CHILD-RESISTANT CLOSURE FOR A CONTAINER AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME

Abstract

A child-resistant container may include a container body having a central longitudinal axis, a closed base, and an open top; and a cap assembly configured to couple to the container body for closing the container. The cap assembly may include an inner cap having an inner cap sidewall with an annular groove formed between an inner cap top surface and an inner cap open bottom and an outer cap covering the inner cap and having an outer cap sidewall having with annular ridge formed between an outer cap top surface and an outer cap open bottom. The inner cap may be configured to couple to the container body and seal the container body via the open top. The outer cap may be configured to couple to the inner cap with the annular ridge nested within the annular groove.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Pat. Application No. 63/279,471, filed on Nov. 15, 2021, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Various aspects of the disclosure relate generally to child-resistant closures for containers. According to examples, the disclosure relates to systems, devices, and related methods for the manufacture, assembly, and use of child-resistant container closures.

BACKGROUND

Products such as medicines, poisons, and adult recreational substances may be dangerous if ingested or handled by children. These products may be sold or distributed in containers that are child-resistant, meaning that they require particular steps to be followed in sequence or simultaneously in order for the product to be accessed. Such containers may require multiple parts to be molded from plastic and assembled, and their child resistance may rely on material properties such as the reliable deformation of the plastics used. However, plastic containers may pose issues of cost, manufacturability, durability, and may not be suitable for certain products due to chemical interactions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary aspects of the disclosure and, together with the description, explain the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a container assembly, according to aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an inner cap portion of a cap assembly, according to aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an outer cap portion of the cap assembly, according to aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cap assembly, according to aspects of this disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is an illustration of the forces applied to open the container assembly, according to aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of an exemplary method of applying a cap assembly to a container assembly, according to aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of a method of forming an inner cap portion of a cap assembly, according to aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of a method of forming an outer cap portion of a cap assembly, according to aspects of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of this disclosure relate to child-resistant container closures and methods for the manufacture, assembly, and use of child-resistant container closures.

The terminology used below may be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific examples of the present disclosure. Indeed, certain terms may even be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such in this Detailed Description section. Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the features, as claimed.

In this disclosure, the term “based on” means “based at least in part on.” The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context dictates otherwise. The term “exemplary” is used in the sense of “example” rather than “ideal.” The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” or other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion such that a process, method, or product that comprises a list of elements does not necessarily include only those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Relative terms, such as, “substantially” and “generally,” are used to indicate a possible variation of ±10% of a stated or understood value.

Portable, child-resistant containers may be useful for storing products such as medicines, poisons, and adult recreational substances that may be dangerous if ingested or handled by children. While some child-resistant containers have been used for pills and household cleaners in the past, such containers may require multiple parts to be molded from plastic separately and then later assembled. Further, the child resistance of such plastic containers may rely on material properties such as the reliable deformation of the plastics used. Replacing these plastics with metals such as aluminum can have the advantage of being easier to manufacture and recycle, and may provide resistance to certain substances that may cause plastics to leech or degrade. The disclosed child-resistant container closures may provide improvements in manufacturability, durability, product quality, and may be more easily recycled.

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary child-resistant container assembly 100 in accordance with the present disclosure. Child-resistant container assembly 100 can include container body 110 and cap assembly 120. Container body 110 may be of many forms, sizes, and shapes, including, for example, a beverage bottle capable of holding approximately 2-24 ounces of liquid. In some embodiments, container body 110 may be formed from, for example, glass, metal, or plastic. In embodiments, where container body 110 is formed of metal, any suitable metal may be used, including, but not limited to, aluminum. Container body 110 may include a closed container base 112 at the bottom of container body 110 and a container opening 114 at the top. In some embodiments, container opening 114 may be an externally threaded neck configured to receive a cap and be sealed. A central longitudinal axis 116 can be defined by the container body 110 and particularly container opening 114. Central longitudinal axis 116 may be normal to the plane defined by container opening 114, and may extend through the center of container opening 114 into container body 110 as well as outward through cap assembly 120. Container body 110 and cap assembly 120 may be coaxial about this central longitudinal axis 116.

Cap assembly 120 may be formed in two parts: an inner cap 130 nested inside of and coaxial with an outer cap 140. FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of inner cap 130. Inner cap 130 can include an inner cap top surface 132 having one or more protrusions 133 at an upper portion thereof, an inner cap opening 134 at a lower portion thereof, and an inner cap sidewall 136 positioned between the upper and lower portions. Inner cap sidewall 136 can include internal threading to allow inner cap 130 to be secured to complementary threading on container opening 114 of container body 110. Inner cap sidewall 136 can also define inner cap opening 134, and may be formed with an annular groove 138 extending circumferentially around inner cap 130 between inner cap top surface 132 and inner cap opening 134. In some embodiments, annular groove 138 can be a plurality of smaller indents spaced about the circumference of inner cap 130.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of outer cap 140. Outer cap 140 can include an outer cap top surface 142 having one or more engagement elements 143 that correspond in shape and position with protrusions 133 on the inner cap top surface 132. Outer cap 140 can also include an outer cap opening 144 at a lower portion thereof, opposite outer cap top surface 142, being defined by an outer cap sidewall 146. Outer cap sidewall 146 may include a plurality of gripping features 147 at least partially surrounding a portion of outer cap sidewall 146. In some embodiments, gripping features can be one or more vertical ridges, bars, indentations, protrusions, or combinations thereof. Outer cap sidewall 146 can also include an annular ridge 148 extending inward (i.e., towards the central longitudinal axis 116) partially or circumferentially around outer cap 140.

FIG. 4 illustrates cap assembly 120 wherein outer cap 140 is placed on top of inner cap 130 such that both inner cap sidewall 136 and outer cap sidewall 146 as well as inner cap top surface 132 and outer cap top surface 142 are parallel to and proximate one another. When inner cap 130 and outer cap 140 are assembled to form cap assembly 120, outer cap 140 may be retained in position covering inner cap 130 by the cooperation between annular groove 138 and annular ridge 148, while still being capable or rotating freely with respect to inner cap 130. Efforts to pull outer cap 140 away from inner cap 130 would result in a small amount of movement of outer cap 140 (e.g., an amount slightly larger than the height of protrusions 133) prior to annular ridge 148 coming into contact with annular groove 138 and/or a portion of inner cap sidewall 136 proximate annular groove 138. The small amount of play between inner cap 130 and outer cap 140 can provide sufficient space for outer cap top surface 142 to rotate freely without necessarily engaging protrusions 133.

Further, outer cap 140 completely covers inner cap 130, such that inner cap 130 cannot be directly gripped or manipulated. While it is possible for outer cap 140 to rotate independently of inner cap 130, the interference between outer cap 140 and inner cap 130 due to annular ridge 148 and annular groove 138 prevents a user from simply removing outer cap 140 and unscrewing inner cap 130 directly. Therefore, since outer cap 140 both fully covers inner cap 130, and is not easily removed from inner cap 130 due to the annular ridge-and-groove arrangement, a user must rotate both outer cap 140 and inner cap 130 together in order to access the contents of container body 110.

However, as a result of the annular ridge-and-groove retention arrangement, and the small amount of space between the top surfaces of inner cap 130 and outer cap 140, inner cap 130 does not necessarily rotate with outer cap 140. FIG. 5 illustrates the manner in which outer cap 140 and inner cap 130 may be made to rotate together, thus allowing access to the contents of container body 110. Specifically, in order to rotate inner cap 130 along with outer cap 140, engagement elements 143 can engage corresponding protrusions 133 to allow applied rotation 510 to be transmitted through outer cap 140 to inner cap 130. In some embodiments, protrusions 133 and engagement elements 143 may have a cross sectional geometry (as shown in FIG. 4) that includes two opposing sloped walls that can be joined by a rounded or substantially flat top portion, and may be arranged about longitudinal axis 116 in, for example, a cross arrangement. In order to keep engagement elements 143 and corresponding protrusions 133 engaged, an applied force 520 may be applied along longitudinal axis 116 to maintain the engagement while applied rotation 510 rotates outer cap 140 and inner cap 130 to unscrew cap assembly 120 from container opening 114.

The amount of applied force necessary to maintain the engagement between outer cap 140 and inner cap 130 depends on a number of factors, for example, the shape of engagement elements 143 and corresponding protrusions 133. For example, if protrusions 133 and engagement elements 143 interact with one another in a plane that has a slope that approaches being parallel to central longitudinal axis 116, very little of the applied rotation 510 would need to be countered by applied force 520 in order to keep outer cap 140 and inner cap 130 engaged, and therefore they will remain engaged with a relatively small applied force 520. On the other hand, if protrusions 133 and engagement elements 143 interact with one another in a plane with a slope that approaches being perpendicular to central longitudinal axis 116, much more of the applied rotation 510 would need to be countered by applied force 520 in order to keep outer cap 140 and inner cap 130 engaged, and a relatively larger applied force 520 will be needed to maintain the engagement without slipping. Similarly, features such as rounded edges and protrusions that extend less far above the inner cap top surface 132 may also increase the applied force 520 needed to prevent slipping. In this way, some protrusion designs may be more child-proof than other designs, as the particular application requires.

Providing cap assembly to close or provide a seal to container body 110 can be accomplished by different methods. For example, inner cap 130 may be formed by roll forming the cap directly on the container. Inner cap 130 may be placed in position on top of container opening 114, and a machine can roll around inner cap 130 and create a thread, annular groove 138, and seal around the bottle. Once inner cap 130 is coupled to container body 110, outer cap 140 can be punched onto the bottle over the top of inner cap 130, and annual ridge 148 can be formed to cooperate with annular groove 138 to secure outer cap 140 to inner cap 130. In some embodiments, to provide a sealing engagement between the upper edge of container opening 114 and the inner surface of inner cap 130, a gasket (e.g., a silicone gasket) may be secured to an underside of inner cap top surface 132.

According to an embodiment of this disclosure, child-resistant closures are disclosed for containers such as bottles. Although this disclosure describes child-resistant closures for bottles, the disclosure is not limited to such use. Aspects of the disclosure may also be used for other containers and for containers that need to be resistant to animals or other beings with limited capabilities to perform the simultaneous and/or sequential steps to access the inside of a container.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made in the disclosed devices and methods without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Other aspects of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the features disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A child-resistant container, comprising:

a container body having a central longitudinal axis, a closed base, and an open top; and

a cap assembly configured to couple to the container body for closing the container, the cap assembly including: an inner cap having an inner cap top surface, an inner cap open bottom, and an inner cap sidewall, the inner cap sidewall having an annular groove formed between the inner cap top surface and the inner cap open bottom; an outer cap covering the inner cap and having an outer cap top surface, an outer cap open bottom, and an outer cap sidewall, the outer cap sidewall having an annular ridge formed between the outer cap top surface and the outer cap open bottom;

wherein each of the inner cap top surface and the outer cap top surface include engagement features such that the inner cap and the outer cap can be selectively engaged for coaxial rotation about the central longitudinal axis;

wherein the inner cap is configured to couple to the container body and seal the container body via the open top; and

wherein the outer cap is configured to couple to the inner cap with the annular ridge nested within the annular groove.

2. The child-resistant container of claim 1, wherein the engagement features include one or more protrusions from the inner cap top surface and one or more corresponding engagement elements of the outer cap top surface.

3. The child-resistant container of claim 2, wherein the one or more protrusions from the inner cap top surface each include a sloped surface such that continued engagement of the outer cap and the inner cap during rotation requires an applied force pressing the outer cap towards the inner cap along the central longitudinal axis.

4. The child-resistant container of claim 1, wherein the outer cap is prevented from being removed from a position covering the inner cap by interference between the annular ridge and the annular groove.

5. The child-resistant container of claim 1, wherein the annular groove and the annular ridge extend circumferentially around the inner cap and the outer cap respectively.

6. The child-resistant container of claim 5, wherein the annular ridge protrudes inwardly from the outer cap sidewall toward the annular groove.

7. The child-resistant container of claim 4, wherein a clearance exists between the annular ridge and the annular groove sufficient to allow the outer cap to rotate freely about the central longitudinal axis.

8. The child-resistant container of claim 7, wherein the outer cap sidewall covers the inner cap sidewall completely while the annular ridge is nested within the annular groove.

9. The child-resistant container of claim 2, wherein the protrusions from the inner cap top surface and the engagement elements of the outer cap top surface are each positioned in a cross arrangement about the central longitudinal axis.

10. A cap assembly for a child-resistant container, comprising:

an inner cap having an inner cap top surface, an inner cap open bottom, and an inner cap sidewall, the inner cap sidewall having an annular groove formed between the inner cap top surface and the inner cap open bottom;

an outer cap covering the inner cap and having an outer cap top surface, an outer cap open bottom, and an outer cap sidewall, the outer cap sidewall having an annular ridge formed between the outer cap top surface and the outer cap open bottom;

wherein each of the inner cap top surface and the outer cap top surface include engagement features such that the inner cap and the outer cap can be selectively engaged for coaxial rotation about a central longitudinal axis;

wherein the inner cap is configured to couple to a container body and seal the container body via an open top; and

wherein the outer cap is configured to couple to the inner cap with the annular ridge nested within the annular groove.

11. The cap assembly for a child-resistant container of claim 10, wherein the engagement features include one or more protrusions from the inner cap top surface and one or more corresponding engagement elements of the outer cap top surface.

12. The cap assembly for a child-resistant container of claim 11, wherein the one or more protrusions from the inner cap top surface each include a sloped surface such that continued engagement of the outer cap and the inner cap during rotation requires an applied force pressing the outer cap towards the inner cap along the central longitudinal axis.

13. The cap assembly for a child-resistant container of claim 10, wherein the outer cap is prevented from being removed from a position covering the inner cap by interference between the annular ridge and the annular groove.

14. The cap assembly for a child-resistant container of claim 10, wherein the annular groove and the annular ridge extend circumferentially around the inner cap and the outer cap respectively.

15. The cap assembly for a child-resistant container of claim 14, wherein the annular ridge protrudes inwardly from the outer cap sidewall toward the annular groove.

16. The cap assembly for a child-resistant container of claim 13, wherein a clearance exists between the annular ridge and the annular groove sufficient to allow the outer cap to rotate freely about the central longitudinal axis.

17. The cap assembly for a child-resistant container of claim 16, wherein the outer cap sidewall covers the inner cap sidewall completely while the annular ridge is nested within the annular groove.

18. The cap assembly for a child-resistant container of claim 11, wherein the protrusions from the inner cap top surface and the engagement elements of the outer cap top surface are each positioned in a cross arrangement about the central longitudinal axis.

19. A cap assembly for a child-resistant container, comprising:

an inner cap configured to couple to a container body and having an inner cap top surface, an inner cap open bottom, and an inner cap sidewall, wherein the inner cap sidewall includes an annular groove formed between the inner cap top surface and the inner cap open bottom, and wherein the inner cap top surface includes a plurality of protrusions extending therefrom;

an outer cap covering the inner cap and having an outer cap top surface, an outer cap open bottom, and an outer cap sidewall, wherein the outer cap sidewall includes an annular ridge formed between the outer cap top surface and the outer cap open bottom, and wherein the outer cap top surface includes a plurality of engagement elements configured to receive the plurality of protrusions;

wherein the outer cap is coupled to and covers the inner cap with the annular ridge nested within the annular groove; and

wherein the outer cap is configured to be selectively engaged with the inner cap such that when engaged the outer cap and inner cap are collectively rotatable about a central longitudinal axis and when disengaged the outer cap is independently rotatable about the central longitudinal axis.

20. The cap assembly for a child-resistant container of claim 19, wherein the plurality of protrusions each include a sloped surface such that engagement of the outer cap and the inner cap during rotation requires an applied force pressing the outer cap towards the inner cap along the central longitudinal axis; and

wherein a clearance exists between the annular ridge and the annular groove sufficient to allow the outer cap to rotate freely about the central longitudinal axis absent the applied force.