One-piece moisture-tight safety closure and container

• US 4,579,238 A
• Filed: 04/23/1985
• Issued: 04/01/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kerr Group, Inc. (Berry Global Group Inc.)
• Original Assignee: KERR Glass Manufacturing Corporation (Berry Global Group Inc.)
• Inventors: Herr, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, G. T.
• Application Number:
  US06/726,044
• Time in Patent Office: 343 Days
• Field of Search: 215/211, 215/222, 215/DIG. 1
• US Class Current: 215/211
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/06 with bayonet cams , i.e. removed by first pushing axially to disengage the cams and then rotating

Abstract

A child-resistent, moisture-tight safety closure having an end wall with an annular depending skirt, the skirt having a plurality of locking lugs disposed on the inside thereof. The locking lugs cooperate with retaining notches adjacent to the open mouth of an associated container to releasably retain the closure on the container. A sealing plug integral with the end wall of the closure and concentric with the annular skirt effects a moisture-tight seal with the inner wall of the container. A plurality of resilient members are integral with the interior of the closure at the junction of the top wall and the skirt, the resilient members extending downwardly and inwardly so as to engage the end surface of the container opening. The compression of the resilient members serves to bias the locking lugs on the closure into locking relationship with the retaining notches on the container with a force sufficient to ensure the child-resistant characteristics of the closure.

Claims

1. A child-resistant closure and container having a moisture-tight sealing engagement with each other comprising:

a container having a side wall, an upper end terminating in a rim with an open mouth over which said closure is received, with locking members on the outer side wall of said container defining areas of non-uniform cross-sectional thickness in the upper portion of said container; and

a closure having a top wall adapted to extend across the mouth of said container with a depending skirt wall, a sealing plug extending downwardly from said top wall and having a depending wall for inserting into said open mouth of said container, said depending wall having an outwardly projecting annular sealing surface for effecting a sealing engagement with the inner side wall of said container, a plurality of locking lugs formed on the inner surface of said depending skirt wall for cooperation with the retaining notches on said container to selectively retain said closure on said container, and a plurality of resilient members integral with said closure disposed to engage the rim of said container so as to be compressed and flexed to bias the locking lugs on said closure into locking relationship with the retaining locking members on said container outer side wall until said closure is simultaneously forced downwardly and rotated relative to said container to release said closure.

2. A child-resistant closure and container in accordance with claim 1 in which the resilient members are formed at the juncture between the closure top wall and its skirt, the resilient members projecting radially downwardly and inwardly from the juncture and being flexed upwardly upon contact with the container rim.

3. A safety closure for use with a container having an open mouth defined by an annular neck wall having an annular end surface and a plurality of locking members formed on its outer surface adjacent said end surface, said safety closure comprising a closure cap having an end wall and an annular depending skirt, said skirt having a plurality of locking members internally thereon cooperable with said container locking members to releasably retain said cap on said container, a sealing plug integral with the end wall of said cap and concentric with said annular skirt, the sealing plug being adapted to effect a moisture-tight sealing relation with said container, and a plurality of resilient members integral with the interior of said cap and depending therefrom so as to engage the end surface of the neck wall, the resilient members being flexed and serving to bias the closure locking members into locking relation with the locking members on said container.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein the closure locking members are equidistantly spaced about the depending skirt of the closure while the resilient members project downwardly and radially inwardly from the juncture of the depending skirt wall and top wall and are equidistantly spaced about the juncture.

5. The combination of claim 3 wherein there is an equal number of closure locking members and resilient members, the locking lugs being axially aligned with the spaces between the resilient members.

6. The combination of claim 4 wherein the number of container locking members and resilient members is six each.

7. The combination of claim 3 wherein the resilient members have a V-shaped cross-section and project radially inwardly and downwardly from the juncture of the skirt and the top wall at an angle of approximately 30°

with respect to the skirt of the closure.