U.S. patent number 3,918,614 [Application Number 05/434,331] was granted by the patent office on 1975-11-11 for childproof actuator cap.
This patent grant is currently assigned to VCA Corporation. Invention is credited to Wolf Steiman.
United States Patent |
3,918,614 |
Steiman |
November 11, 1975 |
Childproof actuator cap
Abstract
A childproof actuator cap for a hand-held aerosol dispenser
having a container with a top closure member and a valve assemblage
carried therein. The cap comprises a cap body having an annular,
depending skirt which engages and is supported by the rim of the
top closure member. The cap body movably carries a depress button
having a hollow, depending boss engageable with the valve to
actuate the same. The skirt has diametrically opposed, aligned
holes which slidably carry a movable plunger constituting an
abutment for the boss on the depress button. A finger-piece is
connected with the plunger and is exposed at the rear of the cap,
to enable engagement by the same finger which is employed to
actuate the depress button. The plunger is movable between a
locking position wherein it interferes with the boss on the depress
button and prevents depressing movement thereof and actuation of
the valve, and an unlocked position wherein a clearance hole in the
plunger is aligned with the boss to receive and provide clearance
for the latter when the button is depressed. The arrangement is
such that the same finger which is employed to depress the button
is first used to actuate the plunger and unlock the dispenser,
whereby an especially convenient and simple, one-finger unlocking
and dispensing operation is realized.
Inventors: |
Steiman; Wolf (Bridgeport,
CT) |
Assignee: |
VCA Corporation (Greenwich,
CT)
|
Family
ID: |
23723794 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/434,331 |
Filed: |
January 17, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/153.11;
222/402.13 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
83/205 (20130101); B65D 83/222 (20130101); B65D
2215/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
83/16 (20060101); B65D 83/14 (20060101); B65D
083/14 (); B67D 005/32 () |
Field of
Search: |
;222/153,182,402.11,402.13,402.14,402.15 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Reeves; Robert B.
Assistant Examiner: Bartuska; Francis J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Lehmann; H. Gibner Lehmann; K.
Gibner Mays; E. Donald
Claims
I claim:
1. A childproof actuator cap for a hand-held aerosol dispenser
having a container with a top closure and a valve assemblage,
including a valve stem, carried by said closure member comprising
in combination:
a. a cap body having a top wall provided with an elongated opening
therein and having an annular, integral skirt, with a front and
rear portion, depending from said top wall and engageable with and
adapted to be supported by the container;
b. an elongated depress button disposed within said elongated
opening in said top wall portion of said cap body and hingedly
connected thereto at its rear end, said button being movable
between a raised, non-discharging position and a depressed,
discharging position, and having means engageable with said valve
stem for actuating said valve in response to depressing movement of
the button by the user's finger;
c. means on the cap top wall for positioning a user's finger in a
direction extending between said front and rear portions of said
cap skirt thereby adapting it to depress said button;
d. a plunger having its front and rear ends received in opposed
openings provided in the front and rear portions of said skirt
below said means engageable with said valve stem provided on said
depress button, said plunger having an opening therein receiving
said valve stem, said opening being defined by a straight,
transverse front wall and a semicircular rear wall connected by
straight, parallel sidewalls provided on said plunger, the front
end of said plunger having an integral, cylindrical boss carrying a
spiral spring in compression which normally forces said transverse
front wall against said stem to prevent said depress button from
being actuated;
e. an external finger piece connected to the rear end of said
plunger projecting through the opening in the rear portion of said
skirt for effecting movement of said plunger to an unlocked
position enabling depressing movement of the button and actuation
of the valve to occur, said finger piece having an upturned end
terminating adjacent the rear end of said depress button; and
f. said finger piece being disposed at a location placing it under
the same finger employed to depress the button during the use of
the dispenser, whereby both the unlocking and actuating operations
can be simultaneously effected by the same finger.
Description
BACKGROUND
This invention relates to small dispensers of the hand-held type,
such as those involving pressurized liquids, or liquids which are
ejected by a pumping action. More particularly the invention
relates to dispenser actuator caps of the type which tend to
prevent inadvertent or unauthorized operation by infants, young
children or other unauthorized personnel.
In the past a number of different types of childproof actuator caps
have been proposed and produced. Some merely prevented inadvertent
actuation and discharge of the dispenser before purchase by the
consumer; others were made so as to prevent unauthorized actuation
unless the user undertook special manipulative operations required
to effect the actuation. In some prior dispensers, there were
provided cooperable stop shoulders which could be brought into
registration by turning of the cap body, collar, or other piece
rotatably mounted at the dispenser top. Still other devices
involved relatively turnable cap members which had cooperable
indicator means which required that the user have special knowledge
as to the proper operational procedure, in order to effect a
discharge of the dispenser. Actuator caps of the "tamperproof"
variety have also been produced, involving either tear strips which
required removal prior to use of the dispenser, or removable means
of one type or another. All of these prior devices either prevented
inadvertent actuation or indicated unauthorized operation and
discharge if the cap had previously been actuated. While many of
these prior actuator caps generally performed their intended
functions satisfactorily, some were not completely foolproof or
childproof, nor were they especially inexpensive to produce due to
the multiplicity of parts involved and the necessary assembly
operations in attaching the parts to each other and to the
dispenser. Moreover, in some instances, the operations required of
the consumer were sufficiently complex as to cause difficulty and
hindrance to an authorized person attempting to use the device.
SUMMARY
The above disadvantages and drawbacks of prior childproof actuator
caps are obviated by the present invention, which has for its
principal object the provision of a novel and improved childproof
actuator cap for small hand-held dispensers which is extremely
simple in construction and reliable in operation and use. A related
object is the provision of an improved childproof actuator cap as
above characterized, which is especially effective in minimizing
the likelihood of its being actuated by a young child even though
prior actuation by an informed user is observed by such a young
person. These objects are accomplished by the provision of a novel,
molded plastic cap body comprising an annular depending skirt
adapted to be supported on the top closure member of a dispenser, a
depress button movably carried in the cap body, and movable
abutment means on the cup body for normally maintaining the depress
button in a raised or locked, non-discharging position. The
abutment means includes a plunger which is carried in diametrically
opposite holes in the depending skirt. The plunger has an
externally engageable finger piece which is disposed toward the
rear of the cap body and is adapted to be engaged by the same
finger used to actuate the depress button. Movement of the plunger
momentarily unlocks the actuator button, enabling the latter to be
readily depressed to effect discharge of the dispenser contents.
The arrangement is such that there results an especially simple
one-finger operation for effecting both the unlocking and
discharging functions of the dispenser.
Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.
In the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the
invention:
FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a pressurized dispenser
incorporating the improved locking-type actuator cap of the present
invention, the cap being shown in the locked, non-discharging
position.
FIG. 2 is a view like that of FIG. 1 except showing the plunger
being engaged by the finger of the user prior to actuation of the
valve via the depress button, the cap being shown in the unlocked,
non-discharging position.
FIG. 3 is a view like FIGS. 1 and 2, except illustrating both the
plunger and the depress button being engaged by the same finger of
the user, the cap thus being shown in the unlocked discharging
position.
FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the actuator cap of FIGS. 1-4.
FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the actuator cap of FIGS.
1-5.
FIG. 7 is a rear elevational view of the actuator cap of FIGS.
1-6.
FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the plunger part of the
actuator cap of FIGS. 1-7.
FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the plunger part of the actuator cap
of FIGS. 1-8.
Referring to FIGS. 1-3 there is illustrated an aerosol dispenser of
the hand-held, pressurized type generally designated by the numeral
10. The dispenser includes a container 12 having a top closure
member 14 and a valve assemblage 16 including a dip tube 18 and a
hollow valve stem 20 for effecting discharge of the pressurized
contents of the container, all in the usual manner.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided an
improved childproof actuator cap for hand-held dispensers, the cap
being generally designated by the numeral 22 and comprising a cap
body having an annular depending skirt 24 adapted to be held on the
top rim of the closure member, a depress button 26 movably carried
in the cap body and a novel abutment means for locking the depress
button in its raised, non-discharging position of FIG. 1. The cap
skirt terminates in an annular external shoulder 21 and an internal
bead 23 which are received by and snapped into an annular groove 25
in the periphery of the top closure member 14, adjacent the
can-to-closure member crimp 27. The button 26 is connected with the
cap body for tilting or pivotal movement with respect thereto by
means of a hinge 28, and has a hollow, depending boss 30 for
receiving the valve stem 20 and for actuating the valve 16. A
passageway 32 provides communication between the hollow boss 30 and
a discharge nozzle 34 on the actuator or depress button 26.
The cap body 22 has a front portion 36 adjacent the nozzle 34 and a
diametrically opposed rear portion 38. The skirt 24 has oppositely
disposed aligned holes 40, 42 which slidably carry a plunger 44,
constituting part of the abutment means. The plunger is illustrated
particularly in FIGS. 8 and 9 and has an external finger piece 46
which, after assembly of the plunger onto the cap, is adjacent the
location of the hinge 28 in FIG. 1. There is provided in the
plunger a central aperture 48 of sufficient size to enable the
hollow boss 30 of the depress button to be received therein, as
will be explained below. In FIG. 1, a compression spring 52 is
carried near one end of the plunger 44 inside the annular skirt and
engaging the wall thereof. The spring biases the plunger to a
position wherein the central aperture thereof is out of alignment
with the depending boss 30 of the depress button 26 (FIG. 4).
As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the plunger is movable between extreme
positions defined respectively by the engagement of the finger
piece 46 and the outer surface of the skirt 24 (hereinafter
referred to as the unlocked position, illustrated in FIGS. 2 and
3), and the engagement of detent nibs 53 on the plunger body with
the inner surface of the same skirt (hereinafter referred to as the
locked position, illustrated in FIG. 1). Alternately, the nibs 53
can be ommited, in which case the engagement of an enlargement 54
(at the end of the plunger opposite the location of the finger
piece) with the annular skirt 24 will limit the movement of the
plunger to the position of FIG. 1.
Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 7, it can be seen that the cap has a
finger notch 56, indicating the position for applying the user's
finger to the depress button 26. The finger piece 46 of the plunger
44 is closely adjacent to this notch whereby the same finger can be
employed to actuate the plunger as is used to effect depressing
movement of the button 26 and discharge of the dispenser.
The operation of this improved childproof actuator cap can now be
understood by referring to FIGS. 1-3. The position of FIG. 1
represents the locked condition of the dispenser. Direct depressing
movement of the button 26 is prevented by the plunger 44 which is
disposed in a position to interfere with any downward movement of
the depending boss 30. In connection with this interference, the
underside of the plunger is disposed just above the
valve-to-closure member crimp (indicated 58 in FIGS. 1-3); even a
substantial force applied to the button will not cause actuation of
the valve, since the force will merely be transmitted through the
plunger to the can crimp, which constitutes an unyielding support.
To effect discharge of the dispenser, the user must first depress
the plunger 44 to its unlocked position by applying his finger to
the piece 46 in the manner of FIG. 2. This will align the aperture
48 in the plunger with the depending boss 30 of the depress button.
Under these circumstances, the aperture can receive the boss 30
when the button is depressed; thus, no interference occurs and the
discharge of the can contents is readily effected with the plunger
and depress button in the positions illustrated in FIG. 3.
By the present invention the location of the finger piece and
plunger are especially arranged whereby both the unlocking movement
of the plunger and the depressing movement of the button can be
readily and conveniently effected by the same finger. As a result,
as especially practical and easy-to-use one finger operation is
realized. The unlocked position of the plunger is illustrated in
FIGS. 2 and 3, and the button is shown in the depressed condition
in FIG. 3. Following use of the dispenser, the button 26 is
released and the pressure from finger piece 46 removed, whereby the
dispenser will again assume the locked, non-discharging condition
of FIG. 1.
It will be readily understood that the childproof feature resides
in the provision of an abutment or plunger which must first be
moved to a predetermined position before the actuator button can be
depressed. I have found that small children do not readily
comprehend this unlocking sequence and thus cannot effect operation
of the dispenser. However, the operation is still sufficiently
straightforward to provide convenient and quick access by an
authorized person such as a consumer.
The above construction has a number of distinct advantages. The cap
body and depress button can be molded as a single, integral piece,
and thus manufacturing and fabrication costs can be kept to a
minimum. The arrangement wherein the underside of the plunger is
supported by the valve-to-closure member crimp minimizes the
likelihood of damage to the plunger from an excessive depressing
force applied to the actuator button when the plunger is in the
locked position. Also, an especially simple one-finger operation
results, which can easily be learned by an adult or other
authorized person, yet which has been found to present substantial
obstacles to an infant or young child even after he has observed
operation of the dispenser.
From the above it can be seen that I have provided a novel and
improved childproof actuator cap which is both simple in
construction and effective and reliable in operation. The
construction is thus seen to represent a distinct advance and
improvement in aerosol dispenser technology.
Variations and modificatons are possible without departing from the
spirit of the invention.
* * * * *