Safety closure cap with torque control

• US 4,037,747 A
• Filed: 05/21/1976
• Issued: 07/26/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Anchor Hocking Packaging Company
• Original Assignee: Anchor Hocking LLC
• Inventors: Acton, Daniel D., Boerstler, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, George T.
• Application Number:
  US05/688,594
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 215/219, 215/220, 215/329, 220/288, 220/304
• US Class Current: 215/219
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 50/041 the closure comprising nested inner and outer caps or an inner cap and an outer coaxial annular member, which can be brought into engagement to enable removal by rotation

Abstract

An improved safety closure cap with an integral sealing torque control means is disclosed for use on medicine or other packages where it is desirable that children cannot open the package. The cap has an inner shell with container engaging thread means and an outer shell rotatably attached to the inner shell. Ratchet means including means for controlling the maximum cap application torque locks the shells together as they are turned onto a container. The ratchet means is inoperative as the cap is turned off permitting the outer shell to freely rotate on the inner shell. A second shell connecting means is provided for removal in the form of a pressure operated interlock which is activated by an adult'"'"'s gripping certain portions of the shells to turn them off as a unit.

Claims

1. In a container sealing safety closure having an outer shell and an inner shell both with tops and depending skirts and having means for rotatively coupling said shells together in nesting relationships and with container engaging means on said inner shell and a plurality of elongated pawls extending outwardly from a central support on the top of one of said shells for operatively engaging ratchet teeth on the other of said shells when said closure is turned on to the container the improvement comprising said pawls and said ratchet teeth having their contacting surfaces shaped for sliding friction engagement to slide over each other at a predetermined closure torque application value.

2. The safety closure as claimed in claim 1 in which said contacting surfaces of said ratchet teeth are at an acute angle to the elongated pawls.

3. The safety closure as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises pressure operated means for connecting said outer and inner shells for closure removal.

4. The safety closure as claimed in claim 1 in which said rotative coupling comprises an inwardly projecting bead on the outer shell.