AU463565B2 - Improvements in closures for containers - Google Patents

Description

28,341/71 This invention relates to closures for containers

and in particular to so-called safety closures for

.containers of medicinal substances which closures are

intended to be removable by adults but not by young

children. There have been numerous proposals for safety

closures of this kind but most of these have one or more

disadvantages; for example their production is undesir-

ably complicated and/or expensive, or their manner of

operation is too complex.

According to the invention there is provided a

closure for a container, which closure has a tubular skirt

engageable over a tubular wall defining the mouth of a

container, the inside of said tubular skirt being provided

at substantially opposite regions thereof with two elon-

gate holding portions adapted to engage under cooperating

portions on the outside of the said tubular wall of the

container so as to secure the closure on the container,

and the said skirt being resiliently deformable by

compressing it transversely so as to spread said holding

portions away from one another and thus, in use of the

.closure, to permit its disengagement from an associated

container.

In use, it is intended that such a closure should not

4635,65

28,341/ 71 be removable from an associated container by any procedure

other than the above-mentioned deformation of the closure

skirt to spread its said holding portions away from one

another. It is therefore important that, if the skirt is

of circular cylindrical configuration as is preferred, for

engagement on a circular cylindrical wall defining the

mouth of a container, the relationship between the closure

and the container will be such that the closure cannot be

rotated to a position in which its holding portions no

longer engage with. the said cooperating portions on the

tubular container wall.so as to permit removal of the

closure. In those circumstances, therefore, if the said

elongate holding portions of the closure are separate

portions spaced from one another by cylindrical portions

of the inside wall surface of the skirt, then the said

cooperating portions of the container wall should be

defined by means (such as a ridge) extending far enough

around the wall to prevent such removal; preferably,

indeed, such a ridge or other cooperating means will extend

wholly around the container wall in those circumstances.

If on the other hand the said holding portions on the

closure skirt are defined by spaced portions of a ridge or

the like extending wholly or substantially wholly around

4635.65

28,341/71 the inside wall of the skirt then the cooperating means on

the outside of the container wall can be separate ridge

elements positioned opposite one another on the said wall.

It is also necessary that the closure and a container

with which it is to be associated should be so shaped rela-

tive to one another that when the closure is engaged on

the container its skirt can be deformed as previously

mentioned so as to spread its said holding portions away

from one another. If, as is preferred, the skirt of the

closure and the tubular wall defining the mouth of the

container are both substantially circular cylindrical in

shape, this is preferably achieved by providing the said

skirt with inwardly extending protrusions on each side of

each of its said holding portions, said protrusions being

arranged slidably to engage on the said tubular wall of a

container and thus to facilitate the said deformation of

the skirt when the closure is engaged on a container.

In a preferred embodiment each of the said protrusions is

substantially ellipsoidal in section.

In a preferred form of the invention each of the said

elongate holding portions is constituted by a ridge

integral with the body of the. tubular skirt and defining

a shoulder facing inwardly of the closure. Preferably

4635.65

28,3 41 71 the said ridges are situated at the bottom edge of the

skirt.

In a preferred form of the invention, where the said

tubular skirt of the closure is substantially circular

cylindrical in shape, each of the said holding portions

extends around substantially one quarter of the extent of

the inside surface of the skirt.

In a preferred embodiment the closure includes a

closure web portion spanning the said tubular skirt

adjacent the top end thereof, and a plug portion extending

from said web portion within the said skirt for reception

in the mouth of a container. Preferably the said web

portion and plug portion are integral with one another but

formed separately from the said skirt,. the perimeter of

the web portion being snapped into an internal groove

adjacent the top end of the skirt.. Each of such two parts

of the cl6sure may conveniently be a plastics moulding.

Viewed from another aspect the invention provides a

container and a closure therefore,. the closure being as

above set forth and the container having a mouth defined

by a tubular wall adapted to have the tubular skirt of

the said closure engaged thereover,. the outside of the said

wall of the container being provided with elongate holding

4635,65

28,341/71 portions arranged so that the holding portions on the

skirt may be engaged thereunder to secure the closure on

the container, and the said tubular wall and tubular skirt

being so shaped that, with the closure secured on the

container, the said skirt is resiliently deformable by

compressing it transversely so as to spread the said

holding portions thereof away from one another and thus

permit disengagement of the closure from the container.

In order that the invention may be more readily

understood an embodiment thereof will now be described by

way of example and with reference to the accompanying

drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a unit

constituting the web portion and plug portion of a closure

according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a view partly in axial cross-section and

partly in side elevation of the skirt in which the unit of

Figure 1 is to be mounted to form the closure;

Figure 3 is a view of the assembled closure, partly

in axial cross-section and partly in side elevation;

Figure 4 shows the closure mounted on a container,,

again partly in section and partly in elevation; and

Figure 5 is a transverse section on the line V-V of

0- 4635,65

28,34-1 /71

Figure 2, with the closure mounted on the container.

Referring to the drawings, this embodiment of a

closure according to the invention is moulded in two parts

from a suitable plastics material. One part of the

closure comprises a tubular member 1 (Figure 2) of cir-

cular cylindrical configuration which is formed with a

pair of inwardly projecting arcuate ridges 2 on opposite

sides of its internal wall surface adjacent one end of the

member. Each of the ridges 2 extends around an arc of 900

(see Figure 5) and defines a shoulder 3 facing inwardly

of the assembled closure. Adjacent its other end the

member is formed with an annular groove 4 in its internal.

surface for a purpose explained below.

The other part 5 of the closure, shown alone in

Figure 1, comprises a web portion 6 formed with an annular

bead 7 which fits in the groove 4 of the member 1 (Figure

the web 6 carries a plug member 8 which, in the

assembled closure, extends within the tubular skirt

defined by the member I and is received in the mouth of a

container when the closure is applied thereto (see Figure

The closure is assembled by snapping the bead 7 of

the web 6 into the groove 4 of the member 1.

Referring now particularly to Figure 4, a container 9

7- 4635.65

28.341 /71

adapted for use with the closure described above has its

mouth defined by a tubular wall 10 whose outside surface

is formed with an annular ridge 11 extending completely

therearound and defining a shoulder 12 facing away from the

mouth opening of the container. The closure is applied

to the container by pushing it on to the tubular mouth-

defining wall 10 so that the ridges 2 on the skirt of the

closure snap under the ridge 11 on the wall 10. Then,

•as the ridge 11 extends all around the wall 10 the closure

is secured on the container and cannot be.released by

rotation. The manner of releasing the closure is by

deforming its skirt by compressing it transversely, i.e.

in a direction at right angles to a line joining the

central regions of the two ridges 2 of the closure, so as

to spread the ridges 2 apart and thus release them from

their securing engagement with the ridge 11 on the

container wall 10. The closure may then be lifted off the

container. Pips 13 are formed on the outside wall surface

of the closure skirt to indicate the points at which

compression should be applied to achieve this effect.

The internal wall surface of the tubular member I

defining the skirt of the closure is formed with four

inwardly extending protrusions 14 (Figure 5) of ellipsoidal

4635.65

28 ,341 /7 section arranged slidably to engage on the outside of the

tubular wall 10 defining the mouth of the container 9, to

facilitate deformation of the skirt in the manner

described above. Spaces 15 are thus defined between the

inside of the skirt and the outside of the wall 10, to

accommodate compression of the skirt.

It will thus be seen that the closure, once applied

to the container, cannot be removed by rotating it or by

simply trying to pull it off the container, which makes

thearrangement particularly suitable for the storage of

medicinal substances which have to be kept away from young

children. The degree of resilience of the skirt of the

closure can be made such that a substantial compressive

force is necessary to release it from the container,

large enough to be beyond the capability of a young child.

Many variations of the detailed construction of the

above described embodiment of the invention are of course

possible within the scope of the appended claims. Thus,

for example, the closure could be made in one piece

rather than in two parts connected together. Furthermore

embodiments can be envisaged in which a securing ridge on

the closure skirt extends complete therearound and the

cooperating holding means on the mouth-defining wall of

9 4635.65

28,341/7, the container is provided by two separate ridges arranged

on opposite sides of such wall. Indeed, in the

illustrated embodiment, it is not necessary for the ridge

11 to extend all round the container wall 10; two

separate ridges could be provided so long as the gaps

between them are not long enough to permit the ridges 2 on

the closure to pass between the ends of the separate ridges

on the container neck.

10 4635,65

Claims (1)

1. 28,3 41 71 The claims defining the invention are as follows:-

   1. A closure for a container, which closure has a

   tubular skirt engageable over a tubular wall defining

   the mouth of a container, the inside of said tubular

   skirt being provided at substantially opposite regions

   thereof with two elongate holding portions adapted to

   engage under cooperating portions on the outside of the

   said tubular wall of the container so as to secure the

   closure on the container, and the said skirt being resi-

   liently deformable by compressing it transversely so as to

   spread said holding portions away from one another and

   thus, in use of the closure, to permit its disengagement

   from an associated container.

   2. A closure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outside

   of the said skirt is provided with indicia for indicating

   to a user where to compress the skirt to disengage it

   from an associated container.

   3. A closure as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein each

   of the said elongate holding portions is constituted by a

   ridge integral with the body of the tubular skirt and

   defining a shoulder facing inwardly of the closure.

   4. A closure as claimed in claim 3, wherein the said

   ridges are situated at the bottom edge of the skirt.

   11 4635,65

   28,341 71 A closure as claimed in any of the preceding claims,

   wherein the said tubular skirt is substantially circular

   cylindrical in shape.

   6. A closure as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of the

   said holding portions extends around substantially one

   quarter of the extent of the inside surface of the skirt.

   7. A closure as claimed in any of the preceding claims,

   wherein the said skirt has inwardly extending protrusions

   on each side of each of its said holding portions, said

   protrusions being arranged slidably to engage on the said

   tubular wall of a container and thus to facilitate the

   said deformation of the skirt when the closure is engaged

   on a container.

   8. A closure as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of the

   said protrusions is substantially ellipsoidal in section.

   9. A closure as claimed in any of the preceding claims,

   which includes a closure web portion spanning the said

   tubular skirt adjacent the top end thereof, and a plug

   portion extending from said web portion within the said

   skirt for reception in the mouth of a container.

   A closure as claimed in claim 9, wherein the said

   web portion and plug portionare integral with one another

   but formed separately from the said skirt, the perimeter

   12 4635,65

   28.341 /1 of the web portion being snapped into an internal groove

   adjacent the top end of the skirt.

   11. A closure as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of

   such two parts of the closure is a plastics moulding.

   12. A container and a closure therefor, the closure

   being as claimed in any of claims 1 to 11 and the container

   having a mouth defined by a tubular wall adapted to have

   the tubular skirt of the said closure engaged thereover,

   the outside of the said wall of the container being

   provided with elongate holding portions arranged so that

   the holding portions on the skirt may be engaged there-

   under to secure the closure on the container, and the

   said tubular wall and tubular skirt being so shaped that,

   with the closure secured on the container, the said skirt

   is resiliently deformable by compressing it transversely

   so as to spread the said holding portions thereof away

   from one another and thus permit disengagement of the

   closure from the container.

   13. A closure for a container, which closure is

   substantially as hereinbefore described with reference

   to the accompanying drawings.

   14. A container and a closure therefor, substantially as

   hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying

   drawings. Dated this 29th day of April, 1971. DR. KARL THOMAE G.m.b.H. By their Patent\,Attorney: 4635.65 Of t i-r tf

   28,3 41 /7f

   61g. I 16 6 F~r S =236,

   F r2

   4635.65