Container And Closure Cap Therefor

Abstract

A container having an inwardly directed shoulder forming a lower radial surface, and a closure cap therefor wherein the closure caP is provided with a depending flange portion adapted to fit within the mouth of the container and having a radial projection forming an upper radial surface adapted to cooperate with the lower radial surface carried by the container to thereby lock the closure cap to the container. Means are provided for flexing the closure cap to move the radial projection carried thereby out of engagement with the radial surface of the container to thereby release the closure cap. In an additional embodiment, a second depending flange is provided on the closure cap to prevent the cap from becoming contaminated when removed from the container, and in another embodiment, additional means are provided for maintaining the depending flange and radial projection carried by the closure cap in engagement with the corresponding radial surface carried by the container.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a container of the type having an inwardly directed shoulder adjacent the mouth thereof, and a snap-on closure cap having a depending flange portion adapted to fit within the open mouth of the container and be secured thereto.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Containers adapted to receive snap-on-type closure caps and such closure caps, per se, are generally well known in the art. Such containers and closure caps therefor generally utilize an outer peripheral lip adjacent the top of the container which is adapted to be engaged by an inwardly directed radial portion carried by a downwardly directed depending flange of the closure cap. Closure caps for containers of this type have, generally speaking, met with considerable success and have become widely utilized in the art. In addition to simple snap-on-type closure caps, various means have been provided for insuring that the closure cap remains locked to the container, such that a simple pull on the closure cap will not release the cap from engagement with the container. One such closure cap, including a locking means for preventing the closure cap from being accidentally removed from the container, is that disclosed in the issued U.S. Pat. No. 3,047,926, granted Oct. 29, 1968, entitled BOTTLE CAP.

With the advent of increasing safety requirements for containers and closure members therefor adapted to store medicines, toxic chemicals, and the like, it has become desirable to provide some means for preventing young children from opening such containers. While the prior art has provided various locking devices for securing the closure cap to the container, such devices tend to require a multiplicity of elements and require a complicated opening procedure which does not readily adapt itself to single-handed operation or a single motion for releasing the closure cap from the container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a container having an inwardly directed shoulder adjacent the open mouth of the container, and a closure cap therefor comprising a cap section and a flexible depending flange portion which is dimensioned to fit within the open mouth of the container. The depending flange is provided with an outwardly directed radial projection formed adjacent the lower portion thereof which is adapted to engage the inwardly directed radial surface of the container. A flexible central portion interconnects the lower part of the closure cap depending flange such that downward pressure applied to the center of the central portion results in a flexing of the depending flange and the radial projection carried thereby moves downwardly and radially inwardly away from the inwardly directed shoulder carried by the container to thereby release the closure cap and allow its removal from the container.

As a result of the present invention, a container and closure cap structure is provided which will prevent the closure cap from being removed by a simple upward pull on the closure cap without providing an additional simultaneous downward push on the center of the closure cap. Thus, a child or one unfamiliar with the operation of the container and closure cap of the present invention will not be readily able to open the closure cap to release the contents from the container.

Further, the present invention provides a container and safety closure cap therefor which may be readily operated by one hand, and, although requiring simultaneous upward and downward pressure on the closure cap, requires only one independent movement to release the closure cap from the container.

In an additional embodiment, additional means are provided on the closure cap to insure that the closure cap will not become contaminated upon being removed from the container, and in another embodiment, means are provided for insuring that the depending flange portion of the closure cap will remain in contact with the container when it is not desired that the closure cap be opened.

It is therefore an object of he present invention to provide a container and closure cap therefor which utilizes an unexpected sequence of simultaneous motions for release of a closure cap from a container.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a container and safety closure cap therefor wherein the closure cap may be secured to and removed from the container by a simple, single-handed motion, and which provides an additional means for preventing the closure cap from being removed during storage or shipping of the container.

The many features and advantages of the present invention will be pointed out in the following detailed description and claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose, by way of example the principles of the invention in the best mode which has been contemplated of applying these principles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the container and closure cap therefore of the subject invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the container and closure cap of FIG. 1, taken along the lines 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the container and closure cap of FIG. 1, illustrating the simultaneous motion sequence for opening the closure cap.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a modification of the closure cap of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an additional modification of the closure cap of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a modification of the closure cap of FIG. 1, and including a retaining ring.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the modification of the closure cap and retaining ring of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a portion of a sectional view of a modification of the closure cap and retaining ring of FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 of the drawing illustrates a container 10 having a mouth portion 12 to which is secured a closure cap 18. As best seen in FIG. 2, the container 10 includes a radially inwardly directed shoulder 14 adjacent the top of the mouth 12. The lowermost portion of the shoulder 14 forms a lower radial surface 16 which may be in the form of a continuous circumferential shoulder, or, alternatively, a plurality of radial projections extending inwardly from circumferentially spaced points around the mouth 12 of container 10. The upper portion of the shoulder 14 extends upwardly and outwardly from the lower radial surface 16 so as to form a chamfered edge 17.

The closure cap 18 is generally cup-shaped in design and is proportioned to fit within the mouth 12 of the container 10. The closure cap 18 comprises a central disc-shaped cap section 24 having an upstanding circumferential flange 22 whose outer diameter is less than the smallest inner diameter of the mouth 12 of the container 10. Extending outwardly from the upper portion of the upstanding circumferential flange 22 is an annular cap section 20 which overlays the rim of the mouth 12 of the container 10. Adjacent the lower portion of the upstanding circumferential flange 22 is an outwardly directed radial projection 26. The upper portion of the radial projection 26 forms an upper radial surface 28 which is adapted to engage the lower radial surface 16 of the container 10. The lower surface of the radial projection 26 extends inwardly and downwardly from the upper radial surface 28 so as to form a chamfered edge 29.

Second to the center of the central cap section 24 is a disc member 30 having a downwardly directed pin 32. As illustrated, the pin 32 is frictionally held within a socket 33 integrally formed with the central cap section 24, although it is readily apparent that any suitable means may be used to secure the pin 32 to the central cap section 24. The outer diameter of the disc member 30 is less than the inner diameter of the circumferential flange 22 and the length of the downwardly directed pin 32 is preferably such that the upper surface of the disc 30 will be flush with the upper surface of the annular cap section 20.

By having the disc 30 flush with the annular cap section 20, a suitable tamperproof seal 21 may be added to the closure cap 18 after assembly, as for example a wax or paper strip between the disc 30 and annular cap section 20, which will be broken upon depressing the disc 30 to remove the closure cap 18 from the container 10.

Preferably, the container 10 will be in the shape of a bottle and molded from a plastic material. However, it can be readily seen that the container 10 may take any shape which provides a mouth portion 12 and an inwardly directed shoulder 14 adjacent the mouth portion, and that any material may be utilized for the construction of the container 10.

Preferably, the closure cap 18, including the annular cap section 20, circumferential flange 22, radial projection 26, and central cap secton 24, will be integrally molded from a relatively flexible material such as plastic or rubber.

The operation of the closure cap 18 is illustrate by FIG. 3. When it is desired to release the closure cap 18 from engagement with the container 10, pressure is applied to the disc 30 in a downwardly direction which in turn causes the central cap section 24 to flex downwardly as indicated by the arrow 31. Simultaneously, upwardly directed pressure is applied to the annular cap section 20, as illustrated by the arrows 33. Upon downward flexing of the central cap section 24, the circumferential flange 22 is flexed radially inwardly, thus causing the radial projection 26 to move inwardly and downwardly. Upon the upper radial surface 28 of the radial projection 26 moving out of engagement with the lower radial surface 16 of the shoulder 14 carried by the container 10, the simultaneous upwardly directed pressure applied to the annular cap section 20 results in a lifting of the closure cap 18 out of engagement with the mouth 12 of the container 10.

The disc 30 is dimensioned such that it moves downwardly within the confines of the circumferentially surrounding flange 22 until it contacts the inner surface thereof at a point adjacent the radial projection 26. At this point, the upper radial surface 28 of the radial projection 26 is completely disengaged from the lower radial surface 16 of the shoulder 14. The engagement of the disc 30 with the circumferential flange 22 signifies the termination of the disengaging sequence, whereupon the closure cap 18 may be pulled upwardly out of the container 10. The application of upward pressure applied to the annular cap section 20 facilitates the flexing of the depending flange 22 to aid in disengaging the upper radial surface 28 from the lower radial surface 16.

When it is desired to reclose the mouth 12 of the container 10, the closure cap 18 is positioned thereover, and downward pressure is applied to the disc 30. The chamfered edge 29 of the radial projection 26 rides along the chamfered edge 17 of the shoulder 14 until the upper radial surface 28 snaps into preliminary engagement with the lower radial surface 16 carried by the container 10. At this point, pressure is released from the center of the disc 30, thus allowing the disc 30 to move upwardly to its original position due to the inherent tendency of the central cap section 24 and the circumferential flange 22 to return to the relaxed state. This simultaneously fully engages the upper radial surface 28 with the lower radial surface 16 to fully secure the closure cap 18 to the bottle 10.

In this manner, the closure cap of the subject invention is fully secured to the bottle 10, and may not be removed by merely applying upward pressure to the annular cap section 20, but requires an additional, unexpected application of downward pressure to the center of the central cap section 24 by depressing the disc member 30.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, an additional depending flange 36 is provided which extends downwardly from the annular cap section 20 and is dimensioned to circumferentially surround the outer surface of the mouth 12 of the container 10.

As illustrated, the depending flange 36 has an axial length greater than that of the inner circumferential flange 22. This allows the closure cap 18 to be placed right side up on a table or the like after removal from the container 10 without the inner portions coming in contact therewith. Thus the portions of the closure cap 18 which contact the contents of the container 10 will not become contaminated upon removal of the closure cap 18 from the container 10. The provision of the additional depending flange 36 does not hinder in any way the operation of the closure cap 18. The additional depending flange 36 also serves as an additional guide for inserting the inner circumferential flange 22 of the closure cap 18 within the bottle 10 and provides rigidity to the neck 12 so that upward pressure applied to one side of the annular cap section 20 will not result in an accidental removal of the closure cap 18 since the additional depending flange 36 will hold the bottle neck 12 against the inner circumferential flange 22. A sealing member 23 may also be provided on the under side of the annular cap section 20 to provide a more positive fluid seal between the closure cap 18 and the container 10.

The embodiment of the closure cap 18 illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings provides an upstanding pin 34 extending from the center of the central section 24 rather than the pin 32 and disc 30 of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2. A structure of this type can be used in place of that of the embodiments of FIGS. 1-3 when it is desirable to mold the closure cap 18 and pin 34 as a single integral unit for saving weight and material during manufacture. The operation of the closure cap illustrated in FIG. 5 is substantially the same as that discussed with reference to FIGS. 1-3.

In order to insure that the closure cap 18 does not become disengaged from the container 10 during storage or shipping of the container, a cylindrical holding member 38 may be applied to the closure cap 18, as illustrated by FIG. 6 of the drawings. The cylindrical member 38 is dimensioned such that its outer surface forms a snug fit with the radially inner surface of the circumferential flange 22 of the closure cap 18. By forming the cylindrical member 38 from a relatively rigid material, the circumferential flange 22 of the closure cap 18 will be restrained against flexing radially inwardly to thereby release the radial projection 26 from engagement with the shoulder 14 of the container 10. The cylindrical holding member 38 may have an upper closed end 40 or, alternatively, can be merely in the form of an open ended cylinder.

Two connecting tab members 42 can be provided for securing the cylindrical member 38 to the annular cap section 20 of the closure cap 18. As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, two radial grooves 43 are provided in the upper surface of the annular cap section 20 to receive the tab members 42. One of the tabs 42 may be secured to the annular cap section 20 by any suitable means. For example, the closure cap 18 and the cylindrical holding member 38 and tabs 42 may be molded as an integral unit if so desired. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 7, a downwardly directed lip 44 may be provided adjacent one end of the opposite tab 42 which is dimensioned to form a snap fit with the outer surface of the annular cap section 20 to thereby frictionally secure the cylindrical holding member in place within the closure cap 18.

Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 8, mutually engaging serrations 46 may be provided in the outer surface of the cylindrical holding member 38 and the inner surface of the circumferential flange 22 of the closure member 18 to thereby increase the frictional engagement between the cylindrical holding member 38 and the circumferential flange 22 to more positively couple the cylindrical holding member to the closure cap 18. With the cylindrical holding member 38 engaged with the circumferential flange 22 of the closure cap 18, the closure cap 18 is firmly secured to the container 10 and may not be removed therefrom without first removing the cylindrical member 38. In this manner, it is impossible to accidentally remove the closure cap 18 during storage or shipping of the container, and any internal pressure developed within the container 10, as for example by expansion of the contents, will likewise fail to release the radial projection 26 from engagement with the shoulder 14 of the container 10.

The container and closure cap of the subject invention thus provides a structure which has relative ease of operation, while simultaneously providing an unexpected mode of operation, to thus hinder the removal of the closure cap from the container by one unfamiliar with its operation. While the particular discussion above has been directed to the preferred embodiments of this invention, it is obvious that modifications and variations therein may be effected without substantially departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of this invention, as set forth by the following claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. In combination, a container having a rim defining an open mouth including an internal shoulder forming a downwardly facing radial surface adjacent said mouth, and a flexible safety closure cap therefor comprising:

an annular cap section overlying said rim of said container and extending outwardly therebeyond;

a first depending flange projecting below said annular cap section and proportioned to fit within said container mouth;

an external shoulder extending outwardly from said first flange and forming an upwardly facing radial surface engaging said downwardly facing radial surface of said container thereby securing said closure cap to said container;

a central cap section interconnected with the lower portion of said flange and below said external shoulder; and

a second depending flange projecting downwardly from said annular cap section and having a diameter greater than the outer diameter of said container rim and extending therearound to restrict flexing of said closure cap whereby said closure cap can not be removed from said container by only applying an upward force to said annular cap section, but can be removed by simultaneously pressing said central cap section downwardly to flex said second flange outwardly and said first flange inwardly thereby moving said external shoulder out of engagement with said internal shoulder.

2. The combination as in claim 1 wherein said second flange projects downwardly below said central cap section.

3. The combination as in claim 1 wherein a disc member having a downwardly directed vertical pin is secured to the center of said central cap section.

4. The combination as in claim 3 wherein the outer diameter of said disc member is less than the inner diameter of said first depending flange whereby upon depressing said disc member, said pin deflects said central cap section and said disc moves downwardly within said first depending flange to a point adjacent said external shoulder.

5. The combination as in claim 1 wherein said upwardly and downwardly facing radial surfaces are each continuous circumferential surfaces.

6. The combination as in claim 1 wherein the surface of said internal shoulder above said downwardly facing radial surface and the surface of said external shoulder below said upwardly facing radial surface are mutually chamfered.

7. The combination as in claim 1 wherein said closure cap includes a removable cylindrical member having an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of said first depending flange and adapted to engage therewith to prevent inward flexing of said depending flange thereby to positively prevent removal of said closure cap from said container.

8. The combination as in claim 7 wherein said cylindrical member includes at least one radial tab extending outwardly therefrom adapted to releasably engage the outer periphery of said annular cap section of said closure cap.

9. The combination as in claim 7 wherein the inner surface of said first depending flange and the outer surface of said cylindrical member have mutually engaging serrations.