Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CHILD-RESISTANT CAP
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
f00011 Not Applicable.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
l00021 This disclosure pertains to child -resistant packaging and more
particularly
to internally threaded caps or closures that are highly resistant to removal
from a container
by a child, but which can be easily removed by an elderly, weak or infirm
adult,
BACKGROUND OF THE. DISCLOSURE
j00031 Child-resistant locking closures were invented in the I 960'sõ and
have been
widely used as a last line of defense against the risk of children ingesting
dangerous
materials, The Poison Prevention Packaging Act requires the use. of
child.resistant
packaging for most pregtiptien drugs, ovevthe-eounter drugs, household
chemicals, and
other hazardous materials that:could be dangerous for children.
[0004) There are now hundreds of child-resistant packaging designs
available.
Most of these designs require two dissimilar motioas for opening, which are
intended to be
easy for adults, yet difficult for children, However, the 1.1,S, Consumer
Product Safety
Commission has stated that there isis no such thing as, child-proof packaging.
Thus, the
objective is :to design packaging that denies access to most children,
v,.thile allowing access
to most adults. Existing child-resistant packaging is reasonably effective at
preventing
most children from opening such containers, while allowing most adults easy
access to the
contents of such containers. However, because most of these designs rely on a
disparity
between the knowledge, strength and/or dexterity of the typical adult as
compared with the
typical child, there are precocious and/or unusually strong or.dexterous
children that will
be able to open existing child,resistant packaging, and there are weak,
elderly or infirm
adults that will be denied access to the eontentS Of chi Id-teSiStant
packaging.
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[0005] Thus, there is a need for an improved child-resistant cap or closure
for a
container that allows fewer children to open the container and also allows
more adults to
open the container.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0006] The disclosed childqesistant closure has a screw-on inner cap
covered by
an outer cap. A griping surface on a sidewall of the inner cap is exposed
through at least
on-e cutout in the outer cap. The cutout or cutouts limit contact between the
fingers and
hands of a User and the inner cap to an area of the gripping surface that is
sufficient to allow
an adult to apply the force needed 'CO remove the cap from a container, while
being too
small to allow a child, especially a smaller child to contact a sufficiently
large area of the
.gripping surface to allow removal of the closure from the container.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a child-resistant closure in
accordanee with
this disclosure,
[00081 figure 2 is a top perspective view of the inper cap of a child-
resistant closure
in accordance with this disclosure>
110009] Figure 3 is a bottom perspective view of the inner cap of the child-
resistant
closure.
[00101 Figure 4 is a top perspective view of the outer cap of the child-
resistant
closure;
[00111 Figure 5 is :a. bottom perspective view of the outer cap of the
child-resistant
closure,
(00121 Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view showing threading
engagement
between the child-resistant closure and a container.
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[00131 Figure 7 is
an illustration of seven common techniques for removing a
screw-on lid from a. container,
00141 Figure 8 is
a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a child-
resistant closure in accordance with this disclosure.
[00151 Figure 9
is:a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of a child-
resistant closure in accordance With this diScloanre
DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS
[00.1.6] Shown in
Figure 1 is a child-resistan closure 10 in accordance with this
disclosure. Closure 10 includes an inner tap 12 (shown in Figures 2 and 3)6
and an outer
cap 14 (shown in Figures 4 and 5). As shown in Figure 1, inner cap 12 is
nested within
and retained by outer cap 14.
[0017] Outer cap 14
includes a lip portion 16 that extends radially inwardly of a
lateral wall 24 that dep..nth from a top wall 19, In the illustrated
embodiment, lip portion
16 is located at a bottom edge of wait 28, but could conceivably extend from
an interior
side 29 of wall 28 disposed in spaced relation to the bottom edge of wail 28,
Lip portion
1.6 retains inner cap 12 within outer cap 14 so that it cannot be easily
separated from the
outer cap when the closure 10 is completely removed from a container,
[0018] Inner cap 12
includes a top wall 41 and a depending circumferential S. ide
wall 20 having an interior surface 21 provided with internal threads 34 for
engaging
external threads 36 on a container 22 (see Figure 6), and an exterior surface
23 provided
with gripping features 32. In the illustrated embodiment, gripping features:
32 r,tomprise
plurality t-if parallel elongate protuberances or ribs that extend vertically
(Le., parallel to
the screw axis of cap 12), however, other types of gripping features can be
employed, such
as hemispherical bumps, knurls, or the like, The interior side 29 of wall 2 is
smooth and
substantially free of protuberances, undulations or other relief features to
minimize
engagement between the interior surfaces 29 of outer cap 14 and the gripping
features 32
of inner cap 12. The smoothness of the interior surfaces 29 of outer cap 14
prevents the
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application of forces applied to the exterior surfaces of wall 28 of Outer cap
14 to he
transferred to the exterior surface 23 of inner cap 12 or gripping features
32. Rather, torque
applied to extetior surfaces: of wall 28 of outer cap 14 would cause only the
outer cap 12
to rotate with interior surfaces of outer cap 14 sliding along exterior
surfaces of inner cap
12. This prevents a child from using gross motor control and large muscles to
effect
removal of the closure. Frictional engagement can be further reduced or
eliminated by
using a stiffer outer cap audlor providing an annular gap between the exterior
lateral
surfaces of the inner cap and interior lateral surfaces Of the outer cap.
[0019] The
lateral wall 28 includes an upper elongate cutout section 24 and a lower
elongate cutout section 26 that is spaced from the cutout 24 and separated
from cutout 24
by a bridge portion 30. Cutouts 24 and 26 expose gripping features 32 on
exterior surface
23 (if side,wall 20 of inner cap 12. The cutouts 24 arid 26: art sized so that
substantially the
entire surface of the thutnb. Of a typical adult can contact either the
exposed gripping
features 31, whereas the thumb of a typical child would contact a
substantially reduced
area of the exposed gripping surfaces. Therefore, a child would need to apply
substantially
more thumb pressure in order to apply the amount of force needed to unscrew
closure 10
from a container 22. For example,, a typical adult has a distal phalanx
portion of the thumb
that is about 30 min long and ANA 20 min wide, whereas a typical Child might
have a
distal phalanx portion of the thumb that is about 25 mm by 15 MM. Thus, if the
cutouts 24
and 26 are sized to have a length alorn-; the circumference that is about 30
mm and widths
that are each about 6 trim with the bridge having a width of about 8 mm, the
thumb of the
typical adult would contact about 360 square millimeters of the exposed
gripping surface,
whereas the thumb of the typical child would contact only about 175 square
millimeters.
Therefore, if the closure is designed so that a predetermined amount of
pressure must be
exerted on the gripping surface to allow a typical adult to remove the closure
10 from a
container 22, a typical child would be required to apply more than. twice the
amount of
pressure needed by the typical adult to remove the closure. Stated
differently, a.ti adult,
size thumb can wrap around the bridge 30 to apply pressure and torque to inner
cap 12,
whereas a child-Size thumb cannot wrap around bridge 30 to allow sufficient
contact with
the exposed gripping surface.
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[0020] The.
amount of effort needed to open the Container 22 can be .controlled by
appropriate design of the threads (e.g., pitch, lead, thread angle, thread
depth, etc.), and by
providing the closure with a stop 46 that prevents over-tightening of closure
10 onto a
container 22. Stop 46 is located on the interior surface 21 of wall 20 of
inner cap 12, and
includes a bottom or stop surface 47 that engages an upper edge surface 50 of
bottle .22 to
ensure that the amount of torque or force needed to remove closure 10 does not
vary
appreciably after it is tightened onto bottle 22,
[0021] In the
illustrated embodiment, inner cap 12 is provided with one-way ratchet
ramps 40 on the upper surface of top wall 41. Ramps 40 each include a sloped
surface 52
and a stop surface 54. Outer cap 14 can be provided with one-way ratchet ramps
42 on
bottom surface 44 of top wall 19. Each of ramps 42 includes a sloped surface
56 and a stop
surface 58. in the illustrated embodiment, clockwise rotation of outer cap 14
causes outer
cap 14 and inner cap 12 to lock and rotate together when stop surfaces 54 and
58 contact.
Counterclockwise rotation of outer cap 14 causes caps 12 and 14 to sup or
slide past each
other as sloped surfaces 52 and 56 engage, causing only outer cap 14 to rotate
unless
adequate pressure is applied to the surfaces of inner cap 12 exposed through
cutouts 24 and
26.
[0022] it has
been determined that most people remove screw-on lids or caps from
containers, such as medicine bottles, using one of seven different techniques
illustrated in
Figure 7, These techniques utilize both gross and fine motor control but can
be categorized
as either one of three. techniques predominantly utilizing gross motor control
or one of four
techniques predominantly utilizing fine motor control to execute the gripping
technique.
Those techniques predominantly involving gross motor control rely on max
imiziug contact.
between the peripheral side wall and/or top of the lid or cap and the fingers
and/or hand of
the user, The "cylindrical" and 'pronated cylindrical" techniques, each
maximize contact
with the peripheral side wall of the lid by placing the length of the index or
middle finger,
length of the thumb, and a portion of the hand between the index (or middle,
ring, little
finger) and thumb against the side wait and using larger hand/wrist muscles to
achieve a
grip that is strong enough to remove the lid: the difference between the
techniques being
the palm facing in the opposite direction of a comparable cylinder grip when
the pronated
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cylindrical grip is employed. The lout commonly used techniques for removing a
screw'
on lid from a container that predominantly employ line motor control do not
principally
rely on contact between the hand and -lid, but instead primarily involve
contact between the
finger(s) and thumb and the side wall of the lid. These techniques generally
involve
contacting only the tip andlor pulp of the index finger and thumb at opposing,
peripheral
surfaces of the lid, the exception being the "box." technique, which involves
placement of
the thumb pulp and side of the middle finger knuckle on opposite lid
surfaces:, and the index
linger tip andior pulp on a peripheral side surface of the lid approximately
half-way
between the surfaces: contacted by the middle finger and thumb. In each of the
techniques
involving fine motor control, the grip needed to facilitate removal of the lid
is established
and maintained primarily by using the fingers and thumb,
[00231 It has
been discovered that children, especially smaller children that are at
risk of ingesting potentially harmful substances (e4,, prescription drugs),
generally rely on
one of the techniques that predominantly utilize gross motor icontrol, because
use of fine
motor control is typically underdeveloped in smaller children. In contrast; it
has been
discovered that adults (without physical or cognitive impairments that affect
their ability
to open screw-on lid containers) more frequently use techniques that
predominantly utilize
fine motor control to remove a screw-On lid from a container,
[0024] The
child-resistant caps of this disclosure are desiRned to significantly limit
the efficacy of techniques that predominantly utilize gross motor control for
removing a
screw-on. cap from a bottle Or other container. More prmisely, the disclosed
designs
prevent contact between the top of the inner cap and the fingers or hands of a
user
attempting to remove the lid, and also severely limits contact with the
peripheral side wall
of the inner cap, allowing substantially all adults (without physical or
cospitive impairment
that affect their ability to open screw-ou lid containeW, including the
elderly, to remove
the lid, while preventing substantially all children under the age Of five
frOin removing the
[0025] Shown
in Figure .8 is an alternative embodiment 110 similar to that shown
in Figures 1-6, but with the outer cap 1.1.4 having two upper elongate cutout
sections 124
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and two lower elongate cutout sections 120, each upper elongate cutout
separated from a
corresponding lower elongate cutout by a bridge portion 130. The cutouts
expose areas of
exterior surface 1,23 arid gripping. features 132 of side wall 120 sufficient
to allow an adult
to position an index finger tip or pulp .............................. OP one
side of the inner cap and a thumb tip or pulp
on the opposite side, and apply suffiCient pressure and torque to facilitate
removal of the
closure 110 from a container, While preventing a child froth removing the cap
in a similar
manner or from employing gross motor control and large muscles. Specifically,
the cutouts
limit exposure of the exterior surface 123 and gripping features 132 to an
area that is not
large enough to facilitate contact with surfaces of the user's hand, fingers
and/or thumb
that would allow closure removal techniques employing gross motor control and
large
muscles.
[00261 Another alternative closure 210 similar to closure 110 is shown in
Figure 9.
Closure 210 differs from closure 110 by eliminating bridge portions 130.
Rather, outer cap
214 has two cutouts 124 on opposite sides of closure 210 The elimination of
bridge
portions 130 improve the efficacy of fine motor control grip interfaces while
maintaining
reduced efficacy of gross motor control grip interfaces. Stated differently,
the elimination
of bridge portions .130 make it easier for elderly or infirm adults to remove
the closure,
while still preventing the effective use of gross motor control and large
muscles,. typically
employed by children to remove'screw-on caps from. containers.
[0027] The above description is intended to be illustrative and not
restrictive. Many
embodiments and applications other than the examples provided would be
apparent upon
reading the above description. The scope of the invention Should be determined
with
reference to the appended claims along with the ful]. scope of equivalents to
which such
claims are entitled. It is anticipated and intended that future developments
will occur, and
that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future
embodiments.
[0028] All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their
broadest
reasonable constructions and their ordinary meanings. as understood by those
knowledgeable in the technologies described herein unless an explicit
indication to the
contrary is made herein. In particular, use Of the singular articles such as
"a," "the," "said,"
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etc., -should be read to recite one or moro of the indicated elements unie8s.
a &dm recites
an explicit limitation to the contrary.
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