Tamper-resistant closure assembly

A tamper-resistant closure assembly, comprising:

• a sheath;
• an elongate body having a proximal end and a distal end;
• a ferrule defining an interior major surface, wherein the interior major surface has a proximal region and a distal region;
• and
• a boss positioned adjacent the distal end of the elongate body and configured to resiliently urge outwardly against the interior major surface;
• wherein the elongate body is slidably retained within the ferrule by a shoulder extending radially outward of the elongate body;
• wherein the ferrule, the elongate body, or both defines a region so complementarily arranged relative to the boss as to resiliently urge the elongate body in a proximal direction relative to the ferrule in correspondence with a radially outward force applied by the boss against the interior major surface;
• wherein the ferrule has an external engagement member configured to removably couple with a complementarily arranged region of the sheath;
• wherein the elongate body further comprises a first plurality of juxtaposed teeth spaced apart from each other to define a first plurality of juxtaposed recesses therebetween, and the ferrule further comprises a second plurality of juxtaposed teeth spaced apart from each other to define a second plurality of juxtaposed recesses therebetween, wherein the first plurality of juxtaposed teeth are complementary to the second plurality of juxtaposed recesses and the second plurality of juxtaposed teeth are complementary to the first plurality of juxtaposed recesses.

A tamper-resistant closure assembly, comprising:

• a sheath having an internal thread;
• an elongate body having a proximal end and a distal end;
• a ferrule defining an interior major surface, wherein the interior major surface has a proximal region and a distal region, and the ferrule further comprises an external thread that is complementary to the internal thread of the sheath so that the ferrule can be removably coupled with the sheath;
• a seal member that extends from an external surface of the elongate body to a corresponding internal surface of the sheath to sealingly engage the sheath when the external thread of the ferrule is coupled with the internal thread of the sheath;
• and
• a boss positioned adjacent the distal end of the elongate body and configured to resiliently urge outwardly against the interior major surface;
• wherein the elongate body is slidably retained within the ferrule by a shoulder extending radially outward of the elongate body;
• wherein the ferrule, the elongate body, or both defines a region so complementarily arranged relative to the boss as to resiliently urge the elongate body in a proximal direction relative to the ferrule in correspondence with a radially outward force applied by the boss against the interior major surface;
• and
• wherein the elongate body further comprises a first plurality of juxtaposed teeth spaced apart from each other to define a first plurality of juxtaposed recesses therebetween, and the ferrule further comprises a second plurality of juxtaposed teeth spaced apart from each other to define a second plurality of juxtaposed recesses therebetween, wherein the first plurality of juxtaposed teeth are complementary to the second plurality of juxtaposed recesses and the second plurality of juxtaposed teeth are complementary to the first plurality of juxtaposed recesses.

An opening-resistant assembly for a container, comprising:

• a cap defining a user-graspable region;
• an externally threaded member defining an external thread positioned distally of the user-graspable region of the cap,
• wherein the cap and the externally threaded member are longitudinally moveable relative to each other from a first extent to a second extent,
• wherein, at the first extent, the cap and the externally threaded member are so circumferentially disengaged from each other as to be independently rotatable, and
• wherein, at the second extent, the cap and the externally threaded member so circumferentially engage with each other as to be circumferentially co-rotatable;
• and
• an O-ring seated in a groove positioned between the user-graspable region of the cap and the external thread.

An opening-resistant assembly for a container, comprising:

• an elongate body defining a user-graspable region and having a first plurality of teeth;
• a ferrule overlying the elongate body and having a second plurality of teeth, wherein the ferrule defines an external thread positioned distally of the user-graspable region of the elongate body, wherein the ferrule defines an open distal end and a recess extending proximally from the open distal end to receive a suction-end of a cigarette;
• a plurality of resilient flaps extending across the recess at the open distal end to define a fluted aperture opening to the recess, wherein the resilient flaps are operative to deflect inwardly as the suction-end of the cigarette urges through the fluted aperture and to frictionally engage with the suction-end of the cigarette when the suction-end of the cigarette extends through the fluted aperture,
• wherein the elongate body and the ferrule are longitudinally moveable relative to each other from a first extent to a second extent,
• wherein, at the first extent, the elongate body and the ferrule are independently rotatable, and
• wherein, at the second extent, the first plurality of teeth and the second plurality of teeth circumferentially engage with each other such that the elongate body and the ferrule are circumferentially co-rotatable;
• an O-ring seated in a groove positioned between the user-graspable region of the elongate body and the external thread;
• and
• a sheath defining an opening at a proximal end to receive the ferrule, a complementarily configured internal thread operative to threadably engage with the external thread of the ferrule, and sized to enclose a cigarette suspended within the fluted aperture, and defining an internal surface to sealingly engage with the O-ring seated in the groove,
• wherein, at the first extent and when the external thread of the ferrule and the internal thread of the sheath are threadably engaged with each other, the elongate body is independently rotatable with respect to the ferrule and to the sheath,
• wherein, at the second extent and when the external thread of the ferrule and the internal thread of the sheath are threadably engaged with each other, the elongate body and the ferrule are circumferentially co-rotatable to threadably disengage the ferrule from the sheath.