Tamper resistant and tamper evident closures

Abstract

Safety closures resistant to tampering comprising a cap, a rotary safety ring, and a locking member, usually located below the rotary safety ring, said closure requiring that the locking member be removed before the safety ring can be lowered; the safety ring must be aligned with the cap in one angular position and pushed downwardly away from the cap before the cap can be removed from the container. The locking member includes a first engaging means which engages a second engaging means located on the neck of the container to which the safety closure is attached. The locking member, prevented from rotation by the engagement of the first and second engaging means, is attached to the rotary safety ring by a connection, which should be broken whenever the closure has been tampered with. The connection may be a fragile tear pin, or a peel pin, a tamper resistant safety closure comprising a snap cap, capable of being removed only when a thumb tab extends past an annular ridge, that engages (via, e.g. a peg or a breakable arm) a snap off ring that is prevented from rotating by engaging the annular ridge; the breakable arm or peg resists tampering. A tamper resistant safety closure comprising a cap and a rotary safety ring and a cylindrical sheath, being peelably attached to the safety ring and preventing the safety ring from being lowered as long as the sheath is between the safety ring and a circumferential shoulder.