U.S. patent number 3,924,782 [Application Number 05/535,963] was granted by the patent office on 1975-12-09 for safety closure assembly for capping a dispensing container.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The Risdon Manufacturing Company. Invention is credited to Rupert M. Starrett.
United States Patent |
3,924,782 |
Starrett |
December 9, 1975 |
Safety closure assembly for capping a dispensing container
Abstract
A safety closure assembly is disclosed for capping a container
equipped with reciprocating dispensing means including an actuating
stem projecting out of one end of the container, and for operating
the dispensing means. Performance of multiple functions is a
requisite to operation of the dispensing means by this closure
assembly which includes an overcap, an actuator associated with the
overcap and having a keying element, a locking member in the
overcap and urged to a locking position, a cam adapted to be
non-rotatively mounted on the container for operating the locking
member, and a collar having complementary keying element. The
locking member, the actuator and the collar cooperate to render the
assembly inoperative until the locking member is moved radially
outwardly away from its locking position by coaction with the cam
and, subsequently, until the overcap is rotated relative to the
container until the collar and actuator keying elements are
aligned. The locking member is cocked in a non-locking position by
a latch and catch arrangement upon relative rotation of the cap and
container, but is restored to its locking position each time the
actuator is operated.
Inventors: |
Starrett; Rupert M. (Stratford,
CT) |
Assignee: |
The Risdon Manufacturing
Company (Naugatuck, CT)
|
Family
ID: |
24136539 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/535,963 |
Filed: |
December 23, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/402.11 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
83/222 (20130101); B65D 83/205 (20130101); B65D
2215/04 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
83/16 (20060101); B65D 83/14 (20060101); B67D
005/32 () |
Field of
Search: |
;222/402.11,518
;137/508 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Tollberg; Stanley H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: St. Onge Mayers Steward &
Reens
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A safety closure assembly for capping an end of a container
equipped with dispensing means having an actuating stem projecting
from that end of the container, and for operating the actuating
stem to dispense product from the container, performance of two
functions being a requisite to operation of the dispensing means,
said closure assembly comprising:
a collar adapted to be non-rotatively mounted about the actuating
stem of the container, said collar having a keying element;
cam means, also adapted to be non-rotatively mounted about the
actuating stem and having at least one projecting cam lobe;
an overcap member for enclosing the actuating stem of the container
and equipped with catch means in its interior, said cap having
means for mounting it on the end of the container for rotation
relative to said collar and cam means;
stem actuator means associated with said overcap member having a
discharge orifice and a socket opening, adapted to receive the end
of said actuator stem, interconnected to said discharge orifice,
said actuator means also having a pressure pad and a keying element
complementary to said collar element;
a locking member mounted in the interior of said overcap and biased
to a normal locking position, said locking member having a cam
follower operatively engaged by said cam means upon rotation of
said overcap when installed on the container, and latch means to
engage said catch means and retain the locking member against
return to its normal biased position, said locking member normally
assuming a position between said pressure pad and said collar when
said latch means is disengaged from said catch means to limit
depression of said stem actuator means;
whereby rotation of said overcap member relative to said collar and
cam means moves said locking member radially outwardly to retract
said locking member from between said collar and said stop means
and into engagement with said catch means, and whereby further
rotation permits alignment of said keying elements to allow
depression of said stem actuator means, said keying elements,
except when thus aligned, cooperating to block depression of said
stem actuator means relative to said overcap; and
reset means associated with said stem actuator means for
disengaging said latch means from said catch means upon depression
of said stem actuator means, allowing said locking member to return
to blocking position between said actuator pressure pad and said
collar.
2. The safety closure assembly for a container as claimed in claim
1, wherein said locking member is an elongate resilient finger,
cantilevered in the interior of said overcap member and having a
free end urged into blocking position between said actuator
pressure pad and said collar.
3. The safety closure assembly for a container as claimed in claim
1, wherein said catch means is a depending partition mounted in the
interior of said overcap member and said latch means is an
upstanding pin formed on the free end of said finger and adapted to
latch behind said partition.
4. The safety closure assembly for a container as claimed in claim
1, wherein said catch means is a depending partition mounted in the
interior of said overcap member, said locking member is an elongate
resilient finger and said latch means is an upstanding pin formed
on one end of said finger which when positioned to one side of said
partition retains said finger against biased return to its said
normal position, and wherein said reset means is said actuator
pressure pad which engages said locking finger at its free end and
to disengage said pin from said partition when said stem actuator
is depressed.
5. The safety closure assembly for a container as claimed in claim
4, wherein either said upstanding pin or said under edge of said
depending partition has a sloping face adapted to engage the other
and to cam the pin into latching position behind said partition
when said finger is moved radially outwardly by said cam lobe.
6. The safety closure assembly for a container as claimed in claim
1, wherein said keying elements are positioned on said actuator and
collar so as to require rotation of said overcap member relative to
the container, in addition to that required to engage said latch,
to align said complementary keying elements.
7. A safety closure assembly for enclosing an end of an aerosol
container equipped with a dispensing valve and a valve stem
projecting from that end of the container, performance of two
functions being requisite to operation of the dispensing valve,
said closure assembly comprising:
a collar, adapted to be non-rotatively mounted above the valve stem
on the valved end of the container, having a keying element;
cam means, also adapted to be non-rotatively mounted about the
valve stem on the valved end of the container, having at least one
radially outwardly projecting lobe;
an overcap member for enclosing the valved end of the container and
equipped with catch means in the form of a depending partition in
its interior;
means for rotatively mounting said overcap member relative to said
collar and said cam means on the valved end of the container;
valve actuator means associated with said overcap member having a
discharge orifice and a socket opening adapted to receive the valve
stem and interconnected to said discharge orifice, also having
depending stop means and a keying element complementary to said
collar keying element;
a locking member in the form of an elongate resilient finger
mounted in the interior of said overcap and being resiliently urged
between said stop means and collar to limit depression of said
valve actuator means, also having a cam follower operatively
engageable by said cam means when said overcap is rotated on the
container, and a latch pin formed on said finger adapted to engage
one side of said partition of latch said finger in retracted
position relative to said stop means and collar;
whereby rotation of said overcap member relative to said collar and
cam means moves said finger radially outwardly to retract said
finger from between said collar and stop means until said latch pin
is engaged and retained by said partition, and whereby further
rotation permits alignment of said keying elements to allow
depression of said valve actuator means, said keying elements,
except when thus aligned, also cooperating to block depression of
said valve actuator means relative to said overcap; and
reset means associated with said valve actuator means for
disengaging said latch pin from engagement with said partition
after depression of said valve actuator means, allowing said finger
to return to blocking position between said stop means and said
collar.
8. The safety closure assembly for closing and operating an aerosol
container as claimed in claim 7 wherein said reset means is a
pressure pad associated with said valve actuator means for pressing
said tab downward to effect the disengagement of said pin from said
partition when said valve actuator is depressed.
9. The safety closure assembly for closing and operating an aerosol
container as claimed in claim 7 wherein said pin has an inclined
surface to cam said pin over an edge of said partition when said
finger is moved radially outwardly by said cam lobe.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed more particularly to a safety
closure assembly for capping an aerosol container that is equipped
with a vertical action dispensing valve having a valve stem
projecting from one end of the container. This safety closure is
further intended to operate the dispensing valve through the valve
stem.
Aerosol containers are commonly used to store fluid consumer
products for use in the home and are readily available at
supermarkets and other retail stores. However, some contents such
as pesticides, paints, disinfectants, lubricants, and household
cleaners frequently packaged in such containers may be corrosive or
poisonous and are, therefore, dangerous to human health if misused.
Injury could result if these types of products are ingested or
sprayed on the skin or in the eyes. Since aerosol containers
holding liquids of the general types described above are used in
the home, small children often have or can gain access to them.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide aerosol containers or
products potentially dangerous if misused with a closure assembly
which deters or prevents dispensing of the contents by small
children. However, such a closure assembly should be easily
operable by an adult to dispense the contents when actually
needed.
Frequently, an authorized operator of an aerosol container having a
safety closure device will forget to reset the device after use and
thereby facilitate subsequent unauthorized operation. Thus, it is
also desirable that such a closure assembly automatically reset
itself to prevent unauthorized dispensing after each use.
It is frequnetly desirable to package pharmaceutical products in
aerosol containers equipped with a metering valve to measure the
amount of product dispensed on each valve actuation. In such cases
it would be of advantage to incorporate means that would require
the user consciously to perform an unlocking operation after each
valve actuation, whereby to minimize inadvertent over-dosage of the
pharmaceutical product.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Closure assemblies for aerosol containers of fluid products which
include provision to render the closure assemblies inoperative to
dispense the container's contents are presently known. One such
closure assembly, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,240,397, employs a
temporary breakable protective cover initially mounted over the
actuator tab. A second assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
3,539,078 incorporates breakable tie-strips interconnecting the
valve actuator tab and adjacent portions of the overcap. However,
once such breakable components are fractured, no further protection
against unauthorized or unintentional operation of the dispenser
valve is provided.
Other closure assemblies intended to prohibit unauthorized
operation of an aerosol dispenser valve require manual positioning
or coordinating of actuating members in order to render the valve
operative. Generally, such arrangements require the user to
manually move an actuating member from an inoperative to an
operative position, for example, by rotating the actuating member
between fixed stops carried by some relatively stationary member
such as an overcap. Examples of such an arrangement are disclosed
in U.S. Pat. No. 3.050,219 and 3,484,023. A sliding or
reciprocating valve actuating member, such as that shown in U.S.
Pat. Nos. 3,386,631 and 3,610,479 has also been employed to
deactivate the actuator. However, by simply playing with such
devices, a child may accidentally condition them in operative
position.
A removable and replaceable locking member is illustrated in U.S.
Pat. No. 3,158,292 However, such a locking member may be lost or
forgotten to be replaced.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,748 discloses a childsafe actuator overcap
including a collar having a keying element and a valve actuator
member having a complementary keying element which must be visually
aligned to render the dispenser valve operative. In this device,
unless the authorized user consciously resets the keying elements
in "safe" relation after each use, continued operation of the
dispenser is possible.
Other aerosol container closure safety mechanisms are disclosed in
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,651,993, 3,722,748, 3,729,119, 3,734,354,
3,744,682, 3,754,689, 3,802,607 and 3,828,982, as well as in
copending patent application Ser. No. 483,162, filed July 26, 1974,
in the name of Roy S. Swenson.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, to be
described below in detail, the safety closure assembly is designed
to close an aerosol container equipped with a vertical action
dispensing valve having a valve actuating stem projecting from one
end of the container, and is further designed to operate the
dispensing valve through the valve stem. Performance of a multistep
sequence of functions is a requisite to operation of the dispensing
valve by this closure assembly. The assembly includes a collar
adapted to be non-rotatively mounted about the valve stem on the
valved end of the container. This collar is provided with a first
keying element. An overcap member is adapted to be relatively
rotatably mounted on the valved end of the container to enclose
that end, and is equipped with a valve actuator forming part of the
overcap. The valve actuator has a discharge orifice and a socket
opening, adapted to receive the projecting end of the valve stem,
interconnected to the discharge orifice. This actuator also has a
depending stop and a second keying element which is complementary
to the first keying element disposed on the collar.
A locking member in the form of an elongate, resilient, flexible
finger is cantilevered in the interior of the overcap and has a cam
follower which is operatively engaged, upon rotating the overcap,
by a cam installed in non-rotative condition on the container. This
resilient locking finger is formed with an upstanding latch pin
adapted to engage a depending catch partition in the overcap to
hold the locking finger in an unlocked or cocked position. The
natural resilience of the locking finger urges it between the
depending valve actuator stop and the collar when the latch pin is
disengaged from the catch partition, thereby limiting depression of
the valve actuator and preventing operative engagement with the
valve stem.
Rotation of the overcap relative to the aerosol container, and
hence relative to the collar and cam, moves the locking tab
radially outwardly to engage the latch pin on the catch partition
to retract the locking finger from between the collar and the stop.
Further rotation in either direction of the overcap permits
alignment of the complementary keying elements to allow depression
of the valve actuator to operate the dispensing valve through the
valve stem. The valve actuator may be formed with a sighting
aperture and the collar may be provided with a complementary visual
index to facilitate alignment of the keying elements.
The valve actuator is also provided with a boss which contacts the
resilient locking finger, whenever the valve is operated, to
disengage its latch pin from the catch partition. This operation
automatically resets the locking finger after each use, permitting
it to again be urged to its locked position between the valve
actuator stop and the collar, preventing subsequent depression of
the valve actuator and, hence, operation of the dispensing valve
until the proper steps are taken to recondition the closure
assembly.
The safety closure assembly of the present invention provides
several advantages. Since a multistep sequence of functions must be
performed before this safety closure assembly is capable of
operating the dispensing valve, chances of a child or other
unauthorized user gaining access to the container's contents are
minimized. Mechanical and visual functions, difficult for a small
child to recognize, are combined and must be coordinated to render
this safety closure operable. In particular, the locking finger can
only be operated by rotating the overcap, moving this finger
relative to the container to produce interaction of the cam and cam
lobe. An audible click is produced when the finger is retracted
from its locking position and its latch pin is engaged on the catch
partition in the overcap. In addition, completion of this
mechanical function may be sensed by "feel" when rotating the
overcap. Nevertheless, mere performance of this first mechanical
function still will not permit access to the contents of the
aerosol container. The further function, completion of which is
indicated visually, must then be performed to provide access. In
particular, the overcap must be further rotated until the index is
visually sighted through the aperture in the valve actuator to
align the complementary keying elements on the collar and valve
actuator. Thus, only after both the mechanically and visually
indicated functions are performed can the valve actuator be
operated to dispense the contents of the container.
Though small children have difficulty recognizing and then
coordinating the functions necessary to operate the safety
enclosure assembly of the present invention, adults may do so with
relative ease.
The closure assembly of the present invention automatically resets
to locked condition after each use of the valve actuator. Thus, an
adult user cannot forget to reset this safety closure, and cannot
leave it in an operative condition after he has used it.
Additionally, all operative components of this safety closure
assembly are contained inside or are covered by the overcap so as
not to be easily accessible. No separate removable blocking members
are employed. Therefore, no components may be lost or neglected to
be replaced.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a
unique and novel safety closure assembly for closing an aerosol
container equipped with a dispensing valve having a valve actuating
stem projecting from one end of the container whereby to operate
the valve by reciprocation of its stem, performance of a multistep
sequence of functions being a prerequisite to operation of the
dispensing valve by the closure assembly.
Other objects, aspects, and advantages of the present invention
will be pointed out in, or will be understood, from, the detailed
description of the preferred embodiment provided below, considered
together with the following drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the safety closure
assembly of the present invention installed on an aerosol container
equipped with a dispensing valve and valve actuating stem
projecting from one end of that container;
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the valve actuator-overcap
assembly;
FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on discontinuous
plane 3--3 of FIG. 2, illustrating the valve actuator hinged on the
overcap and the locking finger mounted in cantilever fashion from
the interior wall of the overcap;
FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the valve actuator-overcap
assembly;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on plane 5--5 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on plane 6--6 in
FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, illustrating the
locking finger in its unlocked position and, in phantom lines, a
portion of the container and collar;
FIG. 7 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on plane 7--7 in
FIG. 6 looking in the direction of the arrows, parts being broken
away or omitted for greater clarity of illustration of the
operative relationship of the locking finger, cam and cam lobe;
FIG. 8 through 10 are enlarged fragmentary views similar to that of
FIG. 7, showing parts in different operated positions; and
FIGS. 11 through 13 are enlarged fragmentary views similar to that
of FIG. 6, showing in elevation the parts in different operated
positions.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 illustrates the preferred embodiment of the safety closure
assembly of the present invention, generally indicated at 10,
installed on an aerosol container 12 which stores liquid contents
under pressure to be dispensed as needed by the intended user.
Aerosol container 12 is generally designed to be hand held and the
closure assembly is designed to be hand operated to dispense the
liquid contents as will be described in greater detail below. The
container is equipped with any standard type of vertically actuated
aerosol valve assembly which includes a valve stem 14 which when
depressed operates a dispensing valve mounted inside the container
to allow dispensing of the pressurized contents in well known
manner. This valve assembly is supported by a standard ferrule or
cup installed in the mouth of the container to close the latter by
crimping the lip of the cup to the margin of the container mouth,
forming an upstanding annular rim. As hereafter explained, this rim
is used as a convenient means of mounting the closure assembly of
this invention, although other arrangements are possible.
An injection molded actuator-overcap assembly 16 is snap-fitted to
this mounting cup rim and substantially encloses the valved end of
the aerosol container. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this assembly 16
includes an overcap portion 18 and valve actuator member 20
integrally formed with the overcap as a tab hinged to a side wall
of the overcap. The overcap is also formed on its top with a curved
depression 22 in which a finger of the human hand may be
comfortably rested and guided to the valve actuator. A curved
recess 24 is formed in the front face of the overcap 18 to provide
an open path for liquid dispensed from the discharge nozzle of the
closure assembly. As seen in FIG. 2, the overcap is slotted at 26
to define the resiliently hinged valve actuator tab 20, the hinge
being located at the tab juncture 28 with the side wall of the
overcap and the tab being thus biased to assume a slightly elevated
position.
As shown in FIG. 1 and in greater detail in FIGS. 4 and 11 through
13, the valve actuator tab 20 has a front face 30 which is formed
with a discharge orifice 32 that communicates internally with a
valve stem socket 34. A depending hollow boss or hub 36 encircles
valve stem socket 34 and is positioned to be generally co-axial
with valve stem 14. Hub 36 may be formed with a generally conical
inner surface to guide actuating tab 20 and its socket 34 into
alignment with the valve stem when the actuating tab is
depressed.
A depending cylindrical skirt 38 is formed in the interior of
overcap 18 and has an inwardly directed angular retaining lip 40
positioned at its lower margin. Lip 40 snaps over the rim (see FIG.
6) of the valve cup. In this manner, the overcap is retained on the
container to prevent axial disengagement of the two, yet rotation
of the overcap relative to the container about the container's axis
is permitted.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 6, and 11 through 13, valve actuator tab 20
is formed with side walls 42 which flank hub 36. At least one of
these side walls further serves as a stop in a manner described in
greater detail below.
As illustrated in FIG. 12, the valve stem is housed in and projects
axially through a pedestal 44 which is formed as a central
protuberance of the standard valve ferrule. A collar 46 is
non-rotatively mounted about pedestal 44 so that rotation of the
container assures rotation of the collar. This mount may be
achieved, for example, by press-fitting the collar onto the
pedestal. An upstanding cam lobe 48 shown in FIG. 8 through 13, is
formed with or mounted on collar 46.
A lock member in the form of an elongate, resilient, finger 50 is
mounted within overcap 18, a free end of which projects into the
gap normally existing between the top surface of collar 46 and the
bottom edge of the side wall 42 of valve actuator tab 20. Overcap
18 is provided on its interior surface with a dovetail socket 52,
and locking finger 50 is formed with a complementary dovetail
tongue 54 which is inserted into the socket to mount the locking
finger 50 in cantilever fashion relative to the cap wall.
Locking finger 50 is normally urged, as mentioned above, between
the stop 42 and the collar 46 to limit depression of the valve
actuator tab 20, clearance for this being provided by the raised
position of actuator tab 20 to which it is normally biased. If
depression of the tab is attempted, the under edge of wall 42 acts
as a stop by abutting against the finger which in turn abuts the
top surface of collar 46. As shown in FIGS. 11 through 13, the
vertical thickness of the locking finger 50 is chosen so that the
limited depression which it permits is insufficient to operate the
valve stem 14 and hence the dispensing valve.
Locking finger 50 is mounted so that the natural resilience of the
material from which it is made urges it into its locking position,
as shown in FIGS. 9 and 13. For example, this finger may be
manufactured from resilient material such as spring steel or
plastic which causes it to return to its preset position after
being flexed from that position. Additionally, the locking finger
is formed with a cam follower surface 56 adapted to coact with cam
lobe 48 upon relative rotation between the two, to urge the locking
finger 50 away from interposed condition relative to collar 46 and
stop 42. This is indicated by arrow A in FIG. 10, occurring when
the cam follower is contacted by lobe 48 by rotating the overcap
relative to the container.
As can be seen in FIGS. 11 through 13, the locking finger 50 is
formed at its free end with an upstanding latch pin 58 having a
beveled face 60, and pin 58 interacts with the under edge of a
depending partition 62 flanking side walls 42 of the actuator to
form a catch arrangement for latching finger 50 in retracted
position. Obviously the bevel could be placed instead on the
partition, or both finger 50 and partition 62 could be beveled.
When the locking finger is moved radially outwardly by the
interaction of cam lobe 48 and cam follower 56, it is cammed
downward by the interaction of beveled surface 60 against the lower
edge of partition 62. Once the pin is moved back of the partition,
the natural resilience of the finger causes it to spring upward, so
that latch pin 58 firmly engages and is retained by catch partition
62. This relationship is best illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 11, in
which condition the locking finger is said to be in cocked or armed
condition.
The safety closure assembly of the present invention further
includes a second construction which also inhibits unauthorized
operation of the dispensing valve, even if the aforesaid cocked
condition should exist. As shown in FIG. 7 through 13, the
cylindrical wall portion of collar 46 projects axially above
pedestal 44. A notch 64 is let into the upper edge of this collar
wall, and valve actuator hub 36, in turn, is formed with a
complementary web or rib 66 which projects radially outwardly. This
rib extends generally axially relative to the hub and has a
thickness which permits its insertion into the notch 64 when the
two are vertically aligned and the actuator tab is depressed. Notch
64 and rib 66 constitute complementary keying elements which permit
complete depression of the actuating tab to engage the valve stem
only when properly registered. Such registration is achieved by
rotating the overcap, and hence the actuator tab and rib 66,
relative to the container and collar 46. The degree of accuracy of
registration required may be readily controlled by the relative
widths of the notch and key.
When the notch and rib are not aligned, downward depression of the
actuator cap causes the bottom surface of the rib to abut the top
unnotched surface portion of the collar, even if finger 50 is in
cocked position. Accordingly, the height of the collar and the rib
are chosen so that downward movement is limited by this abutting
relation to prevent operation of the dispensing valve through valve
stem 14.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the valve actuator tab 20 is formed with
a sighting aperture 68. An index, which may be colored insert, is
provided on the collar which when sighted through the sighting
aperture 68 indicates alignment of the keying elements, namely
notch 64 and rib 66. In the preferred embodiment of the present
invention, the vertically upstanding cam lobe 48, which is
desirably colored differently than the collar itself, is made use
of for this purpose, the lobe thus serving a dual function.
The illustrated embodiment of the safety closure assembly of the
present invention functions as follows. In its normal position with
components assuming positions to prevent unauthorized operation of
the dispensing valve, locking finger 50 is, as previously
described, urged between stop 42 and the top surface of collar 46
to limit depression of the actuator tab within an inoperative range
in respect to the valve (FIG. 13). The keying elements, namely
notch 64 and rib 66, may or may not be in registry at this point,
but the dispenser is still in "safe" condition since the
intervention of the locking finger 50 renders the actuator tab
inoperative.
With the safety closure assembly in this locked configuration, the
user conditions it for operation by first rotating the overcap
relative to the container to effect the aforesaid caming action
between cam lobe 48 and cam follower 56 to condition locking finger
50 in the cocked position, as seen in FIGS. 8 and 11.
For maximum safety it is obvious that the collar should be
constructed so that the interfitting notch and rib are not in
registry immediately after the locking finger has been cocked. The
operator then rotates the overcap relative to the container to
bring the rib into interfitting alignment with the collar notch, as
indicated by visual alignment of the index through the sighting
aperture of the tab. This condition is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and
11. The valve actuator tab may now be depressed to operate the
dispensing valve by depressing valve stem 14.
In addition to requiring the foregoing multistep sequence of
functions to be properly performed to operate an aerosol container
dispensing valve, the safety closure of the present invention
reconditions itself automatically with each operation to relock
itself by resetting or releasing the locking finger 50 from latched
condition upon depression of the valve actuator tab 20. This reset
operation is best illustrated with reference to FIGS. 11 through
13. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 11, which represent the previously
described cocked and aligned position, side wall 42 overlies the
inwardly projecting tip of the cam follower portion on locking
finger 50. Thus, when valve actuating tab 20 is depressed, as
indicated by arrow C in FIG. 12, the under edge of wall 42 acts as
a pressure pad contacting the locking finger 50 to disengage the
latch pin from the catch partition, as shown by arrow D. Further,
when the valve actuating tab 20 is subsequently released, as
indicated by arrow E in FIG. 13, the locking finger automatically
returns to its interposed locked position, as indicated by arrow F,
due to its resilience. Even though the notch 64 and rib 66 are
still aligned at this point, the locking finger 50 functions to
inhibit downward depression of the valve actuator to operate the
valve stem 14. It is, of course, desirable to rotate the overcap
relative to the container, in order to move the notch and rib out
of registry after valve actuation. However, even if the user
forgets to do this, the locking finger 50 still performs an
effective locking function and a subsequent user cannot operate the
valve until the multistep sequence of unlocking functions is
performed properly.
The safety enclosure assembly of the present invention, then,
provides several unique and novel advantages. It requires proper
performance of a multistep sequence of functions before the closure
assembly is conditioned to permit operating the dispenser valve of
the aerosol container. Two of these are manual, involving first
mechanical cocking of the locking arm. In the performance of this
an audible signal is given by the snap-over of the latch pin on the
partition, and this may also be "felt" through the overcap.
Successful completion of the second manual function, which also
involves rotation of the cap, is indicated visually. Accordingly it
is extremely difficult for a small child to recognize and
successfully coordinate performance of these mechanical and visual
functions to operate the dispenser valve of an aerosol container on
which such a closure assembly is installed. However, adults can do
so with relative ease.
This closure assembly is automatically reset in an inoperative
locked position after each use of the valve actuator tab to
dispense contents of the aerosol container. Therefore, even if the
user forgets to reset it, the closure assembly is conditioned in
safe position. Moreover, the closure assembly is completely self
contained and does not include any removable and replaceable
blocking or locking elements. Therefore, no components of this
closure assembly are exposed to be misplaced.
Although a specific embodiment of the present invention has been
disclosed in detail above for application to aerosol containers, it
is to be understood that this is for purposes of illustration since
the concept of the invention is also applicable to other types of
consumer product dispensers such as those using manual pumps for
delivering the container contents. This disclosure should
accordingly not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention
since changes can be made to the described safety closure assembly
structures by those skilled in the art in order to adapt this
assembly to particular applications.
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