Adult friendly child-resistant attachment for containers used to store potentially dangerous materials

• US 5,562,218 A
• Filed: 09/07/1995
• Issued: 10/08/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Oder, Reuben E., Dirksing, Robert S., Hamilton, Peter W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cronin, Stephen K.
• Application Number:
  US08/524,721
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 215/206, 215/209, 215/211, 215/213, 215/214, 215/221
• US Class Current: 215/221
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 50/046 and such deformation causes the disengagement of locking means, e.g. the release of a pawl-like element from a tooth or abutment, to allow removal of the closure by simultaneous rotation

Abstract

A child resistant attachment for containers used for storing and dispensing potentially dangerous materials, such as medicament tablets or the like, the attachment being resistant to opening by children but readily openable by adults, particularly adults having impaired manual dexterity of their hands and/or fingers. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the attachment comprises a finish portion including thread ring with an integrally molded annular tab ring or collar generally concentric to the thread ring and a closure which is releasably secured to the thread ring by means of complementary screw threads. The tab ring or collar preferably includes a pair of resiliently deformable spring-like pushtabs containing vertical extensions which engage interlocking pawls on the innermost surface of the closure skirt when the closure is fully assembled onto the finish portion. To remove the closure, the opposed pushtabs must be depressed prior to applying unscrewing torque to the closure to disengage the pushtab extensions from the interlocking pawls on the closure. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the finish portion of the child resistant attachment of the present invention is integrally molded with the container in a ready to use configuration without the need for additional assembly or molding operations. Methods for producing the child resistant attachment and child resistant packages employing it are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A child resistant attachment for a container suitable for storing and dispensing potentially dangerous material, said attachment being resistant to opening by children yet readily openable by adults, said child resistant attachment comprising:

(a) a finish portion having a downwardly extending attachment ring, said attachment ring having an innermost and an outermost surface, said attachment ring including internal threads on said innermost surface of said attachment ring, said attachment ring further including a means for attaching said finish portion to said container, and an annular collar, having interior, exterior, lowermost and uppermost surfaces, said annular collar being generally concentric to said attachment ring, interrupted by at least one pair of slots, thereby forming at least one resiliently deformable cantilevered pushtab having a lowermost end and an uppermost end, said push tab having an exposed surface contour which generally conforms to the contour of said exterior surface of the adjacent portions of said annular collar to minimize the chance of inadvertent depression thereof when said annular collar is grasped, said pushtab having a vertical extension projecting above said uppermost surface of said annular collar, said uppermost end of said pushtab being inwardly movable relative to the rest of said annular collar when a squeezing force is applied to said uppermost end of said pushtab; and

(b) a closure having a first skirt having an innermost and an outermost surface said outermost surface of said first skirt including a means for rotatably and releasably securing said closure to said finish portion and a second skirt external to said first skirt, said second skirt having an innermost and an outermost surface, said closure also having at least one interlocking pawl on said innermost surface of said second skirt, said interlocking pawl being so shaped and positioned that it will deflect said vertical extension on said resiliently deformable pushtab when said closure is rotatably secured onto said finish portion, but will prevent removing said closure from said finish portion by rotating said closure in a reverse direction unless said resiliently deformable cantilevered pushtab on said annular ring is first depressed to disengage said pushtab vertical extension from said interlocking pawl.

2. The child resistant attachment of claim 1, wherein said means for attaching said finish portion to said container mates with a corresponding securement means on said container so as to resist separation of said child resistant attachment from said container, especially by children, once said child resistant attachment is fully assembled onto said container.

3. The child resistant attachment of claim 2, wherein said means for attaching said finish portion to said container permits unlimited 360°

rotation of said child resistant attachment relative to said container about a vertical axis passing through the center of said child resistant attachment while maintaining said finish portion securely attached to said container, thereby further frustrating attempts by children to gain access to the material in said container.

4. The child resistant attachment of claim 1, wherein said attachment ring on said finish portion of said child resistant attachment is permanently secured to said container.

5. The child resistant attachment of claim 4, wherein said child resistant attachment is permanently secured to said container by integrally molding it therewith.

6. The child resistant attachment of claim 1, wherein said annular collar includes two pairs of slots, thereby forming a pair of opposed resiliently deformable pushtabs having vertical extensions thereon and wherein said closure includes a pair of opposed pawls.

7. The child resistant attachment of claim 6, wherein the squeezing force required to depress said opposed resiliently deformable pushtabs a sufficient distance to disengage said vertical extensions from said interlocking pawls is in the range of about 0.5 to about 5 pounds.

8. The child resistant attachment of claim 1, wherein said means for attaching said finish portion to said container is on the outermost surface of said attachment ring.