window.    
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 7  wherein: 
 a) each of said first connectors is sized and shaped to preferentially break first before an associated second connector.  
 
     
     
         9 . In a closure cap for a container having a tamper indicating tab; the improvement comprising: 
 a) said tamper tab being joined to a remainder of said cap by at least one side connector and having an upper surface that is completely free of and unjoined to the remainder of said cap so as to prevent said tab from being hinged to a remainder of said cap by said upper surface.