Apparatus, method and system for determining the integrity of sealed containers

Apparatus for testing the integrity of a container (B) sealed by means of a closure comprising a resilient sealing element (S) and a cup-like cap (C) having a top and a depending skirt compressing said sealing element over the discharge opening in the container comprising means for measuring the change in thickness of the resilient sealing element resulting from compression including indicator means having a moveable actuator member (26) and visual indicia means showing changes in position of said actuator member, a sensing head assembly (30) including an anvil mounted on said actuator member adapted for limited universal movement, said anvil having a face (52) confronting the top of the cap to engage the same along a circular line adjacent to the tangent of the corner radius at its juncture to the top of the cap.

A system for testing the integrity of the seal of a container sealed by means of a closure comprising a resilient sealing element and a cap of cup-like form having a top and a depending skirt compressing said sealing element and locking the same in sealed relationship to the container comprising first measuring the height of the container before compression of the sealing element by apparatus including a base supporting the container, a sensing head engaging the cap and an indicator actuatable by the sensing head to provide a first visual indicia corresponding to the container height before compression of the seal, sealing the container and then again measuring the height of the container by said apparatus providing a second visual indicia corresponding to the container height after compression of the seal, correlating the difference between said first and second indicia and the precompression thickness of the sealing element and comparing it to a predetermined standard known to indicate sufficient compression to provide an adequate seal.