Child-resistant cap and container assembly

• US 9,187,220 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2014
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Drug Plastics & Glass Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Drug Plastics & Glass Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Biesecker, Frederick, Sprishen, Gregory, Knestrick, William Gordon III
• Primary Examiner(s): ALLEN, JEFFREY R
• Application Number:
  US14/324,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20150014270A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 220/780, 220/794, 220/784, 220/281, 215/352, 215/347, 215/305, 215/224, 215/301, 215/317, 215/321
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0015 of the 41-type
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0075 of the 39-type
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 43/0212 only on the outside, or a part turned to the outside, of the mouth B65D43/0206 takes precedence
• 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
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/18 Arrangements of closures with protective outer cap-like covers or of two or more co-operating closures B65D51/247 takes precedence

Abstract

A cap includes a top wall, an outer peripheral edge, a first section, and a second section. A skirt depends from the outer peripheral edge. The skirt includes an attached end, a free end, a plurality of slots, and a plurality of apertures. Each aperture is spaced-apart from the free end of the skirt. The top wall has a first configuration and a second configuration. When the top wall is in the first configuration, the first section is generally planer and the second section is generally arcuate. When the top wall is in the first configuration, the skirt extends generally perpendicularly to the first section to generally engage at least a portion of a container. When the top wall is in the second configuration, the free end of the skirt extends radially outwardly from the attached end thereof to allow the cap to be removed from the container.

Claims

1. A child-resistant cap for removably mounting to a container having a neck with a first rim extending laterally outwardly from the neck, the child-resistant cap comprising:

a top wall including an exterior surface, an opposing interior surface, a substantially circular outer peripheral edge, a first section spaced inwardly from the outer peripheral edge and a second section spaced inwardly from the first section, the first section generally surrounding the second section;

a skirt depending downwardly from the outer peripheral edge of the top wall, the skirt including an attached end integrally formed with at least a portion of the outer peripheral edge of the top wall, an opposing free end, a first slot, a second slot and a third slot, the first, second and third slots extending through the skirt, a first aperture, a second aperture and a third aperture extending through the skirt, each of the first, second and third slots extending from the free end of the skirt toward the outer peripheral edge of the top wall, each of the first, second and third apertures spaced-apart from the free end of the skirt and including a top end and a lower end; and

a plurality of hooks, including a first hook, a second hook and a third hook, extending radially inwardly from an inner surface of the skirt, the first hook positioned proximate the lower end of the first aperture, the second hook positioned proximate the lower end of the second aperture and the third hook positioned proximate the lower end of the third aperture, the top wall has a first configuration in which a geometric center of the top wall extends beyond a plane defined by the outer peripheral edge thereof and the attached edge of the skirt, and a second configuration in which the geometric center of the top wall does not extend beyond the plane defined by the outer peripheral edge thereof and the attached edge of the skirt, the free end of the skirt extends radially outwardly from the attached end thereof to allow the cap to be removed from the container in the second configuration.

2. The child-resistant cap of claim 1, wherein in the first configuration the first section of the top wall is generally planar and the second section of the top wall is generally arcuate, wherein in the first configuration the skirt extends generally perpendicularly relative to the first section of the top wall to generally engage at least a portion of a container.

3. The child-resistant cap of claim 1, wherein the first aperture is positioned between the first and second slots, the second aperture is positioned between the second and third slots and the third aperture is positioned between the first and third slots.

4. The child-resistant cap of claim 1, wherein the first, second and third slots extend into the outer peripheral edge and the first section.

5. The child-resistant cap of claim 1, wherein the first, second and third apertures extend into the outer peripheral edge and the first section.

6. The child-resistant cap of claim 1, further comprising fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth slots.

7. The child-resistant cap of claim 6, further comprising fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth apertures.

8. The child-resistant cap of claim 1, further comprising:

a first liner attached to the interior surface of the top wall.

9. A child-resistant cap for removably mounting to a container having a neck with a first rim extending laterally outwardly from the neck, the child-resistant cap comprising:

a top wall including an exterior surface, an opposing interior surface, a substantially circular outer peripheral edge, a first section spaced inwardly from the outer peripheral edge and a second section spaced inwardly from the first section, the first section generally surrounding the second section;

a skirt depending downwardly from the outer peripheral edge of the top wall, the skirt including an attached end integrally formed with at least a portion of the outer peripheral edge of the top wall, an opposing free end, a plurality of slots extending through the skirt from the free end and through the outer peripheral edge, a plurality of apertures being spaced from the free end and extending through the outer peripheral edge of the skirt; and

a plurality of hooks extending radially inwardly from an inner surface of the skirt, the top wall has a first configuration in which a geometric center of the top wall extends beyond a plane defined by the outer peripheral edge thereof and the attached edge of the skirt, and a second configuration in which the geometric center of the top wall does not extend beyond the plane defined by the outer peripheral edge thereof and the attached edge of the skirt, the free end splaying outwardly in the second configuration, the cap configured such that a downward force on the exterior surface is applied to the cap to move between the first configuration and the second configuration and a lateral squeezing force is applied to the skirt to move between the second configuration and the first configuration, the cap substantially remaining in one of the first and second configuration until one of the downward and lateral squeezing forces is applied.

10. The child-resistant cap of claim 9, wherein the downward force is applied to a center of the second section of the top wall.

11. The child-resistant cap of claim 9, wherein the plurality of slots includes a first slot, a second slot and a third slot and the plurality of apertures includes a first aperture, a second aperture and a third aperture.

12. The child-resistant cap of claim 11, wherein plurality of hooks includes a first hook, a second hook and a third hook.

13. The child-resistant cap of claim 12, wherein the first hook is positioned proximate a lower end of the first aperture, the second hook is positioned proximate a lower end of the second aperture and the third hook is positioned proximate a lower end of the third aperture.

14. The child-resistant cap of claim 11, wherein the first aperture is positioned between the first slot and the second slot, the second aperture is positioned between the second slot and the third slot and the third aperture is positioned between the first slot and the third slot.

15. The child-resistant cap of claim 9, further comprising:

a first liner attached to the interior surface of the top wall.

16. A child-resistant container assembly for storing various types of material, the child-resistant container assembly comprising:

a container having a body and a neck, the neck including a first annular rim and a second annular rim spaced-apart from the first annular rim, each of the first and second annular rims extending around the neck; and

a cap including a top wall having an exterior surface, an opposing interior surface, a substantially circular outer peripheral edge, a first section spaced inwardly from the outer peripheral edge and a second section spaced inwardly from the first section, a skirt depending downwardly from the outer peripheral edge of the top wall, the skirt including an attached end integrally formed with at least a portion of the outer peripheral edge of the top wall, the skirt including an opposing free end, a plurality of slots extending through the skirt from the free end and through the outer peripheral edge and a plurality of apertures being spaced from the free end and extending through the outer peripheral edge, a plurality of flanges defined by the plurality of slots, a plurality of hooks extending radially inwardly from an inner surface of the skirt, the cap has a first configuration in which a geometric center of the top wall extends beyond a plane defined by the outer peripheral edge thereof such that the plurality of hooks are configured to engage under the first annular rim, the cap also has a second configuration in which the geometric center of the top wall does not extend beyond the plane defined by the outer peripheral edge thereof and the attached edge of the skirt such that the plurality of flanges are splayed and the plurality of hooks are spaced from the first annular rim.

17. The child-resistant container assembly of claim 16, wherein the plurality of slots include a first slot, a second slot and a third slot and the plurality of flanges include a first flange, a second flange and a third flange, the first flange defined between the first and second slots and the second flange defined between the second and third slots.

18. The child-resistant container assembly of claim 16, wherein the plurality of aperture include a first aperture, a second aperture and a third aperture and the plurality of hooks include a first hook, a second hook and a third hook, the first hook positioned at a lower end of the first aperture, the second hook positioned at a lower end of the second aperture and the third hook positioned at a lower end of the third aperture.

19. The child-resistant container assembly of claim 18, wherein the first and second annular rims define an annular groove, the plurality of hooks positioned in the annular groove when the cap is mounted to the container and the cap is in the first configuration, the hooks engaging the annular groove in a snap-fit connection when the cap is mounted to the container.