Umted States Patent
`
`[19]
`
`[11] Patent Number:
`
`4,669,124
`
`Kimura
`
`[45] Date of Patent: May 26, 1987
`
`[54] BEVERAGE CONTAINER WITH
`TAMPERPROOF SCREWTHREAD CAP
`.
`.
`.
`.
`Invent”: K““°'“ K‘"'“’“’ T°kY°’ Japan
`[751
`[73] Assignees: Yoke“ Co” Ltd_; Hosokawa Yoko Co"
`Ltd.’ both of Tokyo, Japan
`[21] Appl_ No; 907,174
`[221
`Fi1’5d5
`S°P- 15: 1936
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`569025
`7/1958 Bl '
`............................. .. 229/75
`2904181
`8/1980 F:dg.“}llI:p. of Germany ...... 215/252
`861079
`2/1961 United Kingdom .............. .. 229/7 S
`980859
`1/1965 United Kingdom ................ 229/7 5
`[};rir_r1:1ryt%camt'r'1er—\]A3/illiamgrfice
`ssts an
`xammer—-— ryon
`e man
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Parkhurst & Oliff
`
`[63]
`
`[561
`
`ABSTRACI
`[57]
`Related U.S. Application Data
`A ta_mP8f'PT°0f: b?8'Sh?P€d Container and Sffaw is
`Continuation of Ser. No. 613,251, May 23, 1934, aban—
`provided for drinking liquid contained therein. The
`doned.
`f1‘1’;‘i:‘j:‘;h‘1Séifiiiefjofleggggjlgiefijafgfitezfjg;
`1.1. c1.4 .............................................. 13651) 33/34
`[51]
`5 nthctic resin mm The container includes a straw
`[52] U.S. Cl. ...................................... 383/80; 206/807;
`hy
`1 d b
`' h
`h
`d .
`f.
`d
`t
`215/218; 215/252; 222/153; 229/7 S; 383/5
`;a"5e?§ Thetween ‘ 5.5 em a“
`11“ fl“ 1‘:°‘“a°
`[53] Field of Search ............... 229/7 s; 215/1 A, 216,
`1', erewlt
`.
`C straw pI'0_]CCl-IS outward y T0111 13 6 C011-
`4’
`tamer atthe upper end portion thereof and extends to
`222/153; 206/216, 217, 807; 383/36, 116, 120,
`th<:1v1<1:11n1tyfof:l1e Eottoimdof the container at the! lower
`904’ 906’ go, 5; 220/233
`1.
`.
`t
`t
`t
`‘t:1I1‘reade:lr€i1ci;aper
`endr1:‘>r;oncc(>)t‘Vtel1e 1sStr::In1‘1circ::rev1?in;
`Refermces cited
`the cover on and off. The container includes a plurality
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`°f ‘¢‘?‘h’ 93°“ haV_“‘8 3 $“‘d°_ We and 3 °“‘ 5‘d°- A
`2,013,605
`9/1935 Greenison ........................... 215/252
`frangible member is provided in the rotary path of the
`2,045,333
`6/1936 Guthrie _ _ __ _.
`_ _ _ ,_ 215/252
`teeth and in the vicinity of the upper end portion of the
`2,423,582 7/ 1947 Coleman . . . .. ...
`.. ... 215/330 X
`straw. The frangible member is elastically deformed
`2,617,559 11/1952 van der Spek .
`215/ 1 A
`gvgggvgg
`1235113" ?‘ 31-
`3; towards the guide side of the cover when screwing on
`......
`-
`-
`-
`,
`,
`ac
`e1m
`3,407,976 10/1968 Homma
`215/250 X
`the Icover rand 1115 cut away upcgi clontactmg the out side
`3,730,336
`5/1973 Feldman . . . _.
`. .. . .. 229/7 s
`° ‘ ° tee‘ W 5“ 5°’°“’“‘g ° 1 °°°"e’-
`3,805,987 4/1974 I-lorvath
`. 215/330 X
`4,261,478
`4/1981 Summers ........................ 215/216 X
`
`4 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure
`
`
`
`
`
`KSP EXHIBIT 1007
`
`Page 1 of 4
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`KSP EXHIBIT 1007
`Page 1 of 4
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`

`
`
`
`U.S.Patent
`
`May 26, 1987
`
`4,669,124
`
`KSP EXHIBIT 1007
`
`Page 2 of 4
`
`KSP EXHIBIT 1007
`Page 2 of 4
`
`

`
`1
`
`4,669,124
`
`2
`upper end portion thereof and extends to the vicinity of
`the bottom of the container at the lower end thereof. A
`
`threaded cover is engaged on a threaded end portion of
`the straw for screwing on and off the cover. The cover
`contains a plurality of teeth around its lower peripheral
`edge. Each of the teeth contain a guide side and a cut
`side. A frangible member is provided in the rotary path
`of the teeth in the vicinity of the upper end portion of
`the straw. The frangible member is elastically deformed
`towards the guide side of the teeth when screwing on
`the cover and is cut away upon contact with the cut side
`of the teeth when screwing off the cover. Thus, the
`container of the present invention eliminates the com-
`plicated structure of conventional containers which
`require a user to first cut the corner of the container to
`form an opening and then insert a straw. The tamper-
`proof means of the present container allows a user to
`readily known whether or not the original manufactur-
`er’s seal has been removed or tampered with. Addition-
`ally,
`the present container will not leave a residue
`around the opening of the container after it is opened.
`The above and other related objects and features of
`the invention will be apparent from a reading of the
`following description of the disclosure found in the
`accompanying drawing and the novelty thereof pointed
`out in the appended claims.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
`
`5
`
`l0
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`BEVERAGE CONTAINER WITH TAMPERPROOF
`SCREWTHREAD CAP
`
`This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 613,251
`filed May 23, I984 now abandoned.
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`The instant invention relates to a tamper-proof, bag-
`shaped container for drinking liquid in which the_,con-
`tainer is formed by heat-sealing the edges of synthetic
`resin film sheets or paper sheet laminated with synthetic
`resin film. More particularly, the instant invention re-
`lates to a tamper-proof, bag-shaped drinking container
`with a straw heat-sealed between two edges at one end
`thereof for sucking out a liquid contained within the
`container.
`Bag-shaped containers formed by heat-sealing the
`edges of synthetic resin film sheets or by heat-sealing
`the edges of paper sheets laminated with synthetic resin
`film have been frequently used as drinking containers. It
`was necessary in such containers to first cut off a comer
`of the container to form an opening and then insert a
`straw for sucking out the liquid contained therein.
`It is important with regard to public sanitation and
`safety for such containers to provide a means for indi-
`cating whether the original manufacturer’s seal has
`previously been opened or tampered with.
`Heretofore, there have been containers with a cap
`seal coated with plastic film to form an original manu-
`facturer’s seal. This type of cap seal has experienced
`problems since the use of plastic film to hermetically
`seal the cover to the container makes the cap hard to
`remove. Additionally, containers with a cap seal coated
`with plastic film require two steps to open the contain-
`er’s first, the plastic film must be removed and second, .
`the cover must be opened.
`There have also been milk containers and the like
`
`formed of paper or plastic in which the opening is her-
`metically sealed with a piece of paper to form an origi-
`nal manufacturer’s seal. However,
`the seals of these
`containers are hard to remove, and upon removal leave
`a residue in the form of paste or the like on the opening
`from which the seal was removed.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to
`provide a bag-shaped container which eliminates the
`complicated structure of the conventional containers
`which require a user to first cut the corner of the con-
`tainer to form an opening and then insert a straw.
`It is a further object of the present invention to pro-
`vide a container which can readily provide an indica-
`tion of whether or not the original seal has been opened
`or tampered with.
`It is still a further object of the present invention to
`provide a container in which the seal of the container
`can be opened simultaneously upon opening of the con-
`tainer.
`It is still a further object of the present invention to
`provide a seal which does not leave a residue on the
`opening of the container.
`According to the present invention, there is provided
`a bag-shaped container formed by heat-sealing the
`edges of synthetic resin film sheets or paper sheets lami-
`nated with synthetic resin film. A straw is heat-sealed
`between the sheets and in fixed contact therewith. The
`straw projects outwardly from the container at the
`
`30
`
`The single FIGURE is a perspective view of a con-
`tainer with a straw constructed according to the present
`invention.
`
`35
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`65
`
`DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENT
`
`The present invention will now be described in more
`detail with reference to the accompanying drawing.
`As shown in the single FIGURE, container 1 is a
`bag-shaped container formed by heat-sealing the edges
`of synthetic resin film sheets or by heat-sealing the
`edges of paper sheets laminated with synthetic resin
`film. A straw 2 projects outwardly at the upper end
`portion 3 of the container 1, and extends at the lower
`end thereof to the vicinity of the bottom of the con-
`tainer 1. The straw is heat-sealed at edge 6 between
`sheets 4 and 5. The straw 2 preferably has a length
`reaching the vicinity of the bottom of the container 1 at
`the lower end thereof, thereby allowing for a content
`filled within the container to be completely sucked out.
`Since the straw 2 is inserted and heat-sealed to the con-
`tainer 1 by means of heat-sealing the straw to the con-
`tainer between the edges, the content in the container 1
`does not leak from the mounted part of the straw 2.
`When the content in the container 1 is sucked through
`the straw 2, the container 1 itself is contracted, thereby
`readily allowing for the content within container 1 to be
`sucked out via the straw 2.
`A cover 7 is threaded on the upper end portion 3 of
`the straw 2 thereby providing a hermetically sealed
`structure. First, second and third flanges 8, 9 and 10 are
`respectively formed at the upper end portion 3 of the
`straw 2 at predetermined intervals. The lowermost
`third flange 10 is contacted with the upper end of the
`heat-sealed edge 6 of the container 1. The second flange
`9 of the straw 2 is used as a holder during the manufac-
`turing step of conveying the container 1 when filling a
`content in the container 1. The first flange 8 of the straw
`2 is used as a holder during the manufacturing step of
`
`KSP EXHIBIT 1007
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`Page 3 of 4
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`KSP EXHIBIT 1007
`Page 3 of 4
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`

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`10
`
`15
`
`3
`moving the container from the conveying step for
`threading the cover 7 on the container 1.
`A supporting piece 20 stands at a substantially right
`angle on one end of the upper surface of the first flange
`8 of the straw 2. A protrusion 11 is projected from the
`supporting piece 20 towards the upper end portion 3 of
`the straw 2, and a thin frangible member 12 is extended
`between the end portion of the protrusion 11 of the
`supporting piece 20 and the first flange 8 of the straw 2.
`The frangible member 12 is formed of a plastic material
`having a predetermined elasticity, and allows member
`12 to be collapsed or cut when a predetermined external
`force is applied thereto.
`Male threads are formed on the outer peripheral sur-
`face of the upper end portion 3 of the straw 2. The
`cover 7 is engaged with the upper end portion 3 of the
`straw 2 by engaging the male threads on the straw 2
`with the female threads on the inner peripheral surface
`of the cover 7. When the cover 7 is turned clockwise,
`the container 1 is sealed by the cover 7. When the cover 20
`7 is turned counterclockwise, the container 1 is opened.
`A plurality of teeth 13 of sawtooth shape extend
`outwardly from the lower outer peripheral surface of
`the opening end of the cover 7. The teeth 13 of the
`cover 7 project from the outer peripheral surface of the 25
`cover 7 so that the end parts of the teeth 13 make
`contact with the thin frangible member 12 when the
`cover 7 is engaged with the upper end portion 3 of the
`straw 2. Each tooth 13 is formed in a substantially tri-
`angular shape having an obtuse angle. Each tooth 13 30
`contains a guide side 14 gradually bent outwardly from
`the outer peripheral surface of the cover 7 and a cut side
`15 extending outwardly with an obtuse angle to the
`outer peripheral surface of the cover 7. Thus, a hermeti-
`cally sealed structure is formed by securing cover 7 35
`onto container 1.
`
`4,669,124
`
`5
`
`4
`As described above, the container of the present in-
`vention allows for the original manufacturer’s seal of
`the container to be broken simultaneously upon opening
`of the container as operated above. Also, a user can
`determine whether or not the original manufacturer’s
`seal has been broken or tampered with by observing
`whether the thin frangible member has been out.
`While there have been shown and described funda-
`mental novel features of the invention as described in a
`preferred embodiment, it will be understood that vari-
`ous omissions and substitutions and changes in the form
`and details on the device illustrated and in its operation
`may be made by those skilled in the art. It is the inten-
`tion, therefore to be limited only as indicated by the
`scope of the following claims.
`What is claimed is:
`1. A beverage container comprising:
`at least two synthetic resin film sheets, the edges of
`which are heat-sealed together to form a bag, said
`bag having a top edge, a bottom edge, and first and
`second opposing gusset sides;
`a tube-like structure having an external portion pro-
`jecting outwardly from the top edge of said bag
`and an internal portion extending into said bag, said
`tube-like structure being heat-sealed between said
`at least two sheets at said top edge, said tube-like
`structure including:
`a lower flange oriented in a plane parallel to said
`top edge and in contact therewith;
`an upper flange situated above said lower flange
`and parallel thereto;
`a supporting piece projecting from one end of the
`upper surface of said upper flange;
`a protrusion projecting from said supporting piece
`towards the external portion of said tube-like
`structure;
`
`a frangible member extending between the end of
`An example of the hermetically sealed structure de—
`said protrusion of said supporting piece and said
`scribed above will now be described in detail. When the
`upper flange; and
`cover 7 is threaded onto the upper end portion 3 of the
`a cover threadably connected at the external portion
`straw 2, and turned clockwise, the guide pieces 14 of the 40
`of said tube-like structure and having aplurality of
`teeth 13 on the cover 7 make contact with the thin
`circumferential projections, each of said projec-
`frangible member 12. Since Lhe frangible member 12 has
`tions having a guide side and a cut side, said projec-
`a predetermined elasticity as indicated above, the mem-
`tions forming a rotary path which contacts said
`ber 12 is not cut but urged outwardly of the cover 7
`frangible member;
`along the guide sides 14. The cover 7 is then turned until 45
`said frangible member being elastically deformed by
`the upper end portion 3 of the straw 2 is completely
`the guide side of said projections when mounting
`hermetically sealed. Accordingly, the cover 7 can be
`said cover to said tube-like structure an being cut
`screwed onto the container 1 without cutting the thin
`by engagement of the cut side of said projections
`frangible member 12 by the teeth 13 of the cover.
`when separating said cover from said tube-like
`When the screwed-on cover 7 is turned counter» 50
`structure to provide a visual indication that said
`clockwise, the cover 7 is removed from the upper end
`cover was removed from said tube-like structure.
`portion 3 of the straw 2. At this time, the cut side 15 of
`2. The beverage container of claim 1, wherein said
`the tooth 13 makes contact with the frangible member
`sheets are paper laminated with synthetic resin film.
`12. When the cover 7 is further turned, the frangible
`member 12 is deformed. When the deformation of the
`3. The beverage container of claim 1, wherein said
`tube-like structure is a straw.
`frangible member 1'2 reaches its elastic limit, the frangi-
`4. The beverage container of claim 1, wherein said
`ble member 12 is cut by the teeth 13. When the cover 7
`frangible member is plastic and cut when a pre-deter-
`is further turned, the cover 7 is disengaged from the
`mined force is applied to said frangible member by the
`upper end portion 3 of the straw 2, and the container 1
`#
`t
`3!
`*
`t
`is opened. Therefore, the cover 7 is not opened unless 60 cutting edge of one of said plurality of projections.
`the frangible member 12 is cut.
`
`55
`
`‘
`
`65
`
`KSP EXHIBIT 1007
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`Page 4 of 4
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`KSP EXHIBIT 1007
`Page 4 of 4