Safety Closure And Package

Abstract

A safety closure is described for use in sealing glass or similar containers and which may be used as a regular easily removed twist-on twist-off closure or, alternatively, at the option of the user as a locked safety closure for preventing removal of the closure cap be children. The container and the closure cap have cooperating lugs which engage in the usual manner for permitting the closure cap to be used in an unlocked or freely removable manner. A sealing bead is included in the cap for sealing the package in the unlocked use. A pair of cap engaging grooves are provided on the container finish in addition to the cap lugs for engaging the sealing bead and the cap lugs in the locked position and which act to prevent removal of the cap by children.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a closure cap and sealed package and more particularly to a safety closure cap which may be used alternatively at the option of the user as a regular twist-on twist-off closure or as a locked safety closure which prevents the package from being opened by children as well as other persons unfamiliar with proper removal technique.

A variety of safety closures have been designed for medicines or other potentially dangerous products which prevent their being opened by small children. These prior designs have, in some cases, been relatively complex requiring additional elements or moving parts on the closures and in other cases they have been satisfactory from a sealing standpoint when used in an unlocked manner without the use of the safety feature. Another problem in connection with these prior safety closures has been the relative complexity of the finish required on the glass or other container. Thus, while there is a demonstrated need for such safety closures which has engaged the attention of manufacturers and the general public and the government, there has been no widespread adoption of such packages.

The closure cap and package, in accordance with the present invention, overcomes these objections and thereby makes the use of such a safety closure economical and practical. The closure cap, in accordance with the present invention, may be applied in its unlocked position by the original packer with a satisfactory seal permitting the package to be distributed for use as a regular package. The consumer may continue to use the package in this manner or he may optionally apply the closure cap in its locked position preventing its casual removal by children or unauthorized persons.

A further alternative permits the original packer to apply the cap, if desired, in its locked or safety position. These results are obtained using a unitary cap which may be formed as a unitary molded article and with a container finish of relatively simple form which may be provided on glass or other containers by conventional forming machinery.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide improved safety closures.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved closure cap which may be alternatively used as a conventional screw cap or as a safety cap.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety-type closure cap which is readily formed by conventional cap molding or other forming techniques.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety closure cap having an effective seal in regular use as an unlocked screw cap as well as in its locked or safety position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved safety package having a relatively simple glass finish capable of being formed on conventional container molding or other forming machinery.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described or will be indicated in the appended claims and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective illustrating the closure cap and glass finish in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are vertical sectional views of the package in accordance with the invention illustrating the cap applied in its regular and in its safety or locked position respectively.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are vertical sectional views of additional embodiments of the closure cap in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a horizontal sectional view of another embodiment of the closure cap.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of another embodiment of the closure cap having a metal outer cover with plastic container-engaging lugs.

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of the closure cap of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view of another embodiment of the closure cap having a metal outer cover with metal lugs.

FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view of the closure cap of FIG. 10.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A preferred embodiment of the safety cap and package will first be described with particular reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the preferred embodiment of the container 1 finish and a preferred embodiment of the safety closure 2 for use on that finish.

The preferred glass finish is seen to include spaced cap engaging lugs 3 having a rounded generally downwardly facing camming surface 4 for engaging the cap 2 lugs 5. The lugs 3 terminate in an inclined stop surface 6. An opposite side of each lug 3 is provided with a generally upwardly facing inclined cam-off surface 7 to assist in the removal of the closure cap 2.

In order to provide the safety feature, as will be more fully described below, the lower portions of the lugs 3 comprise elongated beads or extensions 8 which cooperate to form an interrupted bead around the container glass finish. The openings 9 between beads 8 are seen to be positioned immediately beneath the cap lugs 5 when the cap lugs 5 are in their closed position with the cap 2 applied in its unlocked or normal position as seen in FIG. 2. The container 1 has a rounded rim 10 above a shallow groove 11.

The preferred embodiment of the closure cap 2 is seen to comprise a unitary molded article having a cover 12 and a depending skirt 13 with the spaced container engaging lugs 5 extending inwardly from the lower edge of the cap skirt 13. The cap skirt 13 is seen to have an inwardly directed sealing bead 14 spaced downwardly from the under surface of the cap cover 12 and positioned to form a seal with the rounded rim 10 of the container 1 when the cap 2 is in its normal and unlocked position as illustrated in FIG. 2. In this position, the three cap lugs 5 are each positioned against a stop surface 6 of one of the three cap engaging lugs 3 on the container 1.

The above described container 1 finish and closure 2 also provide the safety or locking capability which will now be described with particular reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

When the cap 2 is in its unlocked position as shown in FIG. 2, it is seen that it may be pressed directly downwardly to its locked position as each of the three lugs 5 passes through an opening 9 between beads 8 and as the sealing bead 14 on the cap skirt 13 is forced over the rounded and projecting edge of the container rim 10. When the cap 2 is thus pressed downwardly to the position illustrated in FIG. 3, each of the cap lugs 5 will be positioned in a groove 15 formed between the beads 8 and the upper portion 16 of the container body 17 and the sealing bead 14 will be contained in the groove 11 below the container rim 10.

It is now clear that an attempt to remove the closure cap 2 by rotation merely causes the lugs 5 to turn in the container groove 15 without any lifting effect and also causes the sealing bead 14 to turn in the groove 11 on the container finish. The tight fit between the closure sealing bead 14 and the container finish groove 11 will resist any upward movement of the closure. This fit may be made relatively tight so that adult finger strength is required to move the sealing bead 14 over the container rim 10 after the closure lugs 5 have been aligned with the openings 9 between the beads 8 on the glass finish.

It is thus seen that the closure cap 2 may be used in a normal twist-on twist-off and unlocked manner when no precautions are required in connection with the packaged article. In this use of the closure cap 2, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the cap 2 is dropped over the glass finish and is rotated approximately 120.degree. to its closed position with the closure cap lugs 5 engaging the stop surfaces 6 on the glass lugs 3 and with a tight seal being formed between the cap bead 14 and the container rim 10. Should it be desired to deny access to the container to children or other persons, the cap 2 is pressed down to the position of FIG. 3 where it will freely rotate but where it may not be removed without precise positioning of the cap lugs 5 and without a firm vertical pull which a child cannot perform. Cooperating index marks 18 and 19 may be provided to show when the cap lugs 5 are in their release positions permitting the cap 2 to be pulled upwardly to its unlocked position.

FIG. 4 illustrates the closure cap 2 and the container 1 finish, as described above, with a sealing gasket 20 provided in the closure cap 2 where a relatively air-tight seal is desired in the locked position. This use of the gasket 20 in the closure cap provides for an extremely tight seal for the locked container where the product may be shipped or carried in the locked position and where the package should be tightly sealed to protect its contents against deterioration over longer periods. The gasket 20 illustrated in FIG. 4 is in the form of a disc which may be precut or flowed in. A ring gasket which is precut or flowed in may also be used.

FIG. 5 illustrates a container 1 having the glass finish of the type described above and a closure cap 21 generally similar to that described above. An additional gasket 22 is mounted on the sealing bead 23. The gasket 22 is seen to form a portion of a cone so that it may be resiliently held in place in a cooperating and generally similarly shaped slot 24 provided in the cap skirt 25. This gasket 22 may be used with or without a secondary gasket on the cap top such as the ring gasket 26 illustrated.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of a closure cap of the general type described above. This closure cap 30 has rib-like sealing rings having a generally pointed cross-section, as illustrated, where a first series of sealing rings 31 provide an initial seal on the container rim 10 in the unlocked mode and where additional sealing rings 32 provide a tight seal in the safety or locked position when the cap is pressed downwardly.

While the sealing beads 14 or 23 or 31 on the closure cap may extend completely around the inner surface of the cap skirt, FIG. 7 illustrates at 33 an alternative embodiment of the cap where a sealing bead is formed in a number of spaced sections 34 providing openings 35 between the sections 34. This provides a relatively flexible sealing bead even when stiffer cap materials are used. The widths of the openings 35 may be chosen as an additional control of the lifting force required for the removal of the cap 33 from its locked or safety position.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate another embodiment where the closure cap 40 has an outer metal shell 41 and a molded inner plastic insert 42. The plastic insert 42 may be preformed and inserted into the metal shell 41. The inner shape of the plastic insert 42 may take the forms of those as described above. The embodiments of the plastic insert and the glass finish on the container 1 illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 corresponds to that illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 including a sealing bead 43 and lugs 44.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a still further embodiment of the closure cap where the cap 46 has an outer metal shell 47 which includes inwardly formed container engaging lugs 48 which operate in the same manner as the plastic lugs 5 described for the embodiment of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The plastic insert 49 includes a sealing bead 50 to engage the container 1 rim 10 in the manner already described.

It will be seen that an improved and relatively simple safety closure has been provided. The closure and finish permit a normal unlocked sealing mode or a locked safety mode at the option of the packer as well as the consumer. Effective seals are provided for both positions to provide a relatively air-tight package. The improved designs of the closure cap and of the glass finish are readily incorporated in closure caps and container finishes formed on conventional closure and package forming machinery. The package may therefore be supplied as a relatively inexpensive item making the safety features of the package available for a wide variety of uses.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Claims

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A safety closure comprising the combination of a cap shell having a cover and a depending skirt, container engaging lugs projecting inwardly from the lower edge of the cap skirt, and an inwardly projecting sealing bead positioned on the cap skirt intermediate to and spaced from the cap cover and said lugs and adapted for alternatively engaging the container rim at vertically spaced positions.

2. The closure as claimed in claim 1 in which said first position is on an outwardly and upwardly facing portion of said rim and said lower position is at an outwardly and downwardly facing portion of said rim.

3. The closure as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises a sealing gasket on the underside of said closure cap cover spaced from said sealing bead.

4. The closure as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises a resilient sealing gasket ring positioned at said sealing bead.

5. The closure as claimed in claim 1 in which said sealing bead comprises a plurality of sealing rings each having a pointed edge for engaging the container.

6. The closure as claimed in claim 3 in which said gasket comprises a resilient disc.

7. The closure as claimed in claim 3 in which said gasket comprises a resilient ring.

8. The closure as claimed in claim 3 in which said gasket comprises a flowed-in plastisol material.

9. The closure as claimed in claim 1 in which said sealing bead comprises a plurality of spaced arcuate sections.

10. The closure as claimed in claim 1 in which said cap shell comprises an outer metal shell and an inner plastic insert with said sealing bead and said lugs being formed on said insert.

11. The closure as claimed in claim 1 in which said cap shell comprises an outer metal shell and an inner plastic insert with said sealing bead being formed on said plastic insert and said lugs being formed on said metal shell.

12. A safety package comprising a container sealed with a closure cap, said container having a plurality of cap engaging lugs positioned below the container rim, a circular groove adjacent the container rim above said lugs, said closure cap having a cap shell with a cover and a depending skirt, container engaging lugs on said cap skirt for engaging said container lugs, an inwardly directed sealing bead on said cap skirt positioned intermediate of and spaced from said cap lugs and said cover for engaging the container rim above said groove when the cap and container lugs are engaged and for engaging the container groove when said cap lugs are moved below said container lugs.

13. The package as claimed in claim 12 in which said container lugs have lower bead portions which cooperate to form an interrupted bead around the container, the bead interruptions forming passages for the closure cap lugs when the lugs are moved below said container lugs.

14. The package as claimed in claim 12 in which said container lugs have an inclined lug camming surface on their tops.

15. The package as claimed in claim 12 which further comprises a sealing gasket on the underside of said closure cap.

16. The package as claimed in claim 12 which further comprises a resilient sealing gasket ring positioned at said sealing bead.

17. The package as claimed in claim 12 in which said sealing bead comprises a plurality of sealing rings each having a pointed edge for engaging the container.

18. The package as claimed in claim 15 in which said gasket comprises a resilient disc.

19. The package as claimed in claim 15 in which said gasket comprises a resilient ring.

20. The package as claimed in claim 15 in which said gasket comprises a flowed-in plastisol material.

21. The package as claimed in claim 13 in which said cap shell comprises an outer metal shell and an inner plastic insert with said sealing bead and said lugs being formed on said insert.

22. The closure as claimed in claim 13 in which said cap shell comprises an outer metal shell and an inner plastic insert with said sealing bead being formed on said plastic insert and said lugs being formed on said metal shell.

23. An improved finish for the container of a safety package comprising the combination of a circular groove at the container rim, a plurality of cap engaging lugs below said groove, said lugs having an elongated bead on their leading edge, said beads combining to form an interrupted bead around the container with the interruptions proportioned to pass the cap lugs to a position below the interrupted bead.

24. The finish as claimed in claim 23 which further comprises an inclined camming surface on the lug tops.