05/166696

12/12/1972

07/28/1971

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Sunbeam Plastic Corporation (Evansville, IN)

215/220

B65D50/04; B65D50/00; A61J1/00

215/9,46

Hall, George T.

What I claim is

1. A closure for medicine bottles and the like, each of such bottles having a threaded neck, said closure comprising, in combination, an inner cap having a top, an annular sidewall depending from said top, threads formed on the inner side of said sidewall adapted to mate with such threaded neck and a plurality of vertical ribs on the exterior of said sidewall, an overcap positioned on said inner cap, said overcap having a top and a skirt which depends below the bottom edge of said annular sidewall of said inner cap, said overcap having at least one flexible portion movable toward and away from said cap ribs, said flexible portion having means on its interior surface suitable for engagement with said cap ribs for turning said inner cap off of such bottle neck.

2. A closure for medicine bottles and the like, according to claim 1, wherein said engaging means includes a plurality of mating ribs on said interior surface of said flexible portion.

3. A closure for medicine bottles and the like, according to claim 1, including one-way drive means on said top of said inner cap and on said top of said overcap, said drive means operative for threading said inner cap onto such bottle neck.

4. A closure for medicine bottles and the like, according to claim 3, wherein said one-way drive means includes a raised driven abutment on the upper surface of said top of said inner cap and a cooperating drive detent extending downwardly from the lower surface of said top of said overcap.

5. A closure for medicine bottles and the like, according to claim 1, including an inwardly directed lip adjacent the lower end of said overcap skirt and an outwardly directed rim adjacent the lower end of said inner cap, said lip being positioned below said rim and having an inner diameter less than the outer diameter of said rim.

6. A closure for medicine bottles and the like, according to claim 1, wherein said overcap has two flexible portions, said two flexible portions being in opposed relationship, each of said two flexible portions having a first end and a second end, said first end being integrally attached to the remainder of said top of said overcap and said second end extending downwardly adjacent said cap ribs.

7. A closure for medicine bottles and the like, according to claim 1, wherein said overcap has two flexible portions, each of said two flexible portions having a first end and a second end, said second end being integrally attached to the remainder of said skirt of said overcap, said first ends extending inwardly in opposed relationship to one another, and a depending lug on one of said flexible portions, said lug spaced inwardly from said first end of said one of said flexible portions, said lug being in engaging relationship with said top of said inner cap for restricting vertical movement of said one of said flexible portions toward said top of said inner cap, whereby said first end of the other one of said flexible portions is movable beneath said first end of said one of said flexible portions to position said engagement means against said cap ribs.

8. A closure for medicine bottles and the like, according to claim 1, wherein said flexible portion has a first end integrally attached to the remainder of said top of said overcap and a second end extending downwardly adjacent said cap ribs and wherein said engagement means comprises mating ribs on said interior surface of said flexible portion.

9. A closure for medicine bottles and the like, according to claim 1, wherein said overcap has two flexible portions, each of said flexible portions having a free end and an integral end attached to said overcap, and wherein said engagement means comprises mating ribs on said interior surface of said flexible portions for engagement with said cap ribs.

10. A child-proof closure for medicine bottles and the like, each of said bottles having a threaded neck, said closure comprising, in combination,

11. a substantially flat top,

12. an annular skirt,

13. threads formed on the inner side of said skirt that are adapted to mate with the threads on the bottle neck,

14. a series of vertical ribs on the exterior surface of said skirt at a level just below said flat top, and

15. an annular rim on the lower end of said skirt;

16. a substantially flat top,

17. an annular skirt of internal diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the ribs on the exterior of said inner cap skirt, and

18. an inwardly turned lip on the lower end of said overcap skirt, the inner diameter of said inwardly turned lip being less than the outer diameter of said rim on said inner cap skirt;

19. a series of mating vertical ribs formed on the inner side of said overcap skirt at a level just below said overcap top, the inner diameter of said mating vertical ribs on said overcap being slightly larger than the outer diameter of said vertical ribs on said inner cap, and

20. at least one flexible portion on said overcap top and skirt on which said mating ribs are formed, said flexible portion being movable downwardly and inwardly for engaging said two series of ribs for delivering torque from said overcap to said inner cap for turning said inner cap off of said bottle neck.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many safety closures have been designed to be used on bottles containing medicines, poisons, dangerous substances and other materials existing in households. The safety closures are designed for the purpose of making access to the container contents difficult for children.

Many of the prior art closures had an initial frangible seal. Once broken, the closures did not function properly upon successive uses. Because medicine bottles, for example, are used many times before their contents are depleted, it is necessary that a well-designed closure be as effective for successive uses as it is for the initial use.

While prescription drugs are not normally placed in medicine bottles on a production basis, most other substances including patent medicines found in the average household are packaged on a production basis. Many of the prior art safety closures are not adaptable to production operations. In a production operation, the closure must be adaptable to being placed on a bottle neck and then threaded downwardly upon the neck through the use of automatic equipment or semi-automatic equipment.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved safety closure which is useable on a production line basis in filling containers and which renders the contents of such containers relatively inaccessible to small children.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a closure for medicine bottles having a threaded neck. The closure includes an inner cap having a top and annular sidewalls which depend from the top. Threads are formed on the inner side of the sidewall and are adapted to mate with the threaded bottle neck. A plurality of vertical ribs are defined on the exterior sidewall of the inner cap and an overcap is positioned over the inner cap. The overcap has a top and a skirt which depends below the bottom edge of the inner cap sidewall. The overcap also includes at least one flexible portion which is movable toward and away from the cap ribs. Means are provided on the interior surface of the flexible portion for engagement with the cap ribs whereby upon depressing the flexible portion, a force is applied to the inner cap for turning the closure off of the bottle neck.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view with parts broken away of a closure embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross section, with parts broken away, taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of an inner cap element of the closure according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of an outer cap element of the closure according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic, partial cross-sectional view, similar to FIG. 2, showing the closure after opposed flexible portions of an overcap element have been depressed to remove the closure from the bottle;

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line 6--6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a top view with parts broken away of another closure embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line 8--8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a bottom view with parts broken away of an overcap element of the closure shown in FIG. 7; and

FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 8 showing the closure in position to be removed from a bottle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

One embodiment of a closure, according to the present invention, is generally indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2 by the reference number 15. The closure 15 is adapted for use on a medicine bottle 16 which has an upper threaded neck 17.

The closure 15 includes an inner cap 18 which has a substantially flat top 19, an annular skirt 20 depending from the top 19, and an annular rim 21 on the lower end of the skirt 20. Referring to FIG. 2, threads 22 are formed on the inner side of the annular skirt 20 and are adapted to mate with the threaded neck 17 of the bottle 16. The inner cap 18 defines a series of vertical ribs 23 on the exterior surface of the skirt 20 at a level just below the top 19.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a pair of raised abutments 24 are provided on the top 19 of the inner cap 18. Preferably, the inner cap 18 is formed of metal and the raised abutments 24 are stamped into the top 19.

The closure 15 also includes an overcap 27 which overlies the inner cap 18. The overcap 27 is preferably constructed of a resilient plastic material and has a substantially flap top 28; an annular skirt 29; and an inwardly turned lip 30 on the lower end of the skirt 29. The annular skirt 29 has an internal diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the ribs 23 on the exterior of the inner cap skirt 20.

A lip 30 of the skirt 29 is positioned below the annular rim 21 of the inner cap 18 and limits vertical movement between the overcap 27 and the inner cap 18. The inner diameter of the inwardly turned lip 30 is less than the outer diameter of the rim 21.

A pair of detents 31 extend downwardly from the lower surface of the top 28 of the overcap 27. When the closure 15 is placed on the threaded neck 17 of the bottle 16, the detents 31 of the overcap 27 and the raised abutments 24 of the inner cap 18 serve as one-way drive means for threading the closure 15 onto the threaded neck 17. When the overcap 27 is rotated in a clockwise direction (see FIG. 1), the rotative force is transmitted through the overcap detent 31 to the inner cap raised abutments 24, which threads the closure 15 upon the bottle 16. However, if the closure 15 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, no force is transmitted between the detents 31 and abutments 24.

Referring to FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the overcap 27 has two opposed flexible portions 32 which include means on their interior surfaces suitable for engagement with the ribs 23 of the inner cap 18 for turning the inner cap 18 off of the bottle neck 17. In the present embodiment, the engaging means comprise a plurality of mating ribs 33 defined on the interior surface of the flexible portions 32. Each of the two flexible portions 32 has a first end 34 integrally attached to the remainder of the top 28 of the overcap 27 and a second end 35 which extends downwardly adjacent the cap ribs 23 of the inner cap 18. The mating ribs 33 are defined on the inner surface of the second ends 35 of the flexible portions 32. When in the unflexed position shown in FIG. 2, the mating ribs 33 of the overcap 27 have an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the ribs 23 on the inner cap 18. Referring to FIG. 5, the flexible portions 32 are movable downwardly and inwardly for engaging the mating ribs 33 and 23. Preferably, raised finger surfaces 36 are provided on the flexible portions 32 and indicate locations to an operator when force is to be applied.

In a normal production line situation, a series of the bottles 16 would be filled and the closures 15 dropped downwardly over the threaded necks 17. Referring to FIG. 1, the closures 15 would next be rotated in a clockwise direction. Torque would be transmitted through the detents 31 of the overcaps 27 to the raised abutments 24 of the inner caps 18. This action of the one-way drive means threads the inner caps 18 tightly upon the threaded necks 17 of the bottles 16.

If a small child attempts to remove the closure 15, rotation in the clockwise direction (FIG. 1) urges the closure 15 into a tighter position on the medicine bottle 16. On the other hand, if the child attempts to rotate the closure 15 in a counterclockwise direction, unless he first depresses the flexible portions 32, the closure and bottle assembly stays in the relationship shown in FIG. 2. Counterclockwise rotation merely rotates the overcap 27 without transmitting force to the inner cap 18. To remove the closure 15, the operator must first depress the flexible portions 32 by applying downward forces (indicated by the designations F in FIG. 2) in the general location of the raised finger surfaces 36. This moves the second ends 35 of the flexible portions 32 downwardly and inwardly until the mating ribs 33 defined on the inner surfaces of the flexible portions 32 engage the vertical ribs 23 of the inner cap 18. The closure-bottle assembly is then in the position shown in FIG. 5. When the assembly is in the FIG. 5 relationship, counterclockwise rotation of the overcap delivers torque to the inner cap 18 and the inner cap 18 may be unscrewed from the threaded neck 17 of the bottle 16. When the depressing forces F on the flexible portions 32 are removed, the assembly returns to its FIG. 2 relationship.

Another embodiment of a closure, according to the present invention, is shown in FIGS. 7-10 and is generally indicated by the reference number 40. The closure 40 includes an inner cap 18a, having a top 19a; an annular skirt 20a; an annular rim 21a; internal threads 22a; a series of vertical ribs 23a; and raised abutments 24a.

The closure 40 also includes an overcap 27a having a top 28a; an annular skirt 29a; an inwardly directed lip 30a; and detents 31a which drive the raised abutments 24a of the inner cap 18a.

The overcap 27a has two flexible portions 41. Each of the flexible portions 41 has a first end 42 and a second end 43. The second end 43 is integrally attached to the remainder of the skirt 29a of the overcap 27a. The first ends 42 of the flexible portions 41 extend inwardly in opposed relation to one another and define a space 44 therebetween. A depending lug 45 is attached to one of the flexible portions 41 and is spaced inwardly from the first end 42 of that flexible portion 41. The lug 45 is in an engaging relationship with the top 19a of the inner cap 18a and restricts vertical movement of the flexible portion 41 having the lug 45 toward the top 28a.

A plurality of mating ribs 46 are defined on the inner surfaces of the second ends 43 of the flexible portions 41. When in an unflexed condition, the mating ribs 46 have an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the ribs 23a on the inner cap 18a. A plurality of finger serrations 47 (see FIG. 7) are provided on the exterior surfaces of the second ends 43 of the flexible portions 41 in opposed relationship to the mating ribs 46. In the present embodiment, a raised finger surface 48 is provided on the flexible portion 41 which does not have the depending lug 45.

During the production filling of the bottles 16, the closures 40 are placed upon the bottles 16 in an identical manner as disclosed above with reference to the closure 15. Similarly, when the closure assembly 40 is in the position shown in FIG. 8, counterclockwise rotation of the overcap 27a, without first depressing the flexible portions 41, will not remove the closure 40 from the threaded neck 17a of the bottle 16a.

To remove the closure 40, the operator first places a force (indicated by F ₁ in FIG. 10) on the finger surface 48 moving the first end 42 of one of the flexible portions 41 downwardly to a position adjacent the top 19a of the inner cap 18a. At this time, the operator pushes inwardly on the finger serrations 47 located on the second ends 43 of the flexible portions 41. The inwardly directed forces (indicated by the designation F ₂ in FIGS. 8 and 10) urges the first end 42 of the first of the flexible portions 41 beneath the end 42 of the flexible portions 41 having the lug 45. When the closure 40 is in the position shown in FIG. 10, the mating ribs 46 are engaged with the vertical ribs 23a of the inner cap 18a and a counterclockwise rotation of the overcap 27a transmits torque to the inner cap 18a and removes the inner cap 18a from the threaded bottle neck 17a.

It has been found that safety closures according to the present invention provide a safety closure which is effective for home use while at the same time providing a closure suitable for production filling of containers.