AU614842B2 - Child resistant snap on twist off cap - Google Patents

Description

61484R A COMMONWEALTH OF AUSR PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Form Short Title: Int. Cl: Application Number: Lodged; PI 8355 20th May, 19V" 9*

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Complete Sp ecific ation- Lodged: AccenT)ted; Lapsed: Published: Priority-, Related Art: q S 55 9

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TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT p .4 S 9*OS

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Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant', Actual Inventor: Address for Service: AMERICAN FLANGE AND MANUFACTURING INC.

1100 West Bh'ncke Street, Linden, N,.Y 07036, UiS.A.

Alan Ross Gilmour and Glenn Hugh Remington GRIFFITH HACK CO.

71 YORK STREET SYDNEY NSW 2000

AUSTRALIA

-I1 Complete Specification for the invention entitled: CHILD RESISTANT SNAP ON TWIST OFF CAP S00)7!59 6 he fdll~j s%-?e1@2t is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 1335A/LN i I I I L This invention relates to closures for containers and the like and more particularly relates to plastic cap like closures which are child resistant and optionally tamper evident. The invention particularly relates to caps which are useful for containers having powder or granular substances and the like therein, although the invention could also be useful for containers for liquids.

In recent times much attention has been given to the need to have child resistant closures for containers to avoid young children tampering with containers and gaining access to products inside which may be harmful.

Furthermore, there has been a great deal of concern that closures for containers be provided with means to determine 15 whether the closure has previously been tampered with S 15 between manufacture and ultimate retail sale. Solutions to the problem of child resistant closures are many and varied too: but all, to a greater or lesser degree suffer from complexity, paticularly in the area of manufacture, where several well known child resistant caps or closures require manufacture of two pieces. Such solutions are often in the form of an outer cap having conventional appearance and an :inner sleeve or mechanism, which may act for instance, like a ratchet until gripped properly.

The present invention has therefore been conceived out 25 of the need to provide a useful child resistant closure which can be manufactured ii the form of a one piece plastic cap. In addition, the cap mnay be pzovided with an optional tamper evident facility.

The invention further provides for the one piece cap to bu fitted either to a container having a neck portion integral with the container and adapted to receive the cap or alternatively the neck portion itself may be inserted into an appropriate container such as the lid or top of a tin.

According to the present invention there is provided a cap and neck combination for use in containers wherein the cap is provided with a top region and a side wall region .r 97SLS 2 u Nk I depending circumferentially therefrom, for fitment over the neck of a container, the neck being a substantially upright cylindrical wall having a containment flange thereabout, the cap having engagement means in the form of small protrusions or lugs, arranged to engage the containment flange to secure the cap to the neck, wherein the cap and neck combination is further arranged such that the cap can be secured to the neck in a snap on action by the cap and/or the neck resiliently deforming to enable the protrusions or lugs to pass over the flange to a position wherein they are securely located underneath the flange, the engagement means and the containment flange being further arranged such that they engage in a bayonet type action providing resistance to removal of the cap over ptedeternined relative angular locations, the cap and neck combination further comprising :resilient finger portions depending doAN7nwardly from the top region of the czap so that their free ends contact a ram~p portion on the neck causing the finger pbrtions to deflect late3,-ally and impose an upward axial force on the cap upon downward axial movement of the cap relative to the neck.

Preferably the containment flange is located on the outer surface of the neck, with the engagement means located on the inner peripheral edge of the cap wall. Preferably, there is two such lugs, the two lugs being diametrically opposed. The containment flange, is discontinuous about the circumference of the neck providing a release gate therein corresponding to the relative locations of each of the lugs. Where the containment flange is discontinuous it is provided with a suitable stop so that the lug cannot be moved into the release gate position Without first applying downward pressu.re to the cap thereby causing the lug to pass below the- stop and into the release gate position.

Preferably the ramp portion is located on the inner surface of the neck. The ramp portion is preferably provided in the form of A sloping flange about the inner surface of the neck so that with increasing pressure on the cap there is incrceasing deflection of the finger as it moves ,Y downwardly and radially inwardly thereby providing an increased resistance to the pressure being exerted on the 689S/KI 4 S 3-

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cap with increasing pressure applied thereon.

Preferably, there are four finger portions depending from the top of the cap. More preferably, each finger will depend from the top of the cap via a skirt arrangement, the skirt having a sealing bead circumf erenti ally located around it to press against the wall of the neck so as to seal against leakage.

Preferably, a tamper evident skirt is located around the external periphery of the cap, the skirt being attached to the cap by connections which break off when pressure is exerted on the cap during the first removal thereof Preferably, the wall of the cap is provided with a suitable knurled external surface to facilitate removal by twisting. Additionally, the inner surface of the wall of the cap wnay be provided with suitable location ribs designed to facilitate location of the cap over the neck of the container.

For illustrative purposes only an embodiment of present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a representation of a the side view of a cap and neck according to the present invention, in which A the neck has been designed for inclusion in the top of a container, half the drawing being in cross-section; Figure 2 is a perspective videw of the cap alone according to the embodiment shown in Figure 1 without the tamper evident ring attached; and 6 Figure 3 is a perspective view of the neck alone.

Referring specifically to the Figures there is shown a cap 11 fitted to a neck portion 12 suitable for insertion into a hole of the top of a container (not illustrated).

The cap 11 is provided with a top region 13 from which depends a side wall portion 1,4 haying ridges 15 and troughs 16 around the periphery thereof. Located within the side wall 14 are neck location ribs 17 to provide rigidity for the wall 14 and to assist in location of the cap 11 over the neck~ portion 12.

6189S/ls-4 The inner edge of the cap wall 14 is provided with lugs 18 for mating engagement in a bayonet type action with the containment f! .nge 19 located on the outer side of the cylindrical neck portion 20. Due to the flexibilit of wall 14 however, the cap 11 may be more simply fitted by placing over the neck wall 20 and snapping into position. A stop 21 is also provided on the outer portion of the neck 2Q. to prevent the cap from being simply twisted off.

Depending internally from the top 13 of the cap 11 is skirt 24, from which in turn depend fingers 25. Skirt 24 is provided with a bead 26 around its periphery for sealing against the inner wall of the neck 20. The neck 20 is provided internally with a flange 27 in the form of a ramp against which the free ends 26 of fingers 25 are located, 15 such that increasing the pressure on the cap in a downwards direction increases the amount to which the fingers 25 are S deflected, which in turn tends to cause the cap to move upwards thereby keeping lugs 18 in mating engagement with the flange 19. Pushing down on the cap 11 against the pressure exerted by the fingers 25, the lugs 18 may be made to pass down and underneath stop 21 by twisting the cap 11 during pushing in a typical bayonet action. Lug 18 will therefore move into the release gate portion 28 thereby allowing removal of the cap 11 from the neck 12.

25 A tamper evident ring 22 is attached to the cap wall 14 by means of spokes 23. Snapping the cap 11 on will not cause the spokes 23 to be broken since there is not sufficient downwards movement. When the cap 11 is first removed however the tamper evident ring 22 will be separated from the cap 11 by virtuu of spokes 23 being broken due ho the greater dowmwards travel of the cap 11 necessitated to allow lugs 18 to pass underneath stop 21.

The above embodiment is just one form of cap and neck arrangement according to the present invention and it would be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that other variations are possible within the scope of the invention, 6189S/ls

Claims (2)

1. 2. A cap and neck combination according to claim i, in which, the containment flange is located on the outer surface of the neck, with the engagement means located on the inner peripheral edge of the cap wall. 3 A cap and neck combination according to either claim 1 or 2 in which, there are two lugs, the two lugs being diametrically opposed and in which, the containment flange is discontinuous about the circumference of the neck providing a release gate therein corresponding to the relative locations of each of the lugs, and where the
2. 611-9S/KLS -6- 6iI ~~rrrr~r~ It, I containment flange is discontinuous it is provided with a suitable stop so that the lug cannot be moved into the release gate position without first applying downward pressure to the cap thereby causing the lug to pass below the stop and into the release gate position. 4. A cap and neck combination according to any one of the preceding claims in which, the ramp portion is located on the inner surface of the neck. A cap and neck combination according to claim 4 in which, the ramp portion is provided in the form of a sloping flange about the inner surface of the neck so that with increasing pressure on the cap there is increasing 15 deflection of the finger as it moves downwardly and radially inwardly thereby providing an increased resistance to the pressure being exerted on the cap with increasing pressure applied thereon. 6. A cap and neck combination according to any one of the preceding claims in which, there are four finger portions depending from the top of the cap. 7. A cap and neck combination according to claim 6 in 25 which, each finger depends from the top of the cap via a skirt arrangement, the skirt having a sealing bead circumferentially located around it to press against the wall of the neck so as to seal against leakage. 8. A cap and neck combination according to any one of the preceding claims in which, a tamper evident skirt is located around the external periphery of the cap, the skirt being attached to the cap by connections which break off when pressure is exerted on the cap during the first removal thereof. 6 ^./KLS 7 0,f~rl\ -*a I I 9. A cap and neck combination according to any one of the preceding claims in which, the wall of the cap is provided iwith a suitable knurled external surface to facilitate removal by twisting. A cap and neck combination according to any one of the preceding claims in which, the inner surface of the wall of the cap is provided with suitable location ribs designed to facilitate location of the cap over the neck of the container. 11. A cap and neck combination substantially as described herein in conjunction with the drawings. SDATED this 3rd day of June 1991 AMERICAN FLANGE AND MANUFACTURING CO., INC. By their Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK CO e eeo 6189S/KLS 8 M-K~W