U.S. patent application number 11/775810 was filed with the patent office on 2009-01-15 for convertible container closure.
This patent application is currently assigned to BERRY PLASTICS CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Mark N. Russell.
Application Number | 20090014404 11/775810 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40252229 |
Filed Date | 2009-01-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090014404 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Russell; Mark N. |
January 15, 2009 |
CONVERTIBLE CONTAINER CLOSURE
Abstract
A convertible closure includes a lid and a lid-mover ring
coupled to the lid. The lid is adapted to mate with a filler neck
of a container to close an opening into the filler neck. The
lid-mover ring can be used to rotate the lid in clockwise and
counterclockwise directions to mate and unmate the lid and the
filler neck. The convertible closure can be modified by a user to
function in a child-resistant (CR) mode or a non-CR mode.
Inventors: |
Russell; Mark N.; (Lititz,
PA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BARNES & THORNBURG LLP
11 SOUTH MERIDIAN
INDIANAPOLIS
IN
46204
US
|
Assignee: |
BERRY PLASTICS CORPORATION
Evansville
IN
|
Family ID: |
40252229 |
Appl. No.: |
11/775810 |
Filed: |
July 10, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/220 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 50/041
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/220 |
International
Class: |
B65D 50/04 20060101
B65D050/04 |
Claims
1. A convertible closure comprising a lid including a base adapted
to be mounted on a container to close a mouth opening into a
storage region formed in the container, first and second
torque-receiving lugs coupled to the base and arranged to lie in
spaced-apart relation to one another, and first and second
torque-receiving teeth coupled to the base and arranged to define a
flange-receiving channel therebetween, and a lid-mover ring
including a shell arranged to surround the lid and rotate relative
to the lid about an axis of rotation extending through the base of
the lid, a lid-mover tab coupled to the shell and arranged to mate
with the first and second torque-receiving lugs of the lid upon
upward movement of the lid along the axis of rotation to a raised
position relative to the shell, and a lid-mover flange coupled to
the shell and arranged to mate with the first and second
torque-receiving teeth of the lid upon downward movement of the lid
along the axis of rotation away from the raised position to a
lowered position relative to the shell, wherein the shell is formed
to include an annular side wall surrounding the lid and a top rim
coupled to the annular side wall to overlie a portion of the lid
and formed to include a central aperture opening into an interior
region of the shell bounded by the top rim and annular side wall to
expose the base of the lid, the lid-mover flange is coupled to the
annular side wall of the shell and arranged to extend inwardly
toward the base of the lid and into the flange-receiving channel to
mate with the first and second torque-receiving teeth coupled to
the base to impart rotary motion to the lid in response to
clockwise and counterclockwise movement of the shell about the axis
of rotation only when the lid has been moved to assume the lowered
position relative to the shell, and the lid-mover tab is coupled to
the top rim of the shell and arranged to extend downwardly toward
the base to mate with the first torque-receiving lug coupled to the
base to impart clockwise rotary motion to the lid in response to
clockwise movement of the shell about the axis of rotation only
when the lid has been moved to assume the raised position relative
to the shell and to mate with the second torque-receiving lug
coupled to the base to impart counterclockwise rotary motion to the
lid in response to application of an external push-down force to
the shell to move the top rim of the shell downwardly toward the
base to deform elastically the lid-mover tab and to place the lid
in an elevated position above the raised and lowered positions
relative to the shell and counterclockwise movement of the shell
about the axis of rotation only when the lid has been moved to
assume the elevated position relative to the shell.
2. The convertible closure of claim 1, wherein the top rim has an
outer edge, the annular side wall depends from the outer edge of
the top rim, the lid is arranged to lie in the interior region of
the shell, the lid-mover tab is coupled to an interior wall of the
top rim facing into the interior region, and the lid-mover tab is
arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the annular side wall
of the shell to define a gap therebetween.
3. The convertible closure of claim 2, wherein the top rim has an
annular shape, the lid-mover ring further includes a plurality of
other lid-mover tabs, the lid-mover tabs are coupled to the
interior wall of the top rim and arranged to lie in
circumferentially spaced-apart relation to one another and extend
downwardly into the interior region of the shell to mate with the
lid when the lid has been moved to assume one of the raised and
elevated positions relative to the shell, and the lid further
includes a plurality of other torque-receiving lugs coupled to the
base and arranged to mate with the lid-mover tabs.
4. The convertible closure of claim 3, wherein each lid-mover tab
includes an elastic shaft formed to include a lid-installation
drive face and a root arranged to interconnect the top rim and the
elastic shaft and formed to include a lid-removal drive face, the
lid-installation drive face of each elastic shaft is arranged to
engage one of the torque-receiving lugs on the base of the lid
during clockwise movement of the shell of the lid-mover ring about
the axis of rotation when the lid has been moved to assume the
raised position relative to the shell, and the lid-removal drive
face of the root is arranged to engage one of the torque-receiving
lugs on the base of the lid during counterclockwise movement of the
shell of the lid-mover ring about the axis of rotation and elastic
deformation of the elastic shaft when the lid has been moved to
assume the elevated position relative to the shell.
5. The convertible closure of claim 2, wherein the lid-mover tab
includes an elastic shaft formed to include a lid-installation
drive face and a root arranged to interconnect the top rim and the
elastic shaft and formed to include a lid-removal drive face, the
lid-installation drive face is arranged to engage the first
torque-receiving lug on the base of the lid during clockwise
movement of the shell of the lid-mover ring about the axis of
rotation when the lid has been moved to assume the raised position
relative to the shell, and the lid-removal drive face of the root
is arranged to engage the second torque-receiving lug on the base
of the lid during counterclockwise movement of the shell of the
lid-mover ring about the axis of rotation and elastic deformation
of the elastic shaft when the lid has been moved to assume the
elevated position relative to the shell.
6. The convertible closure of claim 5, wherein the elastic shaft of
the lid-mover tab is arranged to lie at an angle to the interior
wall of the top rim when the lid has been moved to assume the
raised position relative to the shell and is arranged to lie in
about a spaced-apart parallel position to the interior wall of the
top rim when the lid has been moved to assume the elevated position
relative to the shell owing to elastic deformation of the elastic
shaft in a space provided in the interior region of the shell
between the top rim of the shell and the base of the lid.
7. The convertible closure of claim 5, wherein the base of the lid
includes a ring-shaped platform arranged to lie in spaced-apart
confronting relation to the interior wall of the top rim, the first
and second torque-receiving lugs are coupled to the ring-shaped
platform and arranged to extend upwardly toward the interior wall
of the top rim, the elastic shaft of the lid-mover tab is arranged
to lie at an angle to the ring-shaped platform of the base of the
lid when the lid has been moved to assume the raised position
relative to the shell, and the elastic shaft of the lid-mover tab
is arranged to mate along a length thereof with the ring-shaped
platform of the base when the lid has been moved to assume the
elevated position relative to the shell and the lid-removal face of
the root is arranged to mate with the second torque-receiving lug
owning to elastic deformation of the elastic shaft.
8. The convertible closure of claim 7, wherein the lid-removal
drive face is oriented to cooperate with the interior wall of the
top rim to define an obtuse included angle therebetween, the first
torque-receiving lug includes a substantially vertical
torque-transmission face oriented to mate with the lid-installation
drive face of the lid-mover tab during clockwise movement of the
shell about the axis of rotation when the lid has been moved to
assume the raised position, the second torque-receiving lug
includes an angled torque-transmission face oriented to mate with
the lid-removal drive face of the lid-mover tab during
counterclockwise movement of the shell about the axis of rotation
when the lid has been moved to assume the elevated position, and
the angled torque-transmission face of the second torque-receiving
lug is oriented to cooperate with the ring-shaped platform to
define an included angel therebetween that is about equal to said
obtuse included angle.
9. The convertible closure of claim 1, wherein the annular side
wall of the shell is formed to include a direct-drive annular
channel and a spin-free annular channel located between the
direct-drive annular channel and the top rim, the lid-mover flange
is arranged to lie in the direct-drive annular channel and the
torque-receiving teeth are arranged to lie in the spin-free annular
channel to avoid mating engagement with the lid-mover flange during
clockwise and counterclockwise movement of the shell about the axis
of rotation relative to the lid when the lid has been moved to
assume one of the raised and elevated positions relative to the
shell, and the torque-receiving teeth are arranged to lie in the
direct-drive annular channel to mate with the lid-mover flange
during clockwise and counterclockwise movement of the shell about
the axis of rotation relative to the lid when the lid has been
moved to assume the lowered position relative to the shell.
10. The convertible closure of claim 9, wherein the shell includes
a channel partition coupled to the annular side wall and located
between the direct-drive annular channel and the spin-free annular
channel and configured to provide means for normally retaining the
torque-receiving teeth included in the lid in the spin-free annular
channel formed in the annular side wall of the shell until a
downward external position-changing force has been applied to the
lid to cause the torque-receiving teeth to move relative to the
shell to spread portions of the annular side wall of the shell in
radially outward directions so that the torque-receiving teeth are
moved from the spin-free annular channel past the channel partition
and into the direct-drive annular channel.
11. The convertible closure of claim 10, wherein the channel
partition is ring-shaped and arranged to extend in a radially
inward direction from the annular side wall of the shell into the
interior region of the shell.
12. The convertible closure of claim 10, wherein the annular side
wall of the shell includes a lid mount formed to include the
direct-drive annular channel and the spin-free annular channel and
a rim support arranged to interconnect the top rim and the lid
mount, the top rim and the rim support cooperate to form a
tab-receiving cavity located between the top rim and the spin-free
annular channel, and the lid-mover tab is located in the
tab-receiving cavity.
13. The convertible closure of claim 9, wherein the shell includes
several other lid-mover flanges and the lid-mover flanges are
arranged to lie in the direct-drive annular channel in
circumferentially spaced-apart relation to one another.
14. The convertible closure of claim 1, wherein the base of the lid
includes a ring-shaped platform and an annular side wall depending
from an outer perimeter edge of the ring-shaped platform, the first
and second torque-receiving lugs are coupled to the ring-shaped
platform and arranged to extend upwardly away from the annular side
wall of the base and toward the top rim of the shell, and the first
and second torque-receiving teeth are coupled to the annular side
wall of the lid and arranged to extend radially outwardly toward
the annular side wall of the shell.
15. The convertible closure of claim 14, wherein the annular side
wall of the lid includes a vertical cylindrical panel and a
chamfered panel arranged to interconnect the ring-shaped platform
and the vertical cylindrical panel and the first and second teeth
are coupled to a lower end of the vertical cylindrical panel and
arranged to lie in vertically spaced-apart relation to the
chamfered panel.
16. The convertible closure of claim 14, wherein the lid-mover tab
includes an elastic shaft formed to include a lid-installation
drive face and a root arranged to interconnect the top rim and the
elastic shaft and formed to include a lid-removal drive face, the
lid-installation drive face is arranged to engage the first
torque-receiving lug on the ring-shaped platform of the base of the
lid during clockwise movement of the shell of the lid-mover ring
about the axis of rotation when the lid has been moved to assume
the raised position relative to the shell, and the lid-removal
drive face of the root is arranged to engage the second
torque-receiving lug on the ring-shaped platform of the base of the
lid during counterclockwise movement of the shell of the lid-mover
ring about the axis of rotation and elastic deformation of the
elastic shaft when the lid has been moved to assume the elevated
position relative to the shell, the shell further includes several
other lid-mover flanges coupled to the annular side wall of the
shell and arranged to lie in circumferentially spaced-apart
relation to one another and extend inwardly toward the annular side
wall of the lid, and the lid further includes a plurality of other
torque-receiving teeth that are coupled to the base and arranged to
extend radially outwardly to mate with the lid-mover flanges
coupled to the annular side wall of the shell.
17. The convertible closure of claim 14, wherein the base of the
lid further includes a dome coupled to an inner perimeter edge of
the ring-shaped platform and arranged to extend from the
ring-shaped platform in an upward direction away from the annular
side wall of the lid, the dome includes a top wall exposed in the
central aperture formed in the top rim and a cylinder-shaped wall
arranged to extend from an outer perimeter edge of the top wall of
the dome to the inner perimeter edge of the ring-shaped platform,
and the ring-shaped platform is arranged to surround the dome.
18. The convertible closure of claim 14, wherein the lid includes a
helical internal thread coupled to an interior surface of the
annular side wall of the lid.
19. The convertible closure of claim 17, wherein the top wall of
the dome has an upwardly facing top exterior surface exposed in the
central aperture formed in the top rim, the top rim has an upwardly
facing top exterior surface, and the upwardly facing top exterior
surfaces are arranged to lie in substantially coplanar relation one
to another when the lid has been moved to assume the raised
position.
20. A convertible closure comprising a lid-mover ring including a
shell formed to include an interior region, a lid-mover tab made of
an elastic material and coupled to the shell and arranged to extend
into the interior region, and a lid-mover flange coupled to the
shell and arranged to extend into the interior region, and a lid
mounted for movement in the interior region of the lid-mover ring
between a lowered position wherein torque-receiving teeth included
in the lid mate with the lid-mover flange to cause the lid to
rotate with the lid-mover ring about an axis of rotation in
response to rotation of the lid-mover ring about the axis of
rotation, an elevated position above the lowered position wherein a
lid-removal drive face included in the lid-mover tab is arranged to
engage a torque-receiving lid included in the lid during
counterclockwise movement of the shell of the lid-mover ring about
the axis of rotation, and a raised position located between the
lowered and elevated positions wherein a lid-installation drive
face included in the lid-mover tab is arranged to engage another
torque-receiving lug included in the lid during clockwise movement
of the shell of the lid-mover ring about the axis of rotation.
21. The convertible closure of claim 20, wherein the shell of the
lid-mover ring includes a top rim and an annular side wall coupled
to the top rim to form a boundary of the interior region and the
lid-mover tab is arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the
annular side wall to form a gap therebetween.
22. The convertible closure of claim 21, wherein the lid-mover tab
includes an elastic shaft formed to include the lid-installation
drive face and a root arranged to interconnect the top rim and the
elastic shaft and formed to include the lid-removal drive face.
23. The convertible closure of claim 22, wherein the
lid-installation drive face is arranged to face in a first
direction and the lid-removal drive face is arranged to face in an
opposing second direction.
24. The convertible closure of claim 22, wherein the elastic shaft
of the lid-mover tab is arranged to lie at an angle to the interior
wall of the top rim when the lid has been moved to assume the
raised position relative to the shell and is arranged to lie in
about a spaced-apart parallel position to the interior wall of the
top rim when the lid has been moved to assume the elevated position
relative to the shell owing to elastic deformation of the elastic
shaft in a space provided in the interior region of the shell
between the top rim of the shell and the base of the lid.
25. The convertible closure of claim 22, wherein the lid includes a
ring-shaped platform arranged to lie in spaced-apart confronting
relation to the interior wall of the top rim, the first and second
torque-receiving lugs are coupled to the ring-shaped platform and
arranged to extend upwardly toward the interior wall of the top
rim, the elastic shaft of the lid-mover tab is arranged to lie at
an angle to the ring-shaped platform of the lid when the lid has
been moved to assume the raised position relative to the shell, and
the elastic shaft of the lid-mover tab is arranged to mate along a
length thereof with the ring-shaped platform of the lid when the
lid has been moved to assume the elevated position relative to the
shell and the lid-removal face of the root is arranged to mate with
the second torque-receiving lug owning to elastic deformation of
the elastic shaft.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present disclosure relates to container closures, and
particularly to "child-resistant" container closures. More
particularly, the present disclosure relates to "convertible"
container closures that are configured to be used in a
"child-resistant" (CR) mode or a "non-CR" mode at the option of a
user.
SUMMARY
[0002] A convertible closure in accordance with the present
disclosure is configured to mate with a container to close an
opening into a filler neck included in the container. The
convertible closure is configured to be modified in the field by a
user to function either in a "child-resistant" (CR) modes or in an
easy-to-open non-CR mode.
[0003] In illustrative embodiments, the convertible closure
includes a lid mounted for movement in an interior region formed in
a surrounding lid-mover ring. The lid includes a base, axially
upwardly extending torque-receiving lugs coupled to a ring-shaped
platform included in the base, and radially outwardly extending
torque-receiving teeth coupled to an annular side wall of the base.
The lid-mover ring includes a shell, several downwardly extending
lid-mover tabs coupled to the underside of an annular top rim
included in the shell, and several inwardly extending lid-mover
flanges coupled to an interior surface of an annular side wall of
the shell.
[0004] When the closure is in the non-CR mode, the lid-mover
flanges of the lid-mover ring always mate with the torque-receiving
teeth of the lid during installation of the convertible closure on
the container filler neck and removal of the closure from the
container filer neck. In such a non-CR mode, the lid has been moved
by a user relative to the surrounding lid-mover ring to assume a
"lowered" position to cause the torque-receiving teeth of the lid
to mate with the lid-mover flanges of the lid-mover ring during
both clockwise and counterclockwise of the lid-mover ring about an
axis of rotation relative to the container filler neck while the
lid is mounted on the container filler neck.
[0005] When the closure is in the CR mode, the lid can be moved by
a user relative to the surrounding lid-mover ring to assume either
(1) a "raised" position (above the lowered position) to modify the
closure so that the lid-mover ring can be rotated in a clockwise
direction about the axis of rotation to cause the lid-mover tabs on
the lid-mover ring to mate with the torque-receiving lugs on the
lid during installation of the closure on the container filler neck
or (2) an "elevated" position (above the lowered and raised
positions) to modify the closure so that the lid-mover ring can be
rotated in a counterclockwise direction about that axis of rotation
to cause the lid-mover tabs to mate with the torque-receiving lugs
during removal of the closure from the container filler neck. To
remove the closure (in the CR mode) from the filler neck, it is
necessary for the user first to apply an external "push-down" force
to the lid-mover ring while the lid is mounted on the container
filler neck to place the closure on the filler neck in the CR mode
to cause the lid to move relative to the lid-mover ring from the
raised position to the elevated position. Then the user rotates the
lid-mover ring in the counterclockwise direction to cause the lid
and lid-mover ring to rotate in unison about the axis of rotation
in a closure-removal direction relative to the container filler
neck. To install the closure (in the CR mode) on the filler neck,
any rotation of the lid-mover ring by the user in the
counterclockwise direction will cause the lid and lid-mover ring to
rotate in unison about the axis of rotation in a cap-installation
direction relative to the container filler neck.
[0006] Additional features of the present disclosure will become
apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the
following detailed description of illustrative embodiments
exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as
presently perceived.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The detailed description particularly refers to the
accompanying figures in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a canister including a
container and a convertible closure in accordance with the present
disclosure;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing an open mouth
formed in a threaded filler neck of the container of FIG. 1 and
showing the convertible closure of FIG. 1 ("top" illustration) in a
"push-down-and-turn-to-open" child-resistant (CR) mode shown in
greater detail in a sectional view provided in FIG. 9 wherein top
exterior surfaces of a lid and a surrounding lid-mover ring lie in
substantially the same plane and also showing the same convertible
closure of FIG. 1 ("bottom" illustration) in an alternative easy
"rotate-to-open" non-CR mode shown in greater detail in a sectional
view provided in FIG. 12 wherein a downward external
position-changing force (represented by a double arrow) has been
applied by a user to the lid (when the closure has been separated
from the container filler neck) to move the lid downwardly relative
to the surrounding lid-mover ring from a raised position to assume
a lowered position located below the top surface of the lid-mover
ring;
[0010] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective assembly view of the
canister of FIG. 1 showing, in series, from top to bottom, a
lid-mover ring, a lid that is configured to mate with the lid-mover
ring in "raised" and "elevated" positions to establish a
"child-resistant" closure and, alternatively, in a "lowered"
position to establish an "easy-open" non-CR closure, and a
container including a filler neck configured to mate with the lid
to allow the lid to close the mouth of the filler neck;
[0011] FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial perspective view of the
lid-mover ring of FIG. 3 showing a shell and three of six
downwardly extending cantilevered lid-mover tabs that are appended
to an interior wall of a top rim of the shell and configured to
transmit rotary motion from the lid-mover ring to the lid during
installation of the lid on the filler neck and removal of the lid
from the filler neck when the closure is "modified" in the field by
a user to assume the CR mode shown, for example, in FIGS. 9-11 and
also showing four of the many radially inwardly extending lid-mover
flanges that are appended to an interior surface of a lower portion
of the annular side wall of the shell and configured to transmit
rotary motion from the lid-mover ring to the lid during
installation of the lid on the filler neck and removal of the lid
from the filler neck when the closure is "modified" in the field by
a user to assume the non-CR mode shown, for example, in FIGS. 12
and 13;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4
showing six cantilevered lid-mover tabs coupled to the interior
wall of an annular top rim of the shell and arranged to lie in
spaced-apart relation to one another and to a surrounding
cylindrical interior surface of the annular side wall of the
shell;
[0013] FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial perspective view of one of the
cantilevered lid-mover tabs shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 showing that the
lid-mover tab includes an elastic shaft formed to include a
"left-facing" lid-installation drive face and a root arranged to
interconnect the elastic shaft and the annular top rim and formed
to include a "right-facing" lid-removal drive face;
[0014] FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial perspective view of the lid of
FIG. 3 showing a downwardly opening "cup-shaped" base and a helical
internal thread provided on a cylindrical interior surface of an
annular side wall of the base and configured to mate with a helical
external thread (shown in FIG. 2) provided on the filler neck of
the container and also showing four of the axially upwardly
extending torque-receiving lugs appended to a ring-shaped platform
included in the base and dozens of radially outwardly extending
torque-receiving teeth appended to a bottom edge of the annular
side wall of the base;
[0015] FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the lid of FIG. 7 showing a
portion of the lid-mover ring surrounding the base of the lid and
showing insertion of two of the radially inwardly extending
lid-mover flanges included in the lid-mover ring into two separate
flange-receiving channels defined by four of the radially outwardly
extending torque-receiving teeth included in the lid;
[0016] FIGS. 9-11 show an illustrative "push-down-and-turn-to-open"
technique of removing the convertible closure from the filler neck
of the container when the closure has been modified by a user to
assume the CR mode;
[0017] FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 1
after the closure (in the CR mode) has been mounted on the filler
neck of the container and showing the lid in the raised position
relative to the lid-mover ring and showing engagement of the
lid-installation drive face of a selected lid-mover tab depending
from the top rim of the shell of the lid-mover ring with a
companion vertical driven face on a first of the axially upwardly
extending torque-receiving lugs included in the lid;
[0018] FIG. 10 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 9 showing
downward movement of the lid-mover ring toward the container to
begin to compress the elastic shafts of the cantilevered lid-mover
tabs and to cause the lid to move (relative to the lid-mover ring)
from the raised position shown in FIG. 9 to the elevated position
shown in FIG. 11 while the lid remains in a fixed position relative
to the filler neck in response to application of a "push-down"
force (represented by a double arrow) to the lid-mover ring by a
user;
[0019] FIG. 11 is a sectional view similar to FIGS. 9 and 10
showing the lid in the elevated position relative to the lid-mover
ring and showing counterclockwise rotation of the lid-mover ring
about a vertical axis relative to the lid (after "full" compression
of the elastic shafts of the lid-mover tabs) in response to
application of a counterclockwise "turn" torque to the lid-mover
ring by the user to cause the angled lid-removal drive face on the
root of the selected lid-mover tab to mate with an angled
torque-transmission face provided on a second of the axially
upwardly extending torque-receiving lugs included in the lid to
cause the lid to rotate in a counterclockwise "lid-removal"
direction in unison with the lid-mover ring and relative to the
filler neck of the container so that the closure can be removed
from the container;
[0020] FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 1
showing the lid in the lowered position relative to the lid-mover
ring after the convertible closure has been "converted" by a user
for use in the non-CR mode mounted on the filler neck of the
container; and
[0021] FIG. 13 is a partial sectional view taken along line 13-13
of FIG. 12 showing mating engagement of three of the radially
inwardly extending lid-mover flanges included in the lid-mover ring
with six of the radially outwardly extending torque-receiving teeth
included in the lid so that clockwise rotation of the lid-mover
ring relative to the filler neck always transmits torque to the lid
to cause the lid to rotate relative to the filler neck during
installation of the closure in the non-CR mode on the filler neck
and so that counterclockwise rotation of the lid-mover ring
relative to the filler neck always transmits torque to the lid to
cause the lid to rotate relative to the filler neck during removal
of the closure in the non-CR mode from the filler neck.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] A convertible closure 10 in accordance with the present
disclosure includes a lid 12 and a lid-mover ring 14 as suggested
in FIGS. 1 and 3. Convertible closure 10 is configured to be
modified in the field at the option of a user to mate with a filler
neck 16 included in a container 18 in either a CR
("child-resistant") mode 21 as suggested in FIGS. 2 and 9-11 or a
non-CR mode 22 as suggested in FIGS. 2, 12, and 13. In CR mode 21,
a "push-down-and-turn" motion must be applied by the user to
lid-mover ring 14 to remove lid 12 from filler neck 16 while only a
"turning" motion must be applied by the user to lid-remover ring 14
to mount lid 12 on filler neck 16 as suggested in FIGS. 9-11. In
non-CR mode 22, only turning motions must be applied by the user to
lid-mover ring 14 to mount lid 12 on filler neck 16 and remove lid
12 from filler neck 16 as suggested in FIGS. 12 and 13.
[0023] An illustrative container 18 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
Container 18 includes a filler neck 16 coupled to an underlying
vessel 20. Filler neck 16 is formed to include a mouth 24 opening
into a storage region 25 formed in vessel 20. An external thread 26
is provided on filler neck 16 to mate with an internal thread 28
(see FIG. 7) provided on lid 12 to retain lid 12 in a mounted
position on filler neck 16 closing mouth 24. It is within the scope
of the present disclosure to use any suitable retention means to
retain lid 12 in the mounted position on filler neck 16 and to
provide a container 18 having any suitable size and shape.
[0024] An illustrative embodiment of lid-mover ring 14 is shown,
for example, in FIGS. 4-6. Lid-mover ring 14 includes a shell 30,
lid-mover tabs 31-36 coupled to shell 30, and several lid-mover
flanges 38 coupled to shell 30. Lid-mover tabs 31-36 are used to
transmit rotary motion applied by a user from lid-mover ring 14 to
lid 12 when closure 10 is in CR mode 21 as suggested in FIGS. 9-11.
In contrast, lid-mover flanges 38 are used to transmit rotary
motion applied by a user from lid-mover ring 14 to lid 12 when
closure 10 is in non-CR mode 22 as suggested in FIGS. 13 and
13.
[0025] Shell 30 of lid-mover ring 14 is arranged to surround lid 12
as suggested in FIGS. 1 and 2 and rotate relative to lid 12 about
an axis of rotation 39 extending through lid 12 as suggested in
FIGS. 11 and 12. In an illustrative embodiment, shell 30 is formed
to include an annular side wall 40 and a top rim 42. Annular side
wall 40 is arranged to surround lid 12 as shown, for example, in
FIGS. 2 and 9. Top rim 42 has an annular shape in the illustrated
embodiment.
[0026] Top rim 42 is coupled to annular side wall 40 and arranged
to overlie a portion of lid 12 as shown in FIGS. 9-12. Top rim 42
is formed to include an inner edge 44 defining a central aperture
46 opening into an interior region 48 of shell 30 bounded by
annular side wall 40 and top rim 42 as shown, for example, in FIG.
4. Top rim 42 also has an outer edge 49 and annular side wall 40
depends from outer edge 49 of top rim 42 to form interior region 48
as suggested in FIG. 4.
[0027] Annular side wall 40 of shell 30 includes a lid mount 50 and
a rim support 52 arranged to interconnect lid mount 50 and outer
edge 49 of top rim 42 as suggested in FIG. 4. Rim support 52 is
arranged to surround lid 12 as suggested in FIGS. 9-12 and lid
mount 50 is arranged to mate with lid 12 when closure 10 is in
non-CR mode 22 as suggested in FIGS. 12 and 13.
[0028] Lid mount 50 is formed to include a "direct-drive" annular
channel 54, a "spin-free" annular channel 56, and a channel
partition 55 located between channels 54 and 56 as suggested in
FIGS. 4 and 9. Each channel 54, 56 is arranged to open inwardly
toward lid 12 located in interior region 48 of shell 30. Channel
partition 55 has an annular shape and is coupled to annular side
wall 40 and arranged to extend radially inwardly toward lid 12 in
the illustrated embodiment.
[0029] Rim support 52 has an annular shape as shown in FIGS. 4 and
5. Rim support 52 cooperates with top rim 42 to form a
tab-receiving cavity 58 located between top rim 42 and spin-free
annular channel 56 as suggested in FIGS. 4 and 5. Lid-mover tabs
31-36 coupled to top rim 42 are arranged to lie in tab-receiving
cavity 58 as suggested in FIGS. 4, 5, and 12.
[0030] As suggested in FIGS. 4-6, each lid-mover tab 31-36 is
coupled to an interior wall 60 of top rim 42. Interior wall 60
faces into interior region 48 of shell 30. Each lid-mover tab 31-36
is arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to annular side wall 40
of shell 30 as shown best in FIGS. 4 and 5 to define a gap 62
therebetween. Owing to the presence of gap 62, none of lid-mover
tabs 31-36 are connected to or located on annular side wall 40 of
shell 30 of lid-mover ring 14. Lid-mover tabs 31-36 are configured
to move in interior regions 48, 58 in shell 30 relative to annular
side wall 40 of shell 30 in CR mode 21 of closure 10 as suggested
in FIGS. 9-12.
[0031] Each lid-mover tab 31-36 includes a root 70 and an elastic
shaft 72 as suggested in FIGS. 4-6. Root 70 is coupled to interior
wall 60 of top rim 42 and is arranged to interconnect top rim 42
and elastic shaft 72. Root 70 is formed to include a lid-removal
drive face 71 and elastic shaft 72 is formed to include a
lid-installation drive face 73 as shown best in FIG. 6. In an
illustrative embodiment, lid-mover ring 14 is a monolithic
component made of an elastic plastics material to cause each
elastic shaft 72 to be made of a deformable elastic material. As
used herein, "elastic" means capable of recovering size and shape
after deformation.
[0032] Each lid-mover flange 38 of lid-mover ring 14 is arranged to
lie in direct-drive annular channel 54 formed in lid-mount 50 of
annular side wall 40 as shown, for example, in FIG. 4. Lid-mover
flanges 38 are coupled to annular side wall 40 and arranged to lie
in circumferentially spaced-apart relation to one another in
direct-drive annular channel 54 as suggested in FIGS. 4 and 13. In
an illustrative embodiment, each lid-mover flange 38 is a thin,
flat blade having an upper end coupled to channel partition 55 and
a lower end coupled to a radially inwardly extending annular lip 74
coupled to a bottom edge of lid-mount 50 as shown, for example, in
FIGS. 4 and 9-12. Lip 74 and channel partition 55 are arranged to
lie in spaced-apart relation to one another to define direct-drive
annular channel 54 therebetween.
[0033] An illustrative embodiment of lid 12 is shown, for example,
in FIGS. 3, 7, and 8. Lid 12 includes a base 80, torque-receiving
lugs 81-86 coupled to base 80, and dozens of torque-receiving teeth
88 coupled to base 80. Torque-receiving lugs 81-86 are arranged to
mate with lid-mover tabs 31-36 included in lid-mover ring 14 to
transmit rotary motion from lid-mover ring 14 to lid 12 when
convertible closure 10 is modified by a user to operate in CR mode
21 as suggested in FIGS. 9-11. Torque-receiving teeth 88 are
arranged to mate with lid-mover flanges 38 included in lid-mover
ring 14 to transmit rotary motion from lid-mover ring 14 to lid 12
when convertible closure 10 is modified by a user to operate in
non-CR mode 22 as suggested in FIG. 12 and 13.
[0034] Each torque-receiving lug 81-86 includes an angled
torque-transmission face 87a and a substantially vertical
torque-transmission face 87b as shown, for example, in FIGS. 7 and
8. For each torque-receiving lug 81-86, its angled
torque-transmission face 87a is oriented to face in a first
direction and its vertical torque-transmission face 87b is oriented
to face in an opposite second direction. Angled torque-transmission
face 87a of a torque-receiving lug 81-86 mates with a lid-removal
drive face 71 on root 70 of a companion lid-mover tab 31-36 during
removal of a closure 10 in CR mode 21 from container filler neck
16. Vertical torque-transmission face 87b of a torque-receiving lug
81-86 mates with a lid-installation drive face 73 on elastic shaft
72 of a companion lid-mover tab 31-36 during installation of a
closure 10 in CR mode 21 on container filler neck 16.
[0035] Each pair of adjacent torque-receiving teeth 88 included in
lid 12 cooperate to define a radially outwardly opening
flange-receiving channel 88' therebetween. Each flange-receiving
channel 88' is sized to receive one of lid-mover flanges 38 therein
upon movement of lid 12 relative to lid-mover ring 14 to the
lowered position as shown, for example, in FIGS. 12 and 13 when
closure 10 is in non-CR mode 22.
[0036] Base 80 of lid 12 includes a ring-shaped platform 90 shown
in FIGS. 3 and 7 and arranged to lie in spaced-apart confronting
relation to interior wall 60 of annular top rim 42 of shell 30 of
lid-mover ring 14 as suggested in FIGS. 9-12. Torque-receiving lugs
81-86 are coupled to ring-shaped platform 90 and arranged to extend
upwardly toward interior wall 60 of top rim 42.
[0037] Base 80 of lid 12 also includes an annular side wall 92
depending from an outer perimeter edge 91 of ring-shaped platform
90 as shown in FIG. 7. Torque-receiving teeth 88 are coupled to
annular side wall 92 of lid 12 and arranged to extend radially
outwardly toward annular side wall 40 of shell 30. In an
illustrative embodiment, annular side wall 92 of lid 12 includes a
vertical cylindrical panel 94 and an annular chamfered panel 93
arranged to interconnect ring-shaped platform 90 and vertical
cylindrical panel 94. Torque-receiving teeth 88 are coupled to a
lower end of vertical cylindrical panel 94 and arranged to lie in
vertically spaced-apart relation to chamfered panel 93 as suggested
in FIG. 7. Internal thread 28 is coupled to an interior surface 29
of vertical cylindrical panel 94 of annular side wall 92 of base 80
of lid 12 as shown, for example, in FIG. 7.
[0038] Base 80 of lid 12 also includes a dome 96 coupled to an
inner perimeter edge 89 of ring-shaped platform 90 as shown in FIG.
7. Dome 96 is arranged to extend from ring-shaped platform 90 in an
upward direction away from annular side wall 92 of base 80. Dome 96
includes a round top wall 97 exposed in central aperture 46 formed
in top rim 42 as suggested in FIGS. 1, 2, and 7. Dome 96 also
includes a cylinder-shaped wall 98 arranged to extend from an outer
perimeter edge of top wall 97 to inner perimeter edge 89 of
ring-shaped platform 90 as shown in FIG. 7. Ring-shaped platform 90
is arranged to surround dome 96 as suggested in FIGS. 3 and 7.
[0039] Lid 12 is mounted for movement in interior region 48 of
lid-mover ring 14 between a "lowered" position shown in FIG. 12, a
"raised" position shown in FIG. 9, and an "elevated" position shown
in FIG. 11. Lid 12 is placed by a user in the lowered position to
establish non-CR mode 22 of convertible closure 10. Alternatively,
lid 12 is placed by a user in either the raised position or the
elevated position to establish CR mode 21. The raised position is
used during installation of closure 10 on a container filler neck
16. The elevated position is used during removal of closure 10 from
container filler neck 16.
[0040] In non-CR mode 22, lid 12 is located in the lowered position
as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. This location causes torque-receiving
teeth 88 included in lid 12 mate with lid-mover flange 38 to cause
lid 12 to rotate with lid-mover ring 14 about axis of rotation 39
in response to rotation of lid-mover ring 14 about axis of rotation
39.
[0041] In CR mode 21, lid 12 can be located in the elevated
position shown, for example, in FIG. 1 during removal of closure 10
from container filler neck 16. The elevated position is located
above the raised and lowered positions as shown in FIGS. 9, 11, and
12. In the elevated position, a lid-removal drive face 72 included
in each of lid-mover tabs 31-36 is arranged to engage a companion
torque-receiving lug lid 12 during counterclockwise movement of
shell 30 of lid-mover ring 14 about axis of rotation 39 in
closure-removal direction. Also in CR mode 21, lid 12 can be a
raised position located between the lowered and elevated positions
as shown in FIG. 9. This causes a lid-installation drive face 73
included in each of lid-mover tabs 31-36 to be arranged to engage
another torque-receiving lug included in lid 12 during clockwise
movement of shell 30 of lid-mover ring 14 about axis of rotation 39
in a closure-installation direction.
[0042] Each lid-mover flange 38 is coupled to shell 30 and arranged
to mate with a companion pair of first and second torque-receiving
teeth 88 of lid 12 upon downward movement of lid 12 along axis of
rotation 39 away from the raised position to a lowered position
relative to shell 30 as suggested in FIGS. 12 and 13. Each
lid-mover flange 38 is coupled to annular side wall 40 of shell 30
and arranged to extend inwardly toward base 80 of lid 12 and into a
companion flange-receiving channel 88' to mate with first and
second torque-receiving teeth 88 that are arranged in spaced-apart
relation to one another to define that companion flange-receiving
channel 88' therebetween. Each lid-mover flange 38 is coupled to
base 80 to impart rotary motion to lid 12 in response to clockwise
and counterclockwise movement of shell 30 about axis of rotation 39
only when lid 12 has been moved to assume the lowered position
relative to shell 30 to cause convertible closure 10 to be placed
in non-CR mode 22.
[0043] Shell 30 of lid-mover ring 14 is arranged to surround lid 12
and rotate relative to lid 12 about an axis of rotation 39
extending through base 80 of lid 12 as suggested in FIGS. 2 and 3.
Each lid-mover tab 31-36 is coupled to shell 30 and arranged to
mate with a companion pair of first and second torque-receiving
lugs 81-86 of lid 12 upon upward movement of lid 12 along axis of
rotation 39 to the raised position relative to shell 30. Each
lid-mover tab 31-36 is coupled to top rim 42 of shell 30 and
arranged to extend downwardly toward base 80 to mate with a
companion first torque-receiving lug coupled to base 80 to impart
clockwise rotary motion to lid 12 in response to clockwise movement
of shell 30 about axis of rotation 39 only when lid 12 has been
moved to assume the raised position relative to shell 30 as
suggested in FIG. 9. As suggested in FIGS. 10 and 11, each
lid-mover tab 31-36 is arranged to mate with a companion second
torque-receiving lug coupled to base 80 to impart counterclockwise
rotary motion to lid 12 in response to (1) application of an
external push-down force 100 to shell 30 to move top rim 42 of
shell 30 downwardly toward base 86 to deform elastically lid-mover
tabs 31-36 and to place lid 12 in the elevated position above the
raised and lowered positions relative to shell 30 and (2)
counterclockwise movement of shell 30 about axis of rotation 39 in
lid-removal direction 101 only when lid 12 has been moved to assume
the elevated position relative to shell 30.
[0044] Lid-mover tabs 31-36 are coupled to interior wall 60 of top
rim 42 and arranged to lie in circumferentially spaced-apart
relation to one another as suggested in FIG. 5 and extend
downwardly into interior region 48 of shell 30 as suggested in FIG.
4 to mate with lid 12 when lid 12 has been moved to assume one of
the raised and elevated positions relative to shell 30. Each
lid-mover tab 31-36 includes an elastic shaft 72 formed to include
a lid-installation drive face 73 and a root 31-36 arranged to
interconnect top rim 42 and elastic shaft 72 and formed to include
a lid-removal drive face 71. Lid-installation drive face 73 of each
elastic shaft 72 is arranged to engage one of torque-receiving lugs
81-86 on base 80 of lid 12 during clockwise movement of shell 30 of
lid-mover ring 14 about axis of rotation 39 when lid 12 has been
moved to assume the raised position relative to shell 30 in CR mode
21. Lid-removal drive face 71 of root 70 is arranged to engage
another one of torque-receiving lugs 81-86 on base 80 of lid 12
during counterclockwise movement of shell 30 of lid-mover ring 14
about axis of rotation 39 and elastic deformation of elastic shaft
72 when lid 12 has been moved to assume the elevated position
relative to shell 30 also in CR mode 21.
[0045] As suggested in FIG. 9, elastic shaft 72 of lid-mover tab 31
is arranged to lie at an angle to interior wall 60 of top rim 42
when lid 12 has been moved to assume the raised position relative
to shell 30. As suggested in FIG. 11, elastic shaft 72 of lid-mover
tab 31 is arranged to lie in about a spaced-apart parallel position
to interior wall 60 of top rim 42 when lid 12 has been moved to
assume the elevated position relative to shell 30 owing to elastic
deformation of elastic shaft 72 in a space provided in interior
region 48 of shell 30 between top rim 42 of shell 30 and base 80 of
lid 12.
[0046] Base 80 of lid 12 includes a ring-shaped platform 90
arranged to lie in spaced-apart confronting relation to interior
wall 60 of top rim 42 as suggested in FIGS. 9-12. Torque-receiving
lugs 81-86 are coupled to ring-shaped platform 90 and arranged to
extend upwardly toward interior wall 60 of top rim 42 as suggested
in FIGS. 3 and 9-12. Elastic shaft 72 of lid-mover tab 31 is
arranged to lie at an angle to ring-shaped platform 90 of base 80
of lid 12 as suggested in FIG. 9 when lid 12 has been moved to
assume the raised position relative to shell 30 and
lid-installation face 73 of elastic shaft 72 is arranged to mate
with torque-receiving lug 81. Elastic shaft 72 of lid-mover tab 31
is arranged to mate along a length thereof with ring-shaped
platform 90 of base 80 as suggested in FIG. 11 when lid 12 has been
moved to assume the elevated position relative to shell 30 and
lid-removal face 71 of root 70 is arranged to mate with
torque-receiving lug 86 owing to elastic deformation of elastic
shaft 72.
[0047] Lid-removal drive face 71 is oriented to cooperate with
interior wall 60 of top rim 42 to define an obtuse included angle
therebetween as suggested in FIGS. 4, 6, and 9-12. Each
torque-receiving lug 81-86 includes a substantially vertical
torque-transmission face 87b oriented to mate with a
lid-installation drive face 73 of a companion lid-move tab 31-36
during clockwise movement of shell 30 about axis of rotation 39
when lid 12 has been moved to assume the raised position. Each
torque-receiving lug 81-86 also includes an angled
torque-transmission face 87a oriented to mate with lid-removal
drive face 71 of a companion lid-mover tab 31-36 during
counterclockwise movement of shell 30 about axis of rotation 39
when lid 12 has been moved to assume the elevated position. Angled
torque-transmission face 87a of second torque-receiving lug is
oriented to cooperate with ring-shaped platform 90 to define an
included angle therebetween that is about equal to said obtuse
included angle as suggested in FIG. 11.
[0048] Torque-receiving teeth 88 of lid 12 are arranged to lie in
spin-free annular channel 56 formed in lid-mover ring 14 to avoid
mating engagement with lid-mover flange 38 during clockwise and
counterclockwise movement of shell 30 about axis of rotation 39
relative to lid 12 when lid 12 has been moved to assume one of the
raised and elevated positions relative to shell 30 as suggested in
FIGS. 9 and 10. Torque-receiving teeth 88 are arranged to lie in
direct-drive annular channel 54 to mate with lid-mover flanges 38
during clockwise and counterclockwise movement of shell 30 about
axis of rotation 39 relative to lid 12 when lid 12 has been moved
to assume the lowered position relative to shell 30 as suggested in
FIG. 11.
[0049] Channel partition 55 is configured to provide means for
normally retaining torque-receiving teeth 88 included in lid 12 in
spin-free annular channel 56 formed in annular side wall 40 of
shell 30 until a downward external position-changing force 102 (see
FIG. 2) has been applied to lid 12 to cause torque-receiving teeth
88 to move relative to shell 30 to spread portions of annular side
wall 40 of shell 30 in radially outward directions so that
torque-receiving teeth 88 are moved downwardly from spin-free
annular channel 56 past channel partition 55 and into direct-drive
annular channel 54. Such a position change is accomplished when
closure 10 has been removed from container filler neck 16 and
placed on a flat surface (not shown) and then downward external
position-changing force 102 is applied to lid 12 while lid-mover
ring 14 is "at rest" on the flat surface.
[0050] Top wall 97 of dome 96 has an upwardly facing top exterior
surface 103 exposed in central aperture 46 formed in top rim 42 as
suggested in FIGS. 1, 2, and 9-12. Top rim 42 has an upwardly
facing top exterior surface 104. Upwardly facing top exterior
surfaces 103, 104 are arranged to lie in substantially coplanar
relation one to another when lid 12 has been moved to assume the
raised position as shown, for example, in FIGS. 1 and 9.
[0051] In use, in CR mode 21, lid-mover ring 14 is rotated about
axis of rotation without downward pressure to effect threaded
engagement of lid 12 and container filler neck 16. Elastic shafts
72 included in lid-mover tabs 31-36 cooperate to provide means for
separating lid 12 and lid-mover ring 14 to place lid 12 normally in
a raised position relative to lid-mover ring 14 as shown in FIG. 9.
When lid-mover ring 14 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction
without downward pressure, lid-installation drive face 73 on
elastic shaft 72 of each lid-mover tab 31-36 included in lid-mover
ring 14 mates with a vertical torque-transmission face 87b of a
companion torque-receiving lug 81-86 included in lid 12 to rotate
lid 12 to mate with container filler neck 16. When lid-mover ring
14 is pressed downwardly toward lid 12 while being rotating in a
counterclockwise direction about axis of rotation 39, lid-removal
drive face 71 on root 70 of each lid-mover tab 31-36 included in
lid-mover ring 14 mates with angled torque-transmission face 87a of
a companion torque-receiving lug 81-86 include in lid 12 to allow
transfer of torque from lid-mover ring 14 to lid 12 to rotate lid
12 to unmate from container filler neck 16. When lid-mover ring 14
is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, lid-removal drive
faces 71 and angled torque-transmission faces 87a do not mate owing
to the separation of lid-mover ring 14 and lid caused by elastic
shafts 72 of lid-mover tabs 31-36 to block transfer of torque from
lid-mover ring 14 to lid 12 and such counterclockwise rotation of
lid-mover ring 14 does not cause lid 12 to rotate relative to
container filler neck 16.
* * * * *