US3567057A - Bottle safety closure - Google Patents

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a safety cap for a bottle which may contain hazardous material and which is simple for an adult to open, but essentially impossible for a child of limited strength to open.

Description

United States Patent Inventor William J. Lauden [56] References Cited Cheshire, (70m UNITED STATES PATENTS P 29mm 3,344,942 10/1967 Hedgewick 215/9 Filed Apr. 17, 1970 P tented Mar 2 1971 3,410,434 11/1968 Simons 214/9 Aassignee Eyelt mialty Company 3,468,444 9/ 1969 Martin 215/9 wauingford, Comb 3,472,411 10/1969 Turner 215/9 Primary Examiner-George T. Hall Att0rney-Delio and Montgomery BOTTLESAFETY CLOSURE 12 Claims, 9 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl. 215/9, V 215/43 Int. Cl A6 1j 1/00, ABSTRACT: This disclosure relates to a safety cap for a bottle B65d 55/02 which may contain hazardous material and which is simple for Field of Search 215/9.43, an adult to open, but essentially impossible for a child of 85 limited strength to open.

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BOTTLE SAFETY CLOSURE This invention relates to .bottles adapted to contain hazardous substances, and more particularly relates to safety closures for such bottles which render them unopenable by persons of limited strength.

The hazard of many substances to human life, particularly to small children, is widely recognized. For this reason there have been many suggestions of providing. safety closure caps for bottles. The present invention provides a bottle closure cap which is very simple for an adult to remove but will be impossible for a child of limited strength to open and gain access to its contents. The closure assembly provided by the present invention is further arranged so that it is adapted for automatic filling of the bottle and assembly of the caps thereto. It is economical to manufacture and would thus minimize any additional cost to'the buyer for the improved safety construction.

Briefly stated, the invention in one form thereof comprises a bottle member having a resilient means disposed about its neck which is engaged by a locking member. The locking member and a closure cap are so constructed that when the cap is put on the bottle the locking mernber is urged against the resilient member which, in turn, biases the locking member into interlocking engagement with the cap. With this arrangement, the locking member must be withdrawn from engagement with the cap before the cap can be removed. By selection of various parameters, the force necessary to remove the locking member from interlocking engagement with the cap may be predetermined, and the assembly may be rendered unopenable by a child.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved safety cap for a bottle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved safety cap for a bottlewhich is economical to manufacture and readily lends itself to automatic production line facilities for filling and capping a bottle.

A further object of this invention isto provide a new and improved safety cap and bottle combination in which the cap is readily locked onto the bottle but may be unlocked therefrom by a very simple manipulation of a locking member. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly set forth and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this specification. However, the invention both as to its organization and operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof may best be appreciated by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in half section of an upper portion of a bottle and safety cap therefor embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view looking down on the bottle of FIG. 1 with the cap and locking member removed;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the locking member of FIG. 1;

, FIG. 4 is a view seen in the plane of lines 4-4 of FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a view of the bottle cap of FIG. 1 seen from the underside thereof;

FIG. 6 is a view in section of the cap of FIG. 5 seenin the plane of lines 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the manner in which the locking member may be removed from interlocking engagement with the cap;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the invention as applied to a glass bottle; and

FIG. 9 is a view in perspective of a member used in the assembly of FIG. 8. a i

The invention as applied to a nonvitreous bottle is shown in FIG. 1 and comprises abottle 10 of nonvitreous material such as a plastic material formed from a blow molding process to define thebottle 10. Thebottle 10 includes a neck portion 11 having threads 11a defined on the upper portion thereof. Extending from neck portion 11 is a resilient biasing member in the form of aflangelike member 12. Theflange member 12 may be completely circular or as shown in FIG. 2 may be divided intosegments 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d. Also defined on neck 11 are splines or protrudingdeten't members 13.

Alocking member 14 is adapted to fit over the neck 11 ofbottle 10 and be locked in an angular position by thesplines 13. For this purpose,member 14 is formed with inwardly directed detent members orsplines 15 which definespaces 15a therebetween. With thisarrangement locking member 14 may be simply dropped over the neck of bottle 11 in an automatic processing line and will be self-seating in that thesplines 13 will be received in any of spaces 150. To facilitate this assembly, the bottom portions of thedetents 15 may be rounded or made on a taper (not shown) somember 14 will readily seat itself around neck portion 11 in engagement withsplines 13.

As more clearly shown in FIG. 4,member 14 is defined with anundercut shoulder 16 adapted to fit overflange member 12 and the under portion thereof is further defined with a generally concave recess exemplified by a tapered orfrustoconical surface 17 for reasons hereinafter I made apparent. Defined on the upper portion oflocking member 14 is an annulus ofratchetlike teeth 18 adapted to be placed in locking engagement with acap member 19.

Cap member 19 hasinternal threads 20 defined thereon adapted to threadably receive threads 11a on neck 11. Defined on the underside ofcap 19 is an annulus ofratchetlike teeth 21 adapted to interlock withteeth 18.

In operation, when thebottle 10 is filled with thelocking member 14 disposed thereon, thecap 19 is then screwed on to the neck 11 until a sealingmember 22 on the undersurface'of the top of the cap engages the top edge: of neck 11. As this occurs, theratchetlike teeth 21 ofcap 19 may slip on theratchetlike teeth 18 oflocking member 14. This will forcemember 14 downwardly on biasingmember 12 which will be deformed or biased downwardly as shown inFIG. 1. Whencap 19 is threaded onto neck 11, the upward bias of the resilient biasing member againstmember 14 will urgemember 14 into interlocking engagement withcap 19 and thevertical edges 18a and 21a of ratchetlike teeth will prevent removal ofcap 19.

Cap 19 can only be released when the interlockingratchet teeth 18 and 21 are removed from engagement. This is achieved by applying a downwardly directed force as represented by the arrow F in FIG. 7 "to locking member 14., which downwardly directed force against theresilient flange 12 will move lockingmember 14 downwardly and disengage theteeth 18 and 21, thus permitting thecap 19 to be easily threaded off of neck 11.

When the desired member or volume of contents have been removed frombottle 10, an adult may then easily provide locking closure again by threadingcap 19 back onto threads 11a until the cap bottoms on the neck. During a portion of such operation, theteeth 21 will slip on theteeth 18 by virtue of the inclined surfaces 21b and 18b,locking member 14 will then urgeflange member 12 downwardly which, in turn, will exert an upward bias onmember 14 urging it into interlocking engagement withcap 19. The recessed ortapered surfaces 17 oflocking member 14permit locking member 14 to act on the edges of flanges l2 and urge the flanged member downwardly while moving downwardly with respect thereto. It will be apparent that such a recess will be necessary to act on the edges of the flange and bend it downwardly.

The magnitude of the force F necessary to release themember 14 from locking engagement withcap 19 may be predetermined by the resilience of thematerial 12. the configuration of the resilient biasing member, that is, if it is a flange, whether segmented or a complete disc, and the radial size of the biasing member, together with other parameters. These parameters may be chosen in accordance with the, degree of force that it is desired to exert on thelocking member 14 before opening of the bottle is permitted.

In a preferred form of the invention which uses nonvitreous material and in which theflange member 12 may be formed integrally with the bottle neck, a suitable material for forming the bottle is polypropylene and a particular designation is.

Type 220 of Dow Chemical Company. This type of material may be utilized where it is desired to have a bottle of inert material which is readily adapted for high volume manufacturing purposes. It is to be understood, of course, that many other materials may be utilized for the bottle, the only requirement being that the biasing member orflange 12 have the desired degree of resilience and flexibility.

It will be noted that from the foregoing, once locking engagement is achieved and the sealingmember 22 rests on the upper end of neck 11, the cap is in complete sealing engagement with thebottle 10, and thethreads 21 and 18 cannot be slipped. Therefore, the disclosed bottle and cap arrangement are suitable for holding liquids as well as material in powder or tablet form.

With the arrangement disclosed, it will be seen that in an automatic processing line for filling and capping bottles, thelocking member 14 may be dropped over the neck of the bottle at one station and will be self-seating on neck 11 and angularly fixed with respect thereto by thesplines 13 extending intorecesses 15a. At a subsequent work station, the desired contents of the bottle may be placed therein, and then at a still subsequent station, thecap 19 is screwed on to thebottle 10 and the bottle with contents therein and safety cap locked thereon is then arranged for shipment to the user. The disclosed arrangement thus lends itself very readily to processing lines in which bottles are filled and capped automatically without requiring any additional hand labor.

For convenience, thelocking member 14 is formed with a greater diameter as shown or, alternatively, may be formed at the same diameter as the lower portion ofcap 19 with finger projections (not shown) thereon so that while the bottle is held in the palm of the hand, the thumb and a finger may grasp themember 14 and depress it as shown in FIG. 7.

The invention is further adaptable for use with glass bottles. FIG. 8 discloses a glass bottle having aneck portion 31 threaded at the upper portion thereof as indicated by thereference numeral 32. Theglass bottle 30 is formed with theusual transfer bead 33 which may be radially extended if deemed necessary. As is well known in the glass bottle forming art, atransfer bead 33 is utilized in the molding operation to control the amount of glass in the threaded portion. Amember 34 having asleeve portion 35 and a radially extendedflange 36 is placed overneck 31 with the lower edges of thesleeve portion 35 resting ontransfer bead 33. Theflanges 36 may be a disc, or may be segmented as shown. The configuration of the flanges is not important so long as they provide the necessary biasing function. Themember 34 is preferably formed of a material having the previously desired characteristics as, for example, the aforementioned polypropylene.

Also formed on the outer periphery ofneck 31 aresplines 37 adapted to hold a lockingmember 38 in fixed angular relationship toneck 31 as previously described. The lockingmember 38 may be identical in structure to lockingmember 14 of FIGS. I-7. Acap member 39 carrying a sealing member 40 is disposed onthreads 32 and in locking engagement withmember 38 as shown in FIG. 8. The operation for closing and opening the bottle of FIG. 8 is the same as that previously described.

A small detent ring 41 may be formed on either ofbottles 10 or 30 to preventmember 14 or 38, respectively, from sliding off the necks if the bottle is held in a completely vertical, upside down position. This ring, if used, is so dimensioned that the locking member and theresilient member 36 may be easily pushed thereover in initial assembly.

It may thus be seen that the objects of the invention set forth as well as those made apparent from the preceding description are efficiently attained. Other embodiments of the disclosed invention, as well as modifications to the disclosed embodiment may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments of the invention and modifications of the disclosed embodiments thereof which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim: I 1. In combination, a bottle having a neck portion and being threaded along said neck portion to receive a closure cap, a resilient biasing member carried on said neck portion and extending radially outwardly therefrom, a locking member disposed about said neck portion and engaging said resilient member adjacent its lower portion, means defined on said locking member and said cap for interlocking engagement therebetween, said member upon tightening of said cap on said neck forcing said resilient member downwardly whereby said resilient member biases said locking member toward said interlocking engagement.

2. The combination ofclaim 1 further defined in that the bottle is formed of a resilient material and said biasing member is a flange integrally formed on said neck.

3. The combination ofclaim 1 further including splinelike members on said neck above said biasing member, said locking member fitting over said splines to render said locking member nonrotational with respect to said neck.

4. The combination ofclaim 1 wherein said interlocking means comprise mating ratchetlike teeth defined on said locking member and said closure cap, said teeth being arranged to permit slippage therebetween as said closure cap is threaded onto said neck and prevent rotation of said cap from said neck when said locking member is biased against said cap.

5. The combination ofclaim 2 wherein said locking member is annular in shape and the underside thereof is defined with a concavity so that said locking member may act on the outer edges of said flange and move downwardly with respect thereto.

6. The combination of claim 3 wherein said locking member defines an opening for receiving said neck therethrough, a plurality of angularly spaced detent elements extending radially inwardly of said opening and defining spaces therebetween adapted to receive said splines.

7. The combination ofclaim 1 wherein said bottle is formed of glass and said biasing member is of a resilient material disposed about the neck of said bottle.

8. The combination ofclaim 7 wherein the neck portion of said bottle is formed with a flangelike bead, said biasing member includes a sleevelike portion resting on said bead and having a resilient radially extending flange.

9. The combination ofclaim 7 further including splinelike members on said neck above said biasing member, said locking member fitting over said splines to render said locking member nonrotational with respect to said neck.

10. The combination of claim 8 wherein said interlocking means comprise mating ratchetlike teeth defined on said locking member and said closure cap, said teeth being arranged to permit slippage therebetween as said closure cap is threaded onto said neck and prevent rotation of said cap from said neck when said locking member is biased against said cap.

11. The combination of claim 8 wherein said locking member is annular in shape and the underside thereof is defined with a concavity so that said locking member may act on the outer edges of said flange and move downwardly with respect thereto.

12. The combination ofclaim 7 wherein said locking member defines an opening for receiving said neck therethrough, a plurality of splines defined on the neck of said bottle and a plurality of angularly spaced detent elements extending radially inwardly of said opening and defining spaces therebetween adapted to receive said splines.

*zgx gy UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION March 2, 1971 Patent No. 3 5 7, 57 Dated Inventofle) William J, Landen It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 2,line 30, after neck ll" insert the following sentence Otherwise stated,cap 19 is fully threaded onto neck 11.

Signed and sealed this 7th day of September 1971 (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD Q J ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Offlcer L Acting Commissioner of Pater

Claims (12)

1. In combination, a bottle having a neck portion and being threaded along said neck portion to receive a closure cap, a resilient biasing member carried on said neck portion and extending radially outwardly therefrom, a locking member disposed about said neck portion and engaging said resilient member adjacent its lower portion, means defined on said locking member and said cap for interlocking engagement therebetween, said member upon tightening of said cap on said neck forcing said resilient member downwardly whereby said resilient member biases said locking member toward said interlocking engagement.

2. The combination of claim 1 further defined in that the bottle is formed of a resilient material and said biasing member is a flange integrally formed on said neck.

3. The combination of claim 1 further including splinelike members on said neck above said biasing member, said locking member fitting over said splines to render said locking member nonrotational with respect to said neck.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said interlocking means comprise mating ratchetlike teeth defined on said locking member and said closure cap, said teeth being arranged to permit slippage therebetween as said closure cap is threaded onto said neck and prevent rotation of said cap from said neck when said locking member is biased against said cap.

5. The combination of claim 2 wherein said locking member is annular in shape and the underside thereof is defined with a concavity so that said locking member may act on the outer edges of said flange and move downwardly with respect thereto.

6. The combination of claim 3 wherein said locking member defines an opening for receiving said neck therethrough, a plurality of angularly spaced detent elements extending radially inwardly of said opening and defining spaces therebetween adapted to receive said splines.

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein said bottle is formed of glass and said biasing member is of a resilient material disposed about the neck of said bottle.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein the neck portion of said bottle is formed with a flangelike bead, said biasing member includes a sleevelike portion resting on said bead and having a resilient radially extending flange.

9. The combination of claim 7 further including splinelike members on said neck above said biasing member, said locking member fitting over said splines to render said locking member nonrotational with respect to said neck.

10. The combination of claim 8 wherein said interlocking means comprise mating ratchetlike teeth defined on said locking member and said closure cap, said teeth being arranged to permit slippage therebetween as said closure cap is threaded onto said neck and prevent rotation of said cap from said neck when said locking member is biased against said cap.

11. The combination of claim 8 wherein said locking member is annular in shape and the underside thereof is defined with a concavity so that said locking member may act on the outer edges of said flange and move downwardly with respect thereto.

12. The combination of claim 7 wherein said locking member defines an opening for receiving said neck therethrough, a plurality of splines defined on the neck of said bottle and a plurality of angularly spaced detent elements extending radially inwardly of said opening and defining spaces therebetween adapted to receive said splines.

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