Child-resistant closure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9902535-B2
Application number	US-201415031245-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2014
Priority date	Oct 30, 2013
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

A child-resistant closure for a container, the closure comprising outer and inner nested caps each having a top panel and a side skirt depending generally peripherally therefrom, said outer cap loosely generally encompassing said inner cap to allow relative rotary and axial movement there between, the outer and inner caps having corresponding drive formations which can be brought into driving engagement when the caps are moved axially towards one another to a first axial position, one of the inner and outer caps comprising one or more spring members for urging the inner and outer caps axially away from each other to a second axial position, the other of the inner and outer caps comprising one or more ramps.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A child-resistant closure for a container, the closure comprising outer and inner nested caps each having a top panel and a side skirt depending generally peripherally therefrom, said outer cap loosely generally encompassing said inner cap to allow relative rotary and axial movement there between, the outer and inner caps having corresponding drive formations which can be brought into driving engagement when the caps are moved axially towards one another to a first axial position, one of the inner and outer caps comprising one or more spring members for urging the inner and outer caps axially away from each other to a second axial position, the other of the inner and outer caps comprising one or more ramps, one or more spring members providing a biasing force to maintain said outer and inner caps in the second axial position and drivingly engaging one or more ramps in the second axial position so as to drive the outer and inner caps together in a screwing direction, but slipping over one or more ramps freely in an unscrewing direction, downward pressure on the outer cap overcoming a spring finger bias to move the caps to the first axial position to allow unscrewing of the closure using the inner and outer cap drive formations, in which the ramp is profiled to support the spring member substantially continuously as the member passes over it in the unscrewing direction, in which one or more ramps has a variable section sweep with a generally constant radius trajectory and a section that sweeps along the radius that constantly changes whereby one or more spring members are in maximum contact with one or more ramps through rotation.

2. The closure as claimed in claim 1 , in which an external surface of the inner cap side skirt includes one or more axial ribs for allowing venting when the outer and inner caps are initially assembled together.

3. The closure as claimed in claim 2 , in which a rib is formed integrally with a drive formation to strengthen the formation.

4. The closure as claimed in claim 3 , in which the rib connects to an edge of the drive formation which, in use, engages drivingly with the drive formation on the outer cap.

5. The closure as claimed in claim 2 , in which a rib extends along substantially an entire length of the side skirt.

6. The closure as claimed in claim 2 , in which the drive formations on the inner cap each have a respective rib.

7. The closure as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a container.

8. A child-resistant closure for a container, the closure comprising outer and inner nested caps each having a top panel and a side skirt depending generally peripherally therefrom, said outer cap loosely generally encompassing said inner cap to allow relative rotary and axial movement there between, the outer and inner caps having corresponding drive formations which can be brought into driving engagement when the caps are moved axially towards one another to a first axial position, one of the inner and outer caps comprising one or more spring members for urging the inner and outer caps axially away from each other to a second axial position, the other of the inner and outer caps comprising one or more ramps, one or more spring members providing a biasing force to maintain said outer and inner caps in the second axial position and drivingly engaging one or more ramps in the second axial position so as to drive the outer and inner caps together in a screwing direction, but slipping over one or more ramps freely in an unscrewing direction, downward pressure on the outer cap overcoming a spring finger bias to move the caps to the first axial position to allow unscrewing of the closure using the inner and outer cap drive formations, in which one or more ramps is profiled to support the spring member substantially continuously as one or more spring members passes over it in the unscrewing direction, in which one or more ramps has a respective detent projection which projects above a plane of the top panel of the inner cap and lies in a path of travel of the spring member, the projection supports the spring member when in driving engagement with the ramp to resist deformation of the spring member as it transmits force to a ramp face, and a profile of the projection matches a profile of the region of one or more spring members in contact therewith.

9. The closure as claimed in claim 8 , in which a profile of the ramp changes constantly as a ramp height increases.

Assignees

• Obrist Closures Switzerland

Inventors

• Faragher Stephen

Classifications

• B65D50/041 Primary

  the closure comprising nested inner and outer caps or an inner cap and an outer coaxial annular member, which can be brought into engagement to enable removal by rotation · CPC title