Closure for container

• US 4,739,890 A
• Filed: 06/15/1987
• Issued: 04/26/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Department Of Treasury- Internal Revenue Service, Edward Mifsud, John Kockos, Paul Mahoney, Pharmaceutical & Medical Plastics, Inc., The Bankruptcy Estate of Carl Warner Cooke
• Original Assignee: CWC Research & Development Corporation 404 Jerry Street Castle Rock Company
• Inventors: Cooke, Carl W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, G. T.
• Application Number:
  US07/061,487
• Time in Patent Office: 316 Days
• Field of Search: 215/222, 215/217, 215/223, 215/330, 215/332
• US Class Current: 215/222
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/06 with bayonet cams , i.e. removed by first pushing axially to disengage the cams and then rotating
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 50/045 where one action elastically deforms or deflects at least part of the closure, the container or an intermediate element, e.g. a ring B65D50/041, B65D50/043 take precedence

Abstract

A closure for containers provided with one or more closure projections adapted to cooperate with means on the container for securing the closure in sealing position over the open mouth of the container. The closure of the invention can be used with containers designed for child resistant packaging or with containers designed for conventional closures. The closure includes a top wall and a depending skirt portion. One or more locking projections are formed on the inner wall surface of the skirt portion. The locking projection has an upper surface facing the top wall of the closure on which is formed a lug which extends parallel to the axis of the closure so that the locking projection has a generally inverted T-shaped configuration including a pair of oppositely extending arms which extend normal to the lug. The extending arms define support surfaces which cooperate with the securing means of the container to prevent cocking or tilting of the closure when in the locked and sealed position on the container.

Claims

1. A closure for a container having a neck portion including an open mouth, said closure comprising a top wall for closing and sealing the mouth of said closure and a depending skirt portion defining a cylindrical inner wall surface for receiving the neck portion of said container, securing means disposed on the neck portion of said container and corresponding securing means on the cylindrical inner wall surface of said closure for coperatively detachably securing said closure thereon, the improvement wherein said securing means on said closure comprise at least one locking projection integrally formed on the inner wall surface of said depending skirt portion of said closure for maintaining said closure in a sealing position over the mouth of said container when said locking projection is engaged with said cooperating on said container, said locking projection including an upper surface facing said top wall, a locking lug having its base formed on said upper surface extending axially toward said top wall of said closure, the extending end of said locking lug being free, the width of said locking projection being greater than the width of said locking lug so that a portion of said locking projection defines at least one arm normally disposed to said locking lug, the upper surface of the portion of said locking projection defining said arm comprising a support surface for cooperation with said securing means of the container to provide a support base for said closure when in the locked and sealed position on said container.

2. The closure of claim 1 comprising a plurality of said locking projections on said inner wall surface of said depending skirt portion.

3. The closure of claim 1 wherein the free end of said lug defines a contact surface.

4. The closure of claim 1 wherein said locking projection is an inverted T-shaped member.

5. The combination of a container having a neck portion including an open mouth, and a closure therefor comprising a top wall for closing and sealing the mouth of said closure and a depending skirt portion defining a cylindrical inner wall surface for receiving the neck portion of said container, said cylindrical inner wall surface having at least one locking element disposed thereon, means disposed on the neck portion of said container for cooperation with said closure locking elements to detachably secure said closure in a sealing position on said container, resilient means normally urging said closure axially out of the sealing position, said closure locking element comprising at least one locking projection including an upper surface facing said top wall of said closure, a locking lug having its base formed on said upper surface extending axially toward said top wall of said closure, the extending end of said locking lug being free, the width of said locking projection being greater than the width of said locking lug so that a portion of said locking projection defines at least one arm normally disposed to said locking lug, the upper surface of the portion of said locking projection defining said arm comprising a support surface for cooperation with said securing means of the container to provide a support base for said closure when in the locked and sealed position on said container.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said securing means on said neck portion of said container consists of a continuous helical thread, the cross section of said thread projecting radially outwardly from said container neck portion to define a lower contact surface, the free end of said lug engaging said lower contact surface of said thread to draw said closure axially into sealing position on said container and to compress said resilient means responsive to the rotation of said closure with respect to said container.

7. The combination of claim 5 wherein said securing means on said neck portion of said container comprises a pair of spaced apart projecting lugs each having a lower face, a locking channel being defined between said pair of lugs for receiving said free end of the lug of said locking projection responsive to the urging of said resilient member thereby to effect a locking of said closure on said container, the support surface of each of said arms being substantially aligned with the lower face of a corresponding lug of said pair and in contact therewith to provide a support base for said closure to prevent the axial removal of said closure while said closure is locked on said container.

8. The combination of claim 6 wherein a plurality of said pairs of projecting lugs are spaced about the neck portion of said container and a plurality of corresponding locking projections are disposed on the inner surface of the depending skirt portion of said closure, the lower faces of the lugs on said container contacting the support surfaces of the respective arms of said locking projections on said closure to provide uniform sealing pressure by said closure over the mouth of said container and to prevent any substantial movement of said closure while locked on said container.

9. The combination of claim 5 wherein said locking projections on said closure comprise inverted T-shaped members.

10. The combination of claim 5 wherein said securing means on said neck portion of said container comprises a plurality of sloping projecting lugs having lower camming surfaces and a plurality of inverted T-shaped projections are disposed on the inner surface of the depending skirt portion of said closure, the free end of the lug of said inverted T-shaped projection engaging the camming surface of a lug to draw said closure axially into sealing position on said container and to compress said resilient means responsive to the rotation of said closure with respect to said container.

11. The combination of claim 5 wherein said securing means on said neck portion of said container comprises a continuous projecting helical thread having a lower surface and a plurality of inverted T-shaped projections are disposed on the inner surface of the depending skirt portion of said closure, the free end of the lug of said inverted T-shaped projection engaging the lower surface of said projecting helical thread to draw said closure axially into sealing position on said container and to compress said resilient means responsive to the rotation of said closure with respect to said container.