Child resistant container

• US 5,791,504 A
• Filed: 08/19/1996
• Issued: 08/11/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Magenta LLC
• Original Assignee: Magenta Corporation
• Inventors: Hofmann, Richard W., Kutaj, Alex J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoap, Allan W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NEWHOUSE, NATHAN JEFFREY
• Application Number:
  US08/699,475
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 215/206, 215/208, 215/213, 215/214, 215/224, 215/223, 215/225, 215/228, 215/274, 215/276, 215/317, 215/318, 215/321, 220/212, 220/319, 220/293, 220/296, 220/298, 220/780, 220/8, 220/784
• US Class Current: 215/223
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 50/062 the closure removal inhibiting means being a displaceable ring

Abstract

A child resistant container having a container body, a ring and closure. The container body has an annular guide disposed on its neck'"'"'s outer surface. The ring has an annular support disposed on its inner surface. The ring rotatably couples to the container body by sliding the ring over the container body'"'"'s neck and positioning the support inside the guide. The ring has an annular protrusion on its outer surface. The protrusion is divided into segments. The closure has an annular protrusion on its wall'"'"'s inner surface. The closure'"'"'s protrusion is divided into segments. The closure is snapped on the ring and retained on the ring via an interlocking of the segments. The closure is removed from the ring by aligning the closure segments in a position so they will pass through the gaps in the ring protrusion.

Claims

1. A child resistant container comprising:

a container body wherein said container body has a means to rotatably couple a ring to said container body;

said container body has a guide which forms part of the container body'"'"'s rotatable means;

a ring, said ring having a means for rotatably coupling itself to said container body;

a support forming part of said ring'"'"'s rotatable means, said support traversing a path along an inner surface of said ring

a protrusion disposed on an outer surface of said ring to form a ring protrusion, said ring protrusion traversing a path along the outer surface of said ring, said ring protrusion has a plurality of gaps therein, wherein each gap in said ring protrusion divides the protrusion into segments;

a closure, said closure sized to be coupled to said ring, said closure having a protrusion, said protrusion traversing a path along an inner surface of said closure to form a closure protrusion, said closure protrusion has a plurality of gaps therein, wherein each gap in said closure protrusion divides the protrusion into segments;

a first pair of gaps from said plurality of gaps in said ring protrusion, said first pair of gaps having a same arc length and being adjacent to each other;

a first pair of gaps in said ring protrusion having different arc lengths, said first pair of gaps in said ring protrusion having different arc lengths being adjacent to each other, said first pair of gaps in said ring protrusion having the same arc length being exclusive of said first pair of gaps in sail ring protrusion having different arc lengths;

an amount of segments disposed on said closure equal in number to an amount of gaps in said ring protrusion;

an amount of gaps in said closure protrusion equal in number to an amount of segments disposed on said ring;

said closure and said ring, when coupled, having a position relative to one another so that upon uncoupling of the closure from the ring each segment of said amount of segments disposed on said closure will pass through a different one of said amount of gaps in said ring protrusion, and each gap of said amount of gaps in said closure protrusion will allow passage of a different one of said amount of segments disposed on said ring.

2. The child resistant container of claim 1 wherein said plurality of gaps in said ring protrusion comprises:

a second pair of gaps having a same arc length, said second pair having the same arc length being adjacent to each other, said second pair of gaps having the same arc length being exclusive from said first pair of gaps having the same arc length.

3. The child resistant container of claim 1 wherein said plurality of gaps in said ring protrusion comprises a second pair of gaps having different arc lengths, said second pair having different arc lengths being adjacent, said first pair of gaps of different arc lengths being exclusive of said second pair of gaps of different arc lengths.

4. The child resistant container of claim 1 wherein said plurality of gaps comprise at least four different arc lengths.

5. The child resistant container of claim 1 wherein said amount of gaps disposed on said ring have a combined arc length of between 225°

and 235°

.

6. The child resistant container of claim 1 wherein said amount of segments disposed on said ring have a combined arc length of between 110°

and 120°

.

7. A child resistant container comprising:

a container body wherein said container body has a means to rotatably couple a ring to said container body;

said container body has a guide which forms part of the container body'"'"'s rotatable means;

a ring, said ring having a means for rotatably coupling itself to said container body;

a support forming part of said ring'"'"'s rotatable means, said support traversing a path along an inner surface of said ring;

a protrusion disposed on an outer surface of said ring to form a ring protrusion, said ring protrusion traversing a path along the outer surface of said ring, said ring protrusion has a plurality of gaps therein, wherein each gap in said ring protrusion divides the protrusion into segments;

a closure, said closure sized to be coupled to said ring said closure having a protrusion, said protrusion traversing a path along an inner surface of said closure to form a closure protrusion, said closure protrusion has a plurality of gaps therein, wherein each gap in said closure protrusion divides the protrusion into segments;

a first pair of gaps from said plurality of gaps in said ring protrusion, said first pair of gaps having a same arc length and being adjacent to each other;

a second pair of gaps from said plurality of gaps in said ring protrusion having the same arc length, said second pair of gaps being adjacent to each other, said second pair of gaps having the same arc length exclusive of said first pair of gaps having the same arc length;

an amount of segments disposed on said closure equal in number to an amount of gaps in said ring protrusion;

an amount of gaps in said closure protrusion equal in number to an amount of segments disposed on said ring;

a first pair of gaps from said plurality of gaps in said ring protrusion having different arc lengths, said first pair of gaps having different arc lengths being adjacent to each other, said first pair of gaps having different arc lengths being exclusive of both of said first pair and second pair of gaps having the same arc length;

said closure and said ring, when coupled, having a position relative to one another so that upon uncoupling of the closure from the ring each segment of said amount of segments disposed on said closure will pass through a different one of said amount of gaps in said ring protrusion, and each gap of said amount of gaps in said closure protrusion will allow passage of a different one of said amount of segments disposed on said ring.

8. A child resistant container comprising:

a container body wherein said container body has a means to rotatably couple a ring to said container body;

said container body has a guide which forms part of the container body'"'"'s rotatable means;

a ring, said ring having a means for rotatably coupling itself to said container body;

a support forming part of said rings rotatable means, said support traversing a path along inner surface of said ring;

a protrusion disposed on an outer surface of said ring, said protrusion traversing a path along the outer surface of said ring, said protrusion has a plurality of gaps therein, wherein each gap in said protrusion divides the protrusion into segments;

a closure, said closure sized to be coupled to said ring, said closure having a protrusion, said protrusion traversing a path along an inner surface of said closure, said rotation has a plurality of gaps therein, wherein each gap in said closure protrusion divides the protrusion into segments;

an amount of segments disposed on said closure equal in number to an amount of gaps in said ring protrusion;

an amount of gaps in said closure protrusion equal in number to an amount of segments disposed on said ring;

a plurality of segments on said ring wherein each segment of said plurality has an arcuate center;

an arc length measured from the arcuate center of a segment of said plurality to the arcuate center of an adjacent segment of said plurality, said arc length measured being a center-to-center arc,

a plurality of center-to-center arcs on said ring;

a first pair of center-to-center arcs from said plurality having a same arc length, said first pair being adjacent to each other;

a second pair of center-to-center arcs from said plurality having a same arc length, said second pair of center-to-center arcs having the same arc length not being adjacent to each other, said first pair of center-to-center arcs being exclusive of said second pair of center-to-center arcs, said first pair of center-to-center arcs each having a different length from said second pair;

said closure and said ring, when coupled, having a position relative to one another so that upon uncoupling of the closure from the ring each segment of said amount of segments disposed on said closure will pass through a different one of said amount of gaps in said ring protrusion, and each can of said amount of caps in said closure protrusion will allow passage of a different one of said amount of segments disposed on said ring.

9. The child resistant container of claim 8 wherein said plurality of center-to-center arcs on said ring comprises:

a third pair of center-to-center arcs, said third pair being exclusive of said first and second pair, and said third pair of center-to-center arcs each having a different arc length from said first and second pairs.

10. The child resistant container of claim 8 wherein

said plurality of center-to-center arcs has at least four different arc lengths.