Child-proof Container Closure

Abstract

A safety closure for a vial including a restraining ring rotatably surrounding the vial with its upper face engaging rim of the vial and having a gap in the upper member of the ring for slidably engaging an inwardly projecting lug disposed within a closure member. With the lug disposed through the gap on rotation in relation to the ring, it forms a positive frictional engagement with the lower face of the upper member to form a single unit rotatable about the vial. To gain access to the contents of the vial, it is necessary to rotate the ring in relation to the cap until the lug and gap are in register in order to remove the cap from the restraining ring.

Description

This invention relates to a new and improved safety device and more particularly to a simplified and improved closure for vials, containing pills, capsules, tablets, and the like, designed to protect young children from access to the contents thereof but still permit older persons upon reading the instructions to gain access thereto.

It is a well-known fact of life today that each household has a supply of pills, capsules and various other medicaments for the treatment of various family ailments, including aspirin almost universally for the treatment of headaches and fever. When properly administered in regulated dosage, these medicines are beneficial but in the hand of the unsuspecting young may bring illness or even death.

Many pills, capsules, tablets and the like are dispensed in a container popularly called a vial which is equipped with a snap-on fastener. These are especially used by druggists and pharmacists in filling prescriptions. Unfortunately small children can usually very quickly learn to snap off the cap of such a vial.

Child-proof or safety closures are well known in the art and cover many different types suited to fit various containers such as screw-cap bottles, vials, and the like. The structures of such closures are generally complex, difficult and expensive to fabricate. They also have moving or flexing parts making them subject to fatigue when repeatedly opened and closed. Examples of such closures are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,581,925, and 3,587,896.

It is the object of my invention to provide a safety closure for standard available vials which is difficult to open by young children but readily operable by an older person. The pharmacist at his option can fit either the safety closure of my invention to the vial or, in childless households or those with infirm or handicapped members, employ the standard easy to open snap-on cap to such standard available vials.

My invention involves a container commonly known as a vial used by pharmacists in dispensing tablets, pills, capsules and the like and which is of a generally cylindrical shape having a circular bottom at one end and a peripheral locking rib at the other open end. Cooperating with such vial, I provide a restraining ring of a cylindrical shape having a lower annular member and an upper annular member such that the lower member has a diameter substantially similar to the diameter of the body of the vial but slightly larger to permit the restraining ring to slide over the base of the vial and to move axially and longitudinally therewith without excessive friction or rocking motion. The upper annular member is of a diameter substantially similar but slightly smaller than the diameter of and telescopes into the closure cap which is provided with an inwardly radially projecting locking lug disposed to engage and slide through a gap in the upper member permitting the lug to form on rotation of the cap a positive frictional engagement with the lower face of the upper member. When the cap is so positioned on the restraining ring together they form a unit which is freely axially movable about the vial and can be turned together clockwise or counterclockwise at all times maintaining the vial in a closed condition. The container can be opened only when one grasps the lower member of the restraining ring with one hand while turning the cap with the other hand until lug and gap are in register thus permitting the cap to be lifted off the ring and container.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the child-proof closure and vial in assembled position.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the child-proof closure construction with the parts separated before application to the container.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section view taken substantially along line 3--3 of FIG. L.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 10 designates a cylindrical container preferably a conventional vial made of glass or plastic having a base 12 at one end thereof and a locking rib or rim 14 at the other open end. Locking rib 14 is of conventional design to frictionally engage and lock thereover a standard snap-on vial cap (not shown).

A restraining ring 20, preferably although not necessarily is formed of plastic material by molding in a compression die or by injection using PVA or polyethylene or other suitable resilient material. Ring 20 is of cylindrical shape with a diameter but only slightly larger than the diameter of the container 10 over which it is slidably and rotably engagable therewith. Such engagement should permit said movement but with a minimum of rocking motion. Surrounding the upper portional of ring 20 is annular member 22 having a slightly lesser diameter than the inner diameter of sealing cap 30 presently to be described. Member 22 is provided with a gap 24 extending longitudinally thereon.

Sealing cap 30 for container 10 has a circular top 32 and a depending skirt 34 for encircling member 22 of the restraining ring. Locking lug 36 extends radially inwardly from the lower portion of skirt 34 and has a width slightly less than receiving gap 24 of member 22 permitting slidably longitudinal movement therebetween.

Referring to FIG. 2 it can readily be seen that to assemble my invention, the base end 12 of vial 10 is inserted into upper opening of restraining ring 20 until rim 14 engages upper ring face 26. Cap 30 is applied over ring 14 and member 22 aligning lug 36 in register with gap 24. It is necessary to use both hands in engaging the cap and restraining ring, grasping the lower portion of restraining ring 20 with one hand while using the other hand to slide the skirt 34 over member 22 with lug and gap coacting vertically. Upon relative rotation, upper face 38 of lug 36 cooperates with lower face 28 of member 22 in spaced relation from the circular top 32 to bring upper end 16 of vial 10 into positive frictional engagement with cap 30 to create a seal between vial and cap. Additionally the cap may be provided with a resilient inner liner (not shown) to create a more positive seal between vial and cap or alternately a thin membrane or gasket (not shown) can be provided to affect an air-tight seal.

With cap engaged on restraining ring as described, together, they form a single unit which when held in one hand can be freely rotated axially about the vial held in the other hand yet regardless of the direction of rotation the cap cannot be removed from the container. Further, the cap may be fluted or provided with multiplaned surface to supply gripping surface and encourage useless turning by young children.

In order to gain access to the contents of the container vial it is necessary to grasp the sealing ring with one hand and the cap in the other hand and to rotate them relative to each other until the lug engages the gap. The cap can then be disengaged from the ring and vial.

The positive frictional engagement between cap and ring create a difficulty with small children to be able to manipulate and their preoccupation is spent in rotating the unitized cap-ring about the vial. It further requires manual dexterity by both hands applied to ring and cap to open thus thwarting young hands.

In order to facilitate aligning the lug and gap in register indicia may be provided as indicated by arrow positioned on skirt 34 centered over lug 36 pointing to circle HOLD on restraining ring. Other symbols may be used such as company names or logos, color coding, number combinations or other indicia not readily recognizable by small children.

Although the invention has been described with a preferred embodiment it is to be understood that various alterations and modifications are possible without departing from the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. Combination closure for cylindrical containers wherein the container is a vial having a retaining rim provided to receive in frictional engagement therewith a snap-on cap comprising:

a vial;

a restraining ring receiving said vial in frictional engagement permitting rotary and axial movement therewith having a lower annular member and an enlarged discontinuous upper annular member forming a gap; and a cover, telescoping over said ring and said vial, formed with a lug projecting radially inwardly freely passing through said gap and upon relative rotation of said cover and said ring frictionally engaging lower face of said upper member urging upper face of said ring against the retaining rim of said vial and thereby causing sealing engagement between said cover and open end of said vial.