Child resistant safety cap with ring, lock and lever

Abstract

A child resistant cap includes: (a) a main closure base; (b) an outer ring unit that functions as a safety collar; (c) a dispensing mechanism on the base; (d) an overcap. The base attaches to a top dispensing container and the horizontally rotatable ring unit is attached to the base. Alternatively, the outer ring unit is fixedly attached to the container. The overcap has protrusions and the ring has at least one corresponding cut out. There is a ring cut out gap lock and lever that prevents at least one protrusion from passing through a cut out gap, unless it is moved to a release position after alignment of the ring unit and overcap and the lever is pushed upwardly to release the lock and lift the overcap.

Claims

1. A child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever for direct attachment to a rim of container, which comprises: a) an outer ring unit having a circular wall with a horizontal track thereon for attachment to the rim of a container having a top dispenser and having a rim of greater diameter than its adjacent neck, so as to connect said outer ring unit to said rim so as to be horizontally and vertically fixed thereon, said outer ring unit having a top with an outwardly biased ledge and a recess below said ledge to permit an overcap to be inserted onto and removed from said outer ring unit, and said ledge having at least one cut out gap thereon; b) at least one moveable ring gap lock and gap lock lever located in said at least one cut out gap, said ring gap lock having a moveable member with a first position, being a locked position blocking said at least one cut out gap, and said moveable member having a second position, being a release position opening said at least one cut out gap, and said lever being connected to said lock and being positioned so as to be pushed upwardly to press upon a bottom of said overcap to force said overcap upwardly when said overcap is positioned in a gap position, being an unlock and open position; c) and, one of said outer ring unit, said at least one moveable ring gap lock and said lever having a first alignment indicia thereon; d) an overcap having a circular bottom adapted to be inserted over said top dispenser of said container and onto said outer ring unit and vertically locked onto said recess of said outer ring unit, said circular bottom having a second alignment indicia, and said overcap having at least two protrusions thereon, at least one of which has a geometry of adequate size to freely move through said at least one cut out gap when said gap lock is in its release position, and of adequate size and geometry to prevent removal of said overcap from said outer ring when said gap lock is in said locked position; e) further wherein said outer ring unit ledge has an underside and said at least two protrusions of said overcap have a top, wherein the underside of said ledge prevents the top of said at least two protrusions from passing over said ledge, except when in the gap position when said lock is moved to said release position to permit at least one of said at least two protrusions to pass therethrough; and, wherein when one of said outer ring unit and said overcap is held, and the other of said outer ring unit and said overcap is rotated to place said first alignment indicia and said second alignment indicia in alignment with one another, and then said gap lock is moved into said release position by said moveable lever being pushed inward and upward to release the lock and to act as a lever to push said overcap upward, said overcap is thereby removed from said outer ring unit to uncover said top dispenser of said container for use.

2. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 1 wherein said at least one cut out gap is a plurality of cut out gaps.

3. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 1 which further includes a container attachment means selected from the group consisting of threading, snap-lock and spring lock.

4. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 1 further having at least two speed bumps located below said outwardly biased ledge adapted to reduce for horizontal movement of an overcap until minor frictional engagement is surpassed by minimal force.

5. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 1 wherein said ring gap lock is selected from the group consisting of a slide lock, a hinge lock and a swing lock.

6. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 1 wherein said ring gap lock is a hinged ring gap lock that may be pressed to move it from said locked position to said release position by upward movement of said lever.

7. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 1 wherein there are at least three protrusions, said protrusions being spaced apart from one another.

8. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 1 wherein said underside of said ledge and said top of said at least one protrusion have non-smooth topographies to enhance said frictional contact.

9. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 1 wherein at least one of said ledge and said at least two protrusions are flexible so as to permit insertion of said overcap onto said outer ring without alignment of said at least two protrusions and said at last two cut out gaps, and are upwardly inflexible so as to prevent removal of said overcap from said outer ring, except when there is alignment and said gap lock is in its release position.

10. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 1 wherein there are two ring gap locks at two different gaps.

11. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever for direct attachment to a container having a rim of greater diameter than its neck, which comprises: a) an outer ring unit having a circular inside wall with a horizontal track thereon for attachment to the rim of a container having a top dispenser and having a rim of greater diameter than its adjacent neck, so as to connect said outer ring unit to said rim so as to be horizontally and freely rotatable thereabout, said outer ring unit having a top with an outwardly biased ledge and a recess below said ledge to permit an overcap to be inserted onto and removed from said outer ring unit, and said ledge having at least one cut out gap thereon; b) at least one moveable ring gap lock and gap lock lever located in said at least one cut out gap, said ring gap lock having a first position, being a locked position blocking said at least one cut out gap, and having a second position, being a release position opening said at least one cut out gap, and said lever being connected to said lock and being positioned so as to be pushed upwardly to press upon a bottom of said overcap to force said overcap upwardly when said overcap is positioned in a gap position, being an unlock and open position; c) one of said outer ring unit, said at least one moveable ring gap lock and said lever having a first alignment indicia thereon; d) an overcap having a circular bottom adapted to be inserted over said top dispenser of said container and onto said outer ring unit, said circular bottom having a second alignment indicia, and said overcap having at least two protrusions thereon, at least one of which has a geometry of adequate size to freely move through said at least one cut out gap when said gap lock is in its release position, and of adequate size and geometry to prevent removal of said overcap from said outer ring when said gap lock is in said locked position; e) further wherein said outer ring unit ledge has an underside and said at least two protrusions of said overcap has a top, wherein the underside of said ledge and the top of said at least two protrusions are in frictional contact with one another when said overcap is inserted into said outer ring unit such that when one of said outer ring unit and said overcap are rotated, the other of said outer ring unit and said overcap rotates therewith, and wherein said frictional contact may be overcome manually by holding one of said outer ring unit and said overcap and rotating the other of said outer ring unit and said overcap relative to one another; and, wherein when one of said outer ring unit and said overcap is held, and the other of said outer ring unit and said overcap is rotated to place said first alignment indicia and said second alignment indicia in alignment with one another, and then said gap lock is moved into said release position, said overcap may be removed from said outer ring unit to uncover said top dispenser of said container for use.

12. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 11 wherein said at least one cut out gap is a plurality of cut out gaps.

13. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 11 which further includes a container attachment means selected from the group consisting of threading, snap-lock and spring lock.

14. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 11 further having at least two speed bumps located below said outwardly biased ledge adapted to reduce for horizontal movement of an overcap until minor frictional engagement is surpassed by minimal force.

15. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 11 wherein said ring gap lock is selected from the group consisting of a slide lock, a hinge lock and a swing lock.

16. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 11 wherein said ring gap lock is a hinged ring gap lock that may be pressed to move it from said locked position to said release position by upward movement of said lever.

17. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 11 wherein there are at least three protrusions, said protrusions being spaced apart from one another.

18. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 11 wherein said underside of said ledge and said top of said at least one protrusion have non-smooth topographies to enhance said frictional contact.

19. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 11 wherein at least one of said ledge and said at least two protrusions are flexible so as to permit insertion of said overcap onto said outer ring without alignment of said at least two protrusions and said at last two one out gap, and are upwardly inflexible so as to prevent removal of said overcap from said outer ring, except when there is alignment and said gap lock is in its release position.

20. The child resistant cap with safety ring, ring gap lock and lever of claim 11 wherein there are two ring gap locks at two different gaps.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and together with the detail description serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:

[0036] FIG. 1 is a front view drawing of one embodiment of the present invention child resistant safety cap on a container, and includes the safety ring, ring gap lock and lever, with the overcap removed;

[0037] FIG. 2 shows a top view of the present invention child resistant safety cap as shown in FIG. 1, without the overcap in place;

[0038] FIG. 3 shows a left side view of the overcap used in a present invention child resistant safety cap shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but with the overcap in place;

[0039] FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of a present invention child resistant safety cap overcap that is shown in FIG. 3;

[0040] FIG. 5 shows a front view of an alternative embodiment outer ring unit of the present invention with a different arcuate band at the gap lock and lever;

[0041] FIG. 6 shows a front view of a present invention overcap that is a retrofit for use with an existing dispensing unit with an exterior nozzle already in place; and,

[0042] FIG. 7 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of some features of present invention child resistant safety caps.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0043] Referring now in detail to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, various embodiments of the present invention are shown.

[0044] FIG. 1 is a front view drawing of one embodiment of the present invention child resistant safety cap 1 on a container 3, with the overcap removed. Safety cap 1 includes an outer ring unit 10 and a top dispenser 21. Here, main closure base 5 of outer ring unit 10 is shown attached to container 3. This attachment may be a force fit snap on attachment, a locking ratchet mechanism, a lock thread attachment, or any other known attachment mechanism. Base 5 includes a circular recess 11 and an outwardly biased ledge 9. There is a gap that is cut out from ledge 9, shown as gap 23. There is also a ring gap lock 13 positioned in cut out gap 23 that has a first locked position, as shown here. Also, ring gap lock 13 has a lower arcuate recess and a higher outwardly biased ledge that mimic the same components (recess and ledge) of the ring unit 10. Ring gap lock 13 is movable within cut out gap 23. In this embodiment, there is a lever 15 below ring gap lock 13 and both are integrally formed with arcuate band 17. Lever 15, as shown in FIG. 2, will protrude outwardly from main closure base 5. Arcuate band 17 is semi-flexible so that when lever 15 is pushed upwardly from its underside, it moves upwardly and inwardly. Thus, as arcuate band 17 flexes, the ring gap lock 13 is released by it being moved inwardly, and thereby lifting a properly aligned overcap (not shown in this figure) for removal.

[0045] An alignment indicia may be located on main closure base 5, such as indicia 19 in FIG. 1, or on lever 15 shown as indicia 30 in FIG. 2. When an overcap is snapped onto ledge 9, it cannot be removed unless two steps are taken-first, the overcap needs to be aligned with alignment indicia 19, and, second, ring gap lock 13 needs to be lifted. Thus, a user may align an overcap at indicia 19 and lift lever 15 so as to move ring gap lock 13 toward center to an unlock position for overcap release.

[0046] Top dispenser 21 has an internal connection to the nozzle tube of container 3, which also connects to dispensing nozzle 27. Top dispenser 21 is moveably and hingedly connected to top 7 of ledge 9 at hinge 25. When a user presses grips 29, top dispenser 21 tilts and content is released from container 3 at dispensing nozzle 27. While the dispenser 21 is with a pressurized container and dispenser nozzle, it could alternatively be a push-pull dispenser, a screw cap, a pump dispenser or any other dispenser known. The purpose of the present invention is to create a strong child resistant feature that requires two distinct steps for removal, yet doesn't require significant strength. The two steps are: rotate to align, and lift the lever to release the lock and remove the overcap.

[0047] In any present invention embodiment, the container to which the child resistant safety cap is attached may have any dispensable flowable material such as liquid, sprayable liquid, gel, foam or the like. The dispensing component of the container may generally be referred to as a nozzle and could be any type of known dispenser, as mentioned. For example, a spray nozzle that is push activated or otherwise activated, a push-pull dispenser, a screw cap and open neck or a tilt dispenser could be used. The main container base may simply have an opening for the nozzle or include functional parts that may connect to or otherwise come in contact with a nozzle or nozzle activator. In some preferred embodiments of the present invention child resistant safety cap, the nozzle and the outer ring unit may be separately created, and in other embodiments may be integrally formed, such as from a single mold. The present invention outer ring unit is attached to the container by known conventional means and may include crimping, heat sealing, force fitting, irreversible threading or any other known attachment means.

[0048] FIG. 2 shows a top view of the safety cap 1 that is represented in a front view in FIG. 1. Identical parts are identically numbered in both FIGS. 1 and 2, except for indicia 30, discussed above.

[0049] FIG. 3 shows a left side view of the present invention child resistant safety cap as shown in FIG. 1, but with the overcap 20 in place and FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of only overcap 20. The reference numerals that are the same in FIGS. 1 and 2 and 3, relate to the same components in all Figures. This is likewise true of FIG. 4, described further below.

[0050] Overcap 20 has sidewall 31, with indicia 35 thereon for alignment with ring unit indicia 19, as shown. It has an open bottom, a top 33 and strategically positioned and sized inwardly projecting protrusions, shown in FIG. 4 as protrusions 37, 38 and 39. While overcap 20 may be positioned in the “firing position”, i.e., properly aligned by the indicia positioning, it can still not be opened unless ring gap lock 13 via lever 15 is moved to the release position, i.e. lever 15 is pushed upwardly. Taking all of FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 collectively, it can be seen that the overcap 20 may be snapped onto ledge 9 in any position and it cannot be removed until proper alignment, and then pushing or otherwise moving the lever and lock into the release position, followed by lifting of the overcap. (Note that the overcap 20 has three internal protrusions yet there is only one cut out gap in ring unit 10. This is functional, as once one protrusion is released through the unlocked gap and the overcap is tilted, the second and third protrusions will slide out from the ledge of the ring unit.)

[0051] FIG. 5 shows a front view of an alternative embodiment outer ring unit 50 to provide a present invention child resistant cap outer ring unit 50 with a different arcuate band arrangement for movement of the ring gap lock and lever. Most of the structures are the same physically and structurally as the present invention components shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Thus, parts identical in this FIG. 5 to those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are identically numbered. Base 5 includes a circular recess 11 and an outwardly biased ledge 9. There is a gap that is cut out from ledge 9, and ring gap lock 13 and connected lever 15 are both positioned in cut out gap that has a first locked position, as shown here. In this embodiment, the arcuate band 51 has one end 53 cut open. This permits arcuate band 51 to be pushed in, as well as to be twisted when lever 15 is pushed in or pushed up. Band 51 acts as a twistable living hinge.

[0052] FIG. 6 shows a front view of another alternative embodiment present invention overcap for use as a retrofit unit that fits and locks onto an existing spray or other dispenser to convert it from not being child resistant to being child resistant. Thus, container 60 has a neck fittage 61 and a conventional bulky spray dispenser 65. There is a standard cover 63 shown here as clear plastic. Here, instead of a built-in present invention child resistant cap with a safety ring and nozzle, the present invention child resistant cap with a safety ring has no nozzle. This retrofit version of present invention child resistant cap 66 includes a base 67. Although not shown, base 67 would have internal vertical ratchet details so that when cap 66 is placed onto container 60, it will lock onto the gap between canister 59 and neck fittage 61 to be irremovable.

[0053] Present invention child resistant cap 66, has an outwardly biased ledge 57 with a circular recess 69, as well as a arcuate band 73 conneced to gap lock 75 and lever 71. Gap lock 75 is positioned in gap 55 similarly to those described in prior Figures. However the upper portion does not have a press grip or top dispenser instead, there is a rigid neck 77 with a cut out 79 that allows present invention child resistant cap 66 to fit onto container 60 while permitting access to cover 63 and dispenser 65, except when overcap 90 is attached to child resistant cap 66. Note that overcap 90 is shown in a cut view to show two of the three inwardly directed protrusions 87 and 89. In this embodiment the functionality of the overcap 90 relative to cap 66 is the same as other embodiments described with respect to previous Figures.

[0054] Container 60, in final production mode (otherwise ready for sale to a consumer), may be retrofitted with present invention child resistant cap 66 and overcap 90 so that medication or other content may be packaged in a non-child resistant mode but retrofitted to a child resistant mode.

[0055] While the embodiment with three protrusions and one gap is described above, other combinations of protrusions and gaps and locks are now contemplated, depending upon the widths of the protrusions and the diameter of the ring and on the positioning of the protrusions relative to one another (e.g., evenly spaced apart or not). Table 1 below lists some possibilities (numbers of these components larger than those shown in Table 1 are also within the scope of the present invention:

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Some Component Combination Possibilities Overcap Protrusions Cut Out Gaps Cut Out Gap Locks and Lever sets Two One One Two Two One Two Two Two Three One One Three Two One Three Two Two Three Three One Three Three Two

[0056] Typically, those embodiments above that have one or more open gaps (no locks) would have varying width protrusions and varying corresponding width gaps, and frictional engagement with the ring unit.

[0057] As mentioned, the ring unit may be fixed so as to not rotate relative to the container or may be rotatable on the container and frictionally engaged with the overcap. If fixed, it is a matter of tightness and/or locking of the attachment with the container, such as one-way ratchets, force fit connection, crimping, gluing, heat welding or any other technique used to prevent a container top from rotating. If the outer ring unit is to rotate, then the attachment may be any that allows for rotation, such as a snug but not tight snap-on flange.

[0058] FIG. 7 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of some features of present invention child resistant safety caps, block 101. The present invention safety cap engages the container to which it is to be attached so that it is vertically fixed and is or is not horizontally fixed, block 103. This means that once snapped or forced onto a container, the present invention safety cap cannot be pulled off, but it may, or may not, be rotatable in the horizontal plane. There may be optional speed bumps in the recess of the safety ring, block 105, to deter movement of an overcap to the firing position. The overcap, block 115, may or may not have optional internal speed bumps, block 117. Likewise, the overcap may have only two protrusions that latch onto the recess, or more than two protrusions, block 119. The safety ring has one ledge gap or more than one ledge gap, block 107, and it may have one set of lock and lever or two, block 109. Also, the present invention safety ring unit may have a nozzle or it may not, block 11, If not, it may have a large top opening to pass over an existing container nozzle and cover.

[0059] Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those particular embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, components may reverse the male and female aspects without exceeding the scope of the invention. The overcap may snap into the inside of a ring instead of on its outside with the track of the ring being on an inside surface instead of an outside surface. Also, for example, the protrusions and cut outs could be reversed and located on the ring and overcap, respectively.