Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CKGROIJND OF THE INVE~TIO~
14 This invention relates to a cni~d-resistant closure
16 and container combination whereby dangerous or hazardous
16 medications or the like carried within a container are safely
q contained therein by locking features of the container clo-
18 sure such tha~ the contents of the closure will not become
19 readily available to children. In other words~ the closure
and container are so constructed that the closure may be
21 easily positioned on the container into a locking position,
22 but in order to remove the closure from the container, some
28 considerable thought and specific intent is necessary. The
24 closure is constructed with a removal ta~ access to which
26 may be gained only when the removal tab overlies a notch
2~ .in an external flange on the container neck. The closure
27 includes on its internal surface a narrow, thick lug and a
28 wide, thin lug which mate with a narrow, deep slot and a wide,
29 shallow slot in a retaining rib on the upper neck portion of
So the container when the aforementioned removal tab is aligned
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with the notch in the external flange t:o allow rç~moval of
2 the closure from the container. ~hus" the closure must be
8 rotated to a predetermined circumferent:ial location in
4 order to remove it from locking engagement with the con-
6 tainer.
q~he prior art has suggested many types of safety
7 caps and container configucations for keeping poisons,
8 dangerous chemicals, and other medications away from chil-
9 dren or unsuspecting adults. ~xamples of such prior art
safety caps include those disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos.
11 3,170,585 (George H. O'Donnell), 3,627,160 (William Horvath),
12 3,7037974 ~Leo M. Boxer et al~, and 3,759,979 (Walter G.
18 Berghahn).
he prior art devices have heretofore suffered in
16 the respect that they have been difficult and expensive to
~ manufacture or have necessitated unduly complicated maneu-
17 vers in order to place the cap into engagement with the
18 container after the desired portion of the contents of the
19 container have been removed.
In the safety cap ield, it is usually desirable
21 to require a relatively high degree of manual dexterity
P2 in removing the cap, but once it is removed, it is desired
23 to replace it as quickly as possible without necessitating
24 complicated maneuvers. In addition, many of the prior art
26 safety closures have incorporated only one safety feature
2~ so that, through careful manipulation or the application
27 of excess force, this safety feature can be overcome and
28 becomes inoperative.
2~
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1 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
2 In its preferred form, this invention discloses
8 a safety cap or closure and container combination which
~ includes a cap member having top and depending wall por-
6 tions, the interior surface of the cap member being adapted
6 to receive the mouth portion o a container having a coacting
q or mating configuration. The interior surface of the clo-
8 sure has a narrow, thick lug and a wide, thin lug formed
9 thereon in the same semicircular span and being separated
lo from each other. The container mouth includes a retaining
11 rib which is interrupted by a narrow, deep slot and a wide,
1a shallow slot which are 5ized and spaced to mate with the
18 narrow, thick lug and wide, thin lug 9 respectively, on the
14 closure. ~he closure is adapted to slide over the mouth
16 portion of the container so that the lugs on the interior
16 of the closure will snap into engagement with the retaining
17 rib on the container mouth at any circumferential position.
18 However, the closure may be removed only when the closure
1~ has been rotated to a position where the respqctively sized
lugs and slots are in a mating position so that the lugs
21 will slide through the slots.
22 The container mouth also includes an external flange
28 which extends radially outwardly beyond the skirt portion
24 of the closure when it is applied to the container. This
26 flange includes a deep access notch which is formed by a
26 recessed portion of smaller radial extent than the main
27 body of the flange. A removal tab is formed at the lower
28 edge of the closure skirt and extends radially outwardly
2~ therefrom to a position approximating the radial extent
of the external flange on the container neck. Thus, access
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~0388~Z
1 to this removal tab may be had only when the removal tab
2 is positioned overlying the notch in the flange portion of
8 the container neck.
4 The closure and container combination of this
6 invention is formed so that the respective lugs on the clo-
~ sure and slots in the retaining rib of the container are in
7 alignment at a circumferential position simultaneously with
8 the alignment of the removal tab with the notch in the
~ 1ange portion of the container. Thusg the removal tab
is accessible only when the tab is positioned in ovexlying
Il relationship with the notch in the container neck flange and,
12 simultaneously, the lugs are aligned with the 810ts in the
18 retaining rib. When the closuxe is rotated to any other
14 circumferential location, both lugs on the closure are locked
lG beneath the retaining rib on the container and access to
18 the removal tab is made impossible by the flange on the con-
17 tainer neck. Thus, the combination of the lug-retaining
8 rib slot and the tab-container neck flange safety features
~ provides a double safe child-resistant closure and container
Combination.
21 In addition, the use of the two dissimilar lug
22 and slot configurations makes forced removal of the closure
28 from-the container at a position where only one lug is ad-
jacent to a notch impossible. In other words, the wide,
2~ thin lug will not pass through the narrow, deep slot, and
26 ~he narrow, thick lug will not pass through the wide, shal-
27 low notch. Thus, a third safety feature is incorporated
28 into ~he child-resistant closure of this invention.
2~ Thus, in accordance with the present teachings, a
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child-resistant closure and container combination is provided.
The combination comprises a flexible closure member which has
a top portion and a depending peripherally continuous wall
portion, the wall portion has an interior surface which has
a pair of inwardly projecting locking lugs of dissimilar con-
figuration and an inwardly projecting camming lug thereon. One
of the locking lugs has a first configuration and the other of
the locking lugs has a second configuration. The pair of locking
lugs are of limited annular extent and contained within a
separate semicircular span of the interior surface of the
closure wall portion from the camming lug. The container
has a mouth portion which has an outwardly projecting retaining
rib adjacent an upper end thereof. The retaining rib is
substantially continuous with a pair o slots of dissimilar
coniguration formed therein, one o the slots having a irst
configuration of suficient size to allow one of the locking lugs
to pass through the rib and the other of the slots has a
second configuration of sufficient size to allow the other of
the locking lug to pass through the rib. The locking lugs and
the camming lug engages the lower surface of the retaining rib
upon application of the closure to the container to hold the
closure on the container. The locking lug prevents removal
of the closure from the container except when one locking lug
is positioned adjacent one slot~and the other lug is
positioned adjacent the other slot.
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1 Other objects, features, and advantages o~ the
2 subject invention will become apparent to one skilled in
the art upon reference to the following detailed descrip-
tion and t~le drawings illustrating a pre~erred embodiment
6 thereof.
6 IN THE DR~WINGS
7 FIG. l is a perspective view of a child-resistant
8 closure and container combination incorporating the unique
g features of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the closure of
11 FIG. l;
12 FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the cLosuxe of
18 FIG. 2
14 FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the neck portion o
16 the container of FIGo l;
1~ FIG. 5 is a partial front elevation view of the
17 container of FIG. 4;
18 FIG. 6 is a top sectional view of the closure and
19 container combination o this invention in a locked position;
~o and
21 FIG. 7 is a top sectional viPw o the closure and
82 container COm'DinatiOn of this invention in a position whsre
28 the ~embers are aligned for removal of the closure.
24 A DISCLOSURE OF A PREFERRED EMBODIME~T
26 In its preferred embodiment, this invention is
26 illustrated in FIG. l to include a combinakion child-re-
87 sistant closure and container which are designated by the
28 numerals lO and 12, respectively. The closure l0, as
2~ can be seen in FIGS. l and 2, includes a top pane]. :L4 and
a depending wall or skirt portion 16. The closure :L0 also i~s
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1 on its external surface a removal tab 18 which extends out-
2 wardly from the lower edge of the ski~t 16. An arrow member
8 20 is formed to protrude upwardly from the top panel 14
~ and outwardly from the skirt 16 adjacent to the removal tab
C 18 to serve as a "touch and feel" locator or indicator for
8 the removal tab 18. The arrow member 20 is particularly
7 helpful when trying to find the removal tab in the dark or
8 for people with inferior eyesight, such as the blind or
a aged.
As can be seen in FIG. 3, the closure 10 includes
11 on it~ interior surface a pair o locking lugs 22 and 24
12 and a camming lug 26. Each o~ the lugs 22, 24 and 26
18 are formed on the interior surface of the skirt 16 adjacent
14 the lower edge thereof. The locking lug 22 has a wide, thin
1~ configuration and, in contrast, the locking lug 24 has a
1~ narrow, thick configuration. The camming lug 26 has a con-
l~ stant thickness and spans a larger circumferential portion
18 of the closure than do the locking lugs 22 and 24~ The
1~ ~unctions o each of these lugs will become apparent when
the remainder o this description has been read.
21 The neck portion of the container 12 can be seen
22 in the drawings to include a relatively large external 1ange
28 28 which extends outwardly from the neck of the container
24 a distance equal to or greater than the radial extent of
the removal tab 18 on the closure 10. A recessed portion
26 or notch 30 is formed in the flange 28 to provide access
27 to the removal tab 18 when the closure 14 is positioned in
28 engagement with the container 12. As can be seen in FIGS.
2~ 4 and 5, the container 12 includes a retaining rib 32 ad-
jacent the upper edge of the container neck. This retaining
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~38802 ::
1 rib 32 is adapted to cooperate with ~he lugs 22, 24 and 26
2 on the closure 10 to retain the closure 10 in locked engage-
8 ment with the container 12. The retaining rib 32 has formed
therein a wide, shallow slot 34 and a narrow, deep slot 36
~ which are identical in size and shape with the locking lugs
6 22 and 24 respectively.
q The operation of the child-resistant closure and
8 container combination of this invention can best be under
~ ~tood by reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. Initially, the closure
10 may be placed into engagement with the container 12
11 at any circumferential location as the lugs 22, 24 and 26
1~ on the closure 10 are adapted to slide over the retaining
18 rib 32 on the container 12 to lock thereunder. Once the
14 closure 10 has been placed into locking engagement with the
1~ container 12, three separate safety features are involved
16 in preventing the removal of the closure from the container.
17 Since the removal tab 18 is of the same radial
18 extent as the flange 28 on the container neck, access to
1~ this tab is prevented in all circumferential locations ex-
cept when the tab 18 is rotated into overlying relationship
21 with respect to the notch 30 in the flange 28 (as shown in
22 FIG. 7). Secondly, the locking lugs 22 and 24 combine
28 with the camming lug 26 to retain the closure in locked
24 engagement in all circumferential positions except where
26 the wide, thin lug and narrow, thick lug are positioned
26 adjacent the wide, shallow notch and the narrow, deep notch
2q respectively. As stated previously, the circumferential
2~ position, where the locking lugs 22 and 24 are adjacent to
23 slots 34 and 36, is identical to that where the removal
tab overlies the notch in the container flange~ The use
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1 of dissimilar sized lugs and notches as disclosed by this
2 invention prevents the possibility of t:he alignment of
8 one notch with one lug and the subsequent application of
4 considerable force to overcome the remaining resistance
6 created by only one lug being positioned under the retain-
6 ing ~ib. In this embodiment, the possibility of partial
7 alignment removal cannot occur, as the wide, thin lug can-
8 not slide through the narrow, deep slot, nor can the nar-
g row, thick notch be forced through the wide~ shallow slot.
o Thus, at all times except when the precise combination o
~1 ma~ing lugs and slots are positioned adjacent each other,
1~ both locking lu~s are retaining the closure in locking en-
18 gagement with the container. The camming lug 26 also pro-
14 vides additional locking engagement under the retaining bead
16 32; however, this camming lug 26 acts as a pivot or camming
1~ surface when the lu~s 22 and 24 are positione~ adjacent
17 their mating slots 34 and 36 and the removal tab 18 of the
18 closure is lifted so as to pivot the closure out of engage-
1~ ment with the container.
Thus, it can be seen from the preceding descrip-
21 tion that the child-resistant closure and container combina-
~2 tion of this invention overcomes the disadvantages associated
28 with the prior art in that the closure may be removed at
24 only one circumferential position and in that posit~on it
26 may be removed very easily. In all other circumferential
26 locations, there is both no access to the removal tab and
27 a complete blocking action provided to prevent removal of
28 the closure. However, in the desired removal position,
both access to the removal tab and ease of unlocking is pro-
vided by the simultaneous alignment of the removal tab with
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Form ~ j3
; ~9388~2
1 the flange notch and the alignment of the lock.ing lugs
2 ,with the respective slots in the retaining bead. It should
8 be understood that a variety of different lug and slot con-
4 figurations may be utilized and are encompassed within the
C scope of this invention.
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8 .
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11
12
18
14
16
18
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18
19
21
22 -
28
24
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26
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