Child-resistant closure, package and method of making

A closure of one-piece integrally molded plastic construction that includes a base wall with a peripheral skirt having a first portion contiguous with the periphery of said base wall and a second portion connected to said first portion, internal lugs on said second portion of said skirt, an annular wall extending from said base wall within said skirt and a circumferentially continuous external pocket on said annular wall adjacent to said base wall for snap-receipt with an internal bead of a container in a non-child resistant mode of operation, said second portion of said skirt having all of said internal lugs disposed thereon and being frangibly separable from said first portion of said skirt to remove said internal lugs from the closure such that the closure is convertible from a child-resistant mode of operation to the non-child resistant mode of operation.

A package having child-resistant and non-child-resistant modes of operation, which includes:

• a container having an open end and at least one external engagement element spaced from said open end, and
• a closure having a base wall, a skirt extending from said base wall, at least one internal engagement element on said skirt for engagement with said at least one external engagement element on said container in a child-resistant mode of operation, at least a portion of said skirt containing said internal engagement element being severable from said closure for non-child-resistant operation of said closure, an annular wall extending from said base wall within said skirt to engage said open end of said container, and an annular pocket in an external surface of said annular wall adjacent to said base wall for snap-receipt over said open end of said container in said non-child-resistant mode of operation.

A method of making a closure that includes molding a closure of one-piece integrally molded plastic construction having a base wall and a circumferentially continuous skirt having a first portion contiguous with the periphery of said base wall and a second portion frangibly connected to said first portion and internal lugs on said second portion of said skirt, at least said second portion of said skirt having a uniform wall thickness and an undulating circumferential contour that includes alternate outwardly convex and outwardly concave portions, said internal lugs being disposed within said outwardly concave portions and no breakable connectors join said internal lugs to any other portion of the closure.

A method of making a closure that includes molding a closure of one-piece integrally molded plastic construction having a base wall with a peripheral skirt having a first portion contiguous with the periphery of said base wall and a second portion connected to said first portion, internal lugs on said second portion of said skirt, an annular wall extending from said base wall within said skirt and a circumferentially continuous external pocket on said annular wall adjacent to said base wall for snap-receipt with an internal bead of a container in a non-child resistant mode of operation, said second portion of said skirt having all of said internal lugs disposed thereon and being frangibly separable from said first portion of said skirt to remove said internal lugs from the closure such that the closure is convertible from a child-resistant mode of operation to the non-child resistant mode of operation.

A closure that includes a circumferentially continuous skirt and internal lugs on said skirt, wherein said skirt has a uniform wall thickness and an undulating circumferential contour that includes alternate outwardly convex and outwardly concave portions, and wherein said internal lugs are disposed within said outwardly concave portions and, as viewed from within said skirt, are each shaped as an inverted U that opens toward a free edge of said skirt.

A method of making a closure that includes molding a closure of one-piece integrally molded plastic construction having a circumferentially continuous skirt and internal lugs on said skirt, said skirt having a uniform wall thickness and an undulating circumferential contour that includes alternate outwardly convex and outwardly concave portions, said internal lugs being disposed within said outwardly concave portions and, as viewed from within said skirt, said internal lugs are each shaped as an inverted U that opens toward a free edge of said skirt.