HK1070874B - Tamper-evident closure - Google Patents

Description

Tamper-evident closure

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device (or system) for dispensing flowable material from a container. In particular, the present invention relates to a dispensing closure for use with a squeezable container.

Background

There are many types of conventional dispensing closures which perform their intended purpose substantially satisfactorily in an application. One prior art dispensing closure device includes a body or base for attachment to the top of a container, the body defining a dispensing orifice. The device further comprises a lid which is mounted on the base or body and can be lifted to open the dispensing aperture. For example, reference may be made to US 4487324.

US4487324 discloses a design which also includes a tamper evident tear strip to prevent initial lifting of the lid off the body unless and until the tear strip is first torn off by the user, which acts as a tamper evident feature. While this design provides significant advantages, it is still desirable to provide an improved tamper-evident dispensing closure arrangement.

In particular, it would be beneficial to provide a tamper-evident dispensing closure arrangement that does not require the user to forcibly pull and tear off an element of the assembly. In such an improved dispensing closure device, it is also desirable to have a tamper-evident configuration that, once opened, does not result in a separate release that must be discarded.

The improved tamper-evident dispensing closure system should also be adaptable to use with either a one-piece unitary closure system or a two-piece or other multi-piece closure system.

It would also be advantageous if such an improved tamper-evident dispensing closure device could readily provide for attachment of the lid to the body, using a hinge structure that is either integral with both the lid and the body, or a two-piece hinge structure that is part of both the separately formed lid and the separately formed body that can be assembled together.

It would also be beneficial if such an improved tamper-evident dispensing closure arrangement could be combined with a tamper-evident feature in a manner that would allow the use of a thumb lift tab to lift the front end of the lid.

It is also desirable to provide a tamper-evident dispensing closure arrangement having a minimum number of components to facilitate manufacture and assembly.

It would also be beneficial to provide a dispensing closure device which provides an alternative tamper-evident configuration between the container and the closure device body which readily indicates to the consumer that the dispensing closure device has been initially removed from the container.

It would also be beneficial if a dispensing closure device could be readily adapted to be manufactured from a variety of different materials.

It would also be beneficial if such an improved closure arrangement could accommodate bottles, containers or packages having different shapes and constructed of different materials.

In addition, it would be desirable if such an improved apparatus could provide an efficient, high quality, high speed, high volume manufacturing technique with reduced defect rates to produce a series of products with stable operating characteristics of high reliability.

Disclosure of Invention

According to the present invention there is provided a tamper-evident dispensing closure arrangement for a container having an opening to the container interior, the dispensing closure arrangement comprising: a body extendable from said container at said opening as a separate structure or as an integral extension of said container, said body having (1) at least one dispensing aperture for communicating with said container opening, (2) a passageway having a first sidewall and a second sidewall, wherein said second sidewall is spaced from said first sidewall and said second sidewall is closer to said at least one dispensing aperture than said first sidewall, and (3) a retainer in the form of a flange extending from said first sidewall toward said second sidewall over a portion of said passageway; a lid hingedly connected to said body for accommodating lifting of said lid relative to said at least one dispensing aperture between a closed position over said at least one dispensing aperture and an open position away from said at least one dispensing aperture, said lid having a top wall and a skirt; an anchor adapted to be received in the channel and having an engagement portion in the form of a lip for engaging the retainer when the anchor is received in the channel; and a plurality of spaced apart frangible webs projecting outwardly from the skirt for initially connecting the anchor with the cap for subsequent fragmentation when the cap is lifted from the closed position.

The present invention provides an improved tamper-evident dispensing closure arrangement for a container having an opening to the interior of the container. The device can be easily operated by a user to initially open the device for providing flow from the container. The initial opening operation does not result in a separate release member that must be discarded. The tamper-evident closure means can employ a closure body and lid design that is one-piece or composed of multiple pieces. Further, the tamper-evident dispensing closure arrangement can be readily adapted to use thumb-lift tabs on the lid and to a one-piece or multi-piece hinge structure between the lid and the body. The device is also capable of accommodating other, alternative tamper-evident configurations between the closure body and the container.

In accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tamper-evident dispensing closure means includes a body adapted to extend from the container at the container opening. The body defines (1) at least one dispensing orifice for communicating with the container opening, (2) a passageway, and (3) a retaining member extending over a portion of the passageway. The device further includes a lid for accommodating lifting of the closure relative to the body between (1) a closed position over said body dispensing aperture, and (2) an open position away from said body dispensing aperture. An anchor is received in the passage and has an engaging portion for engaging the retainer when the anchor is received in the passage. At least one frangible web initially connects the anchor with the closed lid and can be broken when the lid is lifted from the closed position.

The closure device can be readily incorporated into a single assembly of elements defining a closure separate from but adapted to be mounted to the container. Such a closure may be incorporated in an embodiment such that it is removably or non-removably connected to the container. In another contemplated embodiment, the closure body may be formed as an integral or unitary part of the upper end of a container, or a molded extension of the upper end of a container, while the lid may be formed as an integrally molded extension of the body or may be a separate element.

Many other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

In the drawings forming a part of the specification, and in the specification, like reference numerals are used to designate like parts throughout.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary tamper-evident dispensing closure device (or system) in the form of a single dispensing closure, shown in a closed position, prior to being mounted on a container, and from an advantageous position generally above or from the top of the closure, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but FIG. 2 shows the lid in an open position with the tamper-evident feature broken;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the dispensing closure assembly prior to the cap being mounted to the body, with the anchor initially attached to the cap by a plurality of frangible webs;

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the cover shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along plane 5-5 in FIG. 1, but FIG. 5 also shows the closure mounted on the neck of a container with the lower tamper evident band turned upwardly to engage a flange on the neck of the container;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along plane 6-6 in FIG. 1, but FIG. 1 shows the closure mounted on the neck of a container with the tamper band rolled under a flange on the container neck;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along plane 7-7 in FIG. 1, but FIG. 7 shows the closure mounted on the neck of a container and shows the closure body tamper evident band rolled under the flange on the container neck;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the molded closure body as viewed along plane 8-8 of FIG. 1, prior to the cap being mounted on the closure body and prior to the closure body being mounted on the container neck;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the plane 9-9 in FIG. 4; and

fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the plane 10-10 in fig. 4.

Detailed Description

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, this specification and the accompanying drawings disclose only some specific forms as examples of the invention. The invention should not, however, be considered as being limited to the described embodiments, but the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

For ease of illustration, most of the figures used to represent the invention show a dispensing closure device on top of a container in its intended particular orientation when the container is stored upright on its base, and words such as above, below, horizontal and the like are used with reference to this position. It will be understood, however, that the dispensing closure device of the present invention may be manufactured, stored, transported, used and sold in an orientation other than the position described.

The dispensing closure device (or system) of the present invention is adapted for use with a variety of commonly used or proprietary containers of different designs, the details of which, although not illustrated or described, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and to those knowledgeable in such containers. The container described herein does not form part of the invention itself and is therefore not intended to limit the invention. It should also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that novel and non-obvious inventive features are incorporated into the exemplary closure apparatus described.

A presently preferred embodiment of the tamper-evident dispensing structure or dispensing closure arrangement of the present invention is shown in fig. 1-10 and is generally designated by the reference numeral 20 in fig. 1. In the preferred embodiment shown, the dispensing structure or dispensing closure assembly 20 is provided in the form of a single closure 20 adapted to be mounted on a container 22 (fig. 5), the container 22 generally containing a flowable material. The container 22 includes a body 24 and a neck 26, as shown in FIG. 5. The neck 26 defines an opening 28 to the container interior. In the preferred embodiment shown in fig. 5, the container neck 26 has an external, male thread 29 for engaging the closure 20.

The body 24 of the container 22 may have any suitable configuration and the upwardly projecting neck 26 may have a different cross-sectional size and/or shape than the container body 24. In addition, the container 22 need not have a neck 26 itself, but rather, the container 22 may include only a body having an opening. The container 22 may have one or more rigid walls, or may have one or more walls that are somewhat flexible.

While the container itself does not necessarily form part of the most important aspect of the invention, it will be appreciated that, as such, at least the body portion of the dispensing structure or device 20 of the invention may be provided as a single part of the top of the container, or as an extension thereof. However, in the preferred embodiment, the dispensing device 20 is a single one-piece or multi-piece unit (e.g., a closure) that is adapted to be removably or non-removably mounted on a pre-manufactured container 20, the container 20 having an opening 28 to the interior thereof.

The closure 20 is adapted for use with a container 22 having an opening 28 that provides access to the container interior and to the product contained therein. The closure 20 can be used with a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, lower or higher viscosity liquids, pastes, gels, suspensions, mixtures, detergents, pastes, particulates, granular materials, and the like, as they constitute a food product, a personal care product, an industrial or household cleaning product, or other material composition (e.g., as used in activities involving manufacturing, commercial or household maintenance, construction, agriculture, and the like).

The container 22 that may be used with the closure 20 is generally a squeezable container having one or more flexible (or resilient) walls that can be grasped by the user and squeezed or compressed to increase the internal pressure inside the container to force the product out of the container and through the closure. Such flexible container walls generally have sufficient, inherent resiliency so that when the squeezing force is removed, the container wall returns to its normal, unstressed shape. Such a squeezable wall container is preferred in many applications, but may not be necessary or preferred in other applications. For example, in some applications a generally rigid container is employed, and it may be desirable to pressurize the interior of the container with a piston or other pressurizing device, if desired. Furthermore, the interior of the container need not be pressurised at all, but rather the product is obtained by penetration of the open closure by a spoon or straw, or the package may be inverted to allow the product to flow out through the open closure under the influence of gravity.

It is now contemplated that many applications employing closure 20 will be conveniently accomplished by molding some or all of the components of closure 20 using one or more suitable thermoplastic materials. In the preferred embodiment shown, the components of the closure can each be molded from a suitable thermoplastic material, such as a polypropylene material. The closure components may be molded separately from the same material or from different materials, which may be the same or different in color and texture.

As can be seen in fig. 3, the closure device 20 includes two basic components, (1) a base or body 30, and (2) a lid 40 adapted to be carried on the body 30. The lid 40 is movable between a closed position on the body as shown in figure 1 and an open position as shown in figure 2. The lid 40 may be a separate component that is completely removable from the closure body 30, or the lid 40 may be tied to the body 30 with a strap, or the lid 40 may be hinged to the body 30 as shown in fig. 2 to provide pivotal movement from the closed position to the open position.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the closure body 30 includes a mouth 42 defining a dispensing orifice 44, the dispensing orifice 44 opening out into the hollow interior of the closure body 30, such that when the closure 20 is mounted on the container 22, the dispensing orifice 44 communicates with the opening 28 in the container neck 26, as shown in FIG. 5. At the bottom of the mouth 42, as shown in fig. 3 and 5, the closure body 30 has a peripheral upper platform 46, as can be seen in fig. 3 and 5, which peripheral upper platform 46 is defined on its outer edge by a generally vertical wall 48. Surrounding the bottom of the wall 48 is a lower platform 50, as shown in fig. 3 and 5.

As shown in fig. 3 and 7, the front of the closure body 30 has a recess defined by a rear wall 52, left and right end walls 54, 56, and a bottom surface 58.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower platform 50 includes at least one channel 62, and preferably a pair of arcuate channels 62 on either side of the mouth 42. As shown in FIG. 8, each channel 62 has a first side wall 71 and a second side wall 72, the second side wall 72 being closer to the dispensing orifice 44 than the first side wall 71. A retaining member in the form of a flange 74 extends inwardly over a portion of the channel 62 from the first side wall 71 toward the second side wall 72. Each channel 62 opens upwardly and extends in an arcuate configuration less than 360 degrees around the dispensing orifice 44.

As can be seen in fig. 3 and 7, the rear of the closure body 30 includes a support member comprising two spaced walls 80, the two walls 80 together defining an upwardly opening channel 82 therebetween. As shown in fig. 7, the upper distal portion of each wall 80 extends above the channel 82 toward the other wall 80 to define a reduced width passageway 84 than the channel 82.

As can be seen in fig. 8, the closure body 30 has an annular skirt 90 extending downwardly to form an upper portion of the closure body 30, and the inner surface of the skirt 90 is formed with internal threads 92. As shown in fig. 5, the closure body skirt threads 92 are adapted to threadedly engage external, male threads 29 on the container neck 26.

In addition, the closure skirt 90 may be provided with some other container attachment means, such as a snap-fit bead or groove (not shown) in place of the threads 92 for engaging a container neck groove or bead (not shown), respectively. The closure body 30 may also be permanently attached to the container 22 by induction melting, ultrasonic melting, gluing, or the like, depending on the materials used for the closure body 30 and container 22. The closure body 30 may also be formed as a unitary component, or as an extension of the container 22.

The closure body skirt 90 may have any suitable configuration for accommodating an upwardly projecting neck 26 or other portion of the container 22 that is accommodated within the particular profile of the closure body 30, and the main portion of the container 22 may have a different cross-sectional shape as compared to the container neck 26 and the closure body 30.

An optional seal or gasket (not shown) may close the entire top of the container neck 26 or, alternatively, may be sealed to the underside of the upper portion of the closure body 30. However, if the tamper seal or freshness seal provided by such a sealing liner is not required or desired in a particular application, the sealing liner may of course be omitted.

Also, if desired, the closure body 30 can be provided with an annular seal 96 (FIG. 5) extending downwardly from the underside of the upper portion of the closure body 30. Such a seal 96 may be a "crab claw" profile seal, as shown, or a plug seal, or some other such seal, depending on the particular application and depending on whether a sealing pad 60 is employed.

In the preferred form of the invention shown, the closure body skirt 90 has a generally annular configuration, however, the closure body skirt 90 may have other shapes. For example, the closure body skirt 90 may have a prismatic or polygonal configuration adapted to fit on top of a container neck having a polygonal configuration. Such prismatic or polygonal configurations are not suitable for use with threaded connections, but other connection means may be provided, such as a snap-fit flange and groove arrangement, or the like.

In a preferred form of the invention as shown in fig. 5, the closure body 30 incorporates a conventional or special tamper ring 100 along the bottom edge of the closure body 30. As shown in fig. 8, the tamper ring 100 is initially molded as a downwardly extending integral flange on the bottom of the closure body skirt 90. Prior to installation of closure body 30 onto a container, such as container 22 shown in fig. 5, the lower half of tamper ring 100 is deformed radially inwardly so that the curl on tamper ring 100 flexes upwardly as the closure body 30 is threaded onto container neck 26 as the tamper ring passes over container neck threads 29 and container neck retaining flange 104. The roll-up on a portion of the tamper-evident ring snaps inwardly under the container retention flange 104, as shown in fig. 5, which prevents the closure body 30 from being removed if a user attempts to pivot the closure body 30 in a unscrewing direction. In the preferred form, however, the tamper band or ring 100 is attached to the bottom end of the closure body skirt 90 by a very thin section of material, which may, for example, have a plurality of circumferentially spaced notches or scored grooves or molded grooves (not shown). If a user attempts to unscrew the closure body 30 with a sufficient amount of torque, the tamper band 100 will separate from the bottom of the closure body skirt 90, which will serve as an indication that the closure body 30 has been at least partially unscrewed from the fully assembled configuration.

The use of the tamper ring or band 100 is a fully optional feature of the illustrated embodiment and does not form an essential part of the present invention. Indeed, if the closure body 30 is non-releasably attached to the container neck 26 (e.g., with glue, heat, an irreversible snap-fit configuration, etc.), the tamper-evident ring 100 will not provide any additional benefit. Similarly, if the closure body 30 is formed as an integrally molded extension of the container neck 26, a tamper-evident ring 100 will not provide any additional benefit.

As shown in fig. 3, the cap 40 includes a top wall 122 and a skirt 124, with a recess 126 in the skirt 124 at the front of the cap 40, and a thumb lift tab 128 projecting outwardly from the top portion of the cap 40 above the recess 126.

As can be seen in fig. 4, at the rear of the cap 40, the skirt 124 has a flat wall section 124A with a pair of rearwardly extending lugs 130 projecting outwardly from the flat wall section 124A. At a location spaced from the closure skirt flat wall section 124A, a shaft 132 extends between and connects the lugs 130.

Referring to fig. 7, the shaft 132 of the cap is received in the upwardly opening channel 82 defined in the rear of the closure body 30, the shaft 132 having a width dimension or diameter greater than the opening 84 between the upper distal ends of the walls 80, the walls 80 defining the sides of the channel 82. This provides a snap-fit engagement and retains the lid shaft 132 on a fixed axis relative to the closure body 30 to provide pivotal movement of the lid 40 relative to the closure body 30 between the fully closed position (fig. 1) and the fully open position (fig. 2).

As can be seen in fig. 9, the cap 40 includes a plunger or pintle member 140 projecting downwardly from the underside of the cap top wall 122. As shown in fig. 5 and 7, the pintle member 140 is adapted to be received within the dispensing orifice 44 of the spout 42. In the preferred embodiment shown in fig. 5 and 7, the dispensing orifice 44 is a generally cylindrical orifice and the exterior of the cap plug or pintle 140 has a generally cylindrical surface, the diameter of the outer surface of the cap pintle 140 being slightly greater than the inner diameter of the body dispensing orifice 44, which provides an interference fit to achieve good sealing engagement. Either the button member 140 or the mouth 42, or both, are sufficiently compliant to accommodate such an interference fit that provides a leak-free sealing capability.

In accordance with the present invention, a unique tamper-evident feature is provided to indicate that the lid 40 has been initially removed from the fully closed position (fig. 1). The tamper-evident configuration involves a coordinated cooperation between the lid 40 and the closure body 30. As shown in fig. 4, the tamper-evident structure includes at least one anchor 152 initially connected to the cover 40. Where the closure body 30 includes two channels 62, in the preferred embodiment, two anchors 152 are provided on either side of the lid 40 along the bottom edge of the lid 40, each anchor 152 being a generally arcuate strip including an engagement portion in the form of a lip 156 extending outwardly at the base of the anchor (see fig. 10).

The tamper-evident structure also includes at least one frangible web 160 (fig. 4) that initially connects one of the anchors 152 with the cover 40. In the preferred embodiment shown in fig. 4, there is a plurality of frangible webs 160 extending between the anchor 152 and the cap skirt 124 in the form of spaced bridges. These webs 160 are initially molded together with the cover 40 and the two anchors 152 as a unitary structure.

In the presently contemplated preferred form of the invention, the manufacturer can readily mold the cap 40, web 160 and anchor 152 together as a single, unitary element, and can mold the closure body 30 separately as another, separate element. The cap 40 and body 30 may be molded from the same thermoplastic material or from different thermoplastic materials, and the cap 40 and body 30 may be the same color and texture or may be different colors and/or textures.

After the cap 40 and the closure body 30 are molded separately, the two components are assembled together by mounting the cap 40 to the closure body 30 such that the cap hinge axis 132 is received in snap-fit engagement within the closure body receiving channel 82. The assembled closure 20 may then be transported to a mechanism for filling a bottle or other container with the fluid product, and the closure then mounted on the filled container.

When the cap 40 is properly mounted to the closure body 30, the anchor 152 is received in the closure body passage 62, as shown in fig. 6. Each anchor lip 156 is urged through and below the adjacent channel retention flange 74 as shown in fig. 6. The first side wall 71 of the channel is sufficiently compliant to accommodate movement of the anchor lip 156 past the side wall retaining flange 74. As shown in fig. 10, the anchor lip 156 has an inwardly sloping or tapered guide surface 157 and a substantially flat shoulder surface 159, the shoulder surface 159 being at the upper rear end of the tapered surface 157. The tapered surface 157 accommodates movement of the anchor lip 156 to a position below the closure body retaining bead 74 on the first sidewall 71, as shown in fig. 6. However, when the lid 40 is lifted upwardly, the configuration of the anchor shoulder surface 159 (fig. 10) provides substantially no outwardly transmitted force toward the first sidewall 71 of the closure body passage. Thus, if an upward lifting force is applied to the lid 40, it is not possible to create sufficient outward force on the closure body first sidewall 71 to move the sidewall 71 radially outward enough to disengage the anchor lip 156 before the frangible web 160 breaks. Specifically, the frangible web 160 is designed to break when an upward lifting force is applied to the lid 40 that is less than the force required to pull the anchor lip 156 past the sidewall retention bead 74.

The closure 20 need not be constructed of two or more separate components, for example, the entire closure 20 could be molded as a single unitary structure with an integral hinge device, such as a snap-action hinge, strap hinge, or the like, if desired. The detailed design of such hinge means does not form part of the present invention and indeed it is envisaged that the lid 40 and closure body 30 may be provided as separate elements without any hinge structure so that the lid does not remain connected to the closure body after the assembly has been opened.

The user can easily open the closure 20 simply by lifting the lid 40 upwardly. This is easily done by the lid thumb lift 128 which can be pushed up by the user. When a sufficient upward force is applied to the lid 40 by the user, the frangible web 160 breaks and the anchor 152 is retained in the closure body passage 62 with the anchor lip 156 retained below the passage retaining bead 74. Thus, initial opening of the lid 40 does not produce any loose, separate pieces that must be discarded. In addition, when the lid 40 is returned to the closed configuration, the user can observe that the frangible web 160 has been broken. This serves as an indication that the lid 40 may have been opened, or at least that the closure 20 has been tampered with.

When the closure 20 is in the fully open condition, as shown in fig. 2, the user can pour or invert the package to facilitate dispensing of the fluid product under the influence of gravity. If the container 22 has one or more flexible walls (or resilient walls), the container 22 can be squeezed to further assist in dispensing the product.

After the desired amount of product has been dispensed, the package can be returned to its upright orientation and the user can close the lid 40.

It should also be understood that the dispensing device of the present invention need not be provided as a separate closure for the container, and the closure body 30 could instead be molded as an integral part of the container 22. The container may be molded to have (1) an initially open bottom end, (2) a peripheral wall forming an upper end defining a container top end opening, and (3) an integral closure body portion extending radially inwardly from said container peripheral wall above the container top end opening to form an integral part of the container top end and to define an integral top end closure body, including the mouth 42 (and optionally a hinge and lid if the body, hinge and lid are part of a single, integral structure). The container can then be filled with product through the open bottom end, which can then be closed hermetically by suitable means, for example by heat-assisted deformation or by a separate bottom closure plunger or cap.

It should also be understood that the dispensing device of the present invention may include other elements, features or structures. For example, the closure body 30 (fig. 3) may include an internal valve device, which may be, for example, a pressure-actuated, deformable, resilient opening valve. This valve has the structural and operational characteristics of a commercially available valve design, which is disclosed in US5675289, see valve 46 disclosed in US 5675289. The operation of this type of valve is further described with reference to a similar valve indicated by reference numeral 3d in US 5409144. The descriptions of these patents are incorporated herein by reference to the extent appropriate and not to the extent inconsistent herewith. The embodiment of the invention shown here in fig. 8 can provide such a valve in the closure body mouth, below the dispensing orifice 44, that can be held in place by a suitable retaining ring in snap-fit engagement with the closure body. Furthermore, such a valve can also be fixed in other ways, such as by bi-injection moulding, adhesive fixing, or the like.

It will be readily apparent from the foregoing detailed description of the invention and from the description thereof that numerous changes and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts or principles of this invention.

Claims (10)

1. A tamper-evident dispensing closure arrangement for a container having an opening to the container interior, said dispensing closure arrangement comprising:

a body extendable from the container at the opening as a separate structure or as an integral extension of the container, the body having

(1) At least one dispensing orifice for communicating with the opening of the container,

(2) a channel having a first sidewall and a second sidewall, wherein said second sidewall is spaced from said first sidewall and said second sidewall is closer to said at least one dispensing aperture than said first sidewall, and

(3) a retainer in the form of a flange extending over a portion of the channel from the first sidewall toward the second sidewall;

a lid hingedly connected to said body for accommodating lifting of said lid relative to said at least one dispensing aperture between a closed position over said at least one dispensing aperture and an open position away from said at least one dispensing aperture, said lid having a top wall and a skirt;

an anchor adapted to be received in the channel and having an engagement portion in the form of a lip for engaging the retainer when the anchor is received in the channel; and

a plurality of spaced apart frangible webs projecting outwardly from the skirt for initially connecting the anchor with the cap for subsequent fragmentation as the cap is lifted from the closed position.

2. The closure device of claim 1,

the channel opens upwardly and extends in an arcuate configuration less than 360 degrees around the at least one dispensing aperture.

3. A closure device according to claim 1, wherein there are two of said passages.

4. The closure system in accordance with claim 1 in which said lip extends outwardly at the bottom of said anchor.

5. The closure device of claim 1,

the cover includes a pair of rearwardly extending lugs and a shaft connecting the pair of lugs;

the body includes a support member defining an upwardly open channel for receiving the shaft to establish a hinged connection accommodating pivoting of the lid relative to the body between the closed and open positions.

6. The closure device of claim 1,

the lid includes a front thumb lift tab;

the body and lid are hingedly connected at a location approximately 180 degrees from the lifting tab; and

the channel and anchor are laterally offset from a straight line extending through the lifting tab and hinged connection to accommodate access to the lifting tab and to accommodate manipulation of the hinged connection.

7. A closure system according to claim 1, wherein said body and said lid are separately moulded components connected by a hinge arrangement to accommodate pivoting of said lid relative to said body.

8. The closure device of claim 1,

said closure means being a closure for the end of a container defining said container opening; and

the closure includes the body, the lid, the anchor and the at least one frangible element.

9. The closure system in accordance with claim 8,

the closure is an article separate from the container; and

the body is connectable to the container end over the container opening.

10. The closure system in accordance with claim 8,

said container including a peripheral wall defining said end portion and defining said container opening; and

as an integral part of the container end, the body extends radially inwardly from the peripheral wall over the container end opening to define the at least one dispensing aperture.