The present invention relates to a capsule for securely storing coins. The capsule of the present invention can be used to house other goods. Discussion of the Background Art

Several devices are known that hold a metal coin in a transparent capsule to allow viewing of the coin whilst protecting the coin from being directly handled by a person. Among these are capsules comprising two halves, a male and a female, designed to be closed using a taper based friction connection. Other known devices include capsules comprising two halves designed to be closed using a threaded connection. Other known devices include capsules where two halves are welded together during assembly. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a tamper-proof coin capsule configured to be manually closed and locked in a way where the capsule cannot be opened and the coin can only be accessed by breaking the capsule. Therefore, any tampering of the capsule or attempt to open it results in evident damage or breaking of the capsule.

BRIEF DETAILS OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that this invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a capsule, in its unassembled form, according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a capsule, in its assembled form, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of an enlarged edge section of a capsule, in its assembled form, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a two-coin capsule, in its unassembled form, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to a tamper-proof coin capsule configured to be manually closed (assembled) but unable of being manually opened (disassembled). Once a coin is secured and the capsule of the present invention is closed, the capsule cannot be opened unless it is broken. Any tampering of the capsule results in evident damage or breaking of the capsule.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a seal forms an integral part of the capsule between the base and the lid. This ensures that air and moisture do not enter the capsule and oxidise the coin. Having the seal embedded in either the lid or the base of the capsule allows closure (assembly) of the capsule without needing to handle or contaminate the seal. Only two components, the base and the lid, are required during assembly.

Features of the present invention allow the one pressing action to lead to both tamper-proof locking of the capsule and sealing of the capsule against oxidisation.

With reference to the figures, Fig. 1 depicts a tamper-proof circular-shaped capsule according an embodiment of the present invention wherein capsule 10 includes only two components: lid 20,· and base 30. In this exemplary embodiment of the present invention, lid 20 includes roof portion 21 and ring-shaped skirt 22 extending downwardly from the outer edge roof portion 2 . Base 30 includes floor portion 31 and ring-shaped wall 32 extending upwardly from the outer edge of floor portion 31 . Ring-shaped wall 32 includes groove 34 for housing seal 36. A more detailed description of lid 20 is provided below with reference to Fig. 2, while a more detailed description of base 30 is provided with reference to Fig. 3.

In use, a coin is placed on floor portion 31 of base 30. Lid 20 and base 30 are then press-fitted together such that skirt 22 slides down the outside of wall 32 until the two components of capsule 10 are snap-locked together. The inter-locking mechanism will be described below with reference to Figs. 2 and 3.

Fig. 2 shows features of lid 20 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein downwardly extending skirt 22 includes inwardly-facing inner flange 24 and wherein roof portion 21 includes downwardly-facing protrusion 26.

Fig. 3 shows features of base 30 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein upwardly-extending wall -32 includes recess 38 and is inclined to allow the downwardly-extending skirt 22 to spread as the two components 22 and 32 are press-fitted together.

In this exemplary embodiment of the present invention, where capsule 10 is circular- shaped, pressing lid 20 down onto base 30 causes skirt 22 to flex outwardly to accommodate the frusto-conical shape of wall 32. Lid 20 is pressed down onto base 30 until inwardly-facing inner flange 24 aligns with recess 38. At this stage of the pressing action, inwardly-facing inner flange 24 snap-locks into recess 38 such that downwardly-extending skirt 22 forming a complementary abutment against upwardly- extending wall 32 and capsule 10 becomes completely sealed. Depending on the atmosphere surrounding the capsule, the sealing means formed by the complementary abutment of skirt 22 against wall 32 may not be enough to keep air and moisture out of cavity 40 where the coin is held. For example, if the capsules are being transported through different atmospheres, the air pressure and the humidity levels may change and hence a better sealing mechanism is required.

In this regard, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, lid 20 also includes downwardly-facing protrusion 26 designed to complementarily infiltrate groove 34 and abut seal 36 forming an air and moisture tight enclosure.

Whilst the preferred embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to a capsule for housing a single coin, it is to be appreciated that the present invention can be applied to a capsule capable of housing two or more coins in a side- by-side configuration. In this regard, the plan view of the capsule need not be circular, in other words, the capsule may be shaped as an oval, a rectangle, a square, a triangle, any regular polygon (for example, heptagon or do decagon), or any irregular shape such as the cross-sectional shape of a peanut-shell with one or more incurved portions, an egg shape, or a scallop shape. In this regard, one of the problems faced with using an irregular shaped capsule is that it becomes difficult to use a regular o-ring as a seal. For example, it would be difficult to properly seal an o- ring around the permitter of a peanut-shaped capsule with one or more incurvatures. However, in accordance with the present invention, the seal is seated in a groove around the perimeter of either the base or the lid, or both. Therefore, regardless of the shape of the capsule, the seal is consistently seated in a position that provides maximum sealing. The manual press-fitting of the lid and base according the present invention works to form snap-locking mechanism regardless of the shape of the capsule.

Fig. 4 depicts a tamper-proof rectangular-shaped two-coin capsule 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Two-coin capsule 50 includes lid 60 and base 70. In this exemplary embodiment of the present invention, lid 60 includes rectangular- shaped roof portion 61 and skirt 62 extending downwardly from the outer edge of roof portion 61 . Base 70 includes floor portions 71 a and 71 b and wall 72 extending upwardly from the outer edge of floor portions 71 a and 71 a. Floor portions 71 a and 71 b are divided by upwardly extending central wall 73 creating two separate cavities for housing two coins separately within capsule 50. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the floor portion of the base may be divided in several portions for housing any number of coins.

Upwardly extending wall 72 includes groove 74 for housing seal 76. In use, a first coin is placed on floor portion 71 a and a second coin is placed on floor portion 71 b. Lid 60 and base 70 are then press-fitted together such that skirt 62 slides down the outside of wall 72 until the two components of capsule 50 are snap- locked together. The inter-locking mechanism is similar to that described with reference to Figs. 2 and

3.

The capsule can be made from a number of suitable materials including, but not limited to, clear G.P. Styrene, PMS, PM A, PMA, polycarbonate, or acrylic plastics.

The seal can be made from a number of suitable materials including, but not limited to, clear silicon, silicon rubber, nitrile rubber, natural rubber, or virgin PTFE.

One of the problems with the known devices is that the closing mechanisms do not secure the coin in a way that stops a person from opening the capsule and tampering with the coin.

Taper-based friction connection capsules fail to solve this problem as they may be easily opened by insertion of a blade tool to lever open the joint/connection between the two halves.

Threaded connection capsules may be easily opened by reversing the screw closing Furthermore, these known capsules have been known to work loose under vibration during transport. Other known devices attempt to solve the problem of providing a tamper-proof capsule by using a welded connection. However, welding the joints of two halves of a capsule presents a secondary problem through the introduction of an extra assembly process requiring tools. Furthermore, in theory, a welded joint may be seen to seal the capsule completely. However, in practice, a welded joint is brittle by nature and is achieved through a less controllable process that may lead to incomplete or fractured joints. This compromises the integrity of the joint and increases the likelihood of ingress of air or moisture.

An advantage of the present invention is that no tools are required for closing the capsule.

Another advantage of the present invention is that any tampering of the capsule results in observable damage in the capsule. Therefore, a purchaser can confidently purchase a coin in a capsule of the present invention knowing that any tampering of the capsule and the coin will be evident.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the capsule is air and moisture tight providing an ideal housing for a precious coin. The press fitting action of the capsule in accordance with the present invention means that the lid can be manually snap-locked onto the base without the use of any tools. However, in an optional embodiment, a press-fitting tool, such as a clamp, may be used to snap-lock the lid onto the base. The interlocking mechanism provided through the snap-locking functionality of the inwardly-facing inner flange in the lid and the complementary recess in the base ensures that the capsule of the present invention cannot be manually opened. The only way to access a coin in an assembled capsule is to break the capsule. In an optional embodiment of the present invention, the inwardly-facing inner flange and the complementary recess may be positioned anywhere along the skirt of the lid and wall of the base respectively. In other words, whilst the preferred embodiment illustrates the flange to be positioned towards the lower end of the skirt and the recess positioned at the bottom of the wall, in an optional embodiment, the flange and the complementary recess may be positioned somewhere in the middle or towards the top of the skirt and wall. In addition to the interlocking mechanism described above, the present invention provides an air and moisture tight enclosure of precious coins through the abutment of the downwardly-facing protrusion in the lid against the seal in the groove of the base. Sliding the lid onto the base until the inwardly-facing flange aligns with and snap-fits into the recess positions the downwardly-facing protrusion of the lid onto the seal housed within the groove of the base such that the seal is squeezed by the protrusion and the capsule is completely air and moisture tight.

In an optional embodiment of the present invention, the seal may form an integral part of the lid instead of the base. In yet another optional embodiment of the present invention, both the lid and base may comprise an embedded seal. Having the seal embedded into the lid, the base, or both allows for the handling of only two components at the time closing the capsule. Not having to handle the seal reduces the risk of contaminating the seal and eliminates the need to ensure that the seal is correctly positioned.

In yet another optional embodiment of the present invention, the seal may be colour coded, wherein different colours represent different properties of the coin, such as the origin of the coin, year of manufacture, quality level, protection level, rarity of mintage, or special mintage. The colour of the seal may also denote the type of material from which the seal is made from.

It is to be understood that the above embodiments have been provided only by way of exemplification of this invention, and that further modifications and improvements thereto, as would be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art, are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the present invention described herein.

In the specification the term "comprising" shall be understood to have a broad meaning similar to the term "including" and will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps. This definition also applies to variations on the term "comprising" such as "comprise" and "comprises."