Container and closure having means for producing an audible signal when a seal has been established

• Main Author: COOK, CHARLES DENVER
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 08.04.1992
• Subjects: ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS,e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES,DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; CONVEYING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; PACKAGES; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; STORING; TRANSPORTING

A package having means for producing an audible signal, such as a "click", which signals the consumer as soon as a predetermined level of engagement between a container and a closure has been achieved. Normally the desired level of engagement establishes some type of seal between the package components which contact one another. In a particularly preferred embodiment, a semi-rigid polymeric container having a discharge orifice, a sealing member preferably comprising a filter support member secured across the discharge orifice of the container and a closure having attachment means capable of forming a substantially gas-tight atmospheric seal between all three components upon initial closing of the package to the atmosphere is provided. The container and closure are further provided with interfering projections, at least one of which is resiliently deformable, which will contact one another only after the sealing member has been removed from the package and discarded and the closure reapplied to the container. These projections are so positioned relative to the sealing surfaces on the closure and container that the projections cannot interfere with one another until after the closure and container have achieved the desired level of engagement with one another. In a particularly preferred embodiment, means to prevent overtorquing of the closure onto the container after the audible signal has been sounded are also provided.