U.S. patent number 3,757,979 [Application Number 05/218,885] was granted by the patent office on 1973-09-11 for safety closure-bottle assembly.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Bristol-Myers Company. Invention is credited to Walter G. Berghahn.
United States Patent |
3,757,979 |
Berghahn |
September 11, 1973 |
SAFETY CLOSURE-BOTTLE ASSEMBLY
Abstract
A safety closure-bottle assembly comprising a snap-on closure
and bottle in which the closure is provided with a tab and the
bottle neck with a notched flange which registers with said
tab.
Inventors: |
Berghahn; Walter G. (Scotch
Plains, NJ) |
Assignee: |
Bristol-Myers Company (New
York, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
22816884 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/218,885 |
Filed: |
January 19, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/225; 116/200;
215/201 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
55/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
55/02 (20060101); A61j 001/00 (); B65d
055/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;215/9.46,41 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Hall; George T.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A safety closure-bottle assembly comprising a flexible snap-on
closure having a bottle engaging portion which is substantially
circular in cross-section, said snap-on closure having a lower
marginal surface and being provided with a tab extending outwardly
from said snap-on closure in the region of said lower marginal
surface; a bottle having a closure receiving portion which is also
substantially circular in cross-section, said bottle being provided
with a flange extending outwardly from said bottle in the region
adjacent its closure receiving portion, said flange having a flat
top surface adapted to flushly engage said lower marginal surface
of said snap-on closure and further being provided with a first
notch; said flange also being provided with a stop extending
upwardly from its top surface; said stop being located to the left
side of said first notch when viewed from a position in which the
bottle is held upright and said first notch faces the observer, the
relative radial dimensions of the various portions of the assembly
and the relative dimensions of said tab and first notch being such
that said closure is engageable from below for removal
substantially only when it is positioned so that said tab is above
said first notch when the assembly is in its upright position.
2. An assembly according to claim 1 in which said safety closure
and said bottle each are molded of thermoplastic resin
material.
3. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein the safety closure and
bottle are each molded of different thermoplastic resin
material.
4. An assembly according to claim 2 in which at least one of said
safety closure or bottle has incorporated therein a slip
additive.
5. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein said safety closure
contains a non-toxic unpleasant tasting material which serves to
deter a child from holding said closure in its mouth.
6. An assembly closure according to claim 1 including a guard ring,
said guard ring being provided with a notch and mounted about said
flange for rotation about the long axis of said assembly; said
guard ring being adapted to have its notch brought into
registration with said first notch of said flange and said tabs of
said snap-on closure.
7. As an article of manufacture a bottle adapted to receive a
flexible snap-on closure having a tab extending outwardly
therefrom; said bottle having a snap-on closure receiving portion
and being provided with a flange extending outwardly from said
bottle in the region adjacent said closure receiving portion, said
flange having a flat top surface adapted to flushly engage the
lower marginal surface of said snap-on closure and further being
provided with notch; said flange also being provided with a stop
extending upwardly from its top surface and being located to the
left side of said notch when viewed from a position in which the
bottle is held upright and said notch faces the observer, said
notch being so dimensioned that the tab of said closure is
engageable from below said flange for removal when it is positioned
so that said tab is above said notch.
Description
This invention relates to a safety closure-bottle assembly designed
to deter children from opening bottles containing hazardous
substances. The danger of small children getting into medicine
cabinets and removing dangerous pills from bottles is a well-known
problem. This invention seeks to minimize this possibility.
The solution to the above problem is complicated by the fact that
in designing these safety closures it must also be taken into
account that these closures should not afford an obstacle to
handicapped adults. Thus, for example, though the safety
closure-bottle assembly must serve as a deterrent to a child, it
must not by the same token present a difficulty for old persons or
adults suffering from arthritis.
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a
safety closure-bottle assembly which will successfully serve to
prevent children from getting access to dangerous materials which
are contained in said bottle.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a safety
closure-bottle assembly of the aforesaid type in which the removal
of the safety closure from the bottle affords substantially no
obstacle to physically incapacitated adults.
Other and more detailed objects will be apparent from the following
descriptions, claims and drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a safety closure-bottle assembly
embodied in this invention;
FIG. 2 is a top plane view of the assembly shown in FIG. 1, the
open position of the tabs on the safety closure being shown in full
line and their location in a closed position shown in dotted
line;
FIGS. 3-5 and 9 are perspective views of other modifications of
safety closure embodied in this invention;
FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views of another modification of the
safety closure-bottle assembly embodied in this invention, this
modification being provided with an extra guard ring shown in the
open position in FIG. 6 and the closed position in FIG. 7;
FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the assembly shown in
FIG. 7 taken through line 8--8 of FIG. 7.
A variety of safety closure-bottle assemblies have been described
in the prior art. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,170,585 to O'Donnell
relates to a safety snap-on cap intended for use in connection with
a bottle. Although not particularly mentioned, from the drawings it
appears quite obvious that a glass bottle was intended by
O'Donnell
As will be noted from FIGS. 2 and 3 of said O'Donnell patent, the
bottle 10 is provided with a rounded bead 17 which lies adjacent
and below the lower margin of closure 20 when closure 20 is
positioned on bottle 10. This rounded bead is a distinct
disadvantage in that it permits relatively ready access to the
lower margin of cap 20. A child can get a good purchase on this
margin with his teeth or nails and readily lift the cap off even
when tab 24 of the O'Donnell device is in the sheltered position
shown in FIG. 2. Moreover, cap 20 of the O'Donnell device is fully
rotatable in either direction. As a consequence, it is relatively
easy to position tab 24 over notch 18 of this device and bring it
into its readily removable position. This is simple enough so that
it can be easily learned by a child. As will be apparent from the
discussion below, the present invention avoids these
disadvantages.
The U.S. Pat. to Thomas No. 3,071,271 also relates to a safety
closure designed to be difficultly removable by a child. Although
this construction does not have some of the disadvantages noted
above in connection with the bead construction of the O'Donnell
patent, it also is rotatable fully in either direction so as to
enable the cap to be rotated into a removable position with a
greater amount of ease. This increases the chances that it may be
removed by a child.
The U.S. Pat. to Hohl et al. No. 2,953,271 also describes a safety
closure-bottle assembly provided with a bead construction that is
somewhat similar to the O'Donnell construction of U.S. Pat. No.
3,170,585. This, accordingly, has the same disadvantages noted
above in connection with the O'Donnell bead construction.
To exemplify other prior art safety closure-bottle assemblies,
attention is invited to the following U.S. Pats: Grimm No.
3,393,816; Velt No. 3,374,912; Weigand No. 3,435,975; Turner No.
3,450,290 and Thornton No. 2,776,066. They, however, do not have
the advantages of devices embodied in the present invention as will
be made more apparent below.
Referring now to the drawings of the present case in which like
numbers represent the same structure in the various views, the
safety closure-bottle assembly is shown generally in FIG. 1 and
comprises a flexible safety closure 3 and a bottle 5. Safety
closure 3 includes a roof 7 and a cylindrical skirt 9 extending
from said roof 7. In the modification of this invention shown in
FIG. 1, skirt 9 is provided with a plurality of serrations 11 which
serve as a gripping surface to enable the rotation of safety
closure 3.
Adjacent to the lower margin of skirt 9 and extending outwardly
therefrom there is provided a pair of tabs 15 and 15' separated
from each other around the circumference of the lower margin of
cylindrical skirt 9 by about 180.degree.. Although two tabs are
shown in the modifications of this invention illustrated in this
drawing, it is to be understood that one of the tabs 15 or 15' may
be removed from safety closure 3 without departing from the spirit
of this invention.
Tabs 15 and 15' in the modification shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are
provided with a plurality of supports 17 which are integral with
tabs 15 or 15' on the one hand and skirt 9 on the other hand. These
serve to strengthen tabs 15 and 15' so that they may not be easily
broken off from skirt 9.
Safety closure 3 is also constructed with an inwardly extending
annular bead 19 best seen in the longitudinal sectional view of
FIG. 8. Annular bead 19 is spaced from the lower margin of skirt 9
and is located on the internal surface of skirt 9 so as to engage
bead 21 on neck 23 of bottle 5 in a fashion described in more
detail below.
Variations of safety closure 3 are shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 9, the
safety closure of FIG. 3 being the one also shown in FIG. 1. In the
safety closure of FIG. 4 a plurality of ribs 25 are provided on the
closure to serve as a gripping surface. In addition, each tab 15
and 15' in reinforced with single relatively thick support 27 and
27' respectively take are integral with skirt 9 and tabs 15 and
15'.
In the safety closure shown in FIG. 5 the gripping surface is
supplied by a pair of concentrically arranged annular ribs 29
integral with roof 7 of this closure. In this modification also the
tabs 15 and 15' are reinforced with single relatively thick
supports 27 and 27'.
The safety closure 3 shown in FIG. 9 is a low profile closure and
is provided with a single tab 15. To facilitate the turning of the
closure there is further made available three lugs 16 which
protrude outwardly slightly from the relatively low skirt 9. These
are distributed about the circumference of the closure at
approximately 90.degree., 180.degree. and 270.degree. relative to
the tab 15. These lugs can be engaged by the nails so that the
closure may be rotated for opening or closing. The shortness of
skirt 9 in this modification (about one tenth the outer diameter of
the major portion of closure 3) and the downward and outward taper
of skirt 9 as is apparent from FIG. 9 makes it difficult for a
child to get its teeth on it.
The bottle 5 of the present assembly comprises a neck portion 23
previously mentioned and a body portion 31. Slightly above the base
of neck portion 23 there is provided an annular flange 35 extending
outwardly from said neck portion. Flange 35 has a flat upper
surface 37 which extends outwardly well beyond the major portion of
the circumference of the safety closure 3 when the latter is seated
on bottle 5 as described in more detail below. As best seen in FIG.
8, flange 35 in cross-section tapers upwardly and outwardly and
thus has its thickest portion at a point adjacent the neck of the
bottle. This thickness provides bulk and strength to flange 35 so
as to prevent its ready fracture.
Flange 35 is also provided with a notch 41 dimensioned so as to be
at least as long as tab 15 or 15' along its circumference. Notch 41
permits ready access to tab 15 or 15' from below when one of the
latter is positioned so as to lie over notch 41. In this position
tab 15 or 15' may be engaged by the thumb and the safety closure 3
forced upwardly and removed.
Extending upwardly from the upper surface of flange 35 there is
provided a stop 43. This may be made integral with flange 35 and is
positioned to the left of notch 41 when the latter is viewed with
the bottle held in an upright position and notch 41 facing the
observer. The positioning of stop 43 in this location provides an
extra safety feature. Thus, when safety cap 3 is rotated in a
counterclockwise direction, which is the normal and expected
direction for unscrewing a cap, stop 43 prevents the positioning of
tab 15 and 15' over notch 41. The only way that tab 15 or 15' can
be brought into a position over notch 41 so as to be engageable for
removal is by rotating safety closure 3 in a clockwise direction.
This is contrary to the normal and expected direction for
unscrewing a cap. Another feature is thus provided which must be
learned before the safety closure can be removed readily. This can
be learned by an adult with no difficulty, but provides a problem
and a deterrent for a child.
Neck 23 of bottle 5, as previously noted, is provided with an
outwardly extending bead 21. This is best seen in FIG. 8. In
applying safety closure 3 onto bottle 5 it is necessary to flex the
safety closure over bead 21. When this is accomplished, annular
bead 19 of the safety closure comes to rest below bead 21 of bottle
5. This relationship provides a certain amount of resistance which
must be overcome in flipping the safety closure 3 upwardly.
The relative radial dimensions of the various portions of the
assembly are best appreciated by reference to FIG. 2. The radial
distance r.sup.1 is the distance of the radius of flange 35 in the
area of notch 41. This will be no less than and ordinarily equal to
radius r.sup.2 which is the radius of the safety closure 3 in all
regions excepting in the region of tab 15 or 15'. The distance
r.sup.3 is the radius of the flange 35 in all areas excepting the
area of notch 41. This will ordinarily be equal to or somewhat
greater than the radius r.sup.4 which is the radius of the safety
closure in the area of tab 15 or 15'. The radius r.sup.4 will
always be greater than the radius r.sup.1 of the notch 41 of flange
35 so as to permit the engagement of tab 15 or tab 15' when it is
in position over notch 41. The above described radial dimensions
insure that tab 15 or 15' are only engageable for removal from
below when a tab 15 or 15' of safety closure 3 is positioned above
notch 41 of flange 35.
Furthermore, notch 41 is dimensioned with respect to the dimension
of tab 15 or 15' so that the latter are engageable from below by
the thumb when they are disposed above notch 41 when the bottle is
in the upright position. Ordinarily, the circumferential dimension
of notch 41 will be equal to or somewhat longer than the
circumferential dimension of the tabs 15 and 15'.
The modification of this invention shown particularly in FIGS. 6
through 8 contains still another safety feature in the guard ring
45. This guard ring 45 comprises an oblique portion 46 following to
contour the lower surface of flange 35 and a vertical portion 49.
It is also provided with a notch 47 that may be brought into
registration with notch 41 of flange 35 and tab 15 or 15' of safety
closure 3. Guard ring 45 is also flexible and is loosely mounted on
bottle 5 in the region of neck 23 by stretching notch 47
sufficiently wide to snap it over neck 23. Guard ring 45 is
supported below by shoulder 51 of bottle 5.
Guard ring 45 is rotatable in either direction around the long axis
of bottle 5 so that its notch 47 may be brought into registration
with notch 41 of flange 35. If tab 15 or 15' of safety closure 3 is
positioned to also register with notch 41, the assembly is then in
a condition whereby the safety closure 3 may be readily removed.
This is illustrated in FIG. 6 of the drawings. The guarded or
closed position of guard ring 45 is shown in FIG. 7 wherein guard
ring 45 is rotated so that notch 47 is out of registration with
notch 41 of flange 35.
An important feature of the present invention is the relationship
that exists between the surface of the lower margin of safety
closure 3 and flange 35. As previously noted, flange 35 is provided
with a flat and extended upper surface 37. This abuts flushly
against the surface of the lower margin of safety closure 3 when
the latter is in position on the bottle so that the respective
abutting surfaces are substantially at right angles to each other.
This greatly reduces the possibility of obtaining a purchase on the
lower margin of safety closure 3 with the thumb or even the teeth
by getting them in between the said lower margin and said flat
upper surface 37 of flange 35. This is to be contrasted with the
rounded bead construction of the O'Donnell U.S. Pat. No. 3,170,585
discussed above. A flush and abutting relationship between the
lower margin of the snap-on cap of the O'Donnell construction and
the bead of the O'Donnell device cannot be accomplished. The curved
bead of the O'Donnell device and the surface of the lower margin of
O'Donnell's cap will only meet tangentially. It is, therefore, a
relatively easy matter to obtain a grip on the lower margin of the
O'Donnell snap-on cap at substantially any point around the
circumference of the lower margin of the O'Donnell cap and to
remove the same.
Both safety closure 3 and bottle 5 of the present invention are
each preferably molded as unitary pieces from thermoplastic resins.
This has a distinct advantage, particularly with regard to bottle 5
since it makes possible the formation of the relatively extended
flange 35 having a flat upper surface 37. It is not possible or
practical to mold an equivalent structure in glass. A variety of
thermoplastic resins are known in the prior art which are useful
for this purpose. Among these mention may be made of high and low
density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyvinyl
chloride.
In some instances when the safety closure 3 and bottle 5 are made
of certain thermoplastic resins there is a tendency for the closure
and bottle to bind so that it may be difficult to turn the safety
closure when it is seated on the bottle. To minimize this, in
accordance with the present invention, different thermoplastic
materials may be used for the afety closure and the bottle. This
may take the form of different thermoplastic resins or different
grades of thhe same thermoplastic resin, e.g., high and low density
polyethylene.
As an alternative to or in addition to employing different
thermoplastic materials for the safety closure and bottle, the
binding effect noted above may be minimized by incorporating in one
or both of said components a slip additive. In a preferred form of
this invention the slip additive is introduced into the
thermoplastic material mix used to mold the safety closure prior to
molding the same. In this instance it will be necessary to select a
slip additive which is stable at relatively high temperatures,
e.g., about 500.degree. F since temperatures of this order are
reached in molding the safety closure.
To be effective for the above purposes, i.e., to prevent binding
between the safety closure and the bottle, the slip additive must
be present in an amount of at least about 1000 ppm based on the
total weight of the thermoplastic resin molding mix used to mold
the safety closure and preferably between 1,000 and 5,000 ppm by
weight of said molding mix. In this connection, applicant would
like to call attention to the fact that it has been suggested to
incorporate a slip additive in polyethylene before molding this
material into a bottle cap. The purpose of this procedure was to
lubricate the cap so that it would not get hung up in the assembly
machinery. However, the quantities of slip additive used for this
purpose are much lower than that needed to prevent the binding
between the safety closure and the bottle in accordance with the
present invention.
A variety of slip additives well known to those skilled in the art
are available for the present purposes. By way of illustration,
mention may be made of the following: erucamides (e.g. erucic acid
amide); silicones (e.g., dimethylpolysiloxane viscosity 20,000 to
60,000 centistokes); stearates (e.g., magnesium stearate);
oleoamides (e.g., hydrogenated tallow amide) etc.
Another feature of the present invention is the application of a
substance to the safety closure which imparts to it an unpleasant
taste. Often children attempt to remove a closure from a container
by prying it off with their teeth. If the closure has an unpleasant
taste, the likelihood that a child would keep it in his mouth long
enough for him to pry it off would be reduced.
The unpleasant tasting substance may be applied to the present
safety closure by impregnation or by coating. Ordinarily, it will
be applied from a non-toxic solution containing about 0.001 percent
to 0.002 percent by weight of the unpleasant tasting material.
Ordinarily, this solution will be an aqueous solution, but other
non-toxic solvents may also be used to dissolve the unpleasant
tasting material. By way of illustration of said solvents, mention
may be made of water, ethyl alcohol, aqueous ethyl alcohol,
etc.
A variety of unpleasant tasting materials non-toxic in the
concentrations employed in this invention are known in the prior
art which are suitable for the present purposes. Among these the
following may be mentioned: denatonium benzoate (BITREX), quinine,
brucine, etc.
The following examples are further illustrative of the present
invention.
EXAMPLE I
Using the standard techniques well known to those skilled in the
art, the safety closure 3 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 was molded from a
thermoplastic molding mixture of low density polyethylene
containing 2,000 ppm of eruric acid amide. In this case bottle 5
was molded of high density polyethylene using standard
thermoplastic resin molding techniques. This combination of safety
closure and bottle was found to be satisfactory for the purposes of
the present invention.
EXAMPLE II
The procedure of Example I is employed excepting that safety
closure 3 was coated with an aqueous solution containing 0.001
percent by weight of BITREX (denatonium benzoate).
EXAMPLE III
The procedure of Example II is followed excepting that high density
polyethylene is used to mold safety closure 3.
EXAMPLE IV
The procedure of Example II is followed excepting that
polypropylene thermoplastic resin was used to mold safety closure
3.
EXAMPLE V
Each of the aforesaid Examples was repeated excepting that the
material used to mold the bottle 5 was changed. In one series of
runs the material used for the bottle 5 was polystyrene
thermoplastic resin. In the second series polypropylene
thermoplastic resin was used for this purpose.
In use the flexible safety closure 3 of the present invention is
snapped into place over neck 23 of bottle 5. If tab 15 or 15' is in
registration with notch 41, safety closure 3 is turned
counterclockwise around the long axis of bottle 5. It may thus be
turned until tab 15 or 15' encounters stop 43. To remove safety
closure 3 it must be rotated from the aforesaid position in a
clockwise direction around the long axis of bottle 5 until tab 15
or 15' is in registration with notch 41 so that the thumb may reach
and engage the tab from below. If the assembly is provided with a
guard ring 45, this too must be rotated so that its notch 47 is in
registration with notch 41 and tab 15 or 15'. The safety closure 3
may now be removed by pushing tab 15 or 15' upwardly from
below.
* * * * *