Placon bags US patent for tamper-evident container

US packaging company Placon Corp has been awarded a US patent on a tamper-evident container that prevents re-use with counterfeit goods.

The design, which is already being deployed in Placon products including a clear plastic clamshell, features a snap feature on the inside of the lid which holds a graphic card in place. When opened, a perforated area is broken and locks the graphic card in place. The break is visually obvious so consumers can see that the pack has been opened before.

The feature also makes it difficult for counterfeiters to not only repackage the clamshell but to repurpose the graphic card as well.

The abstract of the patent appears below:

Trapped element security container

Abstract: A container has features to indicate tampering and to discourage reuse as a deterrent to use with counterfeit goods. A lid hinged to a thermoformed thermoplastic base defines a product compartment. A line of weakened material surrounds a retention tab within a base upper wall. The tab is secured to a lid upper wall such as by a weld. The retention tab is secured to the lid through an opening in an enclosure element such as a card of thermoformed sheet. When the lid is separated from the base the retention tab is detached from the base along the weakened line of material and retained by the secured connection to the lid with the enclosure element retained by the retention tab to the lid upper wall. The retention tab interferes with the removal of the enclosure element from the lid and its reuse with counterfeit goods.

US Patent No. 9,352,886