Safety closure

[57] ABSTRACT

A safety closure for a container having an annular lip and a shoulder adjacent the lip. The closure includes a unitary cap, having a rim and a dome, and a snapaction disc which is coupled to the cap. The rim of the unitary cap includes a locking projection which engages the lip on the container. The closure is placed in an unlocked position by applying a downward force to the snap-action disc to change the disc from a convex position to a concave position.

Claims, 7 Drawing Figures

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PATENTEO.JAN 11974 3,782,575

SHEET 1 OF 2

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Z2

PATENTED J*» 1074 3.782,575

SHEET 2 OF 2

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3,782,575

SAFETY CLOSURE

The invention relates to a safety closure for a container to prevent opening of the closure by one class of persons while permitting another class of persons to open easily the closure.

The safety closure is useful in preventing young children from removing the closure from the container and obtaining access to the contents which could be harmful or poisonous to the child. However, the safety closure can be easily opened by an adult or an older child who is aware of the harmful nature of the contents. Thus, a purpose of the invention is to provide a safety closure for a container which is extremely difficult for a child to unlock while being easy for an adult to unlock.

More particularly, the invention relates to a safety closure for an open-ended container having an annular lip at the open end of the container and a shoulder adjacent the lip. The closure includes a unitary cap having an annular rim and a dome. The rim has a locking projection extending inwardly therefrom for engaging the lip of the container in a locked position of the closure. The dome has a fulcrum means for engaging the shoulder of the container and pivoting the locking projection outwardly from the lip to an unlocked position of the closure. A snap-action disc is coupled to the cap and is convex when the closure is in the locked position. This disc is concave when the closure is in the unlocked position and depresses the dome of the cap when it is in the concave position.

In order to operate the safety closure a downward force is applied to the snap-action disc and the dome of the cap is depressed. This causes the locking projection to pivot away from engagement with the lip on the container thereby causing the safety closure to assume an unlocked position. The mode of operating the safety closure can be indicated by a legend on the closure.

An advantage to the invention is that for a person able to read little effort is required to learn how to operate the safety closure. At the same time, a person unable to read, such as a young child cannot learn to open the safety closure.

Another advantage to the invention is that the strength of the downward force which is necessary to move the disc to the unlocked position can be varied to effectively vary the age at which a child can successfully unlock the safety closure. This results from the consequence that in general younger children, as a class, have less strength than older children, as a class.

The design of the safety closure does not permit a person to grasp the closure and forcibly remove it from the container when the safety closure is in a locked position. This feature protects against the container being forced open by a person otherwise unable to operate the safety closure. The safety closure is also protected from accidental opening by pressing of the top of the closure against a surface such as a table top or a wall.

One form of the invention is demonstrated in the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away view of a safety closure and container embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the safety closure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the container shown in

FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the safety closure of FIG. 1, in an unlocked position;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a modified container for practicing the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of another form of safety closure having a moisture barrier and a container embodying the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of another form of safety closure and container embodying the present inven10 tion.

Referring to FIG. 1, a safety closure indicated generally by the numeral 10 is shown assembled onto a container 12. The safety closure 10 includes a unitary cap 14 having a rim 3.6 and a dome 18. The safety closure 15 10 also includes a snap-action disc 20 which engages a retaining groove 22 on the interior surface of the rim 16.

The rim 16 of the cap 14 has an annular locking projection 24 which extends inwardly from the rim 16. The 20 locking projection 24 engages an annular lip 26 located at the open end of the container 12. The container 12 has a shoulder 28 positioned adjacent the lip 26. The unitary cap 14 includes an annular bead 30 which is located on the dome 18 of the cap. The annular bead 30 25 engages the shoulder 28 of the container 12 and serves as a fulcrum means to pivot the locking projection 24 away from engagement with the lip 26 in a manner to be described.

The safety closure 10 is shown in FIG. 1 in a locked ³⁰ position on the container 12. In the locked position, the snap-action disc 20 is in a convex configuration and the locking projection 24 engages the lip 26 to prevent the closure 10 from being removed from the container 12. In order to place the safety closure 10 in an unlocked ³⁵ position, a downward force is applied to the snapaction disc 20 thereby moving the disc downward and depressing the dome 18 of the unitary cap 14. As the dome 18 is depressed downward, the rim -16 pivots about the annular bead 30 and releases the locking pro⁴⁰ jection 24 from engagement with the lip 26. The snapaction property of the disc 20 causes the disc to remain in the concave position shown in FIG. 4 thereby holding the safety closure 10 in an unlocked position. The closure 10 can then be removed by lifting it from the ⁴⁵ container 12. This operation can be performed by a person using only one hand.

To return the safety closure 10 to a locked position on the container 12, the safety closure 10 is placed on the container 12 and a downward force is applied to the ⁵⁰ rim 16 of the unitary cap 14. The downward force on the rim 16 pivots the locking projection 24 into engagement with the lip 26 and returns the snap-action disc 20 to the convex configuration of the locked position shown in FIG. 2.

The mode of operating the safety closure 10 can be indicated by a legend such as “press here” located on the snap-action disc 20 of the safety closure. This legend would inform a person able to read, such as an ₆₀ adult, how to operate the safety closure while conceal^u ing the method of operation from a young child who is unable to read. Also, the mode of operation permits an adult to learn with little effort how to operate the safety closure.

₆₅ The annular bead 30 on the dome 18 is illustrated as being continuous. However, the bead may be interrupted if desired as. long as the contact area of the bead 30 with the shoulder 28 is sufficient to provide a ful3,782,575

Referring to FIG. 6, a modified safety closure indicated generally by the numeral 10α and having an annular moisture barrier 38 is illustrated. In FIG. 6 the same reference numerals indicate the same parts as in 5 the other Figures. The moisture barrier 38 extends downwardly from the dome 18 of the unitary cap 14a to engage an interior wall 40 of the container 12 and includes ribs 42. The ribs 42 contact the interior wall 40 to prevent moisture from entering the container 12 10 when the safety closure 10α is in a locked position. The operation of the safety closure 10α is the same as for the safety closure 10. Although a pair of ribs 42 are illustrated on the moisture barrier 38, other numbers of ribs 42 could be utilized.

Referring to FIG. 7, another modified safety closure, indicated generally by the numeral l&amp;b, and a modified container 12b are illustrated. In FIG. 7, the same reference numerals indicate the same parts as in the other Figures. The safety closure 10b includes an annular extension 44 which extends downwardly from the dome 18 of the unitary cap 14b and has an externally threaded portion 46. The externally threaded portion 46 mates with an internally threaded portion 48 on the interior wall 40 of the modified container 12b.

The operation of the modified safety closure 10b is similar to the operation of the safety closure 10. Initially, a downward force is applied to the snap-action disc 2® thereby moving the disc downward and depressing the dome 18 of the unitary cap 14b. As the dome 18 is depressed downward, the rim 16 pivots about the annular bead 30 and releases the locking projection 24 in a manner similar to that shown for the safety closure 10 in FIG. 4. The snap-action property of the disc 20 causes the disc to remain in a concave position and hold the safety closure 10b in an unlocked position. The safety closure l®b is then removed from the container 12b by rotating the closure 10b to release the threaded engagement between the safety closure 10b and the container 12b.

The safety closure 10b is returned to a locked position on the container 12b by rotating the safety closure 10b into threaded engagement with the container 12b. A downward force is then applied to the rim 16 of the unitary cap 14b and the safety closure 10b moves to a locked position in a manner similar to that previously described for the safety closure 1®.

It is to be understood that various modifications can be made to the disclosed safety closure and container without departing from the scope of the invention, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and the scope of the invention.