US3830390A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Safety closure for medicine bottles or the like
Assignee: Silgan Plastic Food Containers Corp
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Filing: 1972-03-22
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Granted: 1974-08-20
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Expires: 1992-03-22
Abstract
Abstract A safety closure for a container having a threaded neck. The closure consists of a relatively stiff, inner threaded cap and a relatively resilient outer driver. The inner cap has a circular top and cylindrical skirt. There are a plurality of ribs on the outer side of the cap skirt at the periphery of the top. The driver has a cylindrical skirt and a top and is telescopingly fitted over the cap. There is a series of inwardly and downwardly extending lugs at the inner side of the junction of the top and skirt of the driver. A spacer at the center top of the cap holds the driver in normal, vertically spaced position. The lugs have vertical front edges which extend downwardly a distance sufficient to extend between and engage the ribs for driving the cap onto the container neck. The lugs also have vertical back edges which do not extend downwardly such distance when the driver is in normal position. The cap is removed from the container by flexing the periphery of the driver downwardly to engage the back edges of the lugs with the ribs on the cap. In another embodiment, the spacer is annular and holds the rim of the driver up, the lugs and ribs are at inner annular areas, the overcap and driver, respectively, and the central portion of the top of the overcap is flexed downwardly to engage the back edges of the lugs with the ribs for unscrewing the cap.
Inventors
- 👤 P Gach
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 05:39
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D50/00; B65D50/02; B65D50/04; B65D50/041
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim
380 words
A safety closure for the threaded neck of a container, said closure consisting of an inverted cup-shaped cap having a disclike top and an annular skirt that has threads on its interior suface, and an inverted cup-shaped driver having a disc-like top and an annular skirt, said driver being telescopingly nested over said cap, a. a first annular zone on each of the upper surface of the top of said cap and the undersurface of the top of said driver, b. opposed interengaging lugs and recesses on said cap top, read said driver top and said cap top, respectively, extending therearound in such first annular zone and each having spaced axially extending engagement surfaces that are alternately engageable for transferring torque from said driver to said cap, said recesses and lugs being located, respectively, at the periphery of the cap top and inner junction of the and skirt of the driver, said recesses being axially extending grooves in the periphery of said cap skirt, c. a second annular zone on each of the upper surfaces of said cap top and the undersurface of said driver top, d. said first and second zones being radially spaced from each other, e. opposed cooperating spacers on said cap top and said driver top in such second zone for holding said tops in normal spaced position, f. the first axial surfaces of said lugs and recesses in said first zones overlapping axially at the sides thereof engageable for rotating said cap onto said neck when said tops are in normal spaced position, g. that portion of said driver top in such first annular zone being resiliently deformable axially relative to said spacers for moving said lugs and recesses axially relative to each other and axially overlapping the second axial surfaces of said lugs and recesses at the sides thereof engageable for rotating said cap off of said neck, and h. means on said driver and cap for retaining said driver and cap in nested relationship, i. whereby said lugs and recesses are normally engaged for screwing said cap onto said container neck by forward rotation of said driver and are engageablE during retrograde rotation of said driver for unscrewing said cap only after axial deformation of said driver cap in such first annular zone.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
380 words
A safety closure for the threaded neck of a container, said closure consisting of an inverted cup-shaped cap having a disclike top and an annular skirt that has threads on its interior suface, and an inverted cup-shaped driver having a disc-like top and an annular skirt, said driver being telescopingly nested over said cap, a. a first annular zone on each of the upper surface of the top of said cap and the undersurface of the top of said driver, b. opposed interengaging lugs and recesses on said cap top, read said driver top and said cap top, respectively, extending therearound in such first annular zone and each having spaced axially extending engagement surfaces that are alternately engageable for transferring torque from said driver to said cap, said recesses and lugs being located, respectively, at the periphery of the cap top and inner junction of the and skirt of the driver, said recesses being axially extending grooves in the periphery of said cap skirt, c. a second annular zone on each of the upper surfaces of said cap top and the undersurface of said driver top, d. said first and second zones being radially spaced from each other, e. opposed cooperating spacers on said cap top and said driver top in such second zone for holding said tops in normal spaced position, f. the first axial surfaces of said lugs and recesses in said first zones overlapping axially at the sides thereof engageable for rotating said cap onto said neck when said tops are in normal spaced position, g. that portion of said driver top in such first annular zone being resiliently deformable axially relative to said spacers for moving said lugs and recesses axially relative to each other and axially overlapping the second axial surfaces of said lugs and recesses at the sides thereof engageable for rotating said cap off of said neck, and h. means on said driver and cap for retaining said driver and cap in nested relationship, i. whereby said lugs and recesses are normally engaged for screwing said cap onto said container neck by forward rotation of said driver and are engageablE during retrograde rotation of said driver for unscrewing said cap only after axial deformation of said driver cap in such first annular zone.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
36 words
A safety closure according to claim 1 in which the resiliently deformable portion of said driver top is at the outer margin thereof and said spacers are at the center of said cap and closure tops.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
48 words
A safety closure according to claim 1 in which the skirt of the driver is longer than the skirt of the cap and there is an inwardly directed lip at the bottom of said skirt of the driver for retaining said cap and said driver in nested circumjacency.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
A safety closure according to claim 2 in which the spacers are mated circular elements on and at the centers of the undersurface of the driver top and the upper surface of the cap top.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-08-19 | 1978-02-18 | 1978-08-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-08-19 | 1982-02-18 | 1982-08-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-08-19 | 1986-02-18 | 1986-08-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |