The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 23, 1999
Filed:
Dec. 19, 1997
Rino Conti, Stoughton, MA (US);
Plastican, Inc., Leominster, MA (US);
Abstract
A tamper-evident closure for a container is provided. The container is formed with means at its open upper end for making a snap fit locking connection with a cover. The container has a peripheral flange with a skirt section that surrounds and is spaced radially from the container's side wall, and the cover has a depending skirt that extends down around the upper end of the container and has a free bottom edge that lies immediately adjacent to the flange. The flange has an outer surface that is flush with the adjacent portion of the outer surface of the skirt, so that essentially the flange appear to be a continuation of the skirt. As a consequence the closure formed by the cover (lid) and the container is resistant to opening by a small child. Additionally the skirt section of the flange has a tab portion that is breakable under pressure so that, once broken, it can be depressed inwardly toward the container side wall far enough to permit a person to engage the bottom edge of the skirt on the cover and thereby force the cover off of the container. The tab portion functions as a tamper evident feature, since the fact that it has been broken can be easily discerned from inspection and since the torn tab cannot be restored to its original condition.