Safety Closure For Aerosol Can

Abstract

A safety closure for an aerosol can having a top central valve and spray button. The closure comprises an inverted, cup-shaped actuator surrounding the valve stem and spray button. An inverted cup-shaped overcap encloses the actuator and the upper end of the can. The actuator and overcap have cooperating disengageable locking means which prevent the movement of the actuator to effect discharge of the contents of the aerosol can. The locking means are disengageable by depression thereof with the hand. The cap is so constructed that a small child's hand cannot grip and disengage the locking means while an adult-sized hand can so disengage the locking means.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Aerosol cans are used for dispensing a wide variety of liquid products for use in the home. These products include cleaning fluids, paints, lubricants, etc. Many of these dispensed liquids are toxic or caustic. For examples, oven cleaning compounds and certain spray detergents are highly poisonous and caustic. Such cleaning compounds have been known to cause severe burns and poisoning to small children whose natural curiosity can lead them to experiment with aerosol dispensing containers.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a locking means on an actuator which will prevent a small child from discharging the contents of an aerosol container and yet which is easily disengageable for use by an adult. To this end, disengageable locking means are spaced apart on the periphery of the container to require an adult-sized hand for operation thereof. Therefore a child cannot merely grip the actuator and disengage the safety locking device to discharge the contents of the container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention comprises a safety actuator for an aerosol can having a top central valve and spray button. The actuator consists of an inverted cup-shaped member surrounding the valve stem and spray button. The actuator is slidably mounted within an overcap which encloses the upper end of the can. Cooperating disengageable locking means connect the actuator to the overcap in order to prevent movement thereof to effect discharge of the contents of the aerosol container. The disengageable locking means comprises two flexible arms depending from the actuator. Tabs extend radially outwardly from the ends of the arms through slots in the overcap. The slots in the overcap are located with respect to the spray button at a height sufficient to maintain the actuator above and out of operative contact with the spray button when the tabs are locked in the slots. Squeezing the tabs inwardly in the slots disengages the tabs from the slots and permits downward movement of the actuator against the spray button to actuate the valve and release the contents of the fluid under pressure from the aerosol container. The overcap is of sufficient size and the slots and tabs are spaced apart a sufficient distance so as to prevent a small child from being able to fit his hand around the overcap in order to disengage the tabs from the slots. An adult hand can easily disengage these locking means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an aerosol can provided with a safety closure of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, vertical, sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front view in elevation of the safety closure of the present invention with parts broken away;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a detailed view in elevation of the actuator element.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A safety closure generally indicated by the reference number 10 for an aerosol can 11 having a top central valve 12 and spray button 13 is disclosed. The safety closure 10 comprises an inverted cup-shaped actuator member 14 surrounding the valve stem 12 and spray button 13. The actuator member 14 is slidably received within an inner skirt 15 of an overcap 16. The overcap 16 is held in place on the aerosol can 11 by engagement of the lower end of the skirt 15 with a circular valve seam 17 (FIG. 3).

Two vertically extending slots 18 in the skirt 15 receive two radially extending shoulders 19 of the actuator 14. Two flexible arms 20 depend from the outer ends of the shoulders 19 and are in sliding engagement with the inner surface of the overcap 16. Two tabs 21 extend radially outwardly from the depending arms 20 through horizontal slots 22 in the wall of the overcap 16.

The tabs 21 have outer undercut ledges 23 which are urged outwardly into engagement with the lower sides of the slots 22 (see FIG. 3) by the resilient arms 20 in order to hold the actuator 14 in its upper, locked position. When the tabs 21 are thus located within the slots 22, downward movement of the actuator and actuation of the spray button 13 and consequent release of fluid under pressure from the aerosol can 11 is impossible.

By squeezing the tabs 21 inwardly, the ledges 23 are disengaged from the slots 22. Inward movement of the tabs 21 permits the actuator 14 to slide within the skirt 15 the distance of the vertically extending slots 18. By depressing the actuator 14 against the spray button 13, the aerosol valve 12 is opened and the contents of the container 11 are discharged through the button 13.

Release of the actuator 14 permits the spray button 13 to rise with the valve stem 12 in response to either pressure from the container or a spring in the valve 12 (not shown). When the shoulder 19 strikes the uppermost portion of the vertical slot 18, the tabs 21 will snap outwardly into place in the horizontal slots 22 thus reengaging the ledges 23 with the lower edge of the slots 22 and locking the actuator 14 in its upper, inoperative position.

The tabs 21 are located on diametrically opposite sides of the overcap 16 thus making operation of the disengageable locking means significantly difficult for the hand of a small child but readily operable by an older child or an adult.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. A safety closure for an aerosol can having a top center valve and spray button, said closure comprising, in combination, an actuator adapted to fit over said spray button and an overcap adapted to be retained on the end of said can and to enclose all of said actuator except the central top portion thereof, said actuator and said overcap having cooperating disengageable locking means positioned on opposite sides of said overcap and disengageable by the hand of the user, said locking means comprising a pair of diametrically opposed resilient arms on said actuator, each of said arms having an outwardly protruding tab on its lower end, and a pair of slots in the wall of said overcap outwardly through which said tabs extend, each of said tabs having a lower element that is urged into engagement with the lower edge of the respective slot by the respective resilient arm for preventing downward movement of said actuator relative to said overcap, the span between the outer sides of said protruding tabs being greater than the span of a hand of a child of tender years.

2. A safety closure according to claim 1 in which the tabs protrude through the slots a distance such that inward movement of said tabs flexes the arm inwardly sufficiently to disengage the lower elements thereof from the edges of the slots.