DESCRIPTION "Tamper evident closure for bottles" This invention relates to a closure with an optical tampering indicator for containers for fluids particularly for liquor bottles provided with an opening bounded by the free end of a neck which extends axially from the body of the bottle along a longitudinal axis (X-X) which coincides with the central axis of the closure, which neck is provided with an outer surface, comprising: - a cap having an end wall transverse to the said longitudinal axis and a tubular skirt connected to the edge of the said end wall and extending axially along the said outer surface of the neck towards the said body of the bottle, the said end wall and the skirt being at least in part of transparent material, - a tubular sleeve secured to the outer surface of the neck of the bottle in both an axial direction and a radial direction, the said sleeve being substantially concentric with the skirt of the cap and provided with a thread on its outer surface, - the said tubular skirt being provided with an inner thread which engages the said outer thread of the tubular sleeve, - means to open and close the interior of the bottle as a consequence of screwing up and unscrewing the cap, - a capsule with walls which break following first opening of the cap containing a first chemical reagent located against the inner surface of the said end wall of the cap, - a plate-like body located within the skirt of the cap transverse to the central longitudinal axis of the closure, with a plurality of perforating members whose free ends face the said capsule, - a sheet member located between the ends of the said perforating members and the said capsule, the said sheet containing a second chemical reagent which is capable of changing the colour of the said sheet member when in contact with the first reagent contained in the said capsule when perforated by the said perforating members.

As is known, the problem of indicating tampering with the closure of a bottle, particularly in the case of bottles for costly liquors, is greatly felt above all in the large-scale distribution sales sector where bottles are exposed on shelves in places where there is little supervision where it cannot be ruled out that a potential customer might open the bottle and then instead of purchasing it replace the contents with another of lesser or even harmful quality and put it back on the shelf before going away.

Obviously a subsequent customer, if not adequately warned, runs the risk of purchasing a bottle whose closure has already been opened and has been then fraudulently resealed and left on the shelf.

In order to avoid such risks and to ensure customers that they are always purchasing intact products, various technical solutions mainly based on the use of seals placed on the closures or caps have been devised and used, seals which are no longer intact once the bottle closure has first been opened, providing the purchaser with evidence that the closure has already been opened once.

Technical solutions where the condition of having been previously opened is revealed through means which change their optical condition when subjected to mechanical forces when the closure is opened for the first time have also been suggested.

One example of such means is illustrated in WO 02/090204 Al.

According to the technical arrangement illustrated in the abovementioned document the closure provides for a housing in which a capsule containing a first chemical reagent is located, and a substrate containing a secondary agent. The first reagent contained in the capsule and provided with a first colour can be seen through the top wall of the cap, which is made suitably transparent. When the closure is opened for the first time axial movement of part of the cap causes a structural member of the closure to be displaced bringing about compression and then breakage of the capsule with consequent release of the said first reagent. By reacting with the secondary agent present in the substrate this brings about an irreversible colour change which is taken to be a signal that it has already been opened, which can be seen from the outside of the closure, so as to warn the purchaser.

The technical arrangement described in the abovementioned document has the disadvantage that the fact that the closure has already been opened is only made visible through the upper wall of the cap which is not easily accessible to the eyes of a purchaser, particularly if the bottles are placed on the high shelves of a rack.

In addition to this the closure structures illustrated in WO 02/090204 do not guarantee that there is relative movement between the members causing breakage of the capsule and release of the first reagent if they should slip axially off the neck of the bottle, with the consequence that the closure could be reused.

Other similar technical arrangements are also illustrated in WO 99/24329, US-A-5,265, 744 and US-A-4,480, 760.

In particular the closure illustrated in Patent US-A- 5,265, 744 is designed to make prior opening of the closure also visible from the side, but the technical solution envisaged comprises the provision of a plurality of small openings on the side wall of the closure and the use of a ray of light emitted by a portable lamp to examine the optical condition of the breakable capsule located within the closure through the said small apertures.

While it can be used by sales personnel to check which bottles on the shelves have been opened, such a technical solution is obviously not however compatible with normal potential purchasers.

The object of this invention is therefore that of providing a closure fitted with an optical indicator to indicate prior opening, in which the sign indicating opening is visible not only axially from the top of the container but also from the side through the side wall of the cap, along an annular surface of the same or at one or more places thereon, and which become visible even if the closure is caused to be slipped off the neck of the bottle axially through an attempt at tampering with it.

This object is accomplished through a closure of the type indicated in the foreword and characterised in accordance with the claims which follow.

Other advantages and characteristics of the present invention will become clear from the following detailed description which is given with reference to the appended drawings which are provided purely by way of non-limiting example and in which: - Figure 1 shows a side view in partial longitudinal cross- section of the closure according to the invention in a closed position inserted onto the neck of the bottle, - Figure 2 shows a side view of the closure with a longitudinal cross-section along a radial plane other than that of the cross-section in Figure 1, in the closed position inserted on the neck of the bottle, - Figures 3A and 3B show the longitudinal cross-section of the closure as it appears after first opening in a position at a distance from the neck of the bottle, - Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the basket with a corresponding tubular cage of the closure in Figure 1, - Figure 5 shows a different perspective view of the basket with the cage in Figure 4, Figures 6 and 7 illustrate the body supporting the perforating members, in perspective view from above and below respectively, - Figure 8 shows a longitudinal cross-section of the cap on a magnified scale with the inner part of the skirt visible, - Figure 9 shows a modified embodiment of the closure illustrated in Figure 1.

With reference to the abovementioned figures, the closure according to the invention comprises a cap 1 having an end wall 2 which is transverse to the X-X axis of neck 3 which extends axially from body 4 of a bottle. The X-X axis coincides with the longitudinal axis of the closure along which there extends a tubular skirt 5 of one piece with end wall 2.

Cap 1, with its end wall 2 and tubular skirt 5, is wholly or partly constructed of a transparent plastics material, known to those skilled in the art, as will be better seen in the remainder of the description.

Skirt 5 extends along the outer surface 6 of neck 3 of the bottle with an intermediate concentric tubular sleeve 7, which is secured to the said outer surface 6 through means which prevent relative axial movements and relative rotatory movements about the X-X axis.

In the embodiment illustrated in the appended drawings the means preventing axial displacements comprise a circumferential rib 8 of the sleeve and a circumferential groove 9 in neck 3 of the bottle which is engaged by the rib.

The means to prevent angular movements about the X-X axis instead comprise, for example, axial ribs and grooves made in both the inner surface of sleeve 7 and on the outer surface 6 of neck 3. These are indicated as a whole by 10 in Figure 1.

Said sleeve 7 is provided with an outer thread 11 which is designed to engage with an opposite thread 12 on the inner surface 13 of skirt 5 of the cap to allow the cap and therefore the bottle to be opened and closed by rotation about the X-X axis.

Cap 1 is provided within with an under-cap 14 which engages mouth 15 of neck 1 of the bottle. Under-cap 14 is provided with an annular basket 16 which bears against edge 17 of mouth 15 and a tubular wall 18 which forms a seal against wall 19 of mouth 15.

An essentially plate-like member 20 is connected to under- cap 14 through a collar 21 which engages wall 22 of under- cap 14 through conventional means which prevent relative axial movements, 22A, and angular movements, 22B, with respect to the X-X axis.

Said plate-like member 20 is provided with a tubular wall 23 which abuts axially against the end 24 of sleeve 7.

A radial step 23A projects from said tubular wall 23 and from that step there project a plurality of flexible fins 25, illustrated in detail in Figures 6 and 7, which are arranged axially and are capable of elastic radial movement.

The said fins 25, which may also be connected together to form a continuous lip when the components of the closure are assembled, is inserted with a snap fit between corresponding circular parts of a groove 26 made in inner wall 13 of skirt 5 of the cap, forming an axial connection between the parts.

Groove 26 is in fact provided with an upper stop 27 and a bottom stop 28, defined by the corresponding lengths of ribs 29 and 29A, which are particularly visible in Figure 3A and Figure 8, provided in the inner wall 3 of skirt 5.

Plate-like member 20 is also provided with perforating members 30 in the form of points whose function will be clear from the rest of the description.

The points of perforating members 30 face end wall 2 of the cap. The perimeter of said plate-like member 20 also comprises a further tubular wall, indicated by 31, concentric with wall 23, which is inserted with axial movement between tubular wall 32 of a basket 33 shown in greater detail in Figures 4 and 5.

This basket 33 acts as a support for a capsule 34 within which is held a first chemical reagent which is capable of changing the colour of a sheet member 35 soaked with a second chemical reagent located between points 30 and base wall 36 of capsule 34. This happens when points 30 perforate said base wall 36 following a relative axial movement between the points and basket 33, passing through sheet member 35, with the result that the first chemical reagent comes into contact with the said second chemical reagent and sheet member 35 changes colour.

Capsule 34 is in the form of a circular tablet and is supported and kept central with respect to the X-X axis of the closure through radial interference between its outer peripheral wall 37 and the inner wall of annular housing 38 of basket 33.

The latter is provided with a plurality of axial limbs 39 located around its periphery and spaced apart from each other which end in the zone where neck 3 is connected to body 4 of the bottle in a position beneath a circumferential rib 40 of the neck.

These limbs 39 are housed axially between corresponding grooves 13A of inner wall 13 of skirt 5.

The bottom ends of legs 39 of the basket are connected together by an annular member 41 with an intermediate corresponding line of weakness 42, which is in itself known, comprising for example breakable bridges located between notches.

Annular member 41 joining limbs 39 together with the latter renders the complex similar to a tubular cage of one piece with basket 33. In circumferential zones between two adjacent limbs annular member 41 is provided with sectors 43 which can flex elastically and radially towards the X-X axis of the closure, free edge 44 of which is axially engaged beneath rib 40 of neck 3 when the closure is fitted to the neck of the bottle and has not yet been opened.

It follows that basket 33 with the corresponding cage structure formed by limbs 39 and annular member 41 is stably secured to neck 3 of the bottle, whatever type of axial movement of limited scope is imparted to cap 1, this being as a result of unscrewing or an attempt at removal.

It should be pointed out that annular member 41 in particular is positioned on neck 3 in the zone where the latter is connected to body 4 of the bottle and is sufficiently within skirt 5 of the cap. As a consequence it is protected against any attempts at forcing to disengage it from neck 3 and attempts to slide it off axially together with the cap.

According to a particular aspect of the invention which provides for rendering visible any attempt at breaking into cap 1 laterally and not only through its upper wall 2, sheet member 35 comprises a tubular wall 35A positioned concentrically with tubular wall 31 of plate-like body 20.

Tubular wall 35A is preferably of one piece with sheet member 35 with which it forms an upside-down cup-shaped body whose free edge 35B bears against an annular rib 31A projecting from tubular wall 32 of basket 33 in a radial direction towards wall 31 of plate-like body 20, upon which it can move axially.

Tubular wall 35A of sheet member 35 which, like the latter, is soaked with the second chemical reagent, is radially opposite an opening or plurality of openings 45 made in tubular wall 32 of basket 33.

These openings may as a whole constitute the word"OPEN"as shown by way of example in Figures 4 and 5.

With reference to Figure 9 it will be found that the latter illustrates a modified form of means for opening and closing the interior of the bottle, means which in the embodiment in the preceding figures mainly comprise under-cap 14 which is moved axially away from plate-like body 20.

As may be seen in Figure 9, sleeve 7 comprises a pouring body 46 which takes the form of a tubular extension towards end wall 2, with a corresponding pouring edge 47. Plate-like body 20 is provided with a collar 48 which is coaxial with tubular extension 46 inserted into the cavity of the latter acting directly as a closing and opening member.

Collar 48 engages radially with pouring edge 47, with respect to which it can also move axially. This contact ensures a seal for the interior of the bottle.

Again with reference to Figure 9, it will be seen that the closure also comprises a support 49 for conventional one-way valve members, not shown, which will allow liquid to leave the bottle but not enter it. This support 49 is inserted in opening 15 of neck 3 of the bottle and is held there by annular flange 50 which is inserted between edge 17 of neck 3 and step 51 in tubular extension 46.

From what has been described above with reference to the appended drawings it will be appreciated that the functioning of the closure according to the invention occurs as follows.

If an attempt to break into the closure is made by partially unscrewing of cap 1, the rotation brings about axial displacement of skirt 5, with movement away from body 4 of the bottle. This axial movement at the same time also ensures axial movement of plate-like member 20 given that fins 25 are stably anchored within groove 26 in wall 13 of skirt 5 between axial stops 27 and 28.

Because basket 33 bearing capsule 34 is stably anchored to the neck of the bottle through fins 43, relative movement takes place between member 20 and basket 33 and as a consequence between the points of perforating members 30 and capsule 34 which are positioned at a very short distance from each other.

Base wall 36 of the latter is therefore perforated by perforating members 30 which pass through sheet member 35 with consequent release of the first chemical agent from capsule 34. This chemical agent comes into contact with the second chemical reagent carried by sheet member 35 and corresponding tubular wall 35A. Its colour changes and the difference can be perceived through openings 45 and transparent skirt 5, with possibly the formation of a word whose meaning corresponds to the condition of the closure being open.

It should be pointed out that even in the case where the attempted tampering is performed not through unscrewing cap 1 but through an attempt at axially sliding skirt 5 of the cap the function described above occurs in any case because it is brought about by axial displacement of plate-like member 20, a displacement which occurs following axial displacement of skirt 5 of the cap where the latter arises both as a result of a rotation and as a result of any other axial movement.

Only after the colour change of the member does sheet 35, with continuing unscrewing of cap 1 and axially raising of skirt 5 when plate-like member 20 abuts against basket 33, cause breakage of the line of weakness 42 of limbs 39 with final detachment of basket 33 from the neck of the bottle.

In this condition in which the mechanical warranty seal is also destroyed the closure must be considered to be finally opened lawfully.

Materials and dimensions may be of any nature according to requirements without thereby going beyond the scope of protection of the invention as described above and claimed below.