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US 4,285,437 AGranted
Push button child-resistant cap for containers
AssigneeNone recorded
InventorGlenn H. Morris
Life of this patent
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AssigneeNone recorded
InventorGlenn H. Morris
Estimating the term…
A closure cap for containers of harmful products when rotationally tightened on the threaded container neck becomes freewheeling in the opposite direction of rotation and resistant to opening by a child. Indicator elements on the inner and outer cap components can be aligned to locate a push button of the outer cap component at a depressable position where a driving element thereof can engage an unscrewing abutment of the inner cap component. The two cap components have initial and final tightening abutments which are sequentially engaged during tightening rotation. The inner cap component has a ramp which coacts with the push button to elevate the push button above all abutment surfaces of the inner cap component during freewheeling of the outer cap component in the child-resistant mode.
A push button child-resistant closure cap for containers comprising an inner cap section which is screw-threaded for engagement with container screw-threads and an outer cap section which has a swiveled connection with the inner cap section, the inner and outer cap sections having alignable indicator elements thereon, the inner cap section having circumferentially spaced first and second stage tightening abutment surfaces and an unscrewing abutment surface which is circumferentially spaced from said first and second stage abutment surfaces, the inner cap section having a ramp including inclined surfaces ascending from a region of the inner cap section near the second stage tightening abutment surface and the unscrewing abutment surface, the outer cap section having circumferentially spaced first and second stage tightening lugs thereon adapted to engage said first and second stage tightening abutment surfaces in response to relative rotation of the inner and outer cap sections during tightening rotation, and a depressable push button element on the outer cap section including a depending lug adapted to ride on said ramp and adapted when the push button element is depressed to contact said unscrewing abutment surface.
A push button child-resistant cap for containers of harmful substances comprising inner and outer relatively rotatable interengaged cap sections, the inner cap section being screw-threaded for engagement with container screw-threads and being adapted to seal the mouth of the container, the inner cap section having circumferentially spaced first and second stage tightening abutment surfaces and an unscrewing abutment surface and having inclined ramp means on its top extending to an elevation above the top of the unscrewing abutment surface, a pair of circumferentially spaced first and second stage tightening lugs on the outer cap section adapted sequentially to engage the first and second stage tightening abutment surfaces of the inner cap section, the first stage tightening lug adapted in response to a build-up of resistance to tightening to escape over the top of the first stage tightening abutment surface, whereby the second stage tightening lug will impact with momentum on the second stage tightening abutment surface of the inner cap section, and a depressable push button element on the outer cap section including a depending drive lug adapted to engage said unscrewing abutment surface and also adapted to ride on said inclined ramp means, whereby the latter will cause the push button element to be elevated substantially at the instant of the escapement of the first stage tightening lug over the top of the first stage tightening abutment surface.
A push button child-resistant cap for containers comprising inner and outer relatively rotatable interengaged cap sections, the inner cap section being screw-threaded to engage container screw-threads, the inner cap section having circumferentially spaced first and second stage tightening abutment surfaces on the top thereof and an unscrewing abutment surface, a tightening lug on the outer cap section adapted to engage the first stage tightening abutment surface of the inner cap section and adapted to escape over the top of such abutment surface after a certain build-up of resistance to cap tightening, a depressable push button element on the outer cap section including a drive lug adapted to engage said unscrewing abutment surface when the push button element is depressed, and camming means on the top of the inner cap section engageable with said drive lug of the push button element to elevate the push button element substantially at the time of the escapement of said tightening lug over the top of said first stage tightening abutment surface.
A push button child-resistant cap for containers comprising inner and outer relatively rotatable cap sections, the inner cap section being screw-threaded to engage container screw-threads, the inner cap section having circumferentially spaced first and second stage tightening surfaces thereon and an unscrewing surface, at least one tightening lug on the outer cap section engageable at least with the first stage tightening surface of the inner cap section during relative rotation between the two cap sections, said tightening lug being adapted to escape over the first stage tightening surface following a certain build-up of resistance to cap tightening, a depressable push button element on the outer cap section including a drive lug adapted to engage the unscrewing surface of the inner cap section while the push button element is depressed to cause unscrewing of the inner cap section, and camming means on the inner cap section engageable with said drive lug to elevate the push button element during tightening rotation of the cap.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Requiring the combination of simultaneous actions, e.g. depressing and turning, lifting and turning, maintaining a part and turning another one:…
Using integral or non-integral accessories, e.g. tool, key: the closure comprising an inner closure and a freely rotating outer cap or sleeve…
Containers for storage or transport of articles or materials
Term ended 12 Sep 1999 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
The objective of the present invention is to improve the operational efficiency and reliability of a child-resistant push button closure cap for containers of the general type disclosed in the referenced prior patent application. More particularly, the present invention seeks to render the closure cap more compatible with plastics molding techniques and to render the closure cap components more dimensionally stable and precise in their manufactured forms.
A further objective is to provide a closure cap for medicine containers and containers of other harmful products which will indicate to a viewer of the closure cap whether it is in a child-resistant or non-child-resistant mode.
Another objective is to provide a closure cap of the mentioned type having a push button release element which responds to very light finger pressure, thereby rendering the closure cap easy to operate by the elderly.
FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a container and closure cap according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged central vertical section taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 2.
Referring to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals designate like parts and referring first to FIGS. 1 through 7a, the numeral 20 designates a container, such as a glass medicine bottle, having a conventionally screw-threaded neck 21 formed thereon. The numeral 22, FIGS. 1 and 3, designates a push button child-resistant closure cap in its entirety adapted to be molded from plastics material. The closure cap 22 comprises an inner cap section or component 23 having internal screw-threads 24 to engage the threads of the container neck and having the usual interior disc seal 25 to compressively engage the mouth of the container neck. The inner cap component 23 carries a preferably pointed radial indicator element 26 near its lower end and projecting somewhat beyond its periphery.
On its top, the inner cap component 23 is provided with an upstanding annular ramp 27 of considerably lesser diameter than the body of the cap component 23 and being concentric therewith. The ramp 27 has inclined terminals 28 and 29. A center post 30 is fixed to the top wall 31 of cap component 23 and rises therefrom to a point well above the annular ramp 27.
Immediately inwardly of the annular ramp 27, inner cap component 23 carries a fixed radial first stage cap tightening abutment face 32 having a tapered ramp surface 33 leading downwardly therefrom to the plane of top wall 31. The ramp surface 33 extends circumferentially of the cap component 23 for about 70 degrees, FIG. 4. The abutment surface 32 is approximately opposite diametrically from the indicator element 26 although this relationship is not required.